ContributorNetwork – COMMENTARY | I watched former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s Florida victory speech Tuesday night. He’s looking stronger since the South Carolina debates in an attempt to defeat Newt Gingrich and show that he’s no “shrinking violet.”
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Harvard Educated Romney Disses Harvard Educated Obama
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AP – The White House has fully embraced one of eating’s hottest trends — seasonal cooking with ingredients grown at home.
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White House chef says Obamas eat seasonal
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At Los Angeles Times , “Mitt Romney leading polls in Florida “: After months of gyrating front-runners and inconclusive voter tests, a victory by Mitt Romney in the looming Florida primary would send the 2012 campaign down a well-worn path — pointing the most established GOP contender toward a highly competitive race against President Obama in the fall election. If Newt Gingrich wins, the contours of the battle would be radically different: a prolonged intraparty struggle unlike any the GOP has seen in decades, pitting the former House speaker as an insurgent force against many present and former elected officials he once led, with unpredictable consequences in November if he is the nominee. Romney has, for now at least, pulled ahead of Gingrich in the roller-coaster campaign for Florida. An opinion survey of Florida Republicans, released Friday by Quinnipiac University, showed Romney leading Gingrich by nine points, 38% to 29%. Rep. Ron Paul and former Sen. Rick Santorum were far back, at 14% and 12%, respectively. “I think if Romney wins this, it’s over for Newt,” said John McLaughlin, a veteran Republican pollster who is unaffiliated in the presidential campaign. Looking ahead, Romney has the advantage in the Feb. 4 Nevada caucuses and other, largely symbolic contests next month, including a nonbinding Feb. 7 primary in Missouri, where Gingrich failed to qualify for the ballot. The statewide poll, conducted Tuesday through Thursday, was the latest indication that Gingrich’s surge after his Jan. 21 win in the South Carolina primary had evaporated in this week’s summerlike heat. The same survey had Gingrich ahead by six points just after South Carolina voted. Romney’s superior performances in two Florida debates blunted Gingrich’s efforts to build on his recent primary success. Earlier nationally televised forums had been crucial to Gingrich’s ability to counter Romney’s edge in campaign money and organization. At the same time, Romney and his supporters are using overwhelming force to gain the upper hand in the Florida air war, unleashing a barrage of negative ads that are “just grinding Newt down,” McLaughlin said. Members of Congress and other forces in the GOP establishment have fanned out across the state to criticize Gingrich and boost Romney. More at the link . And see also the New York Times , ” Romney Goes on Offensive in Florida, Bolstered by Debate Performance .” And at Quinnipiac, ” Romney Pulls Ahead In See-Saw Florida GOP Primary, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Men Shift From Gingrich to Romney .” On Nevada, check CBS News Las Vegas, ” TV Ad War Heating Up Before Nevada’s GOP Caucus .”
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Air War ‘Grinding Newt Down’
AP – President Barack Obama is pressing his case for changes in how the Senate does business, hoping to ease the partisan gridlock, and he wants to bar lawmakers from profiting from their service.
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Obama to senators: Change the way you do business
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This morning, Quinnipiac tells us that Newt’s lead in Florida can fall apart as quickly as Mitt Romney’s lead in South Carolina: Just four days before the nation’s first big-state presidential primary, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney opens up a 38 – 29 percent lead over former House Speaker Newt Gingrich among Republican likely voters in Florida, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Only 6 percent are undecided, but 32 percent say they might change their mind by Tuesday. This compares to results of a January 25 survey by the independent Quinnipiac University, showing Romney with 36 percent of likely primary voters to Gingrich’s 34 percent. Wednesday’s survey showed Gingrich ahead 40 – 34 percent among voters surveyed after the South Carolina primary. Keep reading this post . . .
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Remember When This Primary Was Boring & Predictable?
Palin’s influence in the GOP showed itself in the South Carolina primary.
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Sarah Palin: ‘Teavangelical’ shot caller
Two polls fresh on the heels of South Carolina show Newt Gingrich pulling out a nice lead in the Sunshine State. At Rusmussen, ” Florida GOP Primary: Gingrich 41%, Romney 32% .” And also an InsiderAdvantage poll at Newsmax , ” Newt Surges to Lead in Fla., Romney Trails by 8 Points .” (Via Memeorandum .) The buzz on Florida is that it’s much more diverse than South Carolina, and hence way more unpredictable. A couple of weeks ago I expected Mitt Romney to basically clinch the nomination in Florida. But that’s obviously not happening now. He could win, but all that would do is establish a firm two-man race heading into the next series of primary contests. Frontloading HQ has more, ” Musings on the Republican Nomination Race, Post-South Carolina “: The notion of Mitt Romney sweeping or nearly sweeping the January contests and putting the nomination race to rest are gone — even with a Florida win. But the idea of a momentum contest — one that will typically develop behind the frontrunner, no matter how nominal — is not completely dead.
