There have been rumors and various speculations all week that there would be a special guest at the Republican National Convention.
Tonight is the final night of the abbreviated Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida shortened by one day due to safety concerns caused by Tropical Storm Issac. There is a big line-up tonight including Florida Senator Marco Rubio and the acceptance speech from Mitt Romney himself plus now confirmed America’s beloved tough guy and former Carmel Mayor Clint Eastwood, who generally does not get involved in political campaigns.
Republicans managed to inject some drama into their convention this week, in addition to Isaac, with the speculation about who might share the stage with Mitt Romney in addition to Marco Rubio. Possible names have ranged from Sarah Palin to Rush Limbaugh, while others tabbed Tim Tebow, the evangelistic New York Jets quarterback, or perhaps real estate mogul Donald Trump who was cut after Monday’s program deleted. Even former Presidents George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush were mulled as possibilities as well as Nancy Reagan by video and Clint Eastwood, and then Fox News reported Wednesday that a Republican source said it would be the "Million Dollar Baby" (Blu-ray) director and former Mayor of Carmel, California.
It has now been fully confirmed that Mitt Romney will have a familiar gravelly voiced act to follow tonight. Academy Award-winning actor and director Clint Eastwood will be the mystery speaker expected to address the RNC crowd before the Republican presidential hopeful takes the podium, tonight, on the last night of the GOP convention in Tampa.
The GOP has typically kept a wary distance from Hollywood and in-turn many conservative Hollywood types from politics. All the same, given Jon Voight’s vocal presence at the Tampa summit, as well as the public backing provided by other conservative celebrities like Chuck Norris, Kelsey Grammer, Ted Nugent and Janine Turner (a speaker at the convention), a bit of strategically placed celebrity advocacy during election season tends to draw media attention, at the very least. Some think Jon Voight might have been instrumental in getting Clint to appear at the convention. Mitt is also liked, respected and supported by most of the athletes who participated in the Utah Olympics; several appeared at the convention.
Eastwood, best known for his on-screen roles as "Dirty Harry" will be a great addition to the final night of the convention. When asked by Fox’s Neil Cavuto, from the Fox Business Channel, House Minority Leader Eric Cantor said, “All Clint needs to do is walk on stage… stop for a pregnant pause and say, “Make My Day” and Americans of all stripes would get the message! Let us hope they will!!
Wielding an economic sword, with a military backdrop and the shield of faith, Romney and Ryan will wipe the progressive floor with action, devotion and truth. Time for the Snoopy Dance! Ryan is the Tea Party pick and with a devout mindset, the line between the light and the dark has been drawn and sides are now chosen. I choose the light.
Can you imagine the gnashing of teeth on the left with a humble Mormon and a devout Catholic saying the kinds of things Reagan used to say and meaning it? Furthermore, can you imagine a debate between the intellectual leader of the conservative movement and the progressive… what would you call him? The progressive jester? Fool? Dunce? Incompetent nitwit? So many choices, so many idiots.
Yes, it’s the clean team versus the dirty duo. Can you imagine what would have happened if Reagan and Kennedy had managed to run on the same ticket? Instead in 2008, we got Sith Lord Palpatine and Jar-Jar Binks pushing debt, doubt and despair.
Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan – America’s Comeback Team. Optimism for a change.
It’s great to be back in Virginia and here in Norfolk. Your city’s beauty is only matched by its proud heritage as a defender of freedom. Today we take another step forward in helping restore the promise of America. As we move forward in this campaign and on to help lead the nation to better days, it is an honor to announce my running mate and the next Vice President of the United States: Paul Ryan.
Paul Ryan is a leader.
His leadership begins with character and values. And Paul is a man of tremendous character, shaped in large part by his early life.
Paul’s father died when he was in high school. That forced him to grow up earlier than any young man should. But Paul did, with the help of his devoted mother, his brothers and sister, and a supportive community. And as he did, he internalized the virtues and hard-working ethic of the Midwest.
Paul Ryan works in Washington – but his beliefs remain firmly rooted in Janesville, Wisconsin. He is a person of great steadiness, whose integrity is unquestioned and whose word is good.
Paul’s upbringing is obvious in how he has conducted himself throughout his life, including his leadership in Washington.
In a city that is far too often characterized by pettiness and personal attacks, Paul Ryan is a shining exception. He does not demonize his opponents. He understands that honorable people can have honest differences. And he appeals to the better angels of our nature. There are a lot of people in the other party who might disagree with Paul Ryan; I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t respect his character and judgment.
Paul is in public life for all the right reasons – not to advance his personal ambitions but to advance the ideals of freedom and justice; and to increase opportunity and prosperity to people of every class and faith, every age and ethnic background. A faithful Catholic, Paul believes in the worth and dignity of every human life.
With energy and vision, Paul Ryan has become an intellectual leader of the Republican Party. He understands the fiscal challenges facing America: our exploding deficits and crushing debt – and the fiscal catastrophe that awaits us if we don’t change course.
Paul Ryan combines a profound sense of responsibility for what we owe the next generation with an unbounded optimism in America’s future and an understanding of all the wonderful things the American people can do.
Paul also combines firm principles with a practical concern for getting things done. He has never been content to simply curse the darkness; he would rather light candles. And throughout his legislative career he’s shown the ability to work with members of both parties to find common ground on some of the hardest issues confronting the American people.
Paul and I are beginning on a journey that will take us to every corner of America. We are offering a positive, governing agenda that will lead to economic growth, to widespread and shared prosperity, and that will improve the lives of our fellow citizens. Our Plan to Strengthen The Middle Class will get America back to work and get our country back on track.
We offer solutions that are bold, specific, and achievable. We offer our commitment to help create 12 million new jobs and to bring better take home pay to middle class families.
To strengthen the middle class, we will provide our workers and our children with the skills to succeed. We’ll cut the deficit, have trade that works for America, and champion small business. And finally, we will unleash our energy resources to achieve North American energy independence.
We will help care for those who cannot care for themselves, and we will return work to welfare. As poverty has risen to historic and tragic levels, with nearly one out of six Americans now having fallen into poverty, we will act to bring these families into the middle class. Unlike the current president who has cut Medicare funding by $700 billion, we will preserve and protect Medicare and Social Security. Under the current president, healthcare has only become more expensive. We will reform healthcare so that more Americans have access to affordable healthcare, and we will get that started by repealing and replacing Obamacare.
And at a time when the President’s campaign is taking American politics to new lows, we are going to do things differently. We are going to talk about aspirations and American ideals; about bringing people together to solve the urgent problems facing our nation. And when that message wins in America, it will be a victory for every American.
Today is a good day for America. And there are better days ahead. Join me in welcoming the next Vice President of the United States – Paul Ryan.
It should be noted that Romney accidentally called Ryan the next President of the United States, but graciously came back up, said he goofed and welcomed his running mate in true Presidential fashion. When was the last time we had a real leader admit he goofed and not just for political grandstanding?
The Tea Party’s favored son, Paul Ryan, will save America from the fiscal cliff looming ahead of us. You know the one Obama wanted to push us over while framing Republicans for his own dastardly deed – it’s called projection. Romney/Ryan will rebuild the middle class, slash the debt and right the American ship. Instead of Obama’s “You didn’t build that!,” Romney and Ryan in one voice tell us that: “If you have a small business, you did build that!” They’ll also restore us to constitutional principles and consent of the governed, not ruling by the elite.
On to Paul Ryan’s remarks (highlighting is my emphasis – I dare you not to smile):
Thank you Governor Romney, Ann. I am deeply honored and excited to join you as your running mate.
Mitt Romney is a leader with the skills, the background and the character that our country needs at a crucial time in its history. Following four years of failed leadership, the hopes of our country, which have inspired the world, are growing dim; and they need someone to revive them. Governor Romney is the man for this moment; and he and I share one commitment: we will restore the dreams and greatness of this country.
I want you to meet my family. My wife Janna, our daughter Liza, and our sons, Charlie and Sam.
I am surrounded by the people I love, and I have been asked by Governor Romney to serve the country I love.
Janesville, Wisconsin is where I was born and raised, and I never really left it. It’s our home now.
For the last 14 years, I have proudly represented Wisconsin in Congress. There, I have focused on solving the problems that confront our country, and turning ideas into action; and action into solutions.
I am committed, in heart and mind, to putting that experience to work in a Romney Administration. This is a crucial moment in the life of our nation; and it is absolutely vital that we select the right man to lead America back to prosperity and greatness.
That man is standing next to me. His name is Mitt Romney. And he will be the next president of the United States.
My dad died when I was young. He was a good and decent man. I still remember a couple of things he would say that have really stuck with me. “Son you are either part of the problem or part of the solution.”
Regrettably, President Obama has become part of the problem,…and Mitt Romney is the solution.
The other thing my dad would say is that every generation of Americans leaves their children better off. That’s the American legacy.
Sadly, for the first time in our history, we are on a path which will undo that legacy. That is why we need new leadership to become part of the solution – new leadership to restore prosperity, economic growth, and jobs.
It is our duty to save the American Dream for our children, and theirs.
And I believe there is no person in America who is better prepared – because of his experience; because of the principles he holds; and because of his achievements and excellence in so many different arenas – to lead America at this point in its history.
Let me say a word about the man Mitt Romney will replace. No one disputes President Obama inherited a difficult situation. And, in his first 2 years, with his party in complete control of Washington, he passed nearly every item on his agenda. But that didn’t make things better.
In fact, we find ourselves in a nation facing debt, doubt and despair.
This is the worst economic recovery in 70 years. Unemployment has been above 8 percent for more than three years, the longest run since the Great Depression. Families are hurting.
We have the largest deficits and the biggest federal government since WWII.
Nearly 1 out of 6 Americans are in poverty–the worst rate in a generation. Moms and dads are struggling to make ends meet.
Household incomes have dropped by more than $4,000 over the past four years.
Whatever the explanations, whatever the excuses, this is a record of failure.
President Obama, and too many like him in Washington, have refused to make difficult decisions because they are more worried about their next election than they are about the next generation. We might have been able to get away with that before, but not now. We’re in a different, and dangerous, moment. We’re running out of time — and we can’t afford 4 more years of this.
Politicians from both parties have made empty promises which will soon become broken promises–with painful consequences–if we fail to act now.
I represent a part of America that includes inner cities, rural areas, suburbs and factory towns. Over the years I have seen and heard from a lot from families, from those running small businesses, and from people who are in need. But what I have heard lately troubles me the most. There is something different in their voice and in their words. What I hear from them are diminished dreams, lowered expectations, uncertain futures.
I hear some people say that this is just “the new normal.” High unemployment, declining incomes and crushing debt is not a new normal. It’s the result of misguided policies. And next January, our economy will begin a comeback with the Romney Plan for a Stronger Middle Class that will lead to more jobs and more take home pay for working Americans.
America is on the wrong track; but Mitt Romney and I will take the right steps, in the right time, to get us back on the right track!
I believe my record of getting things done in Congress will be a very helpful complement to Governor Romney’s executive and private sector success outside Washington. I have worked closely with Republicans as well as Democrats to advance an agenda of economic growth, fiscal discipline, and job creation.
I’m proud to stand with a man who understands what it takes to foster job creation in our economy, someone who knows from experience, that if you have a small business—you did build that.
At Bain Capital, he launched new businesses and he turned around failing ones – companies like Staples, Bright Horizons and Sports Authority, just to name a few. Mitt Romney created jobs and showed he knows how a free economy works.
At the Olympics, he took a failing enterprise and made it the pride of our entire nation.
As governor of Massachusetts, he worked with Democrats and Republicans to balance budgets with no tax increases, lower unemployment, increase income and improve people’s lives.
In all of these things, Mitt Romney has shown himself to be a man of achievement, excellence and integrity.
Janna and I tell Liza, Charlie and Sam that America is a place where, if you work hard and play by the rules, you can get ahead.
We Americans look at one another’s success with pride, not resentment, because we know, as more Americans work hard, take risks, and succeed, more people will prosper, our communities will benefit, and individual lives will be improved and uplifted.
But America is more than just a place…it’s an idea. It’s the only country founded on an ideas. Our rights come from nature and God, not government. We promise equal opportunity, not equal outcomes.
This idea is founded on the principles of liberty, freedom, free enterprise, self-determination and government by consent of the governed.
This idea is under assault. So, we have a critical decision to make as a nation.
We are on an unsustainable path that is robbing America of our freedom and security. It doesn’t have to be this way.
The commitment Mitt Romney and I make to you is this:
We won’t duck the tough issues…we will lead!
We won’t blame others…we will take responsibility!
We won’t replace our founding principles…we will reapply them!
We will honor you, our fellow citizens, by giving you the right and opportunity to make the choice:
What kind of country do we want to have?
What kind of people do we want to be?
We can turn this thing around. Real solutions can be delivered. But, it will take leadership. And the courage to tell you the truth.
Mitt Romney is this kind of leader. I’m excited for what lies ahead and I’m thrilled to be a part of America’s Comeback Team. And together, we will unite America and get this done.
We won’t blame others, we will take responsibility… Wow. Imagine that… The adults have returned to our hallowed halls and somebody is going to get an ass whupping. Good times. And Romney and Ryan have the courage and conviction to tell the truth. We will be that shining city on a hill once more – I know it.
What do you want to bet Obama and Biden have never sat down and prayed together? I don’t know that Romney and Ryan have prayed together, but I have no trouble envisioning that. Obama and Biden? Not so much.
We have the comeback team. We have optimism for a change.
Paul Ryan: “This is our generation’s defining moment”
Mitt Romney clinched the Republican presidential nomination last night (Tuesday) with a win in the Texas primary, officially garnering the 1,144 delegates needed to claim the Republican presidential nomination. It was a triumph of endurance for the candidate who came up short four years ago and had to fight hard this year as voters flirted with a carousel of GOP rivals, all slugging it out and scratching to reach the prize.
According to The Associated Press count, Romney surpassed the 1,144 delegates needed to win the nomination by winning at least 97 delegates in the Texas primary.
The former Massachusetts governor has reached the nomination milestone with a steady message of concern about the U.S. economy, a campaign organization that dwarfed those of his GOP foes and a fundraising operation second only to that of his Democratic opponent in the general election, President Barack Obama.
Romney is the first Mormon nominated by a major party. His religion has been somewhat less of an issue than it was during his failed bid four years ago; perhaps because the economy is on the forefront of everyone’s mind. Plus many question President Obama’s honesty about his religion, so believe a Mormon is a definite improvement over a Reverend Wright style Christian or perhaps a closet Muslim.
"We did it!" Romney proclaimed in a message to supporters, noting that "it's only the beginning."
Romney was not in Texas, however, but in Las Vegas at a major fundraiser hosted by supporter Donald Trump.
"An honor and a privilege and a great responsibility," Romney told supporters at a fundraiser in Las Vegas. "And I know the road to 1,144 was long and hard, but I also know that the road to 11-06… Nov. 6th… is also going to be long and it's going to be hard and it's going to be worth it because we're going to take back the White House and get America right again."
Romney must now fire up those conservatives who still doubt him while persuading swing voters that he can do a better job fixing the nation's struggling economy than Obama. In Obama, he faces a well-funded candidate with a proven campaign team, but in his favor, in an election year that will be heavily influenced by the negative economy… Obama’s economy.
Romney's campaign went on the attack Tuesday, releasing a Web video citing the Obama administration's loan-guarantee investments in four renewable-energy firms that lost money and laid off workers.
The message, "President Obama is fundamentally hostile to job creators", has been a theme of the Romney campaign since he launched his presidential bid. But sensing this as an opportunity to reach a new audience, the campaign planned to highlight Obama's support for the failed renewable energy company Solyndra, among other private ventures the Obama administration helped support.
"We need to have presidents who understand how this economy works," Romney told reporters Tuesday. "Sometimes I just don't think he understands what it takes to help people. I know he wants to help, but he doesn't know what he's got to do."
Romney's message and his big day, however, were somewhat overshadowed by real estate mogul Donald Trump and his discredited suggestions that Obama wasn't born in the United States. Course others were cheering that Trump had the guts to say it.
Romney spent Tuesday evening at a Las Vegas fundraiser with Trump, who had toyed with the idea of running for president earlier in the election season. Romney says he believes Obama was born in America but has yet to condemn Trump's repeated insinuations to the contrary.
Both Trump and Romney steered clear of the issue at Tuesday's, said to have been successful, fundraiser. (Coincidentally, Romney officially released his birth certificate yesterday.)
When asked Monday about Trump's contentions, Romney said, "I don't agree with all the people who support me. And my guess is they don't all agree with everything I believe in." He added, "But I need to get 50.1 percent or more. And I'm appreciative to have the help of a lot of good people."
"He's going to turn this country around. He's going to create jobs like you haven't seen for many, many years," Trump declared. "We were a great country. Soon we won't be a great country at all... Mitt Romney will make us a great country again." Later in the evening Trump told Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren, “Romney understands what needs to be done with China!”
Republicans won't officially nominate Romney until late August at the GOP national convention in Tampa, Florida. At latest count, Romney now has 1,183 convention delegates.
He won at least 97 delegates in Texas with 33 left to be decided. The 152 delegates in Texas are awarded in proportion to the statewide vote. The other delegates were sprinkled among several candidates.
Texas Republicans also voted in a Senate primary to choose a candidate to run for the seat being vacated by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and state Solicitor General Ted Cruz were headed to a runoff in July.
With about three-fourths of precincts reporting, Dewhurst led with 45 percent of the vote compared to 33 percent for Cruz. Dewhurst, however, fell short of the majority he needed to avoid a runoff. The nominee will be strongly favored to win in November in heavily Republican Texas.
Romney, 65, is clinching the presidential nomination later in the calendar than any recent Republican candidate, but not quite as late as Obama in 2008. Obama clinched the Democratic nomination on June 3, 2008, at the end of an epic primary battle with now Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Four years ago, John McCain reached the delegate threshold on March 4, after Romney dropped out of the race about a month earlier.
This year's primary fight was extended by a back-loaded primary calendar because of new GOP rules that generally awarded fewer delegates for winning a state, changes they seemed to regret as the campaign bogged down. Plus the Republican electorate seemed to enjoy extending the battle before settling on Romney.
Michelle Bachmann, Rick Perry, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and yes… Donald Trump all sat at the top the Republican field at some point. Minnesota Rep. And at one point early on, Ron Paul also appeared to have the ability to secure the top spot for a short time. But Romney outlasted them all, even as some GOP voters and tea party backers questioned his conservative credentials.
The primary race started in January with Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator, narrowly edging Romney in the Iowa caucuses. Romney rebounded with a big win in New Hampshire before Gingrich, the former House speaker, won South Carolina.
Romney responded with a barrage of negative ads against Gingrich in Florida and got a much-needed 14-point win. Romney's opponents fought back: Gingrich called him a liar, and Santorum said Romney was "the worst Republican in the country" to run against Obama.
Gingrich and Santorum assailed Romney's work at Bain Capital, the private equity firm he co-founded, saying the firm sometimes made millions at the expense of workers and jobs. It is a line of attack that Obama has promised to carry all the way to November.
On Feb. 7 Santorum swept all three contests in Missouri, Colorado and Minnesota, raising questions about Romney's status as the front-runner. After a 17-day break in the voting, Romney responded with wins in Arizona, Michigan and Washington state before essentially locking up the nomination on March 6, this year's version of Super Tuesday.
Romney has already been in general-election mode for weeks, raising money and focusing on Obama, largely ignoring the primaries since his competitors dropped out or stopped campaigning. Santorum suspended his campaign April 10, and Gingrich left the race a few weeks later. Texas Rep. Ron Paul said on May 14 he would no longer compete in primaries, though his supporters are still working to gain national delegates at state conventions.
Both Santorum and Gingrich initially offered tepid endorsements of Romney as the left the race but Gingrich is now actively promoting Romney's campaign.
Among those in the crowd in Vegas last night: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who joined his former rival on the trail for the first time since dropping his own bid for the Republican nomination last month.
While Gingrich didn't speak at the fundraiser, he talked to reporters ahead of the event, defending Romney's muted reaction to Trump's birther conspiracies.
"Gov. Romney is not distracted, the Republican Party is not distracted. We believe this is an American-born, job-killing president," Gingrich told reporters, per the Los Angeles Times. "Other people may believe that he was born somewhere else and still kills jobs, but that's an argument over background. The key fact is for any American worried about the economy, Obama is a job-killing president."
Rich Galen, a Republican strategist who has been unaligned in the 2012 race thus far, said the long, sometimes nasty primary fight should have helped Romney fine-tune his campaign organization so it can operate effectively in the general election. Galen doesn't, however, think it was relevant in toughening up Romney for the battle against Obama. Not quite sure how that follows, but we shall see!
"Romney's been running for president for six years. He is as good a candidate as he's ever going to be," Galen said. "Whatever you say about him, he was better than everybody else in the race."
So the general now officially begins! Game on….
Romney’s official announcement sent out to his online supporters:
Friend,
Tonight, we surpassed 1,144 delegates and secured the nomination. I am grateful and humbled by your support through this process. We did it!
This has been an extraordinary journey. And yet it's only the beginning.
Now all Republicans can move forward toward our convention in Tampa. There, we will stand united as a party with a winning ticket for America. Ours will be a campaign to unite every American who knows in his or her heart that we can do better.
There's much to be done by November 6th - but with your help, we will get it done!
Thank you for standing with me. Mitt Romney
___
h/t to AP writer Steve Peoples contribution to this report, reporting from Las Vegas. Photo credits to: the Arizona Daily Star
2012 Iowa Straw Poll winners: Mitt Romney #1, Rick Santorum #2 and Ron Paul #3. An angry Newt Gingrich who said he is changing his approach finished 4th. Rick Perry who finished a disappointing 5th said he was heading back to Texas to reevaluate… which means short of a lot of arm-twisting from influential backers, he is out. And Michele Bachmann rounds out the field in 6th place after having been the winner of the Iowa Straw Poll this past August. She said she is going nowhere and it is headed on to New Hampshire and South Carolina, but the word is she is out of money. Technically Jon Huntsman Jr. finished 7th in Iowa but he really didn’t campaign or participate there.
Update: Republican Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann formally ended her campaign for the White House this morning, just one day after Mitt Romney's Iowa caucus victory. "Last night, the people of Iowa spoke with a very clear voice. And I have decided to stand aside," the GOP Congresswoman from Minnesota told reporters today.
And there is also an interesting side note… Looks like although Mitt Romney won the Iowa Caucus (by 8 votes) and Rick Santorum was the story of the Iowa Caucus. Ron Paul may be the delegate winner.
And after heading home to Texas on Tuesday night and cancelling his South Carolina plans, Perry announced on Wednesday that he was staying in the race? Go figure?!?
In reality… the Iowa Caucuses were a virtual tie between Romney and Santorum followed by a strong 3rd for Ron Paul.
Photo: GOP participants in the Iowa Caucuses
“Game on”, said former the Senator from Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum from the podium last night. For whether he finished first or second in the Iowa Caucuses… he is the story of the day… he was the winner!!
(Wikipedia) The Iowa caucuses are an electoral event in which residents of the U.S. state of Iowa meet in precinctcaucuses in all of Iowa's 1,774 precincts and elect delegates to the corresponding county conventions. The caucuses are generally defined as "gatherings of neighbors”. There are 99 counties in Iowa and thus 99 conventions. These county conventions then select delegates for both Iowa's Congressional District Convention and the State Convention, which eventually choose the delegates for the presidential nominating conventions (the national conventions). The 2012 Iowa Caucuses are held on January 3, 2012.[1]
The Iowa caucuses are noteworthy for the amount of media attention they receive during U.S. presidential election years. Since 1972, the Iowa caucuses have been the first major electoral event of the nominating process for President of the United States. Although only about 1% of the nation's delegates are chosen by the Iowa State Convention (28 Republican delegates in 2012, assigned proportionately), the Iowa caucuses have served as an early indication of which candidates for president might win the nomination of their political party at that party's national convention, and which ones could drop out for lack of support.
Photo: Participants it the Ames Iowa Straw Poll in August 2011: Rick Santorum, Herman Cain, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Tim Pawlenty, Jon Huntsman, Newt Gingrich… Rick Perry had not even entered the race yet.
It is an amazingly curious process that begins with the Ames Iowa Straw Poll which took its first casualty of the GOP presidential race, Tim Pawlenty. Gary Johnson, who has also now moved from the GOP field to the Libertarian party, did not participate in the straw poll and Thad McCotter, who did participate, did not qualify for the pre-poll debate and dropped out of the race after the Straw Poll.
All three of the frontrunners: Romney, Santorum and Paul gave great speeches at the end of the night. Gingrich sadly sounded like a vindictive whiner, which in the end will only hurt the GOP, the American people and help re-elect Obama. Mr. No Negative Newt is turning into Get Even Angry Gingrich. Newt has already taken out a full page negative anti-Romney ad in South Carolina to hit the papers the day after the Caucus.
A side note… at the end of the evening it was announced that the Iowa Republican Party could not find the last 1% of votes from Clinton and Keokuk counties. All the major networks, local reporters and media sat waiting long after the winners gave their speeches and went to bed. Some were already off to New Hampshire or South Carolina before the votes were found.
All the remaining GOP candidates will participate in two debates that are scheduled before the New Hampshire primary where Romney now leads by 40%+ in every poll, even with Jon Huntsman having virtually lived in that state for months now. There will also be another debate right before the South Carolina primary.
In every poll, Romney still comes out as the most electable against Obama in the General Election compared to all the other GOP candidates.
Countdown to New Hampshire primary: 7 days Countdown to South Carolina primary: 18 days Countdown to Florida primary: 28 days Countdown to Nevada caucuses: 32 days Countdown to Super Tuesday: 63 days Countdown to Election Day: 308 days
Total ad spending in Iowa: By the way, the campaigns and various Super PACs spent more than $16 million in advertising in Iowa. The breakdown for the major players: Perry $4.3 million, Paul $2.8 million, Restore Our Future (pro-Romney) $2.8 million, Make Us Great Again (pro-Perry) $1.6 million, Romney $1.5 million, Gingrich $980,000, Red White and Blue Fund (pro-Santorum) $530,000, Winning Our Future (pro-Gingrich) $264,000, Bachmann $180,000, and Santorum $30,000.
Future ad spending: Here is what’s slated to run after today: In New Hampshire, Romney, Paul, and the pro-Huntsman Our Destiny PAC are all booked to run TV ads between tomorrow and the Jan. 9th primary. In South Carolina, Romney, Paul, and the pro-Romney Restore Our Future are booked. And in Florida, Restore Our Future is booked on broadcast advertising until Jan. 9th.
*While waiting for the lost votes to come in I listened to the coverage from the BBC. (Always good to hear things from another perspective!) Their take is that the GOP really needs to pull themselves together and start focusing on the prize… beating Obama, instead of beating each other up! They thought that Obama is very vulnerable, but the infighting and extreme ideology of some voter groups will end up causing Obama to be reelected.
Reports out of the Obama campaign are that they are elated by the 3-way split of votes in Iowa as well as the latest reports of stepped up in-fighting. They feel that if the united GOP goal is really to replace him, they should be able to unite.
At 1:54a.m.ET with 122,255 votes cast, the difference between Romney and Santorum was just 4-votes, with Santorum leading. At 2:34a.m. ET the final tally came in by agreement of the senior staff people of the two winning camps. But during and after that gap, the talking heads had a lot of time to kill while waiting for the final votes to come in. At 2:35a.m. they were pondering whether perhaps it was not too late for someone else to jump in… or as the old song lyrics go, should Republicans ‘learn to love the ones they are with’ instead of yearning for a dream team they wanted that didn’t run like Chris Christie, Sarah Palin, Paul Ryan…
In the end, Romney won the race by 8 votes…. as we said before, a virtual tie. (Jon Huntsman siphoned off approximately 700 votes and Herman Cain got 58 votes, even though he is out of the race.) Both Romney (30,015 votes) and Santorum (30,007 votes) came out winners. And Ron Paul doing this well is also a victory for his campaign.
But the true question is… Is the division displayed in Iowa a victory for the GOP voters and ultimately for the American people?
The GOP has a clear shot at retaking the White House in 2012, but winning will require strong support from core groups such as the National Rifle Association, Christian conservatives, and the ever-expanding tea party movement, veteran political consultant and best-selling author Brad O’Leary tells Newsmax.
“How can Obama be beaten? You have to talk to the people about what he really believes.” says O’Leary, publisher of The O’Leary Report and co-author of a book in process titled “How Obama Can Be Defeated in 2012.”
“You’re not going to be able to fight this election and win unless you have the support of the NRA. That’s a truism we can start with,” says O’Leary, who adds that the current administration’s poor record on gun rights has cost the Democrats dearly in recent elections.
“In his heart, President [Barack] Obama would love to take on the NRA. He believes that restrictions on owning a gun can be put in place by the states. Hardly anyone in America would be able to own a gun,” O’Leary says. “Will the Democratic Party, who suffered such a calamity in the last election, have the guts to take on the NRA? I think they’ll choose to be hypocrites all the way.”
The NRA's power will be on display next month at its annual members' meeting in Pittsburgh. Attendance hit a record of 71,000 last year, and this year's event could draw an all-time high of 75,000.
In a wide-ranging interview with Newsmax.TV, O’Leary also expounded on:
The solid cadre of national conservative candidates and how that field is likely to shake out this election cycle
The administration’s efforts to appoint activist judges to rewrite the Constitution and impinge on American freedoms
Obama’s brand of Christianity and how it fuels his strong belief in the redistribution of wealth.
Like NRA members, O’Leary says Christian conservatives are likely to be driven to the polls in record numbers in 2012 to hold the line on issues and positions they feel the Obama administration is threatening.
“Religious conservatives … weren’t out in massive number last election but they’re there,” O’Leary tells Newsmax. “Anyone who thinks we solved gay marriage, and solved many other issues that would turn people out doesn’t know anything about America.
“Since the Civil War, churches have played an important part in turning out their people to vote in elections,” he says. Even with the NRA and the Christian vote secured, however, GOP candidates need to be mindful of the burgeoning power of the tea party, O’Leary adds.
“Any successful candidate . . . is going to have to have the support of groups like the tea party,” he insists. “They are not going away. They didn’t come to the table and elect so many people, especially electing 700 new state representatives, [to] then fade into the darkness of politics.
“They are going to have more time to organize, more time to turn people out, and they’re going to get you focusing on the issues.”
O’Leary says he thinks all of the candidates being mentioned in the 2012 GOP presidential mix will be willing to take the gloves off and challenge Obama on the issues in a way they didn’t in 2008.
Most of the candidates and potential candidates now aren’t getting a lot of attention from voters because they aren’t as “flashingly politically famous as we’ve had in previous elections.”
O’Leary’s take on some of the top GOP contenders:
Mitt Romney: “Tested. Good organization and business background. Hasn’t quite learned the terms that are going to sell his vision yet.”
Mike Huckabee: “Has a certain warmth that gets through to his audience and will get through to America.”
Sarah Palin: “She loves her family so much and owes so much to them. Running for president is very difficult, but if she decides to run, she has the right priorities!”
Tim Pawlenty: “Started slow. Picked up momentum. He could be the last guy standing.”
Haley Barbour: “Successful at everything he’s done. The more you see Haley, the more you like him.”
Rick Santorum: “Been silent politically for years. Just allowing himself to get re-known by the American public.”
Donald Trump: “Hard time believing someone as successful as Trump is going to take the time necessary to run for president. But he is beholden to no one and speaks his mind.”
On the subject of activist judges, O’Leary calls Supreme Court justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor “total examples” of the administration’s desire to effect liberal legislative changes from the bench.
