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Randall Hill / Reuters
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney greets supporters after a town hall meeting Saturday at the Horry-Georgetown Technical College Grand Strand Conference Center in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
MYRTLE BEACH, SC-- For the 24 hours after his flight touched down in the South Carolina, presidential hopeful Mitt Romney was received like a rock star here.
Friday afternoon, with Gov. Nikki Haley, R-SC, at his side, Romney drew a crowd so large that the Greenville fire station hosting the event had to shut its doors. When the fire marshal and the fire chief are the same person, you listen to what he says.
In two stops Saturday with Haley, Romney drew crowds dwarfing those he typically gets in Iowa and New Hampshire. At the last event in Myrtle Beach, police estimated 500 people crammed into a small auditorium and overflow room to hear the governor as Romney advance staff searched desperately for extra chairs.
Paul Peterson, a political science professor at nearby Coastal Carolina University who was in attendance, said that the crowd was bigger than any he saw at a Romney event during the 2008 South Carolina primary campaign.
But local political observers say boisterous town halls are the norm in the Palmetto state. It begs the question: can a weekend rock-star Romney - the same man who finished a distant third in the 2008 primary here - actually win the state?
Romney currently trails former House Speaker Newt Gingrich here by 19 points, according to the latest NBC News/Marist poll. The same poll shows daunting challenges for Romney: 60 percent of likely voters here say they see the former Massachusetts governor as either a moderate or liberal. That's a problem in a state where seventy percent of likely voters consider themselves conservative or very conservative.
The Romney campaign hopes the endorsement of the conservative Haley, whose approval numbers have slid to just 35 percent statewide according to a Winthrop University poll, could stem the tide. Her 53 percent approval rating among Republicans statewide, her outsize national profile and her full-throated endorsement certainly can't hurt.
"He’s no longer a candidate that’s trying to win. He’s already a leader that knows what he wants to do the first day he gets into office," Haley told reporters yesterday by way of explaining her decision. She added that the "icing on the cake" was the Obama administration's continuing attacks on Romney, which proved he was a "real threat."
If Haley's endorsement could inspire one group whose votes Romney needs here, it would be Tea Party supporters, who according to NBC/Marist polling make up half of likely voters in South Carolina, and who largely fueled Haley's candidacy in 2010. Many Tea Party supporters have been distrustful of Romney, particularly because of his identification with President Obama's healthcare plan, and have generally coalesced around other candidates thus far.
Romney sought to allay Tea Party supporters' fears this morning, saying he could be the "ideal" candidate for them.
"I think the Tea Party is anxious to have people who are outside Washington coming in to change Washington, as opposed to people who stayed in Washington for 30 years," Romney told reporters Saturday morning in Charleston. "And I believe on the issues as well that I line up with a smaller government , a less intrusive government, regulations being pared back, holding down the tax rates of the American people, maintaining a strong defense, and so many Tea Party folks are going to find me, I believe, to be the ideal candidate."
But if Tea Party support never comes his way, at least one local republican leader suggested Romney could have a path to victory in the state by collecting the more moderate, non-activist voters in communities like Myrtle Beach.
“This is the network that we can build,” said Johnny Bellamie, chairman of the Horry County Republican Party, at today's second town hall. “These are people that don’t normally go to the meetings, they’re just people who are interested in getting the right guy and that’s very encouraging.”
But to build that network, Romney will likely need to fight here - a state he has visited only seven times this cycle.
“He has to come here more to sustain this. He has to spend more face time in South Carolina because he hasn’t been here,” Bellamie said.
With less than a month to go - and New Hampshire and Iowa looming large - before South Carolina casts its votes, will he have time?
Related story: Mitt Romney snags Des Moines Register endorsement in Iowa
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Hmmm, I thought I had read that Haley's numbers were falling fast. Not sure that's an endorsement I would want now (although Christine O'Donnell was a real win for Willard). And it is a real bible thumping state, not sure how well his being a Morman is going to go over.
I can't wait to see what happens to Haley about her not complying with the FOIA in her state and the little trickery with the affordable care act grant money.....She sure wishes they didn't go to that other state agency to get those documents..She didn't think the press knew how to do thier job because she doesn't...
Mittens is a true politician... He will get their votes by lying to them ...then make fun of them behind their backs ... Like all the republican candidates do once elected ! Its all about the $ nothing to do with being conservative or a religious cult member !
They didn't like him the last time around, if I recall.
phine
And this is why..... (from the Young Turks website)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2XkKK1mio4
Egilman-------I have seen him saying that, but never on the young turks....That was so funny, and so real............Thanks sooooooooo much for that link.....I would spread it around if there were any republicans that I share with, but I don't.......But, if he wins the nomination because Rick Perry's God( Kochie bro trio ) lets him than I will show it to my friends, fam and other peeps even the republican ones then.....But it don't matter who they nominate, all the sane not hating people in this country will have to vote for Obama, so that is that.....
sw philly
Well, there are some sane Non-hating people that will vote for Ron Paul also my friend.
Yeah that's Mitts in a nutshell, in fact that is all he is is a shell, and no matter what you paint the shell in, it's still a empty shell.
My bet is that Newt will take it. In a state that has the Tea Party, Trikki Nikki Haley, and all the guns you could need, they're still afraid of magic underwear.
Newt is flying high on Viagra in the polls, will this new sex drive get him in the White House ????
The more I watch the debates, the more I am sure to re-elect Obama. The Best of them all is Huntsman, but the Tea-Retards said he doesn't like Tea and he will not sign that pledge allegiance of Grover Norquist. Huntsman & Obama are men of Integrity and Honor. The T-Retards are destroying our Nation.
Patriotic American USA - I am glad their are more people in the USA that know that Obama is a failure and not a leader and stuck with full fledged cronyism.
20% of all Health care waivers went to one district in the USA. Guess where?
Pelosi's district, care to elaborate how that works out for the rest of the USA?
I would really like to know how many Bibles phinephancy has seen thumped. Does one thump it with the thumb, or is it thumped off of someone else's head? Considering I've never seen a Bible thumped... I am totally curious. Would any other book work just as well? How about a dictionary thump.... I can imagine a War and Peace thump would hurt pretty bad. An Encyclopedia Brittanica thump might land you in the hospital.
Pelosi's district (San Francisco) already has universal health care. I don't know about any waivers but this may be why.
for all u anti tea partiers, go live in california. They love those type of nut jobs out there. Not sure also why you liberals care about the conservative candidate. Are you afraid they are going to expose obama for what he is? Just a big government jimmy carter socialist.
Part of the reason they are falling is because she got caught in a major lie. She told her citizens that she was forming a committee to develop health care exchanges under the health care reform act. However, internal emails that were released to the public showed her very clearly advising the committee to do NOTHING to form these exchanges.
Does any republican have any scruples or morals anymore? Has the "win at all cost" mentality so permeated the party that they feel they can do or say anything to foster their right wing agenda? How sad for the country.
South Carolina embraces anything that brings moon-shine and some screwed up form of religious BS. As for the voting, well, first you need to know how to use the voting tickets, and that might create a problem over there.
South Carolina residents are no fools. They will support Romney to the fullest. The South like most of the rest of the country has had enough of Obamanomics and Obamacare. Barrack, do us all a big favor, and just stay in Hawaii. We'll call if we need you. LOL
I’ll bet you $10,000 Romney won’t finish #1 in SC.
Hey Joe, hacking for Mittney again huh?
I guess you just don't have that feelin deep inside of ya.....
Right?
What happened the grinch just didn't quite cut it?
joe e you should change your name to joe e two face, or joe e forked tongue, or joe e I'm so confused.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Joseph your mommy is calling you ?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SC needs to stop taking more federal money than they pay. You are fools because you don't know you would be in worse shape without the federal government propping you up. You're a welfare state. Earn your keep and be quiet.
Mittens is a true politician he will get their votes by lying to them .Then make fun of them behind their backs ... Like all the republican candidates do once elected !Its all about the $ nothing to do with being conservative or a religious cult member !
Say it isn't so - I realize you were doing your level best at a mitt slam... but really now... is there any difference in a democrat politician? Think about it for a moment... a politician is a politician no matter what flavor he is.
If you can't agree with me... tell me what democrat candidate isn't all about the $$$
Everything people are saying about Gingrich is TRUE. He did a great service to America when he helped the Republicans win back the House in 1994, but he also supported/pushed NAFTA, GATT(giving the UN more power), global warming, Federally funded abortions, and the FAIRNESS DOCTRINE. He's also supported the DREAM act for ILLEGAL aliens, mandatory DNA testing for American citizens, the Death Penalty for smuggling more than 2 OUNCES of marijuana across the border, and worked as a paid lobbyist for ethanol subsidies!! Never mind that he cheated on BOTH of his wives (w/ multiple women each time!) and is married to his last mistress (23 years his junior). People really need to look into "Newt" before they vote...........
ToddP..
I don't think so, just looking at the exterior was enough for me........ THEN, he opened his mouth!
Say it man.......................................................I saw enough in the 90's and I was not even paying attention,I was soldier in the early part of the decade...........And I had better things to do...
Todd - why should we look into Newt? Nobody bothered to look into Obama and see what we ended up with. There's more information about Newt out there NOW than there is on Obama and he IS the president.
obama is a one turn Pres
And you are a one turn poster....You are fired....
Signed,
Koch Bros. Oil LLC
Turn?
vote for O if you like food stamp world
What's wrong with a few freebees....??
what the hell does food stamp world even mean, son? It seems the right is only good this decade in tossing around meaningless epithets, instead of ideas that help folks. What is that? What damned church do they attend, and what the hell do they truly believe in, then the hate they so often spew? Christian? My ass.
Yeah, what does that mean? The Christian right should start reading their Bible and doing what it says. The poor are always going to be with us and that is straight out of Jesus's mouth.
We are broke and you want to give this clown 4 more years
We are so broke or so deep in debt , that we will be broke or in debt for another 4 years anyway....
there you go again. We were broke for years, bud. That is what a deficit is. Look it up. Bush, with 2 wars off budget, overreaction to 9/11(instead of guarding against it happening), and an unfunded Medicare drug bill that Obama inherited from W, along with the Big Bank bailout from a republican administration. Learn something, son, instead of tossing meaningless epithets. They only show your extreme ignorance.
Billbluff - Clinton is responsible for 911. Get your facts straight. Ollie North tried to warn Bill Clinton about OBL. But Bill played it off as he was to busy with his cigar and Monica.
Bill Clinton admitted as much in a convention in NY, that his biggest mistake was not taking OBL out before 911.
Christian right. Sure thing I was raised a Southern Baptist. My religion taught me if I wanted something to work for it. To help those that help themselves and the compassion to know the difference between those trying to help themselves and those that are not.
Broke for years? Obama has spent more money then all other Presidents combined in the shortest period of time.
10.1 trillion when he entered office and it will be 16.5 trillion rolling into next year.
Personally I don't like either side and hope all of them get voted into the ground, as neither side cares about $hit about anything other than being re-elected.
Have a great holiday anyway...or try too
Hey Jerry,
I'm serious man, you really need to get off the drugs. They are frying your brain pretty bad.
Jerry: "Christian right. Sure thing I was raised a Southern Baptist. My religion taught me if I wanted something to work for it. To help those that help themselves and the compassion to know the difference between those trying to help themselves and those that are not"
Your religion taught you to judge others, their motives and their circumstances? When Jesus fed the hungry and healed the sick, He didn't ask for insurance cards or citizenship papers, He didn't ask who or what they were...at least, that's what my Christian religion taught me.
And your facts are way, way, way off as to Clinton and Obama.
we are so broke He give Brazil a ton of our money so they can drill for oil, then says we will be their best customer
No he did not. The agency that gave the loan is non-partisan.
The truth hurts
I bet it does, junior. Go to bed, before mom kicks ur ass.
South Carolina embraces Romney, but will it vote for him?
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
South Carolina's conservative Republicans are even more brainwashed than a normal, if there is such a thing, Republican. The Republican mantra has become as predictable as it is false.
Need a few votes in the Southern states? Just dust off the old anti-abortion speach then do nothing about it once in office as usual.
Still lacking those votes from the Southern states? Make another speach stating how big a supporter of "Trickle Down" economics you are and how the theory creates jobs but, conveniently leave out the fact that the jobs will be created where the factories are now...in foreign countries.
STILL short a few Southern votes? Simply let on that you are just a good ole' Christian boy making his way in the political arena. Leave out the fact that you have been cheating on your wife for years and breaking a few commandments for the sole purpose of fattening your wallet at the expense of the very people you were elected to help and protect.
It is amazing that these tactics continue to be effective. How many times must they be repeated before "We The People" wake up and vote these criminals out of office?
Well said Denver. I'm disappointed in certain issues handled by President Obama and some of the dem congress. But, a person cannot agree 100% with every decision made - it's human nature. In my opinion, the worse dem is better than any republican. We can weed out the idiot dems after we rid our congress of all republicans. We must help our president move this country forward with the compassion and intelligence that we know he has. Otherwise, we will be looking at a 2-caste system in our country with the very poor swimming in the pollution created by destroying our protective agencies instead of revamping them.
Well said Denver AND ModerateIndy,
Since we all know that that a two tier economy of a few very rich and everybody else struggling rather than a strong middle class,only leads to a two-bit, third world banana republic, why then are the Koch brothers and their ilk promoting it. It seems to me that a strong middle class can only make the rich richer in an absolute sense if not in a relative sense.
It may be that they understand they have more relative power in an America in a populace of hard-pressed citizens than when Americans are comfortably satisfied. In addition, as long as they can keep the US military capacity as almost half the world’s total military capacity, manned by Americans unable to find civilian work, then their wealthy status in the US translates into world wide status.
Younger wealth creators – mostly in the high tech arena – seem to understand that their absolute wealth is greater when the middle class is financially able to sustain continual growth. They understand that spreading the wealth around makes an economy grow, while squeezing the demand out of consumers by low wages, minimal public services and regressive taxes only leads to stagnation.
"A rising tide raises all ships."
I am from SC and I would not vote for this guy to save my life. I was thinking the same as the other poster that an endorsement from Haley won't cut it with others. She isn't too well liked here in SC. The time is almost upon us and I still don't know who to vote for. I know it won't be Mitt nor Michelle.
obama !!!!!
IT seems that the "powers that be", in the 100% wall-street owned GOP, are flip-flopping on the flip-floppers, too!!
They're OBVIOUSLY UNSURE what "flavor of the month" they can flip or flop on and put up for sale!!
romney and newt are both completely pathetic..., you cannot make stuff like this up!!
With Haley's support Romney's chances are a whole lot better.
RON PAUL 2012!!
I challenge the people of South Carolina to take a good hard look at Ron Paul.He is your best bet for President.RON PAUL 2012.
Haley is proof of what a tea party candidate accomplishes when elected...very low approval ratings and very high powered hate....you can't govern in that environment. Her endorsement is of minimal use to Mitt. Now the Christine O'Donnell endorsement is different...its just plain ridiculous !!! Yea right...I will vote for who she says !!! I am officially endorsing Christine for President !! SWITCH TO THE WITCH in 2012 !!!!!
The GOP should find a good Jehovas Witness candidate....oh no,I forgot they don't like any witnesses....
If they are good little sheeple, they will do exactly what the corporate run media and Republican establishment tell them to do. Vote for Mitt Romney.
There are a lot of Democrats who are real sorry they let the media tell them who to vote for back in 2008.
The State of South Carolina is in a peck of trouble right now particularly in the Sumter County area. I strongly recommend with my best legal professional manner that they come clean before prosecutors get wind of the unprecedented corruption with the Sheriff's department and causation of domestic terror in vengeance against certain individuals from NH, originating from that neck of the woods, at right old Milford Plantation, to at least appear to want to mitigate the circumstances.
I hope that the South Carolina people are smarter than this! Romney is just another gloabalists like Obama and the majority of Congress.
Hmmm...probably true. But what is wrong with being a globalist? And, how do you avoid being one? It's a global economy.
I think you can still understand "globalism," but pursue U.S. policies, which put us first. In fact, I believe there is a Constitutional duty to do so, no?
stone6; probably need to get out and go around the United States and see the empty factories rotting, and American people without jobs; I would say globalization has something to do with it!
I would as well. The elephant in the 2012 election room is globalization. Both political parties promised a New Economy, which would maintain a strong middle class. The Republicans based their promises on the advantages of globalization and free trade; the Democrats, on the Post Industrial Society and an economy based on high tech and financial services. Both failed.
But, I blame NEITHER for the forces that have put us in our present position; I simply blame both for not being more honest and doing more to ease the transition into a global economy, while maintaining - instead of abandoning - a strong middle class.
Those empty factories would still be filled with workers and producing were it not for the post WW II exponential rise of technology and the virtual doubling of the global labor force brought on by the end of communism.
What we are witnessing today is a clash between capitalism and nationalism. Capitalism demands continuing market expansion - which includes market development - globally. Nationalism means slowing that expansion to protect national work forces...whether here or in the European Union. The only way we retain BOTH capitalism and a democratic nationalism is to ensure a strong middle class that will align its own economic interests with the cost of government - i.e. assume more of the burden of taxation.
And...I'd suggest that a strong small business community is also based on a prosperous middle class as well.
Hmmm...from what I understand, Haley's popularity in South Carolina is down, at the moment. What are the odds, she secured the promise of a cabinet position or other appointed position, in a Romney Administration, in return for her endorsement?
The people in the South Carolina or any Bible Belt state will vote for Romney because he is a Mormon. They believe the Mormon Church is a cult and satanic.
500 people...and this dwarfs what he gets in Iowa and New Hampshire?
Why are all the Libs so afraid of Mitt ? Oh wait... it's because he will be running against the Jimmy Carter 2 (aka worst president ever) and Mr. Vacation Obama will be a one term-er.
Romney will wipe the floor with Obama with or with out his Tele-Prompters. Wow what a record to run on, higher gas, higher un employment , higher prices at super market and lumber stores, ...one thing lower (Thank God) his approval record.
Go GOP Go Time for Real Leadership.. not a back seat driver like Mr. Obama. Libs were so so very wrong.
That's exactly what jimmy carter ran on. High gas prices, High un employment, high prices at the super market. The only thing obama doesn't have is a few hostages in iran . We had a vacationing teleprompter in chief for four years and this country will likely not want another so either newt or romney will easily beat obama and likely take most of the senate seats up for grabs also. Hopefully, it will be 65-35 so harry reid can go back to his mafia backers in nevada.
No he won't. Keep fantasizing.
if Obama was smart like you all think he is, he wont run again. he will lose!! He should let Hillary run for the good of the dems. She would make a president
There is still something sinister about Mitt.