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CHARLESTON, SC -- Mitt Romney stuck to form Thursday by maintaining his focus on President Obama amid a tumultuous day in the GOP primary that saw Rick Perry bow out, Newt Gingrich surging and the results of the Iowa caucuses called into question.
Romney did what he usually does, keeping his focus on Obama, while deploying surrogates to question rivals and rolling out a new endorsement to help maintain the air of inevitability he's built around his campaign.
"Where is [President Obama]? He is at Disney World," Romney said. "He is giving a speech today. Guess where is gonna be giving a speech? ... He is giving a speech in Fantasyland. Alright, now think about that. He is going to be in Fantasyland and it is obviously appropriate because he has been living in a sort of fantasy land these last few years. He will be talking about what a great job he is doing on the economy. Has he not been out here? Has he not seen nine-point-nine percent unemployment in South Carolina?"
Romney stuck to a tried-and-tested strategy on a roller coaster ride of a day on the campaign trail that saw Texas Gov. Rick Perry drop out of the campaign and endorse Gingrich, the former speaker of the House: Focus on Obama, roll out a major endorsement, and let his surrogates take on the other Republican candidates.
Romney's rally this morning with volunteers and supporters was delayed slightly, and the candidate delivered his remarks just as Perry's press conference was getting underway. After the rally, Romney was asked to respond to the Texas governor's exit.
"He's a great conservative. A great man," Romney said. "He made a real contribution -- he already has -- to his state and to our country."
Romney did not respond when asked his thoughts on Perry's decision to endorse Gingrich, whom new NBC News/Marist polling shows cutting into Romney's once-sizable lead here in South Carolina.
Joined this morning by a phalanx of top-drawer endorsers of his own, including former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, and the newest member of team Romney, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, Romney dinged Gingrich on the speaker's job creation claims during Monday's debate.
"[President Obama] may bump into Speaker Gingrich down there in Fantasyland. I only say that because the speaker was talking about all the jobs that he helped create in the Reagan years. He had been in Congress two years when Reagan came to office. The idea that he was the author of Reaganomics -- not real likely," Romney said. "The idea that people in Washington think that somehow they are responsible after they have been there for two years for creating millions of jobs -- it is the kind of fantasy that happens. If you have been there too long I think you get this mindset that you’re really creating the vitality of the nation."
Romney left the heavy hitting on Gingrich to former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu, the pioneer of attacks on Gingrich for the Romney campaign, along with New York Rep. Peter King. They attacked Gingrich's "erratic" behavior as speaker during a conference call with supporters, echoing language Sununu used in early December, when Gingrich first began to rise in the polls. This time, however, it was King who delivered the toughest blow.
"You just go down the list of people who served with him and the overwhelming number. We had ... well over 218 Republicans in the Congress when Newt was the speaker, and you can’t find more than a handful who will come to his defense. And it has nothing to do with ideology, nothing to do with philosophy, it’s all the erratic, self-serving narcissism of Newt,” King said.
Sununu additionally called on Gingrich to release the records of a 1997 ethics investigation into his conduct, which they said could become fodder for President Obama's campaign in a general election.
"We ought to at least wring out the laundry now," Sununu said. "He ought to ask for the release of the complete records of the ethics process and get that out in public so that he doesn’t become a vulnerable candidate if he wins the nomination and doesn’t become vulnerable to an October Surprise."
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What a difference a day makes ! And the Cayman accounts now . YIKES !
It isn't the Cayman accounts themselves that should kill Romney. It's how he made the money in those accounts. Once again, however, the media engages in superficial reporting about the shiny object.
Most people will think that's all he's guilty of, and ignore the rest.
"Everyone has a game plan until they get punched in the mouth." - Mike Tyson
This has been a horrible 2-week stretch for Romney. It was bad enough with "I Like To Fire People" and questions about Bain Capital and tax returns and speaking fees and the Cayman Islands.
Now he's lost Iowa and the polls say the lead in South Carolina has shrunk.
Is anyone else sensing South Carolina as "must win" for Romney?
What a great line !
Da Noid - So, Romney punched Romney in the mouth. Meanwhile, Newt is going to bite off his ears with tax return demand. This whole GOP process is becoming a serious JOKE.
Tyson should get an award for that line.
the air of inevitability...is around President Obama's re-election. Romney is deeply flawed candidate and Gingrich is worse!
Amy - GOP has NOTHING to offer. It's no surprise that all names that come up ends up falling through the rabbit hole. Don't be surprise if Palin is next on the line.
Da Noid----great quote from Tyson. Especially with all the comments about Mitt's "glass jaw" and it being Muhammed Ali's 70th birthday this week.
Go ahead Mitt, "Stay the course!" That worked out well for Bush I. Republicans are left with a choice between two candidates with morality issues. One screwed American workers, and the other.................
Why is it that Republicans have to be "moral" and Democrats do not....Let's see....FDR had affairs while in the White House, most notably with his secretary. JFK had affairs, while president. Clinton had relations in the Oval office itself with persons other than his wife (and publicly lied about it).....But that is supposed to be Okay and have no bearing on the ability of the person to do the job....but for a candidate from the conservative side, the same behaviors (not even yet in office) is supposed to be grounds for elimination from competition?
Seems fair to me...if Gingrich is going to demand tax returns he should release the records on the alleged ethics violations.
Gingrich is surging ...... what happened to Santorum's surging?
Where are Gingrich's tax returns?
Gingrich is surging ...... what happened to Santorum's surging?
Where are Gingrich's tax returns?
The same place as Obama's birth records....
Odds just went to 8-5!
Tonight will be a ratings bonanza for seldom watched CNN...
Actually, CNN International is the most watched global 24-hour news network.
This may pull me away from Project Runway All Stars!
Wow!
Job1, did you just try to correct Dangerfield?
That takes some cajones there little fellar.
But I'm guessing CNN International isn't concerned about the GOP Debate. The folks in Europe seem to have their own problems to deal with.
WCA-
Thanks for giving Mrs. D a good laugh!
Romney and his Bain Capital are so proud of America that they have offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands and use a tiny post office box rather than be a proud member of the US community.
Every time I hear Romney talk about the greatness of America, I wonder why his company uses a shelter in the Cayman Islands.
This is nothing new, similar questions where raised when Romney ran for the presidential nomination in 2008.
Let's get this straight: you release your ethics investigation, but I'm not releasing my taxes just yet. Apparently Romney doesn't read the news much. Obama is in Florida to increase tourism and jobs by (gag! less regulation) making it easier to get a tourist visa.
There is a subtle irony in all of this that I hope doesn't play out. In 1968 at the height of the anti-war protests and racial tensions, the US elected a divisive, pro-war candidate in Richard Nixon. It would be an irony in an age of extreme income inequality and the distrust of our financial institutions were we to elect the richest president ever whose fortune was made in the finance. Please don't equate him to a CEO in a job creating business. The business that Romney ran was venture capital and management consulting. He didn't run a steel company or the like.
Romney talks about Reaganomics like it was a good thing. It may have been for him, but it sucked for everyone else.
Here's an idea to give Landslide Willard some credibility.
Let him put his money where his shoe is. Lets say he puts up half his loot ($125 million) to guarantee that he can produce an unemployment rate equal to Clinton's last year in office.
Our exuberant country will gladly double his money at the end of his first term for accomplishing this miraculous feat. Of course he loses the bet (and his loot) if he doesn't perform. Talk is cheap (except if on paid TV) so lets give him a capitalist incentive to perform. We know he is a betting man, just raise the stakes.
All he needs to do is to get the unemployment rate to 4% by 2016.
We can throw in a bonus of another $100k if 2016 is a balanced budget year.
Ooops, my bad
I meant to write his bonus would be $100 million for balancing the budget.
That is a GREAT idea.
That's right, Mitt---ridicule someone being invited to Disney World to give a speech---one for which he is not being compensated, even a "little". That will endear you to the people of Florida.
Romney's plan is the same as before. The rich get richer, at the expense of the working class. Here' a multi-billionaire paying less(15%) than the average Joe who pay as much as 33%. It's legal, but the elitist TEA-GOP-Republican party will not raise taxes on this group for any reason, but will raise taxes on every other average Joe and say these rich guys will generate jobs. The Big Banks who have been saved by the average Joe are hoarding millions and millions and they haven't generated any jobs. This current Congress holds the economy hostage while the rich get richer. The concentration of wealth in the hands of fewer and fewer people and the concentration of power in stricter, less compassionate hands in all aspects of local, state and the federal government has colored the TEA/GOP/Republicans as the tormentors of the American dream. If you are tired of the extremist tactics and their confrontational attitude, Vote Democratic this year.
I just don't understand why anyone would vote for any of the Republican candidates this year.
Romney= vulture capitalist who flip flops on every issue and tries to get away with paying less taxes than ordinary folks
Santorum= Right wing extremist evangelical nut case who has gotten lucky but won't be for much longer.
Gingrich= Sleeze bag of the higest order, cad, liar, cheater and nasty.
Paul= Just plain weird. Doesn't want government as if an anarchist but also wants strong military and paid for without taxes. What income the country would have to pay for the strong military is ??? He, the good doctor who is supposed to care about people, doesn't seem to care about anyone. Let them eat cake would seem to be his mantra.
While I'm not overly crazy about Obama's performance but comapred to the alternatives I will be voting for Obama in 2012.
Romney is the appropriate candidate for Republicans. He is the biggest liar they have, a strategic soul mate for Boehner and McConnell and a perfect fit for Republican "ethicslike" and "integrityness". They will release more pollution than industrialized world, including replaying that past five years worth of character assassination. The Greedy Obstructionist Prevaricators party of debt and war wants to pick up where they left off in 2008 and finish their destruction.
Running for President with your 3rd wife sounds pretty French to me.
Can you imagine BORING Bunga Bunga parties in the White House, with Newt droning on, on what everyone should be doing? Since they would all be Republicans, the Thank You Notes would be the most interesting part of it all.
Since MSNBC is not really a news organization rather a campaign affliliate of the Obama Whitehouse nothing that it presents is factual or non biased. The ultra liberal screwballs who pontificate their nonsense and receive accolades from Valerie Jarett & David Axelrod are just political operatives. All the loyal liberals who provide the few viewers this good for laughs network provides. When the hosts are Chris Mattews, Rachel maddow and other rabid liberals it gets pretty toxic and viewers have to come up for air. Basically the whole routine is carrying water for Obama so who cares a rats behind what these numskulls say about Romney or Gingrich or the cow jumping over the moon.
CNN is really not much different than MSNBC but it actually has a few interesting reporters including Erin B and
sometimes they may actually report a story without all the Obama administration spin. CNN has the liberal Wulf Blitzer who loves Obama but occasionally actually questions some of his politices but usually the network just carries water for Jarett and Axelrod.
Makes you long for Officer Joe Friday and ....."Just the facts, ma'am!"