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Subscribe to RSSMitt Romney remained optimistic while Newt Gingrich capitalized on his fiery performance in Thursday's debate. NBC's Peter Alexander reports.
GILBERT, SC -- Mitt Romney said Friday he was "cautiously optimistic" he could still pull out a win in South Carolina's primary, where he's working to withstand a last minute surge by Newt Gingrich.
Romney, who finished fourth in the 2008 primary, has watched Gingrich chip away at his lead in polls here over the course of the week. Voters head to the polls tomorrow to cast their ballots in the first-in-the-south primary.
"I sure would like to win South Carolina, but I know that if those polls were right, regardless of who gets the final number, we’re both going to get a lot of delegates. I want as many delegates as I can get -- I want the most delegates coming out of South Carolina," Romney told reporters gathered for a press conference. "But I don’t know what the numbers will be. I’m pretty confident, cautiously optimistic."
The former Massachusetts governor also acknowledged the tightening of the race, which has twisted and turned dramatically in the last 24 hours.
"I think I said from the very beginning South Carolina is an uphill battle for a guy from Massachusetts. I knew that. We're battling hard. The fact is right now it looks like its neck and neck that's a good spot to be in. I'm pretty pleased and pretty proud about the success of our effort," Romney said.
Romney campaign staffers and surrogates began dialing back expectations of a win in South Carolina in the spin room following last night's debate, with several members of the Romney camp reminding reporters of Romney's distant fourth place finish here in 2008. Romney himself seemed to be trying to lower expectations at times during today's press conference.
"Well just last time around I came in number four. And, and so this time I realized that I had a lot of ground to make up. And speaker Gingrich is from a neighboring state, well-known, popular in the state," Romney said. "I knew that we’d have a long, long road ahead of us. And frankly to be in a neck and neck race at this last moment is, is kind of exciting.
Romney, who just days ago looked likely to clinch a third straight primary win here has seen his Iowa victory morphed into a loss to Santorum after the release of certified results in that contest, and his South Carolina lead greatly strained by Gingrich's latest surge. Both of those developments could extend a GOP primary in which states are awarding delegates proportionally for the first time, a fact Romney lamented this afternoon.
"You know, I wish it were a winner-take-all state. I wish we had all winner take all states, but we don’t. And so it’s going to be a longer process than, perhaps, than that would’ve suggested. But you know, it looks like we’re going to get real support into South Carolina and then we go into Florida.," Romney said. "You know, I’m still hoping and planning to win here. And I’m sure the Speaker feels the same way I do. But we’re going to go on for a long race and I think I’ve got the staying power and a, and a message that I believe connects with people."
After facing another series of questions about his tax returns last night, Romney said again today he would release those documents in April -- and defended his handling of the issue by saying he had not anticipated the level of interest in his returns, which he said provided less information than financial disclosure forms he had already filed.
"I know you guys do and the Democrats would like to and my opponents would like to, but in order for me to defeat President Obama I have to do what I think is the absolute right way to run a campaign and provide information, consistent with the public interest. And I know there is interest and so I have indicated that I will release my tax returns," Romney said. "I'll do so when they are prepared. Which would be April, first middle part of April, and then they’ll all come out at one time. It'll be more than one year, I don’t know the exact number, but people can take a look at it."
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who appeared with Romney at his rainy outdoor rally and flanked him at the press conference, also defended Romney's handling of the tax returns, saying they were effectively a non-issue.
"The people of South Carolina are not talking about tax returns. They're not. They're talking about jobs, spending, and the economy," Haley said. "They want to know how you're gonna bring jobs. So, that's me talking as the governor of South Carolina, talking to my people -- everybody knows someone without a job. Everybody is touched by somebody that doesn't have a job. That's what they care about. They don't care about tax returns."
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Romney will not win. I became certain of that last night, when I watched his reaction,body language when he was answering questions about releasing his income taxes. He wanted to be anywhere but where he was,having to answer questions about his taxes.True to form...like wearing "regular guy" clothes on the campaign,instead of his 3k suits,Romney tried to act cool,unconcerned. This begs the question.."Hey,Boss if you have nothing to hide,just show us the returns ...now".He won't ,the questions will mount,and when he is finally forced to release them...his legal tax dodges will not resonate with the Reagan Democrats, any Republican, needs to win The White House.
As he should be, Gov. Mitt Romney on edge about this S.C. upcoming vote. Even with all his lute he still didn't win Iowa. And if he hadn't won Mass. then WTF is he running for. Because South Carolina has always handed him his arse. And as Paula Deen would do and say "With a whole lot of butter on it".
But I would also like to say this "How about GM getting the no#1 car-producing title back". So for all of you American Car producing haters... Show your true colors and support this flip-flopping, silver-spoon, Caymen Island money hidding 1%er, that said himself "Let Detroit go Bankrupt". And while he sends your jobs overseas and you to the soup-line. Just remember what he said not me, "I like firing people". Now go and defend this not two but three-faced hypocryte... Go ahead...
SC does it right. Saturday is a good day to have a Primary.
"Romulian Romney" is 'optimistic' America! Really? About what??
"The California Democrat, (Dennis Cardoza), has been critical of the Obama administration for a while, as he blamed the White House for their handling of the housing crisis which lead to rampant foreclosures throughout his congressional district of the Central Valley region of California between Fresno and Stockton."
"After observing President Obama for the last three years, it has become obvious to me that the president might prefer to be a university professor rather than do the job he holds today," Mr. Cardoza stated in the blog post Tuesday."
"Let me be clear — I'm not trying to disparage professors. But anyone who wonders why the president is not crushing the weak Republican field only needs to examine how President Obama has behaved more like Professor Obama," Mr. Cardoza added.
"President Obama projected an arrogant 'I'm right, you're wrong' demeanor that alienated many potential allies. Furthermore, the president concentrated power within the White House, leaving Cabinet members with no other option but to dutifully carry out policies with which they had limited input in crafting and might very well disagree," the California Democrat said."
thestatecolumn , dec. 14,2011 'Obama suffers from idea disease'
The *Great Capitalist who will save America and the world * ... Willard ... wants all California properties to go into foreclosure so Bain-like private-equity firms can buy them all up at $ 0.01 on-the-dollar and then sell them back to you ... but not until California property-worth artificially rises again ...
... until then, you can rent your house you once owned should they decide you qualify ... of course by showing your pristine credit-rating from free-credit-report.com ...
... just don't expect Willard to set the example until he releases his free-credit-report.com report ...
LOL.
exotix,
I guess your liberal kool aid drunk mind just substituted Romney's name for where it really says Obama's name??
"(Cardoza) been critical of the Obama administration for a while, as he blamed the White House for their handling of the housing crisis which lead to rampant foreclosures"
nice try. lol
What about Ahhhneeeee ?
LOL.
Uhhhh... Bain would have to wait in a LONG line WAY behind the Federal Reserve who has been printing as much money as it pleases, loaning it to themselves at 0% interest then buying up all the defaulting mortgages in America at 25 cents on the dollar. They are sucking up all the small business's and stocks too. When you can endlessly print the currency for your own profits only a GOOD President can stop you.
Bain does not have a snowballs chance in hell at moving aside Obama's private global banking cartel. His tongue is about to fall off from licking their boots so hard while they shoved $16 trillion out the backdoor during 2009 and 2010.
Oh.... that is $700,000 per American family!!! But Obama knows you would rather support investors in Goldman Sachs and European banking investors you don't even know. We have to help our "brother investors". After all they were victims too. Maybe Obama needs a new Czar to help print all the money for the European banking investors.
Ooops... I almost forgot Obama let the Federal Reserve print ANOTHER $600 billion on Dec 25,2011 to the SAME PEOPLE! Not a word of discussion on this from this President....... Just business as usual for the banking cartel under Obama. This guy is truly a "Let them eat cake" President.
I am for the candidate not named obama!!
Hope that Romney is not a woman's choice. GOPers pick someone as peoples' choice. He has made women and men a little bit nervious for his uncontrolled and impulsive helping a single woman who was then following up his campaign bus and who was at the same time to take care her sick child.
Ron Paul is the best of all the rep candidates
he can't show his return because most of his money is over seas in a bank account getting more interest than most of us make in a life time. he is a scum bag, also church should not be a factor in politics that is what is wroung with us now church. i live in greenville sc and some of the church'es here make millions of dollars and help know one but the pastor it is a tax free scam they should have to pay taxes just like any other company. rock springs down the road from me built a 11 million dollar church and added on another 4 million addition .but they don't help some one who needs food or a place to sleep.
everyone knows liberals resort to name calling when they feel desperate and are losing the argument.
Do0 you mean like when wing-nuts call the president "obummer"?
leona- we can call each other names but if you read the posts the majority of foul language and name calling is not done by "libtards."
What provokes many, myself included at times, is the total repetition of falsehoods and misstatements that a 6th grader would be able to check and see are incorrect.
Leona- you are one of the most blatant on this issue and whenever you are called on it you rarely post back(you have on occasion but it is another mis statement and that ends the discussion).
I would really really really love to know where you get your "information" from.
so liberals name call but you can tell by my name that I am the "unstable one" but of course to you that is not name calling.
On this sight Michelle Obama is continually called Moochelle Obama, mis statements about cost of vacations, number of vacation days, calling him a socialist or marxist is done on a continual basis. So fine Feisty name calls how many names from your side show we parade.
Ps- I open it up with name calling is done on both sides and you still rant. Case made
Give it a rest Liberals and Conservatives. Both sides resort to name calling and anyone who calls out one side without calling out the other is a hypocrite. Many people posting here do use their "pet names" for those they don't like. If they are trying to get me to believe what they say, then stop with the name calling. If your point was worthwhile, you would never feel the need to resort to name calling. When you call others names, you only prove to others here how ignorant and unimportant your comments are. A mature person wouldn't need to name call, they can make their point without having to do so - not to mention they are much more interesting people, even if I disagree with their views.
hey paxil,
Look up and dont lie about me. I posted where I got my info from, you just don't like the facts of what I posted. (i.e. Thestatecolumn, Dec14,2011. 'Obama suffers from idea disease' )
InTheMiddle/WillieDynamite - what part of BANNED do you not understand?
Buh Bye... little guy!
For all you Obama lovers out there and the far left unthinkums, Romney will release his tax information when Obama releases his college transcripts and any foreign loan information he might have received while pursuing his education. We certainly think this information is vital and more important than tax information. Timmy the tax cheater never even filed his taxes so what is the big deal about releasing this information. The far left media and other losers who continue to support and get behind the spender-in-chief and teleprompter honcho will never get the message because their brains are out of whack. For the Canadian grandall tell me please how long you wait in line to get your great healthcare? I bet it is not all as great as you infer. Many of my Canadian friends here in Colorado paint a much different picture of this great heathcare you rave about. Obozo's policies are the main reason he has failed and needs to take a hike and return to Chicago and work the scene with the other dirty politicians. The race card has been played too much and we are sick of this poor excuse for his total failure as President. Of course the unthinkums and the far left will never admit it. It was George Bush who caused all of the debt and loss of jobs. Yeah and my dog ate my homework!! Get real!!
rick- why does Obama need to release his college transcript. Mittens has bank deposits in the Cayman Islands- now why would anyone do that?
Thanks for the clown car of nominee's
Obama/Biden 2012
They both have to fully disclose everything. Where there is smoke there is fire or both these clowns would be waving them in the air. There is something wrong with both candidates and these are probably just the tip of the iceburg on them.
Ron Paul... full disclosure for over 30 years of politics. Nothing hidden and never will be. No reason to hide things if you are honest........ but then again both these lobby owned stooges have so much unethical and possibly illegal baggage it could choke a horse.
Full disclosure or hit the road. This election is too important to play games with these two problem children.
what does obama's transcripts have to do with anything? Still waiting for the release of Bush's fulfillment of duty papers. Of course the insinuation is Obama got favourable treatment to gain admission.
Do you know what it takes to be named head of Harvard Law Review? But to hint that racism is behind your remark would be unfair.
Please see posting 53.3 above. I don't want my President deciding what "he thinks" is relevant. I want the information and to decide for myself. I don't want an Obama "filter" on things. Hiding information is a bad habit that only accelerates. A public that accepts filtered information is a huge problem for the rest of us. Why not make informed decision with as much information as possible? Filtered information is propaganda.
For starters, Obama did not do nearly well enough at his previous stop, Columbia University, to justify admission to Harvard Law.
According to the New York Sun, university spokesman Brian Connolly confirmed that Obama graduated in 1983 with a major in political science but without honors. In the age of affirmative action and grade inflation, a minority in a relatively easy major like political science had to under-perform dramatically to avoid minimal honors. Obama apparently did just that.
The specifics we may never know. As the New York Times concedes, Obama “declined repeated requests to talk about his New York years, release his Columbia transcript or identify even a single fellow student, co-worker, roommate or friend from those years.”
There are any number of possible reasons for Obama’s reticence about Columbia: his grades, the courses he took, his writing samples and, of course, HIS ASSOCIATIONS!!!
"I have a black, a woman, two Jews and a cripple. And we have talent."
James G. Watt --- Sec. of the Interior 1981-1983.
Get rid of all of these crooks and vote Charlie Daniels for President, and make Willie The Secretary of State, cause what the world needs is a few more rednecks.
Its clear to any rational thinking person that there is only one person who should take the rains of this country.
you can complain all you want about heath care ,abortion, jobs, who did what, flipflopers, housing, soc security
military spending, defense , war, , gas oil, none of these thing are goimg to matter very soon.
If we dont start cutting spending we will not be able to support anything, no one on the stage cept one even metioning deep cuts.
NONE OF THIS WILL MATTER WHEN YOUR MONEY IS WORTHLESS even you millionaires
Deep cuts lose lobby money and special interest votes. For the average crook with nothing of substance to stand on it is political suicide. They have to use the lobby money to "buy" votes from special interest groups.
Then we wonder why we have 98% crooks in office.... lobby money in... crooks out.
You measure a successful President by how much the central bankers, military contractors and oil companies hate him. If they like him......... we are totally screwed.
by your definition Obama aint all bad cause the bankers dont like him(except goldman) oil companies hate him and the business community aint that fond either.
So its obama/biden 2012!!!!!!
love ya mittens
Romney seems to feel that he is entitled, to me covering the taxes that he doesn't have to.
Does anyone else notice how much Newt looks like the Rev. Flavel character from the Porky's movies?
Newt can do it if anyone can...knock mirt t money back to the curb.
Sweet Home South Carolina,USA
The folks talking about Ron Paul winning anything, except maybe a door prize at George Costanza'a birthday party, remind me of me and all of my young and very naive friends who voted for George McGovern back in...I forget...was it 1972? I would consider voting for those eyebrows though, if they were running separately.
There's a reason Newt left his job as Speaker. He didn't go voluntarily. He was told either resign or we will "resign" you. Why this guy is even a consideration for the nomination, is a joke. This just shows how desperate the "christians" are to keep a MORMON from trying to get elected. We've heard absolutely nothing regarding Romney and his shortcomings, because he doesn't have any. If his worse "crime" is that he made money, to that I say ....SO WHAT???? At least Romney has hadn't three wives, lied, cheated, and stolen from people. Newt thinks now that "he found jesus" (just in time to run for Presidential nomination), people will forget all of the evil he's caused throughout his life. Perhaps you should read a post from a student of his in Georgia, who claimed Newt used the n-word and class, and was gone from the university a week later. So now we know, he hates gays, Jews, and blacks...wow, and there are people stupid enough to support him???? What a joke! I'm sure President Obama will be delighted if Gingrich gets the nomination, wow will he have lots of dirt to bring up of this loser.
You see, Newt has found the key to the Evangelical vote. It's a reverse logic, bizzarro world kind of a thing. For anything you do wrong, just say that you are only human, you are sorry, and you went to god for forgiveness. So, in a way, the more stuff you do wrong, the more times you go to the lord for forgiveness, the more they love you!! The guy is clever, if nothing else.
Here's the real question though: How long is it going to take for that dope Sanctorum, to look at what happened to Bachmann and Perry, and realize that he's just a naughty altar boy, who's going to get the same kind of spanking from the country, before he gets out of the race?? Why does he think that God has chosen him over those two? These idiot reigious facsists never seem to get it.
Does mitt really have anybody other then a blonde fooled with that fake smile? He goes from state to state counting on his money getting him votes. Send this lying smooth talker home, i wouldn't trust him if he stood right in front of me and i could see him.
Allen, i was getting to Mitt, but you beat me to it. thanks
RyanNYC, Thank you very much for that post...extremely well said!! I have neither the energy nor the intellect to offer substantive, factual posts like that, so I really appreciate when someone else does. I hope you don't mind if I print it off and refer to it periodically?
I thought Santorum won the debate, Gingrich had the best presence on the podium, but had 30 years practice of lying with a straight face, and Mitt looked and acted like he had to take a leak the whole time. And Paul was just a funny old man with crazy ideas. Santorum needs to get over being skittish and acting nervous when he puts the gaff into his oponents. Newt has broken so many of the 10 commandments that no christian should ever vote for him with good conscience, but maybe SC isn't as christian as they want us to believe. I don't even care who wins this one, but watch out for whoever Florida supports. It's been interesting anyhow and entertaining.
Santorum is a male version of Bachman. His entire foreign policy focuses on killing every raghead, taking over their countries and running them for corporate profits........ all courtesy of the US taxpayers. He is so evangelical right he borders on wanting to turn the Presidency into a dictatorship. He wants to increase the war powers of the Presidency to entering into any type of military conflict he feels like without even discussing it with anyone.
Santorum is either an evangelical zealot that could easily provoke a nuclear conflict or a military contractor owned stooge put there to promote their endless war agenda with no plans, no way to measure results and no exit strategies.
The Presidency is not a "pulpit' for religious dictation. It is also not a platform to promote religious military tactical warfare upon other nations or religions. Freedom of religion also includes the freedom of those who do not wish to participate in YOUR interpretation of religion. The christian religion has NEVER made a "positive" stand backing these bogus trumped up wars killing hundreds of thousands of civilians.
I can't stand Newt either but I won't withhold voting for him because of his inability to follow the moral code of your religion. If he can clean Washington of the central bankers, military contractors and government unions I don't care about that crap.
Jesus - love your enemies, bless those who persecute you.
Santorum - Kill them damn rag heads before they get a chance to destroy world!
Jesus - Blessed are the peacemakers, they shall be called the children of God.
Santorum - I am for peace for the American people, after we murder the citizens of any nation that disagrees with our foreign policy!
Jesus - Those who take up the sword will parish by the sword
Santorum - If we don't take up the sword and endlessly go to war then we will die by the sword.
Here's a scary thought Newt with his hands on the red button. This man cannot control his temper,Mitt can not make a decision without changing it the next day, Santorum could not get elected in is on State lost buy 18 points.That leaves Ron Paul the only one that Stan's for something go Ron Paul.