Some front pages:
The Miami Herald: “It’s Romney in a rout.”
The Sun-Sentinel: “Romney wins big.”
The Tampa Bay Times: “A Romney rout.”
The Palm Beach Post: “Romney runaway: Redemption in Florida puts him in control.”
The New York Times: “The victory was the first for Mr. Romney that came without an asterisk. His narrow advantage on the night of the Iowa caucuses was overturned two weeks later in the certified results. His New Hampshire win was discounted by his Republican rivals because he was seen as a favorite son from a neighboring state. But his strong finish in Florida, which drew more voters than the first three contests combined, represented an extraordinary turnaround for his prospects to win the nomination. The outcome of the race, his advisers argued, should ease the qualms among some Republicans that he is not sufficiently conservative.”
National Review’s Costa: “Mitt Romney galloped to victory in Florida, but it was an expensive coup. He took a hit at the bank, outspending his rivals. He also paid a political price. Romney landed a devastating blow to Gingrich’s candidacy, but the bruise from the fight remains, and it may sting as he scrambles to assert himself as the probable nominee. Conservatives, already skeptical of Romney’s politics, are grumbling about his internecine aggression. Granted, Gingrich is hardly an angel, and simmering discomfort over Romney’s ruthlessness will not derail him. But a growing unease with Romney’s big-dollar blitz may stir sympathy for Gingrich and encourage the former House speaker to carry on with vengeance. … If Romney isn’t careful, a wounded, bloodied Gingrich may be more dangerous than a slow Gingrich fade.”
Jim Geraghty at NRO writes of five lessons from Florida: (1) The gender gap returned, (2) The elderly abandoned Newt, (3) The Early Bird Special (early voting benefited Romney), (4) Romney ran stronger among evangelicals than the narrative suggests, and (5) The geography of a swing state matters.
The Boston Globe: “Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney swept to victory today in the Florida Republican presidential primary, surging past former House speaker Newt Gingrich, who had tangled with him in a campaign that was notable for its nastiness.
“A defiant Gingrich showed no signs of getting out of Romney’s way, vowing to continue his campaign.”
Gingrich’s campaign handed out signs, and Gingrich stood at a podium with the sign on it, that read: “46 states to go.”
David Frum, per Political Wire: "I can't remember when I've ever seen a less gracious concession speech than Newt Gingrich's tonight."
Romney on NBC’s Today show this morning was asked if Gingrich called last night. Romney confirmed that he did not and noted that he called Gingrich after South Carolina, but Gingrich didn’t call after Iowa or New Hampshire, either. "I guess speaker Gingrich doesn't have our phone number," Romney said before laughing.
NBC’s Garrett Haake confirms Romney will now receive Secret Service protection after Florida.
The New York Post: “Newt nuked in Romney romp.”
“When [Romney] suffered a defeat to Newt Gingrich in South Carolina, he was forced to set aside his general election preparations to dispense with his lingering challengers with ferocity,” the Boston Globe’s Glen Johnson writes. “Yet after winning the Florida primary, Romney made his pivot back to targeting his expected general election opponent, President Obama, and beyond Gingrich and his remaining primary opponents, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum.”
Romney heads to Minnesota today for a rally. Minnesota holds a caucus Feb. 7. But: “Aides to Romney and the Minnesota congresswoman [Michele Bachmann] have been in conversation in recent days about securing the candidate’s endorsement by the Tea Party favorite and forceful public speaker, The Boston Globe has learned. Not only would it add to the impression of Romney consolidating the GOP base after rebounding in Florida from his South Carolina loss, but it could help Bachmann by earning her an ally to help her pay off her lingering campaign debt.”
For the record, Romney also said yesterday that Gingrich shouldn’t “whine” about negative ads. “I’ll tell you, if you attack me, I’m not going to just sit back, I’m going to fight back and I’m going to fight back hard,” Romney said, the Boston Globe notes. “So he really can’t whine about negative campaigning when he launched a very negative campaign in South Carolina and when the people here in Florida looked at the different campaigns have concluded that his was the most negative.”
Rick Santorum targeted Gingrich in his speech last night, and he has an ad up in Nevada that hits Gingrich, likening him to President Obama and Nancy Pelosi. “He doesn’t just talk a good conservative game,” an announcer says, “he lives it.”


It wasn't a win he bought it ! __I just saw Newt and " big bird, "on tv boy is he pissed !
With Barry's past record, the only way he can get re-elected again is to purchase the position! No informed voter would willingly vote for that disaster!
George Soros WILL NOT let his gravy train get derailed..... money will be no object!
Barry is nothing but a 'step and fechit' for George Soros! And the far left ignores this..... shameful!
President Obama sets another historic record!
On top of being the first President to preside over a U.S. credit worthiness downgrade, Obama will be the first to have the federal government spend over a TRILLION dollars more than it takes in for each year that he has held office.
If that’s not bad enough he has ZERO plan to do anything about it!
Romney/Rubio 2012
Thanks to the congressional republicans.
The President does have plans to reduce the deficit, which he outlined in his SOTU address and subsequent appearances since. The credit downgrade came as a result of the GOP's refusal to raise the debt limit so we could pay our bills, a fact from the mouths of those who took the downgrading action. Perhaps you need to read a little more and pontificate a little less. Are you a 1%er? Those are the only people who will benefit from a Republican administration, my friend. Romney's tax plan will increase the deficit much more than that of the President. Newt's is even worse. Both he and Romney want to give more tax breaks to the richest among us, which they don't want, don't need, and certainly shouldn't get. Meanwhile, both would put the burden on the middle and lower working class, which is me and most Americans. Great idea, huh? NOT.
For students of American politics, following the way the Romney campaign played Newt Gingrich in Florida is a lesson to learn and to keep. Romney's people must have realized that Newt does best when he is positive. His bold ideas, clear vision, revolutionary insights and extraordinary perspectives resonate with voters and win him millions of supporters.
Romney, less compelling but more consistent, doesn't need stellar debate performances or bold vision to win. The case for the former Massachusetts governor is more circumstantial: He can reach out to independents by virtue of his past apostasies on healthcare and abortion. He looks, talks and acts like a president. His record of job creation is exemplary.
But Newt needs the bold sally, the breathtaking moment of rhetorical clarity, to prevail.
So Romney's people set out to mire Newt in negatives so he couldn't and wouldn't get out the positive message he needed to project to prevail. They tormented him with negative ads in Iowa. While the ads were generally accurate -- the allegation about backing China's forced-abortion policy aside -- they presented only one side of the story and were stinging in their impact. Without funds, Gingrich couldn't answer the negative ads. He fumed but watched, in impotence, as his vote share fell away……
Obama's strategy can only be to 'out negative' Romney. Barry's negative strategy will be more blistering than American Politics has seen since Andrey Jackson's era! We all know Barry can never campaign on his record, right? lol!
Romney/Christie (or Rubio) 2012!
Of course the egocentric, ethnocentric, spoiled brat Eric Cartman wanna be did not call. That would be honorable sportsmanship. Gingrich has none of the latter qualities.
Mr. Romney won where all the transplanted (the liberal and more moderate side of the GOP) Republicans live. He did NOT win in the places where the conservative Republican lives. This is a problem for him that everyone overlooks.
"Romulian Romney" runs to a political rout! The "Speculator and Chief" of Bain Capital still is NOT a true conservative, he is not liberal, and is not a Tea Begger. No one knows what the "Romulian" is or is not as a political GOP Clown. The GOP "Clown Show" is now over in Florida, and still the traveling GOP "Clown Show" has NO new economic policies, no new tax policies, no new trade policies, and no common sense in Foreign Policy. Hey! Hey! Ho! Ho! The Party of NO has got to GO!
before we make a big deal about this rout??? what is the percentage of qualified voters whom voted? 10% 20%??? that's a rout????????????
Newt needs the bold sally, the breathtaking moment of rhetorical clarity, to prevail.