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Subscribe to RSSNBC's Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro discuss the Republican nominating season so far and if the other candidates can catch up to the GOP front-runner, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.
Video edited by NBC's Morgan Parmet.
MARK MURRAY: Welcome to your latest edition of Inside the Boiler Room, I'm NBC's Mark Murray joined by my awesome colleague Domenico Montanaro. Domenico, we are now 5 contests in. Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida, and now Nevada. What do we make about the whole GOP nominating season so far?
DOMENICO MONTANARO: Well, I think we know Romney is the front-runner. There's been some bruising battles along the way, through Iowa, New Hampshire, losing Iowa, getting a big victory in New Hampshire, going down to South Carolina and having a big setback there and then rebounding and winning big in Florida, winning big in Nevada. He's got a month here where it looks like a lot of these contests line up for him and it seems like a matter of time before he is the nominee.
MARK MURRAY: One thing about Romney is that he has improved in all these contests since 2008 where he finished second in Iowa, he finished second in New Hampshire--he was able to finish second in Iowa but won New Hampshire this time around. But the whole primary process so far has exposed some weaknesses for Mitt Romney particularly as we look forward to the general election. We have seen some hits from his Republican opponents on some of his biggest vulnerabilities: his work at Bain Capital, his wealth, his income taxes and that has actually all borne out in a brand new Washington Post/ABC poll that shows that his standing has taken a bit of a hit over the past few weeks.
DOMENICO MONTANARO: Yeah, I think that it bore out also in the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll that we had out last week which showed among Independents, this is the key voting bloc in the general election, that he's (President Obama) gone up 20-points with Indepenents since November. This is a huge red flag, it should be a huge warning sign for them, and it is why you are seeing Mitt Romney try to reshape his message back to talking about the middle and middle-class voters. The problem is for him, is that his tax policy, when it lines up with that rhetoric and people start looking at what Mitt Romney says vs. what he would propose, there is a little bit of a difference there. In particular, he cuts taxes proportionally more for the rich than he does for the middle class.
MARK MURRAY: And Domenico, you have crunched the numbers on the turnout too--looking at the turnout in the first five contests as well.
DOMENICO MONTANARO: Yeah, turnout has been down. It was up a huge margin in South Carolina, up 36-percent in South Carolina, it was down in Florida by about 13-percent. It was down in Nevada also. So that all has some warning for whoever becomes the Republican nominee on enthusiasm. Especially for Romney, whether or not they will have the enthusiasm necessary in this 'Anybody But Obama' climate on the Republican side, if they will come out in droves and the big numbers that they need to beat Obama in the fall.
MARK MURRAY: We do actually have a long way to go, only a fraction of the delegates have so far been decided. The question is if one of these candidates, and I am looking at Newt Gingrich, can really make a move in these later contests. Of course we have some of the caucus contests coming up on Tuesday, we have primaries in Arizona and Michigan on February 28th. And then comes Newt Gingrich's big opportunity come Super Tuesday, where you are seeing some primaries in southern states where he could actually be able to win.
DOMENICO MONTANARO: Now, I'll say this, there are some southern states. But there's 11 states on Super Tuesday, I think that only four of them are southern states, so that doesn't make it a rousing day. He is hoping to get to that day, but then what? He is going to have a February, a split-day on March 6th--
MARK MURRAY: --I think he is looking for a lifeline but that is maybe all that he could get. A lifeline is better than having your campaign end.
DOMENICO MONTANARO: We'll see. Also, maybe if Rick Santorum can win in Minnesota, win in Missouri, then what does Newt Gingrich say? Maybe does the worm turn a little bit to March 6th where Newt Gingrich winds up thinking he could have looked forward, looked past Santorum and Santorum picks up a little bit of momentum.MARK MURRAY: Five contests in, many more to go.
Transcribed by NBC's Natalie Cucchiara.
Leave a Comment:
It ain't over until the
fat lady singsNewt sings!We've heard Willard's attempt at crooning and the only polite thing I can say is, it made my ears bleed...
As long as its someone other than Willard...lol
So one of those great patriots, you know fighting for all of us 99%ers in occupy DC smacked a cop square in the face with a brick.
Nice going Obama keep preaching that destructive class warfare bulls%#t!
Champion of the people that's what the lefty progressives think they're bringing with all the violence.
Image if a "teabagger" ever assualt a police officer?
Hell the left is still bitchin' about some congressmen that got spittle on him from an ignored, and distrustful US citizen being forced to buy something that he didn't want.
Keep that Transformative change coming you LOSERS!!!
Rob, you really are contemptible,...
It wasn't 'some' congressman. It was MY congressman. He has a name, too. Far be it from you to concern yourself with the trivial details, eh?
Maybe that damned cop was a 1%er.
Then it's justified -- power to the people!
Progressives are nothing but a plague to society.
Youre congressman is a lying sack -- video and witnesses galore have proven it.
But lets go there nonetheless you would you rather endure spit to the face or a BRICK to the face.
You Clara are a joke to even think there is some kind of parallel or comparison.
Actually it ain't over until Super Tuesday, that's when Newt thinks he will sweep this thing with the southern vote - could very well happen, he has all the qualities of Bubba, and well, Bubba likes to be noticed. Never mind that Bubba is stupid and an adulterer, it is his God given right after all to be both, haha. these folks are such a joke.
The presidential race is merely a cover for what Teapublicans are trying to do at the congressional and state level. Sure Romney hopes to win via negative ads rather than on his record as governor, or real solutions for economic recovery. But the majority of Super PAC money will go to congressional races. And the overreach at the state level is spreading despite the backlash.
Look at the incompetent fat-arsed hag Jan Brewer in Arizona, a state that has already been a right-to-work state with lower wages for a long time, yet they're pursuing the same jam-it-through union-busting agenda (to end financing of Dems), or to suppress the vote -- anything to win without merit or real majority support.
And that's really what's behind the conspiracy. Yes, it's a conspiracy when governors have conference calls on how to end the Occupy movement or jam through Koch-supported ALEC templates for corporatocracy/plutocracy rule by the right-wing rich.
May the people prevail over Citizen's United money, against new overreach in states like Indiana, Michigan, Arizona, etc., and may the Do Nothing obstructionist Teapublicans be thrown out!
I left out more to the conspiracy -- Right wing pressure on organizations like Susan G Komen to end affiliation with Planned Parenthood (though attacks on Planned Parenthood are all a bunch of lies), and companies like JCPenney having Ellen DeGeneres as their spokesperson (though doing good work for education, etc.), or Lowes dropping advertisement from a Muslim show because freedom of religion somehow only applies to Christians (defined as Evangelical?).
There is a storm brewing people, and founding principles of democracy including free speech can only be preserved with vigilance. Liberals and Moderates -- get out the vote and stop the far-right extremists before it's too late.
We can only hope the GOP in the other states can actually manage an election and count votes. Thus far, Iowa and Nevada have been spectacular failures.
We apologize for our political blunders. (were the same state who gave you Obama) Go figure....
Comparing the inability to add to a political blunder goes a long way in explaining the idiotic policies of these candidates.
Were really just getting started. Once a new President is elected He will be busy repealing that disastrous health care bill before it bankrupts the country. But I think the greatest role of the next President is going to be instilling the work ethic back into so many Americans were were expecting someone else's wealth to be "redistributed" to them...
The only jobs that will be created under a Romney or Newt monarchy are the henchmen hired by the wealthy to hold-up and rob the middle/poor classes of their hard-earned pay checks.
Nope, The health care bill is here to stay, because none of the Republicans running will beat President Obama. Also, let's Hope that the House comes back to the Democrats.
Red, Don't fall for that I'm poor because someone else is rich crap. Go out and make your own way in life. It's really not that hard once you get beyond blaming someone else for your lot in life....
UAW Pleeeeeeeease
Wise one, what do you think bush tax cuts (01 & 03) did? FYI, we already have a president who's working on behalf of the poor, middle class and even the rich of this country. as you can see, 4million jobs in 4yrs.
UAW - you failed to see my mockery of your post.
Because it's LAW, and any candidate like Gingrich who talks about repealing it (or any other law like Dodd-Frank) before the inauguration ball is not only having delusions of grandeur but is a big fat LIAR. And even if the SCOTUS rules against the mandate, the rest of the Affordable Health Care Act still stands.
Czars, what a hoot too -- there are no "czars" -- this was a term coined by the media during Bush. Idiot Teapublican candidates and their supporters...
Feisty, I can barely stand to hear Newt talk much less sing.
Lisa---Newt sure does a smug and condescending tone of voice really well, doesn't he? He isn't bad at anger, either.
Althought we have a long ways to go, Romney seems on target to be the likely nominee. It seems the GOP will again award the nomination to the person who came in second last time. Look at the list of who comes in 2nd in this race and ask what the GOP will do in 2016 if their 2nd place finisher is Gingrich, Santorum? I simply do not see Mitt Romney defeating President Obama because Romney represents everything about which the voters are most concerned according to the polls. Extreme income disparity (no one is against the rich being rich), a sense that the balance is tipped in favor of the Mitt Romneys in this country; his tax policies again reward the Romneys and punish everyone else while adding trillions more to the deficit and debt; he's all for starting another war; his off-shore tax havens; plus he's just not a likeable guy. He seems a nice man with a nice and loving family but he's not likeable, he's too phoney, no one even knows what he really supports. Romney represents everything that has gone so wrong during the past 30 years.
Jody, Does it concern you at all that the liberal programs that Obama wants to "give" you has to be paid for out of pockets of conservative and or wealthy Americans? I understand Obama taking the popular line. "Vote for me and I'll raise some one elses taxes and give you discount education and cheap health care". Do you think raising the taxes that poor, middle class and rich people pay on dividends and investment income isn't going to have ramifications beyond paying for your liberal benefits? Right now many companies will not bring their foreign earnings back to US soil due to outrageous taxes. What makes you think individuals won't cut back investing in companies on US soil in favor of over seas investments with little or no taxes?
Steeler Fan, I can't think of one favorable thing to say about Newt.
Newt's confronted Romney over RomneyCare, over Bain Capital's business practices, over Romney keeping his money in the Caymen Islands and in Swiss bank accounts; those are some favorable things I can think of to say about Newt.
Well, Lisa---we could say he's been good for the Obama re-election campaign.
One more thing----I saw a quote where someone asked Newt who would play him in a movie (ala Sara Palin) and he said, well, in my fantasy life, Brad Pitt. What is good about this is that is provides ever more entertainment to us.
Steeler Fan, Why would Brad Pitt want to play such a creep.
The GOP needs to get back on message....WE WANT FAILURE...MAKE OBAMA FAIL...MAKE THE U.S. FAIL....LET THE AUTO INDUSTRY FAIL....if things are failing, then we're scared. And when we're scared we turn to people like George W. Bush and Willard "Mitt" Romney because we know those priveleged guys really know how to function in chaos. It's a proven fact.
Now, if every good Republican would withdraw their money from the banks for just one day, we could make the banks fail. (At least the one's in Switzerland and the Bahamas.....)
Regis Philbin:
WELCOME GOP primary voters. Welcome to "Who Wants to be Purchased by a Millionaire?" Our contestant today, Newt Gingrich, is a thrice married history professor from the Atlanta, Georgia area. Welcome Newt! (applause). Now, let's get this game rolling....As you know, I ask you a series of questions. If you get all the questions correct right to the end, you can be purchased by a Nevada casino owner's millions. If you get a question incorrect, however, you go home with nothing. You have a "lifeline", where you can call a friend or acquainance for help, an "ask the audience" poll, and a "50/50" where we will eliminate half the correct answers for you. Are you ready, Newt?
Newt: Yes, I believe I am, Regis.
Regis: OK, first question. "How do you tell a first wife from a second or third wife?" The answer choices are:
A) A first wife has the fake jewelry and the real orgasms
B) A first wife is not interested in an "open marriage"
C) A first wife has the real jewelry and the fake orgasms
D) A first wife gets cancer and then you dump her
Newt: Hmmm....I was never very good at this sort of thing. I want to say "B" , but I think that was the second wife....and "D" has a familiar ring to it. Can I use my lifeline, Regis?
Regis: Sure, who would you like to call, Newt?
Newt: My first wife....(dialing)
Jackie Gingrich: Hello, Jackie speaking...
Newt: Jackie are you watching the show? Good! What's the correct answer?
Jackie: Well, Newton, I never had an orgasm with you and I sure didn't get any of that Tiffany's jewelry, no on the open marriage, and since all I did get was cancer, I'd go with "D".
Newt: Thanks, Jackie. My answer is "D", Regis.
Regis: You are sure? If so.....................D is correct, you now cost Sheldon Edelman $500,000.00....Way to sell yourself, Newt. Now, here's your next question. Catholics throughout the United States should be outraged at President Obama's requirement that Catholic hospitals supply contraceptives because:
A) You never bothered using any contraceptives, so why should anyone else have to?
B) You always follow the Catholic church's teachings on divorce, family, and other matters.
C) Although the hospitals receive federal funding for their business operations, they should be able to be dictated to by the Vatican
D) We just want to see the Obama administration and the U.S. "fail" at anything they attempt.
Newt: Can I use my 50/50?
Regis: Ok, let's remove "B" and "C". That leaves "A" and "D". Which one is it?
Newt: Well, I always used birth control when I was banging my office staffs, so let's pick "D".
Regis: "D", are you sure??........Let's see the correct answer....sorry Newt, it's "all of the above". Better luck next time.....
The traveling GOP Clown Show keeps "Creeping" along. The GOP Clowns are full of "Crazy Conservative Crap" and they just keep dancing around in poltical circles with tea bags hanging off their "Elephant" ears. "Sanitarium Santarum" is too busy attending his KKK rallies, and is still spewing his intolerance for others. What a joke!
Progressive=Forward 11: Don't worry, as of right now there isn't even a USA. You have destroyed it.
No more "tea Bags." No more police to break up Occupiers. No more military to protect us from Russia, China, Saudi Arabia. No more schools for our kids. No more elections. No more Congress. No more churches, Bible thumpers, prayer. Don't worry. No more GOP clowns. No more ABC, CBS, NBC, and maybe no more TV at all. No more doctors, nor hospitals, no more income taxes, no more air flights. No more USA. And give yourselves a pat on your backs -- you caused it ALL and all by yourselves. It's over for you as well as for us GOPers. We are through listening to you, and now we don't have to any more.
Mr. Levy, I had no idea you were a supporter of Ron Paul! I thought that was his platform...
No Ron Paul's platform is legalized drug use and blame everything on the Federal Reserve system, which can actually be the same thing if you use enough "legalized" drugs......
It is time for people to realize Ron Paul is not the Libertarian the corporate media and opponents paint him to be. Ron Paul is a 'Constitutionalist' who believes the powers of Congress should be limited to the powers granted it by the US Constitution. Contrary to propaganda Paul wants to eleminate all federal government agencies and taxation, Paul supports the need for federal agencies which do not infringe upon the powers granted to the states by the Constitution, and supports the Article 1, section 8 powers of Congress to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises........To borrow money on the credit of the United States; To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes;
Ron Paul has said again and again he is a Constitutionalist, so, before judging him on the labels, or what you have heard, read the the US Constitution and amendments first, enlighten yourself.