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Subscribe to RSSBOSTON -- Mitt Romney's campaign gathered the national press corps in their campaign war room this morning to deliver a simple message: It would take an "act of God" for any candidate not named Mitt Romney to win the Republican nomination.
The Boston-based campaign projected confidence in Romney's ability to win the nomination given the emerging delegate math in the campaign following last night's Super Tuesday contests.
"We will get to 1,144 whether it's on someone else’s timeline, or on our timeline," said one top Romney aide. "We will get to 1,144 and be the Republican nominee."
The background briefing with several members of the campaign's senior staff was emblematic of Romney's campaign: no grand flourishes, just business, math and message, with aides asserting the calendar was ill-suited to any candidate looking to eat into Romney's delegate lead.
Looking ahead to a primary calendar where the only remaining true winner-take-all states appear to favor Romney -- Delaware, Utah, New Jersey and the District of Columbia (where Rick Santorum is not on the ballot) -- the advisers tried to slowly close the door on Santorum and Newt Gingrich, who they said had little to no opportunity left to close the delegate gap.
Other delegate-heavy states like California and Texas (the latter thought to be less friendly to Romney) are winner-take-all by congressional district, which all but guarantees their large delegate hauls' being split among candidates, rather than awarding a large haul to a single GOP hopeful. One Romney aide said one would have to "bend the laws of reality" to see Gingrich or Santorum making a significant dent in Romney's lead in those states.
"There’s not a lot of Floridas left out there, no more Arizonas, no more Virginias. There’s just no more big chunks of delegates to go get. So whether it's a one-, two-, three- or four-way race, you’re still going to have people bunched up there," said one Romney aide, dismissing a question about whether a smaller field might make Romney's path more difficult.
Romney captured 65 percent of the available delegates on Super Tuesday, pushing his total to 339 pledged delegates, according to NBC News projections, out of the 1,144 needed to secure the nomination. A campaign spokesperson also said the campaign had raised $11.5 million in February, yet again outpacing every other Republican candidate. They did not, however, disclose the amount of cash left on hand after bruising and expensive contests in Michigan and Ohio.
Taken together, the campaign hopes math, if not ideology, will help their candidate consolidate a Republican base still resistant to his nomination in some quarters. Romney has thus far failed to win a culturally Southern state (Virginia and Florida notwithstanding) or to convince the self-identified "very conservative" Republican voters that he is the man best suited to challenge President Obama in the fall.
One aide argued that even if Romney never fully wins over rural conservatives, he would end up with their support in November, in part because such voters are the most likely to be strongly opposed to the president's re-election.
Romney aides dismissed the persistent narrative of their candidate as a weak front-runner, unable to connect and failing to garner the support of independent voters -- noting that he won states as diverse as Vermont, Alaska and Ohio last night, and pointing to polling from 1992, which showed then-Gov. Bill Clinton's favorability ratings upside down.
"If I remember correctly, he served two terms," said one aide.
Asked directly when they would begin working behind the scenes to convince the Gingrich and Santorum campaigns to see the math their way, one Romney adviser responded bluntly: "Now."
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To Travisaurus who posted "you'll notice no one was quoted as having said that it would take an act of God. For an intelligent person, that means no one really said, but rather NBC wants people to think so. You are all fools for jumping on the Romney crew for saying it, because it shows you don't know how to scrutinize journalism."
This article from the Salt Lake City News: with the heading "Romney Camp Says He'll Be The Last Man Standing"
"Those guys, it's going to take some sort of act of God to get where they need to be," a top Romney adviser said during a Wednesday briefing with reporters at campaign headquarters. Those at the session insisted on anonymity while discussing campaign strategy.
Well Evangelicals...here's your chance to show the wrath of God..
What would you expect coming from an uber rich, narcissistic, sociopath without any empathy for the working class? Once I was republican, then went democrat now I am just disillusioned and nauseous.
We need a third political Party in November one willing to
end the evils in this country Abortion, Poverty, the death penalty, all Wars
and will put America and our citizens first.
One nation under God A Christian Country
Romney: 'I'm not concerned about the very poor'
Romney: 'I'm not concerned about the very poor'
Romney: 'I'm not concerned about the very poor'
What part of that phrase don't you understand ?
If that's all you were able to get from his statement, then it probably doesn't matter much what you understand....
In due fairness, that phrase is taken out of context, to suit your political agenda.
Don't get me wrong. Romney will scrap America and sell it to China. I am no supporter of his.
But manipulating a piece of a sentence to portray him in a negative light is dirty politics.
You can go with, "Corporations are people too", "Some of my best friends are NASCAR owners" or whatever factual base.
Bosshogg, or be big and brave and stand up to Limpballs who says that women who take birth control pills are sluts and prostitutes.
adrift2
Bosshogg, thats hilarious! Roscoe P. Coaltrain, what an awesome sitcom.
Romney's stance on Rush is dispicable. He had an opportunity to stand out in the crowd but failed miserably to do so. For a religious man, he sure acts immoral. You'd think, with as much negativity Rush has thrown at Romney, he would be quicker to counter the man.
But no... no snappy come-back.
Oh well, adds to the drama of this conservative soap opera we're watching.
Obama/Biden 2012
Wow! He is going to blame it on God if he loses! For goodness sake! Does NOT sound presidential to me! Are there really no qualified nominees for the GOP this year?
zz, like I said before, none that are stupid enough to challenge Obama and his success.
You are correct, there are absolutely no GOP candidates worth even listening to, let alone vote for. That said, drop the "Fing" god crap! Stop mentioning the name of a made up piece of history that does not belong in the mind of anyone with a brain and common sense.
Matt - please stop insulting our President. Your contention that he does not have a brain or common sense is uncalled for.
When Mitt looks in the mirror, he sees doG.
can't believe that over 50% of American voters would vote for a Mormon, whose grandfather, Meridith Romney, was a polygamist bishop. Mitt has flip-flopped on so many issues, abortion, national health care, etc. that it's impossible to know what he believes at any minute. In most people, past behavior predicts future behavior. Do the math!
Why not, those same @!$%#s voted for Jimmy the Peanut.
Mitt Romney: The best President money can buy!
Does he realize that an "Act of God" could include his death? I am not being nasty; that's a fact of life, people really need to be careful when they make these statements. The whole lot of GOP hopefuls is just that, hopefuls. There is not one that I would cast my vote for, they're not going to win anyway. All of them are being very divisive, and the rifts will only grow wider. May God have mercy on our country.
I think him doing very good if we compare the others. The men that running the philophical political "arrogant expression” of the man don't have any good relation with God because He is Saint and the political is a demagogy for convince us with the false offer. He is a good man; his own administration record plus the Massachusetts State government experience speak clear. He has more respect to God that the others. I think he is the only person with the true connection with us. So "I'm Independent" but my vote is only for him. Is obvious he morality and honesty give him the first in running. Please can you help him? and Vote for Him.
If you actually know someone who has a good relationship with 'god', perhaps you can send them to a good Psychiatrist for electroconvulsive therapy. At least they won't be depressed over the fact that 'god' is the title we give to a never seen, heard or existed piece of persistent ignorance.
Matt - are you suggesting that the President needs to see a psychiatrist?
Only CarpetBagger Romney would try to defy God... He forgets , God can sink him just like he sank the Titanic... And truefully , I hope he goes down FAST....And HARD
How does god do that? Please tell me, since I have heard all about this bull@!$%# creature you morons call 'god' Where is he and what actually have you seen him do? I do not mean faith you moron, I mean really saw. Oh, that's what I thought. I'd write more bu I must place my tooth under the pillow so the tooth fairy can give me money to donate to her dad, 'god'; yeah right!
The people who vote for a Democrat are lifetime welfare recipients, drug addicts, illegal aliens, union bosses, rodeo clowns, bed wetter's and idiots.
Are you better off today than you were three years ago? Blame Bush, it is the Liberal way of life.
I hope that the GOP voters will get the candidate they deserve. A lousy one.
All they have to do now is pray that Sarah Palin joins the circus.
The GOP is attempting to find someone as crappy as Obama. Sorry if Romney is as bad as they can find.
Superstitions do not belong in politics and superstitious politicians do not belong in politics !
We need the brightest, the best educated, people that have the intellectual capacities to solve problems. And first we need to get rid of all the corruption and all the propaganda machines in the right wing medias. We need competent people and not religious nut cases, that will bring back the country into the dark ages just like it is the case in all religious governments.
Sounds like you want Romney then. He's very educated (both law and business degrees from Harvard), extremely competent (successful businessman, saved the Olympics from disaster, Governor) and does not go around talking about his religious beliefs.
Agree, but unfortunately our politicians know they must mention ( a lot) the name of the man-made pseudocreature god, every time they speak. I am not prejudice, I look down at every single human that believes in the non existent and allows that belief to affect even one other human being. No religion equals no war.
Nope. Wars have been started for many other reasons than religion. From what I hear tell, wars can start because of concerns about WMD, a need for oil, to prevent the slaughter of innocents by tyrants, and more. Religion is certainly one reason that wars have been fought, but it is hardly the only one.
So true, JC.
So True.
And so it will be !
If Romney wants the nomination he better read from a script because when he ad libs he sure says some stupid stuff or put another way, he buys votes with his money and loses them with his mouth!
Romney will need an act of God to defeat Obama should he win the Republican nomination. He is not the best of the candidates vieing for the party ticket. He thinks his money will buy the office, but Obama will have more money to fight him Romney is no match for Obama's shifty rhetoric. Unfortunately, the electorate doesn't seem to be capable of of good critical analysis. God help America, even if we don't deserve it.
Romney is not the best candidate of the Republicans vieing to head the ticket against Obama. He seems to believe his money will win it for him. Obama will have more money one way or another. He will also be no match for Obama's shifty rhetoric. Unfortunately, the electorate hasn't been too good at critical thinking or knowing enough about economics to choose the best man for the Oval office. That is why our country is in the dire strait it is in now. We should all be praying, "God forgive us and help America" to get back on track so that we can remain a free and prosperous nation.
Since god is a made up man-made pseudo mythical being, who is actually going to stop this fool Romney from getting the nomination?
Don't tell me you still believe in god when you already learned about his/her pals, Pinocchio, Snow White, etc. Grow up and stop using the all encompassing crutch catch phrase, "god this and god that".
Jus' kickin it here watching the pseudo-liberal bigotry float by.....
Actually, I hear those talking about Obama as a less-than-American, Muslim, Communist, Socialist, Anti-Christ, Anti-USA, Travel Happy, GE Corporate Shill, Responsible for Our Nation's Decline, War-Mongering, Osama-Killing, Weak, Inexperienced, Welfare Happy, Gun Taking, Blah, Blah, Blah, ad naseum in print, at work, in bars, from acquaintences and random strangers, overhearing it often without asking, Ted Nugent, Fox News, The Right Wing Publicantions, etc, etc, etc to such a degree that it hinges on the edge of insanity.
If President Obama was/is so horrible, how come he was able to/allowed to stop the full/slow down the full force with which we were headed into the Great Recession, continue to recover the bulk of all monies used in the Bailing Out of Banks and Industries, Catch/Kill Osama(I still also would like to know who believes that saying in one breath that no, ST6 killed Osama, not President Obama and in the next say that it is President Obama's fault we haven't completely pulled out of "W's" great Recession by calling it "Barry's" or "Hussein" ...), Recover Americans from Somalian Pirates ordering/allowing the killing of those Pirates, as well as the Credit Reforms, Health Care Reforms, and much more.
And I give "W" some credit for designating the underwater Federally Protected Park Area off Hawaii and, um, uh...I know there was something else, but I can't really think of anything right now. Until he actually did what he wanted to (actually Cheney wanted it as much or more) attack and destroy Saddam/Iraq and regional stability in Babylon, I wanted to support "W" as our President. He/They did not take long to show all their true colors in the George W Bush Administration after allowing 9-11 to happen and then lying about ever having any idea that we could or would be attacked by commercial jets, as well as most everything else in regard to that act of Treason at the Highest Degree.
And you don't like Obama.
Huh. Wonder why.
Your Ball.
But really, that wasn't "W's" fault nor strength, not having actually done much to stop the country's slide into Economic and Environmental Decay. It was all of those
The 545 People Responsible For All of America's Woes.
Yes, I can admit letting the cat out of the bag by throwing out the race card in this case, and agree I did/can.
The shoes you are wearing fit someone with a problem with President Obama that goes beyond actual here-and-now reality or policy. The POTUS has allowed more Bipartisan and concialiatory things the Right demanded to pass than most any of you hard core haters admit or acknowledge.
But I will admit that I did throw the race card out a little Liberally, Ron. It doesn't apply to All, but Many, so I will not apologize ixcept for not saying it doesn't apply to all when I wrote it the first time. For that, I apologize.
Peace
Just another day on the Vine!
Nitey Nite!
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