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  • 2012: Romney’s big win

    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.”

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  • Obama agenda: Eating it up

    “Jay ate the veggies,” the New York Daily News writes. “First Lady Michelle Obama cajoled Jay Leno into nibbling on apples, sweet potato fries and a pizza made with eggplant, green peppers and zucchini on the "Tonight Show," breaking his long-held aversion for all-things-healthy in his diet. Leno once told a magazine he hadn't eaten a vegetable since 1969, and he insisted he tasted his last apple in 1984. That didn't dissuade the First Lady, who's promoting her "Let's Move!" campaign to get kids excited about fitness and healthy eating habits.”

  • More 2012: Dems pay a price but hold Wu seat

    OREGON: “In total, Democrats outspent Republicans on television about 4-to-1, according to Smart Media Delta, a GOP buying firm. Bonamici spent about a half a million dollars on television, the Democratic Congressional Committee almost a million, in addition to spending from a few other Democratic groups,” Nathan Gonzales notes, adding, “Democrats took a page from Republicans’ playbook from last year’s special election in Nevada, where the National Republican Congressional Committee spent heavily on early television ads to make sure that the race never got out of hand. A difference is that Republicans were defending a district where John McCain won by just 89 votes.

    More: “This election in Oregon is notable because of the absence of Obama. Cornilles never focused on the President and Bonamici hardly talked about him either. That dynamic makes this special election different than the dozens of races that will decide the House in November, when the President’s performance will be a huge topic of debate.”

    WASHINGTON: “The Washington state Senate is set to take a crucial vote Wednesday on a proposal to legalize same-sex marriage,” AP writes. The bill has narrow support in the Senate, but is expected to pass because supporters have secured 25 ‘yes’ votes -- the minimum required for approval. Five senators, two Democrats and three Republicans, have not indicated how they will vote. If passed by the Senate, the measure moves to the House, which has enough votes to pass the bill by a more comfortable margin.”

    More: “Same-sex marriage is legal in New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and the District of Columbia. Lawmakers in New Jersey and Maryland are expected to debate gay marriage this year, and Maine is likely to see a gay marriage proposal on the November ballot.”

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