Twelve for '12: A Dozen Republicans Who Could Be the Next President

[Dos Equis]

Iowa still a tossup.

Quiet Campaign Pace in Iowa Leaves Caucuses Up For Grabs
Published December 25, 2011
Associated Press


DES MOINES, Iowa –  It's been a different presidential race in Iowa this year -- quieter.

Campaign headquarters have hardly been buzzing with activity, unlike the around-the-clock nature of past contests. Candidates have barely visited the state, compared with years when most all but moved here. And they have largely refrained from building the grass-roots armies of yesteryear, in favor of more modest on-the-ground teams of paid staffers and volunteers.

The final rush of campaigning here gets under way Monday, just a week before the Jan. 3 caucuses, and, to be sure, there will be a flurry of candidate appearances and get-out-the-vote efforts all week.

But that will belie the reality of much of 2011, a year marked by a less aggressive personal courtship of Iowans in a campaign that, instead, has largely gravitated around a series of 13 nationally televised debates, a crush of television ads and interviews.

"We just haven't had as much face time," Republican chairwoman Trudy Caviness in Wapello County said. "That's why we're so undecided."

Indeed, people here simply don't know the Republican presidential candidates that well. And it's a big reason why the contest in Iowa is so volatile and why the caucus outcome could end up being more representative of the mood of national Republicans than in past years when GOP activists here have gone it alone by launching an unlikely front-runner to the top of the field.

With a week to go, the state of the race in Iowa generally mirrors the race from coast to coast.

Polls show Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, having lost ground and Texas Rep. Ron Paul having risen, with both still in contention with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at the head of the pack. All the others competing in Iowa -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum -- are trailing.

But, in a sign that the contest is anyone's to win, most polls have shown most Republican caucusgoers undecided and willing to change their minds before the contest in a state where the vote typically breaks late in the campaign year.

There are a slew of reasons why the Iowa campaign is a much more muted affair than in 2008 -- marked by the iconic clash of Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, who together employed almost 300 staff in Iowa and held blockbuster rallies. This year, there is no contested Democratic primary, given that President Barack Obama has no serious challenger. Only Republicans are competing, and those candidates are approaching the state differently, both visiting and hiring less. Also, like it did everywhere else, the race here started slowly -- months later than usual -- as a slew of GOP politicians weighed candidacies, only to abort White House bids.
Long-time Republican activists here, who often joke that they like to meet the candidates several times before deciding, have barely seen the candidates once, much less at all, and no campaign has more than 20 paid staff in the state.

All that's partly a consequence of how technology has changed both the political and media environments in recent years. Campaigns now can more precisely -- and cheaply -- target their pitches to voters from afar, sending personalized e-mails and YouTube video messages from the candidates to voters directly, and more campaign outreach is being handled by volunteers and through central national websites. And voters, themselves, now can go online and find information about the candidates without having to wait for the White House hopeful to show up in the town square.

"Caucuses don't exist in a vacuum. They're not the same every time," said John Stineman, a West Des Moines Republican activist who ran Steve Forbes 2000 Iowa campaign. "But everything else has changed. Why wouldn't the caucuses change?"

Part of the change has been driven by Romney's approach to the state.

The nominal GOP front-runner for most of the year, Romney has been far less aggressive in cultivating support in Iowa than in his failed bid of 2008. He's only spent 10 days in the state this year, compared to 77 days four years ago, in an attempt to lower expectations in the leadoff state where evangelical conservatives have harbored doubts about Romney in light of his Mormon faith and changed positions on some social issues.

Paul, the Texas congressman, has been focused more on building a national following than being a one-state candidate.

Gingrich only became a serious contender in the state a few weeks ago. And, until recently, he didn't have the money or manpower to launch a full-scale Iowa campaign, meaning more sporadic visits and a smaller team. He's struggled to reach all parts of the state more than once; it was just last week that he visited Ottumwa, seat of the county Caviness represents and a medium-size Iowa city uniquely situated in the southeast with its own small media market.

Likewise, Perry has not been to Marshalltown, a central Iowa GOP hub about the same size as Ottumwa and home of the state-run veterans home. It would seem like a natural spot for Perry, a former Air Force officer who has sought veterans support. But he also hasn't visited Fort Dodge, also another mid-size Iowa city in north-central Iowa on the way to heavily Republican northwest Iowa.

Those who have been struggling to gain traction -- and who lack the money of better-funded, better-known rivals -- are turning to old-fashioned retail campaigning in hopes of wooing voters the traditional way.

Bachmann is in the midst of a bus tour that has her crisscrossing the state. And Santorum, who never has broken out of the back of the pack, is betting that a year of one-on-one campaigning will pay off in the end.

Barb Livingston is proof that, for all the changes, there's still something to be said for the personal approach. She has struggled all year to find a candidate to back and is basing her decision on a personal impression she had -- except that impression was established four years ago, riding around Marshall County with Romney.
"When push comes to shove, I had a chance to meet him and travel around with," said Livingston, a former Marshall County GOP chairwoman. "He's someone personally I connected with."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/12/25/quiet-campaign-pace-in-iowa-leaves-caucuses-up-for-grabs/

[240 is Back]

RP is currently tied for #2 in NH.

If he wins Iowa and takes 2nd in NH, it's going to be tough for repubs to keep saying he's irrelevant.

I'm in awe of this GOp field.  Mitt is showing more and more libereal colors every day.  Newt looks more and more like the old newt every day.

It really is the perfect storm for Ron Paul to make a huge impact.  I still say it's Mitt, but WOW he's such a little liberal.

[Dos Equis]

Potential Iowa GOP kingmaker conflicted about endorsing
Posted by
CNN Senior Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash

Washington (CNN) - Iowa GOP Congressman Steve King, whose support is coveted by Republican presidential candidates, said he hoped to endorse one of them months ago. But like many other Iowa Republican voters, he is having a hard time picking a horse in this Republican field.

"I've said all along I want my head and my heart to come together, and when that happens I'll jump in with both feet. That just hasn't happened yet," King told CNN.

– Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker


King spoke by phone from his car as he was arriving for a hunting outing with former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania – someone he calls a good friend, but not a candidate he's ready to endorse for president.

The Iowa Republican is a prominent conservative with rock solid credentials. Although Iowa voters are known for their independence, several Iowa Republican operatives tell CNN King's endorsement would be a big boon to any GOP candidate.

But King spoke with a mixture of bewilderment and lament about his inability to make a decision about which candidate to support. He even said he may change his mind and not endorse anyone at all.

"I have not come to the conviction where I can throw my energy behind a single candidate," said King.

Four years ago, King endorsed Fred Thompson, who was lagging behind but then went on to come in third in the Iowa caucuses.

King says this year he very much likes three of the lower tier candidates: Santorum, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann. Bachmann is one of King's closest friends and political allies in Congress and someone he says he has "great respect for." He made clear one issue he is weighing is whether to back one of these candidates who may not be viable this year, but could be someone he could help position for the next presidential election.

When it comes to Iowa's frontrunners, King had praise for former Speaker Newt Gingrich's economic plans, but called his immigration policies "troubling."

King is one of the biggest hardliners in Congress when it comes to illegal immigration, and Gingrich supports a path to legality for some illegal immigrants.

King said that's not a "deal breaker" but said it does "make it harder" to endorse Gingrich.

The Iowa Republican had the harshest words for his congressional colleague, Ron Paul – particularly on the issue of foreign policy.

King recalled asking Paul what he would do with the military as commander in chief, and said Paul effectively answered that he would bring U.S. armed forces serving overseas back home.

"I do not want the Chinese knocking at our door, who would fill the power vacuum, as would the Russians, as would anybody else out there with aspirations. I think that would dramatically upset the balance of power in the world and would be something that could go down in history as one of the greatest mistakes this country would have potentially ever made," said King.

With little more than a week until the Iowa caucuses, King is well aware that time is running out for him to endorse, and if he does, for it to have an impact.

"I just haven't gotten to the point where I am convinced that one is so much better than the others and it's different for me than it is for someone going to the caucus to vote. They can put their vote up and walk away," King told CNN.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/26/potential-iowa-gop-kingmaker-conflicted-about-endorsing/

[Dos Equis]

He could possibly make some noise in Iowa (only) if the "King Maker" endorses him.

In What May Be Final Turn in GOP Roller Coaster, Will Santorum Get Chance at Ascent?
Published December 27, 2011
FoxNews.com

With 45 percent of Iowa Republican voters undecided and a roller-coaster ride about to come to a screeching stop next Tuesday with the GOP caucuses, it may be Rick Santorum's turn to take the final ascent and surprise the political class by ... doing better than expected?

Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator, has been touted as the sleeper candidate by none other than 2008 Iowa caucuses winner Mike Huckabee. He has relentlessly campaigned in the state, hitting all 99 counties and moving his family out there. He has held 350 campaign events in the past year.
Related Video
 
He has received key endorsements from well-known social conservatives in the state, and has had solid performances at each of the debates. And he's running an old-school style campaign that Iowa voters expect in the retail-style politics of the Hawkeye State.

The man whose at the back of the polling pack -- despite recent buzz giving him a late boost -- is taking nothing for granted but has nothing to lose.
"My feeling is when you're sitting last, if you can do better than that, that's good," he told Fox News.

Santorum said he's got 1,000 caucus representatives in a contest with about 1,700 caucus locations. He acknowledges that means no official representative to make his case at each of the locations, but at "almost all of them, and no other campaign is going to have someone there who's going to get up and speak on our behalf."

Santorum, who claims organization and message will make the difference, is also banking on a divide and conquer strategy.

"There's really three primaries going on here," Santorum said. "Ron Paul has his own primary, the libertarian primary. And (Newt) Gingrich and (Mitt) Romney are sort of the establishment primary. And I think there are three who are vying for the conservative mantle to go up against the Gingrich-Romney duo. And I think that I'm going to be the one coming out Iowa with that mantle.

"And if we can do that, then we're off to the races here, and conservatives around the country, just like they're doing here in Iowa, are going to start rallying around our campaign," he said.

Santorum isn't the only one making a last-ditch effort around the state to appeal to social conservatives. Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann are likely Santorum's most competitive among the social conservative crowd. And both are working vigorously to get supporters to show up at the caucuses next Tuesday night. 
Bachmann also won a coveted show of support from Phyllis Schlafly, founder of the conservative Eagle Forum, who on Tuesday said Bachmann "has the courage to be a leader among her peers."

"She is a real champion in speaking up for values we care about. Michele is a woman of faith and the mother of a beautiful family. She has a 100 percent pro-life record and is a strong supporter of traditional marriage," Schlafly said in a long statement to reporters.

Bachmann is trying to follow in Santorum's footsteps, hitting all 99 counties in one week, an ambitious goal.  Starting in Council Bluffs on the state's western edge on Tuesday, Bachmann will hit gas stations and diners. By nightfall, she was slated to have visited another 10 counties.

Out on the trail Tuesday, Perry again argued that a vote for him is a vote for a Washington outsider. Taking a dig at Paul, he said voters don't have to pick a candidate who would allow Iran to wipe Israel off the earth.

"You don't have to stand for that," he said. "I have all the respect in the world for the frontrunners," he added, asking if voters replace a Democratic insider with a Republican insider, will Washington change.

With the three conservative candidates making their late play to win over Iowa's base voters, they are joined by Romney and Gingrich on bus tours around the state while Paul is also making his final appeal. Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman said early on he is foregoing an Iowa campaign.

Each of the candidates is looking for supporters one at a time and hoping to become a roadblock for Romney, who is looking stronger than expected, and Paul, whose organization is notable for its strength and vastness. With the recent rise of Paul, closer scrutiny is being paid to his record, including a 1990s newsletter in his name that has caused him some trouble.

Santorum, who's been one of Paul's most vocal critics during the debates, alluded to those debates and other policy positions held by President Obama to make his case.

"(Radio host) Rush Limbaugh said that the other day on his show that you'd never have to worry a night that, you know, I wasn't trying to do the right thing in the Oval Office. And that's what I hope the people of Iowa have now picked up," he said.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/12/27/in-what-may-be-final-turn-in-gop-roller-coaster-santorum-begins-his-ascent/

[240 is Back]

iowa voters that can't make up their own mind - and need a 'kingmaker' to tell them to support?


they're as bad as obamabots.

[Dos Equis]

There goes Santorum. 

CNN Poll: Romney on top, Gingrich fading & Santorum rising in Iowa
Posted by
CNN Political Editor Paul Steinhauser
Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) - Did Newt Gingrich peak too early?

A new survey of people likely to attend Iowa's Republican caucuses indicates that the former House speaker's support in the Hawkeye State is plunging. And according to a CNN/Time/ORC International Poll, one-time long shot candidate Rick Santorum has more than tripled his support since the beginning of the month.

- Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker

Twenty-five percent of people questioned say if the caucuses were held today, they'd most likely back Mitt Romney, with 22% saying they'd support Rep. Ron Paul of Texas. Romney's three point margin is within the poll's sampling error.

The poll's Wednesday release comes six days before Iowa's January 3 caucuses, which kickoff the presidential primary and caucus calendar. The Iowa caucuses are followed one week later by the New Hampshire primary.

A new CNN/Time/ORC poll of likely primary voters in New Hampshire indicates that Romney, the former governor of neighboring Massachusetts, remains the front-runner, far ahead of his rivals for the GOP nomination.

In Iowa, both Romney and Paul are each up five points among likely caucus goers from a CNN/Time/ORC poll conducted at the start of December. The new survey indicates that Santorum, the former senator from Pennsylvania, is at 16% support, up 11 points from the beginning of the month, with Gingrich at 14%, down from 33% in the previous poll. Since Gingrich's rise late last month and early this month in both national and early voting state surveys, he's come under attack by many of the rival campaigns.

According to the survey, 11% are backing Texas Gov. Rick Perry, 9% are supporting Rep Michele Bachmann, and 1% are backing former Utah Gov. and former ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, who's spending nearly all his time campaigning in New Hampshire.

Santorum is campaigning on a shoestring budget, but he's visited all of Iowa's 99 counties and has made a strong pitch towards social conservative voters, who are very influential here in Iowa on the Republican side. Wednesday Santorum was up with a new radio spot on Hawkeye State airwaves touting endorsements by social conservative leaders. His pitch may be starting to pay off.

"Most of Santorum's gains have come among likely caucus participants who are born-again or evangelical, and he now tops the list among that crucial voting bloc, with support from 22% of born-agains compared to 18% for Paul, 16% for Romney, and 14% for Gingrich," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

The survey suggests that turnout on January 3 could be crucial in determining who comes out on top in the caucuses.

"Santorum and Paul may benefit from lower turnout, since they have an edge over Romney among likely voters who say that 'nothing at all' would prevent them from attending the caucus," says Holland. "On the other hand, Romney appears to have an edge among those who attended the caucuses four years ago - he did finish in second place in 2008 – and Romney does best among older Iowans."

As a result, the poll suggests it's difficult to predict exactly whose supporters will show up at the caucuses and whose supporters will stay at home.
"Add in the fact that nearly half of Iowa respondents say they are undecided or could change their minds and it looks like Iowa is a wide open contest," adds Holland.

In New Hampshire, the CNN/Time/ORC poll indicates that Romney remains the overwhelming front runner. He's supported by 44% of likely GOP primary voters, up nine points from earlier this month.

Paul is at 17%, with Gingrich at 16%, down ten points from early December. Huntsman, who's hoping for a strong finish in the Granite State, is at 9%, with Santorum at 4%, Bachmann at 3%, and Perry at 2%.

"Iowa and New Hampshire are close together on the electoral calendar, but the two states are different in many significant ways," says Holland. "Born-again voters are less prevalent in New Hampshire, and only a third of New Hampshire likely voters say that moral issues such as abortion or gay marriage will be extremely or very important to their vote; in Iowa. More than half of likely caucus participants say that."

The poll indicates that Romney comes out on top in both states when likely voters are asked to name the GOP candidate who best represents the personal characteristics a president should have, and in both states he has a commanding lead when likely voters are asked which candidate has the best chance to defeat President Barack Obama in November.

But when likely caucus-goers in Iowa are asked to name the candidate who agrees with them the most on major issues, it's Paul who tops the list. And while Romney leads on that question in New Hampshire, it's where he gets his lowest marks from Granite State voters.

Fortunately for Romney, this may not be an issues-driven contest. In Iowa, only 44% say that issues are more important than the candidates' personal qualities; in New Hampshire, only 37% feel that way.

The CNN/Time poll was conducted by ORC International from Dec. 21-24 and Dec. 26-27, with 452 voters who are likely to participate in the Iowa Republican caucuses and 543 who are likely to vote in the New Hampshire Republican primary questioned by telephone. The New Hampshire survey's sampling error is plus or minus four percentage points. The Iowa poll's sampling error is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.


http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/28/cnn-poll-romney-on-top-gingrich-fading-santorum-rising-in-iowa/?hpt=hp_t1

[Soul Crusher]

I could live w Santorum w/o the neocon stuff.   I like his focus on manufacturing.

[Dos Equis]

I think he might have spent more time in Iowa than any other candidate, but I doubt he gets any traction after Iowa. 

[240 is Back]

I think he might have spent more time in Iowa than any other candidate, but I doubt he gets any traction after Iowa. 

Well, maybe.

There could be a perfect storm of "hate mitt, know newt sucks, and ron paul is too extreme" voters - probably a lot of them - who could settle for a guy like him, if they thuoght he had a viable chance.  a win in iowa would give him a lot.

[Dos Equis]

Gingrich Says Ron Paul Can’t Win Iowa, Calls Him a 'Protest Candidate'
Thursday, 29 Dec 2011
By Jim Meyers

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul appears poised for a strong showing in next week’s Iowa caucuses, but as for his chance of ultimately winning the GOP nomination, rival Newt Gingrich confidently declares: “It won’t happen.”

In an exclusive interview taped for a Newsmax 2012 Campaign Special, the former House speaker dismisses Texas Congressman Paul as a “protest candidate.”

“You have somebody who is for the legalization of drugs, you have somebody who blames America for 9/11, you have somebody who doesn’t think it matters if Iran gets nuclear weapons, and seems totally unwilling to defend Israel, you have somebody who came out for basically the abolition of Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security, and you have somebody who can’t defend and won’t take responsibility for his own newsletters even when they had very negative, very destructive things in them,” Gingrich says.

“Now, I think Ron Paul is terrific as a protest candidate. I mean you have to admire him. He has worked hard. I think he sincerely believes what he is saying and I think a lot of people are initially attracted to him because it sounds pure and it sounds clear but those folks haven’t looked at what he actually stands for.

“I don’t think the Republican Party — and Gary Johnson discovered this, the former governor of New Mexico — is going to nominate somebody who is for legalizing drugs. We’re not going to nominate somebody who thinks that it is okay for Iran to have nuclear weapons and we’re not going to nominate somebody who doesn’t care if Israel is wiped out.

“So I think when you really think about him as president, it’s not going to happen, which doesn’t mean in the short run that [he can’t do well] in a place like Iowa where there is a caucus. He has thousands of young people coming to help him because they want to legalize drugs. Well, that’s their prerogative. In a free society they can be for that and they’ll be formidable in a situation like Iowa.

“But in the long run, in primaries where we have lots of voters, I think the American people are going to repudiate that idea by an overwhelming margin.”

http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/gingrich-paul-protest-candidate/2011/12/28/id/422407

[Dos Equis]

Time to take his lumps. 

Huntsman piles on Paul
Posted by
CNN Associate Producer Rebecca Stewart

(CNN) – Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman piled on criticism of Texas Rep. Ron Paul's past Thursday as he continued to hone his focus on New Hampshire with a new web ad.

In the one minute web video, Huntsman questioned Paul's integrity.

As the rest of the 2012 field flocks to Iowa ahead of the Hawkeye State's Jan. 3 caucus, Huntsman remained solely trained on the Granite State's primary held seven days later, where he's been banking on a top finish.

Huntsman's ad targeted Paul, currently ranked second in a new CNN/Time/ORC International poll released Wednesday with 16% support among likely New Hampshire primary voters. Nine percent of likely New Hampshire voters backed Huntsman in the poll, placing him fourth, behind Romney in first and Gingrich in third.

The ad begins with two spliced archival videos of the Texas congressman stating, "I deliver babies for a living but I also do an investment letter…it's called the 'Ron Paul Survival Report' and it covered a lot of what was going on in Washington." The footage of Paul is followed by news coverage of racist and anti-gay statements written in several newsletters also bearing Paul's name.

When controversy over the contents of 1980s and 1990s newsletters written with his moniker reemerged recently, Paul dismissed criticism by asserting that he'd long since disavowed the questionable content and insisting the story was old.

But it wasn't too old for Huntsman, who asked voters at the end of the spot, "Can New Hampshire voters really trust Ron Paul?"

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/29/huntsman-piles-on-paul/ 

[Dos Equis]

Santorum said this morning that Paul is from the Dennis Kucinich wing of the Republican Party.  Ouch.  Now this? 

NH paper rips Paul and his supporters
Posted by
CNN's Kevin Liptak

(CNN) - New Hampshire's most influential newspaper took the knives out for Ron Paul Friday, calling the GOP hopeful "dangerous" and labeling his supporters the "lunatic fringe."

Joseph McQuaid, publisher of the Union Leader, lamented that reporters more interested in chasing the latest political developments have largely ignored Paul's views on foreign policy.

- Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker

"Those views have been largely overlooked by a news media more interested in the presidential 'horse race' than in the candidates' positions on issues. But we expect New Hampshire primary voters will examine the facts and act accordingly," McQuaid wrote.

The column ticked off several of Paul's views, starting with the stance that suspected terrorists be tried in civilian courts.

"This is nothing short of nuts," McQuaid wrote. "What is needed to competently fight a war, and al-Qaida is indeed at war with us, is the ability to gather information. Telling the enemy that it has a 'right to remain silent' is absurd."

Other positions at issue: Paul's controversial stance on Iran, which has recently come under fire from other candidates on the campaign trail.

"He has repeatedly said that we should allow Iran to continue to develop a nuclear weapon," McQuaid wrote. "This is the same country whose leadership vows death to America, the 'Satanic power,' and who wants Israel wiped from the map."

McQuaid also directed his wrath at Paul's supporters, who he said were far from mainstream.

"Never mind Paul being the favored candidate of the lunatic fringe (see white supremacists, anti-Semites, truthers, etc.)."

Paul's press secretary Jesse Benton released a statement saying the editorial reflected establishment thinking.

"Dr. Paul is fighting for real change and taking on the entire establishment – the neo-conservative foreign policy establishment, the monetary establishment and the big spending establishment in Washington," Benton wrote. "He is bound to take a lot of arrows from supporters of the status quo, but he has broad shoulders and will never stop fighting for what is right."

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/30/nh-paper-rips-paul-and-his-his-supporters/

[240 is Back]

candidates dont 'swing down'.

ron paul is above them in polls, and they're taking shots.  that's good politics.

[Dos Equis]

He sees blood in the water.

In Strategy Shift, Romney Making Play for Iowa
Published December 30, 2011
FoxNews.com

Dec. 29, 2011: Mitt Romney speaks during a campaign stop at Kinzler Construction in Ames, Iowa.
As the rest of the Republican presidential candidates leap-frog one another in the polls, Mitt Romney has over the last several days watched his numbers quietly rise, lending confidence to his sudden push for a strong finish in the Iowa caucuses.

All along, the former Massachusetts governor's strategy was built around a dominating performance in the first-in-the-nation primary, in New Hampshire. Iowa, a caucus state where he finished a distant second to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in 2008, had not been a priority for Romney -- he skipped the Iowa straw poll in August and until recently had for the most part kept the state off his campaign itinerary.

But while Romney still looks untouchable for the moment in New Hampshire, several recent polls show him narrowly leading in Iowa -- a contest where he is now devoting all his time.

Challenged on whether he really had his heart in the Iowa game Thursday, Romney said he did, noting that he's looking beyond Iowa as well.

"I want to get the support of the people of Iowa, but I also want to make sure that I get the people in New Hampshire and South Carolina and Florida," he said. "I want to make sure that your vote backing me is a vote that leads me to become the nominee."

Romney is making what is arguably his most compelling case to the pragmatic side of Republican primary voters -- poll after poll shows he is better positioned to defeat President Obama. "This is a process not just of putting your name or your hand next to someone who you kind of like," Romney said in Mason City. "It's also selecting who our nominee ought to be, who you think could beat Barack Obama, who you think can get the 1,150 delegates it takes to become our nominee."

A newly released NBC News-Marist poll once again showed Romney with a slight lead in Iowa, pulling 23 percent support. Ron Paul clocked in close behind with 21 percent. In the next tier were Rick Santorum with 15 percent, Rick Perry with 14 percent and Newt Gingrich with 13 percent. The poll of 433 likely caucus-goers had a margin of error of 4.7 percentage points.

A Rasmussen Reports poll the day before showed similar results, and Romney was considered by caucus-goers as the strongest potential GOP opponent to challenge Obama.

Romney, among others, seemingly has benefited from Gingrich's recent slide in the polls, both nationally and in Iowa. A new Gallup poll also showed Romney 4 points ahead of Gingrich nationally.

The results do not necessarily mark a turnaround for Romney. He still has not broken above the 25 percent range in national polls, though for now he has closed the gap with Gingrich. In Iowa, undecided voters could yet change up the race -- the NBC News-Marist poll showed 7 percent of likely voters were still undecided. And Gingrich has dominated polls in the key early states of South Carolina and Florida, though few recent surveys have been conducted and the results of Iowa and New Hampshire could impact the standing of candidates in Florida and South Carolina.

Back-to-back wins for Romney in the first two contests could help assuage concerns of reluctant primary voters who have for the better part of the year courted a string of Romney alternatives.

Romney is making a big push in Iowa in the final days. On Friday, one of his best-known surrogates, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, is hitting the trail in Iowa on Romney's behalf. Christie and Romney were holding a rally Friday morning in Des Moines before branching out across Iowa.

Romney's rivals, however, were working in overdrive to emerge as his chief rival. None went directly after the former Massachusetts governor though. Instead, they kept their focus on each other as all hoped a strong showing here could yield momentum heading into the next contests.

"Don't settle for what's not good enough to save the country," the newly ascendant Santorum implored Iowans on Thursday at city hall in Coralville. He urged voters to put conservative principles above everything else and suggested that his rivals, specifically Paul, lacked them.

For the first time, Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator who lost a bruising 2006 re-election bid, became a target.

"When he talks about fiscal conservatism, every now and then it leaves me scratching my head because he was a prolific earmarker," Perry, the Texas governor, said of Santorum, referring to special spending projects members of Congress seek. "He loaded up his bill with Pennsylvania pork."'

Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota also criticized Santorum on the spending set-asides in a conference call late Thursday with supporters.

"He has a real problem with earmarks," she said.

Santorum defended the practice as part of lawmakers' constitutional role as appropriators, telling CNBC that he owed it to Pennsylvanians to bring money to the state. He said earmarking became abused and that he would support a ban on them if he were president.

The maneuvering underscored the fluid -- if not convoluted -- state of the GOP presidential race as Tuesday's caucuses loom while cultural conservatives and evangelical Republicans, who make up the base of the electorate here, continue to be divided. That lack of unity could pave the way for someone who is seen as less consistently conservative.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/12/30/in-strategy-shift-romney-making-play-for-iowa/

[Dos Equis]

Will the Fat Man help him? 

Romney Brings in Christie in Iowa Final Push
Friday, 30 Dec 2011

DES MOINES, Iowa - White House hopeful Mitt Romney brought in help from New Jersey on Friday to bolster his prospects for a win in Iowa next week that would put him in the lead in the Republican presidential race.

Romney campaigned alongside tough-talking New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in a final frenzy of candidate appearances before Iowa launches the state-by-state contests to choose the Republican nominee who will face Democratic President Barack Obama in the November 2012 election.
Romney, buoyed by an NBC/Marist poll that showed him leading the field ahead of Tuesday's Iowa caucuses, was upbeat about his chances in the Midwestern state that jilted him for former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee in 2008.

"This feels wonderful," Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, told Reuters as he worked a ropeline of supporters outside a grocery store in West Des Moines. "I tell you, the crowds and the enthusiasm couldn't be more wonderful."

The outcome of the caucuses is by no means certain and polls have been volatile as Iowans deliberate over who to choose and the candidates jockey for position in the final days.

The NBC/Marist poll of likely caucus participants put Romney on top at 23 percent, just ahead of the 21 percent for libertarian Texas Congressman Ron Paul.

Rick Santorum, a social conservative and former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, has seen his prospects improve as influential evangelicals flock to his side. Santorum jumped to third place at 15 percent in the NBC/Marist poll, followed closely by Texas Governor Rick Perry at 14 percent.

The top three or four finishers in Iowa on Tuesday will have momentum heading to New Hampshire on Jan. 10, while the rest will have to make tough decisions about whether to continue.

POWERFUL SURROGATE

Romney brought a powerful surrogate to Iowa in Christie, who is popular with conservatives and might shore up Romney's right wing.

Christie, who has gained a following among Republicans for taking on New Jersey's political establishment, urged a crowd of about 1,000 people to "take nothing for granted" and get out to the caucuses to vote for Romney.

He praised Romney as the best hopes of defeating Obama, who he said has not made good on his 2008 pledge to bring "hope and change" to America.

"Let me tell you, after three years of Obama, we are hopeless and changeless and we need Mitt Romney to bring us back," he said.

Christie told reporters he would not rule out joining Romney as his vice presidential running mate if Romney becomes the Republican nominee.

Former Iowa front-runner Newt Gingrich sank to 13 percent in the NBC/Marist poll. The former House of Representatives speaker, buffeted by negative ads and attacks for weeks, got choked up talking about his mother during a campaign appearance.

Gingrich wiped tears from his eyes in a display of emotion that was reminiscent of Hillary Clinton's teary moment on the Democratic campaign trail in 2008.

At an event aimed at moms, Gingrich lost his composure repeatedly when asked about his own mother, who suffered from depression and bipolar disorder before she died.

"I do policy much easier than I do personal," Gingrich said by way of recovery, to laughter from the crowd.

The candidates took shots at each other and argued they have the conservative policy ideas to help the United States trigger job growth.

"I will send a signal to our country's job creators and to the world that the days of socialist policies are over, that our free market is once again open for business," Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann told supporters in Urbandale.

Romney has shied away from going all-out in Iowa but is hoping the anti-Romney vote is splintered sufficiently among his rivals to allow him to score a victory and give him an aura of inevitability heading to what is essentially home turf for him in New Hampshire.

Some in the crowd at his event with Christie came for the opportunity to hear the New Jersey governor, not Romney.

"I don't want Chris Christie necessarily to run for vice president with Romney, although that would be okay, but he needs to be president, I think, Chris Christie," said John Brown of West Des Moines.

Romney, a multi-millionaire who plays down his wealth by talking about the poor conditions his father experienced, accused Obama of elitism, criticizing the president's vacation in Hawaii and likening his stewardship of the U.S. economy to 18th century French queen Marie Antoinette, who famously declared of the peasants "Let them eat cake."

Romney seized on comments Obama has made that the U.S. economy would be even weaker if stimulus measures he pushed through Congress had not been enacted.

"The other day President Obama said it could be worse, can you imagine hearing that from a pessimistic president? 'It could be worse.' That goes down with Marie Antoinette 'Let them eat cake'," Romney said.

"He just finished his 90th round of golf. We've got 25 million Americans that are out of work or stopped looking for work or underemployed."

The Democratic National Committee said Romney's own personal wealth undermined his message.

"It is actually laughable that the "Quarter-Billion-Dollar Man" would call President Obama out of touch - and use the example of a French monarch to make the point," said DNC spokeswoman Melanie Roussell.

http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/RomneyBringsinChristieinIowaFinalPush/2011/12/30/id/422651

[240 is Back]

He sees blood in the water.

In Strategy Shift, Romney Making Play for Iowa
Published December 30, 2011
FoxNews.com

LOLZERS....

BB, I've been saying it for weeks - Romney is putting resources into Iowa cause he suddenly believes he can win it.

Then, you start to believe it when FOX finally says it.  Sheesh.

[Dos Equis]

LOLZERS....

BB, I've been saying it for weeks - Romney is putting resources into Iowa cause he suddenly believes he can win it.

Then, you start to believe it when FOX finally says it.  Sheesh.

Says the 911 Troofer.  lol  Do you ever tell the truth?  I mean at least one in a week?  lol   

[Dos Equis]

I guess he'll be endorsing Romney again in 2012.

Santorum Endorsed Romney in 2008
Saturday, 31 Dec 2011
By Newsmax staff

Hard to believe it, but Rick Santorum strongly endorsed Mitt Romney for President in 2008.

The former Pennsylvania Senator is rising in Iowa polls as one of the conservative alternatives to the moderate former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney.

But now internet blogs are making a hay out of the fact that Santorum offered high praise for Romney as a true conservative when he battled in the 2008 GOP presidential race against other rivals, including Mike Huckabee and John McCain.

Soon after Romney lost the Florida primary in February 2008, Santorum told radio host Laura Ingraham he was endorsing Romney.

Santorum told Ingraham that Romney is “"a guy who has gone through that pressure cooker, who has developed a passion, who understands why he's a conservative and understands the issues, how they weave together."

Santorum added that conservatives are "about traditional values and a traditional way of American life" and that Mitt Romney "understands that, it's not just in his head anymore, it's in his heart."

This year Santorum, a presidential candidate and Romney rival, has said his 2008 endorsement was motivated more by politics than conservative beliefs.

"I made, I hate to say it, a calculated political decision that Romney was the stronger horse and had a better chance to win Super Tuesday with the resources he had," Santorum said. "I like him. The time I spent with him, he was a gentleman. He's very sincere."

http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/SantorumEndorsedRomneyin2008/2011/12/31/id/422676

[Dos Equis]

No endorsement from the "kingmaker," but sounds like he likes Bachmann.  

No endorsement from Rep. King
Posted by
CNN Producer Gabriella Schwarz

Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) - Iowa Republican kingmaker Rep. Steve King once again declined to make an endorsement ahead of his state's Tuesday caucuses, but he did handicap the 2012 race.

The five-term congressman, who represents a heavily Republican district in Northwest Iowa, told CNN's Soledad O'Brien Monday that the perfect GOP candidate would have traits from each of the current contenders competing in the Hawkeye State.

- Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker

"We don't have a perfect candidate," King said Monday on CNN's "Starting Point." "We could make a perfect candidate out of the candidates that are there … it isn't all embodied in one."

He praised Mitt Romney's executive experience, Newt Gingrich's understanding of government, Ron Paul's support for the constitution and Rick Santorum's family values. King also praised fellow representative and friend Michele Bachmann, who he said "checks all of the boxes for me."

"She gets all of these pieces right," King said, before adding that "the traction in the campaign is harder, and that's kind of where it stands."

But he is still holding out on endorsement.

"It would have been really nice to have had that epiphany and made that endorsement," King said. "It has to be a conviction. Until then, I'm not able to do that."

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/02/no-endorsement-from-rep-king/

[Dos Equis]

Heard the Iowa governor talking about Huntsman yesterday.  Said he personally met with Huntsman and urged him to not to ignore Iowa.  Huntsman decided not to participate.  The governor said "he's toast."  lol

Huntsman: Iowa Winnows, NH Proves Electability
Sunday, 01 Jan 2012

DERRY, N.H. — Campaigning alone in New Hampshire, Republican presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman says Iowa plays an important role in winnowing the field, but it will be New Hampshire that sends a message about which candidate is most electable.

The former Utah governor is skipping Tuesday's Iowa caucuses and has been focused only on New Hampshire, while other candidates are mostly focused on Iowa. New Hampshire holds the first primary Jan. 10.

After a town hall meeting in Derry Sunday, Huntsman told reporters that Iowa plays an important role in narrowing the field, and that Rick Santorum's recent rise there shows that traditional grassroots campaigning is still important. But he said it will be New Hampshire that sets the standard going forward.

Huntsman, has been making modest gains there, chose a more politically correct in assessing the contests today than he did last week, when he said, "They pick corn in Iowa. They pick presidents in New Hampshire."

http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/Huntsman/2012/01/01/id/422721

[Dos Equis]

Just a tad more humble since he said he would be the nominee several weeks ago.

Gingrich: 'I Don't Think I'm Going to Win' Iowa
Published January 02, 2012
Associated Press

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa –  Newt Gingrich says he doesn't expect to win Tuesday's Iowa caucuses after being battered by millions of dollars in negative ads.
Gingrich told reporters Monday that the "volume of negativity" by his rivals and their allies had done its damage. He then went on to say: "I don't think I'm going to win."
But Gingrich said he would do well enough to continue on to the coming contests in New Hampshire and South Carolina. And he said it was "a victory that I'm still standing."
The former House speaker spoke after a campaign event with farmers in Independence, Iowa.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/02/gingrich-dont-think-im-going-to-win-iowa/

[240 is Back]

I guess he'll be endorsing Romney again in 2012.

santorum said it was romney or mccain at that point, so he went with romney.

golly, I dont understand repubs who scream about how much they love the constitution then continually choose rinos.  makes no sense.

[Bindare_Dundat]

Does anyone on here actually really research the past of some of these candidates. I mean, Santorum...really look him up, hes a total fuck up.

[240 is Back]

Does anyone on here actually really research the past of some of these candidates. I mean, Santorum...really look him up, hes a total fuck up.

but he promises to send women who have abortion to the streets of tehran to fight an enemy who hasn't attacked us.

I think he's the man for the job.

[Dos Equis]

McCain to endorse Romney
Posted by
CNN Chief National Correspondent John King

(CNN) – Sen. John McCain of Arizona will throw his support behind Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney on Wednesday, a senior Republican source close to the senator said.

The 2008 Republican presidential nominee will travel to New Hampshire to make the endorsement.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/04/breaking-mccain-to-endorse-romney/?hpt=hp_t2