The 2012 Republican Primary thread, early edition

[oxcoug]

Is it recent that Romney is closing out with pictures of him and his fantastic wife, survivor of cancer and who lives with MS?

I think they've been using that for a while. I wish someone wld do some polling on positives surrounding the first ladies. I bet Anne's winning that in a landslide.

[CJF]

Weird conclusion for you to reach. I take it you haven't thought it through.

So Newt is a killer? Dexter throat slashes his victims? About the only Dexter similarity is they are in Florida right now.

[myboynoah]

I think they've been using that for a while. I wish someone wld do some polling on positives surrounding the first ladies. I bet Anne's winning that in a landslide.

Obviously Anne is front and center with Mitt, but it looks like Calista spends here time standing behind The Gingrich. Do they ever have her speak? If not, I wonder why. I think there is a very obvious reason, but I wonder if the Gingrich campaign acknowledges that internally.

[myboynoah]

The latest Rasmussen poll showing Mitt up by 16 points with 44% also suggests movement from The Gingrich to Mitt when compared with Rasmussen's poll just a few days ago and a return to where things stood about three weeks ago. Also, Mitt is doing better that both Santorum and The Gingrich combined.

2012 Florida Republican Primary - Florida GOP Primary: Romney 44%, Gingrich 28%

[oxcoug]

So Newt is a killer? Dexter throat slashes his victims? About the only Dexter similarity is they are in Florida right now.

I think my analogy (admittedly I didn't put deep thought into it) is of Newt as an electoral criminal - a bad man and a bad politician causing harm in the national discourse - and Mitt imposing his killer instinct (a la Dexter) on Newt's campaign.

Does that pass muster with the Dexter Experts?

I've also only seen two seasons so maybe there's a critical nuance I'm missing.

[CJF]

I think my analogy (admittedly I didn't put deep thought into it) is of Newt as an electoral criminal - a bad man and a bad politician causing harm in the national discourse - and Mitt imposing his killer instinct (a la Dexter) on Newt's campaign.

Does that pass muster with the Dexter Experts?

I've also only seen two seasons so maybe there's a critical nuance I'm missing.

I am just busting your balls.

[oxcoug]

I am just busting your balls.

My balls are encased in mithril and are unbustable.

[LA Ute]

Interesting - poll says that without Santorum in the race, Romney would be even farther ahead, 49-33.

http://twurl.nl/c6w7bu

[LA Ute]

So much for Newt's electability argument:

In a head-to-head race, Romney leads Obama by a statistically insignificant percentage point, 48%-47%, the survey finds. Romney's support hasn't wavered from his standing in early December, while Obama's standing against him has risen by four percentage points.

But Gingrich has seen his prospects against Obama significantly decline. Now, Obama leads him, 54%-40%. The president's standing against him has risen nine points since early December; Gingrich has fallen by eight. In fact, Gingrich now fares less well than Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who trails Obama by seven points, 50%-43%, or than former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, who also trails Obama by seven points, 51%-44%.

[myboynoah]

One thing I don't understand is why Mitt is rarely on any of the Sunday talk shows. The Gingrich is on everyone of them at which it is physically possible for him to be. I understand that; he has little money and it is free publicity.

But why does Mitt seem to avoid them? I'm sure they would have loved to have had him on today. And this seems to have been a pattern so far; I don't know if I can recall him being on any of these shows since Iowa (or even before then). Can any of you political experts explain this?

Note: I'm probably not the best judge of all of this, but I'm wondering if The Gingrich isn't starting to suffer a little bit from over-exposure, especially since most of what he has been doing on these shows over the past two days is whining about Mitt. But maybe he feels has not choice but to do them and that is the only message he has right now.

[All-American]

One thing I don't understand is why Mitt is rarely on any of the Sunday talk shows. The Gingrich is on everyone of them at which it is physically possible for him to be. I understand that; he has little money and it is free publicity.

But why does Mitt seem to avoid them? I'm sure they would have loved to have had him on today. And this seems to have been a pattern so far; I don't know if I can recall him being on any of these shows since Iowa (or even before then). Can any of you political experts explain this?

Note: I'm probably not the best judge of all of this, but I'm wondering if The Gingrich isn't starting to suffer a little bit from over-exposure, especially since most of what he has been doing on these shows over the past two days is whining about Mitt. But maybe he feels has not choice but to do them and that is the only message he has right now.

I think your third paragraph answers the question you pose in your second paragraph.

[myboynoah]

I think your third paragraph answers the question you pose in your second paragraph.

I thought that might be part of it, but wouldn't an occasional appearance have some benefit? Perhaps it's also about controling your message and if you have the means to do that, there is no reason to relenquish that control to the media.

[pellegrino]

One thing I don't understand is why Mitt is rarely on any of the Sunday talk shows. The Gingrich is on everyone of them at which it is physically possible for him to be. I understand that; he has little money and it is free publicity.

But why does Mitt seem to avoid them? I'm sure they would have loved to have had him on today. And this seems to have been a pattern so far; I don't know if I can recall him being on any of these shows since Iowa (or even before then). Can any of you political experts explain this?

Note: I'm probably not the best judge of all of this, but I'm wondering if The Gingrich isn't starting to suffer a little bit from over-exposure, especially since most of what he has been doing on these shows over the past two days is whining about Mitt. But maybe he feels has not choice but to do them and that is the only message he has right now.

Mitt avoids them because they haven't gone well for him in the past. He'd rather have more control over his message.

[LA Ute]

One thing I don't understand is why Mitt is rarely on any of the Sunday talk shows. The Gingrich is on everyone of them at which it is physically possible for him to be. I understand that; he has little money and it is free publicity.

But why does Mitt seem to avoid them? I'm sure they would have loved to have had him on today. And this seems to have been a pattern so far; I don't know if I can recall him being on any of these shows since Iowa (or even before then). Can any of you political experts explain this?

Note: I'm probably not the best judge of all of this, but I'm wondering if The Gingrich isn't starting to suffer a little bit from over-exposure, especially since most of what he has been doing on these shows over the past two days is whining about Mitt. But maybe he feels has not choice but to do them and that is the only message he has right now.

He's pulling away from the Newt, and Newt is self-destructing, so why risk a TV appearance? Nothing good can come from it, only a slip-up, or a "gotcha" question, or something along those lines.

[Moliere]

Keep the sabbath day holy