ROMNEY SUSPENDS RACE

ON THE ROMNEY CAMPAIGN:

My pocket went crazy during lecture today - about 15 minutes ago - as my cell buzzed. Call after call after call, I thought I better take a look to make sure something hadn't happen to my son or wife. From the list of the callers - Brownlow, Ray, Doug, Carol, Sachs - I knew it was campaign connected. I looked up at my students and I told them either Romney has dropped out, or McCain has had some sort of age related event that has sent him to the hospital. . . regardless, I knew it wasn't good news. . . so I called Brownlow and he let me know that Romney had suspended his run. A sad day in Mudville, a sad day for conservatives, a VERY sad day for Michigan.

Speculation? Your "suspened-Mittiot" will give you a little. Romney could beat McCain (he did here in Michigan and elsewhere) but he COULD NOT beat McCain AND Huckabee AND the Hufficrats AND the Hufficans AND the Media as it poured all over McCain and insisted on labeling Mitt a flip-flopper. Romney is too smart to fool himself into thinking that he (and his band of faithful Mittiots) could overcome those odds. Romney made the right decision to suspend his campaign.

What now? Hmmmm, you're asking me? Here's what I'd LIKE to see happen: "Romney 2012" and all that implies. If I were Mitt, I'd spend the next four years dispelling the "flip-flopper" myth through action, AND I'd work to focus the nation on the short comings of our "Broken Washington." Mitt could/should lead the charge to break our dependence on foreign oil, using his vast network to coordinate the states in an effort to do what the federal government (which includes McCain) has been to inept to do. Or, on the other hand, I might just go home and hang out with my family. . . your Mittiot sincerely hopes it the former. . .

A sad day in Mudville, indeed.

~ so concludeth the Mittiot.

SUPER ROMNEY!

ON THE SUPER TUESDAY RESULTS:

Fellow Mittiots - for those of us GMT -5:00 (or Eastern Standard) . . . IT'S LATE! So, I'll not attempt to give some mildly coherent breakdown of the positives versus the negatives and the clear path to victory that certainly exists for the inevitable outcome of a Romney triumph sometime late in May as the last delegate is awarded. . . in short, I don't have the energy to "spin." Not to the degree that the Hufficans, Hufficrats and MEDIA do, anyway.

So, I'll leave you with something to ponder. . .

WHERE IS HUCKABEE GOING TO GAIN DELEGATES NOW? AND WHERE IS MCCAIN A SHOE-IN (Well, besides Mississippi and Vermont respectively)?

THIS NOMINATION IS ANYTHING BUT OVER - AND WITH CPAC, A STRONG FINANCIAL BACKING AND, A CONTINUATION OF THE CIRCLING THE CONSERVATIVE WAGONS AROUND ROMNEY, THERE WILL BE A BROKERED CONVENTION (IF NOT A CLEAR ROMNEY NOMINATION) COME SEPTEMBER. . .

Now, go to bed.

~ so sayeth the Mittiot.

PS. A muffled shout out to the MI-ND crew, nice job! Could have used you in WV.

ON THE ROMNEY CAMPAIGN

WHAT'S AT STAKE?:

ALMOST EVERYTHING!

~ so sayeth the Mittiot.

ROMNEY WINS ANOTHER STATE

ON THE MAINE VICTORY:

BOSTON, Feb 02, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Throughout the state of Maine, people have gathered at their local caucus site over the last two days and cast their vote for conservative change in Washington. With only a few caucus sites left to report tomorrow, Governor Romney issued the following statement concerning his victory in Maine:

"Today, the people of Maine joined those from across the nation in casting their vote for conservative change in Washington. All across the state, men and women gathered to help chart the future course of our country. Tonight, they have made their voice known and have endorsed our conservative vision for a stronger America. Like many Americans, the people of Maine are tired of Washington promises made but broken.

"The need for change in Washington is even more apparent today. With our economy facing uncertain times, we need a leader who actually understands how the economy works and how jobs are created. We also need a leader from outside of Washington who is ready to meet the long-term challenges facing our country. With a career spent working in the economy, creating jobs, turning around faltering institutions and imposing fiscal discipline, I am ready to bring conservative change to Washington. In this campaign, I am proud to have the support of the people of Maine."

DELEGATE COUNT NECK AND NECK GOING INTO SUPER TUESDAY.

Something's in the air!

~ so sayeth the Mittiot.

SOMETHING'S IN THE AIR. . .

ON THE ROMNEY CAMPAIGN:

Howdy Ho, Fellow Mittiots. DOWN! That's was me - "Mister Optimist - after the Florida Primary. Down. . . and a wee bit grumpy - NOT SO TODAY! Why? Just something in the air. I can't put my finger on it but it comes from just hearing (and reading) the points made by the stalwarts of my party. . . You see, one thing that has yet to cease to amaze me is how "I'm not alone." I mean I think, "How can my party be so blind?" "How could so and so be so stupid?" "Doesn't anyone catch this or that?" and so on and so. Then I opened some email and clicked on some links and began to realize the ground swell. . . I even thought that someone might actually be reading the blog. . . then I came to my senses and realized, "There are a lot of Mittiots out there." And, for that - from that - I feel something in the air. . .

ON THE DEMOCRAT-ESK , DIRTY, CAMPAIGN CRAP:

I'm not speaking of the John McCain lieing stuff, or the dishonest campaign lit we received here in the SPARTAN state from the "Maverick," or even the BS Robo-Calls in FL regarding MA's abortion laws and/or the Castro tripe (all worthy of outrage). I'm speaking of the AP HACK JOB on printing a story that Romney wasn't going to buy television spots in Super Tuesday states. This original story was "printed on the condition of aninimity" and is an OLD, TRANSPARENT, campaign tactic. Printing the false "leak" as fact has the potential to undermine the support for a candidate as it (as printed) signals the campaign is giving up. THE MEDIA KNOWS THIS - ESPECIALLY AP - AND THEY HAVE A RESPONCIBILTY TO EITHER PRINT THE SOURCE, ASK THE CANDIDATE, OR IGNORE THE STORY. Fellow Mittiots, I don't swear on my blog, but THAT WAS/IS BULLSHIT. . . and the AP knows it.

Oh looky there, here's an UPDATE from 40 minutes ago:

Romney will be running ads in Super Tuesday states

After reporting last night that Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney "was not attempting to purchase television advertising time in any of the 21 states on the (Republican) calendar for Feb. 5," the Associated Press this morning is saying that Romney "plans to run a 'significant' level of television ads in California and other states that vote Tuesday in essentially a national primary, aides said."

And we've got an on-the-record confirmation of that from Romney campaign spokesman Matt Rhoades, who responded to a query from us with this statement: "Romney for president will be making a significant ad buy in California and other Feb. 5 states."

So the AP's conclusion last night that Romney is not "ready to finance a costly campaign in the states holding primaries and caucuses next week" may no longer hold.

Hmmmmmm, imagine that, "AN ON-THE-RECORD CONFIRMATION" what a novel Fricken' idea. (I guess, upon reflection, there may be a hint of residual grumpiness. . . but that should tick anyone off.)

ON THE MAINE CAUCUS:

Lastly, just a little something to add to the feeling in the air:

Freeport turnout higher than expected, voters choose Romney

CAN YOU FEEL IT?

~ so asketh the Mittiot.

PS. If you haven't done so in a while (or at all) and fear for the GOP if the Hufficrats, Hufficans, and MEDIA (like the AP Liberals) get their way, it's time to contribute (again). We're going to win and no underhanded, less than "straight" campaign tactic is going to stop us.

COME ON OL' SUNSHINE STATE!

ON THE FLORIDA PRIMARY:

H'OLA, MI MITT-IGOS! Just wanted to let y'all know I ain't dead - just "dead tired." Had some yard signs to pick up. . . and save for the November General. [Sachs: I don't give a rip if you are in Florida, I'm NOT gathering the 4x8's in 1 degree weather - that's your frickin' job!]

On the Florida campaign, Mitt's looking good. Any short lived bump from South Carolina (or Nevada or Mitt-chigan, for that matter) is all but gone and the voters of the Sunshine State are looking at the candidates based on their message, track record, and capability. Which, is why Mitt is looking good! Latest polls (see below) have the candidates neck-in-neck and are wildly fluctuating. . . the trends, however, appear to be coming home. It's amazing what happens when "Republicans" are the only genre' voting in a REPUBLICAN primary.

The big question from the fellow Mittiots is, "What CAN I do to help the effort in FL?" Well, if you live in Florida, display your support unabashedly for our Mittster. BUT, if you are outside of Florida and primary has come and gone or will be in the next couple of weeks - THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO TO HELP GET MITT TO THE WHITE HOUSE IS CLICK ON ONE OF THE LINKS BELOW:

PHONE CALLING

FUND RAISING

.

ON THE POLLS IN FLORIDA:

Here's the buzz - your Mittiot received in his old in-box today:

New InsiderAdvantage Florida GOP Poll

SOUTHERN POLITICAL REPORT

Compiled from InsiderAdvantage and Southern Political Report staff http://www.southernpoliticalreport.com/storylink_123_160.aspx January 23, 2008 — For the latest InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion Florida GOP poll results, click here to see Matt Towery as he reveals the new GOP leader via his latest webcast.

24 Romney 19 Giuliani 18 McCain 12 Huck 7 Paul 5 Other 15 Undecided

PPP Poll: Romney Takes Florida Lead After Thompson Exit

POLITICAL WIRE

A new Public Policy Polling survey http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Florida_Release_012308.pdf in Florida -- the first taken after Fred Thompson ended his presidential bid -- shows Mitt Romney leading among Republicans with 28%, followed by Sen. John McCain at 25%, Rudy Giuliani at 19% and Mike Huckabee at 15%.Key finding:"The key to Romney's lead is the immigration issue. 15% of the state's GOP voters listed immigration as their biggest concern and within that group, 50% support Romney compared to just 14% for McCain. It isn't the biggest issue in the state -- the economy and the war in Iraq were listed by more respondents -- but it is the one creating the greatest separation between one candidate and the rest of the pack."

Poll: Fading Rudy ST. PETERSBURG TIMES BUZZ BLOG Adam C. Smith http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2008/01/poll-tables-ple.html#more

It’s Mitt Romney vs. John McCain in the final stretch of Florida’s crucial Republican primary. A new St. Petersburg Times poll shows the former Massachusetts governor and Arizona senator neck and neck among Florida Republicans, while Rudy Giuliani’s Florida-or-bust strategy has been a bust. Among Florida voters likely to vote in Tuesday’s primary, 25 percent are backing McCain and 23 percent Romney, a statistical tie, while Giuliani and Mike Huckabee were tied for third place with 15 percent each. In Florida’s odd candidate-free, campaign-free Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton is trouncing Barack Obama by 19 percentage points in a race with stark racial divisions. The poll found 42 percent backing Clinton, 23 percent supporting Obama and 12 percent former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards. But it’s the volatile GOP race the nation is mainly watching, as Florida Republicans stand to have a huge influence over which candidates have a shot at competing as nearly two dozen states vote on Feb. 5. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani staked his candidacy on Florida, and even with 27 percent of Florida Republicans saying they might change their minds, it looks like a bad gamble. "Giuliani for all intents and purposes has virtually no chance to win,’’ said pollster Rob Schroth, noting the difficulty of overtaking two other candidates comfortably ahead. The survey was conducted Jan. 20-22 for the St. Petersburg Times, Bay News 9 and the Miami Herald. It was conducted by telephone from a list of registered and frequent voters in Florida who described themselves as likely to vote Jan. 29. The full sample of 800 interviews has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent, while the margin of error for the Democrats is plus or minus 5.4 percent and for the Republicans it's 5.1 percent.

Romney Team –

I wanted to give you the heads up on the call from home info for Florida. As most of you know the Governor is up by a small margin but gaining momentum in the Sunshine State. Here is a very effective way to get folks in your respective communities involved. In Michigan this really turned the tide, and it was heartening to see the massive number of calls coming in from all over the country.

Pass this info along to your lists and encourage folks to call from home and help Mitt win Florida!

Thanks so much, Jason

The last note was from Jason McBride, our Team Romney - Michigan campaign leader. He, too, is down in sunny Florida - though you wouldn't know it. According to the Michigan team, "you don't get a chance to see the sun when you're making phone calls all day. . ." Let's give them a hand and contribute to the effort in contacting 400,000 Floridians in 4 days! THE BOTTOM LINE FELLOW MITTIOTS: WE CAN WIN THIS NOMINATION RIGHT HERE - RIGHT NOW - BY STEPPING UP! JOIN YOUR MITTIOT. . . LET'S WIN THIS THING!

ON THE MEDIA COVERAGE:

Just a little reminder to our media friends out there hoping to shape the outcome of this nomination by injecting opinion where the simple facts will do: It is not an issue as to whether we like Mitt Rommney - REPUBLICANS LOVE MITT ROMNEY - it is an issue as to whether the Liberal Media, Hufficrats and Hufficans do. . . they do not, and they (YOU) continue to perpetuate every negative hit, contrived or not, they (YOU) can to bring Romney down. They (YOU) could not in Wyoming, they (YOU) could not in Nevada, they (YOU) COULD NOT IN MICHIGAN, AND THEY (YOU) WILL NOT IN FLORIDA! Romney is going to win the Sunshine State and you (YEAH, YOU) can take that to the bank.

ON THE DEM PRIMARY:

Frankly, your Mittiot has been watching the dem race just as closely as the GOP race. Why? It's my job. . . for some reason, I've got students who aren't yet smart enough to know the democrat party is outta ideas. . . AND, unlike, my more liberal fellow faculty - I do not try and "correct" their leanings or reprogram their ideologies (cough - DELAWARE - cough, cough - UNIVERSITY - cough). So, we look at both the dem race and the GOP race. However, your Mittiot was a little more then tickled to watch Bill Clinton give the Media "what for" regarding what I mentioned above - perpetuating the story they want to print rather then the true story of the campaign... I think back to the "He's a Mormon 'problem'" hype of the Media - and got a chuckle. Today, I witnessed Bill taking the "Media" to task for perpetuating the split in the dem party via race and gender. . . I hope they keep it up. When Hillary is nominated, maybe the GOP can pull more then 2 of 10 African-Americans to the GOP. . . seeing as how the dem party has done such a great job in fostering "equity" among the "races." In a party of factions that love to rail against the "white, male, capitalist" what did you expect would happen when someone other than a white, male, capitalist was sure to be the dem nominee. . . WAKE UP - if you believe there is only "one race" the HUMAN RACE - if you believe that it takes EQUAL PARTS woman and man to make a family - if you believe there are no workers without businesses and no business without workers, then WAKE UP and join the GOP.

ON THE LATEST FLORIDA CLIP:

NOW, LET'S WIN THIS THING!

~ so sayeth the Mittiot.