Phoenix, Ariz. — Since John McCain’s win in Florida, the conventional wisdom has been that he has nearly locked up the Republican presidential nomination. But now, just hours before Super Tuesday voting begins, a new factor has entered the equation: California. Polls, both public and those taken privately by the Romney campaign, show Mitt Romney with unexpected strength in the nation’s biggest state, sending both Romney and McCain rushing to make unscheduled stops there on Monday night and Tuesday. If Romney could win California, people in both campaigns say, the race could go on for several more weeks. And if that happens, conservatives who are trying to organize to stop McCain would have more time to work. At this late moment, California means everything.
A Reuters/C-Span/Zogby poll, finished Sunday, shows Romney leading McCain in California, 40 percent to 32 percent. A Rasmussen poll, finished Saturday, shows the two candidates tied at 38 percent. Other polls, taken before February first, showed McCain in the lead, sometimes by a substantial margin…
“What’s happening is like what happened in Maine. When it’s down to two men, and Republican voters look at the two men and see where they stand on the issues, with the economy becoming the most important thing, the decision gets easier and easier.”
But what, exactly, is the message? “The question in my mind is whether this is the beginning of the coalescing of the conservative movement against McCain, or whether it is something less than that,” the first Romney aide tells me. “Is he going forward on the basis of a conservative wave, although at the 11th hour and 59th minute?” If Romney believes there is such a conservative wave, he will certainly keep on.
And if Romney does keep on — yet another aide tells me “We’re already looking at February 9, February 12, and February 15” — that will give McCain’s opponents in the conservative world more time to press their case. “There is an increasing sense of urgency among conservatives that has led them to rally toward Romney, in that he would be a better standard bearer for the party on issues that are important to conservatives,” the aide says.
6 thoughts on “California can be Romney’s stop-gap”
Comments are closed.
Henry, you’ve given us the reasons why *not* McCain, but not the reasons as to *why* Romney.
As of now, I’m voting for McCain tomorrow – albeit reluctantly.
I quoted Benjamin Franklin before – I’m not above changing my mind when presented with a sound argument… which is interesting since my opinion on Romney is keyed on his penchant for changing his mind with his socks, or the crowd he’s speaking to that day.
Reasons to vote for Romney. His message, to date in this campaign, has been a conservative one. While his record in politics is mixed it needs to be taken with a grain of salt considering that he was governor of the most liberal state in the Union. His grasp on economic issues is much better than McCain’s. While McCain has foreign policy and military credentials Romney isn’t going to be moving troops around the battlefield as President. Romney’s message has also been a positive one in terms of his vision for America. He’s young and much more dynamic than McCain who would be the oldest person ever sworn in as President for the first time. I think this will be important, especially if the opponent is Barack Obama. Romney is a family man. Look at his wife and his 5 sons and you see a well-adjusted all-American family.
It’s a shame that you didn’t get to know these two candidates a little better because I think you would be pulling the lever for Romney.
I’d rather have a candidate that tells me what I want to hear than one that tells me what the New York Times wants to hear.
Reasons to vote for Romney. His message, to date in this campaign, has been a conservative one. While his record in politics is mixed it needs to be taken with a grain of salt considering that he was governor of the most liberal state in the Union. His grasp on economic issues is much better than McCain’s. While McCain has foreign policy and military credentials Romney isn’t going to be moving troops around the battlefield as President. Romney’s message has also been a positive one in terms of his vision for America. He’s young and much more dynamic than McCain who would be the oldest person ever sworn in as President for the first time. I think this will be important, especially if the opponent is Barack Obama. Romney is a family man. Look at his wife and his 5 sons and you see a well-adjusted all-American family.
It’s a shame that you didn’t get to know these two candidates a little better because I think you would be pulling the lever for Romney.
I’d rather have a candidate that tells me what I want to hear than one that tells me what the New York Times wants to hear.
“It’s a shame that you didn’t get to know these two candidates a little better because I think you would be pulling the lever for Romney.”
Don’t think me a political chump, brother. I follow politics very closely and gorge myself over stories, issues, cadidates, history. I’ve conceded that your arguments against McCain have been effective in that they’ve led me to further investigate things, but I cannot shed Romney’s image as basically a purveyor of big government who only recently has tried to re-paint and re-frame himself as the more conservative choice. I’ve also watched him tailor speeches for the state he is at that day and slide up and down on stances and views as it suits him. He didn’t sound very republican in Michigan, for example. And that would be okay, I suppose, since I’m not staunchly to the right, but his inconsistency is alarming. And since I cannot trust the consistency of his message, I have to rely on his actions. And his actions, for the most part, have been those of a spendy Statist.
It’s not my issue but what about John McCain’s begrudging about face on Amnesty? C’mon. Both of these guys are politicians.
Here’s Romney’s remarks in Detroit:
“Let me tell you some of the places where I’d start.
“First of all, we have to be honest about the problems we have and tackle them head on. If I’m President of this country, I will roll up my sleeves in the first 100 days I’m in office, and I will personally bring together industry, labor, Congressional and state leaders and together we will develop a plan to rebuild America’s automotive leadership. It will be a plan that works for Michigan and that works for the American taxpayer.
“And as part of this, we will directly address and rectify the enormous product cost and capital cost disadvantages that currently burden the domestic automakers. From legacy costs, to health care costs, to increased CAFE standard costs, to the cost of embedded taxes, Detroit can only thrive if Washington is an engaged partner, not a disinterested observer. The plan is going to have to include increases in funding for automotive related research as well as new tax benefits including making the Research and Development Tax Credit permanent.
“I am not open to a bail out, but I am open to a work out. Washington should not be a benefactor, but it can and must be a partner.
“But that’s only one step. Washington also has to stop loading Detroit down with unfunded mandates. Of course, we all want fuel mileage to rise, but discontinuous CAFE leaps, uncoordinated with the domestic manufacturers, and absent consideration of competitiveness, kills jobs and imperils the entire industry. Washington dictated CAFE is not the right answer.
“We also have to stop Washington politicians from imposing enormous unilateral energy costs on American manufacturing, including automotive manufacturing. For example, the McCain-Lieberman bill pending in Congress unilaterally imposes new high energy costs on U.S. manufacturers, with no safety valve. The Energy Information Agency estimated that this bill would raise electric rates by as much as 25% and gasoline by as much as 68 cents a gallon. And their estimate of the cost in U.S. jobs – 300,000 jobs. So it’s not just a job killer, it would also make it harder for families to make their ends meet.
“Now of course we have to tackle the threat of climate change. But we don’t call it America warming, we call it global warming. Placing caps and taxes on the U.S. alone just drives manufacturers to China and India, and does little more than make Washington politicians feel welcome at the embassy cocktail parties.
“Next, and you’ve heard this before, there is more healthcare cost in an automobile than steel costs. We got healthcare insurance premiums down in my state and we got everyone on track to be insured. We will work to do the same here and for the rest of the nation.
“And then a final burden, it’s time to fix the tax code. Corporations, like individuals, need lower and simpler taxes. Embedded taxes put our products at a disadvantage in our home market and wherever they compete around the world. When we send for example, a Ford Mustang overseas, it’s not just loaded with accessories. It’s loaded with our excessive healthcare costs, our excessive regulatory burdens, our excessive legal liability burden, and the taxes paid by every single automotive supplier to help put product into that car. You take off those burdens and let’s show them how fast a Mustang will actually go.
“Of course, taking off those burdens is only part of the solution. If we’re going to be the world’s greatest economic power, we also have to invest in the future. It’s time for us to be bold. I will make a five-fold increase – from $4 billion to $20 billion – in our national investment in energy research, fuel technology, materials science, and automotive technology. Let’s invest in our future.
“As you know, research spins out new ideas for new products, from both small businesses and large businesses. That’s exactly what’s happened in healthcare. We spend what $30 billion a year in NIH, and we lead the world in healthcare products. In defense, we spend even more. We lead the world in defense products. We also spend money in the space industry. And we lead the world in products coming out of space. Look how industries in these other states that have those advantages that thrive from the spin of other technologies, from our investment there. So if we can invest in healthcare, and defense, and space, why not also invest in energy and fuel technology right here in Michigan?
“Michigan can be a laboratory, just like other states – a drawing board, from which we can invent the future.
“Second, we’ll turn government workforce training programs that are managed by bureaucrats, into personal accounts that can be managed by the workers themselves so they can gain education at community college or they can pay for on-the-job training in real jobs.
“There are currently some 40 different workforce training programs in government spread out all over the entire federal government. Now let’s replace the bureaucracy and the bureaucrats with personal responsibility and individual ownership.
“Long term, we’re only going to lead the world only if our students coming in now are the best-educated in the world. And you know this, almost every independent group that’s looked at our public schools has said that we’re falling behind international standards. And their number one prescription time and again – treat teachers like the real professionals they are. Better teachers should be better paid. Teachers should also be evaluated and promoted. And, here’s a novel idea, education of our children should come ahead of the interests of the teacher’s union.
“And finally, we have to shape America’s trade policy to open markets for our goods and level the playing field across the world. For America to remain the world’s superpower, we have to remain the world’s economic superpower. And that requires us to successfully compete everywhere in the world.
“However, as we pursue new trade agreements, I’m far less interested in just getting an agreement signed than I am in getting an agreement signed that is good for America. I promise you that any nation that unfairly manipulates its currency, steals our patents and designs, dumps unsafe products in our markets, or stifles the American goods in their market place, will face a very aggressive President across the negotiating table.
“Now let me be clear, I strongly support free trade, but free trade has to be fair in both directions. And when the playing field is level, America can compete with any country in the world. And we will win.
“I came here about a year ago and talked about a number of actions which I thought were necessary to keep our national economy strong. I talked about cutting spending in Washington, about across the board tax cuts, about national tort reform liability, and I also talked about entitlement reform. But these aren’t enough. What we face here in Michigan and what we face around the country if we don’t take action here in Michigan, is a far more complex set of problems than most politicians have been willing to acknowledge.
“There is no one silver bullet. When it comes to getting Michigan back on track and building a strong America, we have to address every single problem I’ve spoken about. And I will.
“And by the way, that’s what I have done all my life. I’ve taken on complex situations, led tough negotiations, found solutions, and then gotten things back on track. That was the job that I had as a leader in the business world, and then as the head of the Olympics in Salt Lake City, and of course as Governor of Massachusetts.
“And I am the only candidate with that kind of experience, and frankly, that’s exactly the kind of experience that Michigan and America needs in the White House today.
“Now, I know that there are some people who don’t think that there’s a future for the domestic automobile industry. They think that the industry and its jobs are gone forever. And they’re wrong.
“Innovation and change present the opportunity for transformation. And the burdens on American manufacturing are largely imposed by government, and new leadership in Washington can lift the burdens and lift the industry.
“Washington politicians look at Michigan and they see a rust belt. But the real rust is in Washington.
“The pessimist will point to an empty factory and a laid-off worker and say they have no future.
“Instead, I see vital infrastructure, a skilled workforce, and an innovative spirit, all worthy of an optimistic vision, and deserving of a leader who will work tirelessly to deliver the power and potential of Michigan and the American people.
“The pessimist says that the hundreds of thousands of jobs that have been lost, have been lost forever. That logic of course says that the 200 jobs that were lost last week at Willow Run, they’re lost forever too. And by the way, that logic would also say that all the rest of the jobs in the auto industry will one day be gone forever, and there’s nothing that can be done about it.
“Well, the pessimists are wrong. The auto industry and all its jobs do not have to be lost. And I am one man who will work to transform the industry and save those jobs.
It’s not my issue but what about John McCain’s begrudging about face on Amnesty? C’mon. Both of these guys are politicians.
Here’s Romney’s remarks in Detroit:
“Let me tell you some of the places where I’d start.
“First of all, we have to be honest about the problems we have and tackle them head on. If I’m President of this country, I will roll up my sleeves in the first 100 days I’m in office, and I will personally bring together industry, labor, Congressional and state leaders and together we will develop a plan to rebuild America’s automotive leadership. It will be a plan that works for Michigan and that works for the American taxpayer.
“And as part of this, we will directly address and rectify the enormous product cost and capital cost disadvantages that currently burden the domestic automakers. From legacy costs, to health care costs, to increased CAFE standard costs, to the cost of embedded taxes, Detroit can only thrive if Washington is an engaged partner, not a disinterested observer. The plan is going to have to include increases in funding for automotive related research as well as new tax benefits including making the Research and Development Tax Credit permanent.
“I am not open to a bail out, but I am open to a work out. Washington should not be a benefactor, but it can and must be a partner.
“But that’s only one step. Washington also has to stop loading Detroit down with unfunded mandates. Of course, we all want fuel mileage to rise, but discontinuous CAFE leaps, uncoordinated with the domestic manufacturers, and absent consideration of competitiveness, kills jobs and imperils the entire industry. Washington dictated CAFE is not the right answer.
“We also have to stop Washington politicians from imposing enormous unilateral energy costs on American manufacturing, including automotive manufacturing. For example, the McCain-Lieberman bill pending in Congress unilaterally imposes new high energy costs on U.S. manufacturers, with no safety valve. The Energy Information Agency estimated that this bill would raise electric rates by as much as 25% and gasoline by as much as 68 cents a gallon. And their estimate of the cost in U.S. jobs – 300,000 jobs. So it’s not just a job killer, it would also make it harder for families to make their ends meet.
“Now of course we have to tackle the threat of climate change. But we don’t call it America warming, we call it global warming. Placing caps and taxes on the U.S. alone just drives manufacturers to China and India, and does little more than make Washington politicians feel welcome at the embassy cocktail parties.
“Next, and you’ve heard this before, there is more healthcare cost in an automobile than steel costs. We got healthcare insurance premiums down in my state and we got everyone on track to be insured. We will work to do the same here and for the rest of the nation.
“And then a final burden, it’s time to fix the tax code. Corporations, like individuals, need lower and simpler taxes. Embedded taxes put our products at a disadvantage in our home market and wherever they compete around the world. When we send for example, a Ford Mustang overseas, it’s not just loaded with accessories. It’s loaded with our excessive healthcare costs, our excessive regulatory burdens, our excessive legal liability burden, and the taxes paid by every single automotive supplier to help put product into that car. You take off those burdens and let’s show them how fast a Mustang will actually go.
“Of course, taking off those burdens is only part of the solution. If we’re going to be the world’s greatest economic power, we also have to invest in the future. It’s time for us to be bold. I will make a five-fold increase – from $4 billion to $20 billion – in our national investment in energy research, fuel technology, materials science, and automotive technology. Let’s invest in our future.
“As you know, research spins out new ideas for new products, from both small businesses and large businesses. That’s exactly what’s happened in healthcare. We spend what $30 billion a year in NIH, and we lead the world in healthcare products. In defense, we spend even more. We lead the world in defense products. We also spend money in the space industry. And we lead the world in products coming out of space. Look how industries in these other states that have those advantages that thrive from the spin of other technologies, from our investment there. So if we can invest in healthcare, and defense, and space, why not also invest in energy and fuel technology right here in Michigan?
“Michigan can be a laboratory, just like other states – a drawing board, from which we can invent the future.
“Second, we’ll turn government workforce training programs that are managed by bureaucrats, into personal accounts that can be managed by the workers themselves so they can gain education at community college or they can pay for on-the-job training in real jobs.
“There are currently some 40 different workforce training programs in government spread out all over the entire federal government. Now let’s replace the bureaucracy and the bureaucrats with personal responsibility and individual ownership.
“Long term, we’re only going to lead the world only if our students coming in now are the best-educated in the world. And you know this, almost every independent group that’s looked at our public schools has said that we’re falling behind international standards. And their number one prescription time and again – treat teachers like the real professionals they are. Better teachers should be better paid. Teachers should also be evaluated and promoted. And, here’s a novel idea, education of our children should come ahead of the interests of the teacher’s union.
“And finally, we have to shape America’s trade policy to open markets for our goods and level the playing field across the world. For America to remain the world’s superpower, we have to remain the world’s economic superpower. And that requires us to successfully compete everywhere in the world.
“However, as we pursue new trade agreements, I’m far less interested in just getting an agreement signed than I am in getting an agreement signed that is good for America. I promise you that any nation that unfairly manipulates its currency, steals our patents and designs, dumps unsafe products in our markets, or stifles the American goods in their market place, will face a very aggressive President across the negotiating table.
“Now let me be clear, I strongly support free trade, but free trade has to be fair in both directions. And when the playing field is level, America can compete with any country in the world. And we will win.
“I came here about a year ago and talked about a number of actions which I thought were necessary to keep our national economy strong. I talked about cutting spending in Washington, about across the board tax cuts, about national tort reform liability, and I also talked about entitlement reform. But these aren’t enough. What we face here in Michigan and what we face around the country if we don’t take action here in Michigan, is a far more complex set of problems than most politicians have been willing to acknowledge.
“There is no one silver bullet. When it comes to getting Michigan back on track and building a strong America, we have to address every single problem I’ve spoken about. And I will.
“And by the way, that’s what I have done all my life. I’ve taken on complex situations, led tough negotiations, found solutions, and then gotten things back on track. That was the job that I had as a leader in the business world, and then as the head of the Olympics in Salt Lake City, and of course as Governor of Massachusetts.
“And I am the only candidate with that kind of experience, and frankly, that’s exactly the kind of experience that Michigan and America needs in the White House today.
“Now, I know that there are some people who don’t think that there’s a future for the domestic automobile industry. They think that the industry and its jobs are gone forever. And they’re wrong.
“Innovation and change present the opportunity for transformation. And the burdens on American manufacturing are largely imposed by government, and new leadership in Washington can lift the burdens and lift the industry.
“Washington politicians look at Michigan and they see a rust belt. But the real rust is in Washington.
“The pessimist will point to an empty factory and a laid-off worker and say they have no future.
“Instead, I see vital infrastructure, a skilled workforce, and an innovative spirit, all worthy of an optimistic vision, and deserving of a leader who will work tirelessly to deliver the power and potential of Michigan and the American people.
“The pessimist says that the hundreds of thousands of jobs that have been lost, have been lost forever. That logic of course says that the 200 jobs that were lost last week at Willow Run, they’re lost forever too. And by the way, that logic would also say that all the rest of the jobs in the auto industry will one day be gone forever, and there’s nothing that can be done about it.
“Well, the pessimists are wrong. The auto industry and all its jobs do not have to be lost. And I am one man who will work to transform the industry and save those jobs.