Posted on 01/01/2008 10:08:20 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Mitt Romney said last year that it would be “akin to a nightmare” to have to fund his presidential campaign out of his personal fortune.
But I can think of worse things. One would be spending $20 million of your money . . . and then losing. Forget “akin to” - that would be the politician’s ultimate nightmare.
So now Mitt Romney is about to find out how much it costs to buy - or fail to buy - an election in 2008. A lot more than the $6 million it cost him to buy the Massachusetts governorship in 2002, that’s for sure. Forget the $63 million Mitt raised through the first three quarters of 2007 (which included $17 million of his own).
Let’s talk about how much of his cash Mitt has thrown into the campaign by now. We won’t know until Jan. 31, but it’s got to be way more than $20 million.
And for what? Who knows at this point? By this time in most campaigns, the candidate has a pretty good idea if he’s going to win or lose. But this week the polls are all over the place.
And for at least another day he finds himself in a two-front war, with John McCain in the East and Mike Huckabee, the dope from Hope, in the West. Two-front wars are tough - just ask Napoleon and Hitler.
But what has to be worse for Mitt is the prospect of possibly losing in Iowa to a Gomer Pyle look-alike. It’s one thing to be running barely ahead of John McCain in New Hampshire - he’s a war hero, a political heavyweight, not to mention the amigo-in-amnesty of Ted Kennedy, who crushed Mitt in 1994. Plus McCain has all the local newspapers behind him.
But Mike Huckabee? This is a guy who used to be a radio DJ in the ’70s, and not in any major markets, either. Remember those cheesy polyester-garbed types spinning Top 40 platters on the 5,000-watt AM stations? They all signed off their shows with such doggerel as: This is Mike the Huckster, and just remember, as you go through life, whatever your goal, keep your eye on the doughnut and not on the hole.
Huckabee’s problem, though, was that he did keep his eye on the doughnut. Soon he weighed 300 pounds. Most of those ’70s DJs migrated into the exciting field of previously owned automobile sales. But Huck set up shop in a tent. Can somebody shout amen?
This remains the base of Huckabee’s support, of course. Among those caucusgoers who have handled a poisonous snake as part of a religious service in the past 30 days, the Huckster has a 96-2 lead, and that last two goes to Fred Thompson, not Mitt.
McCain’s core voters are the people who speak Spanish, Huckabee’s are the people who speak in tongues.
How does Mitt explain to the partners at Bain Capital if he loses to Mike Huckabee? I mean, that would be like losing to Warren Tolman or John Lakian. Completely unacceptable.
No wonder Mitt has been spending money like a drunken sailor, although the difference between the sailor and Mitt is that Romney doesn’t have the bad-ice-cube excuse. Everyone has the occasional moment where suddenly you can’t control your spending - you’re trying to impress some babe, maybe, or you’re in a high-stakes poker game. Which I suppose is what Mitt’s in, although I think by this time he thought he’d be reacting to Hillary, not Huckabee.
Bhutto gets shot, and Huckabee apologizes to Pakistan, like the United States shot her or something. And what happened after Huck made a fool of himself? He went up two points in the national tracking polls.
I hope Mitt pulls it out in both states, but if he doesn’t, the reporters will be grilling him in a few weeks about why he blew 20 million in Steve Forbes-like futility.
To which Mitt should reply, “I was drunk.” So what if it’s not true? It’s an answer that always works for the Kennedys.
Oh yeah, Howie Carr’s gentle, lighthearted jocularity has me holding my sides for mirth.
Oh well, he stimulated the economy. That counts for sumthin.
Romney has the best organization in prolonged primary campaign. It’ll be Rudy in Florida and New York, McCain in NH and Michigan, Huckabee in Iowa and South Carolina while Romney will win in the rest.
Don’t bet on it ....
lol
Romney is just too cold, caustic, and not a fun guy to hang around. He looks like a Ken doll come-to-life. He literally is not the type of guy you'd like to go and have a beer with, even if he did drink! On the likability scale, he's pretty close to Hillary (Cold Fish category). That's the trouble. Not Mormonism, not flip-flops (they all do that). It's just that he's not likable enough to forgive and forget the policy changes and weird stuff about his religion.
Very funny stuff. And it’s funny because there’s a lot of truth to it.
That's funny. In political conversations for the past six months I'd been comparing Mitt Romney to the slick used car salesman. Guess they both are.
Can't buy me voter love (everybody tells me so) Can't buy me voter love (no, no, no, no, no)
I'll buy you a diamond ring my voter if it makes me FEEL alright
I'll get you anything, my voter if it makes me FEEL feel alright
'Cause I don't care if I spend mucho plenty, but money can't buy me voter love
I'll give my campaign all I got to give if you voters say you love me, too
I may not have a lot to give conservatives but my pretense I'll extend to you
I don't care if I spend mucho plenty, but money can't buy me voter love
Can't buy me voter love (everybody tells me so) Can't buy me voter love (no, no, no, no, no)
Voter, say you don't need no diamond ring & my accountant will be satisfied
Tell me that you want the kind of thing that others' money just can't buy
I don't care if I spend mucho plenty, money can't buy me voter love
Cute...
:)
If Mitt loses after running this campaign, he’ll just have to settle for having to meek out an existance on his $200 million dollars of remaining fortune, his beautiful family and charmed life.
Romney haters can prattle on as much as they want, but the fact is Mitt earned his money and he’s entitled to spend it as he sees fit. If they don’t like it they can pound sand.
I think this writer has talent. He should try writing, sober and see how things turn out.
I’m sorry that you are so mistaken about me. I do not hate Governor Mitt Romney at all. He is not my candidate for president, but I would gladly pull the lever for him against any forseen democrat in November, should he be the nominee. His Mormon faith has absolutely nothing to do with his not being my choice, by the way, rather his liberal governance and policies in Mass.
Yet you continually post articles from the left wing media to attack Mitt. Did you ever ponder why they write them or what their agenda is?
Funny, I thought the Herald was to the right of the Globe.
You said — “Romney haters can prattle on as much as they want, but the fact is Mitt earned his money and he’s entitled to spend it as he sees fit. If they don’t like it they can pound sand.”
Oh, I agree, it is his money to spend the way he wants. I just hope he spends $201 million dollars, that’s all... LOL!
Regards,
Star Traveler
Lion, somehow I knew you say this and it shows how your love for Mitt, is poisoning your brain.
The Herald and the author Howie Carr, both right wingers. Howie has a radio talk show when on occasion he holds an anniversary party on Cape Cod, for Ted Kennedy. In memory of Mary Jo, the girl Teddy drove off the bridge.
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