Thompson just didn't have enough energy to run...
Posted on 05/16/2011 6:22:31 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
America’s got a fee-vah and the only prescription is … Mitt Romney?
The all-but-declared Republican presidential contender, who has kept his head low for much of the year as he collected cash, raised $10.25 million in a single day Monday after bringing together his network of wealthy donors to dial for dollars in a city with no shortage of them. It’s a hefty one-day total that Romney’s team hopes will show his strength in the emerging GOP field…
During his 2008 run for the GOP nomination, Romney used more than $40 million of his own money to pay for campaigns in Iowa and New Hampshire. Victories there never materialized, and Romney ended up losing the nomination to McCain.
Romney launched that bid with a phone bank fundraiser in Boston in which 400 supporters and Romney raised more than $6.5 million. But while that event was open to reporters, Romney’s camp was much more guarded this time in Las Vegas. Aides refused to allow reporters into the phone bank room, and they wouldn’t say how much his second White House bid would cost.
Says John Podhoretz, “I remember when Romney raised $6.5 million in one day in 2007. That really worked.” His team claimed this morning that they expected to raise only $2-3 million, but those expectations were as genuine as GOP spin doctors last fall declaring that any net gain in the House over, oh, say, 20 seats would be a big deal. The lower the bar is set, the more impressive the high-hurdling seems. The thing is, Romney doesn’t need to flex his muscles with this; everyone understands that fundraising is his big strength, thanks to a stable of wealthy donors. And doing it via the same sort of event he held four years ago only invites the sort of comparison made by J-Pod about his chances.
I guess he figured that after months of bad press on the right about RomneyCare and how his frontrunner status is paper thin, it was time to force the media to say something positive. Meanwhile, though, with Huckabee now out and Iowa suddenly in play, there’s pressure on him to get in the race there and prove that he can win even in social-con strongholds — and a big fundraising day like this only increases that pressure. If he’s lapping the field on money, there’s less of an excuse him for not to compete, which means ironically that by trying to set the bar low this morning for his fundraising haul, he’s inadvertently now set it higher for states like Iowa and South Carolina where he’ll have a tough time winning.
He spent more than any of the republican in 08 and even dipped into his own pocket and still could not win, even against the likes of old McPain and Huckaberry....don’t worry, 2012 will be worst.
dimbulbRATs?
My fear is that these contributors are the same crony capitalists who have benefited from the Obama administration. They are covering their bets.
>(Who are the people giving?)
Holder, Clinton, Bush, Obama et al.
BP, GE, GM, UAW... anyone who wants to see the GOP lose in 2012...
COnservatives have got to find a willing and viable candidate now, and back that person. The longer conservatives fight amongst themselves over their favorite candidates, the more likely we’ll end up with another McCain-type nominee.
Levin was pining for Rick Perry tonight. I guess he might be a great candidate, if he actually enters the race. I went through the whole begging someone to run for office in 2008 with Fred Thompson. Not sure I want to do that again — you need a candidate who is chomping at the bit to run, who can’t wait to get into the race, not someone who you have to beg to run and then waits forever.
RE: you need a candidate who is chomping at the bit to run, who can’t wait to get into the race, not someone who you have to beg to run and then waits forever.
Well if this is so, where’s Sarah Palin at this point in time? Do people have to beg her to run?
Who gave? The people who hate Sarah Palin. The GOP Estabishment.
I would imagine he has a lot of support from his fellow Mormons, many of whom are wealthy. It makes sense.
Thompson just didn't have enough energy to run...
If it came down to Obama vs Romney, I’d begrudgingly vote for Romney.
“(Who are the people giving?)”
Liberals and fools with more money than brains!
The unions!
“Levin was pining for Rick Perry tonight.”
Gov. Hair just might be the person. The current crop of choices ain’t cutting the mustard.
Perry/Bachmann? I can live with it.
“If it came down to Obama vs Romney, I’d begrudgingly vote for Romney.”
I will withold my vote foe President!
(Who are the people giving?)
Romney.
And I would imagine that you are correct in your assessment. Plenty of wealthy Mormons have given and will give him oodles of cash, but he will never occupy the White House. His connection to the church of Joseph (presidential campaign of 1844) and Brigham (first governor of Utah) will be more than enough to sink him. Even if the republicans were deluded enough to nominate him, the general election would be a wipe out.
If it came down to Obama or Romney I'd write in Zaphod Beeblebrox.
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