DeMint Endorsement? Nope, Desperate Romney

Fitsnews ^ | Januaty 20, 2012

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POPULAR SENATOR’S 2007 ENDORSEMENT RECYCLED BY ROMNEY-ITES

Here we go again … as if the final 24 hours of the 2012 South Carolina Republican presidential primary haven’t been sufficiently bizarre, into the fray at the last minute jumped U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint.

Well … Jim DeMint circa 2007.

A recorded phone message featuring DeMint’s 2007 endorsement of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney began burning up the phone lines in the Palmetto State late Friday – a desperate last-minute attempt by pro-Romney forces to fool people into thinking that DeMint is support their candidate on the eve of Saturday’s election.

He’s not … something the popular U.S. Senator made perfectly clear a few months ago.

While DeMint did not endorse a presidential candidate this go-round, he has spoken out enthusiastically on behalf of U.S. Rep. Ron Paul – and permitted Paul’s campaign to use his voice in its campaign materials.

Now Romney backers are using DeMint’s voice without permission to imply support for their candidate that doesn’t exist.

“Just got a robocall playing Demint’s 2007 endorsement of Romney. Desperate,” S.C. Rep. Tommy Stringer wrote on his Facebook page.

Numerous other sources confirmed to FITS that they had received the calls.

Romney – who enjoyed a double-digit lead in South Carolina earlier this week – has seen his support erode over the past few days. Meanwhile former U.S. Speaker Newt Gingrich has been enjoying a second surge in the Palmetto State.

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SC Attorney General Investigating Gingrich Smear

ALAN WILSON TO LAUNCH PROBE INTO FAKE EMAILS

S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson’s office will investigate the two-pronged email assault leveled against former U.S. Speaker Newt Gingrich on the eve of the 2012 South Carolina GOP presidential primary, FITSNews has learned.

Sources at the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) have also confirmed to us that the state’s top law enforcement agency has launched a preliminary inquiry into the matter as well.

Less than 24 hours before Palmetto State Republicans went to the polls in the pivotal “First in the South” presidential primary, Gingrich’s campaign was rocked with a pair of fake emails.

The first email took the form of a fake CNN news alert, while the second was a fake “official response” to the news alert ostensibly sent from the Gingrich campaign. The gist of both emails? That Gingrich had been accused 0f (and later acknowledged) pressuring his second wife Marianne Gingrich into have an abortion.

That allegation is not only false, Gingrich’s ex-wife never even made it- although she has alleged that the ex-Speaker asked her if he could have an “open marriage” after revealing a six-year affair with the woman who is now his current wife.

Wilson’s decision to launch the probe came after several top Gingrich supporters – including House Majority Leader Kenny Bingham – called for an investigation.

“In 2000, a dark event in our state’s history took place when a last-minute smear campaign against John McCain was launched hours before the Republican presidential primary,” Bingham said. “While there were suspicions, no one was ever brought to justice. It is happening again. Unlike last time, however, this state will not tolerate it, will investigate it and those responsible will be prosecuted.”

Bingham is referring, of course, to this infamous smear orchestrated by the consulting empire of Warren Tompkins – which is working on behalf of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the current election.

Gingrich has also said that those responsible for the attacks should be prosecuted.

“If we can find out who they are, I would urge the government to prosecute them,” Gingrich told Buzzfeed on Friday.

While the vast majority of Palmetto politicos suspect Tompkins – or his former underling Wesley Donehue (who engineered an anonymous smear campaign against former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson four years ago)- of launching the attack, a few think that the Gingrich campaign is employing a “false flag” strategy.

A “false flag” refers to a negative attack that’s deliberately launched by a campaign in an effort to generate sympathy for a particular candidate while assigning blame to one of their rivals.

Ordinarily we might be inclined to agree, but with the other disingenuous pro-Romney shenanigans taking place this election eve and the aggressiveness with which the Gingrich camp is pursuing a criminal probe into the matter, such a theory seems like a stretch.

Plus, the timing of the attack would lend itself to a legitimate attempt to hurt Gingrich.

“If you’re going to do a false-flag, you do it in sufficient time pre-election that media picks up on it and rails on it,” one veteran GOP operative tells FITS.

[greyfoxx39]

We remember the dirty tricks last time.

[greyfoxx39]

POLITICAL PING

If you would like to be on my low volume ping list, please FReepmail me.

[Parley Baer]

I hope they find out who sent those emails. It should be interesting.

[Recovering_Democrat]

On Florida radio, I am hearing radio ads that make it sound like Michele Bachmann has endorsed Newt. Has she? The ads features speech excerpts from MB praising Newt.

I suspect this is the same tactic, since MB’s endorsement would also have made big news.

[svcw]

Either Romneybots or alterPaulbots, they have a history so why not them.

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Guess who doesn’t like debates . . .

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Walt

. . . all of a sudden. If you guessed “Mitt Romney“, you win!

If Romney confirms his attendance, the listing will be updated to reflect the scheduled debate.

Byron York reported that Romney adviser Stuart Stevens indicated Romney may decline the to attend.
“There are too many of these…We have to bring some order to it. We haven’t accepted Florida…It’s kind of like a cruise that’s gone on too long,” he said.

Stuart Stevens, by the way, is the same guy I referred to in an earlier post as the person who introduced the term “Vulture Capitalism” into the GOP campaign lexicon. He’s also the slimy dirtbag who forwarded Mitt Romney’s attack on Rick Perry’s Social Security reform plan as an attempt to “kill” the program.

When I pointed this fact out to a widely followed conservative on Twitter who was especially dismayed over Newt and Rick Perry having the temerity to challenge Romney’s record at Bain Capital, I was assured at the time that Stuart’s days with the Romney campaign were numbered. Apparently, though, the number is pretty large.

In any event, this is just something to keep in mind as the campaign moves forward in the weeks ahead and Romney’s acolytes (haplessly) beg and plead for conservatives to unite behind their candidate. Recall the japing at Rick Perry over his consideration of skipping a few of the already excessive number of debates at the time and ask yourself whether this would be happening if Mitt Romney were performing up-to-snuff.

Also remember how important it was to have a strong debater cued up to take on Barack Obama, and how crucial debates have become to the electorate in deciding who to support. Can conservatives really unite behind a man too cowardly to face his opponents and hash out their differences before the eyes of the nation now that he’s been outclassed by an opponent whose campaign was considered dead in the water in its infancy?

From Damn Dirty Rino.com

[RitaOK]

We brace for the proverbial October Surprise from now on. It may be Romney behind it, or it may be Axlerod behind it, who happily watches us hang the guilt on Romney, when all the time actually it may be the RINO machine calling in some chips from a few liberal connections.

All of it seems to play into Operation Chaos.

[svcw]

Why am I not surprised.

[greyfoxx39]

On Florida radio, I am hearing radio ads that make it sound like Michele Bachmann has endorsed Newt. Has she? The ads features speech excerpts from MB praising Newt.

Newt's endorsements here..official.

Newt.org

I suspect this is the same tactic, since MB’s endorsement would also have made big news.

I suspect you are correct.

[JediJones]

[estrogen]

I got both of those emails and they really looked legitamat. My guess is Romney campaign. I also got 8 calls this PM from Romney folks. I think he’s running scared.

[estrogen]

meant legtimate

[svcw]

I am glad to hear that perception.
By the time the primary gets to California, I am hoping Gingrich has it rapped up.

[duffee]

It is from an introduction she made for Newt and I’m not sure of the event. It was obviously made before she thought it was to her advantage to denigrate him. I don’t know if she has asked him not to use it or not.

[CharlesWayneCT]

Is their use of DeMint’s words from 2007 worse than Gingrich using Bachmann’s words from other contexts suggesting she is talking about Gingrich as a Presidential Candidate?

I would be upset if I endorsed someone in 2008, and people pretended I supported them now. Hey, wait, people do that to me all the time here — and yes, I do hate it.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

PING!

[campaignPete R-CT]

smear bump to self

[basil]

I hate politics—and most politicians.

I don’t trust any of them...bah! humbug!

I’m going to bed......

[BobL]

What’s Barney Frank doing in the picture?

[meadsjn]

Any Republican politician who publicly endorses the Commie Romney is kaput in their next election. Bye bye, Nikki Haley.

Even Pansey Graham knew better than speak up for Mittens.