Posted on 01/23/2008 9:33:13 AM PST by Signalman
Genuine front-runners don't have to crisscross the country with a tin cup days before a crucial primary, but the Arizona maverick has no grassroots fund-raising effort like Obama's Romney's or Huckabee's, and no personal wealth to match Romney's. It is a foreshadowing of what the GOP will be up against from now until September if McCain is nominated --a poorly funded, aging, Beltway establishment figure with deep and abiding opposition among conservatives and no real ability to bring in the cash to compete with either Hillary or Obama should he draw the inside straight and gain the nomination.
Even fans of McCain have to admit his candidacy is built on the prayer of converting conservatives and then a second prayer of getting them to open their wallets. Because of the deep disagreements of the past, they won't be converting, and even if they resign themselves to his nomination should it happen, they won't be contributing.
Giuliani, Huckabee and Romney all can make a straight-faced argument that they can tap their opponents' donor bases between now and the Convention. But not McCain. His is a crippled candidacy desperately hoping to lock up the nomination on the strength of MSM-generated momentum against a strong and growing conservative headwind before the GOP wakes up fully to just how damaged a nominee he would be: Bob Dole without the charisma or the money the former Majority Leader had in 1996 on his way to the decisive defeat at the hands of a Clinton.
UPDATE: See Amy Goldstein's "Why They Hate Mitt Romney" in today's American Thinker. The money --both poersonal and in the fund-raising machine-- is part of the answer.
But Republicans who know what is ahead when the Clinton-Soros machine turns from taking Obama apart digit by digit goes after their nominee, and they know the ability to raise money as well as donate from personal wealth is crucial to matching the onslaught ahead.
That is pretty ungrateful of old Soros isn't it?
See Post #58.
Is that Rudy in that pic?
For too many, it's soooooooo much easier to pile on Mitt Romney for using his own damn money to promote his candidacy. I have my issues with Mitt, but this is actually one of his advantages-- he's putting his money where his mouth is!
“What’s going on is the same since Iowa. Romney is trying to buy the election. He’s up on every station of any consequence in FL multiple times. It’s disgusting.”
It’s not disgusting for conservatives who want to defeat McCain.
“Romney...lies about his alleged conservatism.”
You are lying.
“If voters wanted Mitt Romney he wouldn’t need to self-fund.”
If voters wanted McCain, he’d have more votes. He don’t.
“What exactly is the problem with McCain raising money for his campaign?”
People don’t want to give money to his campaign.
For some reason, potential donors don’t like McCain’s 10 year middle finger to the party.
Ironically, this is known as “payback”.
Your post belongs in a McCain Truth File.
Or a run for the border.
McCain received more conservative votes and just more Republican votes in S.C. than Romney, who campaigned heavily in that state until two days before and spent millions more than McCain.
Ping us when it happens again. Hint: It won't. Look up "anomaly" in a dictionary. All that bullcrap about "South Carolina picks the nominee every time." Not this time.
Don’t count Bloomberg out yet.
I think you are right on that score. He has the money and the ego for it. If we nominated an actual conservative, Bloomberg would presume to claim "the middle." Which would not IMHO affect the Republicans nearly as much as the Democrats, but in a weak field it certainly would have the potential for drawing more than Ross Perot.I question whether Bloomberg would run against Romney, who would not leave Bloomberg thinking there was room in "the middle." Bloomberg would, I assume, respect the branding effect of the Republican nomination more than that - and would rue it if he didn't.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.