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Jim Cole / AP
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks during a campaign stop with mill workers at the Madison Lumber Mill, Monday, Dec. 12, 2011 in Madison, N.H.
Here come the attacks on Romney… McCain’s revealing answer on Arizona and if it’s in play in the general election… Perry’s decision to stay in the race helps Romney… Obama’s recess appointments -- a fight he wants to have with Congress… Santorum raises $1 million after Iowa… Don’t forget about the pro-Santorum Super PAC… Update on the ad spending in NH, SC, and FL… And lots of campaigning in the Granite State today.
Read Thursday's original First Thoughts: Here come the attacks on Romney
*** Here come the attacks on Romney: Unlike past presidential-primary front-runners, Mitt Romney has enjoyed this advantage over the past year: His GOP rivals have largely attacked each other, and have left him alone. Just last week in the lead up to Iowa, Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann were blasting Rick Santorum; Perry also went after Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, and Santorum for their previous service in Congress; and Jon Huntsman hit Paul over those racially charged newsletters -- all leaving Romney unscathed. (The equivalent would be, in late 2007, Barack Obama, John Edwards, Joe Biden, and Chris Dodd all beating up each other instead of Hillary Clinton, which never happened.) But after Romney’s narrow win in Iowa, and now that Gingrich is looking for revenge, Romney has now become the target of attacks for the first time this campaign season. In fact, the Gingrich camp is now up with this TV ad hitting Romney in New Hampshire and South Carolina. The question becomes: How does Romney handle it?
*** McCain’s revealing answer on Arizona and immigration: Yesterday, one of us interviewed John McCain after he endorsed Romney at an event in New Hampshire. Toward the end of the interview, we asked McCain this question: Is Arizona in play in the general election? And his reaction was especially telling. He paused for a few moments and replied, “I think that if not this election cycle, the demographics are that Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, even Texas will all be in play.” McCain, who was once a principal architect of comprehensive immigration reform but who no longer supports it until the border is secured, added: “We have to fix our problems with the Hispanics.” Where does it start? “It starts with a way to address the issue of immigration in a humane and caring fashion -- at the same time emphasize the need to secure our borders.”
*** Perry’s decision helps Romney: Make no mistake: Rick Perry’s decision to stay in the presidential contest and campaign in South Carolina -- despite his fifth-place finish in Iowa (where he spent more than $4 million on TV ads) -- greatly helps Romney’s campaign. Why? Because it potentially splits up the conservative/Tea Party/evangelical vote. If both Bachmann and Perry had bowed out, that vote would probably go to either Santorum or Gingrich. In addition, it's -- shall we say -- interesting that Perry's decision surprised many of his own staff. Why the change of heart? Did Bachmann's withdrawal do it?
*** The fight Obama wants: As far as President Obama’s recess appointments yesterday, it is absolutely clear that he and his team want a fight with Congress -- and any legal challenge that comes with it. And they've made it clear if they don't currently HAVE a dispute with Congress, they are happy to pick a fight. And this fight, over the Consumer Protection board, has the added benefit of creating an "us vs. them" middle class narrative. After Obama made his recess appointment of Richard Cordray official, the Romney campaign fired off this press release: “This action represents Chicago-style politics at its worst and is precisely what then-Senator Obama claimed would be ‘the wrong thing to do.’ Sadly, instead of focusing on economic growth, he is once again focusing on creating more regulation, more government, and more Washington gridlock.” But the Obama campaign fired back with this: “By opposing the appointment of Richard Cordray to run the first-ever consumer watchdog bureau, Mitt Romney today stood with predatory lenders and Republicans in Congress over the middle class.” By the way, given the speed of the Obama campaign response, it's another sign that the Obama campaign is already focusing on the person they believe will be their general election opponent.
*** Santorum raises $1 million after Iowa: Turning back to the GOP presidential contest, Santorum has raised $1 million since his narrow second-place finish in Iowa, a campaign staffer confirmed to NBC’s Andrew Rafferty last night. Can they keep it up?
*** Don’t forget about the pro-Santorum Super PAC: While the pro-Romney Super PAC Restore Our Future has received much attention -- and deservedly so -- for the impact that it played in Iowa, it’s worth pointing out the role that the pro-Santorum Red, White, and Blue Fund had as well. Although Santorum spent a mere $23,000 in advertising in the Hawkeye State, the Red, White, and Blue Fund spent $530,000 there. That’s not a small chunk of change. And organizers say it’s planning to start advertising in South Carolina. Meanwhile, NBC’s Michael Isikoff reports that the conservative investor Foster Freiss, is one of the principal backers of this pro-Santorum Super PAC. He declined to give precise figures on how much he has donated (“I don't dare let my wife know that," he joked), but said he wouldn’t object to a report that he was the major financial backer of the political action committee.
*** Update on the ad spending: By the way, here’s where things currently stand in the early-state advertising battle:
New Hampshire: Our Destiny PAC (pro-Huntsman) $1.8 million, Paul $1.5 million, Romney $1 million, Perry $234,000, Santorum $30,000.
South Carolina: Make Us Great Again $1.8 million, Romney $555,000, Perry $220,000, Paul $219,000, Restore Our Future $147,000, Santorum $12,000
Florida: Romney $823,000, Restore Our Future $790,000
*** On the trail: With five days to go until the New Hampshire primary, most of the action is in the Granite State: Santorum has events in Manchester, Northfield, Tilton, and Windham… Gingrich hits Plymouth, Littleton, Lancaster, and Meredith… Huntsman is in Hampton, Durham, Portsmouth, and Newport… And Romney begins his day in Salem before heading to Charleston, SC, where he holds an event with Gov. Nikki Haley and brand-new endorser John McCain.
*** DNC hits Romney: And with McCain once again stumping with Romney, the DNC has a new web video cataloging all of the instances from the 2008 when McCain criticized Romney for being a flip-flopper. The video asks, “Which Mitt is he endorsing?
Countdown to New Hampshire primary: 5 days
Countdown to South Carolina primary: 16 days
Countdown to Florida primary: 26 days
Countdown to Nevada caucuses: 30 days
Countdown to Super Tuesday: 61 days
Countdown to Election Day: 306 days
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Since nobody posted yet I'll say that Mr. Romney deserves the heat that he'll be receiving!! He's the front-runner and plus two more debates before the people of New Hamphshire get to vote he should get cut-up a little bit because his rivals want to be President too. He just better be ready to rope-a-dope for three weeks and then he can take over again.
I still have high hopes for Newt Gingrich. He was leading because the debates showed how knowledgeable he is of the complex issues and the solutions he proposed but the he was virtually assasinated with negative distorted lies in the PAC ads. The citizens of the United States deserve better. We need to put a stop to these smear campaigns and actually vote based of a candidate's solutions.
OK. Tell me this. Why is defeating Barak Obama the only goal of the Republican Party this time around? Why aren't they even mentioning whether or not they're even qualified to be President or able to be a better leader? I mean, I appreciate the fact that they have stopped lying about their intentions, but I am getting the same feeling about this as I got when Bush stopped lying about the "weapons of mass destruction" -- it's because they don't care what we think -- they deserve to be in charge and we can kiss their collective tyrannical a**es 'cause there's nothing we can do to stop them.
And that thing about voting based on a candidate's solutions? Easy -- they all want to DEFEAT BARAK OBAMA and deregulate the banks (again). I have yet to hear anyone clearly articulate exactly what problems those solve --
Think about this. Regardless of what your political leanings are, there is a single fact that has yet to be refuted: we are all equal under the law. If the balance of power is broken that equality will vanish. The Republicans have blocked the House because that's as close as they can get to actually dictating the law of the land right now. If they BEAT BARAK OBAMA and maintain their majority in the House it won't matter who is President (weaker is better, in fact) -- they will have broken the balance of power. The dictating they have not been able to do in the last four years will begin in earnest. And don't think for a second that once the power is consolidated they will share it with anyone, least of all the fools who voted them in.
Well?
AC
Agreed AC. God help us if the GoP win the White House and maintain their majority in the House. I don't see it happening though. Congress has the lowest approval ratings in history and I believe that the voters are sick and tired of the gridlock and partisan posturing while nothing gets done. I say the Dems retain the White House and take back the House... None of the GoP candidates are "presidential" material.
NBC: "it is absolutely clear that (Obama) and his team want a fight with Congress -- and any legal challenge that comes with it. "
This is so UN American..........for a President (Obama) to be looking for a fight with Congress instead of looking to bridge gaps between the Parties in order to do "the people's business" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not to mention, in 2008 Obama was running around the country saying "I will rise above the partisan divide in Washington....bla bla bla "
HYPOCRITE.
Let's not be so short-sighted as NBC and overlook the 3 years that Pres Obama tried to bridge the gap but as rebuffed. The Republican definition of compromise has always been "do it my way or hit the highway". This is the textbook definition of tyranny. They have never been the least bit interested in doing anything but embarassing the office of the President, and as such should all be impeached. I'm glad to see that the President is finally responding to the fight that was brought to him. I'm deeply embarassed and sorry that it has to be the mean, unfair and dirty fight that Rove and the ultra right empire mongers started, but that's the kind of fight they wanted. As far as un-American, I must respectfully differ with you, Leona -- this is not the first time the President has had to fight Congress. As a key part of our system of checks and balances the office has often had to do extreme things when facing extreme situations, especially when attempting to balance the reckless untruth this current Republican Party has shown itself capable of in their campaign to seize control. In many ways we are seeing the war with Great Britain that is the source of our freedom replayed, except this time it's our own fellow citizens (the 1%) who are the tyrants.
AC