Jan 16, 2008

Great interview with Glenn Beck this morning


Highlights -

GLENN: Right. I will tell you, Mitt, that something that we have talked about before, the economy. I have been very concerned about the fundamentals in our economy for quite some time and you have been my economy guy the whole time. If somebody's got to deal with the economy, because of your experience of, you know, building companies and great turnarounds, you are the guy. In a way, I mean, it's going to be real bittersweet for you because you know what's coming with the economy but you also know you're the guy to fix it. So it's good for you.

GOVERNOR ROMNEY: Well, there's no question but that the economy is the issue people face, short-term or long term. You really do want to have somebody who knows something about how jobs come and go, how we stay competitive with other countries, where our dollars lie and how you rein in Washington waste and push Washington to do those things which actually builds our economy stronger. So, you know, it is what I do, as they say, and that would suggest that I'll get a boost and I think I got a bit of a boost in Michigan because I was willing to talk about the economy and say, look, we don't have to be pessimistic and look at our shoes here. We can see a return of American strength and there's no reason to think America can't lead the world.

They also talk about social security

McCain vs Romney flip-flopping

GLENN: Wait, wait, wait, wait. Wait, wait, wait. That's not evolution. I mean, if there's a clear case to be made some case for flip-flop, it's John McCain. He was just trying to hand free amnesty out to everybody and was like, wow, you know, that was a bad idea; we shouldn't do that. That, at least with your abortion thing, you had an explanation. I don't understand how McCain's not being labeled a flip-flopper.

Regarding Romney

GLENN: The first time we spoke, I don't know if you remember this, I said to you -- I was very, very skeptical and I said before you came on the air, I'll going to ask this guy for his pivot point and if he can't tell me the moment that it crystallized in his head on abortion, if he can't tell me the wallpaper color of when he realized, "Wait a minute, I'm on the wrong side of this issue," he's lying to you. And you told the story about when you changed and you didn't hesitate at all and I knew it was a valid pivot point. I'm a pivot point guy because I'm a alcoholic. I knew -- I can tell you the moment I said I've got to change my life. That's not the case with John McCain. That's a flip-flop. When it comes to taxes, you don't support them back then and now, "well, I'll make them permanent but I'm not really sure if I would do more tax cuts now." That's a flip-flop. He doesn't even understand what tax cuts do.

Follow the link below for the transcript:


http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/196/4356/

Karl

The Elephant in the Room

The Elephant in the Room
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=24505

This was a drubbing. [Henry Payne]

Yes, Romney has superior organization. Yes, he outspent McCain 2-1. Yes, he’s a native son. Yes, weather likely played a factor (how about the irony of global warming-panicked McCain losing voters because of cold, snowy weather?).

But Michigan plays to all McCain’s strengths. He won it over a Romney-esque Bush in 2000 because the state has a large independent vote, plenty of Reagan Democrats ready to cross over, and a primary where only the Republican vote mattered.

Yet, McCain stepped all over himself with a careless, “straight-talking” strategy of telling Michiganians their jobs weren’t coming back. And then he stubbornly stuck to the line despite its obvious damage.

The comment came across as callous and out-of-touch, independents stayed home, and Romney rode it all the way to a nine-point shellacking. Even Huckabee, who had been playing tag team with McCain against Romney, couldn’t resist jabbing at McCain’s defeatism.

Once again, the question is whether McCain likes the sound of his own voice more than winning.

Sounds Like Victory [Kathryn Jean Lopez]

Winning sounds good.

Listening to Romney people this morning – on the phone, over e-mail, on the radio (Vin Weber just now on Bennett’s radio show), they sound like people I haven’t talked to, frankly, in months. They sound reenergized and determined. (Have you ever seen the governor himself that revved up?)

They also have that lucky-to-be-here and in-love-with-America tone I heard in Jeri Thompson’s voice on Mark Levin’s show last night, too.

I have no real point here, other than they’re encouraging sounds from the Right. That and maybe we have encouraging days to come in this primary season.

Did Romney family nostalgia play a role?

NO!
 
Not among those voters old enough to remember George Romney. McCain won voters over 65 by 39-38%.

Mich. GOP Congratulates Wrong Candidate

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - The Michigan Republican Party mistakenly sent out a news release Tuesday night congratulating John McCain for winning the state's GOP primary.

It quickly issued a second statement praising Mitt Romney for his win.

"Heading into tonight, this race was too close to call, so we prepared a release for either scenario," state GOP spokesman Bill Nowling said. "We simply pushed the wrong button."

The Associated Press named Romney the GOP winner when polls closed in Michigan's western Upper Peninsula at 9 p.m. EST.

The first GOP release went out just minutes later and stated, "In a close-fought victory, Senator John McCain succeeded again (in) the Michigan Republican primary, winning over a traditionally unpredictable voter base in Michigan."