When Mitt Romney enthusiastically embraced the idea of Puerto Rican statehood during January's Hispanic Leadership Conference, there was no shortage of theories on his motives.
Was he trying to curry favor with Hispanics in the final days before Florida's primary? Was he working to secure the endorsement of Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortu?o, a rising young star in the Republican Party? Viable theories all, but they overlook a simpler reality: Puerto Rico awards 23 delegates, and its March 18 primary is the month's only winner-take-all contest.
Politics is chess, not checkers.The politician who can plan multiple moves ahead of his opponent is always at an advantage.
That principle has manifested itself throughout this year's presidential race. Romney's team gained an early edge by building a long-term strategy around new RNC rules mandating proportionate delegate allocation, and since then, Romney has remained several steps ahead of his competitors by executing that strategy.
Now, in an elongated contest where every delegate counts?and amid a stretch of southern states where he was always expected to struggle?that prescient planning is paying huge dividends.
Romney's unceremonious sweep of several U.S. territories will likely be a footnote in a plodding path to the Republican nomination. But it's also true that these victories vindicate Romney's relentlessly forward-looking strategy of leaving no stone unturned in the quest for mathematical inevitability
?Tim Alberta
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Presidential Campaign Trail Detours Through Mississippi, Alabama NEW!
[National Journal, 3/13/12] Rarely do the small, Southern states of Alabama and Mississippi get much attention, let alone a full-throated pander, from a presidential candidate. But this year, three states likely to be overlooked in the general campaign ? Mississippi, Alabama and Hawaii ? will get their moment in the national spotlight.
Poll: Romney Ahead of Santorum Nationwide NEW!
[National Journal, 3/13/12] A Bloomberg National Poll shows Mitt Romney is supported by 37 percent of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents nationwide, compared with 27 percent for Santorum, 13 percent for Newt Gingrich and 11 percent for Rep. Ron Paul.
Alabama Governor To Cast Vote for Santorum NEW!
[Time, 3/13/12] Though he declined to endorse any candidate prior to today?s primary election ? indeed, he had earlier proclaimed that he was ?not excited about any of them? ? Alabama Governor Robert Bentley today will cast his vote for Rick Santorum. This, according to the Santorum campaign.
Santorum Downplays Expectations Ahead of Southern Primaries
[National Journal, 3/12/12] Even as he barnstorms Mississippi and Alabama with days packed full of meet-and-greets and rallies ahead of the two states? primaries on Tuesday, Santorum seems to be trying to lower expectations by saying that his rivals have spent more time and money here. But Santorum?s fundraising prowess have actually risen with his polling numbers.
Robo-Calls From Candidates Anger Some Mississippi Voters
[Sun Herald, 3/12/12]? Nobody loves robo-calls, and Magnolia Staters are no different from the rest of us. On Monday, the state?s public service commissioner said his office received 35 complaints about the candidate robo-calls ? a very high number for one day. A proposed state law attempting to limit the calls had previously died in committee.
Republicans Rely on Super-PACs for 91 Percent of Ads in Ala., Miss. NEW!
[Bloomberg, 3/13/12] With fundraising lagging, super PACs supplied 91 percent of the 5,592 campaign ads that ran in Alabama and Mississippi. Romney?s Restore Our Future super PAC contributed the most with 2.098 ads in Alabama through March 11. His campaign only aired 279 ads. Restore Our Future aired 65 percent of all ads in the two states.
GOP Race Tightens in the South
[Wall Street Journal, 3/12/12] Mississippi and Alabama, which both hold polls Tuesday, have been considered difficult terrain for Romney with their plentiful evangelical Christian and conservative voters. But recent polling and voter interviews show the former Massachusetts governor now running even with Santorum and Gingrich.
Polling in Deep South Has Posed Challenges
[New York Times, 3/12/12] Nate Silver writes that polls in Southern states traditionally have a bad track record: If you looked at the average of polls in Alabama in advance of the 2008 primaries, for instance, you would have called both the Republican and the Democratic races wrong.
Romney Team Sees a Plus in Gingrich?s Persistence
[New York Times, 3/12/12] Gingrich?s resilience in the race has so far allowed Romney to dodge what he has feared most: a dominant, singular rival with the ability to unify the ranks of conservatives who have been slow to warm to the notion that Romney might become the GOP?s nominee.
Gas Prices Fire up Republican Candidates
[Sun Herald, 3/12/12] With gas prices nationwide jumping nearly a nickel over the weekend, Gingrich and Santorum focused on domestic drilling at an energy summit in Biloxi Monday. Gingrich said that Obama and his energy advisers were ?in cloud cuckooland.?
Santorum: Maher, Letterman Trash Backers of Christian Values
[National Journal, 3/12/12] Santorum on Monday joined the conservative counterattack on Bill Maher, accusing the liberal comedian and David Letterman of making unjust attacks on the right while at the same time Rush Limbaugh has received fierce criticism for his recent harsh remarks: "It's an absolute double standard.?
Caucus States Drama Far From Over
[Wall Street Journal, 3/12/12] Months after the campaigns moved on, caucus states like Iowa and Colorado are back in the spotlight. The four remaining campaigns are jockeying for advantage in these states, where delegates aren?t bound by the voters? wishes but are instead divvied up by an arcane ? and rarely relevant ? state convention process.
Joe Biden: GOP Super PACs Will Raise $200 Million To $800 Million NEW!
[Huffington Post, 3/13/12] At a fundraiser at Sen. John Kerry?s Georgetown townhouse on Monday night, Vice President Joe Biden warned that GOP super PACs could spend between $200 million and $800 million in the upcoming election. He also warned donors that the Democratic Party cannot match that kind of money.
Gingrich Impresses at Candidates? Forum
[Birmingham News, 3/12/12] In interviews with more than a dozen forum attendees, the opinions expressed consistently, even among some Santorum supporters, was that Gingrich had probably out-performed Santorum in the forum. If Gingrich's strong showing in the forum translates into votes in Tuesday's GOP presidential primary, it will be good news for the former House speaker.
Romney Isn?t Signing Up For Medicare
[Wall Street Journal, 3/12/12] The newly 65-year-old Romney isn?t enrolling in Social Security or Medicare, a campaign aide said Monday. The presidential candidate?s plans for the federal program include offering seniors a choice between enrolling in the program and a new option to purchase private insurance.
Santorum and the GOP Shift their Sights to Obamacare
[National Journal, 3/12/12] As the economy starts to turn around, Santorum suggested Saturday that the GOP might have to look elsewhere to find a winning argument against Obama. That topic might be the president?s health care law, an issue that resonates with Republicans and helps Santorum by undercutting Romney?s argument that his economic expertise makes him the most electable candidate.
Romney: Santorum Needs ?Miracle? to Get Nomination
[National Journal, 3/12/12] Romney on Monday expressed strong confidence in his ability to collect the remaining delegates necessary to receive the GOP presidential nomination and scoffed at a new strategy memo from Santorum suggesting he could prevail at a brokered convention.
Even Santorum is Sorry Now About Afghanistan
[National Journal, 3/12/12] Republicans love to mock President Obama as a serial apologist. Romney's biography is called "No Apology.'' Santorum and Gingrich both chided President Obama late last month for apologizing for the burning of Korans at a U.S. military base. But Saturday's killings of 16 Afghan civilians, allegedly by a U.S. soldier, has even Santorum favoring a mea culpa.
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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mitt-romney-politics-chess-not-checkers-095347139.html
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