When just ten days ago, Mitt Romney lost the South Carolina primary, he congratulated Newt Gingrich, the man who defeated him. With the tables turned in Florida, the former Speaker did not return the favor. As Jennifer Rubin reports:
Newt Gingrich gave his post-primary speech tonight while gracelessly declining to congratulate the man who beat him by double digits. According to the Romney campaign, Gingrich hadn’t called to congratulate the Florida winner as of 9:30 p.m. ET.
“If you’re wondering“, Allahpundit added, “why the post about the concession speech is going up after the victory speech, it’s because Newt apparently refused to call Romney to concede tonight and decided to wait him out.”
At least in his speech, Texas Congressman Ron Paul did congratulate the victor.
“Hey, good job on lying your ass off. Your mother must be proud. Cheers.”
I think TGC has a point there. Mitt won very ugly. It does not bode well for the future.
Also, there is no way Mittbot will go after the SCOAMF with the same aggressiveness he showed against Gingrich.
This might have something to do with it: “It is worth nothing that in the last week of the race only 0.1% of advertising was pro-Romney and roughly 70% was anti-Gingrich.”
I am really starting to hate Mitt Romney.
@V
I agree on both parts. But it would be a good sign for Newt to congratulate him. Even in a backhanded way. “I congratulae Mr. Romeny for his victory. I hope the American people realize that in the general, outspending your opponent on negative ads 5 to 1 isn’t going to be an option.”
Like Newt didn’t know about Mitt’s little warchest of $$. Plus the superpacs running the ads (on both sides)
Sorry, but like Newt said last night. Only 46 more to go!
@rusty,
What i’m meaning (if not saying) is that Romney’s warchest isn’t much compared to what the left brings to bear.
V, if you don’t think Romney will go after Obama with the same intensity he attacked Gingrich, just take a listen to his victory speech last night where he ignored Newt and pummeled Obama.
Why not? Think about it, now that Mitt knows this strategy can pay off, doesn’t it portend that he will be even more inclined to use it against Obama in the general?
The one sticky wicket is the Romney / Obama Care tangle. But even that won’t be difficult for Mitt, as he’s already stated as “Fact” that the two are not the same. OK, so Obamacare is modeled after Romney’s version… but since when has the truth mattered much in political campaigns.
Meh. Romney is nothing to brag about for sure, but he’s still better than Newt. Negative campaigning is a staple in our elections and has been since Jefferson and Adams tangled quite nastily to succeed Washington. It doesn’t make it right but it should be expected. Newt has no room to talk given the crap he’s put out against Romney either, such as the bit on kosher kitchens. Face it: they both suck, Romney only a little less. Besides, if they can’t face negative ads and heat during the primary how the hell are they going to make it past Obama’s 1 billion dollar campaign war chest? You KNOW that Obama isn’t going to play nice. This is nothing more than Newt’s whining and poor-sportsmanship that is part of his character and that many folks find to annoying. Fake it, Newt. You can hate Romney all you like in private (the feeling is probably mutual anyways) but not publically. Give the man an empty “congrats” and then move on.
And it doesn’t matter to me anyway… I’m going to once again write in Paris Hilton for Prez… Although the free pony from Vermin Supreme is mighty attractive!!!! 🙂
Romney still doesn’t have the Conservative base since his commercials ran 65 to 1 to Newt’s commercials in Florida. Romney saturated the state & the voters fell for it. Romney won dirty. Newt is far from done. Super Tuesday will see where the voters go; it won’t be for Romney…
I thought only Liberals called voters who don’t vote the way they should stupid.
@Sonicfrog: I trust your being sarcastic because if not then you haven’t been paying attention the last 30 years. Partisans on both sides are remarkably similar in their language when things do not go their way. Hypocrisy reigns supreme and unchallenged or excused when power for their guy is at stake. There hasn’t been a single election since I first voted in 1988 where I was able to vote for the guy I really wanted instead of the turkey who was lucky enough not to be the one I truly despised. Reagan, as flawed as he was at times, is the only president during my lifetime I would have happily voted for if I was old enough when he ran.
And that’s the reason we’re supposed to support a self-proclaimed progressive who campaigns like a liberal bitch?
The Gay left has just succeeded in making me like Romneh a little more:
http://dailycaller.com/2012/02/01/romney-gets-glitterbombed-because-thats-what-happens-now/
Maybe, V, the liberal attacks on Romney will backfire, bringing conservatives round to supporting him.
Yes, I was being sarcastic… Sort of. I just love it when the public at large votes for something or someone, and the other side rationalizes the lost as “Well, the voters must be stupid!”.
Then there is the “uninformed” angle. I love my niece to death, but when she tells people that they are “uninformed” because they don’t buy into some hokey, voo-doo, homeopathic treatment or some conspiracy by “Big Pharma” – you know, the whole “here is the information that THEY don’t want you to know” type stuff…. I just have to sigh.
Whoever ends up with the Republican nomination we’d better put aside our internal differences and support him because no matter how imperfect the current crop of Republican contenders are any one of them will be a hell of a lot better in the White House than the Magic Negro.
Nope. I writing in Vermin Supreme.
And besides, I live in California. So, unless I vote for a Democrat, my vote for Prez doesn’t count anyway.
Newt didn’t call Mitt to congratulate! This is a Jennifer Rubin aka shill for liberal Romney comment. What she forgot to mention is that Mitt didn’t call Huckabee to congratulate him after his 2008 victory in Iowa.
Speaking of RINO’s, let’s look at all the RINO’s supporting Mitt: Jennifer Rubin, John McCain, John Sununu (thanks for David Souter), Chris Christie, David Frum, John Hunstman, David Brooks…and the ultimate unwanted endorsement from the most RINO-ish of them all – Meghan McCain.
If all these are for Mitt, how can any true conservative be for him???