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February 5, 2012 in Nation/World
In victory, Romney hones focus on Obama
Electability, Mormon voters key ingredients in defeating persistent field of rivals
Mitt Romney greets supporters at his Nevada Republican caucus victory celebration in Las Vegas on Saturday.
(Full-size photo)(All photos)
LAS VEGAS – Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney cruised to a decisive victory in the Nevada caucuses Saturday night, notching a second straight triumph over a field of rivals struggling to keep pace.
In victory, the former Massachusetts governor unleashed a sharp attack on President Barack Obama, whose economic policies he said have “made these tough times last longer.”
In a state with the worst joblessness in the country, Romney added, “This week he’s been trying to take a bow for 8.3 percent unemployment. Not so fast, Mr. President. This is the 36th straight month with unemployment above the red line your own administration drew.”
The former Massachusetts governor held a double-digit lead over his nearest pursuer as the totals mounted in a state where fellow Mormons accounted for roughly a quarter of all caucus-goers.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul vied for a distant second. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum trailed the field.
Returns from 45 percent of precincts showed Romney with 43 percent support, Gingrich with 26 percent, Paul with 18 percent and Santorum with 13 percent.
Yet to report its results was Clark County, which includes Las Vegas and often accounts for half or more of the votes in a statewide election. Officials said it could be today before those were released.
In defeat, Gingrich swatted aside any talk of a withdrawal and emphatically renewed an earlier vow to campaign into the party convention in Tampa this summer. He said his goal was to “find a series of victories which by the end of the Texas primary will leave us at parity” with Romney by early April.
Romney’s victory capped a week that began with his double-digit win in the Florida primary. That contest was as intense as Nevada’s caucuses were sedate – so quiet that they produced little television advertising, no candidate debates and only a modest investment of time by the contenders.
A total of 28 Republican National Convention delegates were at stake in caucuses held across the sprawling state. Romney won at least 10, Gingrich at least four, Paul at least three and Santorum at least two. Eight were still to be determined.
That gives Romney a total of 97, including endorsements from Republican National Committee members who will automatically attend the convention and can support any candidate they choose. Gingrich has 30, Santorum 16 and Paul seven. It will take 1,144 delegates to win the Republican nomination.
Nevada drew little attention in the nominating campaign but figures to be a fierce battleground in the fall between the winner of the GOP nomination and Democratic President Obama. The state’s unemployment rate was measured at 12.6 percent in December, the worst in the country.
As he did in Florida, Romney was eager to take on the mantle of nominee-in-waiting when he spoke to supporters – even though Gingrich, Santorum and Paul have said they intend to remain in the race.
“President Obama seems to believe America’s role as leader in the world is a thing of the past. I believe the 21st century will be and must be an American century,” Romney said to cheers from his backers.
Preliminary results of a poll of Nevada Republicans entering their caucuses showed that nearly half said the most important consideration in their decision was a candidate’s ability to defeat Obama this fall, a finding in line with other states.
About one-quarter of those surveyed said they are Mormon, roughly the same as in 2008, when Romney won with more than a majority of the vote in a multi-candidate field.
The entrance poll was conducted by Edison Research for the Associated Press at 25 randomly selected caucus sites. It included 1,553 interviews and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Gingrich said he’d be happy to finish second, behind Romney and ahead of Paul.
Paul, a Texas lawmaker, was one of two candidates to air television ads in the state, hoping for a close second-place finish if not an upset.
Romney was the other, joined by Restore Our Future, the ubiquitous organization that supports him and has been heavily involved in other states.
Santorum campaigned relatively little in Nevada, although he picked up the support of Sharron Angle, a tea party favorite who won the GOP Senate nomination in a 2010 upset and then lost her race to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
From Nevada, the calendar turns to caucuses in Minnesota and Colorado and a nonbinding primary in Missouri on Tuesday.
© Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Stocks plummet as outlook in Europe dims 
BlondeSquawker on February 05 at 8:04 a.m.
I imagine one of the first things Romney will do if elected is pardon Warren Jeffs.
BlondeSquawker on February 05 at 8:13 a.m.
Utah Statistics are Among the Highest in the Nation for Depression, Rape, Child Abuse, and Pornography!!!
http://www.mormonstruth.org/statistics.html
Sounds a bit of housecleaning is in order, Mittster.
TheRoo on February 05 at 8:24 a.m.
What I find disturbing is that Romney (and the fawning press) focus on his business life while ignoring his record as governor, his only governmental experience. This “oversight” may prove costly.
Secondly, as I’ve said before, we know no more about his background than we know about Obama’s; he and the press just don’t talk about it much.
Sure, he’s a member of a church, helped “save” the olympics (there’s another chapter of his life that should be explored) and he paints himself as a successful businessman.
Beyond that, what kind of man is he?
Just my 0.02.
BlondeSquawker on February 05 at 8:47 a.m.
I attended several events at the SLC Olympics in ‘02, nearly 10 years ago exactly. He ran that place like a Nazi internment camp. Please, God, don’t ever let him run this country!!!
BlondeSquawker on February 05 at 8:50 a.m.
And we musn’t forget the bribery scandal that got Salt Lake the games to begin with:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Winter_Olympic_bid_scandal
rosehips on February 05 at 9:32 a.m.
Wow, didn’t even know he was involved in the Olympics and scandals.
What bugs me is what I’ve heard about Bain. That they strip down companies and fire people to raise profits for corporations. That seems so counter to what we need in a President. I understand efficiency but profits at the expense of jobs might be the American way for some, but it doesn’t sit well with me.
misjustice on February 05 at 9:47 a.m.
I wanna see his birth certificate!
I want to know that he REALLY is a citizen of the USA; his father wasn’t born here and neither was his mother, although “some people say” she was born in Utah. Seems fishy to me.
*sniff*
stitch on February 05 at 10:02 a.m.
In May 1966 Mitt was part of a counter protest group against a group staging a sit-in at Stanford in opposition to draft status tests… In July of 66, Mommy and Daddy had him shipped off to Vietnam,,, er,, I mean France for a 30 month Morman Missionary tour… Oh to be among the Morman Wealthy Elite..
Diana on February 05 at 10:35 a.m.
None of Willard’s five sons have served in the military.
“One of the ways my sons are showing support for our nation is helping me get elected.”
Romney = RMoney
peacemonger on February 05 at 10:54 a.m.
And Mitt Romney was born where? I’d like to see his birth certificate as well! If the “birthers” don’t believe Obama was born in America, why would they believe Romney was?
Diana on February 05 at 10:57 a.m.
peacemonger wrote: If the “birthers” don’t believe Obama was born in America, why would they believe Romney was?
Do I get three guesses?
Albert on February 05 at 11:01 a.m.
I mentioned this before, however it bears repeating. A good friend of mine just completed a book on the Mormons and I had absolutely no idea how corrupt and ……they are. Mr. Romney cannot be trusted because he is trained to tell you mis-speak. This is not a joke.
You can read the intro and some of the details of my friends book for free if you want to at this link. You will be somewhat surprised and this fellow must not be elected under any circumstances!!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0072PLF2I
greenlibertarian on February 05 at 12:13 p.m.
Willard needs your help.
Please give generously.
Willard WILL win the general election in WA state, IF you will help out the cause!
Middleman on February 05 at 12:36 p.m.
Thanks for the link Albert. About 30 years ago, and I will never forget it, I was riding in my uncle’s car on our way to my grandfather’s memorial service. The subject of the afterlife came up and my uncle had a lot to say about it. He was, and still is, a bishop in the Mormon church in Beaverton, Or. I had done some research on the Mormon church, so I knew a fair amount of what he was saying, so I just shrugged it off. But, when he said, “as a bishop and a Latter-Day-Saint, the only difference between me and Jesus Christ is that he is a bit smarter”, I about passed out. He was totally serious. Beware folks!!!
misjustice on February 05 at 1:14 p.m.
IF Robme manages to become POTUS will he take his orders from the cult….errr….I mean LDS Church?
Thanks for the link, Albert. I looked it over.
I also read a book, years ago, called The Kingdom of the Cults by Walter Martin, which was a very illuminating study of religion. And had a lot of information on Mormonism.
SMARTGUY on February 05 at 1:20 p.m.
Beware of Mitt in 2016, that is what he is really running for, even he knows he does not stand a chance this year. I hope he does pick Cathy McMorris for V.P. another gimmick choice would be perfect in the republicans joke of a campaign.
RedCedar on February 05 at 2:08 p.m.
I know, from what I’ve read on the Internet, that both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama have at best made pacts with the Devil, and at worst are Satan incarnate. What I haven’t been able to determine is how the men would rule differently once elected. Obama has roughly a billion dollars in his campaign fund. That money didn’t come without expectations, and it didn’t come from hippies, Quakers, and Marxist college professors. Romney doesn’t have nearly that much yet, but I’m sure the checks have already been written, with the amount filled in, but “payable to” left blank for now. The moneyed interests are all equal-opportunity donors, since it’s a no-brainer to take your chances of success from 50% to 100% by merely doubling your your donation and giving half to each candidate.
Obama campaigned as a reformer, but has turned out to be as mainstream as any, probably because he’s just the figurehead for the third Clinton administration. The one thing I’ll grant Romney is that he isn’t even pretending to be a reformer. In the unlikely event that Obama loses the race, the Romney administration look pretty much exactly like the Obama administration as far as anything that affects the common man.
In fact, once the Republican nomination is settled (the RNC may just be playing for drama now) the presidential campaign itself will turn out to be a real yawner. There simply isn’t all that much that the candidates disagree about, and they’re both beholden to the same interests of the moneyed ruling class. Sure, Romney can toss out more “family values” language, since “moral” issues like abortion and homosexuality don’t frighten the moneyed interests, while Obama can talk about “green” this and “green” that, since the practical implementation of it is just another way to divert public money into private pockets (pockets of those who donated to the re-election, at least).
The bottom line is there will be no reform either way, the plutocrats will continue to use us as their playthings and cash cows, and life will go on just fine until the bubble of all bubbles becomes so unmanageable that all the whiz-kids of Wall Street, London, and Dubai can no longer hide it, and the whole sordid mess collapses. Even then, when the politician have all lost their careers, sacrificed by the men with the real power, most of the ruling class will escape the wreckage with their fortunes intact, while the rest of us try to survive what could be the second Great Depression, or might merely be the resurgence of feudalism.
But then again, I’m an optimist, and that could all be many years off.
DCLacey on February 05 at 2:38 p.m.
The Mittster wants you to think that he is just an everyday joe six pack kinda of guy. The only problem is he can’t remember when asked whether he is worth $150,000,000 or $200,000,000.
Not too many everyday joe’s I know don’t know their overall worth. Most of us know we are worth squat, mainly due to the 0.06% that everyday Mittster is squarley part of.
And it really worries me that he isn’t worried about the poor that to Mittster takes in everyone worth less than a million .
To the Mittster his idea of poor, middle class, rich is certainly not the same perspective as the 99% of the rest of us.
I guess that’s why there is talk of middle class Cathey Mc for VP
misjustice on February 05 at 2:46 p.m.
“I guess that’s why there is talk of middle class Cathey Mc for VP”
McMoRo is a millionaire (estimated worth at 1.3 M), not middle class; poor by Robme’s worth but hardly “middle class”.
Albert on February 05 at 4:04 p.m.
Ms. J…It was my understanding that McMoRo began as a humble, very broke, lower middle class candidate? Is it not interesting how insider trading, campaign salaries, etc. can make millionaires out of broke folk???
Glad you liked the link. How’s the studies progressing? Kindest regards, Al
dataxman on February 05 at 4:18 p.m.
I grew up in small towns in E WA that were heavenly LDS. I dated a Mormon - even went through the Missionary discussions and sat through noon Seminary. Romney just reminds me of every arrogant self-righteous person I had to deal with - growing up and now in my professional life.
Albert - thanks for the link. If you want another interesting book read ‘Under the Banner of Heaven’.
stitch on February 05 at 4:23 p.m.
Mr. Albert, You forgot to mention that Cathy Mc wouldn’t be where she is today if she hadn’t signed Mr. man in charge Norquist’s tax pledge in 2005….
Dazzeetrader11 on February 05 at 5:18 p.m.
DOn’t think this thread is about Cathy. One thing though..ROmney would NEVER mandate moring after pills and sterilization to be provided by the Catholic hospitals. 1 in 6 beds in America is a bed from the Catholic Hospitals. Obowow has just angered 78 million of us.
To have the state mandate what the churches must do in their own Hospitals is perfectly in line with what Obowow’s got in store for America. I hope you all noticed this and will be a tone decried by Catholics everywhere. No matter that many Catholic women use BC. Obowow’s ruling ( notice the term “ruling”) is incompatable with the Church’s teachings. God is above him…he doesn’t like it and will try to rig things…He’ll fail.
He’s set an alternative tone for something the Supreme COurt can’t help but notice when Obamacare comes before them He’ll lose…and lose the vote too.
Romney is far better than this inexperienced fake who’s whole goal is socialism. Good job Barack!!
Dazzeetrader11 on February 05 at 6:57 p.m.
OH I almost forgot…78 Million Catholics in the country….nice going Barack! Plus that Hispanic vote won’t be yours either.
greenlibertarian on February 05 at 8:28 p.m.
American Catholics practice more artificial birth control than does the general fertile population, it’s a strong majority.
The Catholics who are upset were NEVER going to vote for Obama anyway.
Now, righties, you CAN have Romney win the general election in WA, IF, and ONLY IF, you donate GENEROUSLY to Washingtonians for Romney.
GIVE NOW!
JBlim on February 05 at 8:39 p.m.
Dazee says: “To have the state mandate what the churches must do in their own Hospitals . .”
The rule is about insurance plans, Catholic hospitals don’t get special rules when they get in the insurance business, they have to follow the law of the land, just like everyone else. But yeah, Mitt should run on a platform of taking away contraceptives. Sounds like a winning strategy. Males would be required to have their vasectomies reversed and practice abstinence instead.
mtharves on February 05 at 9:29 p.m.
Speaking of Romney links, here’s a good piece from the NY Times. It’s a bit long but worth the read.
http://nymag.com/news/frank-rich/mitt-romney-2012-2/
Shadedmuse on February 05 at 10:55 p.m.
When Mittons and Cathy Mcmo-mo loose in november, then maybe Mittons will get his own game show called win mittons’s Money.
If Mittons put mcmo-mo on the ticket obama will carry eastern Wa in a landslide.
because evagelical voters will never ever vote for a mormon.
Dazzeetrader11 on February 05 at 10:55 p.m.
No Blim…you see Obama gave an exception to the Catholic hospitals then has taken it back. He cannot and will NEVER tell the Church what will do or not do.
Greenie…you miss the point. This is mandated from the Church re: abortion, day after pills ( abaortion) and sterilization .
The Bishops and Archbishops are crafting their response. It’s about Obama trying to intervene on the rules of the CHurch. Lots of women use BC. They don’t get to vote on it. The Church does. Quite different.
And as always, the teaching is immutable. SO now Obama’s set up a conflict that didn’t need to happen. He’s chosen this and he’ll get his verdict soon. Any head of state who tries to violate the Church’s teaching and, in fact, repeal them is in trouble. He is. …on this item anyway. Seems like he picked a fight for some reason…..It’s a fight he can’t win. I’m sure the Supremes have this in their collective ears. Secularists like it…most traditionalist don’t.
We’ll see. Such trouble when Romney would let the churches be churches and unopposed. Bad call by Obowow. Obamacare and it’s extensions…now that people know his intentions (spin offs) and the implications of Obamacare, it’s a goner more than the 60% who are against it now. Never was popular except with the left.
misjustice on February 06 at 8:27 a.m.
Someone posted, “Such trouble when Romney would let the churches be churches and unopposed.”
I dunno know about that. The Mormons are very active in their efforts to convert others to their faith. If Robme somehow wins the GOP nomination, and THEN wins the Whitehouse, he will mandate that everyone have 10% of their money siezed by his cult lead gubmint and it will be sent to the Mormon Church as tithes.
And then, “some people say”, Robme and the leaders of the Mormon Church will use that money stolen from tax payers to squash other religions and by the end of this first term there won’t be any other religions, there will ONLY be Mormonism.
Because that is his goal, to end all other religions. And the Mormons current method of trying to “convert” people is taking too long, so the leaders of the Church have devised this plan and all they need now, to bring in to fruition, is to get Robme elected as POTUS.
And just who do you think is responsible for all those tee vee ads about Mormonism, and all of those bill boards? “They” are on a campaign to try and make Mormonism seem “normal”, more mainstream, so that when the religious take over lead by Mitt Robme happens people will think that it’s okay. And will submit without a fight!
At least that is what “some people say”.