Open Thread: Oh Romney, Can This Really Be the End?
ByNow that you all have Dylan’s “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again” firmly implanted in your heads, this popped up on CNN’s homepage a few minutes ago:
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will suspend his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, GOP sources tell CNN.
Romney had won 270 delegates in through the Super Tuesday contests, compared with front-runner John McCain’s 680.
Romney had no public events Wednesday and instead met with aides to discuss strategy to stay in the race through March 4.
“It is tough to saddle up this a.m.,” one Romney adviser told CNN the morning after his disappointing Super Tuesday finish.
Although he outspent his rivals, Romney received just 175 delegates on Super Tuesday, compared with at least 504 for McCain and 141 for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, according to CNN estimates.
Romney is expected to announce his decision Thursday afternoon at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, three Republican sources told CNN.
Whaddya think, Hooligans?
18 Comments
February 7th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
If Mittens actually drops out, then you can expect Huckabee to carry Nebraska and maybe Texas. McCain gets the rest and gets the nomination. “Movement Conservatives” (a.k.a. Bush acolytes) stay home in November unless Hillary gets the Democratic nod.
Mitt isn’t going to ‘endorse’ McCain anytime soon.
McCain vs. Obama in November would present the starkest choice between candidates we’ve had in generations. Old and Busted vs. The New Hotness. We waltz to victory with record turnout, which means everyone down-ticket gets a bump as well.
Go Obama! Go McCain! Also – Go Huckabee!
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February 7th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Well put Gordon…
My feeling?: Meh
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February 7th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
I saw the MittWitt’s announcement on CBS at lunch.
I still say beware the Swift Boaters!
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February 7th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Huckabee = Yuckabee! One more to Fall…
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February 7th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Well, this is good for the Dems.
I actually started to think Mitt would have half a chance to win over some centrists (no, not me) and pose a threat to the Dems. Until Tuesday, that is, at which point I knew he was done.
It could be bad for the Dems if McCain pulls the base back into the fold. I think the number of moderates going for him will be surprising.
Still, it’s a long time till November and anything could happen, especially if Hillary gets the nod.
Gordon, don’t be too sure that he won’t get that endorsement. If it happens, it will be tonight.
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February 7th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
On the local NPR station the day before yesterday a WaPo reporter talked about the history of candidate selection. He said the Rs pick someone early and then coalesce behind him, they usually choose the person who came in 2nd the last time. Clearly McCain fits that. Time will tell on the coalescing.
He said the Dems pick someone that no one would have given a chance a year ago. That’s means Obama. Nothing about coaslescing or anything happening “early.”
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February 7th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
All the palaver (from Romney) about how McCain wasn’t a real conservative… all the talk about how McCain has been on the wrong side of all those major pieces of legislation (such as McCain-Feingold, and McCain-Kennedy, etc.), after all that, Romney says he is suspending his campaign for the good of his party? And for the good of the country?
Give me a break, Mr. Romney. We didn’t all fall off the turnip truck this morning.
If McCain is such a sorry excuse for a Republican leader (as Romney was saying), then why cede the party’s nomination (and perhaps leadership of the country) to such a guy? For the good of the country and the party? How, to a truly conservative politician (which Romney claims to be), could that be good?
Actually, I think that Mitt pulled out because I think that Mitt was starting to see that his money was being flushed down the drain. He’s young enough to try this contest again in four years. I think that’s happening here.
For the good of Mitt Romney, is more like it.
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February 7th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
The best part of this today was the spewing by Rush, etc. The horror! “The end of the conservative movement as we know it!”
Thank God!
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February 7th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Could a McCain-Huckabee ticket be what it will take to reunite the Repub party?
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February 7th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Please please please oh please let this whole thing cause a schism within the GOP…
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February 7th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
McCain and Huck. Love thy neighbor…to death, through bombing.
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February 7th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
OT–
OK.
Here’s a rough update on the status of the Blog Swarm for Mid-South Tornado Relief…
I’m shocked, awed, and overwhelmed tonight!
At least a HUNDRED blogs from every aspect of the political spectrum have taken part in this swarm of goodness. I want to take a moment to thank Chuck Adkins, a blogger at the Town Hall Blog Community and other places for picking up my plea, and spreading it far and wide through the Conservative ‘sphere. He’s right– this isn’t about politics, but I had to somewhere.
It will be days before I get everyone thanked properly. But, I’m starting right now, and every day, I will post another set of Thank Yous, until either my fingers fall off and my eyes go blind, or I get to the end of the list. Let’s hope for the latter.
In the past 24-hours, we raised between $13,000 (minimum) to somewhere in the neighborhood of $92,000 for the Mid-South Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Mid-South Chapter of United Way.
I thank each and every one of you who participated in this immense act of Kindness– Bloggers and Donors alike. We made an enormous difference between HOPE and Despair today.
Damn, I’m proud of you all. I’ve never been so impressed and touched like this in my life. If there is a Statistician in the house, I’d LOVE for you to put the calipers on my numbers.
You can see how I derived this large range-spread at my place:
Monkeyfister
I don’t think that I am far off.
PLEASE pass this around, as there is no way in hell that I can reach everyone we has participated in this action in any sensible way.
All of my love, and two scoops of IOU to each and every one of you.
Your Friend, Fan and Admirer,
~Monkeyfister~
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February 7th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
David,
If you think McCain/Huckabee will unite the party, then you’re not paying attention. The base loathes Huckabee as much, if not more than, McCain. McCain/Huck would guarantee a Dem win.
Arratik,
Wish granted! See: Rush, Hannity, Coulter and of course Limbaugh. HUGE schism.
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February 7th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
are Rush and Limbaugh different people? I thought they were the same….although maybe all those drugs have caused a split in personality.
CM
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February 8th, 2008 at 7:26 am
Yes, it is now McCain’s to lose. And he will. No VP pick is going to help. The Republicans are feeling vulnerable and need to rally early around a candidate, any candidate, as soon as possible. McCain is getting endorsements and delegates. And with a smaller field of opponents he stands a chance to gain some “mo.” This is ultimately good news for Obama supporters.
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February 8th, 2008 at 8:17 am
MF – Thank you for the update and for everything you’re doing to draw attention to the tornado disaster earlier this week. I hope that a few more Hooligans will join me (I pitched in $50) in making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund by clicking one of the links that I’ve put at the top of the left-hand sidebar.
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February 8th, 2008 at 11:46 am
CM, LOL, no I was in a hurry to start watching Lost and didn’t proof-read.
I meant to say Laura Ingraham.
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February 9th, 2008 at 10:40 am
Bob, get your right wing nut cases straight. I know it’s difficult, they all blend so well that sometimes one can get confused. But please, this is serious business. By the way, I was listening to Glenn Medvid the other day talking to Bill Savage about gassing illegal alien invaders and….
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