A Time Machine In Florida

SANFORD -- Step into the time machine, and we;re back in 2007, when Mitt Romney and John McCain are sparring over who can unify conservatives and who's a flip-flopper. Rudy Giuliani? A before-thought to the degree that today, he's an after-thought.

There was no comity left from which the final day of campaigning could further degenerate, and the charges, prosecuted today by both candidates at Sanford International Airport, were flying as fast and loose as a Lear Jet.

Romney called McCain "desperate" and accused him of making things up. He called him a "liberal" for working on an immigration compromise with a liberal Democrat like Joe Lieberman.

McCain expanded his attack on Romney's record in Massachusetts. "One thing I think we should really give Governor Romney credit for -- he is consistent," McCain said. "He has consistently taken both sides of any major issue. He has consistently flip-flopped on every issue."

On AM talk radio, McCain's campaign is airing ads that say that Republicans "can't afford Mitt Romney," who the ads claim "loses to Hillary Clinton by 16 points." Only McCain "can stop Hillary Clinton." Another says Romney's record in Massachusetts "should scare every Florida Republican. Four hundred million dollars."

Unaffiliated supporters of McCain are calling supporters of Rudy Giuliani calling a vote for Giuliani a "waste." Here in Sanford, they put fliers labeled "MItt-Flop" on the windshields of Romney's guests.

Earlier in the day, according to CBS News's Scott Conroy, Romney mentioned "a story" he once read where McCain said he had given some thought to being Sen. John Kerry's running mate in 2004." "Had someone asked me that question, there would not have been a nanosecond of thought about it," Romney said. "It would have been an immediate laugh.”

In Sanford, Romney cited a litany of McCain "accomplishments" that he said reflected the Arizonan's liberal apostasy, including the McCain-Lieberman trade-and-cap emissions program.

“There’s another guy running on our side, Sen. McCain... a good man, a hero...his views on the economy, well, I think are sort of summed up by his own statement that it’s not really something he understands that well. He’s said that a couple of times. Well, I do understand the economy, and I’m not going to be being any vice president to John McCain, either. That’s not going to happen.”

If Romney has one advantage heading into tomorrow's it in his campaign vast architecture. State director Mandy Fletcher presides over 11 staff members, dozens of near-full time volunteers and hundreds of part-time volunteers.

"Sen. McCain and our folks are tied here in Florida, and so that means we've got to get our folks out," Romney said in Sanford, gesturing to a roped off ad hoc phone bank, where volunteers used cell phones and call scripts to rope in supporters.

Tracking polls conducted for a statewide ballot initiative campaign jibe with three public polls showing a dead heat.

Comments

McCain For President!!
Do you want to see how clear his message is?
Do you want to learn how much of a straight talk is he?
Do you want to learn how much Honesty this man has to share with everyone?
Then watch this video and learn..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioy90nF2anI

McCain For PRESIDENT!!!

Posted by Roger | January 28, 2008 4:28 PM

McCain is just another NIXON.

He'll say anything and do anything for power. He's nothing but a lifelong beauracrat with no executive experience. He has no understanding of Economics or business. He actually has a disdain for the private sector, the constitution, and private property rights.

IE:
McCain Feingold
McCain Leiberman
McCain Kenney

OSHA
EPA
and most aggregious of all!
PRICE CONTROLS

We don't need another Nixon with Scores to settle while driving the economy into ruin.

Posted by clarkca | January 28, 2008 4:35 PM

John McCain 2008 = Bob Dole 1996 redux

John McCain + Juan Hernandez + George Soros = GOP loses November 2008.

Picture a young, tall and handsome Obama standing next to an old, short and plain John McCain at the last three presidential debates in October 2008 = GOP loses November 2008.

Posted by sheryl | January 28, 2008 4:56 PM

Floridians are WAY too smart to vote for McCain. 2/3 of the Republican base HATES McCain, and will band together to make sure he never sets foot in the White House. He is the OPPOSITE of the conservative leader we want. We want someone who is a positive leader, someone who knows how to get the job done. McCain has done NOTHING in 25 years, even though he tried really hard to push 3 pieces of liberal legislation..McCain-Feingold-reduce Freedom of Speech, McCain-Kennedy-- amnesty, and McCain-Lieberman...raise your taxes on fuel so you can singlehandedly halt global warming to the tune of an extra $1000 a year! Wow. Notice the liberal Democratic affiliation in all of these? He's egotistical, not confident, (big difference here), dropped his sick first wife to marry a rich younger gal; Incompetence is his middle name...bottom 5% of his navy class, and doesn't know the first thing about business and economics. He has admitted his weakness in this over and over again. I could go on for another 5 paragraphs, but you get the idea. Please vote for the leader we can all get behind, Mitt Romney!

Posted by WendiR8 | January 28, 2008 4:57 PM

"Picture a young, tall and handsome Obama standing next to an old, short and plain John McCain at the last three presidential debates in October 2008 = GOP loses November 2008."

You just copy and paste this into every comment box you can find, right?

Anyway, it's nonsense. They won't see the old and the young; they'll see inexperience and experience. The contrast will be strong, no doubt, but not in the way you're suggesting.

Posted by Punditish | January 28, 2008 5:42 PM

They'll see McCain sputtering and stammering, just like he did in response to Ron Paul's economic question.

McCain doesn't deserve to be nominated, let alone president.

Posted by Bjorn | January 28, 2008 7:20 PM

"McCain doesn't deserve to be nominated, let alone president."

Well, I can't argue with such ironclad logic. Thanks for contributing to the discussion.

Posted by Punditish | January 28, 2008 7:23 PM

Anyway, it's nonsense. They won't see the old and the young; they'll see inexperience and experience. The contrast will be strong, no doubt, but not in the way you're suggesting.
Posted by Punditish

They will see in McCain and Obama two men who never held a full-time job in the private sector.
McCain, in his way, is likely sort of a record-holder, having never gotten a paycheck from age 17 to 71 that was not signed by the US Federal Government.

Neither who have significant executive experience.

They will see an old guy 30 years Inside the Beltway who is not a good debater who is detested by half his Party still milking his POW Victimhood (6X longer than Rudy milked being Mr, 9/11) and his mediocre Naval Career- up against a superb speaker, DC Outsider, and higher intelligence guy of great charisma.

But an Obama-Romney contest? A gifted orator and smart guy up against a slightly strange, truly brilliant man of great executive success - both articulately offering an American Future, not the McCain-HIllary 60s battles carrying on not just 40 years but maybe until the last baby boomer dies 50 years from now? That would be the most exciting and forward-leaning contest since JFK_Nixon in 1960.

Let's hope the treacherous McCain doesn't get the nomination. He is the preferred candidate of the Democrats and media simply because he is old warhorse, no new ideas - Bob Dole Version 2.0

Worse actually, because McCain lacks the intelligence, great leadership skills, and deep respect of both Parties that Bob Dole had.

Posted by chris ford | January 28, 2008 7:36 PM

Mitt Romney can not be trusted. He will say anything and pay anything to win. Just look at the debate, Romney cheated. Do you want someone dishonest and deceptive as our president? Don't believe me? Look at these 3 videos. Romney has someone telling him what to say. And yes, the prompts are in the original video feed. Romney's cheating tells us a lot about his character. I want a president that has integrity and Romney proves here he does not.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NlIMQ31EjY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wfWDOxZkEM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK408oqEyOU

Posted by Dan | January 28, 2008 8:00 PM

chris, I was going to respond to your comment, but then I saw your use of the word "treachous." Anyone who uses words like that ("betrayal" is another favorite of the crazies) is too far gone to reason with. McCain has not violated any oath. He has not committed treason, or betrayed anyone or anything.

I'm sad that this primary has devolved into such insanity. Thankfully, my sadness is tempered when I remind myself that the people who make these claims are in the extreme minority, and when they get louder, it's because they've begun to realize it.

Posted by Punditish | January 28, 2008 8:33 PM

McCain For President!
Do you want to learn how much of a Straight talk McCain is?
Would you like to see how much honesty to give McCain has?
Then watch this video and learn:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioy90nF2anI

McCain For President!

Posted by Roger | January 29, 2008 8:25 AM

There's no such thing as "Straight Talk" it's called "Full of crap Talk". Hiding behind the military to attack another poltiical rival was shameless to overcompensate for his shortcomings or lack of knowledge in economics.

McCain's flip flops on immigration are terrible. How this man claims the high ground on national defense/GWOT when he didn't even realize we need to secure the border is beyond me. Only now that the overwhelming outcry against his amnesty bill is being heard does he flip to "securing the border".

I'll give him one thing...he's right that he doesn't know much about the economy. That's the only straight talk I've heard.

The GOP needs to learn that Romney supports the GWOT, he's the most competent candidate out there, he's right on immigration, and he's the best one to get America's struggling economy on the right track. He made a living of going into complex organizations, trimming ineffeciencies and making them simpler, stronger and more competitive and achieving real results.

Posted by MJ | January 29, 2008 1:01 PM

Don't be such an idiot about the Romney conspiracy theories. They are ridiculous. Why don’t you just admit to why you really don’t like him, his religion? And don’t use the flip flop excuse because McCain has filled on more issues than I can count. Problem is, unlike Mitt, he has flipped in the wrong direction.

Posted by Aaron | January 29, 2008 2:11 PM

Ron Paul 2008!

Posted by John Foster | January 29, 2008 5:42 PM