Brushfires Of Freedom
How is it that Ron Paul finishes dead last in Florida, doesn’t even break double digits, and walks away with the best post-primary speech of the night – from Nevada, no less? Here’s a clue: “An irate, tireless minority does very well in caucus states,” Paul told the crowd, noting that the campaign is currently running third in the delegates count and promising to rack up more down the road.
“People are beginning to realize that the problem is too much government, that we need more personal liberty,” Paul said. “There are many brushfires of freedom being lit across the country today.”
Mitt Romney, who ran away with 46 percent of the vote, rolled out a slight variation of his standard stump speech, referencing love of America only 178 times in less than 10 minutes, landing some nice jabs at Obama while touting his own, ahem, conservative credentials and assuring that the GOP primaries are molding a stronger candidate.
“A competitive primary does not divide us; it prepares us – and we will win,” Romney said. “My leadership will end the Obama era and begin a new era of American prosperity.”
“Three years ago this week, a newly elected President Obama faced the American people and said, ‘If I can’t turn this economy around in three years, you’re looking at a one-term proposition,'” Romney said. “And we’re here to collect.”
Newt Gingrich actually did not win the Florida primary, although it’s hard to tell for certain from his quasi-concession speech, where he promises more fundamentally, radically and profoundly big something. Ideas, I think.
“It is now clear that this will be a two-person race between the conservative leader, Newt Gingrich,” Newt Gingrich said, “and the Massachusetts moderate, and the voters of Florida made that clear.”
And this: “I pledge to you my life, my fortune, my sacred honor.” I guess two out of three ain’t bad coming from a serial adulterer who made sacks of loot lobbying for Fannie Mae Freddie Mac.
Rick Santorum weighs in with a heartfelt update on his 3-year-old daughter Bella’s health (doing better), before promising to remain above the fray that devolved Florida’s primary into gut-punch politics, while emphasizing his positions on everything from healthcare to bailouts that he says make him the best bet to paint a clear conservative contrast to Obama.
“We didn’t get into the melee of the negativeness [in Florida],” Santorum told the crowd. “The American public doesn’t want to see two or three candidates get into a mud-wrestling match where everybody walks away dirty and not in a position to represent our party proudly.”
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