NBC ‘Rock Center’ GOP Debate From Tampa Bay Tweet-By-Tweet

Mitt Romney with former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. Romney’s “Charlie Crist” problem is this: Romney’s chief campaign strategist and several of his most senior campaign staff were Charlie Crist’s top political advisers — the same ones who crafted Crist’s moderate, ignore-the-tea-party strategy epitomized by Crist’s famous “hug” of President Barack Obama. That strategy led Crist, once the most popular Republican governor in the nation, to defeat. Caption & Image Credit: NewsMax

NBC ‘Rock Center’ GOP Debate From Tampa Bay Tweet-By-Tweet

With barely enough time to soak in the resounding and unexpected win in the South Carolina primary by former insider turned outsider, Newt Gingrich, NBC News Rock Center with Brian Williams is conducting the first of two televised GOP field debates before the Florida primary.

The primary result in South Carolina (Newt – 40% vs Mitt – 28% … a 12% spread) put egg on the faces of many recognizable Republican leadership faces, the most recognizable of which was the 2008 presidential election’s Republican nominee, John McCain, New Jersey Governor Chris Cristie, and past Republican Political Party leader, Hailey Barbour. This potential Republican ‘ruling class’ drubbing may continue in Florida if the most recent polls from Rasmussen are to be believed:

This excerpted and edited from Rasmussen Reports -

2012 Florida Republican Primary
Florida GOP Primary: Gingrich 41%, Romney 32%
Monday, January 23, 2012

Less than two weeks ago, Mitt Romney had a 22-point lead in Florida, but that’s ancient history in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Following his big win in South Carolina on Saturday, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich now is on top in Florida by nine.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Florida Republican Primary Voters, taken Sunday evening, finds Gingrich earning 41% of the vote with Romney in second at 32%. Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum runs third with 11%, while Texas Congressman Ron Paul attracts support from eight percent (8%). Nine percent (9%) remain undecided.(To see survey question wording, click here).
[Reference Here]

Further, the liberal press is having a field day trying to raster and vector their definition of Gingrich to the point that they are dredging up ghosts of the past … by over 40 years – EXAMPLE:

JON MEACHAM in TIME, “Meet Newt Nixon: Forget Reagan. Gingrich’s real political analogue is another angry striver: Richard Nixon”:

“Like Nixon, Gingrich is smart, with a wide-ranging and entrepreneurial mind. Like Nixon, Gingrich is a striver who seems insecure around traditional establishment figures even though he has achieved much more than nearly all of the politicians, editors, and reporters he seems to at once loathe and fear. Like Nixon, Gingrich is fluent in the vernacular of cultural populism, brilliantly casting contemporary American life in terms of an overarching conflict between ‘real’ people and distant ‘elites’ …
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“There is another element of the 2012 story with antecedents in 1968 that is yet to play out. ‘Watching George Romney [the father of Mitt Romney] run for the Presidency,’ said the then Governor of Ohio, James Rhodes, ‘was like watching a duck try to make love to a football.’ I’m not entirely sure what that means, except that it was an undertaking that did not quite work.”
(ht: Mike Allen – Politico Playbook)

With three winners in three primaries, pretzel logic from elites of all stripe pervades the first round of primaries and continues on to Florida. The Republican elite love to claim that Mitt Romney is the most electable candidate for presidential nominee, but this flies in the face of the fact that now, after South Carolina, Mitt has only won 9 of 25 electoral races he has been entered and campaigned in … as per Rush Limbaugh. Further, NewsMax reports that Romney’s advisers in Florida were former Governor Charlie Crist’s GOP defecting political advisers … gotta’ love them ‘moderates’.

Lastly, the vote in South Carolina reflects the fact that Conservative Republicans are tired that no Republican candidate ever takes the Democrat Political Party and it’s supporting power arms in the Mainstream Press, the Courts, and Labor Unions to task … does Romney? – NO … does Santorum? – NO … does Paul – NO … does Gingrich – YES!

Participating in the NBC Rock Center debate event from Tampa Bay, Florida: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.

The following audit trail of real-time postings are 140 character (or less) responses and reactions found on Twitter in this and this is a process of reporting termed “Tweet-By-Tweet”!

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TheEDJEEdmund Jenks – IT’S OVER FOR MITT – Romney Campaign Run by Charlie Crist’s Political Aides tinyurl.com/7n97zh3 #tcot #tlot #loser #fldebate #politisite

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politicalmathPoliticalMath – I’m watching the debate tonight (in 15 minutes) over here on.msnbc.com/xZ5IMp

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theblazeTheBlaze.com – VID – Watch and Chat LIVE: Republicans Take the Stage at University of South Florida Debate theblaze.com/stories/join-t… via @theblaze TG

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START OF DEBATE – Rules: 60 seconds/30 seconds

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jdhenchmanJoe Henchman – TiVo tells me that tonight’s Republican debate is actually “Fear Factor: Leeches & Shaved Heads & Tear Gas Part 1″

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Jamie_WeinsteinJamie Weinstein – Gingrich looks tired, no?

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AlexPappasDCAlex Pappas – First question of the night goes to Gingrich on electability

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CommentaryCommentary Magazine – RT @tobincommentary: Is Brian Williams ready to get attacked by Gingrich? #FLDebate

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LibertyLynxR – Another debate? What time? Why? How? And then the State of the Union tomorrow? It’s too much. No one can possibly survive this.

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secuppS.E. Cupp – Brian Williams opens the debate by pointing out that Ron Paul is only candidate not to have won a primary.

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politicalmathPoliticalMath – RT @fivethirtyeight: Gingrich played the Reagan Card a world record 3.26 seconds into the debate.

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TPMTalking Points Memo – Newt saying he “took responsibility” and left Speakership on his own, wasn’t dragged out at all

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politicalmathPoliticalMath – How does Romney connect? With a high-speed LAN! Get it?!?

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EdMorrisseyEdMorrissey – so the debates are now a forum on ads and campaign attacks. Yeah, that’s valuable.

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DLoeschDana Loesch – Romney likely won’t mention Gingrich was cleared. #FLdebate

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hughhewittHugh Hewitt – #hhrs #tcot “The members of his own Congressional team moved to replace him and 88% of Republicans voted to rebuke him” #hhrs

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ToadonaWireL – How long do we spend on electability? Can we talk about REAL issues? #nbcdebate #FLdebate

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secuppS.E. Cupp – Counting down seconds before Ron Paul or Rick Santorum interject to ask if they can play too.

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politicalmathPoliticalMath – RT @philipaklein: Sounds like Romney has read his @tpcarney bit.ly/zL4VZ3

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Finally … Santorum, Paul must be in the on-deck circle

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rightstaceStacey – Mitt -stop Newt-bashing! — how does that help America?

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TPMTalking Points Memo – Romney on Gingrich: An “influence peddler” in Washington

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mattklewisMatt K. Lewis – I kind of miss the applause.

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politicalmathPoliticalMath – Santorum: “Any kind of prediction is going to be wrong” Except for that one.

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CommentaryCommentary Magazine – RT @tobincommentary: Santorum brags about his Pennsylvania victories again. 2006 landslide defeat goes, as always, unmentioned. #FLDebate

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hughhewittHugh Hewitt – RT @fatherz: Ss answer about loss in PA was pretty good. #gop #fldebate #dickmorriss #hhrs #catholic #hhrs

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And finally … Ron Paul

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politicalmathPoliticalMath – Ron Paul: “If you’re looking at the kids these days, I’m a huge winner.” Yeah, the AAYP beats the AARP every day of the week.

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FlapGregory Flap Cole – Ron Paul hammers Gingrich on not being re-elected to Speakership = Newt did not have the votes and he didn’t! Ron Paul for historian

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craig_crawfordCraig Crawford – Brian Williams told debate crowd they can’t react, should have handed out gags with NBC logo

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IngrahamAngleLaura Ingraham – Tepid Qs from Rock Left.

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GaltsGirlMichelle Ray -@PWKennedy Everyone should snort beer during GOP debates. It’s the only thing that makes them tolerable.

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mattklewisMatt K. Lewis – Romney pivots from talking about his taxes to talking about the American people’s taxes. Nice segue.

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brooksbaynebrooks bayne – romney is proud of paying lotsa taxes. weirdo.

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politicalmathPoliticalMath – Romney: “I don’t a dollar more taxes than I owe” Good line.

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DonIrvineDonIrvine – What kind of a question was that? He’s wealthy and pays taxes.

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hughhewittHugh Hewitt – Second tax return question. #hhrs

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ToadonaWireL – So far, we have had 23 minutes of fail #FLdebate NBC Brian Williams sucks

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politicalmathPoliticalMath – RT @daveweigel: Romney tax returns to reveal that he constantly makes, loses $10,000 bets to people. #FLdebate

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secuppS.E. Cupp – Mitt on attacks on his wealth: Yes, I was surprised to see Republicans pick up the weapons of the left.

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GPollowitzGreg Pollowitz – Romney should say, “my tax return will show I paid what I owed, unlike Geithner, Sharpton, Daschle, Rangel…”

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politicalmathPoliticalMath – RT @JonahNRO: Brian! Not so loud! You’ll wake the audience.

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SooperMexicanel SOOPer – this debate is so dull without an audience it won’t matter who wins it. #FLDebate #hhrs

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michaelemlongmichaelemlong – bit.ly/yvkMq7 Gingrich Super PAC Head: Romney Is a Medicare Fraudster but Will It Matter? #tcot #tcot_talk #teaparty #sgp #right #gop

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CommentaryCommentary Magazine – RT @tobincommentary: Romney talks about creating jobs in his career and not apologizing for free enterprise. His best argument. #FLDebate

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DonIrvineDonIrvine – I don’t think this debate is going to change anyone’s mind, but it should stop the bleeding for Romney. #FLdebate

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brooksbaynebrooks bayne – no newt axes! #fldebate

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CommentaryCommentary Magazine – RT @alanagoodman: Romney backs Gingrich into a corner on his claim to work as an historian for Freddie Mac #FLdebate

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jdhenchmanJoe Henchman – Gingrich on his Freddie deal: “I offered strategic advice, largely based on my knowledge of history, including the history of Washington”

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CommentaryCommentary Magazine – RT @tobincommentary: Romney reminds Gingrich he said he was paid as a historian. Says historian don’t get paid that kind of money. #FLDebate

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craig_crawfordCraig Crawford – One-Percenter Smackdown: Bain vs. Freddie Mac

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Crawford is an idiot … Freddie MAC is a one-percent that was funded by the taxpayer and ended up killing our economy, and it is still there screwing the American people

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EdMorrisseyEdMorrisse – “Ill say this in Florida” I don’t think Medicare Part D is terribly unpopular there. #FLDebate

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mattklewisMatt K. Lewis – Gingrich says he is proud to have advocated Medicare Part D.

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BREAK

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Read The Rest @ Politisite>>