Afternoon Fix: Perry mocks Romney with ringtone
Mitt Romney is mocked by rivals for firing comment, the Club for Growth wants Gingrich to knock it off, Huntsman is gearing up for South Carolina and Scott Brown is riding high.
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EARLIER ON THE FIX:
What Bill Daley taught the White House
Bill Daley to serve as co-chair of Obama re-election campaign
Ron Paul’s relationship with press getting testy
The 2012 presidential campaign in one chart
Iowa caucuses prediction contest: We have a winner!
Mitt-frontation: Why Romney doesn’t like to be challenged
Just how bad was Rick Santorum’s 2006 reelection loss? Really bad.
Jon Huntsman borrows from John McCain
Why a long primary fight might be better for Republicans
Anti-Romney Bain attacks hit South Carolina
Newt Gingrich compares himself to Charlie Rose
Can Mitt Romney lose in New Hampshire?
WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
* Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney made a comment today that is sure to haunt him. Talking about being able to cut off health insurance companies that provide poor service, Romney said, “I like being able to fire people who provide services to me.” John Weaver, senior strategist for former Utah governor Jon Huntsman, responded in a statement that “John Kerry's legacy lives on with Mitt Romney.” Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s campaign went a step further — they’ve made the quote into a ringtone. The Romney campaign sent around a fact sheet clarifying that he was talking about firing health-insurance providers and the quote was taken out of context.
* A new Pew poll finds that Republican voters are still unenthusiastic about their options in 2012. Only 51 percent of Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters say their candidates are excellent or good; 44 percent say they are fair or poor. In January 2008, 68 percent of Republicans said they had a good candidate roster.
* Gingrich has set up a new website attacking Romney’s “pious baloney.” The site features a video of Gingrich using the line during Sunday’s MSNBC debate after Romney claimed he was not a professional politician.
* The Club for Growth, which has been pretty critical of Romney, is defending the candidate against attacks from Gingrich on his Bain record. “Newt Gingrich’s attacks on Mitt Romney’s record at Bain Capital are disgusting,” aid Club for Growth President Chris Chocola in a statement. “Attacking Governor Romney for participating in free-market capitalism is just beyond the pale.”
* Fergus Cullen, the former chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party, has endorsed Huntsman. The candidate’s intense focus on the Granite State appears to be finally paying off — he is steadily gaining in polls there over the past week.
WHAT YOU SHOULDN’T MISS:
* A super PAC supporting Romney has bought $2.3 million of airtime in South Carolina, the same day that a super PAC backing former House speaker Newt Gingrich announced a $3.4 million buy in the state. All signs point to a ugly showdown coming in the Palmetto state.
* Huntsman is buying air time in South Carolina starting tomorrow, Weaver told The Fix — a sign that the campaign is feeling good about New Hampshire and already looking to the next fight. A super PAC supporting Huntsman might also buy time in the state soon.
* Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) brought in $3.2 million in the last quarter of 2011, a typically impressive haul for the vulnerable freshman. Over the course of last year Brown raised just under $8.5 million raised, and he has approximately $12.8 million cash on hand. Harvard Law Professor Elizabeth Warren (D) hasn’t released her numbers yet, but she’ll likely rake in a ton of cash.
* Former Euphora Mayor Henry Ross is challenging freshman Rep. Alan Nunnelee (R-Miss.) in the GOP primary for his 1st district seat. Ross battled Nunnelee in the primary in 2010 and lost by nearly 20 percent.
* Politics and Pints is tonight! Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night will keep us from holding trivia tonight, so come on out. Capitol Lounge, 7 P.M., but get there early for prime seating.
THE FIX MIX:
What IS rapping?
With Rachel Weiner and Aaron Blake
- Spam
- Obscene
- Duplicate
Blog Contributors
Chris Cillizza
Chris Cillizza is founder and editor of The Fix, a leading blog on state and national politics. He is the author of The Gospel According to the Fix: An Insider’s Guide to a Less than Holy World of Politics and an MSNBC contributor and political analyst. He also regularly appears on NBC and NPR’s The Diane Rehm Show. He joined The Post in 2005 and was named one of the top 50 journalists by Washingtonian in 2009.
Juliet Eilperin
Juliet Eilperin covers the White House for the Washington Post. She served as the Post's House of Representatives reporter from 1998-2004, covering the impeachment of Bill Clinton, lobbying, legislation, and five national congressional campaigns. Since 2004 she has been one of the country’s leading reporters covering the environment, reporting on science, policy and politics in areas including climate change, oceans, and air quality. She is the author of two books, "Fight Club Politics: How Partisanship is Poisoning the House of Representatives," and "Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks." Follow her on Twitter.
Ed O’Keefe
Ed O’Keefe covers Congress and politics for the Washington Post. He previously covered the 2008 and 2012 campaigns and reported on federal agencies and federal employees as author of The Federal Eye blog. Follow Ed on Twitter.
Aaron Blake
Aaron Blake covers national politics at the Washington Post, where he writes regularly for “The Fix,” the Post’s top political blog. A Minnesota native and summa cum laude graduate of the University of Minnesota, Aaron has also written about politics for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and The Hill newspaper. Aaron and his wife, Danielle, live in Annandale, Va. Follow him on Twitter.
Sean Sullivan
Sean Sullivan covers national politics for “The Fix.” Prior to joining the Washington Post in the summer of 2012, Sean was the editor of Hotline On Call, National Journal Hotline’s politics blog. He has also worked for NHK Japan Public Broadcasting and ABC News. Sean is a graduate of Hamilton College, where he received a degree in Philosophy. He lives in Washington, D.C. Follow Sean on Twitter.
Scott Clement
Scott Clement is a survey research analyst for Capital Insight, the independent polling group of Washington Post Media. Scott specializes in public opinion about politics, election campaigns and public policy. He helps design and analyze all Washington Post polls, including the Washington Post-ABC News poll. Follow Scott on Twitter.
Rachel Weiner
Rachel Weiner covers national politics for Post Politics and The Fix. She came to the Washington Post in 2010 as a political web editor and anchored the Post's 2012 election blog. She was previously a web editor at The Huffington Post. Follow her on Twitter.
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