What Happened to Republican Enthusiasm?
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on January 4th, 2012 5:38 am by HL
What Happened to Republican Enthusiasm?
John Avlon: “The most ominous sign for the GOP might be the low turnout in Iowa after the Tea Party-driven enthusiasms of 2010. Roughly 123,000 of 640,000 registered Republicans in the state turned out to vote, along the lines of 2008, when dueling Democrats absorbed most of the electoral energy.”
Romney Pivots, Santorum Hones In
Before the final result of the Iowa caucuses were even known, the two candidates at the top of the leader board — Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum — gave dueling speeches that reflected the differences in their respective messages.
Rick Santorum focused his speech on his working class background and his economic message, and he shared personal stories about his family and how his experiences have shaped his politics. The message: Santorum is looking for Iowa to propel him into the spotlight and carry him through a longer primary calendar.
In a speech directly following Santorum’s, Mitt Romney spent a considerable portion of his speech criticizing President Obama’s policies on the economy (and briefly on Iran) and seemed to welcome the competition in New Hampshire. The message: Romney is hoping to wrap up the nomination early with an eye to a longer general election.