Our prayers might be answered: Christie to decide on 2012 bid.

[Keystone Phil]

-coughfredthompsoncough-

Ok...uh...let's try not to use this every time someone gets into a contest "late."

[Ⓐnarchy in the ☭☭☭P!]

-coughfredthompsoncough-

Ok...uh...let's try not to use this every time someone gets into a contest "late."

Late doesn't do this justice.

[The Mikado]

Both 2003 and 2007 saw September entries that crashed and burned after initial success because the candidates were just getting their sea legs while everyone else was established.  Perry seems to be following this pattern as an August entry.  Surely, an October entry won't do any better.

[President von Cat]

Politico has run a blog post featuring comments by FL strategist Ana Navarro, which elaborates on what I was trying to say a few pages back:

Florida warning for Romney?

Mitt Romney's campaign has done a clever job of gaming the straw-poll circuit this cycle. By declaring that he simply wouldn't compete in these events, Romney has largely managed to write off unimpressive finishes in Iowa and Florida, while winning a lower-profile victory in Michigan.

But even if the perception hasn't been bad for Romney, the reality of the Iowa and Florida straw poll results isn't entirely encouraging.

Florida strategist Ana Navarro, who is supporting Jon Huntsman, emails five reasons why Romney's third-place finish in the Presidency 5 straw poll should be interpreted as a warning sign for the former Massachusetts governor:


    1) He has been coming to Florida and building a network here for over 6 years. Has been in the state countless times and the best he could do was get 14 percent?

    2) Many saw him as winning the debate and definitely besting Perry in the debate and yet, the best he could do was come in 3rd, and 23 points behind Cain?

    3) People who dropped their support for Perry, did not turn to Romney as an alternative. They turned to Herman Cain and just about everybody else but Romney.

    4) He had benefited from this being labeled and depicted as a two-man race between him and Perry. It's hard to still call it that.

    5) Mitt Romney has 100% name recognition amongst Florida Republicans. Less than 4 years ago, he spent lavishly in the state. And yet, people aren't going to him, they continue looking for a Romney alternative. People that haven’t gone with Romney-whether donors, activist, electeds, whatever — it's not because they don't know Romney, it is because they do know Romney and don’t want to go there. I heard that over and over again these last three days. After 6 years of campaigning in Florida, he is still not connecting.

The Rick Perry team made some of the same points yesterday. That was a tougher sell for them, though, since as Navarro points out, voters moved to Cain because they were rejecting both Romney and Perry.

But while Romney lowered expectations for his performance in the straw polls this season, some of his Florida supporters clearly thought he had an opportunity to stand out this weekend. State Sen. John Thrasher, a former state GOP chairman and Romney supporter, had predicted his candidate would do "very well" on Saturday.

It's not a shock at this point that conservatives aren't wildabout Mitt Romney. But even as his latest challenger of the month stumbles, it's worth remembering that Romney isn't close to closing the deal with the activist core of his own party. Or eliminating the demand for a new candidate in the field.

[Yelnoc]

Nice find, Bryan.  On another note, who's that in your signature?

[Averroës Nix]

To be clear. Jon Huntsman is practically irrelevant to this campaign, and anything written by his acolytes is likely to be so heavily biased that its connection to reality is loose and largely coincidental. Call me crazy

[President von Cat]

Nice find, Bryan.  On another note, who's that in your signature?

Hina Rabbani Khar, Foreign Minister of Pakistan. I think the Thai PM I had before is a lot sexier, though this FM definitely has it going on.

To be clear. Jon Huntsman is practically irrelevant to this campaign, and anything written by his acolytes is likely to be so heavily biased that its connection to reality is loose and largely coincidental. Call me crazy

Crazy? No. Missing the big picture? Definitely. You can't dismiss the strategists' argument because she is a Huntsman adviser, especially when she has no agenda. Huntsman isn't exactly on Romney's tail in Florida.

[Averroës Nix]

To be clear. Jon Huntsman is practically irrelevant to this campaign, and anything written by his acolytes is likely to be so heavily biased that its connection to reality is loose and largely coincidental. Call me crazy

Crazy? No. Missing the big picture? Definitely. You can't dismiss the strategists' argument because she is a Huntsman adviser, especially when she has no agenda. Huntsman isn't exactly on Romney's tail in Florida.

Huntsman has repeatedly emphasized the importance of Florida to his campaign, so I wouldn't be so quick to say that she doesn't have an agenda. (Besides, anyone affiliated with a campaign has an agenda by definition - getting their candidate elected.)

If I seemed to be overstating the case slightly, that was intentional. I was parodying Huntsman's famous tweet regarding global warming.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Hunstman said in interview that he planned to "place" in NH, take second in SC and bring it home in FL.

[California8429]

Hunstman said in interview that he planned to "place" in NH, take second in SC and bring it home in FL.

what is he smoking? That's literally the opposite of what he needs to do to win.

He needs to come in 1st or 2nd in NH, then place in Nevada, and then do well in Florida. 2nd in SC??? Not win NH??? His campaign would not last

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

It was either Meet the Press or ABC's "This Week W/ C. A. (You spell her name out? )".

But I remember he said "that he planed to place in NH, take second in SC, and bring it home in FL".

It was right after the debate where they were asked to raise there hands on whether or not they would vote for various debt deals.

[Psychic Octopus]

Hunstman said in interview that he planned to "place" in NH, take second in SC and bring it home in FL.

?

[Keystone Phil]

Hunstman said in interview that he planned to "place" in NH, take second in SC and bring it home in FL.

?

Rudy didn't seek to "place" in New Hampshire and certainly didn't expect to take second in South Carolina.

[Tender Branson]

I don't think he's going to run.

[Mehmentum]

If Christie runs, he'll be the next flavor of the week.  He'll be catapolted to the front by media hype just like Perry and Bachmann were. 

[Bull Moose Base]

I don't think he's going to run.

Agree but also think we'll be hearing this story until the race is wrapped up.

[hcallega]

First let me say that one of my friends is essentially family with Governor Christie. They talk regularly and my friend's father is one of Christie's closest friends. Of course that doesn't mean I have any great insight into Christie's mind, but I've heard a few things. The first is that he has no interest in running for President after just two years as Governor. The jobs not done yet, and it's a big jump in terms of campaigning ability and media coverage. Also, Christie is no fan of the Tea Party and doesn't want to have to kowtow before them. Plus, he likes Obama personally.

That all being said, I do see Christie on the short-list for VEEP for any GOP nominee. He would help among white working class voters in the Rust Belt, especially Pennsylvania and Ohio. He also gives the party a more practical voice, while not being cast as weak (as Huntsman has). Looking forward to 2016, I think that could be his year. He's a strong governor in a major media market who could appeal to a party looking for an alternative to the Tea Party (especially if Perry is nominated and loses in 2012).

[Eraserhead]

Tom Kean thinks he might run (if that means anything):

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/278388/kean-confirms-christie-boomlet-it-s-real-robert-costa

[Likely Voter]

This last gasp of the Christie buzz shows that much of the so called party establishment (and money) dont like anyone in the race. So the question is, where do they go once it becomes clear they have to choose between Romney or Perry (or maybe some for Huntsman).

Its possible that a lot of these folks will sit out the primaries or at least wait until the last minute

[Keystone Phil]

Tom Kean thinks he might run (if that means anything):

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/278388/kean-confirms-christie-boomlet-it-s-real-robert-costa

The dream is closer to reality...

[Tender Branson]

Tom Kean thinks he might run (if that means anything):

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/278388/kean-confirms-christie-boomlet-it-s-real-robert-costa

The dream is closer to reality...

Or not:

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[Bull Moose Base]

Rumor going around that Christie will announce Petraeus is running.

[Keystone Phil]

[Insula Dei]

Rumor going around that Christie will announce Petraeus is running.

Yay Petraeus is a much more interesting candidate than the boring New Jersey bully.

[Keystone Phil]

Rumor going around that Christie will announce Petraeus is running.

Yay Petraeus is a much more interesting candidate than the boring New Jersey bully.

Petraeus more interesting than Christie? What?