Despite Gingrich win, Democrats still fixated on Romney
Jan 22 07:00 PM US/Eastern
A top Democratic lawmaker sarcastically welcomed struggling Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney to Florida Sunday ahead of a critical primary, in a sign the White House is focused on taking him down more than rival Newt Gingrich. Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz welcomed all four Republican candidates to her home state of Florida, which is next in line in the nominating contest, one day after Gingrich thumped longtime frontrunner Romney to win the South Carolina primary.
But she trained her taunts squarely at Romney -- just as her DNC committee has done for months -- belittling the former Massachusetts governor for squandering his lead in South Carolina and saying his campaign's economic themes were "cratering."
"He came into South Carolina with a 20 point lead -- a state where jobs and the economy is the number one issue, like it is in state after state around the country. Romney, who has staked his entire candidacy on these issues, saw his support collapse," she said in a statement.
"He's been exposed as having plans and policies that would keep his taxes low, and make them even lower, while doing nothing for the middle class," she said.
"The people of South Carolina also began to see what Romney's brand of free enterprise really is: destroying companies and jobs to enrich himself while working families suffer."
Multi-millionaire Romney has sought to deflect attacks that he built his vast fortune while firing workers, and has come under fire for not releasing his tax records, fueling suspicion he was hiding something ahead of the pivotal Florida vote. He said Sunday he would release them this week.
Romney is seen as the relative moderate of the four major Republican candidates battling for the right to square off against President Barack Obama in November's election.
While the party's core conservatives view him with suspicion, he has the support of establishment Republicans, and the White House clearly sees Romney as their greatest threat to Obama winning a second term.
"Mitt's no job creator, and he is no champion for Floridians," Wasserman Schultz said, adding that residents in her state "have no interest in a corporate raider who led companies to bankruptcy, outsourced jobs and destroyed communities."
"I wish Mitt Romney the best of luck here in Florida, it seems he may need it because the more voters learn about Mitt Romney, the less they like him."
Romney has a substantial lead in Florida according to opinion polls, and nationally he is seen as the Republican who would fare best in a head-to-head matchup with Obama, although that lead has shrunk in the past week.
Florida's January 31 primary is seen as critical because it could either confirm Gingrich's momentum, or restore Romney as the frontrunner. |
