John King, USA
Be in the know: Today's political bullet points
Everyday we ask influential politicos to send us their top three bullet points that are driving the day's conversation in and outside Washington:
Senior Editor of MarioWire.com Mario Solis-Marich:
– Memories: Gingrich vows to keep going even in the event of a humiliating loss tonight and GOP insiders remember his history of scorched earth tactics.
– Real Time Assessments: Romney has decided that he is willing to defend his much aligned tax strategy, revealing that his campaign may be more out of touch than originally believed.
– Predictions: Colorado’s top power brokering Latinas are leading a gathering on March 2nd to put muscle behind a state bill that would allow undocumented students access to in-state tuition fees – and the smart money is behind them.
RedState.Com Editor Erick-Woods Erickson:
– We know Mitt Romney will win tonight. Polls are too consistent. The margin of victory is the question. Right now, he is averaging ten to twelve points ahead. If less than that, we need to wonder about two things: (1) Did Newt and his super PAC spring up a ground game quickly? or (2) with 1/6 of Florida's vote coming in early and the bulk of that right after South Carolina, does a close race mean Newt did have momentum that impacted the outcome?
– Karen Handel lost to Nathan Deal in the 2010 Republican Gubernatorial Primary runoff. She was harshly attacked in the runoff as being a closeted abortion proponent despite being pro-life. After losing, she went to work for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which today announced it would stop funding Planned Parenthood. Coincidence?
– Conventional wisdom has finally caught up with me. On JKUSA a couple of weeks ago, I noted that evangelicals probably would move from Santorum to Romney, as polls suggested at the time – not to Gingrich. Today, a Marist poll shows that probably would happen. We're just now starting to see evangelicals reacting to the Gingrich marital issues highlighted by the ABC News report. Keep an eye on the Florida Panhandle tonight to see how Florida evangelicals break.
Editor's Note: The blog is a place for a freewheeling exchange of ideas and opinions. CNN does not endorse anything said by its contributors.
About this Show:
Your daily destination for political news. Join John each night as he pulls back the curtain on Washington, cuts through the partisan noise, and gets to the bottom of stories that affect you.
John King, USA aired weekdays at 6pm ET. The final show aired June 29, 2012.
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Having moved to Georgia from DC, I am all to aware of the Republican population living here in the bible belt. What is so very sad and disturbing about the Republican voter is that they most likely will just go into the voting booth and pull the Republican lever as a vote against President Obama. The racist statements and totally uninformed opinions I have heard from white people here in the South has been shocking, to say the least (and I am white). There is very little intelligence or even an attempt to get educated about our government, and your Republican pundits certainly don't help with their slanted spin (please get Ari Fleischer OFF the program). I guess since Obama is running uncontested, this is why we are drowning in Republican political programming rhetoric. Having worked on The Hill for 25 years, I find the whole Republican platform to be frightening for this country, with narrow and hypocritical viewpoints at best. One thing I wish your news people would do is connect the dots to the Bush administration and all of the dangerous decisions that were made, which carried over into the Obama administration, instead of allowing everyone to blame Obama for EVERYTHING, as if he is our first president.
I aywals wanted a pony. Unfortunately, I grew up in a coal patch and surely the neighbors would object! I've long suspected that this new version of the GOP is tripping out in an alternate universe, where the laws of physics don't apply here's the proof!
I agree with Chris. I don't know much about Huckabee, but based on what I've heard I think once the scrutiny satrts coming on strong he'll be dropping fast in the polls and I don't think he stands a chance in the actual primary. I think it's a momentary blip and we'll see either Giuliani or Romney win in Iowa, with Huckabee in somewhere in the 3rd to 5th range, or lower if he emits a Dean-like scream on camera in the next few weeks. Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!On the other hand, it would be kind of fun to have him in the white house if for no other reason than his name. President Huckabee? Sounds like the head of the Fraternal Organization of Carnival Workers or something.