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    Romney concedes 'uphill climb' in South Carolina

    By KASIE HUNT | Associated Press – Wed, Jan 11, 2012

    COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Wednesday he has "an uphill climb" to win South Carolina's presidential primary but is ready to defend himself from the "underbelly" of politics in a state known for bare-knuckled tactics.

    Boarding a plane for the flight to Columbia, S.C., to campaign for the Jan. 21 primary, Romney said he's prepared for the direct and indirect attacks that are sure to come from Newt Gingrich and other rivals for the GOP nomination.

    "Politics ain't bean bags and I know it's going to get tough and no one's going to be happy if things are said that are untrue. But I know that is sometimes part of the underbelly of politics," the former Massachusetts governor said when asked if he was prepared for a whisper campaign about his Mormon religion or other aspects of his background.

    "I hope no one associated with any of my effort, whether it's my own campaign or anyone else that's supporting me, I hope none of them do anything that departs from the truth," he said.

    Romney said he was surprised that Gingrich was so aggressively attacking his past tenure at the private equity firm Bain Capital. Gingrich, soundly defeated in the first two Republican contests, has gone after the front-running Romney as a former venture capitalist who earned millions through buyouts of companies that ultimately cost people their jobs.

    "We understood for a long time that the Obama people would come after free enterprise. (I'm) a little surprised to see Newt Gingrich as the first witness for the prosecution but I don't think that's going to hurt my efforts," Romney said. "Frankly, if I can't take a few shots coming from my colleagues on the Republican side I'm not ready for Barack Obama."

    Romney also previewed a new line of attack against President Obama, whose campaign is certain to level similar charges against the former governor if they end up opposing each other in the general election.

    Romney said Obama has been "a venture capitalist at Solyndra," referring to a California energy company that declared bankruptcy and laid off 1,100 workers despite a $528 million loan from the Obama administration. He also said Obama was a "private equity guy at General Motors and Chrysler," referring to Obama's intervention to save the companies from collapse.

    "So I'll be talking about his record when I'm facing him," Romney said.

    The GOP front-runner, Romney said he faces "more of an uphill battle" in South Carolina, where he is less well known than in New Hampshire, which handed him a victory in its primary Tuesday night.

    When he sought the nomination in 2008, Romney finished fourth in South Carolina, spurned by religious and socially conservative voters wary of his Mormon faith and past support for abortion rights.

    "Our team recognizes this is going to be a challenge," Romney said.

    Earlier Wednesday, interviewed on ABC's "Good Morning America," he said: "I don't know if we can win South Carolina."

    With an eye on Florida's contest at month's end, Romney began airing a new Spanish-language TV ad in that state.

    Speaking with reporters traveling with him, Romney still savored his New Hampshire win with 39 percent of the vote. The victory made him the first Republican to sweep the first two contests in competitive races since 1976.

    "It was like Christmas Day," Romney said. "Each new report of votes coming in was like opening another present."

     

    57 comments

    • carpenter
      carpenter  •  4 mths ago
      So now I guess if we don't like where Mitt comes from we're Envious? (His words, not mine)
      Well Mitt, all the money in the world can't keep you from being a complete deushe bag, so no, not really. I just don't like you.
    • GARY S
      GARY S  •  Charleston, South Carolina  •  4 mths ago
      NEWS FLASH - Mitt Romney drops out of the 2012 Presidential Race, his adviser have figured out that Romney and his company BAIN have already stolen all the money there is, full report at 11:00.
    • Timbuc2
      Timbuc2  •  Mt Pleasant, Texas  •  4 mths ago
      Romney reminds me of Milli Vanilli, is he really talking
    • Shane
      Shane  •  Missoula, Montana  •  4 mths ago
      So do you people want a candidate who airs campaign ads in Spanish?
    • Everyman
      Everyman  •  4 mths ago
      VAMPIRE CAPITALISM

      Rick Perry has understated the role of Mitt Romney's destructive influence on American free enterprise as "vulture capitalism". It was actually a form of "vampire capitalism". It works by bleeding American companies dry, bankrupting them, firing American workers, transferring the business and American jobs to friends overseas, raiding and demolishing employee pension and health plans, and passing all other related costs to the American taxpayer. Romney amassed wealth by these unfortunate means. Is this the American dream?
      • Chris
        Chris 4 mths ago
        You know nothing about economics or business. Maybe you just shouldn't be talking.
    • Watserety
      Watserety  •  4 mths ago
      Romney looks and acts like a robot. I do not sense that he has any real feeling or connection to the world or people around him. Scary.
      • GreedyOldPervert
        GreedyOldPervert 4 mths ago
        NOOT looks like a molester that touches women in a crowd.Sickrick Urkel Santorum looks like a guy that enjoys playing with a dead fetus.BUSH looked like a retarded deer caught in the headlights.Did you have a point?
    • Johnny
      Johnny  •  4 mths ago
      You mean Mitt RobMoney.
    • Jeffery
      Jeffery  •  Quincy, Illinois  •  4 mths ago
      It'll be interesting to see how the Mormon "cultist" does in the Bible belt.
    • VET
      VET  •  4 mths ago
      Vote romney if you don't like what he says today he will change it tomorrow.
    • Proximal2u
      Proximal2u  •  Richmond, Virginia  •  4 mths ago
      A vote for Romney will be a vote for the same corruption that is killing America. The man is bought and paid for by big banks and big business. Who do you think he is going to serve?
      • Don E
        Don E 4 mths ago
        I disagree. He sounds like he would be a great guy to have on your side. He shrank the companies he bought for the good of the shareholders, maybe he will shrink the government that he runs for the good of the taxpayers.
      • Paul
        Paul 4 mths ago
        Don, i also hope you're right because we probably have only this ONE chance to GET it right after Obama. I pray that whomever is elected will have only ONE czar - the one in charge of elimination of waste and unnecessary governmental spending and bringing us back to what really works.
    • GARY S
      GARY S  •  Charleston, South Carolina  •  4 mths ago
      At least with Romney there will be the choice of two democrats to vote for.
    • Chuck
      Chuck  •  4 mths ago
      Is the class war really imaginary?
      Does owning 7 mansions and having offshore bank accounts to shelter him from taxes, sound like he could relate to your problems??
      Congressional Research Service study confirms income inequality is rapidly growing: Income for top 1% of Americans rose 74% from 1996-2006, but the bottom 20% of taxpayers saw their income fall by 6%
      • Don E
        Don E 4 mths ago
        Ah, the politics of envy. From a man, no doubt, who wishes that he were rich and smart. Tax the rich, sure, but don't begrudge their achievements.
      • GreedyOldPervert
        GreedyOldPervert 4 mths ago
        You want a turd that stuffed his pockets with 2 million TAX dollars but promises to stop deficit wasteful spending?Chuck,Chuck is like a duck.Got flat feet and dumb as Fu---well,you know.
      • Chuck
        Chuck 4 mths ago
        No....I want Huntsman.....
    • atari
      atari  •  4 mths ago
      OK people, the South Carolina Primary is this Saturday, January 21, 2012. Guess who comes from South Carolina? Ainsley Earhardt, a Fox News Channel correspondent was born and raised in South Carolina. She also said something very interesting on her show "Fox & Friends" on Sunday, July 17, 2011. She said, "Well the Christian Coalition, I think he(Perry) could get a lot of money from that, Because Romney, obviously not being a Christian - Rick Perry, he's always on talk shows - on Christian talk shows. He has days of prayer in Texas." Well, Perry is pretty much out of the race now. I myself really like Mormons and think they are nice people except for those responsible for the Mountain Meadows massacre on September 11, 1857 when a Mormon militia murdered 120 unarmed men, women and children of the Baker-Fancher party who were supposedly being led to safety while onroute from Arkansas to California, and then lied, saying the slayings were committed by Native Americans. Don't get me wrong. I really like Mormons. Donny and Marie Osmond have been great entertainers. But seriously, I doubt that black Baptists or fundamental Christians from South Carolina will vote for a Mormon who believes in a book which has no archeological support whatsoever and claims it is a religious record of various peoples who populated the Americas for over 2600 years from around 2200 BC to 420 AD. Or believes that Jesus was begotten by physical union of God and Mary. Or that God was once a man who lived on another planet. Or, pay attention here, that black people who were once white (Lamanites), became black for disobeying God. It will be interesting to see if folks from South Carolina do their homework or sell out to a man who as CEO and President of Bain Capital destroyed thousands of jobs often including pension and severance benefits while raking in a quarter billion dollars in profits, according to a Los Angeles Times review of Bain’s 10 largest investments under Romney which found that four of the big companies under Romney's control declared bankruptcy within a few years. One thing is for sure. Romney doesn't consider himself a political insider although his dad was Governor of Michigan, CEO of AMC and also ran for President in 1968. Romney doesn't think voters will consider him based on his irrational religious views or the fact that he made millions while firing hard working Americans. We need jobs. Romney has just told us that he loves firing people. Do you want someone who hires responsible workers or fires them? Do you want someone that brings jobs back to America and puts you to work or someone who dabbles in creative destruction and outsources jobs to other countries?
    • not2bad
      not2bad  •  Youngstown, Ohio  •  4 mths ago
      Flip flopping, tell you what you want to hear, Corporations are people too, changes direction more times that the wind, bought and paid for by the same bankers that are repossessing your home while he quadruples his multimillion dollar home, empty suit Romney is a genuine all around loser. I am an American and I approve of this message.
      • Larry Evans
        Larry Evans 4 mths ago
        They all flip flop. Gingrich has done it and still does. Perry used to be a democrat who flipped over. Santorum has done it. Ron Paul is probably the only one who hasn't and Pres. Obama does it almost daily.
      • William
        William 4 mths ago
        Larry is drinking too much booze and can't comprehend the truth.
      • Don E
        Don E 4 mths ago
        Larry is drinking a protein shake. All politicians "flip flop". Reagan and Perry used to be Democrats.
    • CMCVIIX
      CMCVIIX  •  4 mths ago
      Milt Romney, "Don't hate me because I'm super rich." He loves firing people but don't say anything bad about rich people because if you do then it's class warfare. Mitt might be rich but he is classless.
    • Elio L
      Elio L  •  Tampa, Florida  •  4 mths ago
      Historically the GOP has been a party that has been antagonistic towards Hispanics, so the only ones he'll be targeting en masse are the old Cuban refugees who are all dying off. This guy is a real joke. "I hope no one associated with any of my effort, whether it's my own campaign or anyone else that's supporting me, I hope none of them do anything that departs from the truth," he said. So does this mean that all the Bain Capital stuff is a fantasy? Or does he think the electorate is just as dumb as he is. He tries to compare Obama's rescue of the auto industry as a Bain Capital style destruction of business, but it worked. May be we can all discuss these details in a "quiet room somewhere." A laughable robot.
    • A Yahoo! User
      A Yahoo! User  •  4 mths ago
      Romney is one of the people who has helped to destroy jobs in America as a vulture capitalist or corporate raider and the reason that your kids will not have good jobs in the furure.
    • jerry
      jerry  •  4 mths ago
      Google "willard liveleak" and get to know your man
    • Tea Bụggers
      Tea Bụggers  •  4 mths ago
      I visited Romney's website to see his policy positions,
      and was redirected to MAP QUEST.
    • Watserety
      Watserety  •  4 mths ago
      Mitt: Just give everyone in SC $10 to vote for you. It really isn't THAT hard to figure out a winning strategy, is it?
     Post a comment
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