Just as we get some bad news via Romney supporter Matt Drudge:
We get some good news for a real conservative:
After a furious backlash from West’s backers over a redistricting plan that would imperil his 2012 prospects, the tea party favorite got a political gift Tuesday: the opportunity to run for a nearby seat — one much more favorable to his prospects.
Under the state’s proposed redistricting plan, drawn by Republican state lawmakers, West’s current district would become much more hostile territory. The freshman congressman will instead run for a South Florida seat, whose current occupant, GOP Rep. Tom Rooney, announced on Tuesday that he would vacate the district and run nearby.
The switch comes after a wave of conservative outrage at the proposed redistricting plan, with some accusing Republicans in the state Legislature of trying to push West, a bombastic freshman who has clashed with the party’s leadership, out of Congress…
…With the state nearing a conclusion on line-drawing, House GOP leaders grew increasingly concerned in recent days over West’s political outlook. Officials at the National Republican Congressional Committee urged West and Rooney, who occupy neighboring seats, to work together to craft a plan that would help them both.
West’s move will dramatically improve his reelection prospects. National Democrats had placed the freshman high on their target list and two Democrats, construction company executive Patrick Murphy and former West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel, had launched well-funded campaigns to take him on.
It’s an open question who Democrats will now recruit to run against West. David Lutrin, a South Florida progressive activist who pondered a congressional bid in 2006, is considered a possible contender.
Taking on the freshman will not be an easy task, however. West has emerged as one of the most prolific fundraisers in the House. In 2011, he raised $5.9 million – an astonishing number for a first-year member.
Great news!
This comes on the heels of some manufactured outrage from the liberals over these words from Mr. West:
“Take your message of equality of achievement, take your message of economic dependency, take your message of enslaving the entrepreneurial will and spirit of the American people somewhere else. You can take it to Europe, you can take it to the bottom of the sea, you can take it to the North Pole, but get the hell out of the United States of America,”
Amazing how the left seemed to have missed the TAKE YOUR MESSAGE part of the speech and instead twisted his words to mean he was telling liberals to get out of the USA. Well, not so amazing really. That’s what they do. That’s what our media does. And then they jump in moronic glee because West tells them exactly that. He didn’t tell anyone to leave. He told them to take their MESSAGE somewhere else.
Gotta agree with Greg Gutfield here:
During the break I made a list of outspoken black liberals, Al Sharpton, Louie Farrakhan, Black Panthers, Eldridge Cleaver, Jesse Jackson, Angela Davis, Cornell West, Public Enemy, Eric Dyson…in our culture we celebrate outspoken black leftists so now you have one American provocative black conservative and you liberals whine…I wanna see more Allen West. He’s not the first one but he’s the beginning and it’s refreshing to see a black conservative.
I want to see more Allen West’s myself.
See author page
Up until today some people had been saying that the conservatives were splitting the conservative vote and that, if all but one of them dropped out, he could easily beat Romney.
Well, the totals so far belie that.
Romney’s total (with 62% of the vote in) comes to more than all of the other three added together.
I predicted that Allen West would find another place to serve from.
I am so glad it is still as a congressman.
I was sort of thinking he’d go into state government.
We from Canada say that this light colonel could be your next prime minister. Awesome.
Secretary of Defense. Right now.
Nan Newt,Santorum will barely fall short of Romney total. Add Paul and they pass though many feel Paul voters favor Mitt over Newt
With this decisive Romney win no one questions Newt’s heart and desire,it’s money and organization.
Obviously Santorum must drop out by Super Tues.
Still a horserace but is Newt Silky Sullivan?
@Nan G:
NanG. Looks to me like the other three have 52% of the vote to romney 47, but it is still a large win for Romney. However, he is far from winning over those who want someone else and those who are the strong conservative base that votes with a passion. One exit poll also shows that about 35% of those who voted for Romney wish they had someone else. Unless Mitt can somehow convince the conservatives and anti Romney voters that he is not what his record shows as being pro abortion, pro gay, pro government programs like Romneycare, he is not going to win in the general election. Conservatives have had it with CINO’s who give lip service to get our votes believing that we will come home because we do not want the party of death and big government. But those days are over for a whole bunch of us and the party elites need to come to terms with that simple fact.
Free Republic posters are excited . This is the heading
Among TRUE CONSERVATIVES, NEWT TAKES IT AT 46%, ROMNEY LAST AT 11%
The only true conservative was Michele Bachmann
Who are these freepers?
JBots loose their minds.
Jim Robinson is a kook.
I thought maybe Allen would run for the Senate…but as long as he wins where ever, that’s good.
I’m not a Romney fan…in fact, I liked Palin or Cain…I’m a woMan without a country…er candidate.
@Nan G, you’re missing something about Florida… the early “absentee” votes. As CNN was reporting today, many were calling and requesting their ballots back because they voted “absentee” and their candidate was no longer running.
You don’t see those counted in the overall since they aren’t on the current ballot (as you’ll see reflected with the Miami Herald’s count… zip for the other candidates.)
The vast majority of the absentee ballot voters in Florida (including my parents… tho Dad is now gone), are seniors. They tend to utilize that so they don’t have to go to the polls – transport, parking, walking standing in line, etc.
But then… on the downside, this stuff happens. You can cast a ballot, and poof… they’re gone and so is your vote.
But I will also say that Newt’s biggest support in Florida, according to the Insider Advantage polling data I posted on another thread, had his getting the lion’s share of 44 and under, while Romney was getting the over 45 voters. No surprise that the retirement sunshine state would go his way, and any change in the senior absentee ballots might likely just to increase Romney’s win.
Then again, he’d have to be their second choice, otherwise they’d not want their ballots back. LOL And if Romney was a second choice, it’s also possible that they may have gone for Gingrich or Santorum. Had to tell because we have no idea who they voted for, and their alternative.
However Newt had a respectable 32% to Romney’s 46%, considering the onslaught of money and negativity he’s taken, and especially on his considerably smaller budget.
All in all, Florida is a moderate state that politically swings both ways. But if you look at the link above from the Miami Herald, with the country breakdowns, you’ll see that Newt swept the north and Panhandle, and the largest city centers (i.e. Palm Beach County, Broward, Dade, Monroe, Hillsboro, etc…) were the urbanites that went for Romney. Almost like a Dem/Rep election, eh? The more rural areas were more conservative, and the city areas were moderate.
Finals are in, Nan G. With Romney at 46%, it’s impossible for the other three not to surpass his total votes… unless, of course, you have some new age math you’re harboring… LOL
Romney at 46%
Newt + Santorum at 45%
We don’t have the actual numbers to see the absolute difference, and the stats on the Miami Herald at this early time have all four candidates adding up to only 98%. So there’s some variation in the extended digits of the count we don’t have yet. Depending on those, it could be a virtual heat with a winner by a nose.
Ron Paul had 7%, so it would depend upon whether they gravitated towards Romney or Newt, were neither he or Santorum in the primary.
But certainly if all went for Newt, he would be well over Romney. So as a two man race… tight and still a possible Newt win. Depending on the additional extended percent not shown
The establishment is really chompin’ at the bit to hurry and crown Romney the nominee. But with the millions and millions he spent trashing Newt, he still didn’t get a majority of votes. At this rate he will burn though a LOT of money, quickly. Not that he doesn’t have it, but still; Newt got a much bigger bang for his buck when you look at money spent to votes garnered.
If Romney let slip that Col. West was his top choice for VP, I might consider him. He reminds me of a commander I once had. I would have walked straight into hell with that man. Of course I was in the Air Force, so we usually walked straight into a five star hotel in Barbados or somewhere like it. 🙂
And West knows how to back-step an issue an re-spin it. I wonder if he will still live in his new district—something that used to be important in politics.
@Liberal1 (objectivity):
Here’s a map of Allen West’s distict, FLA 22:
http://www.govtrack.us/media/districts/FL22.gif
The shape is unbelievably convoluted. Do you see why whether he lives inside the border of the district or just outside it is a non-issue? And now that they are redistricting again, his house might move into yet another district.
Desperate, desperate spin.
@Liberal1 (objectivity):
Oh, do you mean like CA congressman Pete Stark living in Maryland?
Or Hillary Clinton representing NY with barely a shell of a living space there?
Or IL congressman Louis Gutierrez living outside his district in Chicago?
Or IL congresswoman Melissa Bean living outside her district north of Chicago?
And that is really just a smattering of the number of congresspeople, in the recent past, living outside the district or state they are supposed to represent. And, granted, there are GOP congresspeople that have done, or are doing, the same thing. So, it’s not as atypical as one might think, and certainly not as uncommon in the past as you hint at, and, as well, not an action solely owned by one party over the other.
IMO, though, a congressperson SHOULD live in the district they represent, a majority of the time they are away from DC. I have no issues with anyone having another home like, say, a vacation home, somewhere other than DC or within their district or state. The problem is when that congressperson lives a majority of their time, either in DC or out of district, and cannot, therefore, be expected to completely understand all the issues facing their constituents. Pete Stark is, by far, the worst offender of this that I’ve seen or read about. He visits his actual district in CA less than a handful of times a year, spending the vast majority of his time in his home in Maryland.
For me, though, the solution isn’t some sort of law about it, but rather, the voters within that district, or state, putting someone in congress who actually can, and will, represent them. It is up to them to make the change on election day.
@johngalt: An I would expect that anyone representing a district or state should pay their takes there. Unless of course, unless they want to park their yachet in a neighboring state like John Kerry!
@Randy:
Carnahan-D in Missouri also did that and Claire found another place to park her jet…Missouri has personal property taxes that these two, for a while, were pocketing. Hope they were fined.
Earth to West supporters…earth to the West sycophants…West betrayed the “Tea Party” when he voted in the Spring/winter to raise the debt limit.
Another Republican/Tea Party phony.
But don’t let that stop you!