Romney Wins in Florida and Nevada
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Vince Lombardi, the Hall of Fame NFL coach has been quoted as saying, “Winning is not everything – but making the effort to win is.” As we are witnessing within the Republican Presidential Nomination process, it seems that winning and effort are going hand in hand.
After a making some waves with his win in South Carolina, Newt Gingrich was being talked about as a force that could combat what many are labeling as the establishment presidential candidate in Mitt Romney. There did not seem to be a consensus no matter what news outlet one would watch about the true impact that big win for Gingrich in South Carolina would have, but it was clear that in order to win the Republican Presidential Nomination in Tampa, it was going to take an enormous amount of effort, the ability to change strategy on the fly and an attempt to unite what some have called a fractured party.
With that in mind, Mitt Romney made it clear that he was not about to let South Carolina decide his future. He pushed very hard in Florida where he was eventually declared the winner in a winner-take-all delegate state. That win was both needed and earned. In taking a look at his performance in the debates as well as his aggressive strategy against Newt Gingrich, there was no question that the Romney campaign was living by the words of Lombardi when he said that it was about making the effort to win that was everything.
With four candidates fighting for the nomination, there has been no shortage of negative campaigning, personal attacks and a rejuvenated group of professionals known as “fact finders.” It seems that every word from each of these candidates is being scrutinized in ways the American people have really never seen before. As this process is going from state to state, people will continue to learn more and more about each candidate. The voters are also taking note of who wins each state and the way in which they won, as this will have influence and provide necessary insights to the fall campaigns.
With Romney’s win in Florida, there was new life given to his campaign, and the other three candidates were pushing forward to Nevada and other states. Both Ron Paul and Rick Santorum stumped hard in Nevada, hoping to gain some momentum, while at the same time trying to derail the Romney Express. Gingrich also was hoping to have a good showing in Nevada, as he continued his negative attacks on Romney.
The pundits have been very busy trying to figure out exactly what needs to happen for one candidate to ensure his success and why another seemed to be faltering. In Nevada, there was an expectation that Donald Trump would play a role in some way, and he did not disappoint. As he has done throughout his career, he was able to ensure that his name was in lights and that the spotlight was not far from him. As speculation began to swirl about Trump and his potential endorsement, the thought was that he was going to endorse Newt Gingrich, and this had the political gurus explaining all the impact this was going to have on Romney, Gingrich and the race. However, after some initial comments, Donald Trump endorsed Mitt Romney in what some have labeled an “awkward ceremony.”
Although happy to receive the endorsement of Donald Trump, Romney was focused on Gingrich. Romney and his campaign worked tirelessly at trying to portray the fact that he was a much better candidate then the other three, and would be the only one that could beat Obama in the fall. After all the votes were counted, Romney was delivered a very decisive victory with right around 50% of the votes in the caucuses in Nevada. It was no surprise that Romney won, but the margin of victory was solid. People who voted for Romney were from all over the cultural spectrum.
For some, the lack of voter turnout in Nevada is causing concern that none of the current nominees are building a strong enough case. It seems that the amount of negative campaigning that is taking place is taking its toll on the voters. This is something that none of the current candidates can afford to happen if they are hoping to make a real run at the White House and defeating President Obama in the Fall. Whenever a team achieves ultimate success, it is because they came together and followed a leader they trust. It did not necessarily mean that every member of the team agreed with everything that leader said or did, but there was confidence that the leader had their best interest in mind and was willing to fight for them.
So, as Republicans from state to state look to select their presidential nominee, they are going to have to dig deeper than they ever have before. Some voters are gung-ho, because they feel they have found their candidate; others, are concerned and undecided. There is one thing that no one can dispute — Romney has taken a commanding lead, and as you look at the political map for the next couple of weeks, he stands a good chance of increasing his lead. It is only fitting to share the following words by Coach Lombardi, “the harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.” This may explain why Romney is so determined to win his party’s nomination; he took his loss to McCain 4 years ago and began the process of fighting hard to lead the Republican party.
Seth Saunders is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“Mormon”). He is currently serving as Branch President of the Pembroke Branch.
Additional Resources
Mormon Beliefs and Real Mormons
Mitt Romney’s Tithes and Taxes
President Saunders, I just discovered this site. Thank you so much for thoughtful, thorough and accurate enterprise. What a wonderful reference for those who are considering Governor Romney as the Republican nominee, yet are unsure, confused or misguided about our faith.