Romney Dismisses Obama's Crowds

By Glenn Kessler
LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney dismissed the huge crowds of voters who have been attending rallies for Sen. Barak Obama as simply an antiwar phenomenon, rather than an indication of his support by voters.

In recent days, Obama has held repeated rallies with crowds totaling over 10,000, numbers that have surprised many political observers.

"If you are the antiwar candidate, 'just pull our troops out, don't care about what happens to the future of a country like Iraq,' you are always going to get the antiwar crowd, just like Howard Dean did," Romney told reporters traveling on his plane as he flew here from Oklahoma City for a rally and news conference.

Dean, the former governor of Vermont, was briefly the front-runner for the Democratic nomination in 2004 but his campaign collapsed shortly after the Iowa caucuses.

"You are going to churn out big crowds of people who are all in favor of pulling our troops out," Romney added. "It would be wrong for the country but you'll get that crowd."

Romney said he was pleased at the attendance he had been getting: "700 to 1,000 at a lot of our events" -- which seemed to be a generous accounting, judging from rallies the past two days -- "and that's pretty good."

Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom said that of the 24 states holding primaries, caucuses or conventions Tuesday, for a total of 1,081 delegates, seven -- with 177 delegates -- are "looking good for us," while two others -- California and Georgia, with 242 delegates at stake -- came "in play the last few days." The seven states named by Fehrnstrom are Massachusetts, Colorado, Utah, Alaska, West Virginia, Montana and North Dakota.

Fehrnstrom said the campaign was braced for early positive coverage of John McCain's victories in northeastern states, but the West would change the picture during the night. "When we wake up Wednesday morning there will be a realization it will be a long, hard slog to the convention," he said.

Romney professed to be paying little attention to the tight race between Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton -- "it all sounds very interesting but I'm kind of busy on my own" -- but said no matter the crowds for the Democrats, the race will be a nail-biter in the fall. "When the votes are counted, it will be real close," he said.

Through much of campaign, Romney did not gab with reporters traveling with him, but in the last two days, he has held frequent in-flight news conferences. Asked why, Romney shrugged and said: "I don't know. It's getting looser as we get closer."

Posted at 11:07 PM ET on Feb 4, 2008
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Comments

McCain would turn out to be Bush 2 after the Neocons got ahold of him.
In either case let's hope for the nation that the Democrats win.

Posted by: kacameron | February 5, 2008 6:50 PM | Report abuse

Face it, Romney. Obama just has more bling-bling than you.

Posted by: ComfortablyDumb | February 5, 2008 4:35 PM | Report abuse

I suspect Romney would be extremely anti-war if this country had a draft and one of his precious sons had gone to the ill planned war of choice in Irage with the Army we've got and had been a passenger in an unarmored HUMVE when it hit an IED. But no, his sons were driving his campaign RV across Iowa campaigning for him to be Commander in Chief of other men's sons. What a puss and hypocrite!! This reformed Repub father of 2 marines and one soon to be sailor is voting for Obama and hoping for reasoned rational leadership after eight years of radical right wing incompetents.

Posted by: pstiner | February 5, 2008 3:33 PM | Report abuse

Romney's jealousy stands out loud and clear because all of his money (and other people's money) could not buy him such a crowd. Romney's money don't buy him delegates either!

Posted by: meldupree | February 5, 2008 3:25 PM | Report abuse

Please, Mitt, underestimate your opponents. I BEG you.

Posted by: BABucher | February 5, 2008 12:21 PM | Report abuse

AREN'T WE AMERICANS TIRED OF SEEING ROMNEY'S FACE? LET'S BURY THIS GUY TODAY IN THE ELECTION AND SEND HIM PACKING!

THIS VIDEO HELPS MAKE A CHOICE BETWEEN ROMNEY, MCCAIN AND HUCKABEE.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnU3G-HCf9w

SEMPER FI
Dan Campbell

Posted by: marinepatriot | February 5, 2008 12:10 PM | Report abuse

As I have said before the republic party will get crushed again in the upcoming elections.The Democratic party will win more house seats and will get sixty seats in the senate and the republic party will go back to being the minority party,long term,it deserves to be.As far as Mr.Obama being compared to J.F.K. please stop.Pres.Kennedy served his country and was a war hero.Mr Obama while in the Illinois legislature voted "present" 130 times when he should have voted yes or no.That is gutless that is avoiding responsibility for your vote that is not J.F.K. like.So please stop the comparisons to a real war hero.Get the republics out and get this great country of ours back to where it belongs as the leader of the free world and a beacon of freedom for all to see.

Posted by: lindamdoyle | February 5, 2008 10:55 AM | Report abuse

Imagine all the good he could have done with all those millions he wasted on a flip=flop candidacy

I'll miss him only because he had 5 kinda-hunky sons ...always nice eye candy.

Buh-bye boys!

Posted by: wpost4112 | February 5, 2008 10:45 AM | Report abuse

Romney will have plenty of time to ponder his crowd comments after tonight as he's going to have a lot of time on his hands. He's a goner and hopefully will take Limbaugh, Colter, Hannity and the rest of the right wing nut cases with him.

John Mc Cain is the GOP's strongest candidate and will resonate with a lot of Independents. So will Obama, if he gets the nod. Picture it! A campaign with two outstanding candidates with differing positions. We can concentrate on issues not who diddled whom, who helped with a uranium contract, who mowed whose lawn, what is the position of the day etc.

Mitt, save your money. It ain't gonna happen.

Posted by: NoMugwump | February 5, 2008 10:14 AM | Report abuse

Okay, he's convinced me. Romney would make the perfect President of the Republican Party. The arrogant dismissal of opposing policy positions, the attribution of falsehoods to set up a straw man ("...just pull our troops out, don't care about what happens to the future of a country like Iraq" Hey Mitt, who exactly said that? Or is this another Martin Luther King memory?), the feigned disinterest in the other party (what, those Americans and their concerns don't merit thought?)...

Yes, the man who would "Double Guantanamo" and shows little inclination to propose that liberals or moderates might also somehow be good and valuable American citizens would wonderfully embody all that "conservative" republicanism now seems to represent.

As for being the President of the "United" States? His campaign comments rather speak to his qualifications, wouldn't you say?

Posted by: xSamplex | February 5, 2008 9:43 AM | Report abuse

As a Dem, I'm thrilled Mitt has already forgotten the whipping the GOP took two years ago ... from the anti-Iraq war MAJORITY.

Please, Mitt, go ahead and follow the GOP 2006 election script again. Howard Dean will lead the Dems in taking back 1600 Penn. as well.

Posted by: shagor | February 5, 2008 9:36 AM | Report abuse

Romney's statements reveal something about his character and the direction of his campaign. He takes unsubstantiated swipes against the supporters of the Obama campaign rather than acknowledging the recent momentum that Obama has been building.

Although I am sure most of Obama's supporters are against the war (as is the majority of the country) it seems as if Romney, out of jealousy, made a cheap attempt at a hawkish insult. Did he interview the Obama attendees or watch the rallies on C-Span? It seems to me that Obama has talked about many issues and that the people attending his events are not just anti-war but intrigued by his message of hope and the multiple endorsements comparing him to JFK.

Romney's remarks did nothing to make me question the kind of supporters that are drawn to the massive Obama events, rather, he made me think that he was insecure about the prospects of his own campaign.

Posted by: erikkjohnson | February 5, 2008 12:20 AM | Report abuse

Romney and the Right Wing will have a rude awakening when they realize the passionate people coming out for Obama are not merely anti-war...but a vast majority who want a totally new direction.