Obama’s Adversary

Published in El Pais
(Spain) on 2 Feburary 2012
by Editorial (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Danielle Marcos. Edited by Jessica Boesl.
Mitt Romney is the Republican candidate with a better chance to gain victory over Barack Obama in November. Not only do the polls illustrate this, but so do the Republican voters at the primaries in Florida. That was the main reason for his victory, along with the economic situation which also favors the ex-governor of Massachusetts, who has had a 14-point lead over his closest opponent, the radical Newt Gingrich. In presidential polls, Newt Gingrich is 12 points behind Obama and Romney is only four points behind.

The race for the Republican nomination could still be lengthy, despite the result in Florida; however, it is almost certain that the race will consist of two candidates. If we add up the last three caucuses and primaries, only 5 percent of the representatives of the Republican convention have been accounted for. Super Tuesday is on March 6, and 46 states still remain that could create a division even though this is not for sure. Florida, a highly sought out state in any case, is a strong indicator because it could fall to either Republicans or Democrats. It is also quite representative of society as a whole in the United States.

Romney has had a good outcome in all sectors and has gathered many voters, including Hispanic Republican voters and white evangelicals. Moreover, the radical tea party followers, who could represent two-thirds of the Republican vote in that state, have divided themselves between both candidates.

Gingrich's solid argument is that Romney has not shown himself as a “true conservative,” instead as a moderate; this time around it did not matter whether he was rich, paid few taxes or that his position was unclear on certain issues.

At the present time, Romney has gathered more money for his campaign than his immediate opponent — which is very important — especially in light of the negative publicity that has reigned in the political scene in Florida.

Romney wants to benefit from the hatred of many Republicans toward Obama. Rather than concentrating on the Republican primaries, essentially his first words after his victory in Florida were an attack the president's economic policy, something that Romney sees as a loss of global strength for the U.S.

Noteworthy, the Secret Service has provided Romney with a bodyguard, but no one else.


Las primarias de Florida catapultan a Romney como el republicano con más posibilidades

Mitt Romney es el candidato republicano que más posibilidades tiene de batir a Barack Obama en noviembre. Lo dicen las encuestas, pero también los votantes republicanos en las primarias de Florida. Esa ha sido la razón principal de su victoria, junto con la situación económica, que también favorece al ex-gobernador de Massachusetts, destacado con más de 14 puntos sobre su inmediato rival, el radical Newt Gingrich. En las encuestas sobre la elección presidencial, este se sitúa a 12 puntos de Obama y Romney tan solo a cuatro.

A pesar del resultado de Florida, la carrera para la nominación republicana todavía puede ser larga, aunque parece seguro que será cosa de dos. Sumando los tres anteriores caucus y primarias solo se ha contabilizado un 5% de los delegados a la convención republicana. Quedan 46 Estados y elsupermartes del 6 de marzo, que puede marcar una divisoria, aunque ni siquiera eso sea seguro. Florida, en cualquier caso, es un indicador fuerte porque es un Estado disputado que puede caer tanto del lado republicano como del demócrata y tiene una sociedad que representa muy bien al conjunto de Estados Unidos.
En todos los sectores, y con una amplia movilización de votantes, Romney ha salido bien parado: tanto entre los hispanos que votan republicano, como entre los evangélicos blancos. Incluso los seguidores del radical Tea Party -que se calcula pueden representar dos terceras partes del voto republicano en ese Estado- se han repartido entre ambos candidatos.
Romney no se ha presentado como un "verdadero conservador", que era justamente la idea fuerza de Gingrich, sino como un moderado. Esta vez ha importado poco que fuera rico, pagara pocos impuestos o que su posición en muchos temas no estuviera clara. De momento ha reunido más dinero para su campaña que su inmediato rival, y eso cuenta mucho, especialmente a la luz de la publicidad negativa que ha dominado el panorama en Florida.
Romney quiere capitalizar el odio a Obama de muchos republicanos. Significativamente, en sus primeras palabras tras su victoria en Florida se ha dedicado más a atacar al presidente, por su política económica y por lo que ve como una pérdida de peso de EE UU en el mundo, que a los que siguen en la liza de las primarias republicanas. Significativamente también, el Servicio Secreto le ha puesto escolta a Romney. No a los demás.
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