Meet the Press: John McCain, Fred Thompson, Rick Santorum, David Axelrod
This Week: Newt Gingrich, John Boehner
Face of The Nation: Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Reince Priebus
Fox News Sunday: Newt Gingrich, Paul Ryan
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(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
At a town hall in Lakeland, FL Friday, Arizonan, asked who Romney should choose for his running mate, picks Rubio.
McCain: "A little straight talk. Marco Rubio."
MITT UP
(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Quinnipiac poll of likely Florida primary voters:
Romney 38
Gingrich 29
Paul 14
Santorum 12
Conducted Jan. 24 — 26, 2012. Margin of error 4.1 points.
Romney World Rises
(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Halperin's Take
Candidates matter but campaigns matter, too. After leaving Gingrich alone until it was too late in South Carolina, Boston focused on Newt from the start in Florida. And, like when Perry threatened the frontrunner, Team Romney has been incredibly effective tearing down Gingrich, going after him on the campaign trail by sending surrogates to crash his events, hitting him with TV and radio ads, holding daily media conference calls to drive choice themes, lining up newsmaking anti-Newt statements from people like Bob Dole and using Matt Drudge. All of that contributed to the goal of rattling Gingrich and forcing his campaign off message. Romney World's performance — along with Mitt's Jacksonville killer debate — could ease Establishment worries about whether Boston is capable of competing in a general election.Not Over Yet
Halperin's Take
Even though Romney clearly won Thursday's debate, it's too early to accept the conventional wisdom that Gingrich is done. Newt has already fought his way back two times this cycle and he now has millions — from the campaign and his Super PAC — in ads on the air in Florida and more to go on from there. And, despite his boffo performance, Romney still has a ceiling in Florida. If Santorum's debate performance doesn't break through to Florida voters as much as it did for the media; if the copious TV and radio spots attacking Romney are effective; and if Newt gets back on message, maybe he can close strong. And by all appearances, he doesn't plan to quit even if he gets walloped on Tuesday.Grading the Jacksonville Debate
Candidate grades are based on both performance and success in using the debate to improve their standing in the nomination contest.
Obama Friday
(MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
At the University of Michigan Friday, POTUS pushes Congress to act on measures to lower college costs, defends vision of a "more generous America."
Obama: "We don't leave people behind. We make sure everyone comes along with us on this journey....We make sure everybody has a chance to get ahead."
LATER: Meets with SecState Clinton at W.H., 3:30 pm ET.
More: Delivers remarks at a fundraiser in Wash., 4:30 pm ET.
Takes from the Jacksonville Debate
(STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images)
New York Times: "Mitt Romney...relentlessly pressed Newt Gingrich on Thursday night in their final debate before the Florida primary, seeking to regain the offensive against an insurgent candidacy that is unexpectedly threatening to upend his once seemingly indomitable front-runner’s status."
Washington Post: "Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich sparred over illegal immigration here Thursday night, with the former Massachusetts governor saying it was 'repulsive' for the former House speaker to have characterized him as 'the most anti-immigrant' candidate in the GOP presidential race."
Politico: "Newt Gingrich abandoned his role as Mitt Romney’s chief antagonist in Thursday night’s presidential debate, going easy on the national GOP front-runner as a third candidate joined the fray in force."
WSJ: "The most spirited sparring was between Messrs. Romney and Gingrich, who turned from a feisty back-and-forth over preventing illegal immigration to a more personal fight over housing."
Aid and Affordability
Getty/istockphoto.com
Obama to target rising college tuition costs.
Expected to outline proposals in a speech at the University of Michigan.
Friday Candidate Schedule
Getty
Florida
Romney: Miami, Cape Canaveral, Orlando
Gingrich: Miami, Delray Beach,
Santorum: Jacksonville, Miami, West Chester
Newt Weak Versus Obama
Obama 55 — Gingrich 37
Obama 49 — Romney 43
Conducted Jan. 22 — 24, 2012. Margin of error 3.10 points.
Bam "Badly" Wants Second Term
(Saul Loeb-Pool/Getty Images)
President tells Diane Sawyer "country needs" another four years under his leadership.
Obama: "Whoever wins the Republican primary is going to be a standard bearer for a vision of the country that I don't think reflects who we are. I'm going to fight as hard as I can with every fiber of my being to make sure that we continue on a path that I think will restore the American dream."
POTUS also:
— fights back against Gingrich's "food stamps" charge
— argues his GOP opponents all espouse the economic views "that lost us the most jobs since the 1930s"
— defends sanction on Iran
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