Romney Supporters Surprised by Exit

By Paul Vitello

Until about 15 minutes into his 18-minute speech, Mitt Romney was delivering what some supporters thought was one of his most emotionally powerful renditions of a campaign address he has made hundreds of times since declaring his candidacy for president almost exactly a year ago.
It was a speech that had an audience of over 1,000 at the annual Conservative Political Action Convention here interrupting him with sustained applause dozens of times — a few times standing on their feet – as he decried “the culture of dependency” fostered by government social programs, the looming “demographic disaster” of unchecked entitlement programs, the looming threat of Asian economic supremacy, the perilous threat of “Islamic jihadism,” and the urgent need to unleash the American entrepreneurial genius by “taking a weed-whacker to government regulations.”
Then he said something that didn’t fit with the uncompromising tenor of the speech up to that point.
“When he mentioned 1976, I knew it was over,” said Wesley Galloway, an accountant from Trumbull, Conn. who has supported the former Massachusetts governor from the beginning.
The conservative radio talk show host, Laura Ingraham, had introduced Mr. Romney by calling him “the conservatives’ conservative,” and referring to what she called the fatal mistake Republicans made in 1976 when they chose the moderate Vice president Gerald Ford over Ronald Reagan as their presidential candidate. Mr. Ford lost to Jimmy Carter, the Georgia governor.As if in reply to that analogy, Mr. Romney said, “But there is an important difference between now and 1976. Today we are a nation at war.” He said it was more important to beat the Democratic candidates, who he said would “declare defeat and retreat from Iraq,” than to continue a campaign that would “forestall the launch of a national campaign” against them.
He hated to lose, he said, “but this isn’t about me.”
“When he said that, I have to admit I teared up,” said Mr. Galloway. “It was a noble thing to do and all that, but I think he was by far the best candidate. It’s a loss for the country.”
Disappointed boos from the audience were followed closely by the last frenzy of waving “Change Begins With Us” signs, and the last sustained demonstration of support for the Mitt Romney for President campaign.
Susie Fox, 46, emerged from the auditorium with smudged eyeliner. “I’m still in shock,” she said when asked what she thought. “I thought it was a great speech. He had us all so up. And then, it was over.”
Becky Norton Dunlop, of Arlington, Va., a vice president of the Heritage Foundation and member of the board of directors of the American Conservative Union, was less distraught but gave Mr. Romney high marks for his “classy decision.” She said she had not cottoned to any of the Republican candidates, but would now be “very eager to hear Mr. McCain explain his vision of conservatism.” Arizona Senator John McCain, no favorite of orthodox conservatives – and a no show at last year’s CPAC convention – was scheduled to speak to the meeting here later in the day.
As many of Mr. Romney’s supporters filed out of the auditorium at the Omni Sheraton Hotel here, people wearing McCain buttons and carrying McCain banners flooded into the room, like a victorious army.
One of them, Amy Kaufman, a college freshman from Annapolis, Md. Who has manned phone banks for Mr. McCain since last November, said she was “elated” by the withdrawal of Mr. McCain’s last major obstacle to the nomination, but feeling “a new respect” for his rival, Mr. Romney.
She had sat in the auditorium to hear Mr. Romney’s speech. “I thought he made a great speech,” she said. “But when he said he was dropping out – I just didn’t see it coming. People around me were, like, what did he just say?”

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Em destaque: Sobre o discurso de Mitt Romney, que anunciou sua desistência como candidato republicano a presidência dos Estados Unidos.

Fonte: The New York Times
Publicação: 7 de fevereiro 2008
Autor: Paul Vitello
Link: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/07/romney-supporters-surprised-by-exit/