Backlash: Reaganite Fla. Cuban Leader Backs Newt, Blasts Mitt For Distortions

I said early on, I thought it would be a bad idea for Romney to go where he now has. Not sure how much this tracks in Florida with the vote tomorrow, but a great many people are extremely angry over what Romney has been doing and it could still bite him in Florida and haunt him well beyond. Did he really want to poke solid Reaganites, conservatives, the grassroots and Tea Party movements with a dishonest Mitt stick? Well, he has.

Carlos Perez, one of Ronald Reagan's closest Miami advisers and a Radio Mambi talk host who is influential in Florida's Cuban-American community, says there is growing resentment among Hispanics due to “lies and distortions” from GOP candidate Mitt Romney targeting former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Perez told Newsmax in an exclusive interview Saturday afternoon that a backlash is brewing against the Romney campaign’s allegation that Gingrich tried to undermine former President Ronald Reagan’s agenda.

Perez was a close adviser to President Reagan, and Reagan even acknowledged his Cuban-American friend's achievement during a State of the Union address.

“Among Cuban-Americans, you can bet your life Newt Gingrich will win the primary election,” Perez flatly predicted.

Perez, host of a popular Miami radio and television show, said Hispanic voters and especially Cuban-Americans are now “backing Newt Gingrich dramatically” and “getting a little bit mad at the Romney campaign.”

Perez endorsed Gingrich’s presidential bid on Monday. On Saturday, he told Newsmax that the buzz in the Cuban-American community has turned strongly pro-Gingrich.

Comments

[ljm]

"Forty-nine percent of Latino likely voters in Florida’s Republican primary back Romney, with Gingrich coming in a distant second at 23 percent, according to a poll by Latino Decisions for ABC News and Univision. "

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Elections/President/2012/0128/Why-Florida-s-Latino-Republicans-tilt-toward-Mitt-Romney

That's quite a gap to fill for Gingrich.

[Done That]

And (via Newsmax)an Insider Advantage poll has Newt starting to surge: http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/gingrich-romney-insideradvantage-poll/2012/01/29/id/425901

[Ragspierre]

I dunno...

Cubans just seem to get all warm when you launch a Stalinist-era campaign to re-write history for the purpose of erasing a man's true record.

(sarc off)

[Bill C]

I hope this is true. I honestly do not know much about the voting patterns of Cuban-Americans. I thought Marco Rubio's correction of Newt on immigration was a sly signal to vote for Romney.

[ljm]

According to Suffolk University poll released today. Most Floridians polled see it differently than Carlos Perez.

http://www.suffolk.edu/images/content/FINAL_Florida_GOP_Marginals_Jan_30_2012.pdf

Of the 4 candidates, who ran the most negative campaign - Gingrich, Paul,
Romney, or Santorum?
Newt Gingrich .............37%
Ron Paul .............. 3%
Mitt Romney ...............31%
Rick Santorum .................1%
Undecided ........26%

[DeeDee]

Bill C - from what I have noticed most Cubans who have arrived in the last 20 years or so tend to vote Democrat. Cubans who came prior to that mostly vote Republican. I believe that this is due to the mindset of recent arrivals that since they have had "government" take care of them for so many years, they tend to vote Democrat because they are used to a "nanny" state and even though they left their mindset has stayed the same. For example, I heard one of them stating that a person who works 20 hours a week in a manual position should earn the same as an attorney that works 40+ hours a week and has had to go to school for 7 years to become a lawyer.

The ones whose parents and grandparents came during the first influx tend to vote Republican since they were brought up by parents who instilled the belief that if they work hard, they can achieve whatever they want.

[Alex]

Pelosi is a vile, uicnhteal political whore IMO. She is despicable and is usually up to no good. She irks me to no end.