Romney: Debate questions, endorsement rumors, 2008 files
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 8:49AM 
Jacksonville will host a GOP Presidential Debate on Jan. 26. (Photo/Kay B. Day/The US Report)Some Floridians might consider it a slap in the face.
The Washington Examiner reported that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney could skip the Florida presidential debates scheduled ahead of the state's January 31 Primary. Romney’s campaign expressed reservations about his participation after the debate in Myrtle Beach (S.C.) on Monday.
Most frontrunners avoid debates when possible; after all, they have little to gain and much to lose. Romney’s holdover of support from 2008 in the Sunshine State is very strong and he has drawn support from major political influencers here. It’s quite possible Romney sees Florida as secure.
In commentary posted at his website on January 16, strategist Roger Stone hinted at something many Republicans have gossiped about—a possible endorsement from former Governor Jeb Bush.
Absentee ballots have gone out in Florida, with Republican requests exceeding Democrats’.
On Tuesday, The Palm Beach Post noted:
Through this afternoon, more than 446,000 Republicans had requested absentee ballots and more than 126,000 had returned them statewide, according to the GOP's daily tracking. There were 307,744 requests and about 251,000 Republican absentee votes cast in the 2008 presidential primary, Hughes said.
Some in the blogosphere are chattering about an opposition file from the 2008 General Election on Romney. Various websites claim the file was prepared by Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign. Parts of the file are nothing new to many bloggers; websites have published information piecemeal for quite some time.
If Romney does decide to skip the Florida debates, his supporters would likely accept the decision but other Floridians probably would not. For one thing. some conservatives have theorized the whole Primary schedule was moved ahead by a government committee in an effort to marshal support for the candidate many wanted to win in 2008. For another, Republicans have put a lot into planning the debates and the convention in Tampa.
Tourism is the Sunshine State’s bread and butter, so naturally Floridians would like to see national attention like that South Carolina has enjoyed ahead of the GOP debates and Primary.
Considering former Speaker Newt Gingrich’s delivery in the Myrtle Beach debate, some might view Romney’s withdrawal from debates in Florida as a negative.
At the moment there’s a lot of friction between different factions in Republican circles in Florida. It’s useful to point out this is normal in a heated primary season and the friction should decrease once a nominee is agreed upon.
The real challenge for 2012, for both Democrats and Republicans, will be turnout. The Party with the turnout will be the Party with the power once November is gone.
The Washington Examiner said:
The problem for Romney is that even if some in the campaign are tired of debates, the viewers -- the voters -- aren't. Television ratings for the debates have been quite high all year, and it's likely that trend will continue for the South Carolina debates. In addition, even at this late date, a lot of voters are just now tuning in to the Republican race.
Romney may be waiting to commit on the Florida debates until the South Carolina Primary is resolved. Should he take South Carolina, he may be confident he has locked the nomination.
(Commentary by Kay B. Day/Jan. 18, 2012)