Fox Business
Expand
Browse All Video
Watch Live

You're watching...

The Search for the Conservative Candidate

Details

  • Description

    Republican Strategist Ed Rollins on who may win the Republican Party nomination.

  • Duration 8:03
  • Date

Clips

Also in this playlist...

Latest Video

Auto-advance: ON

Auto-advance
View All

Transcript

This transcript is automatically generated

Will make everybody happy joining me now Republican strategist Ed Rawlins and Ed I was what we were just talking before we came on the air about our similar backgrounds -- California but.

You were a Democrat.

Just aren't true Democrat and you got into Republican politics and the rest is history.

You -- the Reagan bush campaign in 84.

It's the end of that campaign.

Vice President Bush said would you run my campaign and you said.

No I'm gonna run Jack -- because you were looking for a real conservative and I thought well isn't that exactly where we are today.

-- that looking for the conservative.

Would we are and I and I think the reality here is Santorum obviously is just had a hard fought.

I I considered a -- a -- as a -- and in Iowa and certainly he's the -- -- not the flavor of the month but he has the potential time putting together.

I don't know whether he'll be able to do that -- -- he certainly doesn't have the infrastructure he doesn't have your the money at this point.

But right now it's sort of settled on him Gingrich and Perry still gonna battle.

Obviously Gingrich in New Hampshire and -- in South Carolina.

Someone -- when something somewhere I mean obviously Santorum has called -- victory there her but someone has to win.

South Carolina is the next -- -- for conservative to win.

New Hampshire is tough I think Romney wins that it'll be closer race than people anticipate.

And then after that -- sort of start going.

-- the month of February it's a little less.

But to -- Florida and Florida takes money.

Iowa New Hampshire these are retail states Florida's ten media markets it's all about television.

You gotta have money you can't just get on a bus in Cairo that's.

You can't knock on doors -- knock on doors so this this goes -- to what I've always assumed and you tell me if I'm right or not is a business of of a campaign.

There's a business.

-- it's a business in the sense that you need to be well capitalized.

And you need a good team of people who run your business.

And -- so people rolled arising get all upset about money and politics but it it to you gotta be capitalized to run a campaign.

Or you're gonna run short it's -- one day sale at the end of the day you put all this together.

You spend a year sometimes two years.

You know one day sales -- -- got to make sure that your customers that you have to don't apply.

Going back to my early days just on there was this legendary figure in California speaker.

Said to me it does three things you gotta focus.

Find your boaters communicate -- voters get them to the polls on Election Day sounds very obvious.

But if you're not doing those three things -- basically you're not doing your job.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- But the premise is the same and that's about a sale it's about an organization -- side.

-- to piece for the Wall Street Journal this past week about -- person practical and in I love doing this -- radio show about principle vs practical and everything else.

The you brought up the fact South Carolina social conservatives are going to be -- a very important.

Key state for social conservatives but.

You know you get into this business about electability.

And the question is -- I know they're trying to get the Republican nomination right now but do you have to run.

To the center in order to get reelected or to get to win in November and if so doesn't that mean you got to kind of be proud.

Tickle vs -- what -- one of my early boss is Richard Nixon there's probably not a good first to quote today but he certainly wasn't successful politician.

Two term president.

He always say you run to the right in the primaries -- you get back to the center.

For the for the general.

We've gone so far to the right in the in our conservative candidates it may be really hard.

Get back to be a center right candidate.

This is now about the economy -- the day it's not going to be about abortion or gay marriage and those kinds of things it's going to be about the economy.

But you still have to talk about those issues in South Carolina Ireland places.

But until someone basically is out there and convinces voters of two things 1 is I am a candidate who can beat Barack Obama which is the overarching theme that we all want.

And secondly I have an ability to basically bring this economy back and create jobs.

With some -- -- plan you know could be very okay.

When I go back to your days for you said -- to vice President Bush and went with camp and yet.

President Bush was -- -- guy who won believes he's the one who -- -- it's very significant people including Jack Kemp and Bob Dole and and and several others.

We had a pretty strong mentioned that point in time anyone of them -- look pretty good today unfortunately some of best on.

But at the end of the day you know it's it's.

That -- there's a lot of voters out there that basically don't know what their ideology is.

You know they think they're conservative but what what's the what's the definition a conservative fiscal conservative -- -- foreign policy -- or whatever.

You know rating kind of -- altogether and I think to a certain extent.

We need to see somebody else articulate what your vision is in -- That's the thing is driving I think a lot of people -- especially after Iowa is that a lot of people dismissed want Paul that he was third but it was it was third by this much.

So you've got three different kinds of Republicans you've got that.

The people that are the Ron Paul followers that are very much about smaller government and about and in federal spending and everything else they don't pay too much attention to his foreign policy issues.

You've got.

Much -- Mitt Mitt Romney who is.

The business guy who should who should be pointing out.

I can turn things around I've done it before or right.

And then you've got Santorum who is the the social conservancy got fiscal conservative social conservative and and kind of a moderate.

They had -- -- guinier to -- you can't you can't dismiss them in the sense that they basically are still allowed I dismissed this Newt Gingrich because of the money -- that you brought up well he.

He had an opportunity to put a campaign -- -- he decided he didn't need an organization.

Is gonna do it his way he and his wife Callista.

And that -- thought he was smarter than everybody else which on the stage he is.

But at the end of the day he didn't have an organization -- this with us and that's what happened -- -- but Governor Perry.

He has a lot of money.

-- so I think we're he's gonna stay in this -- that you know and unfortunately Governor Perry who on Paper was the ideal candidate to run against Romney.

But wasn't prepared to get the out of this thing very lady -- -- back surgery he wasn't a good debater.

And those first impressions once again government sales.

That first impression if you don't like the product initially not may not come back to that and as good -- retail politician is he is.

Those debates he was not prepared for and didn't do well and I think it's -- compact right.

So Mitt Romney.

Is everybody keeps saying it's they want -- those of somebody other than Romney but Romney continues to be kind of the steady idea there.

His whole thinking is about I -- companies I turn things around I fix.

Countries he thinks the Olympics Olympics in Salt Lake were a mess.

Full scandal Pulitzer financial -- -- around and made it a profitable successful Olympic.

Why isn't he really pounding on that issue -- jobs in the economy -- -- number why I think he will he's a far better candidate than he was four years ago I I think to a certain extent he -- been.

If you run for governor you talk after he won and did the Salt Lake City Olympics -- be talking about the right wing.

Mitt Romney.

Unfortunately go try and run in Massachusetts.

As he did.

You take a lot of positions and I this year unacceptable to conservatives and I think what a lot of conservatives feel is an archer who's the real.

Mitt Romney.

He's he's very articulate about his views today but he's he's moved on a lot of issues over time share and this just a great suspicion that he really is not a conservative.

And I think that it will convince both voters a that he is a conservative anything is important.

He has to take those skills that he articulated.

-- are effectively used.

And convince people but I can take those same skills not just what I did as governor what I did in the Olympics -- -- -- turn around companies I can get this economy moving again.

Load More