Ron Paul wins Florida Republican Debate, McCain stumbles on Economy

Stu Norman
Point Spreads
Friday January 25, 2008

There was a strong anti war pro Ron Paul crowd in the Florida Primary Republican Debate audience on the campus of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida tonight. Results from a MSNBC post debate text messaging poll showed Ron Paul leading before the network decided not to post the official results at the end of the post-debate coverage. The move clearly gets conspiracy theorists abuzz on the Ron Paul posting forums. There was no doubt once again that the clear winner of the debate was Ron Paul. Sportsbook.com has Ron Paul at 25 to 1 odds to capture the 2008 Republican Party Presidential Nomination.

“We are moving into a new era,” stated Dr. Ron Paul.

Paul has yet to win a primary but his second place finish in the Nevada Caucus followed by his second place in yesterday’s Louisiana Caucus has boosted his campaign. Republican Presidential hopefuls such as John McCain, Mike Huckabee and Rudy Guiliani do not have the dough to survive that far beyond Florida giving Paul a nice advantage to outlast the other lower tiered candidates and gobble up some of their support once they leave the race.

Unlike the Democratic Party debate for the South Carolina Primary race, the Republicans had a nonaggression pact before the start of the Florida Primary debate. All of the candidates were cordial and refrained from attacking each other. Another difference between the two debates were the stances on the Iraqi War. It was very clear that all of the Republican Candidates, with the except of anti-war candidate Paul, will go into fall Presidential Race saying the war in Iraqi was worth it. It is looking more and more like it will be a PRO WAR vs ANTI WAR Presidential Race in 2008.

If Republican Presidential front runner John McCain wins the Florida Republican Primary, he should lock up the Republican Party's 2008 Presidential Nomination. Sportsbook.com has John McCain at 4 to 7 odds to secure the 2008 Republican Presidential Nomination. The elder statesmen with the silver hair stumbled tonight when he was asked a question on the United States Economy by Ron Paul.

McCain has been endorsement by former New York Senator Alfonse D’Amato, a blow to Guiliani campaign. The endorsement could be a sign that the Poker Player Alliance is making some head way against the current “War on Internet Gambling ” taking place in Washington. The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) is an American nonprofit Interest group of over 840,000 members that was formed "to speak with one voice to promote poker, ensure its integrity, and, most importantly, to protect the players' rights." The PPA formed to serve as an advocacy group to Washington in order to establish a legal framework of rights and protections for United States online poker players. Alfonse D'Amato is chairman of the PPA.

The Rudy Guiliani campaign got another dagger when the New York Times endorsed John McCain saying “he is ready to be president...it is a difficult era....he can beat Hillary Clinton."

All of these endorsements, including the recent one from Rambo, won’t help McCain with the GOP conservative base which does not like him. A lost in the Florida Primary will certainly be a blow to the cash strapped candidate who needs a win or strong finish to secure additional campaign contributions. Mitt Romney has already spent $40 million dollars of his own funds for his campaign and has plenty more to pour in if needed.

Full article here.