Darrell Issa, Mitt Romney Surrogate, Worried About Money Wasted In Primary Squabbles

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- There are dual and somewhat contradictory expectations heading into Saturday evening's Nevada caucus. One is that Mitt Romney will win and win comfortably. The second is that Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul will soldier on even after the drubbing.

Like many of the upcoming states, Nevada will award its delegates proportionally. It's a feature that has effectively invited the rest of the Republican candidates to remain in the race. And it's also starting to prompt some Romney backers to worry about the literal costs of a prolonged primary.

In an interview with The Huffington Post on Friday, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) argued the merits for having his candidate of choice –- Romney, the former Massachusetts governor -- continuing to campaign. But he also openly worried about the price tag that will come with a drawn-out process, noting that dollars spent in a primary contest would be better spent on a general election campaign against President Barack Obama.

"There is no question there will be a huge dollar imbalance" heading into the general election, said Issa, in Las Vegas to help and support the Romney campaign. "But the reverse happened to [John] Kerry. George W. Bush wasn't challenged and Kerry didn't get a coronation right away. So, it is our system."

Romney has been raising money for the general election alongside primary funds since he started his campaign. But he does face a fundraising challenge that is less of an issue for Obama: a reliance on big donors who, once they're tapped out, can't give again. The super PACs supporting Romney, primarily Restore Our Future, are the great crutch for his campaign, giving wealthy patrons a pro-Romney vehicle in which to deposit unlimited checks.

"I would prefer that the dollar question start going the right way, and I would like to see the super PACs end their shooting at each other," Issa said, seemingly calling for an end to Republican infighting.

While Issa may be concerned that super PAC money is being wasted on attacks against fellow Republicans -- so far, Restore our Future has spent just under $17 million going after Gingrich -- it seems unlikely that those funds won't be replenished once the primary battle turns into a general election contest.

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Comments

[tahoegal]

12:11 PM on 02/06/2012

Oh come on Issa, NOW you're worried about money? What about all the $$$$ you've spent needlessly going after Obama. You are an embarrassment to California, so take your uber-rich self off the public teat and spend full time counting your money.

[ennis438]

03:14 PM on 02/05/2012

Between Trump and Issa, I am surprised there is room for so much slime behind one candidate. But I guess Romney is a perfect fit for these two losers.

[Tony Moschetti]

01:01 PM on 02/05/2012

"Romney Surrogate Worried About Money Wasted In Primary Squabbles"

And they have good reason. Romney, unlike Obama, can't ring up Bernanke and tell him to "print up" a few hundred billion and slip it into his campaign account, sometimes referred to as "The Treasury!"

[John Talley]

12:00 PM on 02/05/2012

Please-the tax break given to ONE hedge fund operator saved him 100,000,000.00 in 2010 vs paying the top marginal rate. A sliver of that to guarantee the same rate is all it takes-and this is one guy we are talking about. Get real.

[ljb860ljb]

11:35 AM on 02/05/2012

Kind of look like "Pat Paulsen for President", you will remember if your an older fart like me.....

[chaucer1]

11:34 AM on 02/05/2012

Issa: trying to play Joe McCarthy.

[JoanMeijer]

11:26 AM on 02/05/2012

It's not the money Issa should be worried about - it's the truth coming out so often - the problem for Mitt is that the things Newt is saying about him are true just as the things Mitt is saying about Newt are true.

[Javalation]

11:26 AM on 02/05/2012

Issa need not worry. The Republican super PACs will be loaded with Koch & friends hundreds of millions to misrepresent Obama's record and to deceive the public in their ads.

[ChicagoKnowsBest]

11:23 AM on 02/05/2012

Issa is the biggest criminal out of any public official in the US.

[WESTFIELD]

11:19 AM on 02/05/2012

Darrell Issa is why we needs to have term limits.

[ThatsTheTheWayItIs]

11:17 AM on 02/05/2012

Romney now has 8.5% (97 of 1144) of the delegates he needs to win nomination. Otherwise the convention picks, and it could be anybody. That's all Issa is worried about, not the money. He's trying to get Paul and Santorum to drop out. In a two-man race Romney will win, but maybe nobody will if the vote is split three or more ways.

[JoanMeijer]

11:27 AM on 02/05/2012

If the Republicans are dumb enough to pick someone without a national organization four months before the election and run him against Obama - who is Mr. Organization himself - more power to them.

[ideassoul]

11:12 AM on 02/05/2012

Newt knows he is not going to win the election. His is out there to make Romney life imposible, Romney is throwing more money out that the United State treasure. Newt is like a person that is drowning and want to pull some body down with him. Romney made a great mistake when he went out digging dirt on Newt and getting into his private life. President Obama is seated in the White House with his pocket full of money and a volunteer army ready to go door to doors and it will be very difficult to defeat him. The economy is going better and the Republicans do not have a candidate that they really like. Romney has a big problem he is unable to comunicate with the working class he is always surrounded by his own people all of them look like him. We do not see Latinos, Blacks in his meeting and he said he is Mexican!
Ideassoul

[l46289]

12:05 PM on 02/05/2012

I don't understand why people keep saying that Romney can't communicate with the working class. What don't you get about bringing jobs back to the US, creating an environment that is friendlier to business so they can do more business and hire more people, cutting the Federal overload of departments and divisions.. why don't you all research his vision before you judge him?

[ideassoul]

10:03 AM on 02/06/2012

I could agree with you that government is to big and that there are so many people eating seated at home draining our economy. What I said about Romney is he does not know how communicate with common people. Bush was a man that could not communicate properly and most people knows he made a lot of mistakes at the same time he was a people President. Bush was friendly he was not anti-immigrant he was a compasionate President. Romney has somthing that it will be impossible for him to be elected! Some people talks about his religion I do not have opinion about it because I am not a religious person.
Ideassoul

[DingoBuzzy]

11:12 AM on 02/05/2012

This a guy who used to break into cars, then sell car alarm systems to his victims. A guy who, without any cause, said he wanted an ethics hearing every day.

Why does anyone care what he thinks? He's a low life.

[msfaye]

11:11 AM on 02/05/2012

why is he so worried about the money, anything to get in the news. Romney has all those rich people who are going to put together 100 million dollars to defeat Obama. Issa is just mad and jealous no one would do it for him, he KNOWS he wouldn't get but a few minutes into his annoucing his candidacy before his past would come out to haunt him. pissssst Issa there are alot of voting postal workers out there who would love to put you straight out of office.

[Candide33]

11:08 AM on 02/05/2012

Ok libs... we are gonna have to take one for the team and donate to one of the other 3 losers to keep them draining Mitt's slush fund.... can't let this end until he has to mortgage one of his mansions ... remember him bragging about the nasty trick he pulled on Kennedy? Staying in even though he knew he had no chance of winning just to force Kennedy to spend money?

So which of the losers will it be?