Obama allies are stepping in to help Gingrich's campaign in Florida by funding deceptive anti-Romney ads. Since Gingrich is lacking in funds, the Democrats are gleefully spending some of their own money to smear Romney. 

Now it appears that the rhetorical attacks have started against Romney-coming from Democrats. Jill Lawrence writes in the National Journal ("is Obama Trying to Help Gingrich Win Florida") that Obama's campaign manager Jim Messina has been spouting so many lines against Romney that it was hard for her to select the ones to highlight. She did her best:

-- "The more voters learn about Romney, the more unfavorably they view him."

--He lost among South Carolina voters whose top priority is the economy -- "a strong rebuff of what he calls his chief qualification for office."

--"Romney is now 0-for-3 among independents."

--"Republican base voters are having trouble trusting Romney."

 --Releasing one or two years of tax returns is not enough. "What is he hiding?"

--Romney's immigration position would be "the most extreme of any nominee in recent history" and will hurt him with Hispanic voters in Florida and beyond.

-- "This week Florida's voters will meet a candidate with no core values who believes he's entitled to play by a different set of rules.

Lawrence sees what is going on here-even if Florida GOP primary supporters of Gingrich fail to do so. Not only are Obama's people softening up Romney in case the face him in the general election but

...the memo helps put Newt Gingrich on path to the nomination -- he whom national polls show to be unlikeable and unelectable -- well, from Obama's standpoint, that's even better.

Clearly, the strategy is to knock Romney out of the race. Why would AFSCME ( the government workers union) spend one million dollars now -- 9 months before the general election -- to smear Romney? It would make more sense to hold their gunpowder until we get closer to November -- unless their goal was to help Gingrich win in Florida.

They want to run against Gingrich because they are confident -- with reason to be so -- that he will go down in flames against Obama. The oppo research against Gingrich, the very checkered history, his vastly unfavorable ratings with the crucial independents, the list of his negatives and liabilities must fill computer servers all over Chicago and Washington.

All the Democrats are hoping for is for GOP primary voters to be their willing accomplices.