We are now two days away from the Florida presidential primary.

If you are to believe the narrative in the media and the results of most polls, Mitt Romney has pulled out to a substantial lead in the race, up by an average of 8-10 pts.

It’s worth noting that the polling has been schizophrenic…

Romney held a commanding double digit lead here prior to the South Carolina primary, which Newt Gingrich erased entirely as he rode the momentum of his dominant win in that primary to a strong lead of his own. We then saw the ‘machine’ go to work on Newt, giving us the current results. And this has all occurred in the past 10 days.

What the polling suggests is that this is a very volatile race that can turn quickly and with two days to go, anything is possible. But for the moment, let’s assume that Romney prevails in Florida. What does that mean?

It will mean that, in spite of the great awakening of the American people brought on by Rick Santelli’s famous Chicago rant, money still controls politics.

It will mean that the politics of personal destruction and negative campaigning prevails as an effective path to winning elections.

It will mean that after three years of trying to restore honor and integrity in the political arena, these virtues remain lost in the wilderness.

It will mean that all the sacrifices over the past three years by so many to reestablish government of the people, by the people and for the people has been for naught. That such a concept is still but a distant memory.

It will mean that the ‘politics of old’ reigns supreme.

My greatest fear, that the American people will not comprehend all that is at stake in this election, seems to be playing out before my very eyes.

When Ronald Reagan ran in the 1980 presidential race, he took his case directly to the American people, not depending on the media and the political class, both of whom were aligned against his candidacy, to get his message out.

When you take an honest look at Mitt Romney, he has taken the exact opposite path.

As we Floridians have witnessed over the past week, Newt Gingrich has maintained a punishing schedule to get before the folks, with thousands turning out to hear his visions of America. Meanwhile, there is but a ripple on the ground from Camp Romney.

Yes, it seems Romney has avoided the great unwashed for the most part, endeavoring instead to ensure the support of the political class and the ‘machine’ it controls through the Republican Party. Even if it requires peddling the potential influence he acquires should he prevail, right Ms. Bondi?

Beyond the courting of Florida’s political elite, Romney has also put his sizable financial advantage to work inundating the airwaves with negative ads targeting Newt Gingrich, Ronald Reagan’s 11th Commandment be damned.

And speaking of, exactly when did we become a people who ridicule big dreams and grandiose ideas? Was America not built on dreams? Is that not the very foundation that made this the greatest country in the history of the world? And we embrace the purveyor of this ridicule?

So what does a Mitt Romney win mean Florida?

It will mean the moderate wing of the Republican Party, the very faction that gave us John McCain in ’08, is firmly in control of the conservative movement in America.

It will mean the tea party message will become just another populist movement that came and went. And most importantly, it will mean that government of the elite, by the elite and for the elite is still how things get done in America.

Two days… so much can happen in two days.

Cross Posted at Florida Political Press