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 Saturday, February 24, 2007
What do you get when you pair Jennifer Dobner (the LDS Church watcher) and Glen Johnson (the Romney basher) together on an article about Romney's Marmon family roots? A hit piece like no other.
Jennifer is fairly tame in her decidedly left-leaning muckraking, though at times she inserts some fun axiomatic assumptions into her pieces (implying that the Mormon church would "punish" a man who entered into a "legal, same-sex marriage"). Glen has cut his teeth far deeper than Jennifer implying disappointment that Governor Romney doesn't carry over his displeasure with the Mass. Supreme Court into the public arena (see here and here). With their dual agendas the path to literary sniping was almost inevitable. Actually, I got a call from a friend this morning who indicated that reporters were poking around down in Mexico trying to interview some of the supposed long-lost polygamous cousins of Mitt Romney. It says something about the personal integrity of Governor Romney that his detractors have to scour back 3 generations to literally dig up a skeleton in a closet... since his closet is pretty darn clean. You see the main problem with AP hit pieces is that they don't state their claims.... they simply insinuate. So the article starts out like this: While Mitt Romney condemns polygamy and its prior practice by his Mormon church, the Republican presidential candidate's great-grandfather had five wives and at least one of his great-great grandfathers had 12.This would be funny if it weren't so contorted. They set up the sentence as a dichotomy but can't quite come to the realization of what that dichotomy is. So we need some MORE insinuation: Romney's father, former Michigan Gov. George Romney, was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, where Mormons fled in the 1800s to escape religious persecution and U.S. laws forbidding polygamy. He and his family did not return to the United States until 1912, more than two decades after the church issued "The Manifesto" banning polygamy.So the whispering voices that Dobner and Johnson want you to hear is that Romney Sr. was possibly a closet polygamist himself, that his immediate kin were Mormon defilers for decades and that Mitt obviously must have polyamorous leanings. What any of this has to do with Romney's presidential aspirations is unclear. Except this: Dobner and Johnson do not want you to vote for him. And nothing pulls on a voters heart strings like the strange estrangement and tears of Mitt's Great Great grandmother: "I felt that was more than I could endure, to have him divide his time and affections from me. I used to walk the floor and shed tears of sorrow. If anything will make a woman's heart ache, it is for her husband to take another wife. ... But I put my trust in my heavenly father, and prayed and pleaded with him to give me strength to bear this great trial."Again, I ask. What does this have to do with Mitt? This is agenda press politics at its best! Labels: AP, family, Glen Johnson, Jennier Dobner, mitt romney, polygamy, press
To start with the obvious Mitt Romney is most conservative candidate in the field who has, at present, a chance of winning. The press doesn’t like conservatives, or at the very least, is more hostile to conservatives than it is to liberals. The press sees everything regarding a conservative in the worst possible light; liberals are more likely to get the benefit of the doubt.This is one thing that conservative forget. Regardless how you think Romney REALLY feels about the issues his public stance is THE conservative candidate in the GOP candidate slate. Dean continues: A second reason is that Mitt Romney doesn’t look like a politician should, or at least the way the media thinks a Republican politician should. Given that Romney is constantly praised for his patrician demeanor, his impeccable manner and his smooth-as-silk politicking... The press has come to expect Republicans to fit certain molds. They are supposed to be inarticulate and not quick on their feet. The press has stereotyped every Republican presidential nominee since Ford in this way. They are also supposed to be intellectually unimaginative or downright unintelligent. Again, every Republican presidential nominee since Ford has had to live with this label. They are further required to be creatures of politics who have accomplished nothing or next to nothing outside of the political world. Lastly, all Republicans ought to have a bit of Elmer Gantry in them. They should preach about morality and piety, but they should always be obliging enough to have at least a few skeletons jangling in their closet.Think about our past slate of presidential candidates: Bush (inarticulate), Dole (dour), Bush 41 (unimpressive). Romney exudes something very different. As one press person put it: "Romney is straight out of central casting!" Dean summarizes this point: Mitt Romney fails to live up to any of these stereotypes. Intellectually, Romney graduated Harvard’s Business and Law Schools with top honors. Furthermore, it seems like he’s completely unfamiliar with the media dictates that Republicans should wrestle with English like it’s a hostile foreign language and make themselves available for lampooning as dullards.So why else are the press shooting at Romney? Lastly, and probably most frustratingly for the media, the Romney closet is depressingly barren. When Mitt Romney talks about family values, he’s able to point to his own wife of 40 years and a brood of children and grandchildren that seems too good even for a Christmas card.Barnett makes a great defense elsewhere on why this approach just won't work Labels: anti-romney, bash, dean barnett, flip-flop, mitt romney, press 
Governor Romey Released the Following statement today on current environmental debate. Saying that South Carolina Governor was right on this issue he continued:
Unfortunately, some in the Republican Party are embracing the radical environmental ideas of the liberal left. As governor, I found that thoughtful environmentalism need not be anti-growth and anti-jobs. But Kyoto-style sweepingBonus points to the person who can figure out who the governor may be referring to Labels: global warming, press release Local Vermont Newspaper Editorial Board gives Romney the GOP edge by a nose.
Hugh Hewitt sat down with Rudy this week and asked the mayor about Mitt's Mormon faith. Rudy responded:
Rudy is a decent guy who admittedly is ahead in the polls right now (but behind in fundraising and endorsements). We applaud Mayor G. and hope we can continue to focus on the issues. Cheers. Friday, February 23, 2007
Brody File has the scoop:
Out of all the Presidential contenders that showed up, Mitt Romney had the biggest turnout. An Evangelical leader who was inside the meeting told me that about 150 people showed up and that he received a "tremendous reception". About 100 people showed up at the McCain event. 80 for Brownback. This person tells me though that what's interesting is that the McCain and Brownback events were at the hotel where NRB was holding their convention. The Romney event was off site, about 2 miles away and he still drew the biggest crowd.Really, this is reasonable to me. I drove through the middle of the night from Chicago to Detroit to live blog the official kick-off. 2 miles is nothing to see the next president. I'm told that Romney was questioned firmly on the abortion question and his answers were not sound bite oriented. He actually gave detailed answers which were described as candid and honest. The topic of judges came up too and the war on terror. Judge Charles Pickering was there and he had questions for Romney as well.Romney is honest and candid, he's a spectacular candidate. What's great about Romney is not only his ability to appeal to the social conservatives, but he has a hard line on terrorist and by far the keenest economic mind. Labels: david brody, event, mitt romney, national broadcasters convention  Many thanks for reader Glenn for pointing us to this article.Today, Elanor Clift, the wily leftist pundit, pens a quick piece entitled: "The Christian Right's Dream Candidate". She's speaking of Jeb Bush. A lot of people believe that Jeb could win the primary and the general election handily if it weren't for one big handicap, his last name. She notes that the debate is still out for who the Christian Right will choose, but the chosen successor for the Bushes? The Bush family seems to be moving its chips to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Several of Jeb’s gubernatorial staffers have signed on with Romney, and Jeb’s sister, Doro Bush Koch, is cohosting a fund-raiser for him. Mom and Dad are reportedly telling friends he’s a fine man and the class act in the race. With front runner John McCain faltering and Rudy Giuliani an unlikely fit with Republican primary voters, Romney looks like the Bush Dynasty’s best bet.Interesting! Labels: bushes, eleanor clift, jeb bush, mitt romney Could they be ducking you-know-who? From the Hotline:
 Chart as of 2/23 We admit up front that this list is not official. We've gathered the names from public news articles and on the candidates website. With that in mind there is no mistake that Mitt Romney increased his endorsement edge. The difference seems to be a good majority of the Utah delegation getting behind him and making their names public. But there were also numerous endorsements from Georgia and South Carolina. Next week we will make available an endorsement application that will allow you to make contributions to this effort. We will try to source each of these as well.
Labels: david brody mitt romney, election, endoresements, Endorse, Endorsement, Endorsements, McCain, rudy Just an announcement, I have started on as a contributor for www.Race42008.com. It's a great site ran by Kavon Nikrad. Basically the jist of the site is 5-10 contributors blogging for a candidate they favor- mine is Hagel (that's a joke), with an open comments section. It's a lot of fun to read and I would encourage all of you Romney Die-Hards to visit, comment often and support OurManMitt.
Before I get too much into the gist of my post, I feel an introduction of sorts is in order. My name is Jon and I currently run Blogs For Mitt. Most of what I’ve managed to do so far is a Daily Roundup of Mitt coverage. The guys here at MyManMitt were nice enough to invite me to do the occasional post and this is the first chance I’ve gotten to take them up on their offer.
Now on to what I wanted to write about. With the inauguration of George W. Bush, there came to the Oval Office the first man to serve there who had been schooled in the ways and art of Business. Bush holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Harvard Business School. Mitt holds this same degree in addition to his Law degree – both from Harvard. I hold an MBA as well, albeit not from Harvard. Part of any MBA curriculum are courses dedicated to teaching the principles of marketing. Every student has to take these classes, and although most people see such classes as “fluff” when compared to the hard sciences of accounting, finance and economics. The bottom line is you can finance, design, and build the best products known to man kind but if you don’t find innovative ways to induce people to buy them your business will eventually find its way into bankruptcy. Some politicians are either good at marketing themselves or they have people who are good at doing it for them. As in the world of business, politics is a competitive environment. How a politician deals with his/her opponent is probably more important than what he or she actually says and does over the course of the campaign. One of the first things taught in advanced Marketing courses is the hard and fast rule that you don’t demean your competition. Highlighting differences and areas in which you or your product out performs the competition is important. Slamming the competition’s product or representatives has a tendency to leave a bad taste in the mouth of the customer. While this analogy can only be loosely fitted to the political world in which we now find ourselves, there are some quite recent examples of how some Presidential contenders deal with their opponents. Take first the Hillary-Obama Dust Up. Both of those Democratic contenders – more Hillary than Obama – took an issue which should’ve died a quick death and turned it into a media frenzy. In this case, not all publicity is good publicity. Compare and contrast that with Mitt’s statements today in New Hampshire. When asked about his thoughts on the Hillary-Obama Cage Match, Mitt said: It's great, isn't it? I love to see it when it happens on the other side.After referring to his primary opponents – Arizona Senator John McCain and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani – as “friends” and “national heroes” Mitt had this observation about the upcoming campaign: I respect them. I'm sure we'll disagree on issues from time to time, but I doubt you'll see the rancor that apparently may exist elsewhere. (Emphasis Added)This, dear reader, is the hallmark of someone who understands the importance of marketing perception. He doesn’t need to come out and directly attack his competition. All that will come out in the wash anyway. Mitt is marketing the positive aspects of what he has to offer the country as her next President. That’s what will separate him from the pack. National Religious Broadcasters Convention, February 18, 2007, Orlando
comments by Mark DeMoss  Last September, after months of personal research, I sat in the office of a remarkable man. I was meeting, for the first time in person, a 59 year-old man who:
You see, I had been hearing that evangelicals would not support a Mormon for president (even though we’ve worked closely with them for 30 years on a host of issues of importance to us); and that thinking bothered me. After all, I would not want people to say, “I could never vote for an evangelical—those people are crazy.” I further thought that if one-third of evangelicals saw fit to vote for Bill Clinton—the second time—a Southern Baptist who doesn’t share my values, surely we could consider a Mormon who does share and practice these values. So, as I think about our country and the next election, I have concluded two things:
I believe when evaluating a candidate for this important office, we should evaluate the whole of a person’s life—his experience, his behavior, his family, his intellect, his integrity, and his character. That September day, in the Massachusetts Statehouse, I told Gov. Romney two things: I told him I wanted to help him; and I told him I wasn’t for hire. I was looking for a candidate, not a client. A month later I was fortunate to spend a day in the governor’s home, getting to know him and his wife better; and I quickly developed a friendship and a conviction that this is a special man and a rare kind of leader. So I have tried to introduce Gov. Romney, and his wonderful wife Ann, to fellow evangelicals ever since, and I’m honored that they have come to Orlando today to meet with us. I am convinced that if “values voters” are looking for a candidate with real values, you are about to meet the real thing. So after Jay Sekulow, my co-host for this meeting today, shares a few additional comments, I am proud to join him in introducing my special friends, Gov. and Mrs. Mitt Romney. Labels: evangelicals, event, mark demoss, mitt romney, press, speech Go Here and Vote for our own Dave Burris.
I was reading Dave Burris's wonderful blog First State Politics and read he is in a straw poll for Congress. Dave is an ardent Romney supporter and County Chair of his GOP in Delaware. Right now Dave is tied for first place. To me the Editors have done a great job of summing up where the campaign needs to be headed. The first paragraph is not one that I agree with though,
Skeptics see more naked ambition than sincere conversion in Romney’s shifts on multiple issues, including abortion, gun control, gay rights, and taxes. His campaign should make no mistake: His introduction to the public has gone badly, and a few early TV ads isn’t going to fix it.There are points here I will make. Romney has not really been introduced to the public. He has been introduced to the blogosphere, which aside from some of the attacks has gone remarkably well. He is still largely unknown. Second, see Rope a Dope. The editors make some great points: Conservatives should hope Romney’s campaign does not fizzle. For three decades, candidates who have moved to the right in Republican presidential primaries have been rewarded rather than punished. Conservative openness to converts has made it possible for moderate Republicans who found themselves moving rightward to prosper, and given ideologically malleable Republicans an incentive to adopt conservative positions. In both cases, the effect was to facilitate the country’s rightward move.All I can say is, no kidding. Do these skeptics really wish he was a pro-choice guy? Another good point: It is natural that he might say he is personally pro-life, but would not try to change laws in Massachusetts; that he would oppose same-sex marriage, but otherwise promote gay rights; even that he would duck the Reaganite label. In any case, Romney is a career businessman who spent far more time thinking about management and government reform than social issues and political philosophy.Finally, what I think is the best advice (and one that I am positive the campaign is working on) His difficulty is obviously in transitioning from Massachusetts to the national stage. Part of what Romney needs is simply time, and even though the campaign season is already super-charged and the news cycles relentless, he will get it. It is still ten months before anyone votes, and conservatives will get a chance to evaluate Romney's sincerity and honesty over those months. But his conservatism will likely continue to sound tinny until he gives it an overarching theme of his own.This is really a great point of advice. Romney needs to brand his thoughts to create a movement. Obviously "Compassionate Conservatism" is used and a little worn out. Perhaps something that denotes strength and tough talk. I am not a strategist, just a lowly blogger, but Romney has a golden opportunity to redefine Conservatism and it's goals. The movement is hungry for it. Labels: conservative, flip-flop, flipping, national review This was originally posted at www.Redstate.com, but I thought I would put it up here.
Anti-Romneyites were absolutely elated to hear this quote by Romney advisor James Bopp Jr. reported in Politico: And about his candidate?I had just posted a defense of Romney, and this made no sense. Why would a respected pro-lifer and Romney supporter write a strong article supporting Romney the same day he decides to rebuke him? It made no sense. Why would the politico only give us snippets of the interview and not the whole interview on such a controversial topic? Read on . . . Bopp responded on this in the comments section at www.Race42008.com: The last four paragraphs of Johathan Martin’s blog combines answers to several questions to me creating the erroneous impression that I am uncertain about Romney’s pro-life position. I am not. To the question: “will any of these candidates really advocate an end to abortion or were they just paying lip service to an important issue,” my view is that “Romney is sincere about advocating an end to abortion — he is not paying lip service to it.” If I had been asked further about this, I would have said that he will promote and sign pro-life legislation, oppose and veto pro-choice legislation (as he had done as Governor) and appoint strict constructionist judges. My statement about Romney in the last sentence of the Martin’s blog (which is correctly viewed by commentators here as “strange,” “odd,” and “bizarre,” if made to the question “is he paying lip service” to it) was about where does the abortion issue fit in his agenda, in other words what priority would he give it, and I think that it is important now and is growing in importance to him (that is the “journey” I was referring to).It's funny about Bopp. When he joined up with Mitt all the Anti-Romneyites cried that Romney needed someone like Bopp to legitimize him. When Bopp’s statements are misconstrued in the Politico all the cynics knock Romney for not being Pro-life enough for Bopp. I hope today these cynics will follow suit and admit Bopp believes in Romney, and admit that just as a damning statement from Bopp carries weight, so does a strong statement of endorsement. For me it's very interesting and humorous how overtly cynical some have become. Bopp works as an unpaid advisor, consultant and endorser for Romney, and for one reason only- Romney is worth what ever perceived risks presented by the Anti-Romneyites. As Bopp purports, Romney will make the best Pro-life, Pro-Family Social Conservative candidate. Pro-choice Pro-Gay Guiliani will not change. Well get tough talk on war, but no veto's on pro-gay laws and loosening of abortion restrictions from congress. For McCain issues of Life and Marriage will be at best backburner topics, maybe delegated to the deep fryer. MP3 File SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST CLICK BELOW:   OR use our feed: XML Podcast Feed Labels: campaign, dean barnett, mittcast, press Thursday, February 22, 2007
 Dean Barnett on Hugh Hewitt's blog has posted what I think is the single best analysis of the current buffetings against the Romney campaign.Dean starts his posted noting what a lot of people have felt this week: Romney took some hits. After sleeping on the issue here's what Dean surmises: But after, a good night’s sleep, I’ve come to see things differently. It’s all good. Really - this has been a great week for the Romney campaign.Dean sees this as a classic Rope-A-Dope effect hearkening back to the famous Ali-Foreman fight: In these early days of the election cycle, Romney is playing the role of Ali and the press is Foreman. Although it’s easy for us political obsessives to forget, there can be no knockouts a year before Iowa. The flip-side of that coin is also informative – Howard Dean had a perfect 2003 and wound up a distant also ran to political titans like John Kerry and John Edwards.Dean get a little defensive (and rightly so in my mind) about the current kanoodling around Romney issues: THE OFT-REPEATED CHARGE AGAINST MITT ROMNEY IS THAT HE’S A FLIP-FLOPPER and an opportunist. As someone who knows him and who is familiar with his character, it annoys me no end to see Romney’s detractors so relentlessly peddle such an inaccurate caricature.As we pointed out today with the whole Bopp thing people really are itching for a fight with Romney. Dean continues and hits paydirt with the key part of his post: But there’s an undeniable political upside to this development. It will hardly be possible for the press to release a big “breaking news” story on the eve of the Iowa primary that says in effect, “This just in: Mitt Romney is a flip-flopper!!!” By the time the public is steeling itself to take a hard look at who should be its next President, the press will have punched itself out as far as Mitt Romney is concerned. Believe me – Barack Obama and Rudy Giuliani should be so fortunate.The logic in Barnett's argument is frankly very convincing. To test his theory I asked a group of my employees (IT professionals) what they know about Mitt Romney. Their response: "Mitt who?" While the challenge of name recognition is a significant one it also demonstrates that the pithy infighting and ridicilous gnat squinting is just that. Most people still haven't made up there mind. Or as one blog put it "I don't even know what he looks like?" Here's the last part of Dean's post where he sums up the whole theory: And when the time finally comes for Romney to counterpunch after all the breathless “exposés” have been written and all the YouTubes have been aired, Romney will find his opponents in the media as easy to knock out as George Foreman was in the 8th round of the Rumble in the Jungle. The governor will be able to respond to his critics with two easy smackdowns that will be devastating when the time is right. The first is an old John F. Kennedy saw: “It’s not where you come from, but where you stand.” The second will be a completely justified swipe at the pettiness and endlessly repetitive nature of these attacks: “I want to talk about our country’s future. I will, even if the press and my opponents are obsessed with my past.”Kudos to Dean. I buy it. Labels: blogs, campaign, dean barnett, george foreman, mohammed ali, press  From the Washington Times: Amnesty John is unsuited for the Presidency based on this issue alone. If someone has this little respect for something as basic as our borders why should we trust him with the presidency.The one Republican who all agree has been part of the negotiations from the start is Mr. McCain, who is running for his party's presidential nomination. This worries Republicans who say that Mr. McCain is the last Republican they want representing their interests in negotiations with Mr. Kennedy over immigration legislation. There are, for me, a few issues that are important benchmarks for me. Pro-Life issues, the War on Terror, Taxes, and Immigration. The only candidate who gts 4/4 on these issues is Mitt Romney. Giuliani gets a 2/4 for the War on Terror and taxes, McCain gets a 1.5/4 for the war and partially on life(Campaign Finance has hurt the pro-life movement so he gets docked there. Though McCain says he now favors the Bush Tax Cuts he voted against them.) Labels: Immigration, McCain From Rob Bluey:
Bluey reports that Giuliani will also skip CPAC. No surprise there. Labels: McCain Matt Lewis of Townhall.com notes that the now infamous little tidbit of supposed James Bopp back-walking in the Politico interview was misleading. Here is Bopp on the Politico website in response:
"The last four paragraphs combine answers to several questions creating the erroneous impression that I am uncertain about Romney's pro-life position. I am not. He is sincere about ending abortion and is not paying lip service to it. He will promote pro-life legislation, oppose pro-choice legislation (as he has as Governor) and appoint strict constructionist judges. My statement about his 'journey' was about what priority he would give it. It is important now and is growing in importance to him."It seems that some folks are WAY TOO EAGER to read into slight comments whole volumes of insinuation. Squinting at the gnat and swallowing the camel. I'm sure that the front-runner financial status and endorsement charge that Romney has sustained has a lot of people worried. ..
In a move that ought to alarm conservatives John McCain blasted the Bush administration's actions on Global Warming. From the LA Times: "I would assess this administration's record on global warming as I suppose all of his friends at Davos urged him to support the Kyoto Treaty as well. I wonder how much of the American Economy he is willing to sell down the river over "Global Warming." I also found this bit interesting from the Vice President: McCain said that Bush had been "very badly served" by Rumsfeld and Vice Labels: Cheney, global warming, McCain Kate O'Beirne writes what I think is a very interesting column looking at why Rudy might not be all he is cracked up to be for the GOP ticket.
She Writes: Giuliani's multiple marriages, his pro-choice stand on abortion and his support This becomes a major problem when you consider this: Polling shows that a significant percentage of Catholic Republicans share If Rudy is the nominee will a similar phenomena occur? Why risk it? By making Romney the nominee we nominate someone who will maintain this significant advantage for our party in this key demographic.
As for Romney, I haven't examined his record as Massachusetts Governor closely enough to form an opinion one way or another.I find it humorous that on one hand you can take time to write a long article explaining how Romney is finished yet on the other hand have had no time to examine his record as governor- a record which speaks well for Romney. Are ABP readers this dumb? Guessing from the comments section I would say no. ABP is a pro-mcain bent blog who's owner actually works for McCain (not Bulldog pundit.) As one reader points out: Ok, lemme ask the obvious question here - since you are taking the time to write this article bashing Romney, why the hell haven’t you examined his record as Governor?Of course Bulldoge has a wonderful excuse to offer the reader: Why haven't I had time to get into Romney’s record - it’s called having a 2 month old daughter.Ok, I have kids my self, and both were once 2 months old. Last I checked I wasn't tied up all day feeding and changing diapers. Most 2 month old babies sleep large amounts. And please, the baby is two months old, Romney's been a name in this game for over a year! Keep up the great research ABP, it's awesome. I look forward to more attack articles on a candidate's who's records you refuse to examine Labels: blogs MP3 File SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST CLICK BELOW: OR use our feed: XML Podcast Feed  Honesty is a good thing! Here's a post by Karol at AlaramingNews. Straight talk about Rudy's chances in 2008:I love Rudy Giuliani. He was a phenomenal mayor of New York and a major influence on why I fell in love with politics. Previous to him, I had never seen a politician make an actual, tangible difference. He was beyond impressive. I've called him my all-time favorite politician. I've writen that he's the man. I get all emotional over Rudy.I think its fair to say that everyone has a bit of emtion around Rudy. There is something untouchable about the guy because of his association with the day that changed us all. Karol continues: But I've worked in elections in four states, two blue states (NY and PA), one red state (GA) and one purple state (CO). I know who votes in Republican primaries. I know they are not like the blogosphere. I know what matters to them. And I know that Rudy, as phenomenal, amazing, terrific, the bestest as he is, can't win. The abortion issue alone will cripple him. Abortion politics are central in primaries on both sides. And that's just the tip of the iceberg in this case.This is also fair and true. Sadly, Rudy's unrepentant pro-choice stance (even pro-partial birth abortion!) will likely sideline his chances in the GOP primaries. MOre from Karol: I've never wanted to be so wrong about anything. I will eat every one of my words, happily, if what I am predicting won't come to pass. I will celebrate a Giuliani candidacy so sincerely. And I truly believe that if he makes it out of the primary, he wins. I just don't think he makes it out.Thanks for your honesty Karol. Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Here is an MSNBC interview with Romney Strategist Vin Weber. Notice how the interviewer actually questions Weber on why Romney didn't talk about Mormonism in his new ad! Is she nuts or just agenda driven? Did she really think Romney would sit down and have a fireside chat about Mormon Doctrines?
We now know why more people watch the Japaenes Language Channel than MSNBC.
James Bopp Jr., a well known Pro-life litigator penned a wonderful article for NRO that covers some of the great arguments in support of Romney. Bopp begins with some interesting quotes from 1994, and an endorsement we don’t hear very much about:
Romney’s conversion was less abrupt than is often portrayed. In his 1994 Senate run, Romney was endorsed by Massachusetts Citizens for Life and kept their endorsement, even though he declared himself to be pro-choice, because he supported parental-consent laws, opposed taxpayer-funded abortion and mandatory abortion coverage under a national health insurance plan, and was against the Freedom of Choice Act, which would have codified Roe v. Wade by federal statute. In 1994, NARAL’s Kate Michelman pronounced him a phony pro-choicer. “Mitt Romney, stop pretending,” she demanded. “We need honesty in our public life, not your campaign of deception to conceal your anti-choice views,” she said. Some conservative Boston newspaper columnists view it similarly. As Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe put it: Bopp goes on: The evaluation of Romney’s conversion needs to be considered in light of the pro-life movement’s consistent effort over the years to educate, and thereby convert, people to the cause. The pro-life movement has aggressively promoted conversion and has achieved great success in doing so. Good point. Pro-lifers work hard to convert and now they have Romney on their side. They should be celebrating, not providing the DNC some talking points. Bopp goes on: Yet how is the sincerity of a conversion to be measured? There are two salient considerations in this regard: first, some defining moment that prompted a change of heart; second, the fact that deeds speak louder than words. Romney’s conversion exhibits both. First, Romney has had a life-changing event. It was when he was governor and researchers were proposing embryonic cloning at Harvard. As he recounts it, one of the researchers said that there “wasn’t a moral issue, because . . . they destroy the embryos at 14 days.” Romney said that “it struck me that we have so cheapened the value of human life in this country through our Roe v. Wade decision that someone could think that there is no moral issue to have racks and racks of living human embryos and then destroying them at 14 days.” This point is often forgotten. Romney’s decision to veto embryonic cloning came at an enormous personal cost, if he indeed is faking it. Romney’s wife has MS. It would be quite a thing to oppose embryonic stem cell research with a wife in a condition many promise could be helped by this form of research, when you really support it. Here is a video of Ann explaining this: Bopp goes on: And Romney, as governor, acted on these convictions. He vetoed an embryonic cloning bill; he vetoed a bill that would allow the “morning after pill” to be acquired without a prescription on the grounds that it is an abortifacient; he vetoed legislation which would have redefined Massachusetts longstanding definition of the beginning of human life from fertilization to implantation; and he fought to promote abstinence education in the classroom. One should not underestimate the tremendous political price that Governor Romney paid in Massachusetts for these acts. Both conviction and courage are necessary for effective pro-life leadership, and Romney, in office, displayed both. Often the attack is used by Anti-Romneyites that he wouldn’t have been reelected in Massachusetts. This may or may not have been the case. Yet if it is true, we should realize the reason for his unelectability in Massachusetts is directly related to his hard work on conservative social issues. Bopp goes on to discuss what the options are in a Non-Romney ticket: It cannot be forgotten, however, that this is also a political question, a matter of practical choices. And what are these choices? Senator John McCain and Mayor Rudy Giuliani are the other leading candidates for the Republican nomination. Barring the unlikely emergence of some conservative alternative in the next few months, the choice will be between Giuliani, McCain, and Romney. While both Giuliani and McCain would be vastly superior to any of the prospective Democrats, there are serious questions about the policy positions of both, and not just on social conservative issues. We tend to think that by knocking down Romney we will now elect the true-social conservative. We social conservatives can split the vote amongst the lesser candidates of Brownback and Huckabee, who each have their have their own issues, but it will be at our peril. We can easily find ourselvs stuck with someone who won't support a Marriage ammendment or is a afraid to veto an embryonic cloning bill. Finally Bopp concludes this better than I can ever hope to: Whatever one thinks about Romney’s conversion, and I believe it is sincere, the fact remains that Romney opposes public funds for embryo-destructive research that McCain and Giuliani support. Romney has fought for a federal marriage amendment and McCain and Giuliani oppose one. There is the simple question of whether social conservatives want someone who is currently on their side or someone who currently opposes them.  David Brody: McCain Supporters, Why don't your sit down before I tell your...Yesterday, we noted that David Brody, CBN News Capitol Hill Correspondant, was asking Pro-lifers to email him feedback on this question: "As a pro-life voter, who would you vote for? John McCain or Mitt Romney? Who do you view as the candidate that will best represent the pro-life movement.?The response? "It wasn't even close. More than 90% of people who emailed me said Romney was the guy, hands down." Brody gave some sample emails: "Romney’s personal life and religion, a religion I do not share, demonstrate to me a profound love and respect for family and children. I believe he is sincerely and deeply committed to protecting the rights of the unborn." But how about McCain. (here's the "why don't you sit down first" part): "McCain has risked little politically with his "life" record (being from a Red State but still never being on the forefront or frontlines of the pro-life fight.) Sure he's got a "neat and tidy" voting record to refer to, but, even though he's "the king" of sponsoring new legilsation, I'm not aware of him taking a leadership role for "pro-life" causes. Plus, he's constantly shown that he's willing to "show-up" the conservative base if it suits him at the time."Brody cites a few more emails then summarizes: A couple of interesting themes emerge here. Clearly, there is a distrust with McCain on the life issue. I'm sure his handlers are beside themselves wondering why a solid 20 year pro-life record may not resonate as much as it should.... Here's the big difference between McCain, Romney and Rudy. The one guy who will actually stand up to lead and defend the pro-life movement is the former pro-choice-leaning governor from a blue state. Go figure! Labels: abortion, cbn news, david brody, david brody mitt romney, McCain, pro-life, rudy CONTACT INFORMATION FOR "THIS WEEK" BELOW
I should note at the outset that a good number of our bloggers here are NOT Mormon. With that caveat I have this to say about George Stephanopolous. Listen, it's one thing to knock my candidate for President. It's quite another to say that Mitt has his Mormonism wrong or that I DO for that matter. Here's how it played out: George asks Mitt over the weekend about a specific Mormon doctrine and how Muslims might perceive it. Mitt corrected George and said we believe the same as other Christians that Christ will come to Jerusalem and set foot on the Mount of Olives. George goes and asks a "Mormon spokesman" about it and then comes on the air to say that Mitt has his Mormonism wrong? He repeated it again yesterday! George you are no Mormon theologian! I am literally getting saturated with emails from my friends (disclosure: I am Mormon) upset about this strange turn of events. And it's not just Mormons questioning this media approach. See Thomas Lifson here. I will let a BYU Professor say his peace on the matter: Mormon eschatology is complex and multifaceted, and George Stephanopoulos's seeming "gotcha" with regard to Mitt Romney rests on his own illusion that he has our doctrine pinned down. He doesn't. Romney is right.- source Here's the contact information for This Week. E-mail: thisweek@abc.com Phone: (202) 222-7100 Fax: (202) 222-7074 If you call, be polite, and tell them that George is wrong about Mitt being wrong on some Mormon doctrine and that he should stop bringing minute theological debates into his press reports! Labels: abcnews, doctrine, LDS Mormon Romney, Mormon, mormonism The three ads (in cased you missed it)
60 secs 30 secs 60 secs - Unplugged Iowa (my personal favorite) Labels: ads, campaign, iowa, mitt romney, video
Labels: blogs, briefing, mitt romney Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Send an email to thebrodyfile@cbn.org and vote for Romney.
Brody asks readers to send an email voting for who would be the best candidate on abortion issues. Take the time. CBN's David Brody
Romney's Attempts To Level Campaign Playing Field With Ads Promising Less Talk And More Action ABC News Washington Post Jonathan Martin at The Politico The Corner Part I KJL: Perhaps Newt can follow-up with a PSA on Thursday complaining about how early The Corner Part II JPOD: I hope he goes negative!  Serving on Governor Romney's statewide team will be House Speaker Pro Tempore Mark Burkhalter, Congressman John Linder, Congressman Phil Gingrey, Congressman Tom Price, Eric J. Tanenblatt, Cobb County Commissioner Sam Olens, Oscar N. Persons, Fred Cooper and Nancy Coverdell. 3 Congressmen, a leader in the GA House and the wife of a beloved fmr. Senator, Paul Coverdell, who died in office. Impressive team. Georgia votes March 4th with 8 other states Labels: Endorsements, Georgia
This from Christian News Wire:
The Reverend Rob Schenck (pronounced SHANK), president of the National Clergy Council and its affiliate, Faith and Action in the Nation's Capital, returned today to Washington from Orlando, Florida, where he participated in small private meetings with Republican presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and John McCain. From Schenck's own mouth:  "I was able to get a read of these two men away from the cameras, the reporters and rah-rah audiences. These were honest, candid dialogues on critically important aspects of Governor Romney's and Senator McCain's personal and political principles. We got a pretty good assessment of where they are on the key issues for traditional Christians and particularly for Evangelicals. I was impressed by both, but especially Mitt Romney." (I added those italics) Good news, Romney's a good guy. Schenck also had some kind words for Brownback: the Kansas senator remains the gold standard for the top three concerns of the sanctity of life, the sanctity of marriage and the family and the public acknowledgment of God. That may be, Brownback has been terrific on those issues. But Brownback is the "lead standard" for topics such as Iraq, Immigration, showing up for work and Pork-Barrel hogging. Fortunately for Romney, our nation needs the whole package- and he is it. Should be Good!
 Thanks to Justin for his round up of the presidential endorsements thus far. It was an interesting list. One name stuck out to me on the list of McCain endorsements, that of Congressman Kirk from IL, my congressman. Congressman Kirk is an astute politician, I even helped put up signs for him this last cycle, yet congressman Kirk has a certain flair for the liberal side of politics. As matter of fact I am not even sure where he is exactly a Republican. 1. Most recently Kirk has gone soft on the war on terror. Most notably, voting for house resolution 63, the infamous Iraq War Resolution. 2. Mark Kirks official site has an interesting list of endorsement including planned parenthood and the Brady Campaign. It seems I recall not too long ago he had endorsements listed by the NEA and NARAL, those no longer can be found there. 3. Mark Kirk is a pork fiend. He has never met a sausage link he didn't like. Including securing funds many times over for local harbors and local commuter rails. Like other politicians who claim small government cred's, his ability to spend pork freely has clearly shaded that. I will balance this with some great things he has done though, to remain fair. These include some wonderful laws to stop sewage dumping in Lake Michigan and laws to stop online predators. Is this the guy you want on your team though? If McCain wants to appeal to family oriented voters would he get endorsements from a congressman who works tirelessly for NARAL and Planned Parenthood? If McCain wants to appear tough on Terror would he ask for the endorsement of congressman who votes with Dems on the Iraq resolution while he himself doesn't show up for the vote and publicly knocks McCain? If McCain wants to look like a friend to small government would he seek the endorsement of a congressman who is a pork barrel roller? |
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I think that the Governor’s religion is not an issue in any way in the campaign, and any more than John Kennedy as being a Catholic was an issue, or Senator Lieberman as being Jewish when we ran for vice president. I mean, these things…I think we’re way beyond that, and I don’t think it’ll be an issue. I mean, obviously, by an issue, people will comment on it, but I think the American people have gone way beyond that, and they’re willing…what they want to do is look at the person, and what kind of…how have you performed in public office, what have you done, have you acted as a fair, impartial person in dealing with people of all different religions or whatever. And if that’s the case, those are the issues, not is what is someone’s religion, but how have they acted.
It’s official, Sen. John McCain won’t be at the Conservative Political Action Conference next week. McCain’s people have informed CPAC planners that he can’t make the three-day conference, which will take place about three miles from McCain’s Capitol Hill office.
Mitt Romney didn't use a PowerPoint presentation to announce his campaign for president, but the Harvard MBA's acumen was sharp as ever. Romney chose to make his announcement in his native Michigan, where his family name is revered, avoiding his home state of Massachusetts, which these days serves him better as a punch line than a launching pad.
Okay, I too have evolved on certain aspects of the abortion issue -- late-term abortion, for instance -- but a total flip from always legal to always illegal (the clear message he's sending abortion foes) can have only one explanation: Potomac fever.
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