Former Lt. Governor of Florida Toni Jennings under Jeb Bush wrote a commentary in the Tampa Tribune on Romney today:

Last week, Mitt Romney traveled to Washington and dominated a conference of more than 5,000 conservative political leaders. It is no surprise that Gov. Romney had such success. He represents the best virtues of conservative thinking and leadership: He embraces innovation, optimism, transformation, and strength. I am proud to be the honorary chairwoman of his efforts in Florida as he campaigns for our nation's highest office.

On the blogosphere many are trying to discount Romney's CPAC showing (not just the poll). Yet clearly when the dust settles it will be remebered as an early victory for Romney.

Toni goes on,

Romney is a strong leader. At the Olympics in 2002, he turned around an organization mired in scandal and facing financial crisis, and the games were a dramatic success.

As chief executive of Massachusetts, he brought fiscal discipline back to the Statehouse while providing a responsible plan for every citizen to have health insurance.

Out of all the contendors in the field, I would say Romney is the strongest in terms of pure leadership abilities. McCain has never led anything, unless you count his gang of 14, and the effort to stifle grassroots organizations right to free speech. Rudy did do a great job with 9-11, I won't deny it. But it's safe to argue he just happened to be in the right place at the right time, it's not like he had a choice in the matter. I guess he could have abdicated his office and ducked out, but that would have been an egregious sin, not the working standard among mayors. So his 9-11 mayoral experiece is a positive, but it's not going to win him an election.

Romney, it should be noted, gave up a quite successful buisness to run the Olympics and he did it for free. Romney chose to fight for traditional marriage, something he easily could have backed off from. Romney chose to be proactive and work for Health Care reform and he chose to turn a 3 billion deificit into a 1 billion surplus without raising taxes. He chose to veto government waste over and over and he chose to veto over-the-counter abortives.

Toni wraps it up here:

I have been very fortunate to get to know Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann, on a personal level. Mitt and Ann live their private lives in exactly the same way they live their public lives - with compassion, honesty, faithfulness, and an optimistic and hopeful belief in the strength of the American people.

Yes, well...I will keep my mouth shut here, but you can guess.

The following chart includes federal, state or local current or former elected officials

The following chart includes state specific leaders, including former or current local officials, party officials, and state activists.

The following chart includes members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate

The following chart includes all previous categories including finance-specific endorsements, other activists, and RNC members.

Labels: charts, endoresements, Endorse, graphs, state specific

Labels: campaign, mindy finn, robert bluey, team romney

Mitt Romney stands out as the candidate who is significantly less well known than the others. Over half of Republicans say they don't know enough about Romney to be able to rate him. His image among those Republicans who do know him is quite positive. This suggests the possibility that if Romney maintains his net positive image among Republicans as the campaign progresses, he could be in a position to become more of a factor in the presidential nomination picture.

Labels: fundraising

"I’m just at a loss," Camenker says, "to understand how a major pro-family leader could endorse a candidate for president of the United States who continues to support adoption by homosexuals and has said that homosexuals should have these rights to adopt children — and also [that homosexuals] should have the right to domestic partnerships."

The head of a Massachusetts pro-family group is troubled that Focus on the Family founder and chairman Dr. James Dobson is reportedly considering endorsing former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney for president. A video posted on YouTube shows Romney telling conservative commentator Ann Coulter and American Center for Law & Justice chief counsel Jay Sekulow that he had a "good meeting" with Dr. Dobson for "two hours," and that the ministry leader was "still open" to backing Romney’s run for the White House.

Labels: carmenker, dobson

Giuliani had absolutely no presence there whatsoever. Not a single sticker, sign, T-shirt, or visible volunteer was present for Giuliani at CPAC. Yet somehow, without trying, he succeeded.

Romney's young volunteers -- he bussed in and paid for scores of students, many or mostly Mormons -- were ubiquitous carrying his signs and passing out his stickers. His speech, delivered in his typical staccato style, was not bad. He also pleased conservatives with specific promises for keeping down government spending and repealing McCain-Feingold. But much of the applause in the room was clearly driven by the volunteers, who were carefully placed throughout the large ballroom at Washington's Omni Shoreham Hotel.

• The Romney "busses" with "scores" of students amounted to 3 vans that the campaign paid for. Each van could hold about 7 people. This but hardly qualifies as the exaggerated "SCORES".
  
  
• As for the "Mormon" thing that is pure conjecture. You can judge for yourself here. I for a fact that 3 of them were not Mormon. Is anyone else uncomfortable with the Evans/Novak overtones here?
  
  
• As for the "applause" from the "carefully placed" volunteers. Nonsense. Watch the video. I pan the crowd several times. The entire front section didn't have a single Mitt-wearing t-shirt but they gave him a standing-O just the same. Just to get into the event you had to be there an hour ahead of time. There was not strategic placement. This is pure animus in my book.
  

Unlike Romney's cash-rich operation, Brownback's homespun campaign just had to make a strong enough showing at CPAC to prove that he does not belong in the second tier of candidates.

• Again, go listen to the students here. This not manufactured. Many of these people were local DCers. Many of the people I spoke to did not choose to go on camera because they work for local consevative think tanks.
  
  
• As Matt Lewis pointed out:
  

  Some people will tell you that Mitt Romney didn't deserve to win (because he bussed in College Republicans to vote for him). That's like saying George W. Bush didn't deserve to win because he raised more money than his opponent. Romney's ability to organize, inspire, and transport college students to the conference is precisely why he did deserve to win! A campaign that has the organizational ability to bus in college students has the organizational ability to do a lot of other things, too. The rules allow for it, so what's wrong with Romney doing what he has to do (within the rules) to win?

  I sense a lot of anger and anti-Romney rhetoric in the report.
  

Labels: cpac, evans novak

1. Make a contribution yourself. Really... every bit helps! Even $10 would be great!
2. Next, email your friends and family. Let them know what you think about Mitt and that they should donate too!
3. You can get your own Mitt Romney Fundraising ID and become an "associate" fundraiser, getting credit for the donations you bring in and getting noticed by the campaign.

Labels: campaign, fundraising

Governor Romney Will Fight To Restore The Free Speech Rights Of The American People. Political speech is at the heart of the First Amendment. The American people must be allowed to advocate for their candidates and their positions without burdensome limitations. For example, McCain-Feingold prohibits some nonprofits from broadcasting messages that mention the name of a federal candidate within 30 days of a primary or in the months leading up to the general election. This Free Speech Blackout Period – also called the "electioneering communications ban" – is at odds with a free and open issues debate and should be repealed.

· Governor Romney Believes Grassroots Organizations And Activism Should Be Encouraged, Not Restricted. Grassroots activities are protected by the First Amendment and play a crucial role in elections. Rather than encourage debate on issues of public importance, McCain-Feingold has silenced some of these groups, empowered special interest groups, and protected incumbents in federal office. McCain-Feingold also has opened the door to additional regulation of grassroots organizations, which is exactly the wrong direction.

· Governor Romney Believes That There Must Be More Transparency And Disclosure In Campaign Finance. McCain-Feingold has not accomplished its stated goals of reducing the role of money or special interests in politics. Instead, it has driven money into secret corners and given more power to hidden special interests. Governor Romney believes we must have more transparency and disclosure in the process, rather than more restrictions and censorship of political speech.

Americans Must Be Able To Safely Exercise First Amendment Rights Without A Team Of Lawyers. In 2004, the group Wisconsin Right to Life wanted to run grassroots radio and television ads urging people in Wisconsin to contact their Senators (which the ads mentioned by name) and ask them to oppose the ongoing filibusters of President Bush's judicial nominees. A provision in McCain-Feingold, however, was used to argue that the ads were illegal. A lower court has ruled that the provision is unconstitutional when applied to such grassroots activities and the case is now under review by the U.S. Supreme Court in the cases of FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life and McCain v. Wisconsin Right to Life. Lawsuits simply should not be required for citizens to advocate a particular political position and participate in the democratic process.

John McCain's Obama-esque remarks about our "wasted" resources in Iraq weren't the only comments that landed him in hot water after a recent appearance on Late Night with David Letterman. Many of his staff were blindsided by his campaign announcement. And several aides were so outraged that they've quit, say Republican insiders.

"They're imploding—he had a game plan that had him announcing much later in the year," one top Republican aide tells Radar, adding that the campaign is "in serious trouble ... Romney's plan and Rudy's jump in the polls caused him to scrap his plans completely. When you do that, and you're not prepared for it, the staff goes crazy. Some of his coordinators in different states were pulling their hair out!"

Another insider, a guru to the conservative movement, says that McCain himself is growing increasingly desperate in the wake of his downward slide in the polls—a slip hastened by his steadfast support of the very man who savaged him and his family during the 2000 election, George W. Bush, and the president's unpopular plan for troop surge in Iraq. "One of the top aides to the Republican leadership told me that McCain has lost so much support, he's simply beside himself. He's wringing his hands. Things are sinking fast—in two or three weeks, we'll know if there is any recovery."

It didn't help any that McCain was the one leading Republican candidate who skipped last weekend's Conservative Political Action Conference. In CPAC's straw poll on Saturday, McCain came in fifth place—behind Sam Brownback. When the results were announced, attendees booed at the mention of his name.

Labels: John McCain, McCain

Labels: healthcare, massachusetts, romneycare

1. Romney was the only candidate to finish in the top 2 in every segment of the conservative movement that he mentioned in his speech (1st in fiscal, 2nd in social, 2nd in national security)

2. Every other candidate has one (or more) areas of the conservative coalition that will under no circumstances choose them as their favorite, with the possible exception of McCain. For example, Brownback gets killed in fiscal and national security conservatives, Giuliani gets only 8% of social conservatives, etc)

3. Therefore, Romney is the only candidate with a legitimate chance of uniting fiscal, social, and national security conservatives to create the same kind of national coalition that Bush gathered. Nominating anyone else (again, with the possible exception of McCain, but I really don't think he will win when stacked up against Romney's relative youth, overwhelming charisma and optimism, etc) will cause segments of the GOP coalition to sit it out a little bit, causing President Hillary.

4. Romney's stand-out performance among young voters will only get stronger. In my opinion, my generation looks for optimism, pragmatism and dynamism from their politicians (note Obama's popularity among young Dems). Romney is the only Republican candidate who exemplifies all three of those traits. Romney, as his name and voice get out there, could be Obama-style popular among young Republicans.

http://timeforchoosing.com/node/111

Labels: brownback, cpac, poll, Polls, rudy

Labels: marsha blackburn, mitt romney

First is Romney's plan to game the primary system, in other words, play it smart:

Republican primaries are winner-take-all. Whoever wins statewide gets all the
delegates at stake. This favors front-runners, who, with their early money and
early support, can wrap up the nomination quickly.
But, in a barely noticed move, California Republicans have changed the system. Now it is winner-take-all by congressional district.
That means a candidate no longer needs to win the whole state to get delegates.

This means that California's primary is now 53 individual contests and the candidates will be able to cherry pick which districts they want to be competitive in, limiting the expense of advertising in CA.

Romney also plans to bring a new kind of politics to CA:

he intends to treat California as if it were a "retail" political state instead of a tarmac state. (Because California is so large geographically, candidates spend most of their time flying from airport to airport, standing on the tarmac, doing a sound bite for local TV and then flying on.) Romney intends to emphasize more intensive, face-to-face campaigning in select congressional districts in which he has the best chance of winning delegates.

He is going to spend money.

He will exploit the differences between him and his chief rivals:

Romney intends to exploit what he perceives as two of McCain's great vulnerabilities in the Republican primaries: the McCain-Feingold law, which restricts campaign contributions, and the McCain-Kennedy bill, which would change immigration laws and allow for a guest-worker program. And while Romney disagrees explicitly with Giuliani on issues such as abortion, gun control and gay rights, he implicitly draws distinctions between Giuliani's rather turbulent personal life -- he has been married three times -- and Romney's own marriage of nearly 38 years.

In Iowa he is going to go all out at the Ames straw poll August 11th

Finally, he is going to try to talk about the Mormon issue thusly:

Romney intends to recast the issue by emphasizing that he is a person of
faith and that that is more important to voters than what faith he is. Second,
his Mormon faith has been fundamental to his commitment to family, which he
believes people of all faiths can respect.

And realize he can be funny about it:

Romney quoted Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, a Mormon, telling other senators the
difficulty he has raising money among members of his own faith.
"You'd have had trouble raising money, too, if all the people you were asking money from were sober," Hatch said.

Mormons generally do not drink.

Of course, Mittheads, he can't do it alone. If you haven't already please go to Mitt's Website and sign up to volunteer and prepare for the battle ahead. There is much to do and barely a year to do it in. Also make sure all of your friends and family who support Mitt have done the same. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!

Labels: California, Giuliani, iowa, McCain, mitt romney

Labels: endoresements, Endorse, Michigan

1. Some people will tell you that Mitt Romney didn't deserve to win (because he bussed in College Republicans to vote for him). That's like saying George W. Bush didn't deserve to win because he raised more money than his opponent. Romney's ability to organize, inspire, and transport college students to the conference is precisely why he did deserve to win! A campaign that has the organizational ability to bus in college students has the organizational ability to do a lot of other things, too. The rules allow for it, so what's wrong with Romney doing what he has to do (within the rules) to win?

Labels: campaign, cpac

I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump off.
I immediately ran over and said “Stop! Don’t do it!”
“Why shouldn’t I?” he said.
I said, “Well, there’s so much to live for!”
“Like what?”
“Well … are you religious or atheist?”
“Religious.”
“Me too! Are you Christian or Jewish?”
“Christian.”
“Me too! Are you Catholic or Protestant?”
“Protestant.”
“Me too! Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?”
“Baptist.”
“Wow! Me too! Are you Baptist Church of God or Baptist Church of the Lord?”
“Baptist Church of God.”
“Me too! Are you Original Baptist Church of God, or are you Reformed Baptist Church of God?”
“Reformed Baptist Church of God.”
“Me too! Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915?”
“Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915!”

To which I said, “Die, heretic scum!” and pushed him off.

Labels: cpac, video

With an introduction by Grover Norquist and a cameo appearance by his wife Ann. Mitt his this one out of the park!

Listen here online or download the MP3 player.




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Labels: audio, cpac, mittcast

And many more
SEE HERE

Labels: cpac, endoresements, video