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Saturday, April 7, 2007
posted by Jeff Fuller | 9:20 PM | permalink
Newsweek just came out with a piece called "Mitt's Initial Public Offering". I'm not sure if it's an opinion piece or investigative reporting. For MSNBC/Newsweek there often isn't much there to distinguish the two. It's full of some zingers right from the get-go.

The sub-title is:

"Can Romney, a big shot from the private sector who is accustomed to control, handle the chaos of a political campaign?"


Phrases like "Big shot" are so endearing, aren't they? . . . especially big shots that are inflexible control freaks, eh?

The caption for their lead photo has a markedly negative tone:

President CEO: Romney jumped to the lead in the GOP presidential race with a fund-raising machine that is a marvel, but his base is narrow, and he seems to lack the common touch


All this "narrow base" crud comes from the fact that he "only" had 33,000 donors (compared to Hillary's 60,000 and Obama's 100,000). Romneyacs, this is something we can do something about. I implore even the poorest among us to donate $5 or $10 to Romney's campaign. Do it now before you forget . . . email your parents, adult children, and friends to do the same. If you've already donated in your name, donate (with apporval of course) in your spouse's name (names will not appear on any publically relased documents if you donate less than $200). Click on this link to donate. (ID # 225003)

I'm waiting for their evidence for their "lacks a common touch" line. My personal experiences with him have been that he connects well with the people he meets.

Romney was starting to move in the polls, and on the campaign trail he seemed loose, even funny.


So, they're talking about 2-3 days ago in the past tense . . . making it seem even distant. No, Romney IS moving in the polls.

Then they bring up "Hunting-gate" . . . the recent media circus where reporters latched on to Romeny's peripheral comment that he's been "a hunter pretty much all [his] life." When a campaign staffer said that Romney had only been hunting twice the media ran with it like wildfire and have been trying to dig up hunting licences, etc . . . (that staffer should be flogged a time or two.) Romney has corrected the record, that he's hunted small game on numerous occasions . . . but that was mysteriously left out of this Newsweek article.

Sure, Romney should have said that he's "hunted pretty much all his life", but even, as it was, his comment was not a lie and barely could be called an exaggeration. Just shows you how tightly the media are watching Mitt's every move and ready to "go for the kill."

But the explanations sounded stiff and lameone more example of Romney's trying to pander to true-blue conservatives and getting called out for it.


That's not a loaded sentence is it? I'll need to look into their coverage of other candidates . . . but I'm sure they don't call Hillary's courting of the unions or Obama's kissing up to trial lawyers "pandering".

Romney has tried to sell himself as a "turnaround" artist who can use his skills as a businessman to come in and clean up the mess created by the current administration.



Note to Newsweek . . . he IS convincing millions of Americans than he is the one who could best do this (not "trying to sell us").

But he doesn't seem quite ready for prime-time politics, and his stumbles raise a familiar question: can a big shot from the private sector, accustomed to control, handle the chaos of a political campaign? And can a high roller in the secretive world of finance stand the exposure of public life?


Another note to Newsweek . . . Romney's been continuously highly visible to the public and dealt with the media since 1999 (Olympics, Mass Gov campaign and Governorship, directly leading into this presidential campaign). That's not even counting 1994 and his US Senate GOP primary race win and general election loss.

The next paragraphs are fairly informative and have the good with the bad (I mean, with someone as clean and successful as Romney you can't write a piece entirely negativly and maintain credibility). I did chuckle at this line though:

But some colleagues found Romney to be manipulative. Romney had an "ability to identify people's insecurities and exploit them to his own benefit," says a source who worked with Romney but refused to be quoted for "fear of retribution."


That's right, Mafia Mitt will have their kneecaps blown off if they say anything bad about him.

I found the coverage of his business tactics very intersting . . . and the comparisons to Lincoln and FDR somewhat appropriate. Mitt will get results . . . he has the best track record of results of anyone on either side.

Another funny one:

. . . recalls Romney's arriving at meetings: he would "go into the room with his hair flowing, all of his people very well dressed, and he'd sweep through the room, touch who he needed to touch and then move on. It created power." Romney liked to play the white knight riding to the rescue.
.

They had to get the "hair" comment in there, eh? Moving on . . .

But he seems to lack good fingertips for the subtleties of politics.


That sounds like EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED IN A CHEIF EXECUTIVE!!

But after some early successes, Romney had a hard time getting much done with the legislature. A kind of petty righteousness undermined him further. When the Democrats wanted to name a Big Dig tunnel in Boston after former Speaker Thomas P. (Tip) O'Neill, instead of adopting Romney's proposed name—"the Liberty Tunnel"—the governor's spokesman implied the Democrats weren't sufficiently patriotic.


It wasn't just about the name . . . but Romney's proposal was to name the tunnel such in honor of the fallen soldiers in the War on Terror. The Dems wanted to play politics and honor the leader of the the unrestrained Democratic congress of the 70s and 80s and vocal opponent of Ronald Reagan.

His fund-raising machine is a marvel; in just one day last January, he raised $6.5 million, almost just to show that he could. But his base is narrow—mostly wealthy Mormons and Wall Streeters. And fund-raising alone does not mean much if the candidate lacks a common touch.


Where are they getting this stuff? The official papers of donors won't be made public for another week or two. And Romney does not lack "a common touch" though that is how opponents will try to define him.

They end the article with:

One of the most important qualities in any president is nimbleness—the ability to react quickly and flexibly to any number of crises that pop up routinely in and around the Oval Office. Romney's former colleagues at Bain say that dealmakers often have to move quickly with unclear or incomplete data. Romney knows when to hold 'em—often his smartest move was not buying into a particular company, saving Bain from backing losers in a plunging market. But he has yet to master the skills of, say, Bill Clinton, at rounding off corners as he repositions himself in the political world. Fortunately for Romney, he has money and time to learn from his mistakes. In business, turnarounds are matters of dollars and cents. In politics, they are all about character.


If they're trying to suggest that Romney lacks character, that is a very low blow (and I think it is). However, if it's just advice or foreshadowing then I feel confident that no candidate on either side has more character than Mitt Romney.

Jeff Fuller
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6 Comments:


I tried adding a comment to the article pointing out its negativity but they didn't let me. I wonder why? :) I'm glad I stopped subscribing to Newsweek a while ago. I love the past tense on his progress as though they're able to see the future. Great week for Mitt, and may it continue.



Change that! They posted my comments below the story! All 3 so far have been anti-story and have highlighted its inaccuracies. Mitt-Heads unite! :)



By the way, if you listen to the audio podcast next to the story, you can hear the author of the piece scoffing and laughing at Romney and then later going on to praise Obama and Hillary. On top of that, the podcast narrator basically says that the polls have proved Romney has a narrow base, and that all his contributions were from the rich Mormons...yes, unbiased MSM for everyone right there. I couldn't believe the laughing.



Newsweek is just telling its liberal subscribers what they want to hear--its all about selling magazines.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 8, 2007 at 12:01 AM  


Icky, that kind of [refuse] gives me the willies. Newsweek sounds like they're way out there in the ether when they describe Romney in a way that negates everyone's personal experience with him, but it is no accident they write like this. Obama has been anointed, and clearly Newsweek feels misinformation is needed to keep Americans from electing someone else. It's no joke if you ask me.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 8, 2007 at 12:31 AM  


I sent a letter to the editor of Newsweek as follows:

Dear editor,

Shame on Newsweek for publishing such an obviously slanted article in the "Politics" section of your magazine! Thomas, Henig, and Darman's piece, "Mitt's Initial Public Offering," was filled with such vitriolic subtleties (and some assertions not so subtle) that I could not believe you would peddle it as anything but opinion. You would do well to spend your time researching the candidates more thoroughly and presenting them more fairly rather than attempt to dig up skeletons and scandals that do not exist. Anyone of reasonable intelligence can smell a hitpiece when they read one.

Considering cancelling my subscription,

Sara Thurgood
Hoover, Alabama

I've been published by Newsweek before, perhaps they'll see fit to put this in their next issue :).

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 8, 2007 at 4:33 PM  



posted by Justin Hart | 12:09 PM | permalink

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1 Comments:


you should post this in race42008

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 7, 2007 at 1:34 PM  



posted by Justin Hart | 8:20 AM | permalink
Team Romney, Spencer ZwickShira Toeplitz writes Friday in the National Journal an excellent article about Spencer Zwick, "Romney's Moneyman" as she terms it:
As a former venture capitalist, Mitt Romney probably could have picked any number of corporate executives or money mavens as his campaign finance director. After all, the Massachusetts Republican got to know scores of CEOs when he ran the organizing committee for Salt Lake City's Winter Olympics and when he was making millions at Bain Capital. Surprisingly, though, Romney selected 28-year-old aide Spencer J. Zwick to oversee his effort to raise as much as $100 million before the GOP presidential primaries.
I've met Spencer on several occasions since the campaign began. Not only is he a talented young guy... he's also very approachable. Many pols are put off by us professional upstarts and bloggers. I know I've gotten the cold shoulder from many pundits in the past. Spencer, while always sapped for time, is never sapped for courtesy.

Shira continues:
One of Zwick's talents, says one donor, is creating incentives for potential supporters based on their specific interests. For example, last week the campaign's online grassroots fundraising program, MittLink, offered a test group of supporters tickets to the NCAA's Final Four, to see who could raise the most MittLink points. Backers collect points by working the grassroots -- getting others to sign up for Romney, raising money, and so on.
I mentioned this point earlier in the week. The business mantra of know your customer and cater to them is exactly what Team Romney understands so well.

In truth, these characteristics are almost par for the course with everyone you meet on Team Romney: innovation coupled with great personalities, vibrant energy and good manners.

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1 Comments:


A friend of mine just had diner with Spencer the other night in Boston.

Maybe I should get Spencer to help me with my new adventure, http://wwwGrindWheat.com.

Go Mitt, Go!




Friday, April 6, 2007
posted by Justin Hart | 7:59 PM | permalink
Don't anyone say we can't mix it up with the best of them. Hats off to Politcal-Buzz.com, we appreciate the opportunity to make the case for Mitt!

Judge for yourself and give us your feedback. :

Listen Live to Political Buzz Radio

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Woah. That was pretty darn enjoyable. You guys were great. You schooled those Poli-buzz boys so nicely. Justin, you particularly are loaded with facts and have a mild persuasive manner about you that was very compelling in this interview. I think you guys are a huge asset to the Romney folks, and your user friendly site keeps me coming back daily.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 7, 2007 at 12:08 AM  


Kudos for the interview! I just finished listening to it and was very impressed. The story about Mitt getting out and directing traffic--I hadn't heard that before. I knew there was a reason I liked the guy!

Good job you two!

Hava



Great interview. I thought you had him really thinking about Mitt.
Great website.
Cypress Ed

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 7, 2007 at 8:35 AM  



posted by Justin Hart | 5:23 PM | permalink
You've no doubt seen Mitt's campaign slogan: "Ask Mitt Anything"

Well now is your chance to do the same with MyManMitt!

Jason and Justin will be the guests at the live radio show over at Politcal-Buzz.com

Click over and listen right now!, Friday, 6:30PM EDT

We're excited to turn these guys into MittHeads!
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Gov. Romney,
It is either you or Fred for me. My advice for both of you is "come out "swinging for the fences"-- especially on Border Control and Illegal Immigration; The necessity to win in Iraq and to fight the Islamic Jihad with no holds barred; Push your stand on Originalists for the Supreme Court; Come down hard on the Socialist nature of the Democratic Party; Call a spade a spade when it comes to the ACLU and their anti Christian jihad;
Get behind the FAIR TAX and find a way to properly explain its advantages over the Flat Tax or the current system. Most prople do not realize the tremendous benefits to everyone "except" the politicians and lawyers. There is more but this will have to do for now.

Standing for Constitutional Government through the rile of law,

Wendell A. Kerr, 3913 S. Belvedere Ct., Springfield, Mo. 65807

Ph: 417-883-0835
e mail wkerrok@yahoo.com

By Anonymous Anonymous, at July 28, 2007 at 12:06 AM  



posted by Kyle Hampton | 11:57 AM | permalink
CNS cites several noted political scientists, including Larry Sabato, saying that Romney's money is not just Mormon money.

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posted by Justin Hart | 10:54 AM | permalink
Matt Lewis of Townhall.com wonders aloud: "Is Rudy blaming bloggers for his recent bad publicity?"

Note to Rudy. Backtrack. Quickly.

I like Rudy. But own up to the stuff Mayor. As Rich Lowry put it yesterday. It was a grade A gaffe.

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posted by Justin Hart | 6:12 AM | permalink
Just a couple of bullet points from this endorsement update:
  • Rudy Giuliani is finally starting to register some endorsements.
  • John McCain has essentially pulled even with overall Romney endorsements but still lags on state specific nods.
More details a bit later today.

The following chart includes federal, state or local current or former elected officials
2008 endorsements, Mitt Romney, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani on endorsements

The following chart includes state specific leaders, including former or current local officials, party officials, and state activists.
2008 endorsements, Mitt Romney, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani on endorsements


The following chart includes members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate
2008 endorsements, Mitt Romney, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani on endorsements


The following chart includes all previous categories including finance-specific endorsements, other activists, and RNC members.
2008 endorsements, Mitt Romney, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani on endorsements

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3 Comments:


Actually, if you are using the tally off of http://thehill.com/endorsements-2008.html you will see that the US Congress endorsments "say" that Mitt has 27 but if you count them up he really has 28. I have emailed that website to indicate the problem, but they haven't changed it.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 6, 2007 at 8:30 AM  


This website shows Mitt's US Congress endorsments at 28 but some of the other candadate's numbers are not up to date: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_endorsements_for_the_2008_presidential_election#_note-hill

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 6, 2007 at 8:45 AM  


Here's the real question...once McCain drops out, how do his endorsers break?

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 6, 2007 at 9:27 AM  



posted by Justin Hart | 6:11 AM | permalink

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Thursday, April 5, 2007
posted by Kyle Hampton | 8:14 PM | permalink

Rudy has taken some heat for his comments in the Dana Bash interview for CNN. Rudy portrays abortion as a constitutional right that requires government subsidy for poor women. However, the Supreme Court has specifically rejected the notion that constitutional rights must be publicly subsidized. In Rust v. Sullivan, 500 U.S. 173 (1991), the Court stated:

In Maher v. Roe, 432 U.S. 464 (1977), we upheld a state welfare regulation under which Medicaid recipients received payments for services related to childbirth, but not for nontherapeutic abortions. The Court rejected the claim that this unequal subsidization worked a violation of the Constitution. We held that the government may "make a value judgment favoring childbirth over abortion, and . . . implement that judgment by the allocation of public funds." Id., at 474. Here the Government is exercising the authority it possesses under Maher and Harris v. McRae, 448 U.S. 297 (1980), to subsidize family planning services which will lead to conception and childbirth, and declining to "promote or encourage abortion." The Government can, without violating the Constitution, selectively fund a program to encourage certain activities it believes to be in the public interest, without at the same time funding an alternative program which seeks to deal with the problem in another way. In so doing, the Government has not discriminated on the basis of viewpoint; it has merely chosen to fund one activity to the exclusion of the other. "[A] legislature's decision not to subsidize the exercise of a fundamental right does not infringe the right." Regan, supra, at 549. See also Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976); Cammarano v. United States. "A refusal to fund protected activity, without more, cannot be equated with the imposition of a 'penalty' on that activity." McRae, supra, at 317, n.19. "There is a basic difference between direct state interference with a protected activity and state encouragement of an alternative activity consonant with legislative policy." Maher, supra, at 475.

Thus, even with Rudy’s concept of federalism and state funding of abortion (as opposed to federal funding), there seems to be no requirement that states subsidize abortion either. Certainly a state can choose to subsidize abortions for poor women, just as the federal government could choose to do so. However, there is no requirement that they do so.

This is one of the areas of divergence between Mitt and Rudy and exposes the need for an executive who will promote life issues. Because it is a choice of the government, the position (on abortion) of the President is pivotal. It is not sufficient to appoint ‘strict constructionist judges’ when so many of life issues are left to the discretion of the political branches.

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This completely changes my mind on Rudy.

If he thinks he is obliged to fund consitutional rights for those who can't afford them, surely that means he will buy me a gun?

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 6, 2007 at 4:06 AM  


Does Rudy just not know the law? That would be one explanation, but given his past statements in support of funding, I think the more likely explanation is that he is trying to hide behind the cloak of "if its the law" to explain his past positions.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 6, 2007 at 10:33 AM  



posted by Jeff Fuller | 5:27 PM | permalink
I haven't seen this posted around much, but it speaks volumes about how unreliable Rudy will be on "life issues".

This entry over at the Brody File should not fly under the radar. It actually can be found in full over at this original posting at Free Republic which quotes from the original article in The New Republic.

"In recent weeks Giuliani has tried to mollify social-issue conservatives by saying that as president he would appoint only "strict constructionist" judges--"who interpret the law and don't write it." It's an elastic phrase, widely understood to be a kind of code, and in a brief interview before the fundraiser, sitting in a suite on the top floor of the Four Seasons, I asked the candidate about it. Most people who call themselves strict constructionists, I said, would overturn Roe v. Wade. Did he himself, as a strict constructionist, think Roe was wrongly decided?

"What I mean by a 'strict constructionist judge' has to do with my whole view of the Constitution," he said, choosing not to answer directly.


It goes on . . .

Did you think the court overreached in imposing the exclusionary rule, I asked.

"Some people will argue it did," he said. "But with Roe--a strict constructionist judge could come to either conclusion about Roe v. Wade. He could come to the conclusion that it was incorrectly decided, overturn it, or he could decide well, it's been precedent for so long now, it would be too disruptive to overturn it, so we leave it alone. I would leave that up to a judge."

Back in the fundraiser downstairs, he amplified the point.

"I think it's a bad thing in government when we start to play judges of morality," he told the donors. "My concern in government was crime. Morality is a concern of families, of churches and religious leaders. My thing is, you break the law, you go to jail. But morality--I have mine, you have yours. I can talk to you about it, but I'm not going to enforce it.

"As for abortion, I think it's wrong. However, people ultimately have to make that choice. If a woman chooses that, that's her choice, not mine. That's her morality, not mine."


So, to Rudy a "Strict Constructioninst" could go either way on Roe v. Wade. Not my idea of a good judge (remember, he's on the record of praising Ruth Bader Ginsberg as a great Supreme Court Justice . . . along with Alito and Roberts--he never praises Thomas though . . . and that's telling). Rudy's really losing his credibility on his "strict constructionist" judges line . . . he really doesn't understand "the code."

I'll stick with Romney who has a pro-life record (not just rhetoric) and really understands what strict constructionists are.

Jeff Fuller
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posted by Justin Hart | 5:07 PM | permalink
I just received a very strong email from the Family Research Council calling into question the veracity of Rudy since yesterday's remarks:

Giuliani Can Run--But He Can't Hide:
Although presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani is quick to say that he "hates" abortion, his recent choice of words shows little enmity for the practice. In an interview with CNN, the former New York City mayor reaffirmed that he supports taxpayer funding for abortion. "I'm in the same position now that I was 12 years ago... which is, personally opposed to abortion, don't like it, hate it, would advise [women] to have an adoption rather than abortion." He went on to say, "But it is your choice, an individual right. You get to make that choice, and I don't think society should be putting you in jail." American women have not been at risk of jail under past abortion laws, nor are they in the future. This canard is what the radical feminists have long said in an attempt to frighten and mislead. Referencing a 1989 speech, in which Giuliani said, "There must be public funding for abortions for poor women," the CNN interviewer asked if he would maintain that same position as president. Giuliani replied, "Probably." Then he added, "Ultimately, [abortion] is a constitutional right, and therefore... even if you do it on a state-by-state basis, you have to make sure that people are protected." That is an odd formulation, since Roe v. Wade is notable for withdrawing the protection of human life. And if abortion is a "private" act, what business does the government have funding it? If it is hateful, what other hateful things merit tax subsidies? Giuliani assured a crowd in Iowa that he would appoint conservative judges who will "interpret the meaning of the Constitution." Yet Giuliani's opinion of what the Constitution guarantees offers little comfort to the vast number of Americans who count themselves among the ranks of the pro-life.

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2 Comments:


Shame on Rudy and all those who make apologies for him.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 5, 2007 at 6:52 PM  


Giuliani has "clarified" that he prefers that states be the ones that subsidize abortions. He says that he doesn't want federal funding except "as the law requires." At worst this is just a weaselly way of reaffirming that he thinks the constitution requires federal abortion subsidies. At best, this means that Giuilani thinks the constitution requires states to subsidize abortions. Will a Giuliani Justice Department sue states that don't pay abortionists?

Giuliani still refuses to promise that he will veto any repeal of the Hyde amendment.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 6, 2007 at 9:04 AM  



posted by Justin Hart | 12:47 PM | permalink
Jason and Justin will be the guests at the live radio show over at Politcal-Buzz.com

Click over and listen in live tomorrow, Friday, 6:30PM EDT

We're excited to turn these guys into MittHeads!

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posted by Kyle Hampton | 11:38 AM | permalink
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posted by Justin Hart | 11:18 AM | permalink
The Hotline took some sneak peak video of Romney for President Headquarters in Iowa! You know I spend all day in the blogosphere and it's sometimes difficult to perceive the actual machinery on the ground unless Mitt or Ann happen to be in town.

Thanks to the Hotline for providing this video that shows the rubber hitting the road:

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posted by Justin Hart | 10:30 AM | permalink
A recent WUMR/CNN poll in New Hampshire showed that Governor Mitt Romney was gaining momentum in decent style (link to pdf)!

One thing that was interesting in the details of the poll: Voters were almost twice more likely to vote against McCain for his age (19%) than would vote against Romney for his Mormonism (10%).

On another note: momentum is crucial... as is timing. Time is Romney's best friend; time is neutral for McCain and time is deadly for Rudy.

Most of the hammering against Romney is already out there, everyone knows McCain but Rudy has peaked too early and has a closet full of unfortunates (as yesterday illustrated).

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posted by Justin Hart | 9:24 AM | permalink
Is the Romney plan working?! Zogby polls seem to show that!

UPDATE: Hugh Hewitt warns of Zogby's trappings


Zogby: Romney Rockets!

Latest New Hampshire telephone poll shows Romney's support nearly doubles to 25% to tie McCain; Giuliani trails at 19%

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has rocketed to the top of the field of contenders for the New Hampshire Republican presidential primary crown, running dead even with Arizona Sen. John McCain at 25% each, a new Zogby International telephone poll shows. With Romney’s ascension, the GOP presidential race looks just like the Democratic contest – a three–way battle!

While McCain has held mostly steady at the top of the Republican field in New Hampshire, losing just one point since January, Romney has made the big move up from 13% two months ago. Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York who is the toast of Republican primary voters nationally, finds himself in third place in the Granite State at 19% support, falling slightly from 20% in January to 19% this week.

Fred Thompson, the actor and former senator from Tennessee won 6% support in this latest survey of 502 likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters, which was conducted April 2-3, 2007, and contains a margin of error of +/- 4.5 percentage points.

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2 Comments:


Does the MSM not care about Zogby? CNN has their own poll, but the fact that Mitt is making traction in NH should be THE story. Instead it's a hunting story. Why would Mitt staffers even admit he only has been on 2 trips?

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 5, 2007 at 11:43 AM  


The MSM is on crack - I haven't seen a relevant squeak outta them about Romney nearly the entire 1st quarter. . .did you see Chris Matthews' meltdown when he ranted about Romney's fundraising numbers? Highly unprofessional to say the least, I think these media "gurus" lose it when the public chooses a political leader other than the one they have already anointed.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 5, 2007 at 10:28 PM  



posted by Justin Hart | 8:37 AM | permalink
Kathryn Lopez, the force behind much of NRO had this live-blog recap of the "Ask Mitt Anything" Iowa Event:

“Ask Mitt Anything”? Throw in the Kitchen Sink If You Want.

Mitt Romney opened his Iowa headquarters today. He’s psyched.

I called into a tele-town hall Romney’s doing with Iowans. The governor talked about jihad within a minute of being on the phone and mentioned Ahmedinjad and Chavez and even Putin by name within the second.

It’s part of his “Ask Mitt Anything” tour and the first dude on the line to talk to the guy running for president (“that’s me” the governor said), was an 18-year-old who announced to the candidate that he “sounds like a guy who sells home security systems.”


Alrighty then.

The second question was from a woman who asked how he plans to end world poverty. Doesn’t pretend he will. Said other things, cited Jeffrey Sacks. I was distracted by New York sirens. It ain't Des Moines, what can I say.

The third question was on guns, Romney praised the Second Amendment and downplayed his hunting prowess.

Number four was an NRA member worried about Mitt and guns and happy with his answer to the previous called. “Glad you’re on that track” he said to the guv.

Goodness these Iowans. How many folks ask next about stem cells, and this early in the call? Well here they are. Romney says he is pro-stem-cell research, plays up adult stem cells. Says he is opposed to cloning and embryo farming. There is a “bright line when new life is being created for research.” Talks about the existing lines and “surplus” embryos – but talks up embryo adoption before he cautions it would not be a good use of federal funds to throw at embryonic research, even involving “surplus” embryos.

Next question is a woman nervous that he’s Mormon, she is “concerned about multiple wives.” “My church outlawed polygamy in 1890,” he notes for the record. Explains he loves his one wife and his family’s values “are as American as you’ll find.”


What happened in November? Worried about Iraq, people “couldn’t fire the coach, they fired the team.” Conservatism will win when we make clear we stand for conservative things…and if progress is made in Iraq….praises troops. Expresses confidence in “conservative principles” and Republican party.

When asked about abortion, and says he is pro-life, he explains that when you focus and understand all the life issues, you’re liable to become pro-life. There’s a consistency there I hope more people come to understand for reasons much more long-term than an election.

Immigration. Pro-“tamper-proof card.” Enforcement, baby. Securing the border and employment verification system must be priorities. Makes clear he likes immigration though. Jeb would be proud. W probably wouldn’t smile. Good place to be.

China – competition may help stabilize. Someone should have pressed him on tarifs. Are these not Beltway people??

He polls people on whether or not callers have participated previously in a caucus or primary.

Surge question. Supports surge. Doesn’t want a growing regional conflict, brings up Iran again. Safely talks “stability…stabilize.” No high-minded democracy or freedom talk. “Early” to know how surge is working.

Roberta says she is praying for Romney and “with you all the way.” No question “don’t know as much as you guys do so I don’t know what to ask for.” Sounds kind. I love Americans.

“You’re going to see me on TV more than you want to.”

Is he flirting with sweet Grandma Roberta?

Rudy Giuliani was on CNN today and said he supports taxpayer-funded abortions, “Do you support taxpayer funded abortions?”NO!! he said. O.K, maybe not two exclamation points.

Don’t ask, Don’t Tell. “Seems to be working pretty well. … Don’t want to change something that’s working.” He defers to military leadership. “Let’s not make a dramatic change in the way the military operations” while we’re at war. Elaine Donnelly would not love that answer.

America being competitive worldwide=good. Likes low taxes for American businesses. Likes technology. Need good schools or we’re going to have problems down the line. American products can and do rock.

Health care. We worked hard in Massachusetts. Affordable important. “It is not government, universal coverage. That’s a bad idea that came from Hillary Clinton that I rejected.” Get health care to work like the private markets, like everything else we buy. All Americans should have health insurance, but not government insurance, private insurance.

Troops stretched thin, caller worries. Would you draft? Romney says need 100,000 troops at least added to the military, but not for draft.

Ethanol question from a farmer. Romney admits he tried to shoot a quail once and failed. STOP WITH THE HUNTING, not your strong suit right now. Does much better talking energy independence. Cites his three bad guys, Ahmedinijad, Chavez, and Putin again.

A question about habitats in the West. Says he needs to study more. Sounds like he knows as much about that as I do. But does a good federalist bit and lauds Second Amendment, talks about some pro-hunter thing he did in Mass [note to self – what was that?].

We’re like some 40-plus minutes into this call and it’s the first question he didn’t have an answer to.

Notably, too, he's only had one weird comment. These aren't C-SPAN callers.


Next caller doesn’t like the IRS. Wants it dismantled. April 15 is approaching and K-Lo hasn’t filed her taxes or know where her paperwork is, so Howard Dean scream time from me in agreement. He says he won’t propose a flat tax but an across the board reduction. Elimination of death tax.

See Club for Growth speech for more. (That’s from me, not him. I was reading JMart on Romney hitting Rudy on Ames .)

One more question. Thankfully, some of us have deadlines, Gov. Moderator says callers who didn’t get to ask a question can leave voicemail the governor or a staffer will answer.

Alternative Minimum Tax question is last. It needs to be “patched.” Adds that taxing and spending is not good and free people is good. Raising spending and growing government doesn’t help people on these fronts.

Says we shouldn’t become European with big government. Likes Reagan instead.

Invited people to give him money. Loves Iowa. Love people in Iowa. (Not going to take on Roberta as a second wife though…I added that, not the governor.)

I promise not to liveblog these every night from now until Election Day.


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1 Comments:


Compare this with Rudy's almost palpable disdain for taking questions from Republican voters.

He doesn't seem mind taking questions from members of the liberal MSM.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 5, 2007 at 11:00 AM  



posted by Justin Hart | 7:11 AM | permalink
Rudy Steps in it; McCain is late to the game and Romney moves the polls!

Listen here online or download the MP3 player.


MP3 File

SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST CLICK BELOW:


iTunes


OR use our feed:

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Wednesday, April 4, 2007
posted by Justin Hart | 8:54 PM | permalink

What better way to celebrate a great Q1 for Mitt...
... than by having a baby!

Big congratulations to our own founder Jason Bonham. His wife gave birth early this morning to a new baby girl.

Weighing in at 10 lbs 4 oz! That's almost a pound for every million dollars that McCain has left to spend in the Primary season. Somehow, the Bonham child seems a bit weightier than McCain's Q1 take.... ok... ok. Enough already.

Happy Birthday Baby Bonham! Congrats Jason and family!
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4 Comments:


Congratulations Bonhams!!



That's great news! Congratulations Jason and family!



Way to go!



All the best.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 5, 2007 at 9:37 AM  



posted by Kyle Hampton | 6:05 PM | permalink
WMUR in New Hampshire is reporting the results of a University of New Hampshire poll.

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1 Comments:


Mitt Romney should transfer (1) the political risk, (2) the public relations risk, and (3) the burden of persuasion risk of explaining polygamy to: (A) a National, (B) a Regional, (C) an Interstate, or (D) a Local Corridor of Living Museum(s) of Polygamy-Secular History.
Conceptual http://mspt.org


Copyright (c) 1995-2007 All Rights Reserved

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 5, 2007 at 12:16 AM  



posted by Justin Hart | 4:18 PM | permalink

Yikes... We're not big Rudy bashers here but this is really not a good step for the Mayor.

I really don't know where he stands now.

Last month Rudy adviser Bill Simon assured conservatives this was not the case:

“On the issue of abortion, [Bill] Simon focused on Giuliani’s recent comments on judges. When pressed — what is a pro-lifer like Simon doing flacking for an abortion-rights advocate? — and asked if he had any assurance that Giuliani wouldn’t support taxpayer-funded abortion as president, Simon told National Review Online, ‘I have an assurance that he is in favor of the Hyde amendment’ (which forbids such taxpayer subsidies).” (National Review Online, 3/1/07)

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4 Comments:


I can't vote for Giuliani, even in the general elections, if he wants to pay for abortions.

I think Bill Simon is just wrong. I remember that after he made that statement, the Giuliani campaign issued a clarification that Giuliani hadn't actually committed to supporting the Hyde amendment but that promised to respect it as long as it remained law.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 4, 2007 at 4:32 PM  


Politics is about moving the country in a certain direction (Michael Medved philosophy). Romney has picked up and will carry the pro-life movement on our quest to protect life. If I am to understand correctly, we are to believe that according to Bill Simon, Giuliani will no longer support public funding of abortion. Well, I want a little more. I also have to admit that as a Californian who lived through Gray Davis, the Bill Simon gubernatorial campaign, and the recall, I have little faith in anything Bill Simon says.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 4, 2007 at 6:55 PM  


Why do people keep calling this guy "conservative?" He is about as good a conservative as he is a Catholic, Husband and father.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 4, 2007 at 9:05 PM  


Ok, I think it is time to pull off the gloves boys and girls, and label Rudy as the flip-flopper that he is. Where is the DNC when you need them?

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 4, 2007 at 11:24 PM  



posted by Kyle Hampton | 1:07 PM | permalink
The Boston Globe and others are reporting Romney’s remarks about Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Syria:
Romney brought up Pelosi's trip twice, both times unprompted.

"Frankly, the decision of Nancy Pelosi to go to meet with Assad in Syria is one which I find outrageous," Romney said, the second time.

Defying Bush, Pelosi, D-Calif., met with the Syrian president Wednesday in an attempt to pressure the Bush administration to open a direct dialogue with the Middle Eastern country. Democrats say the administration's attempts to isolate Syria have failed to force the Assad government to change its policies.
Certainly there will be outcry against Romney for his denouncement of Pelosi and whether this is a politically popular move is yet to be decided, but…

Romney is correct.

The President is the sole foreign policy organ under the constitution. This was understood early on in the history of the nation. In 1816, the Senate Committee of Foreign Relations stated:

The President is the constitutional representative of the United States with regard to foreign nations. He manages our concerns with foreign nations and must necessarily be most competent to determine when, how, and upon what subjects negotiation may be urged with the greatest prospect of success.
(U.S. Senate, Reports, Committee on Foreign Relations, vol. 8, p. 24.). The Supreme Court has reaffirmed this principle by stating that “[i]n this vast external realm, with its important, complicated, delicate and manifold problems, the President alone has the power to speak or listen as a representative of the nation.” (U.S. v. Curtiss-Wright, 299 U.S. 304, 319 (1936); Goldwater v. Carter, 444 U.S. 996 (1979)(concur. J. Powell)). Pelosi’s visit is, thus, patently unconstitutional so long as it conflicts with the President’s foreign policy.

Beyond the constitutional issues, the practical effect of the Pelosi visit is to present the United States as schizophrenic or bi-polar. One day nations are dealing with Bush-America, the next day nations are dealing with Pelosi-America. Neither schizophrenia nor bi-polarism is a healthy state for a person. Similarly neither is a healthy state for a nation. Which one is the one to deal with? Certainly the opposing viewpoints have their preferred representative, but that does little to solve the problem. Indeed it encourages similar behavior from other nations.

So Romney is right. He should be outraged that congressional representatives have acted outside the scope of their power and encouraged disregard for the Constitution itself.

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Just for your information.

I have just joined the MMM team after blogging for some time at Law Students for Romney.



Romney is right, and I hope he continues to speak forcefully regarding our enemies- and those enemies include not only Iran, Syria, a duplicitous Russia and China, but also politicians such as Pelosi who do nothing to make our nation secure, but weaken it with every word they utter.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 4, 2007 at 2:48 PM  


Welcome Kyle... we're glad to have you here!



Well stated! I am outraged too, and I hope Romney doesn't tone it down anytime soon about running a tight American ship. Pelosi is having delusions of grandeur, someone stop her before she hurts herself. (and our country)

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 4, 2007 at 6:14 PM  


Pelosi's trip is completely infuriating. At least the Senate has to ratify treaties. What does she think she is doing? Who proclaimed her the official representative of the U.S. to Syria? It is absolutely unacceptable and frankly, if a Republican did it during a democrat presidency, I would feel exactly the same way. It is one thing to use a political position such as the speaker of the house to attempt to push U.S. foreign policy in a certain direction by debate, by lobbying, and by public dissemination of information. It is a completely different situation when a congresswoman, elected by a small liberal community in California, takes it upon herself to visit a nation we have no formal diplomatic relations with over the objection of the executive branch. I am glad Romney is calling her on it. Just imagine if we had Nanci pelosi as Speaker with Hillary Clinton as President. How would that be for a confused foreign policy?

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 4, 2007 at 7:02 PM  


I want to add to my earlier comment that When people like Pelosi "go it alone" when it comes to foreign relations, they also make mistakes.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 5, 2007 at 10:42 AM  



posted by Justin Hart | 8:54 AM | permalink
Hugh Hewitt notes a change in the McCain approach to fundraising:
Drawing on some of the successful fundraising techniques of President Bush’s two campaigns for the White House, the McCain campaign now plans to mirror the Bush-Cheney campaign’s Pioneers, Rangers and Mavericks with the McCain 50s, McCain 100s, McCain 200s and other elite designations for top fundraisers who agree to raise $50,000, $100,000, $200,000 or more.
I guess he looked at Romney's $20+ million and said... wow, that worked... I should try that.

Come on in John... the waters fine!

You see Romney realized the value of this approach sometime last year. In January, Spencer Zwick, Ben Ginsberg, and the finance team put in place 3 fundraising levels: Founder, Statesman and Patriot. Each level corresponds to a committment of fundraising before the year is out.

There were other bonuses for fulfilling your promise within the first 30 days (a ski trip with the Governor). On top of that Team Romney put in place incentives to match your lifestyle:

Mitt Romney fundraising

Let me give you an analogy: I have a very good friend in the midst of a start-up. His product is a unique remote control with 5 "On" buttons. When you press the button for "Family" it sorts through all of the shows that are playing on your cable or satellite box and filters the choices for you that your family will like. When you press the button for "With the spouse" it does likewise. When you press the button for "Just Me" it grabs the latest sports team you like to watch and so on.

Team Romney has brought the best of the business world to campaign fundraising: know your customer and cater to them.

By creating a myriad of well-honed programs for the specific incentives and needs of a specific audience, Romney can maximize his fundraising effort. Which is exactly how he raised the $23 million.

One example: last Monday Team Romney sent out an email to people who subscribe to MittLink:
Today, as an extra special reward for your efforts, you can earn two tickets to the NCAA College Basketball Final Four. Just earn the most points using MittLink from today, Tuesday, March 27th through 11:59 p.m. EST, Thursday, March 29th, and the tickets are yours!
You earn points on MittLink by inviting people to join the network or fulfilling donations through the system. You can redeem the points for Mitt Gear. This is all part of the extreme and innovative way that Team Romney has literally re-invented fundraising.

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posted by Jeff Fuller | 7:15 AM | permalink
Many of you following this and other Romney Blogs have seen my post a few weeks ago about my contact (and others) with a Washington Post reporter. Well, my suspicions were confirmed with his recent piece "Mormon Base a Mixed Blessing for Romney"

Yep, this article that was researched as "I'm trying to gauge the nature of the support for Romney in early pirmary/caucus states" was truly, like I suspected from his line of questioning, another Romney-Mormon hit piece. This one very planned and purposeful.

I don't have time now to point out some of the faulty logic, presumptions, and conclusions of the piece . . . but there are plenty. It's dissappointing to see the process of a liberal, anti-conservative, anti-religion (if not directly, at least by overall impression) agenda unfold before my eyes.

Jeff Fuller
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After reading the article, the only issue I might have with it is the lack of defining the difference between church policy in solicitation and support, and the familial relationship LDS have with fellow members. The separation is indeed blurred, and can be hard for an outsider to grasp.

Other than that, the article works pretty well. Surprisingly given the source.




posted by jason | 6:35 AM | permalink
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That is really funny.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 4, 2007 at 2:58 PM  



posted by Justin Hart | 6:17 AM | permalink

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Tuesday, April 3, 2007
posted by Justin Hart | 10:28 PM | permalink
Governor Romney's "Impressive" Fundraising:

ABC's George Stephanopoulos: Governor Romney "The Big Winner Of The Day." "And the big winner of the day, Charlie. No question about that. If you count the money that can only be used in primaries, he may have even outraced Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side. What his team is hoping for is that this money can be translated into momentum that will catapult him into the top tier of Republican candidates." (ABC's "World News," 4/2/07)

NBC's Andrea Mitchell: "Romney, who spent the day meeting with aides, is now the undisputed winner of the money primary." (NBC's "Today Show," 4/3/07)

Los Angeles Times' Dan Morain And Michael Finnegan: "Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney emerged as the surprise Republican fund-raising leader today, disclosing he amassed $23 million in the first three months of the year." (Michael Finnegan and Dan Morain, "Romney Surprises As Top GOP Presidential Fund-Raiser," Los Angeles Times, 4/2/07)

ABC's Claire Shipman: "Tremors at the top of the Republican field after the first dollar match-up of the year. The relatively unknown Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney reeling in a surprise $23 million in the first quarter." (ABC's "Good Morning America," 4/3/07)

CNN's Bill Schneider: "Those are very striking figures for Mitt Romney. He is one of the top three Republicans in the polls and here he's really vaulted into a top position in the money primary. Twenty-three million dollars – over $20 million of that raised in campaign contributions – very impressive for a former governor of Massachusetts." (CNN's "Newsroom," 4/2/07)
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posted by Anonymous | 8:00 PM | permalink
It is already clear that Romney's family support couldn't be greater and that they will continue to play an important role in his campaign. Yesterday, Townhall had a great piece by Tag Romney about his dad:

"I'll never forget one weekday sometime during July 1986 (burned in my memory as a magic year for a crazy Boston sports fan, with the Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox all making it to the championship games). I went fishing in an old row boat in Buzzard's Bay on Cape Cod. I threw the anchor overboard and dropped my fishing line. After catching a few fish, I realized I hadn't tied the anchor to the front of the boat."

"I returned to the house with my fish and sheepishly informed my Dad, who had company from work at the house, that I had lost the anchor. He told me to go back out and find it. I told him something along the lines of, 'That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard – I can't find an anchor on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.'"

"Now my instinct as a parent of three would be to send my kid to his room for talking to me that way and then make him work to pay off a new anchor. His reaction was different. He excused himself from his friends, got dressed in his bathing suit, grabbed a snorkel mask, and took me down to the beach with him. For 45 minutes we rowed back and forth, putting our faces into the water to see if we could find the anchor. Amazingly, we did."

"I learned three lessons that day. The first is that my Dad really is pretty frugal. There isn't much that bothers him more than wasting money. The second is that my Dad honestly believes he can overcome any challenge with enough hard work and ingenuity. And third, I learned that my Dad cares for me enough to spend his day looking for an anchor in the Atlantic Ocean. He didn't care so much about finding the anchor as he did about teaching me the first two lessons – being wise with money and not letting anything stand in my way."

Hat tip to Evangelicals for Mitt for pointing it out.
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posted by Justin Hart | 6:49 PM | permalink
We think the polls will fluctuate... but we can't help notice a significant leap for Romney in the latest poll.
REPUBLICANS ONLY

MCCAIN 20.9
GIULIANI 20.3
ROMNEY 16.9
THOMPSON* 4.5
GINGRICH 3.4
DON’T KNOW 23.2
OTHERS 10.8
We should also note that Kyle from LawStudentsForRomney.com has some great comments taking polls, fundraising and other elements into the larger picture.
Now, there are certainly those who would disagree with me and cite polls and such, but I still think that the theory (still fledgling I admit) holds. Romney produces results when it matters.
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posted by Justin Hart | 4:03 PM | permalink
Here's a very good online interview and chat with Hugh Hewitt at the WashingtonPost.com.

My favorite part is this Anti-Mormon bugger:

Logan, Utah: If people don't think Mitt Romney is in constant communication with the LDS hierarchy, they are extremely naive. The Salt Lake Tribune has run numerous articles detailing the involvement of the Church (as it is referred to here in Utah). It would be the same as if John Kennedy flew to the Vatican numerous times before his campaign to get the backing of the Pope and his mignons. And I should point out that the chief scammers of the Salt Lake Olympics bid were Mormons, i.e. Tom Welch, with the help of prominent lawyers who, among other things, shredded pertinent files of Olympic board meetings (i.e. James Jardine). The Church and Romney bailed them out. Just business as usual in this state.

washingtonpost.com: Walsh: Church shows true color -- red (Salt Lake City Tribune, March 29)

Hugh Hewitt: There is zero evidence for that, and I doubt you can produce any but if you have it please send it to me at hugh@hughhewitt.com. Like Kennedy (or Reagan or Clinton or Bush) Romney will no doubt encounter senior LDS officials just as he will run into cardinals and pastors across the country, just as Senator Obama appeared at Rick Warren's church. But you are implying a conspiracy, and that's Bilderburger land. Of course, if you have any proof, you have the political scoop of the year.


We've noted on these pages numerous times and on our podcast that this is just silly. The Church does not endorse candidates and they are doing everything they can to stay out the race.
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posted by Scott Allan | 2:04 PM | permalink
The common "who-would-you-vote-for-if-the-election-were-today" polls are not the best indicator of future success, especially this far out from the primary. After winning the CPAC straw poll and taking an early lead in endorsements and fundraising, Mitt Romney is showing that he is a force to be reckoned with. He is only lagging in name recognition with the general populace which is an obvious early advantage for McCain, Giuliani, Gingrich, and Fred Thompson. But let's face it, all the candidates are flawed and most people have not started to pay serious attention to the candidates yet. Name recognition can only take you so far.

It doesn't matter who you would vote for today. It really matters who you would NOT vote for today. These numbers are much harder to change.

According to the Diageo/Hotline poll on 3/23
, Mitt Romney has the lowest negatives of all the candidates.
NEVER Vote For In GOP WH Primary?
John McCain 16%
George Pataki 15%
Newt Gingrich 13%
Jeb Bush 6%
Rudy Giuliani 6%
Chuck Hagel 5%
Bill Frist 5%
Tom Tancredo 4%
Condoleezza Rice 4%
George Allen 3%
Mitt Romney 2%
Undec/Oth 41%
Mitt Romney is a unique candidate in that he has a strong base already with little name recognition. He also is the only truly successful businessman in the field which will become very appealing to voters as they learn more about his success. This is what fascinated people about Ross Perot and Steve Forbes. Most people feel accomplished, successful business leaders are far more competent than politicians.

Scott Allan

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posted by Jeff Fuller | 7:10 AM | permalink
Seen this article from the NY Times yet?

Their lead-off Paragraph:

Mitt Romney's presidential campaign said Monday that it had raised $20 million in the first quarter, tapping two distant but rich networks — Wall Street and the Mormon Church — to easily outpace his better-known Republican primary rivals.


There are a full six paragraphs devoted to Romney's poltical ties with Mormons and they drag up the "pseudo-scandal" of Romney officials and church officials meeting to supposedly coordinate efforts. However, they have NO evidence (yet because this information has not been made public) that "the Mormon Church" helped him raise this money. I'm sure plenty of Mormons contributed . . . but that's not what the piece says . . . it says that "the Mormon Church" was "tapped". A slip of the keyboard? . . . or a targeted attack?

Something to keep in mind (and pass along on message boards/blogs/comments). Romney received donations from about 33,000 people. There are over 6 million Mormons in the USA. Assuming that EVERY Romeny donor was Mormon (an absurd assumption, but it helps prove the point) that would represent about one-half of one percent of USA Mormons donated to Romney's campaign. POINT: there is no organized, directed (or even effective) Mormon movement/conspiracy to artificially prop up Mitt's fundraising.

They then go to explain how people who Romney "made rich" via his Venture capital career are now simply "returning the favor" . . . just a pay-back or pay-off rather than them actually supporting him as the best candidate for POTUS. Case in point:

Mr. Romney helped make many others rich through steep annual returns for investors in Bain Capital and through its payments to finance or buy out private companies. Some. like Thomas Stemberg, founder of Staples, have returned the favor with political contributions.


Then they throw in this one:

Unlike the other leading primary campaigns, Mr. Romney's declined to disclose how many individual donors had contributed or how many small donations it had received. Some campaigns use those measurements to show that they have broad support.


Where did they get that? I've seen the 33,000 Romney donors figure a few times already. However, this will be used to attack Romney . . .

Romney only had 33,000 different contributors while Hillary had 50,000 and McCain had 60,000 (not sure if the McCain # is "contributors" or "contributions"). Of course, many will try to negatively spin this that Romney is "being propped up by a lot of rich donors" who have maxed out their contributions and so he has less "room to grow" from his base. So, I encourage everyone who hasn't donated yet to contribute $10 to his campaign. Get your spouse or kids over 18 to donate $10 as well (donations less than $300 will not become part of the "public record" as names of such donors are not reported as part of the FEC filings . . . so don't worry about that) You can contribute to Romney 's campaign online using this webpage (please consider using my fundraiser ID# 225003 when making your contribution)

Loved this one:

Mr. Romney's first-quarter take may undercut some of Mrs. Clinton's triumph, but his lead over his party rivals most damages Mr. McCain.


Love that phrase . . . "Mrs. Clinton's TRIUMPH". They're so in love with Hillary (and Barack) it makes me sick.

Let me tell you, that ANY GOP candidate that could outraise every Dem sans Hillary (and Romney apparently did outraiser her in "Primary funds raised") at this "low point" for the GOP has got to scare all the other competitors in the race ON BOTH SIDES. Be prepared for the attack machines to be revved up again.

Make sure to pass along this article to all your friends and paste in the URL on every message board you can. We know evenhanded or positive press is hard to come by for Romney. However, the facts don't lie and more people need to know the facts about Romney. This article does a good job of that. Send it far and wide.

Jeff Fuller

UPDATE: Compare the Piece the NYTimes did on Romney above to the piece they did on Obama today "Obama Built Donor Network From Roots Up" . . .
No accusations of Obama presently being propped up by donations by Trial lawyers, African Americans, Hollywood and media elites, or the Union bosses. Nope . . . he's done it "the American way" by "hard work" building it from the "Roots up". The headline for Obama should read "Obama's Donor Network Provided by Overly Positive and Overly Copious Mainstream Media Coverage"

This is simply amazing!

Jeff Fuller
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As the reality of the possibilty of Hillary becoming the democratic choice approaches I have become more and more uneasy. It wasn't until the middle of the night last night that I realized why. She is a woman. Not that I don't like women, after all I am one. Not that I don't trust women, I do. But something is different right now in the world. We are dealing with a different breed of people around the world. Many of the nations that are a threat to us do not even consider their own women to be 1st class citizens. Therefore, how can we even hope that a blond hair, blue eyed woman that represents the most powerful person in the world would be wildly accepted and respected by the world? You might say that it doesn't matter who represents the US because people just hate us anyway. I beg to differ. If you had a woman with a shrill/gritty voice trying to tell you how to run your country would you listen more intently than you would a man with authority and experience? I think we need to get this reality out there so people are not just infatuated with the idea of elevating a woman for the first time to the president of the US at the risk of our nation's security. It would be interesting to see how Condalisa Rice has got along being in her position compared to the men before her.
vb

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 3, 2007 at 9:09 AM  


This steams me but I boycotted NYT a long time ago. Hope the propoganda machine goes under like it deserves, give us some real news please.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 3, 2007 at 9:19 AM  


This is my email I sent to Kirkpatrick:

"Your bias is showing. It is a shame that true journalism is rapidly dying. Read this if you haven't already. It is an adjudication of your ability to actually maintain objectivity, well at least do your homework. Of course what else can be expected of a Newspaper whose recent history is tainted with its lack of ethical reporting:

Here you are: (At this point I cut and pasted Jeff Fullers entire post)

Maybe you can learn a little bit about what the LDS church actually does and how it works before putting our quill in your mouth.

You did realize that Harry Reid is also a Mormon. Interesting isn't it. that Reid stands on the opposite side of the political spectrum as Romney yet they share the same faith.

Again, Do your homework, which requires more than scanning your peers cut and paste jobs. Did you know that Ezra Taft Bensen who was the President of the LDS Church during the 80's was Secretary of State during the Eisenhower administration? I guess him becoming the Prophet for the Mormon church really feeds your need for some conspiracy.

Even that crazy coot Mayor Rocky Anderson is or was at one time a member of the LDS church. So if you are looking for a conspiracy where the LDS church is forking over tithes and offerings of members to line Romney's pockets, than you are looking in vain.

Of course you could just make this garbage up. I mean why not follow in the path of some of your former NYT peers."


Well I am sure it won't even register on his liberadar, but hey it made me feel good to rant since I have had a stressful day.




Monday, April 2, 2007
posted by jason | 2:06 PM | permalink

Romney- 23 Million





Giuliani- 15 Million





McCain- 12.5 million





***Update***

Brownback- 1.3 Million







Huckabee- 400,000




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2 Comments:


The rat is kind of cute actually, you should make the picture more hideous.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 2, 2007 at 4:33 PM  


http://publius.mu.nu/archives/kanga-27jan05.jpg

I think a pinkish, bald rat is more appropriate for McCain.




posted by Justin Hart | 12:45 PM | permalink

It was a breakneck first quarter. We're still trying to catch our breath. Needless to say we are truly excited with the result.

The Internet is all abuzz with the news of Mitt's 23 million. Why? What about Hillary you ask? You see Hillary's money breaks this way: Approx $20 raised in Q1; $10.8 transferred from her Senate campaign; $6 mill+ for the general election.

So who broke all the records. You guessed it: Mitt Romney with 20+ million and at least that much to spend in the Primary.

Unless McCain suddenly pulls a rabbit out of his hat (and my sources tell me that won't be the case) Mitt has upset the apple cart in a big way.

Look for the next big day April 15... when the campaigns will indicate how much "Cash-on-hand" they have and when we get to see more of the breakdown.

We can also report that the average donation was $608 which means that there were over 32,000 contributors this go around.

One more point: YOU made it happen as well. Fundraisers who signed up through the MMM site help raise $37,000 for the campaign in Q1.

That is no small feat for a site that was launched in January! We thank you! We know that Mitt thanks you as well!

For more insight see these blogs: Hotline Blog, The Corner, Hugh Hewitt, Race42008

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8 Comments:


think it is worth noting that McCain had a wider base of support than ANY other candidate, including Hillary, with 60,000 contributions. His average contribution amount was also only $200--compared with $600 for Romney, for example. This suggests that he has some room to grow whereas Romney might have already tapped out. This is a respectable number in its own right but I think that the underlying stats are more encouraging. McCain will get the high-dollar contributions next quarter, he's done the hard part this quarter--building a small donor base.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 2, 2007 at 3:16 PM  


By ANY other candidate do you mean... any other candidate BUT Obama who has had over 100,000 people give donations?



I think the opposite is the case, anonymous - if Romney can leverage over $20 million from a relatively small base (not to mention single digit poll numbers and low name recognition) then he is the candidate best poised to raise the most cash.

It also shows that McCain's support is very shallow, whilst Mitt's is much more committed. McCain's failure to raise serious dollars compared to other candidates indicates the real lack of enthusiasm for his Presidential run.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 2, 2007 at 7:48 PM  


Congrats MMM!!! Great job on raising $37,000! Keep up the fine work!

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 2, 2007 at 8:54 PM  


I've got to think 'Students for Mitt' will work hard all summer and make an even bigger splash in the next 2 quarters! What a great innovation to pay your student fundraisers 10% of what they raise.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 2, 2007 at 9:23 PM  


McCain's greater number of low dollar contributions would actually suggest to me that he has tapped out. There are more poeple out there for Romney to get contributions from and those who have donated indicate a higher level of commitment to the candidate.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 2, 2007 at 9:32 PM  


It looks like lots of people gave McCain an Obligatory donation out of a sense of loyalty whilst holding something back for another candidate after McCain drops out.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 2, 2007 at 11:14 PM  


timotheus, billary clinton received 80 percent of her 26 million in new donations in contributions of $100 or less. does this mean she has "tapped out" as well?

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 3, 2007 at 12:51 AM  



posted by jason | 8:58 AM | permalink
And the Grand Total is...




23 million!!!







Truly a great number for Romney when you consider his place in the polls- 3rd and 4th place depending on what state and what poll. Remember this number only counts primary fundraising where other candidates are counting both primary and general. Despite the many problems of McCain-Fiengold, with the reduced contribution amount the argument can be made that Romney has clear ground support and a strong infrastructure to the campaign that will continue to yield great results.

With these strong numbers I would look forward to another good quarter of fundraising with his poll numbers slowly inching up as they have been for the last few months. Somewhere around Midsummer to early fall Team Mitt's ground game will be come a huge force to be reckoned with.

For now we celebrate a strong 1Q showing!!

***Update***

Romney’s original goal was 15 million. They had an average contribution of $608.

***Update 2***

$23 million in total receipts… raised $20.63 million in primary contributions…
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7 Comments:


This is no doubt more than Hillary raised (given that she is counting General election contributions)... quite a feat!

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 2, 2007 at 10:11 AM  


Very Nice! Right there with the best of them.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 2, 2007 at 10:32 AM  


This is great. I think in a way candidates follow the product adoption curve: innovators, early adopters, late adopters, laggards.

When people see that Romney has wide spread support, they will be more willing to 1) investigate him, and 2) contribute to his bona fide campaign.

I finished Hugh Hewitt's book this weekend. it was a fine read, but I finished it with more anxiety over "the question" than before. Somehow the campaign needs to make the question taboo for the MSM to continue to discuss.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 2, 2007 at 11:15 AM  


Very encouraging indeed! And this really is only the beginning. With 'Students for Mitt' working hard all summer, I wouldn't be surprised to see an even better number for 2Q.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 2, 2007 at 11:49 AM  


While I think Mitt should address the "Question". He shouldn't try to address everything and he shouldn't bully. Look at what Orrin Hatch did in Iowa when he met the problem and it torched him. Basically, in regard to "the Question", he will never be able to answer it completely for some conservatives.


I am in the camp of thought that when he gives his religion speech he should announce he will select a running mate in synch with Southern Values. So on one hand, Mitt doesn't answer the "Question" for some conservatives, but on the other hand, he gives them an opening to still vote for him because his running mate will represent creedal Christian beliefs.

One winning aspect of politics is to make it about the voters, not just about yourself.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 2, 2007 at 12:29 PM  


See Mitt run. RUN, MITT, RUN!



the big item here is: that this country is being split apart. on one side we have the people who are daily given only information that the liberal establishment promotes to brodd
.3en this chazm. on the other are those that are sympathisers to the one world order and to the distruction of the base, or better said the middle class that this country was built on. the end course: if we do not come together as a free and intellegent society, our country will go the way of rome, sparta, and all the other human societys that forgot that we must serve the interests of our nation thru the efforts we take during our daily lives. and that the honesty, in which was the rock that this country was based on,is still promoted thru our lives. for the liberal mantle that you can do any thing as long as it feels good and right for me, is the knife that is taking the life out of our great nation.you see its simply put; our forefathers prayed to god for guidance, today we rely on the the bottom line for that same guidance.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 7, 2007 at 2:31 PM  



posted by jason | 8:03 AM | permalink
(I know Jeff posted something on this yesterday, but I posted this at www.race42008.com and cross posted it here.)




Is Romney the Regan Candidate? Ronald Kessler and NewsMax seems to think so. They have a great article out on Romney today that has many interesting stories about his life dovetailed with his many successes in the private and public sectors.

It starts of with this great story:

Mitt Romney was faced with a crisis in July 1996. The 14-year-old daughter of Robert Gay, a partner in Romney's new venture capital firm, Bain Capital, had disappeared. As it turned out, she had attended a rave party in New York City and had become high on ecstasy. Three days later, her distraught father had no idea where she was.

Romney took immediate action. He closed down the entire firm and asked all 30 partners and employees to fly to New York to try to find Gay's daughter.

Romney set up a command center in a conference room at the LaGuardia Marriott just outside Manhattan. He hired a private detective firm to assist with the search and established a toll-free number for tips, coordinating the effort with the New York City Police Department, but he still wasn't satisfied. He raced through his Rolodex and called everyone Bain did business with in New York. He asked them to help his company find their friend's missing daughter.

The company's accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and its law firm, put up posters on street poles with a photo of the missing teenager. Cashiers at Duane Reade Pharmacies, which was owned by Bain Capital, put fliers in the bag of each shopper.

Romney and others from the Bain Capital posse trudged through every part of New York, even scouring Central Park, and talked with everyone they could - prostitutes, drug addicts - anyone who may have seen her. They also made rounds at the local nightclubs at 3 a.m., hoping someone somewhere could identify her.

The same day the Romney team came to New York, the hunt made the evening news. Television cameras showed photos of the girl and video of investment banker types prowling through Central Park.

The next day, a teenage boy she was with phoned in. He asked if there was a reward. But the boy got nervous and quickly hung up. Luckily, the police traced the call to a home in Montville Township, N.J.

Gay's daughter, when they found her in the basement of that home, was shivering through detox after a massive dose of ecstasy. Doctors later told Gay that he was indeed fortunate - his daughter probably would not have lasted another day.

"It was the most amazing thing, and I'll never forget this to the day I die," Gay says, adding of Romney's intervention, "I'm not sure we would have gotten her back without him."


That isn't a story I have heard before.

After sifting through his many accomplishments we get a glimpse of what the top Democrats and Republicans are thinking of Romney:

When asked which Republican candidate she fears the most, Donna Brazile - who managed Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign - replies, "Mitt Romney." Asked whether Romney's religion will hurt him, Ted Kennedy said recently, "The answer is no. We've moved on. That died with my brother Jack."

Romney is "a spectacular candidate," says Republican strategist Mary Matalin, a former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney. "He is methodical, and he's definitely got the happy warrior thing. He's substantive, and he's got executive skills. And he's 21st century, too." Romney's Mormon religion will turn out to be a plus, she says, because people "like that have a source of strength."


In January I was eating at a restaurant here in Chicago. Before we were seated I was staood next to a man who was yaking on his cell phone. Turns out he was some Democrat strategist guy in the area. He was talking about how in 2008 he really didn't think Repub's stand a chance because of Bush. But he said something to the effect that Romney is probably the only candidate who could really give them a run for the money (can't remember his exact words now.) His connection cut out and he hung up. I then started talking to him and gave him my card for MyManMitt. We talked for a second and then his phone rang again, he answered by walked about 20 feet away from me to talk, so I couldn't hear. I thought it was kind of funny.

Romney's polling numbers are lower than McCain and Giuliani, but they have been consistently inching up since February. His name recognition is also low, but I suspect all this will change over the next 6 month. It's easy to underestimate someone based on polls, yet we need to remember these are only one piece of the puzzle at this stage in the game. The Dems, as evidenced by Brazile and the many DNC press reports, clearly understand that Romney in a general election would be tough to beat. Romney's intellect (far above the rest of the field), his leadership abilities, and his articulate manner is really unmatched by any candidate on either side of the line.
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Is Romney the Regan Candidate? (Isn't it Reagan?)



Yes BELEIVE MITT ROMNEY CAN WIN FOR THE REP. PARTY
i=I WOULD VOTE FOR HIM

By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 20, 2008 at 4:04 PM  



posted by Justin Hart | 5:54 AM | permalink

OK... so you've all seen the fundraising numbers from the DEMS.
What about the GOP? What about Mitt.

Leave your email below and
we'll let you know via email the details as soon as
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Sunday, April 1, 2007
posted by Jeff Fuller | 10:00 PM | permalink
I thought it was an April Fool's joke when I saw the following cover . . .



. . . not because I'm not in total agreement with Romney being the most Reaganesque candidate in the field (he's that by a long shot), but because it's seemed nearly all media sources have been overwhelmingly and unfairly harsh to Romney for several months (trying to stifle a Romney candidacy before it gets off the ground.)

This article is definitely "a keeper." It's a very informative read and pretty spot on (even though it got wrong the issue that Romney "used to be against a Federal Marriage Amendment and now he's for it". I've already e-mailed the author (pointing him to my previous blog entry on the issue here) and he thanked me for the input. I have a copy of the PDF should anyone deeply desire that.

Some of the highlights:

1) Crisis leadership is where Romney really shines

Gay's daughter, when they found her in the basement of that home, was shivering through detox after a massive dose of ecstasy. Doctors later told Gay that he was indeed fortunate - his daughter probably would not have lasted another day.

"It was the most amazing thing, and I'll never forget this to the day I die," Gay says, adding of Romney's intervention, "I'm not sure we would have gotten her back without him."

It is often during a crisis that we gain insight into a person's real character. Romney's action demonstrated leadership, loyalty, and selflessness - attributes that Americans just might like to see in a president of the United States.


2) The "feel good" candidate

People say that Mitt Romney lights up a room. But there are all kinds of ways to light up a room - fluorescent, neon, sunlight, strobe. Romney alternates between sparkle and a warm, steady glow. He is not in your face. He is low-key, self-assured, and self-contained.

That could be a metaphor for Romney's candidacy. When the subject of the 2008 presidential election comes up, Republicans talk about the prospects of the obvious front-runners, Arizona Sen. John McCain and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. But they often end the conversation by saying, "You know, I really like Mitt Romney."


3) Can you be 60 and still "Hot?"

The fact that Massachusetts, where only 13 percent of registered voters are Republicans, could elect Romney governor by a five-point margin (50 percent versus 45 percent for his Democratic opponent) underscores his popularity among Republicans and Democrats alike.

In the coming months, Americans will be focusing on the candidates - and most of their initial impressions will be based on how the candidates come across on TV. In this media-driven age, Romney begins with a decisive advantage.

First, he has sensational good looks. People magazine named him one of the 50 most beautiful people in America. Standing 6 feet, 2 inches tall, Romney has jet-black hair, graying naturally at the temples. Women - who will play a critical role in this coming election - have a word for him: hot.


4) Eloquence counts (especially in 2008):

Romney speaks with the effortless delivery of the best news anchors, making the 60-year-old "the un-Bush," according to Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform.


5) Romney's don't "rest on laurels"

The Romneys lived in the upscale suburb of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., where Mitt attended the private Cranbrook School. He spent summers with his family in a vacation home on Lake Huron in Ontario, Canada.

However, if the family was financially set, it had little impact on Mitt's upbringing. Like most other kids, he had summer jobs. His sister Jane, an actress in Beverly Hills, remembers that she was allowed to buy only one new dress a year.

"I always hated the word 'privileged' and I never thought we were," she says. "My dad grew up with nothing. His father went bankrupt twice when my father was a kid."


6) Yet another Romney "Turnaround"

Because of these and other successful investments, Bain Capital now manages $40 billion.

By 1990, Bain & Co., the mother ship, was in dire straits because of excess debt. Founder William Bain asked Romney to return to the company as interim CEO to straighten things out.

Romney tightened expenses, renegotiated loans, and improved morale. He returned the company to profitability within a year before returning to lead Bain Capital.


7) Gave Teddy K. the closest race of his career

In 1994, Romney decided to run for the Senate against Democrat Ted Kennedy. It was an audacious move, and Romney spent $6.1 million of his own money on the campaign. He felt liberal social programs of the 1960s and 1970s had created a permanent underclass and fostered poverty rather than eliminating it.


8) Non-discriminatory protection of the traditional family

But in 2003, when the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, in a 4-3 decision, ruled that marriage in the commonwealth would no longer be limited to unions between men and women, Romney pushed for an amendment to the state constitution that would outlaw gay marriage.

In a recent interview in his corner office at his campaign headquarters, Romney sticks by his position condemning discrimination against gays and lesbians.

"I can tell you this, which is I believe gay individuals should enjoy tolerance and respect," Romney says. "They should have equal opportunities in housing and employment. We shouldn't discriminate against people based upon their sexual preference or orientation."

Romney's position is the same one staked out by President Bush.

"At the same time, I believe that marriage should be reserved for a relationship between one man and one woman. For me, that's not a matter of discrimination," Romney adds.

He also supports Bush's effort to ban gay marriage by an amendment to the U.S. Constitution - which separates him from Giuliani and McCain, who oppose such a change.


9) Not JUST good on judicial philosophy . . . but a pro-life record in liberals-ville is something to be proud of.

"He feels passionately that the value of human life begins at conception," says South Carolina state Sen. Jim DeMint, a Republican who supports Romney. "The idea that he might have changed his mind [on Roe v. Wade] is very appealing to me, because we're not going to win that debate unless people change their minds and think it through."

Romney has vetoed bills that authorized embryo farming, therapeutic cloning, and access to emergency contraception without parental consent. He is a critic of liberal judges who legislate from the bench, and he says he would like to see the court return the abortion issue to the people to decide.

"President Bush has done a fine job in bringing to the Supreme Court Justice [John] Roberts and Justice [Sam] Alito," Romney says. "Those are exactly the kind of individuals you'd hope would come to the bench."


10) Healthcare

With input from the Heritage Foundation, Romney came up with a way to provide universal health insurance by requiring that everyone buy coverage, just as drivers are required to buy car insurance. If they don't, they lose their personal exemption on their state income taxes and part of their state tax refund. The idea was that in a reformed marketplace, everyone has the responsibility to have health insurance - no more free riders.

For those who cannot afford coverage, Romney cobbled together funds from Medicaid and the state's free-care pool to make sure everyone is covered.

By merging individual and group plans, Romney covered more healthy individuals, lowering prices . . .

Romney likes to contrast his health-care plan with the one proposed by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y. "My plan is based on personal responsibility and allowing the free market to work in a more effective manner," he says. "Her approach was to build a large government bureaucracy and provide more controls to help the health-care system work."

He adds with a smile: "Perhaps the biggest difference between our two plans was that mine got passed, and hers didn't."

States such as Iowa, California, and New Jersey are looking into adopting the Massachusetts approach, and Bush is pushing other states to look into it. To conservatives who bristle at the idea of an imposed plan, Romney says, "The key factor that some of my libertarian friends forget is that today, everybody who doesn't have insurance is getting free coverage from government."


11) This is what he ran on . . . this is what he delivered.

Romney's bottom line in Massachusetts: He erased the budget deficit he inherited when he took over, just as he'd done with the Olympics.

When Romney left office on Jan. 4, 2006, the Bay State had a balanced budget plus a "rainy day fund" - all without ever raising taxes.


12) I can't stop adding quotes . . . make me stop.

On Oct. 26, 2006, Romney met with 15 evangelical leaders at his home in Belmont. The meeting was set up by Mark DeMoss, son of the late billionaire Arthur DeMoss. A public relations consultant, DeMoss represents many evangelicals. The attendees included Gary Bauer, Franklin Graham, Jerry Falwell, and the pastors from several evangelical megachurches, such as Paula White of Without Walls International Church, based in Tampa, Fla.

"Our discussion was open and frank," says Richard Land, who heads the policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention.

"Evangelicals know that they're not electing a theologian in chief, but a commander in chief. If they agree with Romney on social issues, his Mormonism won't be a hindrance, especially if he's the only viable social conservative in the mix," he says.

Says Falwell: "There's no question that there are strong feelings about Mormonism. But we're not electing a Sunday school teacher, we're electing a president. I do not believe [Romney's] church affiliation will hinder his being a viable candidate among evangelicals." Mormons are fiscally and socially conservative, and 95 percent of them voted for Bush in the last election.


12) The right responses:

"The term 'Christian' means different things to different people," Romney says. "And so I don't try and describe my faith in terms of categories. Instead I tell them what I believe. And I believe in God. I believe in marriage. I believe in family. I believe in helping people, in service and compassion. I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and is my savior.

"But there are people of other faiths who don't believe that, and that's of course their right. But I don't try and describe my faith other than in terms of the fact that it has made me a better person than I would have been, and it has made my kids better than they would have been."

Of course, any religious beliefs sound strange to those who are not familiar with them. What matters most, Romney argues, is not his religious beliefs but his agenda for America.


13)

In the make-or-break caucus state of Iowa, a majority of Republican county chairmen who responded to queries from Roll Call in January said the one presidential candidate who is exciting the base is Romney.

Romney's fans range from Kathryn Jean Lopez, editor of National Review Online, to Ann Coulter, to talk-show host Laura Ingraham. While governor of Florida, Jeb Bush gave his blessing to key staffers to migrate to the Romney camp.

Grover Norquist notes that Romney was the first major candidate to sign Americans for Tax Reform's pledge to oppose any effort to raise marginal income tax rates. Norquist says Romney is moving to "place himself dead center of the Reagan coalition." If he succeeds, Norquist says,"He will be the strongest candidate for the nomination."

When asked which Republican candidate she fears the most, Donna Brazile - who managed Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign - replies, "Mitt Romney." Asked whether Romney's religion will hurt him, Ted Kennedy said recently, "The answer is no. We've moved on. That died with my brother Jack."

Romney is "a spectacular candidate," says Republican strategist Mary Matalin, a former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney. "He is methodical, and he's definitely got the happy warrior thing. He's substantive, and he's got executive skills. And he's 21st century, too." Romney's Mormon religion will turn out to be a plus, she says, because people "like that have a source of strength."


Like I said . . . this was an informative piece and one that you'll never see from the AP, New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, or LA Times . . . they save that space for pumping up Obama and Clinton or cutting down conservative Republican competitors.
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posted by Justin Hart | 4:16 PM | permalink
Remember that beyond all the hype around the fundraising is the need to separate Primary vs. General funds:

While many candidates are raising funds for both the Primary and General fund, the Romney campaign has opted not to.

Here's a letter from Ben Ginsberg regarding this issue:

To: National Finance Director Spencer Zwick, National Finance Co-Chairs and the National Finance Committee
From: Benjamin L. Ginsberg, Romney for President National Counsel
Katie Biber Chen, Romney for President General Counsel
Date: March 30, 2007
Subject: A Guide to First Quarter FEC Reports
With Saturday’s close of the first quarter FEC reporting period, Romney for President and the other campaigns will be releasing the totals of the amounts they’ve raised. There are sure to be a lot of articles appearing, and it’s important to know whether reporters are measuring apples to apples. Here’s a guide of what to look for.
First, Governor Romney’s totals will be indicative of our extraordinary success in building an organization and stirring excitement among grassroots activists. The number will be quite a tribute to Governor Romney and all of you since the other leading candidates enjoy universal name identification, existing networks of contributors and clear advantages in the national polls.
Second, be aware that some campaigns’ totals will include monies raised for the general election. This money will artificially inflate totals, but it is meaningless in gauging current strength since not one penny of a campaign’s general election funds can be used in the primary. Reports that don’t separate primary and general election contributions will be misleading. As you know, Romney for President has raised only primary funds, but the McCain, Giuliani, Clinton and Obama campaigns have raised both. (While there may be some advantages in raising both kinds of money now, know there are also disadvantages – for example, 100 percent of general election monies raised must be returned if the candidate is not the nominee. This means that all the costs of general election fundraising, including fundraisers’ commissions and event costs must be paid for with primary funds.)
Third, reporters should be telling readers if candidates are planning on taking federal matching funds for the primary. Governor Romney has decided against using the primary matching funds, as have the McCain, Giuliani, Clinton, Obama and Edwards campaigns. Candidates who take matching funds will receive up to a $20 million check from the U.S. Treasury next January – but in return will be limited to spending about $40 - $50 million through the Conventions in late August. By contrast, President Bush and Senator Kerry each raised and spent more than $250 million through their parties’ conventions in 2004. Thus, it’s difficult to see how any GOP candidate taking the primary matching funds can remain competitive against the Democratic candidate from the time the nominee is decided through late August. (Those who remember Bob Dole’s 1996 campaign struggling against the Clinton machine have a taste for what this is like.) In other words, look for the GOP field to start to split between a top tier that can be competitive against the Democratic nominee and a second tier that will be tethered to the federal match and its spending limit.
In summary, we hope this Memorandum gives you a better understanding of what you’re reading in the news reporting this weekend and early next week about the first quarter FEC reports.
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posted by Justin Hart | 11:34 AM | permalink
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posted by Justin Hart | 11:11 AM | permalink
On Tuesday, April 3, Governor Mitt Romney will hold his first "Ask Mitt Anything" open public forum in Derry, New Hampshire. "Ask Mitt Anything" events are an opportunity for local residents to ask the Governor questions in a town hall setting about his policies, ideas and vision for meeting a new generation of challenges.

On Wednesday, April 4, Governor Romney will hold his second "Ask Mitt Anything" following the opening of the Romney for President Iowa Headquarters in Urbandale, Iowa. In this unique event, Iowans from across the state will join Governor Romney on a Tele-Town Hall conference call to ask him questions about the important issues of our day.

The following events are open to the media:

Tuesday, April 3, 2007:

5:00 p.m. Governor Romney Hosts "Ask Mitt Anything" � Derry Community Forum

ET Opera House, Adams Memorial Building

29 West Broadway

Derry, NH

Wednesday, April 4, 2007:

6:30 p.m. Governor Romney Hosts "Ask Mitt Anything" Tele-Town Hall Meeting

CT Romney for President Headquarters

3590 109th Street

Urbandale, IA
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