Mitt Romney for President, MyManMitt.com
About Us
Contact Us
Donate to Mitt Romney Campaign

Mitt Romney on the Issues
Videos Mitt Romney
Help Mitt Romney




Saturday, June 9, 2007
posted by Justin Hart | 3:40 PM | permalink

Oh my gosh. I wish I had thought of this. This is classic.

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:McCain | Bawwka!
  • DiggMcCain | Bawwka!
  • Fark:McCain | Bawwka!
  • Furl:McCain | Bawwka!
  • Ma.gnolia:McCain | Bawwka!
  • Netscape:McCain | Bawwka!
  • NewsVine:McCain | Bawwka!
  • Reddit:McCain | Bawwka!
  • Slashdot:McCain | Bawwka!
  • StumbleUpon:McCain | Bawwka!
  • TailRank:McCain | Bawwka!
  • Technorati:McCain | Bawwka!
  • YahooMyWeb:McCain | Bawwka!

Technorati Tags: |
 
1 Comments:


I figured the chicken suits were coming, but I'm not sure I would feel comfortable using one in connection with John McCain - he has proven he is anything but. Rudy on the other hand back out when he thought Hillary was going to beat him and backed out of Iowa when he knew Mitt was going to beat him - sensing a trend here.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 9, 2007 at 5:27 PM  



posted by Justin Hart | 8:10 AM | permalink
Much of what we discuss in the blogosphere about the 2008 election is anecdotal. Of course, when the latest poll clears the wires we wax scientific but the core element of our discussion is usually one of reason, persuasion and argument, not science.

But when you get down and dirty in the academic world… this won’t fly. They would no sooner cite a post from Powerline Blog than they would from Paris Hilton to predict who will win the election.

Recent academic studies have brought to light numerous characteristics to define a classic campaign and possibly predict the outcome of the presidential primary and general elections. Let’s examine 12 of these characteristics in more detail and predict the candidates who have an advantage.

1) Classic “Type of Primary” Influences

Apparently, there are two characteristics that are typically employed in academic circles to assess what influence specific state primaries have on the nomination. The first is the lengthening effect of proportional primaries. The second is diverse voter preference. Let’s take this first element.

Alexandra L. Cooper, a profession of Law and Government at Lafayette University, produced a computer simulation to study these two elements. Her conclusion: “The simulations show that both proportional allocation and more diverse voter preferences increase the number of primaries that must be completed before a single candidate can amass sufficient delegates to guarantee nomination.”

Quick admission here. This is heady stuff and it took me about hour to decipher what Cooper is getting at. Let me translate:

There are basically three types of primaries:

1) Caucus or Conventions (CC)
2) Proportional Primaries (PP)
3) Winner Takes All (WTA)

The Democratic Party has a significantly larger number of “PP” states which indicates, according to Cooper, that their candidates will have to wade through more state primaries before a winner becomes evident. The GOP only has a handful of PP primaries which may indicate that the nominee will be solidified earlier than the DEMS.

For example, the DEMS have set up New Hampshire, Florida, and South Carolina as PP primaries. This means that even second tier candidates have a chance to win a “proportional” amount of delegates.

On the other side of the aisle New Hampshire is the only early state for the GOP that uses proportional delegates.

Then, on February 5th, over 44% of the delegates for each party are up for grabs. For the DEMS, 13 of the 18 states that have primaries on that date utilize PP for their allocation of delegates. Compare that to the GOP where no state uses a strict PP allocation and 10 states use the “Winner Take All” approach on that fateful Tuesday.

The outstanding question is: will this classic characteristic hold true for the election in 2008? Will early wins in IA and NH truly propel a candidate over to Super Tuesday per tradition?

So the prediction I have for this first characteristic: Mitt Romney will likely win the nomination if he continues his lead in New Hampshire and Iowa. Even if only a handful of Super Tuesday primaries go his way… he will win because of the predominate “Winner Take All” approach. This isn’t rocket science but it is science (according to Cooper and her peers).

Next week we’ll tackle the “New Hampshire Effect” in more detail.

Labels: ,

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:The 12 Characteristics of a Classic Primary Election
  • DiggThe 12 Characteristics of a Classic Primary Election
  • Fark:The 12 Characteristics of a Classic Primary Election
  • Furl:The 12 Characteristics of a Classic Primary Election
  • Ma.gnolia:The 12 Characteristics of a Classic Primary Election
  • Netscape:The 12 Characteristics of a Classic Primary Election
  • NewsVine:The 12 Characteristics of a Classic Primary Election
  • Reddit:The 12 Characteristics of a Classic Primary Election
  • Slashdot:The 12 Characteristics of a Classic Primary Election
  • StumbleUpon:The 12 Characteristics of a Classic Primary Election
  • TailRank:The 12 Characteristics of a Classic Primary Election
  • Technorati:The 12 Characteristics of a Classic Primary Election
  • YahooMyWeb:The 12 Characteristics of a Classic Primary Election

Technorati Tags: |
 
2 Comments:


That's an awesome insight Justin. Looking forward to the next one.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 9, 2007 at 8:51 AM  


For goodness sakes Justin, here I was just content to wax eloquent in my predictions and you have to go and bring scholarly work into it. How am I supposed to keep up with that?

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 9, 2007 at 9:52 AM  



Friday, June 8, 2007
posted by Justin Hart | 5:12 PM | permalink

Mason-Dixon New Hampshire Republican Primary

  • Romney - 27%
  • McCain - 16%
  • Giuliani - 15%
  • F. Thompson - 12%
  • Huckabee - 5%
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:NH Poll: Romney is the Bomb
  • DiggNH Poll: Romney is the Bomb
  • Fark:NH Poll: Romney is the Bomb
  • Furl:NH Poll: Romney is the Bomb
  • Ma.gnolia:NH Poll: Romney is the Bomb
  • Netscape:NH Poll: Romney is the Bomb
  • NewsVine:NH Poll: Romney is the Bomb
  • Reddit:NH Poll: Romney is the Bomb
  • Slashdot:NH Poll: Romney is the Bomb
  • StumbleUpon:NH Poll: Romney is the Bomb
  • TailRank:NH Poll: Romney is the Bomb
  • Technorati:NH Poll: Romney is the Bomb
  • YahooMyWeb:NH Poll: Romney is the Bomb

Technorati Tags: |
 
0 Comments:



posted by jason | 12:18 PM | permalink
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:I Found This On Wonkette
  • DiggI Found This On Wonkette
  • Fark:I Found This On Wonkette
  • Furl:I Found This On Wonkette
  • Ma.gnolia:I Found This On Wonkette
  • Netscape:I Found This On Wonkette
  • NewsVine:I Found This On Wonkette
  • Reddit:I Found This On Wonkette
  • Slashdot:I Found This On Wonkette
  • StumbleUpon:I Found This On Wonkette
  • TailRank:I Found This On Wonkette
  • Technorati:I Found This On Wonkette
  • YahooMyWeb:I Found This On Wonkette

Technorati Tags: |
 
1 Comments:


If Ron Paul can gain no traction in the real world with his highly aggressive and organized online pack of supporters, what makes Fred Thompson think he can do better?
I know Fred is a better man and a much more attractive candidate, but doesn't Paul's failure to turn a massive Internet bullying into real votes show the Internet will not replace real campaigning in the real world?

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 8, 2007 at 1:59 PM  



posted by Kyle Hampton | 10:52 AM | permalink
I could be a little confused here, but Rudy and McCain are conceding Iowa? An editorial by Pat Buchanan says that they are smart to avoid Romney in Iowa and should bank on New Hampshire. However, Buchanan sums up the essence of what this means for both Iowa and New Hampshire.
But in running Rudy and John out of Ames, Romney has shown real strength, and must now be the favorite to take Iowa in January and probably is the man to beat in New Hampshire.
To me it really is stunning that Rudy and McCain so early and readily conceded Iowa. Less than two months ago Romney was down by double digits to Rudy, McCain, or both. Now Romney is the favorite having taken the lead in most polls with some showing a double digit lead. Many analysts have explained that Romney is the only one on the airwaves, but if this were the only reason wouldn’t the answer be to just combat Romney’s advertising with advertising of your own? As Jason has explained, this is expensive, but aren’t you running a campaign to win? If it’s not worth the money to you to win, then what are you doing campaigning and fundraising?

As unlikely to outsiders as it may have seemed after the first quarter fundraising numbers came in, Romney’s fundraising is a manifestation of the support widespread support that Romney has garnered as people have met him and embraced his message. As silly as the explanations of predominantly Mormon supporters or wealthy fat-cats were and are, analysts and detractors can’t explain Romney’s Iowa surge on a narrow base of fawning Mormons or former business partners. It seems more and more to me that the first quarter fundraising numbers were indicative of things to come. Unfortunately for Rudy and McCain, there comes a time where you have to perform. You don’t always get to explain away your defeat as resulting from a “late start” or whatever other excuses there might be.

It’s also interesting to me that Rudy and McCain would bank on New Hampshire. Romney has a bigger lead there than in Iowa. Or maybe they will also back out of New Hampshire to bank on South Carolina or Michigan or Nevada or Florida. But by that time how many wins does Romney have? No, by that time it will be more than apparent that Republicans are with Romney. Perhaps they feel more comfortable with the poll numbers in Florida which look like the Iowa numbers from two months ago. How long will those numbers stay like that? I wouldn’t feel too comfortable if I were Rudy or McCain.

Admittedly, there’s a lot of time in between then and now and certainly strange things can happen, but this is a win for Romney. One of many to come.

Labels: , ,

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:Iowa withdrawal
  • DiggIowa withdrawal
  • Fark:Iowa withdrawal
  • Furl:Iowa withdrawal
  • Ma.gnolia:Iowa withdrawal
  • Netscape:Iowa withdrawal
  • NewsVine:Iowa withdrawal
  • Reddit:Iowa withdrawal
  • Slashdot:Iowa withdrawal
  • StumbleUpon:Iowa withdrawal
  • TailRank:Iowa withdrawal
  • Technorati:Iowa withdrawal
  • YahooMyWeb:Iowa withdrawal

Technorati Tags: |
 
3 Comments:


It appears to me that McCain and Giuliani are going to run a "Super Tuesday" campaign. They are planning on running well in large markets like California, New York, Florida and others and are hoping that Romney's early primary victories in states like Iowa and New Hampshire and perhaps Nevada aren't going to effect the appeal they have elsewhere. What is surprising is that they seem to be shifting to that strategy so early.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 8, 2007 at 1:59 PM  


Why would Republicans want a Super Tuesday Winner as the nominate? So what if you win the NY, CA primaries...doesn't count for squat unless you have a serious chance of winning them in the general election. The Republican nominate has to be able to get the middle of America motivated to win the election...WI, MI, OH. Those states matter, not CA and NY. And where is Mitt doing best? IA, NH, MI.

I'll concede that it makes sense for RG and JM to try to use their name recognition in the media market states, but that won't help Republicans win the presidency. It will just help them waste a few hundred million donated dollars and hand the white house to the Dems.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 8, 2007 at 2:39 PM  


Good comment Dell. It would make sense if we had a direct election and the larger markets were all that mattered. The electoral college system requires a different approach though. Of course this depends on the extent you think it is important for those folks in between the large markets to be motivated and to show up because they really like a candidate. I happen to think that is really important.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 8, 2007 at 7:08 PM  



posted by jason | 8:55 AM | permalink
The Wall Street Journal has some interesting tidbits in this small little article:
After strong first-quarter fund raising and solid debate performances, he enjoys polling leads in both Iowa and New Hampshire. Though he still trails nationally, "I really think Romney is the front-runner," Dole's 1996 campaign manager, Scott Reed, says.

Romney advisers predict Fred Thompson's entry will only temporarily curb their candidate's momentum. But decisions by McCain and Giuliani to abandon Iowa's August straw poll increase pressure on Romney to score a clear win and avoid surprises by second-tier challengers Huckabee, Brownback or Tommy Thompson.

1. Romney the front runner? Not yet, but I do say he is "a frontrunner" tied with Giuliani.

2. Romney Team prediciting Fred's only a temporary disturbance? Fred has got some good early following, but it's based on personality. So Romney's team is predicting beyond southern charm and a red truck there won't be much, I am of course inclined to agree, but nothing is written in stone. So far I haven't seen much from Fred that demonstrates great speaking or fabulous ideas (not to mention his odd abortion quotes and odd questionnaire,) but I am ready to be proven wrong.

3. Increased need to perform well at Ames? You bet. Romney needs a win and a very decisive one. Really Ames will turn into (barring Fred not finding some "Regan Courage" and actually showing up) who can be the best anti-Romney candidate. For candidates like Brownback, that's nothing new.
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:WSJ With Some Interesting Tidbits
  • DiggWSJ With Some Interesting Tidbits
  • Fark:WSJ With Some Interesting Tidbits
  • Furl:WSJ With Some Interesting Tidbits
  • Ma.gnolia:WSJ With Some Interesting Tidbits
  • Netscape:WSJ With Some Interesting Tidbits
  • NewsVine:WSJ With Some Interesting Tidbits
  • Reddit:WSJ With Some Interesting Tidbits
  • Slashdot:WSJ With Some Interesting Tidbits
  • StumbleUpon:WSJ With Some Interesting Tidbits
  • TailRank:WSJ With Some Interesting Tidbits
  • Technorati:WSJ With Some Interesting Tidbits
  • YahooMyWeb:WSJ With Some Interesting Tidbits

Technorati Tags: |
 
1 Comments:


I was just looking at a photo of Fred Thompson and he really looks old. Is that why he is sticking to the Internet? Does he not have the energy or stamina to campaign the old fashioned way?

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 8, 2007 at 9:49 AM  



posted by Justin Hart | 8:05 AM | permalink

Justin meets with Mitt at the YP4Mitt kickoff. Mitt congratulated MMM readers on raising 50K for the campaign and shares an funny story about Justin's mom.

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:Mitt Romney Congratulates MMM Readers on 50K raised!
  • DiggMitt Romney Congratulates MMM Readers on 50K raised!
  • Fark:Mitt Romney Congratulates MMM Readers on 50K raised!
  • Furl:Mitt Romney Congratulates MMM Readers on 50K raised!
  • Ma.gnolia:Mitt Romney Congratulates MMM Readers on 50K raised!
  • Netscape:Mitt Romney Congratulates MMM Readers on 50K raised!
  • NewsVine:Mitt Romney Congratulates MMM Readers on 50K raised!
  • Reddit:Mitt Romney Congratulates MMM Readers on 50K raised!
  • Slashdot:Mitt Romney Congratulates MMM Readers on 50K raised!
  • StumbleUpon:Mitt Romney Congratulates MMM Readers on 50K raised!
  • TailRank:Mitt Romney Congratulates MMM Readers on 50K raised!
  • Technorati:Mitt Romney Congratulates MMM Readers on 50K raised!
  • YahooMyWeb:Mitt Romney Congratulates MMM Readers on 50K raised!

Technorati Tags: |
 
1 Comments:


MMM, Congratulations on raising 50K! And almost a month ahead of schedule! Keep it up! You will be hot by the time next race comes around (you will be one of those 100K guys by the time this race is over!)

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 9, 2007 at 5:40 PM  



posted by Justin Hart | 6:13 AM | permalink
Patrick Ruffini, talented polibiz guru, has entered the fray following remarks from Soren Dayton (Eyeon08) about my post on Fred Thompson trying his best to imitate Max Headroom.

That's a bit confusing... Let's try this recap:
  • I questioned the viability of a Thompson candidacy tethered to an Internet-only campaign (or at least a predominately Internet-only campaign). I used the blogosphere as an example where outreach seems impactful but the numbers just don't add up to much. (I.E. if you rely just on the blogosphere you'll be swimming with Tom Tancredo)

  • Soren counters this argument indicating that Thompson could yet wax Romney-esque, produce a gambit of "content", and/or drive a voter-to-voter approach.

  • Patrick takes me to task for my reckoning of activist influences pointing to a larger outreach group if you include non-blog sites such as FreeRepublic and Townhall.com.
Both Soren and Patrick make some excellent points but I stand by my two main points: 1) that Thompson will need to press more flesh than he will Qwerty keys and 2) that the blogosphere has some influence but it ain't all that and a box of chocolates - yet - (I think that's the phrase my 9 year old used the other day ?)

I did allude to one thing: Fred might be one election too early on this. I can imagine virtual campaigns becoming the norm circa 2012 when the learning curve on all things Internet is brought to an acceptable levels.

Patrick updates his post with a cool clip of Mitt slapping down a question raised by a person citing something on the blogosphere. So yes, the blogosphere has some decent dynamic influence that, ripple-like, can make a splash; but notice Mitt's effectiveness is that he is in person, in front of a large crowd, speaking extemporaneously about a sensitive subject in an articulate and dynamic way. Then again, I was watching it on YouTube on a blog... so go figure.

Here's a chart that I produced for one of my clients that shows the various mediums of reaching and affecting an audience, along with the cost and ease of getting your message out over a particular channel. Click to enlarge


KEY
+ means positive

- means negative or difficult
+ / - means somewhere in the middle

Blogs have yet to reach their full potential of reach and effectiveness, but it doesn't cost much and it's pretty easy to do. Thoughts?

Labels: ,

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:More Flesh, Less Querty Keys
  • DiggMore Flesh, Less Querty Keys
  • Fark:More Flesh, Less Querty Keys
  • Furl:More Flesh, Less Querty Keys
  • Ma.gnolia:More Flesh, Less Querty Keys
  • Netscape:More Flesh, Less Querty Keys
  • NewsVine:More Flesh, Less Querty Keys
  • Reddit:More Flesh, Less Querty Keys
  • Slashdot:More Flesh, Less Querty Keys
  • StumbleUpon:More Flesh, Less Querty Keys
  • TailRank:More Flesh, Less Querty Keys
  • Technorati:More Flesh, Less Querty Keys
  • YahooMyWeb:More Flesh, Less Querty Keys

Technorati Tags: |
 
0 Comments:



posted by Anonymous | 12:57 AM | permalink
William Smith at Conservative Blogger has a great post on the status of Iraq's compliance with UN resolutions over the years at the time the U.S. went to war with Iraq. Of course, Romney answered a question in the last debate about whether it was a mistake to go to war in Iraq by pointing to the information we didn't have at the time because of Saddam's failure to fully comply with these resolutions. Mr. Smith even had the opportunity to ask a follow-up question at an Ask Mitt Anything Event:



Romney is absolutely right about this. Hussein was trying to walk a fine line between allowing inspectors in and giving up the deterrence that came from others thinking they had WMD. Incidentally, I was enrolled in an Arms Control class at UCLA when this was going on and regularly debated whether we should go to war in Iraq. One interesting notion that never came up: that no WMD were to be found in Iraq at all.

I highly commend Mr. Smith's blog to you and his thoughtful posting on endorsing Romney.
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:U.N. Weapons Inspections
  • DiggU.N. Weapons Inspections
  • Fark:U.N. Weapons Inspections
  • Furl:U.N. Weapons Inspections
  • Ma.gnolia:U.N. Weapons Inspections
  • Netscape:U.N. Weapons Inspections
  • NewsVine:U.N. Weapons Inspections
  • Reddit:U.N. Weapons Inspections
  • Slashdot:U.N. Weapons Inspections
  • StumbleUpon:U.N. Weapons Inspections
  • TailRank:U.N. Weapons Inspections
  • Technorati:U.N. Weapons Inspections
  • YahooMyWeb:U.N. Weapons Inspections

Technorati Tags: |
 
3 Comments:


Timotheus, that was a very interesting video. I had heard a couple of people getting upset about what Mitt said, but I hadn't really understood why, because I knew what he was getting at. I am glad that Mitt was able to explain his position better and in a way that makes sense to everyone, because I know that I, for one, definitely remember the inspectors not being able to access everywhere, and having the palaces blocked off, etc.

You're right: At that point, no one even conceived of the idea that Saddam perhaps didn't have WMD. Why not let the inspectors in if there wasn't something there you were trying to hide? Our world would be so much different right now if Saddam had let us in.

Anyway, thanks for the great post - I appreciate it. :-)

Hava
http://mittforpresident.wordpress.com/



Thanks for the love, Timotheus. Mitt really did win me over and I really was THAT undecided.

I truly believe he's the real deal.

Cheers,
William Smith
ConservativeBlogger.com

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 8, 2007 at 1:20 PM  


Don't thank me. Thank Mr. Smith.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 8, 2007 at 3:05 PM  



posted by Anonymous | 12:29 AM | permalink
Mitt Romney on McCain and Giuliani conceding defeat in the Ames Straw Poll:

"You can't help but think that makes me far more likely to win."

Source, with lots of other interesting discussion of other topics, here.
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:Ames, Again
  • DiggAmes, Again
  • Fark:Ames, Again
  • Furl:Ames, Again
  • Ma.gnolia:Ames, Again
  • Netscape:Ames, Again
  • NewsVine:Ames, Again
  • Reddit:Ames, Again
  • Slashdot:Ames, Again
  • StumbleUpon:Ames, Again
  • TailRank:Ames, Again
  • Technorati:Ames, Again
  • YahooMyWeb:Ames, Again

Technorati Tags: |
 
0 Comments:



Thursday, June 7, 2007
posted by Justin Hart | 3:00 PM | permalink
TODAY June 7th, Mitt will be in DC to host the Young Professionals for Mitt kickoff!

So... how do you get in? Here's the menu (you can pay at the door) - use the fundraiser ID 588000:
  • $50 - Hill Staffer (with valid ID) - click here
  • $100 - General Admission - click here
  • $250 - Event Patron (name appears on event sinage!) - click here
  • $500 - Co-Host (name appears on event sinage and participation in strategy call) - click here
  • $1000 - Name appears on event sinage, strategy calls, and you can attend the Leadership Meeting with Mitt on June 7th - click here
You can download the PDF file here to make a donation as well.

As you can see we have a fantastic group of young professionals already involved in our DC chapter.

Thursday June 7, 2007

The Sewall-Belmont House
144 Constitution Avenue NE Washington,DC
(next to the Senate Hart Building)
6:30 PM

Labels:

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:TONIGHT Mix & Mingle with Mitt this Thursday!
  • DiggTONIGHT Mix & Mingle with Mitt this Thursday!
  • Fark:TONIGHT Mix & Mingle with Mitt this Thursday!
  • Furl:TONIGHT Mix & Mingle with Mitt this Thursday!
  • Ma.gnolia:TONIGHT Mix & Mingle with Mitt this Thursday!
  • Netscape:TONIGHT Mix & Mingle with Mitt this Thursday!
  • NewsVine:TONIGHT Mix & Mingle with Mitt this Thursday!
  • Reddit:TONIGHT Mix & Mingle with Mitt this Thursday!
  • Slashdot:TONIGHT Mix & Mingle with Mitt this Thursday!
  • StumbleUpon:TONIGHT Mix & Mingle with Mitt this Thursday!
  • TailRank:TONIGHT Mix & Mingle with Mitt this Thursday!
  • Technorati:TONIGHT Mix & Mingle with Mitt this Thursday!
  • YahooMyWeb:TONIGHT Mix & Mingle with Mitt this Thursday!

Technorati Tags: |
 
0 Comments:



posted by jason | 9:59 AM | permalink
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:Wow!
  • DiggWow!
  • Fark:Wow!
  • Furl:Wow!
  • Ma.gnolia:Wow!
  • Netscape:Wow!
  • NewsVine:Wow!
  • Reddit:Wow!
  • Slashdot:Wow!
  • StumbleUpon:Wow!
  • TailRank:Wow!
  • Technorati:Wow!
  • YahooMyWeb:Wow!

Technorati Tags: |
 
2 Comments:


They are going to make Mitt Romney honorary King of The Republican Party in Iowa if the cowards keep jumping off the campaign trail there.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 7, 2007 at 11:07 AM  


I think the significance of Ames now is to decide who deserves to be competing as first tier candidates with Romney. I would encourage everyone else to stay in it because in all likelihood, their campaigns should be given more recognition than McCain's and Giuliani's anyway.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 7, 2007 at 8:26 PM  



posted by Justin Hart | 9:17 AM | permalink


Recent reports indicate that Thompson is beefing up his virtual team of advisers. In fact, it seems that most of what Thompson is doing is virtual. The question in my mind is this: will Fred "Max Headroom" Thompson come out of his Internet box?

Early leaks to the blogosphere indicated that the Thompson campaign would be radically "different" relying on Internet efforts rather than "trudging through Iowa and New Hampshire". Yesterday, the Hotline reported a gambit of internet savvy Thompson-ites including Mike Turk, Jon Henke, and William Beutler. This is a very capable team.

However, this is one of the critical questions in political campaign history. Will a predominately virtual campaign make the same impact as pressing the flesh?

I remain convinced that it will not and cannot.

Take for instance two facts on the table here.

First, the reach of the blogosphere. Now obviously the Thompson campaign isn't limiting its efforts to the blogosphere but it's a good comparative sample data point to begin with.

If you look at the top 5 conservative blogs on the Internet (according the TTLB) and look at their average rate of "daily visits" you get the following:

Malkin - 105,000
Instapundit - 125,000
LGF - 195,000
Powerline - 58,000
Captain's Quarters - 29,000

Experience has shown that "Absolute Unique Visitors" (that is true warm bodies) is about a third of "daily visits". In other words, real advocates of specific blogs visit the blog about 3 times a day or more. Many times from different computers.

If we assume that 60% of these visitors are shared visitors (i.e. I visit Michelle and Powerline everyday myself) and factor in the 1/3rd calculation we get about 100,000 unique visitors.

Don't get me wrong... I think the blogosphere is the bomb! But it ain't the election bomb - yet.

One more stat. According to a recent survey from the Chronicle of Philantropy, the 20 largest charities are raising only 1% of their funds from online donations.

Now, these are not directly correlated to the Thompson campaign but neither are they anecdotal.

In short, I think Fred is one cycle too early. Relying heavily on an Internet-driven campaign won't win you the election in my mind, but it will be a great learning process.

Labels: ,

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:Max Headroom Thompson
  • DiggMax Headroom Thompson
  • Fark:Max Headroom Thompson
  • Furl:Max Headroom Thompson
  • Ma.gnolia:Max Headroom Thompson
  • Netscape:Max Headroom Thompson
  • NewsVine:Max Headroom Thompson
  • Reddit:Max Headroom Thompson
  • Slashdot:Max Headroom Thompson
  • StumbleUpon:Max Headroom Thompson
  • TailRank:Max Headroom Thompson
  • Technorati:Max Headroom Thompson
  • YahooMyWeb:Max Headroom Thompson

Technorati Tags: |
 
3 Comments:


It would be interesting to try and determine what percentage of people who particpate in Republican Presidential Primaries (i.e. actually vote) visit any candidate websites before voting. I would suspect it is somewhat low.

I am skeptical as well.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 7, 2007 at 8:30 PM  


Speaking of 80s TV icons, Mitt Romney sure does have something of a "Sam Malone" look about him.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 8, 2007 at 7:16 AM  


Hey cosmo...
blogged here...great minds....

http://www.thekidalog.com/seejanemom/2007/06/cheers_to_the_h.html

(Justin knows its all in fun...)




posted by jason | 8:58 AM | permalink
From HeavyM's post at www.race42008.com


From Franklin Pierce College/WBZ TV, taken in New Hampshire after the debate on Tuesday (PDF link warning):



Who won the GOP Debate?

Romney - 22%
Giuliani - 18%
McCain - 11%
Huckabee - 3%
All others - 1% or less

Who would you vote for?
(trends from March)

Romney - 27% (22)
Giuliani - 18% (28)
McCain - 17% (29)
F Thompson - 9% (-)
Gingrich - 3% (5)
Huckabee - 3% (2)
All others - 1% or less

Favorable/Unfavorable Ratings

Romney - 78/13 (68/17)
Giuliani - 76/16 (79/13)
McCain - 65/28 (78/15)

Survey was done June 6 of 409 likely GOP primary voters, and has an MoE of 4.9%.
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:New Hampshire Poll
  • DiggNew Hampshire Poll
  • Fark:New Hampshire Poll
  • Furl:New Hampshire Poll
  • Ma.gnolia:New Hampshire Poll
  • Netscape:New Hampshire Poll
  • NewsVine:New Hampshire Poll
  • Reddit:New Hampshire Poll
  • Slashdot:New Hampshire Poll
  • StumbleUpon:New Hampshire Poll
  • TailRank:New Hampshire Poll
  • Technorati:New Hampshire Poll
  • YahooMyWeb:New Hampshire Poll

Technorati Tags: |
 
0 Comments:



posted by Jeff Fuller | 4:22 AM | permalink
Much of this is being addressed here and elsewhere, but I wanted to chime in from the Iowa perspective.

"Life Support" is a modern medical marvel that can sometimes tide people through horrible acute illnesses/traumas until their own organ systems kick back into gear. Unfortunately, the VAST majority of people on "Life Support" are simply artificially and temporarily avoiding imminent death. This is the decided direction of the Rudy Giuliani and John McCain campaigns as evidenced today by their decisions to not participate in the Ames Straw Poll on August 11th. They are attempting to delay their Iowa embarrassment and continued downward slide from August until the actual caucus in Janurary.

First, a primer on the Ames Straw Poll (ASP). Further information about the poll can be found here.



"Regarding Giuliani's decision, Laudner said, 'He was in, he was out, he was in, now he's out. Who knows. Maybe he'll change his mind again. Regardless, his name will be on the Straw Poll ballot in August.'"

Rudy was planning/hoping to participate in the ASP.


We are going to take all the resources that were budgeted towards the Straw Poll and we are going to use them to win the Caucus in January.


They had a budget for it . . . they were planning on it . . .

From the Krusty Konservative Blog

Rudy is calling likely caucus goers and asking them the following questions:

1. Who are you supporting for President?
2. Are you Pro-Life or Pro Choice?
3. Are you planning to attend the Iowa Straw Poll?

I think that a really weird set of questions, and I’m sure they are not going to like the results of question 2.


McCain's flip-flop is even worse:

I was personally at a McCain event a few weeks ago and one of his staffers asked me if I was planning/wanting to support McCain at the Ames Straw Poll. The Ames Straw Poll was stressed publicly to the audience by his local organizers before he arrived at the event. Everyone who signed into the event was given the opportunity to check a box saying that we would support McCain at the straw poll.



McCain has been going full-bore here in Iowa (great staff, lots of events, lots of money, etc . . . ). He definitely has the team to deliver . . . if they just had a better candidate.

Krusty ranked the Iowa Campaign Staffs of all the GOP candidates just 5 weeks ago, and guess who came out on top:

To the rankings!

1. John McCain

Sen. McCain has assembled the best staff in the state. The staff konsists of three konsultants and 15 staff members. What puts McCain over the top is the experience of their konsultants. Ed Failor, Jr. and Karen Slifka have a wealth of caucus experience, which is invaluable when it comes to teaching young field staffers how to organize for a caucus. The field staff is young and hard working, which is important because I’m sure that Failor and Slifka will be demanding some krazy hours out of them.


What is McCain's excuse for not competing at Ames? ABC reports.
In 1999, McCain called the straw poll a "sham" that contributes to "the pessimism and the cynicism" Americans feel about the role of money in politics.

Until Wednesday, the Arizona Senator was planning on competing in the straw poll this time around.

But hours after Giuliani's decision, McCain campaign manager Terry Nelson announced, "In light of today's news, it is clear that the Ames Straw Poll will not be a meaningful test of the leading candidates' organizational abilities, so we have decided to forgo our participation in the event."


"Straight-Talk" Translation: "Rudy opting out gives me an excuse to get out and avoid a similarly embarrassing loss to Romney." Did you notice how they announced this JUST HOURS after Rudy annouced? Is that enough time to evaluate the situation, consult the Iowa staff, consider the loss of already devoted resources, and make a wise decision? Or had the decision been made already and they jumped on the anti-Iowa bandwagon.

Also, it cannot go unnoted this completes the circuitous positions that McCain was Against the ASP, before he was For the ASP, before he was Against the ASP. Add that to the ever-growing list of McCain's Flip-Flops.

According to ABC News:

Hoffman was a "little surprised" about Giuliani's noontime decision and "very surprised" about the McCain decision which came less than five hours later.

Chuck Laudner, the Iowa Republican Party's executive director, said of Romney, "I think McCain was the one guy who was going to keep pace with him."

Laudner, who says the Iowa GOP did not receive a heads up from either Giuliani or McCain, says don't believe the Giuliani and McCain camps when they claim that they are serious about winning the state's caucuses in January.

"You can't compete in the caucuses without competing in the Straw Poll," said Laudner of the contest which raises money for the state party. "It's a big part of what makes the Republican Party of Iowa tick."



    The Real Story: Romney Revving up and Flexing Muscles in Iowa . . . "Front-runners" Running Scared:




The above is a WELL RESPECTED POLL. In it, Romney blows away the field for "likely Ames Straw Poll" attendees.

Romney's 34% is 3% more than Giuliani and McCain COMBINED.

Romney's 34% is equal to T. Thompson, Brownback, Huckabee, Gilmore, Paul, Tancredo, Hunter AND ALL THE "UNDECIDEDS" COMBINED.

Other polling shows things going Mitt's way here in Iowa:

The Des Moines Reg poll (above) showed him at 30% among likely caucus goers while Rudy had 17% and McCain had 18%.

The most recent Iowa poll shows Romney BLOWING AWAY the "front-runners". Romney has 31% while Rudy and John ARE BOTH IN SINGLE DIGITS (McCain 9%, Rudy 8%)

Other recent polling in Iowa show Romney leading or tied here, here, and here. (AND ALL OF THEM SHOW HIM ROCKETING UP OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS . . . even the outlier ARG poll--the firm which amazingly has McCain leading in Iowa, NH, and SC).

This over-whelming body of evidence show that Giuliani and McCain decided to drop out of the ASP as soon as their Iowa poll numbers began to drop. Instead of fighting through their dips and going toe-to-toe they've opted for the coward's option. They can't win, so they won't even play. I expected more from men who are rightly considered by most as modern American heroes.

I think they'll both lose some of their Iowa endorsements by pulling this stunt. Romney stands to pick up some of these endorsements. Both campaigns are, in effect, writing off winning the Iowa Caucus in Janurary. If they can't obtain and/or organize supporters for the ASP what is going to change to suddenly make them competitive a few months later?

That's why I was surprised to see Rudy's team say:

"I think what's important to note is that we are 100 percent committed to winning the Iowa Caucuses in January . . . I think some people may misinterpret it sort of as us not playing 100 percent in Iowa. We are 100 percent playing in Iowa. You will see the mayor there early and often and you will see us spending a great resources to make sure we win the Caucus in Iowa.


Well, they better get with it then . . . especially when Tommy Thompson got more people at his event in the same city on the same day/time that national figure and "front-runner" Giuliani:

When any two kampaigns visit the same kommunity on the same day, people are going to kompare the events, especially when the events are in Iowa’s second largest city. Tommy Thompson had 150 at his event, while the presumed frontrunner, Rudy Giuliani only had around 100. Rudy’s poor showing is a good example of the problems he is having in Iowa.


The quotes that Rudy is 100% dedicated to winning the Iowa caucus will be nice to pull out when he comes in a distant 3rd or 4th place . . . now THAT will be hard to spin.

But is Rudy's team "double-speaking" about the ASP? Jim Nussle of Rudy's Iowa team said of the ASP TODAY:

In fact, I'm going to encourage people to go to it, Giuliani supporters to go to it. Go to it and listen to the candidates. Have fun. Make a day of it. Enjoy it, you know, network with other people,


So they tell everyone to go, and when they get like 10% with no money invested they'll call it a "huge victory". Wait and see.

Chuck Laudner got it right:

Chuck Laudner, executive director of the Republican Party of Iowa, had these things to say about Rudy Giuliani and John McCain deciding to skip the party's Straw Poll in Ames on August 11th:

"Laudner: “They must not have felt...that their chances were not very good to win, place or show,” Laudner said. “...This event helps us pay for Caucus Night and all those activities, plus it helps us fund our state house and senate races…It’s a kick in the shins, or a little higher, right to the Iowa Republican Party.”

. . .

Henderson: What's your message to those two fellas?

Laudner: "It's a missed opportunity. I mean over a third of the Caucus-goers are going to be at that event and you're not just speaking to those folks, you're speaking to the entire country. It's a national event and it's the largest event, Republican, ever anywhere and to skip it means that they must not have felt...that their chances were good of win, place or show."

Henderson: "But their names are still going to be on the ballot.

Laudner: "Absolutely. It's not up to the candidates to decide. We decide as Iowa Republicans who we want the next president of the United States to be."

Henderson: Congressman Nussle has been calling this a circus and saying all sort of things. Has he sort of negated any chance he might have of seeking public office in Iowa again?

Laudner: "Well, I don't think he's made any friends today. This event helps us pay for Caucus Night and all those activities, plus it helps us fund our state house and senate races. That's how this event was created years and years ago and this year, much more than that, it was going to be the showcase of the 'big tent' and it was going to be that event brings all of these people in. Every one of these candidates has a coalition that they could bring in that maybe otherwise wouldn't come


Caucus-goers are largely GOP activists/social conservatives who will not think kindly of Rudy and John's antics here. They are shooting themselves in the foot.

From ABC News:

"Maybe the handwriting was on the wall," Iowa Republican Party Chairman Ray Hoffman tells ABC News when asked about the impact Mitt Romney's organizational strength had on the Wednesday announcements from the Giuliani and McCain campaigns that they will not invest resources in the Iowa Republican Party's Aug. 11 Straw Poll in Ames.

"Mitt Romney, no doubt, is probably the biggest player in the state," said Hoffman.


In another strong move, Romney's campaign released the following today:

Boston, MA – Today, Romney for President spokesman Kevin Madden issued the following statement on the Ames Straw Poll:

"Governor Romney has put in the time, built the organization and communicated his message to the voters of Iowa. It's a message focused on bringing conservative change to Washington, and it is resonating with Iowa voters because it matches his record of accomplishment as governor.

"Our plan all along has been to play in the Iowa straw poll, and that hasn't changed. Campaigns that have decided to abandon Ames are likely doing so out of a recognition that their organizations are outmatched and their message falls flat with Republican voters in Iowa.

"It looks as if we just beat those campaigns in Iowa two months earlier than we had planned on beating them."


OUCH!!!!!

To which the Republican Party of Iowa already responded in resounding support of Romney sticking to his guns and is committed to the ASP (but I thought HE was the "flip flopper!"):

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney got a thank you note tonight from the Republican Party of Iowa.

Iowa GOP spokeswoman Mary Tiffany issued the following statement: "The Republican Party of Iowa appreciates the Romney for President Campaign's statement regarding the Iowa Straw Poll. Governor Mitt Romney clearly understands the importance of the Straw Poll and the role the event and its voters play in the political process. In light of today's news, we are glad to hear Romney is keeping his word to participate in the Straw Poll and that he has made the wise decision to stay in the race." [CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE?!?!?]

. . .

Doug Gross [major Iowa Romney campaign man]: "You know, Iowans are very proud of their role in the Caucuses and it goes back to the 1970s. We've had the Straw Poll since 1979 and if you take a look at it, any of the candidates who have skipped the Straw Poll have not done well in the Caucuses, so I think what you ought to look at it the potential implication of this on those candidates for the Caucuses and at the same time I think Iowans are concerned that if some candidates are skipping the process that we've had that they're to some extent not respecting the entire Iowa process and it does, indeed, potentially hurt the party and I think that's why Chuck was concerned."




    Rudy's Master Plan?


Some postulate that Rudy has the plan of Super-Tuesday/Large-State focus. That he can afford to lose the early small states. However, I worry about a move to this system. Small states allow the candidates to really get to know people and vice-versa. This so called "Retail politics" have served us well, and I worry about a cadidate with a master plan to mount a huge TV campaign in large states as a means to become president without the personal contact of retail politics.


    Two issues remain:


1) What will be Fred Thompson's play. I think this opens a huge door for him and he would have a decent excuse to not win it, but he could probably get 2nd with a concerted effort. Would this be important to him or does he really want "to run a different kind of campaign"

2) What does this mean for the second-tier candidates? If Fred bows out too will the #2 and #3 finishers be emboldened? Will they be the big story?


    The Bottom Line:


Some pundits say that Giuliani's and McCain's move now renders the Ames Straw Poll "irrelevant." However, the truth of the matter is that Giuliani and McCain are quickly rendering themselves and their campaigns "irrelevant" by showing that they know they can't compete with Romney in Iowa.

Rudy wants Iowa, McCain needs Iowa, Iowa wants and needs Romney!

Jeff Fuller
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:Giuliani/McCain Campaigns on “Life Support” . . . They Flip-Flop on Ames Straw Poll
  • DiggGiuliani/McCain Campaigns on “Life Support” . . . They Flip-Flop on Ames Straw Poll
  • Fark:Giuliani/McCain Campaigns on “Life Support” . . . They Flip-Flop on Ames Straw Poll
  • Furl:Giuliani/McCain Campaigns on “Life Support” . . . They Flip-Flop on Ames Straw Poll
  • Ma.gnolia:Giuliani/McCain Campaigns on “Life Support” . . . They Flip-Flop on Ames Straw Poll
  • Netscape:Giuliani/McCain Campaigns on “Life Support” . . . They Flip-Flop on Ames Straw Poll
  • NewsVine:Giuliani/McCain Campaigns on “Life Support” . . . They Flip-Flop on Ames Straw Poll
  • Reddit:Giuliani/McCain Campaigns on “Life Support” . . . They Flip-Flop on Ames Straw Poll
  • Slashdot:Giuliani/McCain Campaigns on “Life Support” . . . They Flip-Flop on Ames Straw Poll
  • StumbleUpon:Giuliani/McCain Campaigns on “Life Support” . . . They Flip-Flop on Ames Straw Poll
  • TailRank:Giuliani/McCain Campaigns on “Life Support” . . . They Flip-Flop on Ames Straw Poll
  • Technorati:Giuliani/McCain Campaigns on “Life Support” . . . They Flip-Flop on Ames Straw Poll
  • YahooMyWeb:Giuliani/McCain Campaigns on “Life Support” . . . They Flip-Flop on Ames Straw Poll

Technorati Tags: |
 
2 Comments:


Absolutely awesome blog, Jeff!! I wrote about this on my blog, but I think yours covers it from a more broad aspect. Great, great blog.

This reminds me of those relationships where the neurotic boyfriend thinks that the girlfriend is going to break up with him, so he breaks up with her first, because he can't stand to be the one who was "dumped." Grow up and be a man!!!! This completely smacks of the move made by the Democratic party earlier this year (we can't debate on Fox because they're biased towards the right! came the whining) and now we're hearing it here, "We can't compete in the Ames Straw Poll because we're about to have our butts handed to us on a silver platter, so we're not going to do it!"

And these are the men that are supposed to lead us in the fight against terrorism and Osama bin Laden, when they can't even manage to show up to a straw poll because they're afraid of losing??!

Gutless.

Hava
http://mittforpresident.wordpress.com/



Great post Jeff.
Let's see, the Democrats won't face QUESTIONS from Fox News and McCain and Giuliani can't face little old woman with ballots in Iowa.
Hmmm, and they want us to believe they can face and defeat te Jihadists?

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 7, 2007 at 7:33 AM  



Wednesday, June 6, 2007
posted by Justin Hart | 10:05 PM | permalink
So McCain and Rudy won't "give Iowa a chance" as the song goes. The reaction of many pundits chimed in "oh, well, I guess that takes the wind out of Romney's sails." The reality behind the McCain/Rudy retreat however is far more interesting.

Recent polling showing Romney ahead in Iowa togther with an unmatched ground game scared the competition into submission. This is classic Romney. Come out strong and turn the competition out the door by pure brute force. It worked on January 8th of this year with a $6.5 million kick off of the campaign and now it's worked in Iowa.

With Mitt's sons buying a Winebego and promising to canvas all 99 counties in Iowa... With serious donors coming to Mitt's side of the aisle... With experienced Iowans at the helm for the ride... there was no way they could lose.

You see, when John McCain and Rudy Giuliani look at Team Romney Iowa this is what they see:

Team ROmney Iowa


Gentry Collins, former executive director of the Iowan Republican Party; Doug Gross, former candidate for Governor; and native Iowan Jill Latham. A solid team with a record before the first major benchmark in Iowa. Way to go Team Romney.

Labels:

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:The Matrix: Team Romney Iowa
  • DiggThe Matrix: Team Romney Iowa
  • Fark:The Matrix: Team Romney Iowa
  • Furl:The Matrix: Team Romney Iowa
  • Ma.gnolia:The Matrix: Team Romney Iowa
  • Netscape:The Matrix: Team Romney Iowa
  • NewsVine:The Matrix: Team Romney Iowa
  • Reddit:The Matrix: Team Romney Iowa
  • Slashdot:The Matrix: Team Romney Iowa
  • StumbleUpon:The Matrix: Team Romney Iowa
  • TailRank:The Matrix: Team Romney Iowa
  • Technorati:The Matrix: Team Romney Iowa
  • YahooMyWeb:The Matrix: Team Romney Iowa

Technorati Tags: |
 
5 Comments:


OK... I am officially mad!!!
That picture made me spit Sprite all over my laptop screen!
Thanks a lot!

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 6, 2007 at 10:31 PM  


Iowa is still relevent. It now becomes a race to see if Mitt can stop any dark horse from emerging! But it also irreparably damages McCain and Rudy in the state. Too chicken fight politically? Courage of convictions? How does that translate into courage to fight the war?

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 6, 2007 at 11:16 PM  


Whoever thinks that Mitt Romney will suffer in any way from John McCain and Rudy Giuliani skipping the Iowa straw poll, is sadly mistaken, in my opinion.

Mitt Romney got it right when he said that it will energise his supporters and galvanize support for his campaign.

When a candidate can claim that his two main rivals could not compete with him and ran away from the competition because of his superior organizational strength, that is a huge positive that can give further momentum to Mitt's current surge in the polls.

Go Mitt Go!

Denny sMITTen



This retreat makes you go hmmmmmm, on both Rudy and McCain's leadership quality. Retreat when you face potential defeat? Is that the philosophy that made USA great? Run Away! Run Away!

This is going to backfire on both of them....bigtime. Now if Fred Thompson enters, and Mitt steamrolls him, it makes Mitt even more powerful.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 7, 2007 at 7:55 AM  


Guiliani and McCain skipping the straw poll does seem like they are trying to make the poll irrelevant. But there is just no substitute for being there. Mitt in 2008!




posted by Anonymous | 5:51 PM | permalink
Two campaigns have now abandoned any meaningful attempt to compete in Iowa by abandoning the Ames Straw Poll. Giuliani and McCain have thrown the hat in. This is an enormous victory for Romney. The other top tier (if McCain can still be called that) campaigns have admitted defeat. I hope Iowans hand Romney the huge victory he deserves in the Ames Straw Poll and work together with us now that the other candidates have snubbed them. Of course, those who work or lobby for their campaigns will argue the straw poll is now meaningless. And I will argue with others that they fail to understand Iowa.

Update (Press Release): Boston, MA – Today, Romney for President spokesman Kevin Madden issued the following statement on the Ames Straw Poll:

"Governor Romney has put in the time, built the organization and communicated his message to the voters of Iowa. It's a message focused on bringing conservative change to Washington, and it is resonating with Iowa voters because it matches his record of accomplishment as governor."

"Our plan all along has been to play in the Iowa straw poll, and that hasn't changed. Campaigns that have decided to abandon Ames are likely doing so out of a recognition that their organizations are outmatched and their message falls flat with Republican voters in Iowa."

"It looks as if we just beat those campaigns in Iowa two months earlier than we had planned on beating them."
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:Giuliani and McCain Concede Ames, Iowa
  • DiggGiuliani and McCain Concede Ames, Iowa
  • Fark:Giuliani and McCain Concede Ames, Iowa
  • Furl:Giuliani and McCain Concede Ames, Iowa
  • Ma.gnolia:Giuliani and McCain Concede Ames, Iowa
  • Netscape:Giuliani and McCain Concede Ames, Iowa
  • NewsVine:Giuliani and McCain Concede Ames, Iowa
  • Reddit:Giuliani and McCain Concede Ames, Iowa
  • Slashdot:Giuliani and McCain Concede Ames, Iowa
  • StumbleUpon:Giuliani and McCain Concede Ames, Iowa
  • TailRank:Giuliani and McCain Concede Ames, Iowa
  • Technorati:Giuliani and McCain Concede Ames, Iowa
  • YahooMyWeb:Giuliani and McCain Concede Ames, Iowa

Technorati Tags: |
 
3 Comments:


I think that Mitt will clean house now in Iowa. However, the MSM will not pay attention to the event now that Rudy & John aren't going. I'm wondering if Romney will refocus his efforts on winning in NH, and more importantly, SC and FL now that he has IA all tied up. I just hope he doesn't blow away the competition early and then not show too great in later states. What say ye? It



There's only one explanation for Mitt Romney's ascension to the top of the polls -- the cream.

He is the cream and the cream always rises to the top.

That's all I have to say about that.

Beth Barnat
Winters, CA



I subscribe to the school of thought that says "Super Duper Tuesday" makes the early primaries more important, not less. Voters will have little time to decide after the first few primaries and candidates will have less money than usual to distinguish themselves because they have too many large markets to deal with. Which basically means they look to Iowa and New Hampshire even more. Of course, Romney isn't in the position he is in today in New Hampshire and Iowa by luck. He is winning in those states because people like him and his fresh conservative message. We want a competent and good natured leader and the rest of the country will come along as Romney continues to introduce himself to the national audience. I would add that Romney has been focusing on Florida, South Carolina, and other important early states, not just Iowa and New Hampshire.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 6, 2007 at 11:29 PM  



posted by jason | 1:21 PM | permalink
and it ain't Thompson. Word is it's Keyes. AUGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keyes is undoubtedly the most articulate nut to come to the GOP. While he is smart and makes a good case the guy has the political skill of paper weight.

Jason's prediction: If Allan Keyes enters the race it will be as one sent to destroy Romney. The guy hates Romney. He is hand and glove with MassResistance.

Jason's prediction #2: Romney will literally wipe the floor with Alan. Alan destroyed the GOP in IL by making a fool out of the party with his half-brained carpetbagger run. Alan is articulate and smart, but fringy enough to erase any and all potential positives he could offer. Alan has no idea of the case law he spouts concerning Goodrich. It should actually be pretty fun. Undoubtedly he will attract some of the real fringy uber-conservatives, but mostly he will be there to be Romney's pebble in the shoe.
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:Another Dark Horse Has Arrived...
  • DiggAnother Dark Horse Has Arrived...
  • Fark:Another Dark Horse Has Arrived...
  • Furl:Another Dark Horse Has Arrived...
  • Ma.gnolia:Another Dark Horse Has Arrived...
  • Netscape:Another Dark Horse Has Arrived...
  • NewsVine:Another Dark Horse Has Arrived...
  • Reddit:Another Dark Horse Has Arrived...
  • Slashdot:Another Dark Horse Has Arrived...
  • StumbleUpon:Another Dark Horse Has Arrived...
  • TailRank:Another Dark Horse Has Arrived...
  • Technorati:Another Dark Horse Has Arrived...
  • YahooMyWeb:Another Dark Horse Has Arrived...

Technorati Tags: |
 
5 Comments:


Alan Keyes is disgraceful. Remember his "Massa Bush" comments in 2000? What about his drawing a $100,000 per year salary out of his campaign contributions?
He needs to turn his attention to his own fractured family and leave the good citizens of the United States alone. He runs for offices he has no chance of winning to better his own finances -- do the research and see for yourself.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 6, 2007 at 2:35 PM  


He wants a round two with Obama? I thought that fiasco was finished.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 6, 2007 at 2:58 PM  


While Alan Keyes is highly intelligent and articulate, he does go to extremes which hurts him politically. He is driven to not tolerate any degree of moderation, which makes him politically not viable. I imagine his primary purpose will be to throw as many spears as he could at the front runners including Romney. I urge caution because he could do some lasting damage in a debate which is his strength (he would probably edge out Romney as the most skilled debater if he was included).

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


I think this is actually a GOOD thing for Romney because if a fringe candidate like Keyes starts attacking Romney, he'll a) get more media attention and b) look that much better when he doesn't take the bait and instead comes off looking classy.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 6, 2007 at 7:18 PM  


Alan Keyes is become fringe candidate, destroyer of serious debates...

12 guys on the stage? Yikes. At least the left can't say they're all pasty anymore.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 6, 2007 at 8:37 PM  



posted by jason | 1:19 PM | permalink
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:Romney on Fox and Friends
  • DiggRomney on Fox and Friends
  • Fark:Romney on Fox and Friends
  • Furl:Romney on Fox and Friends
  • Ma.gnolia:Romney on Fox and Friends
  • Netscape:Romney on Fox and Friends
  • NewsVine:Romney on Fox and Friends
  • Reddit:Romney on Fox and Friends
  • Slashdot:Romney on Fox and Friends
  • StumbleUpon:Romney on Fox and Friends
  • TailRank:Romney on Fox and Friends
  • Technorati:Romney on Fox and Friends
  • YahooMyWeb:Romney on Fox and Friends

Technorati Tags: |
 
0 Comments:



posted by Justin Hart | 10:25 AM | permalink

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:Luntz:  Romney The Winner
  • DiggLuntz:  Romney The Winner
  • Fark:Luntz:  Romney The Winner
  • Furl:Luntz:  Romney The Winner
  • Ma.gnolia:Luntz:  Romney The Winner
  • Netscape:Luntz:  Romney The Winner
  • NewsVine:Luntz:  Romney The Winner
  • Reddit:Luntz:  Romney The Winner
  • Slashdot:Luntz:  Romney The Winner
  • StumbleUpon:Luntz:  Romney The Winner
  • TailRank:Luntz:  Romney The Winner
  • Technorati:Luntz:  Romney The Winner
  • YahooMyWeb:Luntz:  Romney The Winner

Technorati Tags: |
 
3 Comments:


This matches my experience. The average Conservative "man on the street" with an open mind likes what Romney has to say and HOW HE SAYS it.
He is the classic example of style AND substance. Add those movie star good looks and beautiful family and he is the model Republican Nominee.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 6, 2007 at 11:14 AM  


in a word....WOW!

That has to be huge for Mitt. How many nationwide were watching Fox and Friends and saw this response. WOW.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 6, 2007 at 12:01 PM  


Congrats again, Mitt. You've shown your abilities to field the questions, no matter what they are. I wish that the field for the debates was pared down so eat speaker could get time to go more in depth on issues, where I think you will blow the rest of the field away. GOOD LUCK!




posted by jason | 8:23 AM | permalink
Marc Ambinder has a new blog up following the 2008 election at the Atlantic.
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:Marc Ambinder's Shiny New Blog
  • DiggMarc Ambinder's Shiny New Blog
  • Fark:Marc Ambinder's Shiny New Blog
  • Furl:Marc Ambinder's Shiny New Blog
  • Ma.gnolia:Marc Ambinder's Shiny New Blog
  • Netscape:Marc Ambinder's Shiny New Blog
  • NewsVine:Marc Ambinder's Shiny New Blog
  • Reddit:Marc Ambinder's Shiny New Blog
  • Slashdot:Marc Ambinder's Shiny New Blog
  • StumbleUpon:Marc Ambinder's Shiny New Blog
  • TailRank:Marc Ambinder's Shiny New Blog
  • Technorati:Marc Ambinder's Shiny New Blog
  • YahooMyWeb:Marc Ambinder's Shiny New Blog

Technorati Tags: |
 
0 Comments:



posted by jason | 7:58 AM | permalink
From Wapo:

The May 27 editorial "Campaign Finance Flip" criticized Mitt Romney for calling for the repeal of the McCain-Feingold law.

Mr. Romney attacks McCain-Feingold because it imposes a "free-speech blackout period," banning groups from mentioning a federal candidate's name just before an election. There is no doubt that this amounts, as Mr. Romney says, to "unprecedented restrictions on the political activities of everyday Americans."

And Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) argues that even grass-roots lobbying should be banned during the blackout periods. It comes as a surprise that incumbent politicians have the constitutional power to prohibit people from criticizing them, but this is what McCain-Feingold does.

As for McCain-Feingold forcing spending into "secret corners," The Post acknowledged this but suggested the system is "less corrupt" than it was before the law. Does anyone really believe our system is better off because "527" groups such as America Coming Together and Progress for America spent more than $600 million in 2004?

Mr. Romney's criticisms are no turnabout. He has always supported transparency, accountability and disclosure, all of which McCain-Feingold undermines. Regarding previous support for spending limits and public funding, these restrict candidates, not citizens groups, and proved such a failure in Massachusetts that Mr. Romney supported their repeal as governor.

Regarding abolishing political action committees, the big turnabout was not by Mr. Romney but by the campaign finance reform lobby. Under McCain-Feingold, PACs are not prohibited but are the required vehicle for citizens to play by the same rules as candidates.

Advocating repeal of this "deeply flawed measure," as Mr. Romney described it, is not "wrongheaded" but a welcome call from a presidential candidate.

JAMES BOPP JR.

Terre Haute, Ind.

The writer, general counsel for the James Madison Center for Free Speech, is an adviser to the Romney campaign.
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:James Bopp on Romney and McCain-Feingold
  • DiggJames Bopp on Romney and McCain-Feingold
  • Fark:James Bopp on Romney and McCain-Feingold
  • Furl:James Bopp on Romney and McCain-Feingold
  • Ma.gnolia:James Bopp on Romney and McCain-Feingold
  • Netscape:James Bopp on Romney and McCain-Feingold
  • NewsVine:James Bopp on Romney and McCain-Feingold
  • Reddit:James Bopp on Romney and McCain-Feingold
  • Slashdot:James Bopp on Romney and McCain-Feingold
  • StumbleUpon:James Bopp on Romney and McCain-Feingold
  • TailRank:James Bopp on Romney and McCain-Feingold
  • Technorati:James Bopp on Romney and McCain-Feingold
  • YahooMyWeb:James Bopp on Romney and McCain-Feingold

Technorati Tags: |
 
0 Comments:



posted by Justin Hart | 6:31 AM | permalink

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:Gov. Romney Talks To Larry King Post Debate
  • DiggGov. Romney Talks To Larry King Post Debate
  • Fark:Gov. Romney Talks To Larry King Post Debate
  • Furl:Gov. Romney Talks To Larry King Post Debate
  • Ma.gnolia:Gov. Romney Talks To Larry King Post Debate
  • Netscape:Gov. Romney Talks To Larry King Post Debate
  • NewsVine:Gov. Romney Talks To Larry King Post Debate
  • Reddit:Gov. Romney Talks To Larry King Post Debate
  • Slashdot:Gov. Romney Talks To Larry King Post Debate
  • StumbleUpon:Gov. Romney Talks To Larry King Post Debate
  • TailRank:Gov. Romney Talks To Larry King Post Debate
  • Technorati:Gov. Romney Talks To Larry King Post Debate
  • YahooMyWeb:Gov. Romney Talks To Larry King Post Debate

Technorati Tags: |
 
2 Comments:


The press is so back handed. Larry King asks Mitt "he Mormon Question" by asking Mitt if he is tired of the Mormon Question. Mitt Romney is simply remarkable, and as Jim Geraghty noted after the debate last night, "unflappable."

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 6, 2007 at 7:17 AM  


To be fair, Larry King is married to an active LDS woman and he even attends church with her on occasion. His step son actually played QB for BYU a few years back.

In any case, I think he was doing Romney a favor by asking the question the way he did. I honestly think Larry had personal reasons for asking it considering he has to listen to his wife harp on the ignorance of the media (nice pillow talk when you are one of the media headliners. LOL)

Romney was able to speak the "publics" mind on it being a tiring subject. All in all it was good IMO.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 6, 2007 at 10:26 AM  



Tuesday, June 5, 2007
posted by Justin Hart | 10:00 PM | permalink
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:Romney at the Debate
  • DiggRomney at the Debate
  • Fark:Romney at the Debate
  • Furl:Romney at the Debate
  • Ma.gnolia:Romney at the Debate
  • Netscape:Romney at the Debate
  • NewsVine:Romney at the Debate
  • Reddit:Romney at the Debate
  • Slashdot:Romney at the Debate
  • StumbleUpon:Romney at the Debate
  • TailRank:Romney at the Debate
  • Technorati:Romney at the Debate
  • YahooMyWeb:Romney at the Debate

Technorati Tags: |
 
0 Comments:



posted by Anonymous | 3:27 PM | permalink
"Here we are at debate #3, but has anyone heard a Republican besides Mitt Romney utter their one-time favorite word 'family?'"

National Review explained today why Romney is the family values candidate. Only the article was actually about how important the traditional family is to our core conservative principles.

For example, consider limited government: "[T]he foundation of limited government lies in strong, self-governing families. You only have to consider the last half century of social-welfare trends: just as divorce and nonmarital childbearing expanded, so too did the government programs and tax dollars needed to support them."

Law and Order: "Daniel Patrick Moynihan was an outlier when he observed over 40 years ago that crime is a marriage and fatherhood issue. Today, the idea that marriage plays a key role in turning boys into law-abiding young men has become the new social scientific consensus."

The American dream: "Republicans have long seen themselves as guardians of the American dream, working to insure that individuals and businesses can prosper in a free society. It’s clear by now that prosperity depends on strong families."

Give it a read. Thanks to Evangelical for Mitt for the link.
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:Family Matters
  • DiggFamily Matters
  • Fark:Family Matters
  • Furl:Family Matters
  • Ma.gnolia:Family Matters
  • Netscape:Family Matters
  • NewsVine:Family Matters
  • Reddit:Family Matters
  • Slashdot:Family Matters
  • StumbleUpon:Family Matters
  • TailRank:Family Matters
  • Technorati:Family Matters
  • YahooMyWeb:Family Matters

Technorati Tags: |
 
0 Comments:



posted by jason | 2:54 PM | permalink
I think he does.
Many people are speculating that Thompson could pull from Romney, and it's quite possible. The polls have not shown this in the least, even Yepsen had to use to totally unrelated polls to make a case Thompson might hurt Romney:

Here's how it works: The Register's Iowa Poll showed last month that without Thompson in the race, Romney leads McCain 30 percent to 18 percent in the state. But when Thompson is added to the mix in an American Research Group poll of Iowa GOPers taken about the same time, Romney's support drops by about half.

By contrast, McCain sees no similar erosion to Thompson and might even gain some support. That ARG poll showed that with Thompson in the race, McCain becomes the Iowa front-runner with 25 percent. Rudy Giuliani is in second place with 23 percent, and Romney is in third with 16 percent. Thompson is in the back of the pack at 6 percent.

Problem here is one polling company is pro-McCain the other is a respectable Journal using one of the best IA pollsters.

But here is my point, and only time will tell if I am right. Giuliani is loosing mucho numeros over the last few months. Who are they going to? Our friend Freddy. Romney is gaining and McCain's tanking, with a later a resurgence more than possible. Yet with Thompson pulling numbers from Giuliani, we see the soft support disengaging from Rudy thus adding to that groups malleability and potentially taking away a key opponent out of the mix.

Romney's supporters are anything but soft and are hardened through the months of constant attacks from MSM and his opponents and the realization of quality and substance (obviously I am biased :) ). Thompson has taken a lot of soft support from Rudy, but those are willing to switch once are willing to switch twice, especially in a long election like this.

My thesis? Thompson is pulling from Giuliani, taking his edge away. Romney is slowly but steadily making solid gains. Thompson right now is un-vetted and enjoying the fickleness of voters, whom I think are anything but settled on the man they know so little of. So in my opinion Romney has the most to gain, Thompson could easily fade or plateau (or not) and McCain is definitely the wild card who's chances hinge on the immigration bills success and the surge, or everyone else in the field having an affair with a senate Page.
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:Does Fred Help Mitt?
  • DiggDoes Fred Help Mitt?
  • Fark:Does Fred Help Mitt?
  • Furl:Does Fred Help Mitt?
  • Ma.gnolia:Does Fred Help Mitt?
  • Netscape:Does Fred Help Mitt?
  • NewsVine:Does Fred Help Mitt?
  • Reddit:Does Fred Help Mitt?
  • Slashdot:Does Fred Help Mitt?
  • StumbleUpon:Does Fred Help Mitt?
  • TailRank:Does Fred Help Mitt?
  • Technorati:Does Fred Help Mitt?
  • YahooMyWeb:Does Fred Help Mitt?

Technorati Tags: |
 
1 Comments:


After seeing Fred on Hannity and Comlmes last night, both my husband and I kept saying, "How can anyone take this guy seriously?" He spoke in so many generalizations that it was obvious that he does not have the command of the issues that Romney has. I would not take anything for granted but my husband said it best when he said, "This guy is bound to say something dumb that will offend enough people that he won't get too far."




posted by Justin Hart | 11:19 AM | permalink
Frank Pastore's most recent piece on Townhall.com begs the ultimate question: Can I be elected town dog catcher? Why not you ask? Well for one very good reason: I'm a Mormon. You see for Pastore when there is a "conflict between the moral and the legal, the moral must trump."

Apparently, it may just be immoral to vote for a Mormon.

Pastore creates some interesting hypotheticals. For example, he won't vote for a "slanderer of Christianity" -- Of course, that would imply some type of action or behavior on the part of the candidate. No, for Pastore, no action or behavior is necessary: "The issue is not Romney the man, but Mormonism the religion." Wait, it's not Mormonism per say, it's Joseph Smith: "Since Joseph Smith so clearly misrepresents the person and work of Jesus Christ" No wait, it's the Book of Mormon which is "antithetical to the Bible." Pastore tries again again to pinpoint the problem and questions aloud: "why would it be bigotry if someone chooses not to support such heresy?"

This begs another question: does voting for a Mormon constitute voting for heresy? He finally gets to the actual concern he has at the very end of his article: Pastore believes that "public criticism of Mormonism will be chilled" if Romney is elected.

So, to summarize, Pastore believes that Mormoism is heresy, that behavior and character is trumped by doctrinal disagreements, and that Romney is fine but his election would be bad for Pastore's brand of faith because he couldn't bash Mormonism. Did I get that right?

Ken Jennings, Mormon propagandist

Does this only apply to the President? How about the Senate Minority Leader? Should Senator Hatch be removed from the judiciary committee? Should Christians rally against Ken Jennings because he makes Mormons look smart?

Can Pastore point to a single Mormon doctrine that would disqualify Romney from office? Something concrete and decisively egregious that would have all Christians block the road the 1600 Penn. Ave.? Or, in the words of Evangelical scholar Richard Mouw, are you a "bellicose theological terrorist."?

Hugh Hewitt points out that the serious anti-Mormon articles questioning Romney's fitness for office have come from the left. Kevin McCullogh and Mike Gallagher are coming dangerously close to breaking that monopoly. I think Frank Pastore just did.

Labels: ,

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:Ken Jennings must be stopped!  He makes Mormons look too smart!
  • DiggKen Jennings must be stopped!  He makes Mormons look too smart!
  • Fark:Ken Jennings must be stopped!  He makes Mormons look too smart!
  • Furl:Ken Jennings must be stopped!  He makes Mormons look too smart!
  • Ma.gnolia:Ken Jennings must be stopped!  He makes Mormons look too smart!
  • Netscape:Ken Jennings must be stopped!  He makes Mormons look too smart!
  • NewsVine:Ken Jennings must be stopped!  He makes Mormons look too smart!
  • Reddit:Ken Jennings must be stopped!  He makes Mormons look too smart!
  • Slashdot:Ken Jennings must be stopped!  He makes Mormons look too smart!
  • StumbleUpon:Ken Jennings must be stopped!  He makes Mormons look too smart!
  • TailRank:Ken Jennings must be stopped!  He makes Mormons look too smart!
  • Technorati:Ken Jennings must be stopped!  He makes Mormons look too smart!
  • YahooMyWeb:Ken Jennings must be stopped!  He makes Mormons look too smart!

Technorati Tags: |
 
5 Comments:


Thank you for addressing that bigoted article. The amount of hatred spewed in the comments section was incredible as well. The logic and arguments were so shallow and hateful it was incredible. I'm surprised someone from his religion doesn't say, "Hey, now, they're not the devil. They believe different things, but they're not horrible people. If Mitt has the same values as I do, that's all that matters." At least he was honest in saying that he didn't want Mitt to win because that would mean he couldn't be openly bigoted towards mormons and mormonism!



These people need to be asked which religions are "acceptable" in a public servant. Would they prefer an Atheist over a Mormon? How is it Christian to vote against somebody who advances the real and tangible causes important to Christians?
If we are to judge people by their fruits and these writings are their fruit, they are in big trouble (especially McCullogh).

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 5, 2007 at 11:59 AM  


It has been said that the greatest power for Chritianity to change the hearts and minds of the world to follow the teachings of its Master will be when Christians as a whole live the teachings of "love thy nieghbor as thyself", "judge not that ye be judged", "remove the mote from your eye...", etc. Should we not be celebrating our moral commonality as Christians? When someone stands for what is right regardless of their faith we must stand with them. Such hatred among faiths results in what is happening in Irag and of course has been the cause of countless wars and suffering. If you want to convert me to your faith first begin by living it. Attacking other faiths is not what was taught by the Master of Christianity.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 5, 2007 at 1:08 PM  


I think Dan nailed it. Thanks for the inspiring words, I hope that Mitt responds this way if someone is bigoted and disrespectful.



Can Pastore point to a single Mormon doctrine that would disqualify Romney from office?

That's easy. The Book of Abraham and official statements made by the First Presidency in 1949 and 1969 state that Blacks were cursed collectively as descendants of Cain and Ham and individually because of their behavior in the premortal existence. These statements have never been rescinded. Obviously, a person who has supported and promoted an organization with an ideology of racial supremacy is ethically disqualified for consideration for president of the US given the history of race relations in this country.

Add the sexism and homophobia contained in the Proclamation on the Family and Romney is even less qualified to stand for election.




posted by jason | 8:20 AM | permalink
"Ann and I extend our heartfelt prayers and deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Senator Craig Thomas. For over 20 years, he served the people of Wyoming and this nation with strong and principled leadership. Now is the time to remember a life spent in selfless service to the people of Wyoming."
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:Romney on Sen. Craig Thomas
  • DiggRomney on Sen. Craig Thomas
  • Fark:Romney on Sen. Craig Thomas
  • Furl:Romney on Sen. Craig Thomas
  • Ma.gnolia:Romney on Sen. Craig Thomas
  • Netscape:Romney on Sen. Craig Thomas
  • NewsVine:Romney on Sen. Craig Thomas
  • Reddit:Romney on Sen. Craig Thomas
  • Slashdot:Romney on Sen. Craig Thomas
  • StumbleUpon:Romney on Sen. Craig Thomas
  • TailRank:Romney on Sen. Craig Thomas
  • Technorati:Romney on Sen. Craig Thomas
  • YahooMyWeb:Romney on Sen. Craig Thomas

Technorati Tags: |
 
0 Comments:



Monday, June 4, 2007
posted by jason | 12:50 PM | permalink
Gary Marx is Mitt Romney’s Conservative Coalitions Director. Prior to joining Team Romney, Marx was President of Principium Consulting, Inc., and Vice President with Century Strategies, LLC. Marx was the Conservative Coalitions Director for Bush-Cheney in 04 and can be credited for much of the success they enjoyed amongst the conservative grassroots community. Mr. Marx was also the Executive Director for the Judicial Confirmation Network for the nominations of Chief Justice Roberts, and Samuel Alito. It’s a real honor to interview Mr. Marx.

1. Why did you choose Romney?

My own conclusion was very simple as I looked at the 2008 field. There remains only one conservative candidate who has the combination of character, message, organization, communications skills and fundraising to win in the primaries against the likes of John McCain and Rudy Giuliani and then beat the Democrats in November. I saw in Gov. Romney a leader who governed by conservative principles in the bluest of blue states and withstood the most difficult attacks of the liberal left wing in Ted Kennedy’s back yard. I saw in Gov. Romney a leader that could bring change to Washington in important ways on immigration and spending and campaign-finance reform. But what meant most to me is that Gov. Romney has pledged to nominate Supreme Court Justices in the mold of Scalia, Thomas, and Roberts.

2. What is the number one issue you hear on the grassroots level?

With conservatives, I continue to be asked about the Gov.’s position on immigration and life. I am pleased to be able to tell voters that Gov. Romney has governed as a Pro-life leader every chance he has had. His record as Governor backs up his conversion on this issue. Facing difficult and emotionally packed issues he stood up for life and vetoed a so-called “emergency contraceptives” bill and funding for embryonic stem cell research.

Regarding immigration, going back to the CPAC conference many months ago we have been letting voters know that it is absolutely false that Governor Romney supported the McCain-Kennedy plan of last year. In fact as Governor he empowered state troopers to enforce the laws and arrest illegal immigrants.

3. What bearing does the recent immigration proposal seem to have on your efforts?

It has provided Gov. Romney another chance to lead and speak out about how the proposed Z visa would in fact be amnesty-lite. Once again conservatives can see another way that Gov. Romney would bring real change to Washington as the next President.


4. What are your biggest hurdles as Conservative Coalitions Director?


I think that it is just building a foundation of trust between leaders and voters who don’t yet know Gov. Romney. He wasn’t a national figure or long-time Washington D.C. insider so it is going to take some time and effort for people to get to know him. We have seen day-in and day-out that as people get to know the Gov. they like him and want to support him.

5. Romney is polling well in some key states and the recent Rasmussen poll has him ahead of McCain. Do you think there is the possibility of peaking too early?

I think that would be a great problem to have but at the end of the day it is likely to be a long campaign with many ups and downs. We are pleased though with our monthly progress in so many of the key early primary states like Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida and Michigan where we have spent time getting to know voters.


6. Internal tension is par for the course for almost any political campaign team but the Romney campaign likes to be exceptional in everything it does. How does it fair on this issue?


Having worked on or very close to the past three GOP presidential campaigns going back to 1996, I have seen a lot. This campaign team works very well together and has already achieved some exceptional things.


7. How were your efforts on behalf of Justices Roberts and Alito similar or dissimilar to yours under of Romney and Bush/Cheney?


During the Roberts and Alito confirmation battles, the Judicial Confirmation Network built a network or grassroots leaders in key states to pressure Senators to support a fair up-or-down vote and conservative judicial nominees. It has some comparison in that now I work with many of the same conservative leader to convince them to support Gov. Romney as our nominee and in turn build strong state-based coalitions. In 2004, in my role heading out conservative coalitions for Bush-Cheney, I started out with nearly every conservative leader supporting on board. Now I have the challenge of putting together that same coalition for Gov. Romney.

8. I was reading at Democracy Now a roundtable discussion you were involved in during the Roberts hearings at. You mentioned Roberts as a home run pick several times. You also mentioned Bush’s judicial picks as the top domestic issue during that time. How important are correct judicial picks to you, grass roots activist and Romney? What are the most important characteristics in a Romney Supreme Court pick?


I think that judicial selection is still the most powerful all encompassing issue for conservatives. There will be times where an issue like immigration will become red-hot but a judge can come along and single handedly ignore the constitution and the law at will and impose their own view of immigration laws upon a state or the nation. Conservatives now understand that no matter whether you are a social, economic, or national security conservative we all unite around the need to have judges who will be faithful to the text of the constitution. Governor Romney understands just how important this issue remains to not only conservatives and but also how it impacts his children and his grand children. Supreme Court nominations are perhaps the longest lasting legacy of any president.


9. In your experience, how strong of a role do grassroots leaders play in the process?


I believe that there is no more powerful element at play in these state level GOP primaries than grassroots leaders. I think grassroots organizing and the role that leaders play in it cannot be overestimated. Rush Limbaugh likes to say that abstinence works every time it is tried. I feel the same way about grassroots organizing and that is why our campaign has invested so strongly in doing just that in all of the early primary states.
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:Interview With Gary Marx
  • DiggInterview With Gary Marx
  • Fark:Interview With Gary Marx
  • Furl:Interview With Gary Marx
  • Ma.gnolia:Interview With Gary Marx
  • Netscape:Interview With Gary Marx
  • NewsVine:Interview With Gary Marx
  • Reddit:Interview With Gary Marx
  • Slashdot:Interview With Gary Marx
  • StumbleUpon:Interview With Gary Marx
  • TailRank:Interview With Gary Marx
  • Technorati:Interview With Gary Marx
  • YahooMyWeb:Interview With Gary Marx

Technorati Tags: |
 
1 Comments:


Most Conservatives who actually take the time to look at Mitt's record and get to know him have no problem with him at all.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 5, 2007 at 7:09 AM  



posted by jason | 12:10 PM | permalink
Public Policy Polling, May 30, 2007





























Romney31
Fred Thompson15
Gingrich10
McCain9
Giuliani8
Someone else19
Undecided8

Quite the shift with Thompson in the race. I think we are beginnning to see why no one except Romney wants to go to Ames. But, it's a long road left, much can happen!

In South Carolina:





















Thompson27
Romney16
McCain15
Giuliani14
Gingrich11


Numbers look good in SC, although clearly Southern Fred will be force in SC.
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:Public Policy Poll, IA and SC
  • DiggPublic Policy Poll, IA and SC
  • Fark:Public Policy Poll, IA and SC
  • Furl:Public Policy Poll, IA and SC
  • Ma.gnolia:Public Policy Poll, IA and SC
  • Netscape:Public Policy Poll, IA and SC
  • NewsVine:Public Policy Poll, IA and SC
  • Reddit:Public Policy Poll, IA and SC
  • Slashdot:Public Policy Poll, IA and SC
  • StumbleUpon:Public Policy Poll, IA and SC
  • TailRank:Public Policy Poll, IA and SC
  • Technorati:Public Policy Poll, IA and SC
  • YahooMyWeb:Public Policy Poll, IA and SC

Technorati Tags: |
 
2 Comments:


I am going to throw out a hypothesis that Romney's supporters may be more committed to him that Giuliani's. Which would explain why Thompson may end up hurting them a lot more than Romney.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 4, 2007 at 2:38 PM  


Than Giuliani's or McCain's is what I meant.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 4, 2007 at 2:38 PM  



posted by jason | 11:37 AM | permalink
From Politico:

“Amnesty has to be an important part because there are people who have lived in this country for 20, 30 or 40 years, who have raised children here and pay taxes here and are not citizens. That has to be a component of it....

I think we can set up a program where amnesty is extended to a certain number of people who are eligible and at the same time make sure that we have some control over people who come in and out of this country.”

May 29, 2003
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:John McCain: Amnesty is Sooo Cool!
  • DiggJohn McCain: Amnesty is Sooo Cool!
  • Fark:John McCain: Amnesty is Sooo Cool!
  • Furl:John McCain: Amnesty is Sooo Cool!
  • Ma.gnolia:John McCain: Amnesty is Sooo Cool!
  • Netscape:John McCain: Amnesty is Sooo Cool!
  • NewsVine:John McCain: Amnesty is Sooo Cool!
  • Reddit:John McCain: Amnesty is Sooo Cool!
  • Slashdot:John McCain: Amnesty is Sooo Cool!
  • StumbleUpon:John McCain: Amnesty is Sooo Cool!
  • TailRank:John McCain: Amnesty is Sooo Cool!
  • Technorati:John McCain: Amnesty is Sooo Cool!
  • YahooMyWeb:John McCain: Amnesty is Sooo Cool!

Technorati Tags: |
 
1 Comments:


What he is saying doesn't make sense really. People who had kids here 20 or 30 years ago have one of the easiest paths to citizenship already; family based immigration. Their children, who are presumably anchor babies, can sponsor their parents for a "greencard" at the age of eighteen.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 4, 2007 at 2:41 PM  



posted by jason | 10:42 AM | permalink
Thanks again toe First State Politics, the number one political blog in Delaware, for the pics and YouTube of Romney's Delaware event.



Why he gets into a Dodge Charger is really beyond me, but hey we can't expect to agree with our candidate on every issue.
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:Youtube  from Romney in Delaware
  • DiggYoutube  from Romney in Delaware
  • Fark:Youtube  from Romney in Delaware
  • Furl:Youtube  from Romney in Delaware
  • Ma.gnolia:Youtube  from Romney in Delaware
  • Netscape:Youtube  from Romney in Delaware
  • NewsVine:Youtube  from Romney in Delaware
  • Reddit:Youtube  from Romney in Delaware
  • Slashdot:Youtube  from Romney in Delaware
  • StumbleUpon:Youtube  from Romney in Delaware
  • TailRank:Youtube  from Romney in Delaware
  • Technorati:Youtube  from Romney in Delaware
  • YahooMyWeb:Youtube  from Romney in Delaware

Technorati Tags: |
 
3 Comments:


What no caravan of black SUV's? I thought that was a requirement for candidates, maybe just the Dems.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 4, 2007 at 12:32 PM  


And where is it they make Dodge Chargers?

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 4, 2007 at 12:41 PM  


Dodge Chargers are made in Ontario Canada. More importantly, however, is that it designed and engineered in the USA, and Chrysler is now a US company. The recent private equity deal makes Chrysler (Dodge and Jeep) no longer German!

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 4, 2007 at 6:51 PM  



posted by jason | 10:32 AM | permalink
Romney is interviewed by Ed Morrissey over at Captains Quarters Blog. Morrisey is quite impressed with Romney's answers:


I expected Romney to have answers ready for questions about the Middle East, but was surprised at the depth of information he could recall extemporaneously on other areas, including Latin America and trade with China...

...I'd say this is quite impressive. Read the whole transcript, and the image of Romney as a slick, tanned, empty suit dissipates rapidly. Whether you support him or not, he is a solid candidate worthy of a long look.
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:Romney interviewed at Captains Quarters Blog
  • DiggRomney interviewed at Captains Quarters Blog
  • Fark:Romney interviewed at Captains Quarters Blog
  • Furl:Romney interviewed at Captains Quarters Blog
  • Ma.gnolia:Romney interviewed at Captains Quarters Blog
  • Netscape:Romney interviewed at Captains Quarters Blog
  • NewsVine:Romney interviewed at Captains Quarters Blog
  • Reddit:Romney interviewed at Captains Quarters Blog
  • Slashdot:Romney interviewed at Captains Quarters Blog
  • StumbleUpon:Romney interviewed at Captains Quarters Blog
  • TailRank:Romney interviewed at Captains Quarters Blog
  • Technorati:Romney interviewed at Captains Quarters Blog
  • YahooMyWeb:Romney interviewed at Captains Quarters Blog

Technorati Tags: |
 
1 Comments:


The link doesn't work. Try http://headingright.com/2007/06/04/mitt-romney-interview-transcript/

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 4, 2007 at 3:07 PM  



posted by jason | 8:05 AM | permalink
It's not every election cycle you hear of a major candidate wrap a major policy speech around his chief competition eight months before Super Tuesday. Of course it's not every election cycle that John McCain does something crazy and looses traction- just the last two.

John McCain, still rolling in pain from the many polls showing him behind Romney in Key states, and now getting hit with national polls with him behind Romney, knows he needs to get busy. So what does he do? He points the finger at Romney for his own huge failings in the current immigration bill. NYTimes with the scoop:

Senator John McCain, facing increasing anger from fellow Republicans over his support of the immigration bill in Congress, is ramping up his counterattack against a main rival in the presidential campaign, Mitt Romney, by accusing him of “pandering for votes” in opposing the measure.

The attack, in a speech Mr. McCain is to give today, marks a sharp escalation in the war of words between two of the leading Republican presidential contenders. It also represents a risky gambit by Mr. McCain to right the course of a presidential campaign that has been consumed by attacks on his immigration stance, with Mr. Romney among his most vocal critics.


This is a major mistake for McCain, and will only ad soap to the proverbial bucket in which Mitt is cleaning the floor with. McCain is really giving a free gift to Romney, since most people are not linking Romney to the immigration debate. The average guy at home does not really realize the Mitt is a leading opponent of the bill, but the average guy does know the bill is crap and nothing but a land mine for McCain. So McCain, out of his shear desperation to regain traction will now take the fight to Romney, and give him the credit of fighting his lousy bill.

To John, Temper-Tantrumer-in Chief, I say "many thanks."
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:Hi I'm John McCain, and Frankly I am Getting The Floor Wiped With My Rear By Romney
  • DiggHi I'm John McCain, and Frankly I am Getting The Floor Wiped With My Rear By Romney
  • Fark:Hi I'm John McCain, and Frankly I am Getting The Floor Wiped With My Rear By Romney
  • Furl:Hi I'm John McCain, and Frankly I am Getting The Floor Wiped With My Rear By Romney
  • Ma.gnolia:Hi I'm John McCain, and Frankly I am Getting The Floor Wiped With My Rear By Romney
  • Netscape:Hi I'm John McCain, and Frankly I am Getting The Floor Wiped With My Rear By Romney
  • NewsVine:Hi I'm John McCain, and Frankly I am Getting The Floor Wiped With My Rear By Romney
  • Reddit:Hi I'm John McCain, and Frankly I am Getting The Floor Wiped With My Rear By Romney
  • Slashdot:Hi I'm John McCain, and Frankly I am Getting The Floor Wiped With My Rear By Romney
  • StumbleUpon:Hi I'm John McCain, and Frankly I am Getting The Floor Wiped With My Rear By Romney
  • TailRank:Hi I'm John McCain, and Frankly I am Getting The Floor Wiped With My Rear By Romney
  • Technorati:Hi I'm John McCain, and Frankly I am Getting The Floor Wiped With My Rear By Romney
  • YahooMyWeb:Hi I'm John McCain, and Frankly I am Getting The Floor Wiped With My Rear By Romney

Technorati Tags: |
 
1 Comments:


John McCain proves yet again that he does not have the temperment to be the President of the United States.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at June 4, 2007 at 9:45 AM  



posted by Justin Hart | 6:55 AM | permalink

Mitt Romney-Road to the White House: Romney: Innovation and Transformation



"It's time for innovation and transformation in Washington.


It's what our country needs.

It's what our people deserve." ~ Mitt Romney


, , , , ,

Patrick Ruffini: Hillary Loses

via Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog on Jun 04, 2007
Hillary did not do well. Early on, she was outmaneuvered by John Edwards and Barack Obama on the war. Edwards succeeded in portraying himself as the most over-the-top in the anti-war caucus. Obama's put-down of Edwards'...

Florida for Mitt: Stop the Bigotry!

via Planet Romney by nospam@nospam.com (James) on Jun 04, 2007
If you surf the net finding opinions and articles about Governor Romney, much of the material you will read is hogwash why Mitt Romney's religion matters in the upcoming election. People will try to be "understanding" and "open-minded" in their long and "tactful" attacks on Romney's faith as they try to "inform" the public of the risks involved in electing a Mormon President.

What risks? That the Mormon religion will win over more converts (if they won't win over you--what are you afraid of)? That people will come to know that Mormons are just regular people too?........What, honestly, is there to fear?

It's interesting that none of these reasons to be wary of a Mormon president has anything to do with politics. Bottom line, people are afraid of what they don't understand. You know, I don't even think we as a nation have to fully understand Mormonism.........we just need to take a good look at Romney the person.

Our nation has made wonderful strides in accepting people of various cultures, races, and religions. For whatever reason, we're still really behind the curve of understanding regarding Mormonism.

Recently, we've heard the outrageous story of the Floridian preacher, Bill Keller, who emailed nearly 3 million Americans saying "that if you vote for Mitt Romney, you are voting for Satan!" We shouldn't accept this behavior in Florida folks--we have a good reputation of welcoming people with open arms. You know, it wouldn't be so bad if Keller was the only bigot out there.....youtube and the blogosphere is full of bigotry. It's also a challenge to see or read an interview with Romney that religion doesn't come up. Let's not tolerate this anymore! Please help me fight bigotry folks......it's ugly--I doubt any of the pictures in this post makes you feel warm and fuzzy.....well, it shouldn't--let's make sure bigotry is not a factor in the upcoming election.

P.S. I want to apologize to Governor Romney for posting this.......he has handled bigotry with ease and grace--he's a classy guy. Perhaps I should do the same, but for now--I'll exercise my freedom of speech.





Evangelicals for Mitt: THE BUZZ

Mary Matalin (whom I adore--she graciously endorsed my book) might be joining Fred Thompson's team.

South Carolinians for Romney: Polls Show Romney Making Progress in S.C.

Recent polling has shown Romney making progress here in the Palmetto State. As recently as April he was still polling in the single-digits among South Carolina Republicans. The last two polls in South Carolina show Romney with 10% and 12%.

First, the American Research Group conducted a poll between May 23-26, 2007 with Romney pulling in 10% of the vote–up from 5% and 6% in previous polls.

Next, theWinthrop/ETV Poll, conducted between May 16 and May 27, 2007 show Romney coming in third place among registered Republicans:

Rudy Giuliani - 18.6

John McCain - 14.4

Mitt Romney - 11.7

Fred Thompson - 6.4

It is interesting to note that 30% were listed as undecided. Of that 30% you can bet that all of them already know and have an opinion of Rudy Giuliani and John McCain and will likely break for Romney and Thompson. As we’ve said many times, and as we have seen after the first two debates, when people get to know Romney, they tend to like him.

Look for South Carolina to become a horse race between Romney and Thompson with Romney coming out on top due to his strong organization and superior fundraising.

Romney's Political Fortune Tied to Business Past

Labels:

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:News Round-up
  • DiggNews Round-up
  • Fark:News Round-up
  • Furl:News Round-up
  • Ma.gnolia:News Round-up
  • Netscape:News Round-up
  • NewsVine:News Round-up
  • Reddit:News Round-up
  • Slashdot:News Round-up
  • StumbleUpon:News Round-up
  • TailRank:News Round-up
  • Technorati:News Round-up
  • YahooMyWeb:News Round-up

Technorati Tags: |
 
0 Comments:



Sunday, June 3, 2007
posted by Justin Hart | 5:25 PM | permalink

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:Gov. Romney At TN GOP Statesman's Dinner
  • DiggGov. Romney At TN GOP Statesman's Dinner
  • Fark:Gov. Romney At TN GOP Statesman's Dinner
  • Furl:Gov. Romney At TN GOP Statesman's Dinner
  • Ma.gnolia:Gov. Romney At TN GOP Statesman's Dinner
  • Netscape:Gov. Romney At TN GOP Statesman's Dinner
  • NewsVine:Gov. Romney At TN GOP Statesman's Dinner
  • Reddit:Gov. Romney At TN GOP Statesman's Dinner
  • Slashdot:Gov. Romney At TN GOP Statesman's Dinner
  • StumbleUpon:Gov. Romney At TN GOP Statesman's Dinner
  • TailRank:Gov. Romney At TN GOP Statesman's Dinner
  • Technorati:Gov. Romney At TN GOP Statesman's Dinner
  • YahooMyWeb:Gov. Romney At TN GOP Statesman's Dinner

Technorati Tags: |
 
0 Comments:



posted by Kyle Hampton | 2:07 PM | permalink
...that Romney could offer a "very bold, dramatic vision" that would appeal to conservatives. He also mentioned Rudy and Fred in that same way, also noting that they are all "solid people."

Notably absent from Newt's remarks: John McCain. You can make the call as to why.

Labels:

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us:Newt says...
  • DiggNewt says...
  • Fark:Newt says...
  • Furl:Newt says...
  • Ma.gnolia:Newt says...
  • Netscape:Newt says...
  • NewsVine:Newt says...
  • Reddit:Newt says...
  • Slashdot:Newt says...
  • StumbleUpon:Newt says...
  • TailRank:Newt says...
  • Technorati:Newt says...
  • YahooMyWeb:Newt says...

Technorati Tags: |
 
0 Comments:



Sign up for MyManMitt
Enter your email address:

RSS Feed MyManMitt.com
Mitt Romney Facebook MyManMitt
Mitt Romney YouTube






Copyright 2007 MyManMitt.com