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Saturday, November 24, 2007
posted by Justin Hart | 9:30 PM | permalink
So. Liz Mair, astute blogger and excellent pundit, pointed out to me this weekend that the Iowa ladies, Rose and Marshan are actually in their 50s and politically active in their rite.  This is an unforced error on my part.  Apologies. 

To review, Erick Erickson at RedState posited the theory that the only people complaining about the polls may have been Romney staffers and Romney supporters.  He demonstrated that Rose and Marshan were actually paid by the Romney campaign and that something might be afoot.  

I took to opportunity to call the two ladies in question (I seem to the be the only person who knows how to work a phone besides the push poll culprits in this whole mess).  I asked them a few questions to confirm my theory which they did; namely, that they did in fact receive the calls, they called their local Romney folks, and that the Romney folks in turn referred the press to the Rose and Marshan.

Based on what I perceived from my conversations with the two ladies and supported by an online database I supposed that they were both in their 70s.   The database I relied on (from which I got their phone numbers) is apparently wrong.  

I also assumed, wrongly, that they were not very political. This I gathered from our conversations where they were dumbfounded as to the political machinations about to be dropped on their laps.

So.  Does this change anything?  No.  (Except to make me more wary of public online resources and curb my assumptions).  

Anyone who believes that Rose and Marshan are anything but victims in this row have to demonstrate 1) what sinister roles they played in this large charade orchestrated by the Romney campaign and 2) what the heck they mean by "charade."  

If the supposed discrepancies that Rose and Marshan told about the dates they received the calls what does that prove in relation to the push poll controversy?

They failed to disclose their role with the campaign... what does that prove in relation to the push poll controversy?

Again, go down the list of "connections" that somehow link Romney to this and answer the question "how"?
  • Utah call center - Debunked. Western Wats is one of two firms you would use to do polling.  They are the largest data collection firm in the world that just happens to have their HQ in Utah. (Apparently, Utahns have a neutral accent that works well for cold calls)
  • Lindorfs - Debunked. No longer work or work for Western Wats
  • Contributors - Moot.  There are Romney contributors who work for Western Wats.  But not statistically significant considering where they live.  Regardless, are you saying that they orchestrated the poll?  Is there any proof of this?  Quite the contrary actually.  If this were some rogue call done by inside sources do you really think the company executives would stand by it.  (The CEO, for example, is not Mormon...) speaking of which...
  • Mormon connection - Debunked. None of the current Board of Trusteets/Directors are  LDS
  • Other Romney connected campaigns use WW - Moot.  As indicated above, many, many campaigns use them.
  • Links to Romney's pollster Gage - Debunked.  Totally denied by Gage and confirmed by my source at WW.  (In fact, WW says they are a third party vendor in this mess)
What's left?  There is nothing left.  We still have no idea who the source is.
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Septuagenarian is an acceptable colloquialism. Lis Tofar is out of her mind.

http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=112007D

--snip--
Life expectancy is calculated by dividing the total number of person-years lived by an imaginary cohort by the size of that cohort. A teenager killed in a gang shooting or a premature infant who dies in her first year of life costs society far more person-years than the septuagenarian who passes quietly away in his sleep.
--snip--

These bloggers that support McCain and Rudy have really gone to far in trying to cover a poll that asks POSITIVES of MCCAIN and NEGATIVES of Romney. Those most likely responsible are those preparing 527 or 501 ads for McCain. We alread know that Brownback supporters spared no smear in attacking Romney. Gary Glenn was one of the main people pushing the Marriott story. Those same people now support McCain.




posted by SteveT | 1:45 PM | permalink
Providing more good news that Mitt is very electable in 2008, Rasmussen Reports releases it's new poll results that show Mitt Romney leading Hillary Clinton in this key battleground:

General Election - Florida (Likely Voters)

Mitt Romney 46%
Hillary Clinton 39%

I also take some satisfaction that Mitt's lead is higher than Rudy's 5 point margin in the same poll. This clearly shows that when voters get to know Mitt in areas where he has campaigned, they tend to like him.
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posted by Kyle Hampton | 1:14 PM | permalink
I haven't seen anything on this, but with the latest Rassmussen poll Romney now leads South Carolina (at least in the RCP Average). First the poll

Romney 21
Thompson 21
Giuliani 13
Huckabee 12
McCain 9
Paul 8
Hunter 2
Tancredo 2
Undecided 13

That leaves the RCP Average looking like this:

Labels: , ,

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posted by Kyle Hampton | 1:03 PM | permalink
Sorry for being MIA the last few days. My wife gave birth on Tuesday to the newest little Romney-bot.
Don't worry, though. I'll be posting as often as I can so, trying my best to help propel my man Mitt to the nomination. No time to sit on our laurels, Iowa and all the other early states are just around the corner.
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Congratulations! Looks like a strong Romney supporter!



Congrats Kyle!



I'm a Fred Thompson fan but even I can see that is one cute baby. Congratulations!

Lynne




posted by Myclob | 12:05 PM | permalink
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Friday, November 23, 2007
posted by Myclob | 9:57 PM | permalink
David Brooks

I like David Brooks alright, I guess. I mean I grew up rooting for him, whenever he debated Mark Shields. I always thought Brooks made intellectual arguments and I felt like my side had smart people on it after listening to him...

...That is often all politics is. You vote for someone who makes you feeling smart, who tells you that what you already believe is true.

Rare is the politician who makes actual arguments in a way that engages those who disagree with him. Most politicians talk TO those that agree with them and talk ABOUT those that disagree with him.
Guess what? That is why I like Romney. Honestly. That is why I spend time on the stuff I do for him. I think he changes all this. This speech is a great example of him speaking TO those whom he disagrees with.

So anyways I liked David Brooks for selfish reasons: He agreed with my side, and when you listened to him you could feel good that your side was smart.
His tendency to self examine might explain this encounter. A turning point in Brooks' thinking came in a televised debate with Milton Friedman, which, as Brooks describes it, "was essentially me making a point, and he making a two-sentence rebuttal which totally devastated my point."
But saying "this guy on my side is smart, so my side must be right" will only get you so far. Some day you have to grow up, and look at the facts on each side.
So, my image of David Brooks is a guy who is intellectually curious and willing to change his mind.
I still like David, but at some point you have to ask if the thing people say make sense, even if it is a guy like David Brooks that you like. That's why I was so disappointed when I read the following:
...Of course it hasn't turned out that way. At the moment, Giuliani and fellow moderate Mitt Romney are attacking each other for being insufficiently Tancredo-esque. They are not renouncing the policies they championed as city and state officials, but the emphasis as they run for federal office is all in the other direction. In effect, they are competing to drive away Hispanic votes and make the party unelectable in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Florida and the nation at large.
In this way, they are participating in the greatest blown opportunity in recent political history. At its current nadir, the G.O.P. had been blessed with five heterodox presidential candidates who had the potential to modernize the party on a variety of fronts. They could be competing to do that, but instead they are competing to appeal to the narrowest slice of the old guard and flatter the most rigid orthodoxies of the Beltway interest groups. Giuliani could have opened the party to the armies of dynamism — the sort of hard-working strivers who live in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx; instead he has shelved one of his core convictions.

Someday Rudy Giuliani will look back on this moment and wonder why he didn't run as himself.
Political commentators like David Brooks don't get paid for giving accurate explanations of the universe, they get paid for making humorous oversimplifications. I would like to replace the job title of "political commentators" with "humorous oversimplifers". I think it has a nice ring. Oversimplifications are funny when they back up a conclusion that you agree with, but when they oversimplify your side, you see that a dirty trick has been played, and that your side has been misrepresented.

David Brook's oversimplification is that: enforcing laws = "Tancredo-esque". However, here in the real world, every time Romney speaks of immigration he clarifies his statements by saying, "But LEGAL immigration is GOOD."

David Brooks did not give an actual quote. We are just supposed to believe him that Romney and Rudy are trying to be Tom Tancredo. I did not get a degree in History, like David Brooks. I do not get paid for what I say, like David Brooks. But I think you will have to agree that I make a better argument, and case for my side than he does. I use actual quotes. I deserve, in this post, to be paid more than David Brooks for my ideas.
Some people will never give me the amount of credit that he does. Nothing I can say, will hold as much weight as him, no matter what I say, just because he holds a position of authority. Don't be like that. I make a better case than David Brooks. David Brooks is wrong. Here is Romney's position:

"We need to make America more attractive for legal immigrants -- for citizens -- and less attractive for illegal immigrants. I want to see more immigration in our country, but more legal immigration and less illegal immigration."
- Governor Romney, AP, June 23, 2006

David Brooks said, "…In effect, they are competing to drive away Hispanic votes and make the party unelectable in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Florida and the nation at large." Once again, Mr. Brooks gives no statistics to back up his claim. Look at the results from the following poll:

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Oct. 12-14, 2007. N=1,212 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3.

.

"Would you like to see the number of illegal immigrants currently in this country increased, decreased, or remain the same?"

.

IncreasedDecreasedSameUnsure

%

%

%

%

10/12-14/07

7

69

22

2

10/20-22/06

5

67

27

1

6/8-11/06

2

67

26

6



70% of people agree with Romney that we should have less illegal immigration! Mexico will not let US Citizens walk across the border. David Brooks is not intellectually honest enough (in this post) to give an actual quote from either Rudy or Romney that he disagrees with. David Brooks is not intellectually honest enough (keep inserting "in this post") to say specifically what he thinks should be done, and how Romney and Rudy are wrong. All he does is engage in brain-dead hyperbole of accusing Romney and Rudy of "trying to out Tencrado each other." He engages in brain dead predictions about what will happen to the Republican Party if we enforce the law. (Again, I don't think he is always "Brain dead". I just don't like this article.)
What part of; "We need to make America more attractive for legal immigrants" does David Brooks disagree with? Does David Brooks disagree that we need to make America more attractive for LEGAL immigrants? Does David Brooks disagree that we need to make ILLEGAL immigration less attractive for illegal immigrants? David, how should we make illegal immigration MORE attractive?

David says, "…They could be competing to do that, but instead they are competing to appeal to the narrowest slice of the old guard and flatter the most rigid orthodoxies of the Beltway interest groups." These are just pretty words that beltway types speak to themselves, that have absolutely nothing to do with reality. Lets have an honest debate David. Don't deal in broad generalities. Don't oversimplify the positions of those whom you disagree with. What "old guard" is Romney flattering when he says we need to make America more appealing to LEGAL immigrants? What "rigid orthodoxies of the Beltway interest groups" is Romney listening to when he advocates that we do what every other nation on this planet does: try to regulate their borders.

Yes, David, old orthodoxies believed in borders. Without borders, we don't have a country. Would you suggest we get red of our borders? Some orthodoxies should just be called common sense, but the problem is that David doesn't say which freaking orthodoxies he is talking about. When he says that Romney and Rudy are bowing to inside republican orthodoxies, he isn't making a real argument... If he was making a real argument he would explain what orthodoxies Romney and Rudy are bowing to, and why they shouldn't be bowed down to...
That's another problem with David. He never suggests what we should do. You know it's easy to make accusations that politicians are compromising their principals, everyone already assumes you are right... you get to sound so smart, and thoughtful, without actually going through the bother of making a logical argument, with specific proposals, policies, or specific problems with your opponent's position.

Well now I'm pretty worked up. Yep, I'm pretty ticked off. I'm tired of politics. I'm tired of people doing simple things. Making arguments without any data, without any statistics, without any specifics. I yearn for Mitt Romney to be president. You may think I have emotional problems, but In my mind, when Mr. Powerpoint gets into office, I think a lot of this stupidity will stop.

If you're not catching some of the shorthand that I am referencing you need to read articles like this one:

http://www.american.com/archive/2006/december/mitt-romney

In short, I like Romney, because opinions are like elbows. Everyone has them. David Brooks has them. Mark Hemingway has opinions. All sorts of idiots have opinions, and agendas, and all sorts of people say stuff that just isn't true. That's why people hate politics. We all hear people with agendas who say stuff that isn't true, and we get tired of it, and so we tune the whole thing out... People with agendas tend to ignore facts that don't agree with their agendas, and so some tend to live in worlds that have very little to do with reality. Ask Star Trek fans, there is a line you cross when your view of the world has too little to do with reality, and you are a freak. There are too many freaks in politics, and David Brooks' perception of reality has made him a little bit of a freak, because he is no longer using sound reasoning techniques to understand Romney, or Rudy, for that matter.
That is why I like Romney. People talk about people not being from Washington. Well, it is more important were you were from than were you are not from, and Romney is from a world of facts, figures, and statistics. Please, you must read this article and what kind of person you want to run the country...
In the beginning of this post I said Romney spoke to those whom he disagreed with. I gave this speech as an example. Contrast that to the smug self-righteous way that David Brooks speaks ABOUT Romney and Rudy. Contrast Romney's use of statistics and facts with the way that David Brooks oversimplifies Romney's position, calls names, doesn't use actual quotes, doesn't give specific problems, speaks in generalities, and says that we are going to hurt the party by enforcing our borders, when statistics plainly show just the opposite.
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Since DB started working for the Times, he has moved left. He is now liberals favorite "conservative". He is a NYC pro immigration, social liberal. Would any other sort of "conservative" be acceptable to the Times?



For years I listened to politicians say they were going to do things, and I would think, "Well, that's great, but how are you going to do that?" Here we have Mitt Romney who says, this is what I am going to do, and here is how I am going to do it. I think people are getting it, we just need people like you to keep showing us.




posted by Anonymous | 9:10 PM | permalink
Romney was calling on a Judge he appointed to resign today because she had allowed an accused defendant to be released without posting bail even though he had previously been convicted of murder. Unfortunately, and very sadly, he then committed murder again. Why did this judge do this? She had previously headed the family crimes and sexual assault unit at the DA's office in Essex. One of the primary considerations in setting bail is public safety. Apparently, that was overlooked here. Judges do strange things sometimes. My heart goes out to the loved ones of the victims of this murderer. Apparently, one of the victim's fathers is mad at Romney. While there is absolutely no basis for that anger in fact or reason, I sympathize with him over his loss and wanting to blame someone.
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posted by Myclob | 7:08 PM | permalink
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Great find. It's good to hear the man himself stand up to that ludicrous theory.



Oh my goodness!! I said the exact same thing on RedState myself!

Maybe the real conspiracy is that Mitt is copying me! Just kidding, but wow, that is so weird. I guess it just further reinforces the fact that Mitt and I are on the same page.




posted by jason | 3:15 PM | permalink




Well he isn't quite done, but he is as good as done.

Fred Thompson seems to be enjoying what roller coaster aficionados across the globe can only dream of: an endless downward spiral. To the dismay of Free Republic, it looks like the actor turned actor turned actor, can't peddle with the big boys.

John Martin with the details:

But just what sort of factor Thompson will be is as difficult to figure out as the motivations, work habits and true ambitions of the candidate himself.

“It’s getting a little late for Thompson, who may have squandered an almost unprecedented opportunity,” said American Conservative Union Chairman David Keene.


No revelations here.

But Thompson is frustrated for another reason: He didn’t think he’d have to endure so much of the “inside-the-Beltway political B.S.” In being convinced to run, Thompson was swayed to think that he could “YouTube” his way to the nomination. He apparently thought he could bypass many of the traditional campaign rituals such as tromping from one Iowa diner to another or appearing on the Washington wise-guy shows.


Ahhh. Now I see. What a novel idea, hard work in a campaign. Who woul'da thunk it?
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I'm very much looking forward to seeing the nashing of teeth at Free Republic. The way things seem, it appears that it will be either Romney or Giuliani who takes this nomination.

I sense they particularly hate Romney because we gave them a fight there (oops! Did I say an inclusive we??? ;) and dared question the sacred cow that is Fred Thompson. Hmmm....

Now the rascals over there have decided that rather than deal with Romney, they're just going to ban anyone who likes him. Yes, "Free" "Republic." You can glean the respect just brimming from me, can't you?

Thompson has just not has his heart in this campaign. I'm still looking for the chart I saw that displayed the number of campaign stops the candidates made in a week recently in which Romney more than doubled the number made by Thompson. Any leads?




posted by Jeff Fuller | 4:34 AM | permalink
Well, it's officially past Thanksgiving and now is when the general public REALLY starts to pay attention to this race. We're stepping up our efforts at Iowans for Romney (our traffic has been increasing greatly) and I've noticed more posts and comments to other Romney blogsites as well.

Romney's road to the nomination has always been a strong showing with frequent wins in early states. Iowa is where it all starts folks . . . and Mitt needs a strong showing. I invite you to come show support for Mitt over at Iowans for Romney frequently. Over the weekend I'm going to be updating our blogroll with links to relevant Iowa political blogs. I also will be following those blogs more frequently and linking to them as appropriate (first installment is here)

We've got coverage of Romney's stop at the University of Iowa to discuss his healthcare plan here and here (with photos of the event courtesy of my co-blogger, Keith Steurer)

Prominent Iowan columnist/author Charles Offenburger sees Mitt as the man who has what it takes to win the GOP nomination AND the general election.

A couple of posts about Huckabee


Finally, a Tancredo supporter challenged us to produce any evidence that Romney's been tough on illegal immigration . . . and so we responded.
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posted by Jeff Fuller | 4:31 AM | permalink
Influential blogger (like over 17 million total hits to his site) Ace of Spades HQ is re-assessing the GOP field and is leaning towards Romney and it seems to be Huck's surge that is leading him there.

Huckabee Has Changed The Whole Race

Obviously, from the standpoint of support for Mike Huckabee, as Drew noted below.

But it's got me thinking too.

Not that I would support Mike Huckabee -- indeed, this is the only first-tier candidate I now find it difficult to support -- but it changes my own political math.

If Giuliani is too divisive a figure for the GOP base -- and if so, it's his own damn fault I must say; he could have easily tacked enough to the right to appease social cons -- then I guess I need to find an alternative to Huckabee.

I like Giuliani but not enough to split the base over him.

Thompson seems to be a natural alternative -- or at least he seemed that way, before he actually began campaigning. He's in the mix, I suppose, but I'm not thinking he can win.

Which leaves me pondering a candidate I've never really gotten behind, except to say he's perfectly acceptable to me -- Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney has his own problems with the social cons. His religion offends many, and his new improved positions on hot button social issues have the stink of opportunism still wafting over them. But I believe he's credible on these issues, if only because he's now made a fairly unbreakable promise on them.

He's a smart guy. He lacks Giuliani's charisma and ease and command in speaking, but he's not bad either. He has tremendous executive experience. And he has... oh, what the hell, Hugh Hewitt's blog.

Second look time for Romney, at least for me. I think Huckabee would be a disaster in the general election. An easy manner only gets you so far.

I think many so cons are realizing that Romney is the only so con candidate that can take on and beat Rudy and also go on to win the general election. This new coalescence around him on top of his current base of supporters will be a force to be reckoned with.

Jeff Fuller
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Wednesday, November 21, 2007
posted by Justin Hart | 10:49 PM | permalink
So much news. But none of it matters today. Happy Thanksgiving.

Hey. Take a moment and text message a member of our armed forces. Get your own message back from the troops in return

Send a TXT message to 89279!

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posted by Myclob | 6:47 PM | permalink

Romney: Loosen rules on health insurance

By: Grant Schulte

Des Moines Register

Wednesday, Nov 21, 2007

"The federal government needs to loosen regulations on the nation's health insurance providers, increasing competition and thereby lowering patient costs, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Tuesday in Des Moines.

"Romney said that as president he would hand more authority to state health programs and create incentives for deregulating the insurance market. He said he would cap the amount of damages awarded in lawsuits and reform tax rules that penalize two-income households. Such policies, he said, would not raise taxes."

...

"Romney said his plan would lead to coverage for each of the nation's 47 million uninsured people within four years.

"He criticized Medicaid as 'not a very good insurance product.' He said: 'It's very good at caring for the poor, but it wasn't designed as an insurance program.'

"'The answer is not to pour government in,' he said. 'It's to get government out, and get the free market health system.'

"Romney's remarks came during a speech to a crowd of 500, mostly medical students, at Des Moines University."

...

"'I very much liked his ideas,' said Clifton Peele, a first-year medical student at Des Moines University. 'It's an affordable way to provide medical coverage. It's free enterprise, but still provides coverage for everyone.'"...

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posted by Justin Hart | 5:10 PM | permalink
"Rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated"

I knew it would happen when I pulled the trigger. I knew that Soren, Dotan, Flap and others would try to make hay out of the act. And they did. They did so for propaganda. They did so with a bit of vitriol. They did so without asking me to clarify why.

First know this, I am still very much here and will be blogging non-stop for Mitt. All I did was simply remove my name from the Faith and Values Steering Committee so that Soren, Dotan, Flap and others could not use it as a weapon against me.

You see again and again, they have implied that my efforts were campaign sanctioned, that I was an "agent of the Romney campaign" and a "campaign official". All of this was hyperbole to fashion clubs against Romney and belittle my hard hitting specifics negating all the silliness out there.
So, now they used my self removal to imply:
  1. I worked for the campaign (false)
  2. I resigned because of the current controversy (false)
  3. The Romney campaign kicked me out (false)
  4. I'm part of some Romney cabal secretly positioning my candidate through deceit to take over the world (hilarious)
I'll have one final post for the Thanksgiving weekend.
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Its a shame you had to put up with that, Justin. Keep fighting the good fight. Happy Thanksgiving!



Um, turns out that the staffers who your man Mitt connected to the Salt Lake Tribune were paid campaign employees. Not only did no one disclose it to the newspaper, but one of the staffers lied about her status.

She told the newspaper that she was "leaning" toward Romney but that she hadn't decided yet. That staffer, Marshan Roth, of Fairfield, Iowa, is actually on Romney's payroll.

So tell us, did she lie? Did Mitt lie? Or does it all depend on what IS is?



Sounds to me like either she lied, may be changing her mind, or may feel it was too private an issue to declare to a newspaper. I believe the woman is in her seventies. Give her a break. As far as Mitt lying...show me where it happened. I don't see it.



Anonymous,

Your comments are as meaningful as your name. Next time get the guts to run under an alias other than "anonymous", or shall I say "a-no-name-mouse".

David



At least, you know you have had (and still do) quite an influence on swapping people to come to our side to support Mitt! Thank you for all you have done for the future of this country by getting it the leader it sorely needed, Justin!




posted by Jeff Fuller | 2:01 PM | permalink
I've got the details over at this blog entry over at Iowans for Romney.

Also, some are reporting on the sketchy past of Huckabee on driver's licenses for illegal immigrants in Arkansas.

Jeff Fuller
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Thank you! The post was very enlightening, and I can now rest a little easier tonight!



Oh, how I long for the good-ole days when the only "Conservative" threat to Mitt was Fred Thompson. I'm getting a bit of buyer's remorse now for badmouthing Fred so much. Not that none of my Fred bashing wasn't true. It all is. He does look older than Yoda. And I am still constantly afraid that he will keel over. And I still wonder if he was born before Abraham Lincoln, and what his conversations with Napoleon may have been like. But I digress, nothing is as scary as a Presidency with Mike Up-Chuck-abee. I don't think that I can handle 4-8 more years with a "Compassionate Conservative" in the White House. I think that it was Jonah Goldberg who referred to it as Compassionate Conservatism on steroids. I could double check to be sure, but with how bad Goldberg thinks an Up-Chuck-abee Presidency would be, I’m sure that he’d agree even if it wasn’t him. If you want government expansion of everything, vote for Mike Huckabee. But if you believe in limited government, even Hillary would probably be a better option than Up-Chuck-abee. The only one who comes close to Up-Chuck-abee is Edwards.




posted by Justin Hart | 12:00 PM | permalink
Listen to my appearance on Hugh Hewitt last night here.

In the past 12 hours I have had to deal with and debunk yet one more crazy theory that Romney is really behind all this push polling.

After RedState publishes their non-apology, non-recanted post about yesterday's egregious "push poll" theory, Erick Erickson couldn't help but delve once more into the fever swamp and pull out a self-admitted "off-the-wall theory", that only Romney people are the ones complaining about the poll. On top of this Soren Dayton implies that Romney planted the people who reacted negatively to the Mormon poll from his own paid staffers.

You see, in a few press accounts, Marshan Roth and Rose Kramer told their stories of receiving the anti-Mormon polls. But wait! ALERT! Roth and Kramer have been paid by the Romney campaign. It seems they might be staffers! It's true.

So, I pull out my arsenal of exclusive tools and skills (my forefinger, a phone and a brain) and I look up said Marshan and Rose and find them at home (I woke them both up, sorry ladies).

I conjured up my own theory as I read the Erick's post. I'm thinking these ladies actually received the bad polls, called their local Romney office (which they knew well) and told their stories. The Romney office made a note of it. When the press comes calling looking for people who got the phone calls the Iowa office point them to Marshan and Rose.

Shocker! I was right. Marshan and Rose, who are both seemingly retired, roused enough to confirm my story.

Please remove your tinfoil hats! There will be no more conspiracy theories!

UPDATE: Lots of complaints now. "Why didn't they reveal their status with the campaign?" I asked Marshan that last night. Her reply: "What? Why? What do you mean? Why do they want to know that?" Folks, these are non-political septuagenarians. They just were answering a phone call and telling their story to someone in the press. My guess is they went to Ames and they help out at the local office stuffing letters.

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Also . . .

Wouldn't a lefty 527 want to purposefully "stir the pot" on a controversy like this by making sure such calls went to Romney staffers (making sure it got plenty of exposure to people who would complain)?



It seems to me that these calls would not just be made randomly because the total impact of them would seem to be negligible, and basically a waste of time. So, whomever did this obviously called specific people who they knew would report this....they wanted this all to hit the news, for whatever reason, perhaps because they thought it would look like Romney people.



Justin,
FYI: This post is going around Free Republic:
---
Blogger in contact with Western Wats resigns from Romney campaign
November 21, 2007 – 2:52 pm

Justin Hart has notified me that he has resigned from his position as a Vice Chair of the Romney campaign’s Faith and Values Steering Committee after I challenged him for not disclosing that he was an official in the Romney campaign.

Justin had been, until today, the only person who Western Wats would speak with. This afternoon Liz Mair wrote about a discussion she had with Jeffery Welch, a senior Western Wats executive and Romney donor.

He appears to have resigned soon after contacting the Romney Iowa staffers who the Romney campaign has now admitted to misrepresenting to the press.
---
So, what's the real story so I can cram this BS down their throats? Any indication if this is a strategy from one of the rival campaigns?



While not foolproof, (and that would seem to be what is required given the nonsense that has transpired) wouldn't the simplest explanation have the greatest chance of being correct? At least, it would seem to be the razor you would want to start with.

Since thankfully pundits occur infrequently in the general population, at least far less frequently than Romney supporters, the callers contacted more Romney supporters than fair-minded pundits (which is a smaller subset of the whole set of pundits). Romney supporters would be far more likely to be offended and thus far more likely to let someone know. And if they knew where the local Romney office was, that might be your first contact.

This was a large calling effort. It can't be that tough to hit a Romney supporter with that much buckshot.

But if you need a conspiracy, I suggest you check into the foaming-at-the-mouth Bill Keller-type ministries. After all, they are engaged in the work of saving the world from Mormonism, even as it dies of secularism.




posted by Scott Allan | 10:45 AM | permalink
At a high school this week in Manchester, NH , Barack Obama once again confessed his sins but this time to a group of students. He had previous written about his drug use in his 1995 book, “Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance“. Let’s just assume that these students have not read his book. This strange confession came when an adult asked him about his time as a student. There was nothing in the question about past drug use, so why bring it up? It looked like he was waiting for an excuse to mention it. But why? What was the point of him bringing this up at this point in his campaign? He has recently been surging in the polls, gaining on Hillary. My best guess is that it has something to do with the “dirt” Hillary’s campaign denies that they have.

All conspiracy theories aside, Obama at least seems to be preparing everyone for the fact that he is imperfect for some reason. If he is not trying to pre-emptively negate any attack, then perhaps he is just sending the message that he wasted a lot of time being wasted. “Do as I say, not as I do” does not work on anyone under the age of 30. Teenagers instead hear, “You can use drugs and turn out ok. Look at me, I’m running for President. As long as you stop eventually, you’ll be just fine. Experimentation is a part of growing up. I’m sure you’ll grow out of it, everyone does it.” Yesterday, someone told my four year old daughter not to shake a can of soda, so of course the next thing she did was shake the can. This behavior continues in most people well past their teenage years as any parent can attest.

Mitt Romney calls this discussion with students a mistake. Giuliani admires his honesty. This is no surprise. Giuliani certainly has a few skeletons in his own closet and would prefer that people overlook his character flaws. Some people are more imperfect than others. I would like my President to be as close to perfect as possible and set a good example for the youth of our country. Leaders should be held to a higher standard than the people that vote for them.

Scott Allan

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I think it may be a preemptive strike as well. Put out the stuff about you and drugs to put it in the best possible light before Hillary runs the ads showing the line of powder on glass.




posted by Jeff Fuller | 3:31 AM | permalink
This incident shows how quickly things are getting ugly. Romney is target #1 for every other competitor in Iowa so sure he'll get plenty of barbs thrown his way. But illegally sending out impostor emails to slander your opponent is going too far. Yet another "WhoDunnit?" (Thanks to Justin for tipping me off to this one)

I also have some clarification on the real answer to one of the anti-Mormon questions included in the Push-Poll that may be of interest to many here.

Jeff Fuller
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My e-mail won't work, so I'll ask you here. What is with this poll that shows Huckabee within the margin of error of Mitt in Iowa? Is it credible? What are the implications? Could we be in serious trouble in the Hawkeye State?



Bryton,

I'll post a link above to my post at Iowans for Romney discussing such.



There shouldn't be any confusion is LDS circles about it. All scripture is the word of God. And you shouldn't go on talk shows and say that the Book of Mormon is better than the Bible.



I spoke with Justin and he said "which is UNtrue" about the Book of Mormon being "superior to the Bible".

Apparently the audio cut out of minimized the "UN" part of it.

Justin knows his stuff. An unfortunate misunderstanding.




Tuesday, November 20, 2007
posted by Anonymous | 11:25 PM | permalink
I am going to unload a little here, so be forewarned. Barack Obama has just told a group of high school kids that his past drug use was a matter of wasting time. This is drug use that includes snorting cocaine. Now, listen to the response from Rudy Giuliani:

“I respect his honesty in doing that. I think that one of the things we need from our people who are running for office is not this pretense of perfection,”

Excuse me sir, are you kidding me?

Obama is flat out wrong to have said what he said. You know why? Because Obama leaves a big fat false impression that you can do some amphetamines when you are young and you will be no worse off. You can still be successful, you can decide to apply yourself later. It certainly appears that Rudy feels that way as well. THAT IS JUST WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. Because many, many of the people who experiment with illegal drugs will never live a happy, normal life. Many, many of the people who do what Obama did will end up on the streets or in prison. They will lose their lives to addiction.

Does Giuliani know anything about law enforcement?

Right now, this country is in what can properly be described as an epidemic when it comes to illegal drugs, like methamphetamine (Don't even try to distinguish cocaine from methamphetamine to me. I am not stupid. Most people who snort, smoke and inject that stuff don't know what they are getting anyway because the supply between the two shifts depending on the availability of ephedrine to labs in Mexico.). Lives and families are absolutely ruined by this drug. As a prosecutor, I see this first hand constantly. It is extremely sad to see. People who may have been normal only months earlier find themselves doing things they would have never done before. Sometimes, this is entering homes and businesses to steal, taking cars, cashing fraudulent checks, etc. Other times, people simply fail to care for children and even worse, their mind becomes warped in a search for stimulation and they sexually abuse children.

Our country spends enormous sums of money trying to help rehabilitate people who have lost their lives to drugs. Mostly, these programs are terribly unsuccessful. Relapse is high. Now, don't get me wrong, people can change. But many will find themselves never able to. Those who do will often find permanent effects from the drugs. Mental illness in varying degrees will often be the result for the duration of their lives.

This isn't sex education folks. There is no condom that is going to protect you from the bad effects of drugs. Abstinence is the best course of action and the only way to ensure that even one foray into drugs doesn't cause irreparable harm. That needs to be our message. If Obama or Rudy has made mistakes and managed to overcome them, good for them. But they of all people should be clear as day, you cannot expect to be able to experiment with drugs and escaped unscathed. I send away people young and old to prison and I can tell you, you don't want to risk your life to that white crystal powder.

For his part, Romney had this to say:

“It’s just not a good idea for people running for president of the United States who potentially could be the role model for a lot of people to talk about their personal failings while they were kids because it opens the doorway to other kids thinking, ‘well I can do that too,’”

Romney is absolutely right. In fact, I wish he would be more forceful. Drugs ruin people's lives. We cannot afford to have a casual attitude about them in our country. I am once more convinced that a vote for Rudy is to push the country in a direction that is lacadaisical when it comes to protecting our children and that Romney is the only candidate who can stem the slide in values that is apparent and for which too many are suffering.
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posted by Aaron Gulbransen | 11:03 PM | permalink
Hey, yo.

Those that follow professional wrestling would be interested to know that the "Nature Boy" Ric Flair just endorsed Mike Huckabee. I don't know about you, but I find it at least a little amusing that Flair, also known as "The Dirtiest Player in the Game" would endorse "Milk and Cookies" Mike Huckabee. (That is my new nickname for Huckabee.) Why, Naitch? Why?

ちょっと、yo 。

As promised, here is the list of "How can you vote for a...?" that I promised last week:

"How can you vote for a..."
  • Transvestite? (Although he does look better in a dress than Hillary Clinton.)
  • Man whose biggest accomplishment in life was losing 150 pounds? (If only he was as conservative with his fiscal policy...)
  • Man who married his cousin? (Hint: This was NOT, I repeat, NOT the Governor of Arkansas.)
  • Former Gynecologist? (I'll never be able to prove it, but I swear that is the real source of his foreign policy plan. I mean, where else would he get the idea that we should bury our heads in the sand?)
  • Man who was against Sanctuary Cities before he was for them before he was against them? (Ok, I'll make you a deal. NYC can still be a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants but it also has to be a sanctuary city for the unborn. I'll make that trade.)
  • Yankee fan? (I'm a Mets fan. Enough said.)
As you can plainly see, I added my comments next to the audience submitted items. This is all in good fun.

Hé, yo.

I'm searching for a name for this particular blog, namely because I want to get the reader involved. Submit names and if I pick one, you MAY get a prize.

Hey, yo.

I was interviewed by a major network today for a piece about the campaign. I'm being purposely vague because I'm waiting for the confirmation that it will actually air. When I find out I will be sure to pass along the good news and the details.

Hey, yo.

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving! God Bless.

Until next time...
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posted by Justin Hart | 9:57 PM | permalink
Here is the audio from the Hugh Hewitt show. Don't adjust your browser. I really do speak that fast:


QUICK IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION. In the audio it sounded like I confirmed that Mormons believe the Book of Mormon to be more important than the Bible. The audio actually cut out. I said "this is UNtrue". Just to be clear :)

So, lets review.

1) There is ZERO evidence linking TargetPoint the anti-Mormon calls
2) TargetPoint VEHEMENTLY denies they are behind the calls
3) As I indicated on Hugh’s show… I asked my source about Gage’s denial. His response: “Yeah, we knew it wasn’t them already.”

Today. Mark Hemingway attempted to apologize and wiggle out of a untenable corner defending a theory that has been refuted on every side you turn to.

Late tonight, and to their credit, Kathryn Lopez from NRO admits: "Mark noted some interesting publicly available connections Monday but there is no real evidence I've read that the Romney campaign had anything to do with it."

Then, RedState issues a non-retraction, failing to apologize to Gage & Company for maligning their integrity. To boot, they add another theory to the pot.

Here's the quote of the day from RedState: "we should not be afraid to ask a very plausible question based on, if nothing else, real world experience in politics: did a friend of the candidate hit him in a well meaning but misguided effort to help him?"

So, we can dismiss any evidence that's not there and instead rely on RedState's "real world experience". What?

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2 Comments:


Heard you on Hugh Hewitt! Great job!! This is my first time visiting this site (After hearing about in Hugh Hewitt). I'm glad you clarified the comment about Mormonism and the Bible. You're right, it did sound like you said "true." You had me a little concerned, but I'm glad you clarified. I'll be back. Keep up the great work.



Fantastic job, I'm glad you were able to articulate the issues at play so well. It will be interesting if anyone does eventually own up to this. I won't hold my breath. This story is getting a little play over at CNN. Again, Thanks for the work you do.




posted by Justin Hart | 4:40 PM | permalink
Quick note. Justin will be speaking with Hugh Hewitt tonight on his radio show about the push poll controversy.

6:20 PM Eastern


You can listen online:
http://krla870.townhall.com/radioschedule/

No big updates today. Except for the fact that NRO and RedState have gone silent... apparently confused about the right thing to do.

I should note this great post by Jim Gearghty at CampaignSpot.

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1 Comments:


Missed it life can you post were we can listen to it taped would love to hear it.

Thanks




posted by Justin Hart | 10:00 AM | permalink
Ahhh schadenfreude, the fine rhetorical art of kicking someone while they're down; sticking it to "the man" when "the man" just got stuck; pulling out the gloat as he goes down with the boat.

I really hate to spoil the fun... but there will be no schadenfreude today! (Except for me rhetorically sticking to those who REALLY, REALLY wanted Mitt Romney to push poll his own candidacy?!)

Let's review some of the rhetoric leading up to the brick wall that Alex Gage & Co. dropped on National Review Online and the notion of a Romney self-push-poll. These are taken from comments on the post at Race42008 entitled: "Let's Be Clear of the Stakes":
1:25 PM "It’s either complete absolution or utter destruction now for Mitt Romney’s candidacy."

1:33 PM "I have the champagne chilling again."

1:50 PM "ROMNEY-IS-TOAST"

1:51 PM "If on the other hand, it was ordered by an *official* of the Romney campaign, then this indeed may be the week history will assess as the death of the Romney campaign."

2:02 PM "Time to check temp on the champagne, while Justin searches for comfort food…"

2:05 PM "The Mitt Romney count down clock has begun……..tick tock……"

2:19 PM "Mitt Romney will not matter in a couple of hours anyway so dont worry people"
Sunday night, I received an email from a fellow blogger, generously tipping me off about a story that could potentially knock Romney off his game in a big way. The story, set to publish in a major news rag Monday morning: a top Romney adviser would be implicated as the source of anti-Mormon "push-poll" surveys conducted across Iowa and New Hampshire.

I was stunned. I had followed the story (and even been part of it) for about three days and after interviewing individuals at the alleged firm that conducted the survey. I was convinced that the Romney campaign was not behind it.

I set my plate overnight to devour a whole flock of crow when the story hit.

The article, written by Mark Hemingway and published at NRO, gathered all the details of the story in one narrative and added to the mix, supposed evidence from an online bulletin board linking Alex Gage and his firm TargetPoint Consulting to the data collection firm, Western Wats, implicated as the company that conducted the survey.

As I read over the piece the blood went rushing back into my face. This was nothing! The evidence was scant, the connection pithy and the rest of the article --- yawn, I probably wrote half of it myself! The meme that "bulletin-board-post-proves-Romney-push-polled-own-campaign" was weak at best.

But still, Gage & Co. had to answer the charges. Conversations with top bloggers Monday morning indicated that a press release was forthcoming from TargetPoint. I sat on pins and needles the entire day with a constant finger on the refresh button.

Then it came. How do you spell relief?

Just to prove it... here's a snapshot of the two posts I had ready to go. Even with my "high status" with the campaign (joke) I had no insight into what was going to happen:

My head was on the chopping block in the blogosphere being one of the primary debunkers of the "Mitt-did-it!" conspiracy theories. I braced myself for the worst. If the Romney campaign were truly the source of the push poll... the club fashioned by opponents is too big to imagine.

I'm also a bit perturbed. How did NRO not wait 4 hours to talk to TargetPoint? How does RedState have the gaul to publish what they did requisite to the thin evidence from Hemingway? And don't get me started on Mark's refusal to let it go.

To be fair, I think Hemingway got caught up in a a whirlwind of Mormon connections. You see, he thinks the force of his evidence are the coincidences taken as a whole. The Lindorfs, Amanda, the contributors, based in Utah...

Among Mormons there's an inside joke that the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon become the 4 degrees of Mormonism. To wit: you can find any other Mormon within a breadth of 4 LDS members.

For example, how many ways do you know the candidate you support? How many degrees of separation does it take you to get to John McCain or Rudy? Personally, I know Mitt from when I was an infant (my Mom and Ann were in the same maternity ward when I was born in Boston). I also know him through a long time family friend. And my best friend's uncle is married to someone who works closely with Romney. Is there some super secret community of Mormons that plans to take over the country by getting Romney elected? No. Its just that Mormons marry other Mormons, marry early in life, and have lots of kids. (Did I mention I'm 35 with 3 kids, and my oldest is 12?)
  • The fact that the firm was in Utah? Moot. Utah perfected the art of the call center from innovators like WordPerfect and the large group of health drinks in the state. (Also, apparently, Utahns have neutral accents which helps in cold calls).
  • The fact that the firm was owned by the Lindorfs? Moot. They divested of their assets years ago.
  • The fact that the firm employs people who donated to Mitt? Moot. A LOT of people have donated to Mitt in Utah. (In fact, I'm surprised that out of 1500 employees only a handful have donated to the campaign).
  • The fact that TippingPoint and other "affiliated" Romney campaigns have used Western Wats? Moot. Its the single largest data collection firm in the world. They handle all sorts of 3rd party work and all sorts of campaigns using them including firms employed by Romney competitors. They handle over 7000 projects every year.
  • The Mormon factor? Do I really have to answer this? The Mormon cabal is not out to submarine the other candidates by conducting a push poll against their chosen one. And he isn't even their chosen one! I can't tell you how many Mormon Ron Paul supporters there are.... every other day I get some note berating me for not supporting the "true" constitution guy in the race. (Mormons are big on the Constitution)
The relief I feel is only tempered by the fact that we still don't know WHO did it. (More on this later).

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3 Comments:


Hemmingway's links between the Romney Campaign and the Western WATS calls are spurious at best. It would be like saying that Romney is responsible for a rival campaign's press releases because they were created in WordPerfect, which was founded by Mormons.



Jason,

While I applaud your efforts to defend Romney, I think for now the best strategy is to just ignore the issue until the truth comes out. The theory of "Romney-Did-It" is getting entirely too much press and attention, and the Romney foes, including the real perpetrators, are getting a good laugh at us Romney supporters. Just turn the other cheek and forget about it until some actual truth comes out.

Better yet, learn from Giuliani's ability to deflect attention from a sticky subject to something else entirely. It has been mentioned over at race42008 that attacks on Giuliani never stick, but attacks on Romney do. I believe that's because as Mormons we feel a huge sense of injustice and the need to defend our man when unjustly accused. Unfortunately, this only has the effect of encouraging the opposition. They love the rise they get out of us Mitt supporters. It must be delightfully fun for them. Our best strategy should be to move on and focus on the positive. To that end, here is nothing too important, but it does point out that Mitt is right that there are better ways than destroying embryos to get the benefits of embryonic cell research:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071120/ap_on_sc/stem_cells_3



Good work. You point out a fact that many of us Romney supporters know well. This campaign is very precariously perched even though our candidate is possibly the strongest candidate that has come along in a long time. That is the nature of the withering heat of media spotlight (as well as enemies like the Clinton's and Huckabees--I think Giuliani is mostly benign).

We have no illusions that God will rapture our candidate to the Presidency (like those of Huckabee) or that decades of history will suddenly become irrelevant (as do those supporters of Giuliani).

The more attention that is turned on Romney, however, the more he shines in the disinfecting light of media/public attention. . . as long as people refute these libelous, sometimes bigoted, and spurious attacks.




posted by jason | 9:57 AM | permalink

A very interesting read on posting anonymous comments on blogs.



Key points from the article:



Social psychologists have known for decades that, if we reduce our sense of our own identity – a process called deindividuation – we are less likely to stick to social norms. For example, in the 1960s Leon Mann studied a nasty phenomenon called "suicide baiting" – when someone threatening to jump from a high building is encouraged to do so by bystanders. Mann found that people were more likely to do this if they were part of a large crowd, if the jumper was above the 7th floor, and if it was dark. These are all factors that allowed the observers to lose their own individuality.



Social psychologist Nicholas Epley argues that much the same thing happens with online communication such as email. Psychologically, we are "distant" from the person we're talking to and less focused on our own identity. As a result we're more prone to aggressive behaviour, he says.



And this..



Another obvious factor is that, if you insult someone online, it's unlikely you'll face any physical retaliation for it. Epley compares the resulting psychological distance to being isolated inside a car – another situation that seems to make people more prone to abusiveness.



Just some food for thought.



H/T: TechCunch

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posted by Jeff Fuller | 4:10 AM | permalink
Over at Iowans for Romney I've got some commentary about NRO's recent scathing Editorial of Huckabee.

Also, my co-blogger, Keith Steurer, has linked to an article titled "The Dark Side of Mike Huckabee"

Leon H Wolf, a RedState "Contributor" has decided to "throw in" for Romney . . . and he has some scathing words for Huckabee as a man who lived in AR under Huckabee's tenure.

Tough times are ahead for Huckabee.

But Iowa GOP Senator Chuck Grassley still predicts that Huckabee will finish second in Iowa. He also re-confirms that he won't be endorsing anyone.

Jeff Fuller
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Monday, November 19, 2007
posted by Anonymous | 9:37 PM | permalink
Fred Barnes article in the Weekly Standard is another take on the familiar question of how Romney's business experience relates to what type of President he will be. I enjoyed this segment where Barnes is giving examples of how Romney's business experience may shape his foreign policy:

"[One] example occurred on Romney's trip to Israel last January. He arranged to visit the fence along the West Bank and was surprised by the reluctance of Israeli military officers to defend the building of the barrier. Romney asked the number of terrorist attacks before and after the fence was erected. Romney, an aide says, is 'a before and after guy' in making judgments. When told attacks had dropped to zero, Romney said the Israelis shouldn't be apologetic about the fence. If the United States had faced the same terrorist threat, 'we'd have built it 10 feet higher and called it a wall.'"

Ultimately, the article does a good job of contrasting Romney with Bush and essentially highlights a central premise for his candidacy: "Unlike everyone else running for president..., Romney has a new method for solving problems and taking on difficult issues." His extensive experience in business is the basis for his decisions, not his Washington connections. "Romney is not primarily a politician." "His presidential style, as a result, would be far different from President Bush's--or any other president's. Romney would be coolly analytical and less political."

All-in-all a good read. Check it out.
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2 Comments:


Finally, a candidate that I can actively support! It's expensive; but it's worth every dollar if we can get someone in Washington with the integrity, business acumen, and proven leadership our nation needs at its helm. To encourage others (and myself) to give, I’ll match dollar for dollar any contribution made to Romney through the end of the year at his website (up to the legal limit, which I’m nowhere close to). Every dollar counts (double)!



Nice offer william, what a show of true support. I will do my small part. Where is the donation tab!?




posted by Kyle Hampton | 6:55 PM | permalink
I don't have anything to add to the "push poll" scandal, so I thought I would give you the latest New Hampshire poll. From CNN/WMUR:

Romney 33 (+8 vs. last poll in Sept)
McCain 18 (nc)
Giuliani 16 (-8)
Paul 8 (+4)
Huckabee 5 (+2)
Thompson 4 (-9)


CNN has this analysis:
Thompson came into the GOP race late with the hope of winning over social conservatives unsatisfied with the rest of the party's field, and racked up a key endorsement from the National Right to Life Committee last week. But the former star of the television drama "Law and Order" has trailed the GOP front-runners in early voting states since entering the race in August, and his support in New Hampshire dropped from 13 percent in a September poll to 4 percent in November's survey.

By contrast, Romney's support grew from 25 percent to 33 percent over the same period; McCain held steady at 18 percent; and Giuliani dipped from 24 to 16 percent.

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1 Comments:


15% Lead is Pretty Darn Good. Keep up the Good Work!!!




posted by Justin Hart | 12:53 PM | permalink
The blogosphere is all abuzz from Mark Hemingway's article at NRO attempting a paint-by-numbers approach trying to linking Romney to the survey calls conducted last week. We demonstrated the weak attempt here and here.

Now, TargetPoint Cosulting, the firm founded by pollster Alex Gage and linked into this scandal by Hemingway through a pithy bulletin board entry, has issued a strong, STRONG rebuttal denying that it had anything at all to do with the said polling and survey:
To the editors of NRO

Today’s unfortunate article written by Mark Hemingway concerning allegations over anti-Romney push-polling that suggests that TargetPoint Consulting was somehow involved is both inaccurate and inexcusable.

To set the record straight: TargetPoint Consulting has absolutely nothing to do with the calls in question. To be even clearer: TargetPoint Consulting has NEVER and will NEVER conduct a push-poll. TargetPoint is in the business of promoting Governor Romney, not manufacturing fantasy plots that involve smearing him.
It is very disappointing that the person who wrote this piece included the bizarre fabrication that perhaps the Romney campaign push-polled itself. As “proof,” the author offered up the supposed “fact” that TargetPoint Consulting may have in the past used Western Wats to conduct telephone interviews and concluding: “If there is a relationship between the two firms, then Alex Gage and TargetPoint should immediately clarify the extent and nature of the work that it has contracted out to Western Wats to end speculation and exonerate Romney.”

Neither I nor TargetPoint was contacted before publication of this piece. Not by email. Not by voice mail. If the person representing National Review had bothered to take this most basic journalistic step, we would have told him on the record that TargetPoint Consulting had nothing to do with this and that his theory was entirely erroneous and absent any merit. The truth would have dulled the sensationalism considerably – probably to the point that responsibility would have dictated not publishing it at all.

I am not sure what, if any, motives the author may have, but now that it has been published, this piece has unfairly smeared me, my firm and the Romney campaign.

We can only hope in the future that National Review will be more consistently involved in reporting the news, and not taking off on detours into the fever-swamps of loony conspiracies. If there is any mystery to be uncovered regarding these polls, it will be by real reporting and not irresponsible speculation that tramples the good names of reputable pollsters and polling firms.

Sincerely,

Alex Gage
TargetPoint Consulting
Alexandria, Va.
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4 Comments:


Personally I get a real big kick out of this kind of writing. Whoever wrote that rebuff should be the presidential speech writer.



Way to call Hemingway out. It was horrificly irresponsible.



Between Western Wats, TargetPoint Consulting, and the Romney campaign, there has has been enough smoke-blowing and non-denial denials to make the Clintons look solid as a bank vault.

Your man Mitt's little gambit has failed. He tried to fix it so his Mormonism would be off limits, but all he's done is highlight it. Nice little victim card he tried to play. I wonder what other tricks he has up his sleeve.

Someone should check into how many Mormon missionaries have been registering to vote in New Hampshire.



I bet the guy above secretly believes that George Bush and Cheney plotted the whole 9/11 event, and that the easter bunny REALLY does hide eggs for him to find. Keep lookin for last year's eggs! I bet you missed some!




posted by Justin Hart | 10:23 AM | permalink
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1 Comments:


The nice thing about Mitt Romney is that he is someone you can trust, implicitly. He has a nice family, doesn't beat or cheat on his wife, does what he says he'll do, and so forth. He's shown time and time again in different areas of his life what kind of character he has. This appeals to lots of voters like me. I want someone I can trust will do what he or she says they'll do.

I want someone, like Mitt, who will do everything in his power to prevent another war from starting, say, in Iran.

Now, with every good thing there are always negatives. The negative is that if someone can prove (and make it appear) that Mitt is sneaky and under-handed, some of that support goes away. Such people have no problem turning a despicable act of religious bigotry into a nefarious plot by the victim. They might even repeat the religious bigotry, saying it is justified (I've seen that a few times on some of the comments sections on the links you've provided).

The good side to all of this is that it reminds us of what kind of person Mitt is. Those of who familiar with conspiracy theories, spin doctors, and even just plain old propaganda, won't fall into the trap. We'll stick with Mitt and when the truth comes out it won't surprise us very much.




posted by Jon | 8:43 AM | permalink
The True Push Poller?

Are you worried about the effect the Writer’s Guild strike will have on your favorite TV show? Do you need a heavy dose of fiction in your day? Well, if you’re prepared to willingly suspend belief in this universe we call “Reality”, feel free to take a gander at the NRO’s Mark Hemingway. Evidently, Mr. Hemingway has taken leave of his senses and glommed on to the latest web based rumor that Mitt is behind the anti-Mormon push polling in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

There are, according to Hemingway, a “web of connections” supporting his conclusion – which would be laughable if it weren’t so pathetically thin. Evidently, Western Wat’s founder Ron Lindorf has ties to BYU’s Marriott School of Management. Mitt is a Marriott school alumnus and must therefore be in cahoots with Lindorf – who by the way has divested himself of all Western Wats holdings. Some Western Wats employees have also donated money to Mitt’s campaign. Hemingway also makes several other thinly shrouded references to Mormons being employed by Western Wats – another sure sign of a dark conspiracy.

Memo to Mr. Hemingway: I’m also an alumnus of BYU’s Marriott School of Management. I’m also a Mormon. I (obviously) support Mitt’s campaign for the Oval Office. With all those common factors, I’m offended that you didn’t find a way to include me as a co-conspirator in the push polling scandal. End Memo.

Hemingway concludes with a statement that “the Romney campaign, ultimately, has the power to clarify any misconceptions.” Clarification need not come from Mitt. It needs to come from Western Wats generally, and Hemingway specifically.
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2 Comments:


Actually, I'm pretty sure Mitt never attended the Marriott School. He got a BA in Humanities from BYU, but got his JD/MBA from Harvard. The Marriott School is BYU's business school.

So, he attended the university where the Marriott School is located, but nothing more... thinning connections...



I found Hemingway's statements about Romney needing to exonerate himself absolutely infuriating. To say that Romney would push negative information about his religion in an act of manipulation is utterly ridiculous and contradicts everything I have come to know about him as a person. To use someone else's religious bigotry as the basis for a character attack against Mitt is pathetic. To do it on such flimsy insinuation is totally irresponsible. I would be absolutely ashamed if I had posted that rubbish. I would take it down. I would apologize. Because spewing vomit into the marketplace of ideas may get people to look at you in disgust, but it also turns the discussion into something nauseating.




posted by Justin Hart | 7:57 AM | permalink
UPDATE: I caught wind of this story last night and immediately called my source. He told me that he would be very surprised if it were connected to Romney & Co. Then he said: "our client is not political. At best we're a 3rd party vendor in this." So the question is this: Target Consulting does fit the 3rd party story but they are decidedly political. More to come... stay tuned.

National Review Online has a new article up by Mark Hemingway digging deeper into the notion of whether or not the Romney campaign itself conducted the recent surveys with apparently anti-Mormon messages. (I'm proud to say that he links to MMM quite a bit for his information).

Mark's article is pretty balanced but is obviously digging hard for a connection. There is only one or two more bits of information:
  • Hemingway makes a connection between Target Point Consulting, Alex Gage (Romney's number cruncher), and Western Wats (the company most closely connected to the recent calls). In short, the Romney campaign has paid Target Point Consulting $720,000 during this cycle. There is also evidence that Target Point has used Western Wats in the past.

  • Amanda Earnshaw, the caller who donated $2300, is part of a family that has been deeply involved in the Romney campaign. Mark tries to bring the connection between Amanda and a supposed caller in an August poll that someone complained about. This is periphery evidence at best.


First, the notion that a single link between Target Point and Western Wats exists is not surprising. My source tells me that they are frequently a 3rd party vendor in many of these efforts.

The rest of it is pretty much stuff you already know from yours truly and others.

I will say this. This connection is logically plausible but totally unproven and we need to get to the bottom of this very quickly.

Having re-read the article I'm not convinced. The evidence is pretty scant and stretching to accuse Romney as he does. Let's review:

  • Lindorfs - disproven

  • Amanda - irrelevant (highly coincidental if true)

  • Other donors - irrelevant

  • Target Consulting -> WW --> Gage --> Romney - plausible but the proof is a single entry from a bulletin board

  • Related Romney camps -they exist, but its the largest data collection firm in the world. Chances are a lot of campaigns use them

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2 Comments:


Let's see, A "non-political" third party? That could be Ed Decker at work? Soros? Kos Kids? I suppose it depends on the definition of non-political doesn't it. Then there is the issue of who benefits and is not afraid of ultimate disclosure.



Amanda Earnshaw has not worked for Western Wats for at least 6 months. She was a part-time dialer for the company. I spoke with her today, and there is absolutely no truth to this "connection" or the conclusion he draws from it.

Two words: deductive LEAP.

This is VERY bad journalism from NRO. I'm really shocked.




posted by Justin Hart | 7:21 AM | permalink

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posted by Jeff Fuller | 2:20 AM | permalink
We Romney supporters are obviously a little sensitive to the "Flip-Flopper" label that Romney has unfairly acquired. We realize that there's not much to attack Mitt on his current policies or on his personal/professional/political conduct and so opponents have to fall back on the only thing they apparently have on him, the so-called "Flip Flop" label. That he's from Massachusetts like Mr. John "Flip Flop" Kerry seems (to them at least) to add credence to their name calling.

However, let's remember that Kerry got that reputation for going from one side of the issue to the other AND THEN BACK TO HIS ORIGINAL POSITION. In other words, not only did his record show that he had been on both sides of many major issues, but that he'd been on one of those sides MORE THAN ONCE. That was hard to defend on logical or on a "I've grown" basis. Claiming that he was just very "nuanced" didn't sit well either with the American public. It was just unadulterated political opportunism and everyone saw right through it. That was/is the TRUE Flip Flop and that is why Kerry lost. I know Romney's record thoroughly and can't think of an issue where he's done that kind of political issue gymnastics.

Well, after reading a few weeks back about Rudy's TRUE flip flop on illegal immigration (where he talked like a "secure the borders and deport them all" tough guy before becoming NYC mayor where he became Sanctuary Rudy . . . and now he's BACK to talking like a tough guy again) I made a mental note of it. One issue may have just be an aberration, I thought.

But now Rudy's giving us more evidence that he's Master of the "TRUE Flip Flop" . . . this time on the key issue of health care. I've detailed that in another post. Are we starting to see a pattern here?

Sure, it may appear ironic to the skeptic or the uninformed for a Romney supporter to attack any other candidate as a "flip-flopper." However, Romney has only truly "flipped" his POSITION on one major issue (abortion) and only shifted his rhetoric on a few others. But who hasn't? The list of McCain's Flips (McFlips) is quite long. Rudy's got a growing list over at The Mitt Report that I'll paste in below:

-Health Care
-Supporting the Red Sox
-Line Item Veto
-Taxes
-Supporting George Soros and Being A Republican
-Immigration
-Congress' Schiavo action
-Gun support
-Abortion
-Civil unions
-Perjury


So why is Romney the only one they call a "flip flopper" now? It's because they ain't got nothing else and so they have to beat this horse to death. It's already getting old and tired IMO.

Thoughts? Comments?

Jeff Fuller
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posted by Jeff Fuller | 1:25 AM | permalink
First, some context. Recently, Giuliani attacked efforts to expand the children’s health insurance program (SCHIP) calling it “socialized medicine.”

Furthermore, the NYTimes reported yesterday:
In an interview last month on New Hampshire radio, Mr. Giuliani said that expanding the children’s program was a “typical Democratic, Clinton kind of thing” and that enrolling more children “is not just a beginning, it’s a big step in the direction of government-controlled medicine.”

But what did Rudy used to think about such programs?

Some Rudy supporters may claim that such statements mirror his record as mayor of NYC.
He began his tenure in City Hall vowing to curb the role of government in health care. He removed large numbers of people from welfare. He tried, but failed, to sell off New York City’s public hospital system. And he discouraged New Yorkers from enrolling in Medicaid, the government health program for the poor, telling city health officials that the program was a “bad idea.”

. . .

Mr. Jones, president of the Community Service Society, a liberal research and advocacy group in New York, said that in Mr. Giuliani’s first term, in setting out his complaints that the city was paying too much for Medicaid, he wanted the board to state publicly that Medicaid was a “bad idea.”

That's some "red meat" conservatism, eh?

But the problem for Rudy is that he later went on to strongly promote Medicaid enrollment as well as other healthcare enrollment initiatives thus landing a perfect 10.0 on the TRUE "Flip-Flop" meter (you know, the Kerryesque kind of flip flop of being on both sides of same issue repeatedly.) You want evidence?
in the spring of 2000 . . . he suddenly announced that the city would embark on one of the most aggressive efforts in the country to enroll children and adults in public health programs like Medicaid and Child Health Plus, the state insurance program for children.

He named his effort HealthStat, after his aggressive and widely praised crime reporting program, CompStat. He said he would follow the same course on insurance: he would root out the uninsured as he had rooted out criminals

. . .

In 2000, Mr. Giuliani . . . [announced] his effort to enroll as many as one million more city residents in government health programs.

Addressing the City Council and other city officials, Mr. Giuliani, commanding the room like a general marshaling his troops, said: “The first priority in dealing with the universe of people who are not enrolled in health insurance is to enroll as many children as possible. All city agencies are going to be mobilized.”

Pointing to maps of the city neighborhoods with many uninsured residents, he went on to detail an elaborate plan that would involve weekly reports on enrollment progress. “This is something that in a city like ours, if we can do this, becomes a model for the rest of this country . . ."

. . .

Mr. Giuliani’s effort as mayor to triple the number of New Yorkers with health insurance through government programs appears nowhere in his own description of his record on his presidential campaign Web site. And Mr. Giuliani has attacked efforts in Congress to expand the children’s health insurance program that his administration doggedly expanded, calling it “socialized medicine.” During Congress’s recent battle on the issue, Mr. Giuliani aligned himself with President Bush to limit coverage. Mr. Giuliani’s campaign declined to make him available for an interview for this article.


Some are seeing the flip-floppery here:
Mr. Giuliani’s critics say that his changing views and policies on health insurance during his eight years in City Hall are a prime example of the kind of political expediency that has defined him as a mayor and now as a presidential candidate. His current market-based proposals on health care — which would give consumers tax benefits to buy their own insurance and the poor some combination of tax refunds and vouchers — seem to have him campaigning against his own record in some ways, they say.

“It’s not the first issue he’s done a 180 on,” said Fran Reiter, a Democrat who was a deputy mayor under Mr. Giuliani and ran his 1997 re-election campaign. “I think it’s hard to ask people to judge you on your record when you’ve now walked away from what is a very clear record when you were mayor.”


I would just correct Fran Reiter that Rudy hasn't just done a "180" on this issue, he's done a full "360." Can this man be trusted?

Jeff Fuller
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Sunday, November 18, 2007
posted by Justin Hart | 8:47 AM | permalink
OK, its time to debunk some of the more ridiculous things going around the blogosphere by anti-Romney forces:

Claim: Ron Lindorg and his family are the in pocket of Mitt Romney and therefore they were the source of the WW anti-Mormon calls to help his campaign.

This is silly and false:

  • Ron Lindorf, the founder of Western Wats, completely divested his interests in the company in 2004.

  • Ron Lindorf did not found the BYU Business School. However, Ron Lindorf is affiliated with the Center for Entrepreneurship which is affiliated with the Marriott School of Management. After retiring from WW, he now teaches a class or two at the business school.

  • Ron's sister in law, wife of Ron's brother, Paul, is used to establish this close connection with WW. Paul retired from WW over 5 years ago in 2002. He has not been affiliated with the company in any way since that time.


Claim: Western Wats is based in Utah, filled with Mormons and many of them have given money to Romney and they instigated the call to help him.

This is stretching things altogether:

  • Western Watt's current CEO is not a Mormon.

  • Perhaps as many as 6 employees have given money to Mitt Romney. Statistically, that's even low by Utah standards (the company employs 1500 people)

  • American Capital Strategies sold WW in December of 2006.

  • Niel Hahl (another name to come up in the news) has not been on the board of directors since Dec. 2006. He is not directly affiliated with WW in any way.

  • WW is owned by a private equity firm located in the Northeast.

  • Not a single board member is Mormon, including the CEO as previously mentioned and the Chairman


Claim: It must have been the Romney camp. Why would an opposing campaign use a Utah-based Mormon-rich firm to conduct the calls?

  • WW employs 1500 people across the country

  • WW has numerous call centers across the country (not just in Utah)

  • If you are a political entity wanting to conduct a survey or collect data WW would be one of the first firms you would call

  • WW has conducted research for numerous Fortune 500 firms

  • As previously notes, firms associated with other campaigns HAVE used WW in the past

  • WW conducts 7000 projects a year. My estimate of a dozen projects is flat wrong. At any given moment they are conducting HUNDREDS of projects.

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This is unrelated to anything on here, but I thought that Mike Huckabee's latest ad showing him with Chuck Norris was absurd and insulting. So, I wrote him what I thought about it on his website and we'll see if they post it or he responds. The following is my short letter to him:

Dear Former Governor Huckabee-

My question to you is how I am supposed to think that you are at all serious about solving illegal immigration? Your solution is "Chuck Norris?" Does Chuck Norris = instate tuition for illegal aliens? Or does Chuck Norris = being an antagonist and race-bater against anybody who wants to end illegal immigration? Or does Chuck Norris = supporting amnesty for illegal aliens as you have in the past?

Since in my estimation you have been one of the worst Republicans in the nation on the issue of illegal immigration, I would think that in order to solve this problem, you would talk seriously about this issue instead of further making a joke out of it. Somethings just are not laughing matters. Illegal immigration creates an underclass that can be exploited by employers in a fashion similar to slave labor. Illegal immigration depresses wages. Illegal immigration leads to crime. I live in Arizona, a mere 45 minutes away from the border with Mexico. Our porous southern border, which is the main thoroughfare for drug smugglers and illegal immigrants and could easily be transversed by potential terrorists wanting to blow up American children, just doesn't seem like an issue where it is wise to make a "Chuck Norris is the answer" kind of claim. You should be ashamed of yourself. I hope that you take this issue more seriously if you ever become President of the United States. American children will be depending on you.



Everyone should note that Mitt Romney's former finance co-chair Alan B. Fabian was indicted on Aug. 9 by a federal grand jury on 23 counts including charges of money laundering, mail fraud, perjury and obstruction of justice. Romney would be dead out of the box if he ever got the nomination, already he averages more than 10% behind Hillary Clinton in match ups; in comparison McCain is within the margin of error.




posted by Justin Hart | 8:11 AM | permalink
UPDATE: Quick clarification. I had previously asked my source about the notion that Romney is behind the poll. He said it was "nonsense". I should clarify that this is his opinion. From my conversations I gather that he does not know exactly who is behind the survey but thinks that a Romney motive is "ridiculous". Again, he is understandably tight lipped on all this.

Numerous anti-Romney blogs are alive with fervor just hoping that Romney himself conducted the anti-Mormon calls to help his campaign. They cite political connections with the data collection firm and the fact that its based in Utah.

Couple of facts here:

If you are political campaign wanting to conduct research over the phone or Internet this Utah-based firm would be one of your first choices.

  • The firm "Western Wats" is the biggest data collection firm in the country. Probably a good number of political entities have used it.
  • "Western Wats" employs more than 1500 people
  • The company has numerous call centers all over the country (not just in Utah)
  • The company does not write the scripts nor do they analyze the data
  • The company does not do "push polls", but they do conduct "message testing" (sometimes even this is controversial)
  • Fortune 500 firms use their services all the time
  • There are dozens of projects going on at any given point in time.
Don't get me wrong. I'm sick and disgusted about these calls... but to pin them on Romney's campaign is just projecting anger at Mitt.

In short, while it may have been founded by Utahns it can hardly be called a Mormon firm. The connections to the Romney campaign are far and few between and coincidental in my mind.

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