Drawing on some of the successful fundraising techniques of President Bush’s two campaigns for the White House, the McCain campaign now plans to mirror the Bush-Cheney campaign’s Pioneers, Rangers and Mavericks with the McCain 50s, McCain 100s, McCain 200s and other elite designations for top fundraisers who agree to raise $50,000, $100,000, $200,000 or more.
I guess he looked at Romney's $20+ million and said... wow, that worked... I should try that.
Come on in John... the waters fine!
You see Romney realized the value of this approach sometime last year. In January, Spencer Zwick, Ben Ginsberg, and the finance team put in place 3 fundraising levels: Founder, Statesman and Patriot. Each level corresponds to a committment of fundraising before the year is out.
There were other bonuses for fulfilling your promise within the first 30 days (a ski trip with the Governor). On top of that Team Romney put in place incentives to match your lifestyle:
Let me give you an analogy: I have a very good friend in the midst of a start-up. His product is a unique remote control with 5 "On" buttons. When you press the button for "Family" it sorts through all of the shows that are playing on your cable or satellite box and filters the choices for you that your family will like. When you press the button for "With the spouse" it does likewise. When you press the button for "Just Me" it grabs the latest sports team you like to watch and so on.
Team Romney has brought the best of the business world to campaign fundraising: know your customer and cater to them.
By creating a myriad of well-honed programs for the specific incentives and needs of a specific audience, Romney can maximize his fundraising effort. Which is exactly how he raised the $23 million.
One example: last Monday Team Romney sent out an email to people who subscribe to MittLink:
Today, as an extra special reward for your efforts, you can earn two tickets to the NCAA College Basketball Final Four. Just earn the most points using MittLink from today, Tuesday, March 27th through 11:59 p.m. EST, Thursday, March 29th, and the tickets are yours!
OK... taking a page from Dean Barnett I'm going to answer the gambit of questions I received from readers, friends and family.
Q. Where is Mitt going to be this week?
This week the focus is simple: fundraising:
Mitt starts out the week on Monday in Texas with fundraising events in Dallas an Houston
Tuesday, the campaign heads to California (which is proving very generous in their contributions) for fundraisers in Palm Desert and Los Angeles
Wednesday the Governor jets across the country for a luncheon in Baton Rouge and northward for a dinner in in Charleston, SC
Thursday the Romney camp awakens to the beautiful SC dawn for a luncheon in Greenville
Finally, Friday finds Mitt in Palm Beach for the final fundraiser of the 1st Quarter
Q. What's up with the fundraising for the various candidates?
Of course the real buzz around town is the anxious nail biting push for dollar donations which will probably be revealed at the end of the week. While the full reports won't be published by the FEC until April 15th, the campaigns will likely give a good weekend update just in time for the Sunday shows.
So, who will be the winner. I wouldn't count Mitt out but here's the reality of the contest:
Rudy is the rock star with wide (but shallow) support across the country
McCain is the long-timer maverick, loathed by many in the GOP base, but has built up the best mailing list in the business
Romney is the underdog who has hired the A-team but lacks the name recognition, relying instead on the ground game
What about the others... If they garner more than a few million each... i would be surprised
Q. OK spill it... What are the numbers?
Despite what McCain wants you to believe the no one (including the Romney camp) is going to raise $30 million. McCain's people are expectations spinners and it simply won't fly. Romney will probably come in under $20 million. McCain will top him and Rudy? Really I have no idea but it could top them both - I dunno.
Q. Did you hear about the Evangelicals for Mitt liars? Frankly, this is silly. In my mind the folks at EFM have been maligned by Philp Klein and the AmSpec folk (who are inexplicable vehement in their opposition to Mitt Romney). Here's the short version: Nancy French (a native of Tennessee) opined that she thought Thompson was pro-choice in his original incarnation for the Senate. Philip Klein and (see apology here)other people in the blogosphere then accused them of being liars. EFM co-blogger comes to Nancy's defense:
This was, of course, in response to Nancy's very temperate post pointing out several news accounts that either refer to Senator Thompson as pro-choice during his Senate runs--or discuss Senator Thompson calling himself pro-choice. She didn't attack Senator Thompson--she said he'd be a "great candidate"--but she did continue to make the point David and I have also made, namely that the "True Conservative Watch" currently enveloping our movement is a bit much. She simply pointed out that he appears to be just as imperfect as Governor Romney.
There's no doubt that Fred Thompson was less pro-choice than his Democratic opponent in 1994, but there is also little doubt that he was less pro-life than Bill Frist (the other Republican running for Senate at the time). I was practicing law in Nashville, and I have distinct memories of the race because Fred Thompson was the first pro-choice politician I ever voted for. In fact, I can remember having guilty pangs as I pulled the lever--breaking a vow I made in college to never vote for a pro-choice candidate.
To be fair, Sen. McCain has amassed a number of pro-growth votes over his 24 years in Congress, and his record in support of school choice and free trade is impressive, as is his opposition to wasteful government spending. He has battled to eliminate outrageous pork-barrel projects and has courageously voted against pricey laws like the 2005 Highway Bill. But his vigorous opposition to the most pro-growth tax cuts in 20 years, and his outspoken pursuit of anti-growth and anti-free market policies in the realms of regulation, entitlement reform and campaign finance reveal a philosophical ambivalence, if not hostility, toward limited government and personal freedom.
While Sen. McCain's economic record is clearly mixed, a careful study demonstrates that even his pro-growth positions tend to be tainted by a heavy anti-growth undercurrent. This evidence, and the virulence of his rhetoric, suggest that American taxpayers cannot expect consistently pro-growth economic policies from a McCain administration.
John McCain's Obama-esque remarks about our "wasted" resources in Iraq weren't the only comments that landed him in hot water after a recent appearance on Late Night with David Letterman. Many of his staff were blindsided by his campaign announcement. And several aides were so outraged that they've quit, say Republican insiders.
"They're imploding—he had a game plan that had him announcing much later in the year," one top Republican aide tells Radar, adding that the campaign is "in serious trouble ... Romney's plan and Rudy's jump in the polls caused him to scrap his plans completely. When you do that, and you're not prepared for it, the staff goes crazy. Some of his coordinators in different states were pulling their hair out!"
Another insider, a guru to the conservative movement, says that McCain himself is growing increasingly desperate in the wake of his downward slide in the polls—a slip hastened by his steadfast support of the very man who savaged him and his family during the 2000 election, George W. Bush, and the president's unpopular plan for troop surge in Iraq. "One of the top aides to the Republican leadership told me that McCain has lost so much support, he's simply beside himself. He's wringing his hands. Things are sinking fast—in two or three weeks, we'll know if there is any recovery."
It didn't help any that McCain was the one leading Republican candidate who skipped last weekend's Conservative Political Action Conference. In CPAC's straw poll on Saturday, McCain came in fifth place—behind Sam Brownback. When the results were announced, attendees booed at the mention of his name.
The Politico has an incredibly in depth story on Romney's Race towards the White House.
First is Romney's plan to game the primary system, in other words, play it smart:
Republican primaries are winner-take-all. Whoever wins statewide gets all the delegates at stake. This favors front-runners, who, with their early money and early support, can wrap up the nomination quickly. But, in a barely noticed move, California Republicans have changed the system. Now it is winner-take-all by congressional district. That means a candidate no longer needs to win the whole state to get delegates.
This means that California's primary is now 53 individual contests and the candidates will be able to cherry pick which districts they want to be competitive in, limiting the expense of advertising in CA.
Romney also plans to bring a new kind of politics to CA:
he intends to treat California as if it were a "retail" political state instead of a tarmac state. (Because California is so large geographically, candidates spend most of their time flying from airport to airport, standing on the tarmac, doing a sound bite for local TV and then flying on.) Romney intends to emphasize more intensive, face-to-face campaigning in select congressional districts in which he has the best chance of winning delegates.
He is going to spend money.
He will exploit the differences between him and his chief rivals:
Romney intends to exploit what he perceives as two of McCain's great vulnerabilities in the Republican primaries: the McCain-Feingold law, which restricts campaign contributions, and the McCain-Kennedy bill, which would change immigration laws and allow for a guest-worker program. And while Romney disagrees explicitly with Giuliani on issues such as abortion, gun control and gay rights, he implicitly draws distinctions between Giuliani's rather turbulent personal life -- he has been married three times -- and Romney's own marriage of nearly 38 years.
In Iowa he is going to go all out at the Ames straw poll August 11th
Finally, he is going to try to talk about the Mormon issue thusly:
Romney intends to recast the issue by emphasizing that he is a person of faith and that that is more important to voters than what faith he is. Second, his Mormon faith has been fundamental to his commitment to family, which he believes people of all faiths can respect.
And realize he can be funny about it:
Romney quoted Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, a Mormon, telling other senators the difficulty he has raising money among members of his own faith. "You'd have had trouble raising money, too, if all the people you were asking money from were sober," Hatch said.
Mormons generally do not drink.
Of course, Mittheads, he can't do it alone. If you haven't already please go to Mitt's Website and sign up to volunteer and prepare for the battle ahead. There is much to do and barely a year to do it in. Also make sure all of your friends and family who support Mitt have done the same. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!
So first thing to note... this is NOT the campaign's roadmap. It's doubtful the Governor ever saw it. This type of analysis comes in unsolicited all the time. It's silly to think that Spencer Zwick has this laminated in his coat vest.
So what does the PowerPoint say? Well, from what the Globe reports on... it doesn't say a whole lot more than what we already knew.
The article details a few of Romney's strengths and weaknesses ("His hair looks too perfect") but otherwise offers very few original insights into the 2008 race. Here's one tidbit:
A page titled "Primal Code for Brand Romney" said that Romney should define himself as a foil to Bay State Democrats such as Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John Kerry and former governor Michael Dukakis.
Not a bad strategy. If I were cherry picking I'd take that with me. But we knew this back in 1994.
So how about the competition? The document is pretty spot on:
MCCAIN: McCain is described as a war hero and maverick with a compelling narrative and a reputation for wit, authenticity, and straight talk. But he's also seen as "too Washington," "too close to [Democratic] Left," an "uncertain, erratic, unreliable leader in uncertain times." "Does he fit The Big Chair?" the document asks. The plan calls McCain, 70, a "mature brand" and raises questions about whether he could handle the rigors of leading the free world.
GIULIANI: Giuliani is called an outside-the-Beltway rock star and truth teller who earned the nation's trust for his leadership of New York City's response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But he is described as a one-dimensional Lone Ranger whose social views -- he supports abortion rights and civil unions for gay couples -- could destroy the "GOP brand." "We can't disqualify Dems like Hillary on social issues ever again" if Giuliani is the nominee, the document states.
ON ROMNEY AGAIN: The case for Romney, according to the plan, is this: "Mitt Romney, tested, intelligent, get-it-done, turnaround CEO Governor and strong leader from outside Washington, is a better candidate than McCain & Giuliani to ensure that America's strength is maintained so we can meet a new generation of global challenges." ... In addition, the document provides a Romney roadmap for the early primaries, suggesting that he hopes to emerge as a credible "alternative to frontrunner" in Iowa, win New Hampshire, show strength in South Carolina, and be dominant in states, such as Michigan, that are eyeing early primary dates. The plan suggests Romney make full use of new media to reach voters, from feeding videos to YouTube to perhaps creating his own radio programming.
Most of this is low-grade stuff that my dog could write. From the pathetic graphics in the deck (OK - I'm a snob when it comes to PPT graphics) my dog probably did write it.
ARLINGTON, VA - U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential exploratory committee today announced that Virginia's senior senator, John Warner, will support the Arizona Senator should he decide to seek the presidency.
Senator Warner, now serving in his 5th term in the U.S. Senate, has spent the greater portion of his career working with our military, beginning at age 17 enlisting in the U.S. Navy during the last year of World War II, later as a U.S. Marine officer during the Korean War, and then during the Vietnam War serving as Under Secretary and Secretary of the Navy.
During his service as Secretary of Navy, Secretary Warner learned about McCain's distinguished career, and upon his return from Vietnam, the two met and established their long friendship and professional association.
"America's next President will be challenged by a range of diplomatic and security issues of unprecedented complexity largely due to growing, worldwide, terrorist threats. Senator McCain's long experience with, and understanding of, our military coupled with his proven, unquestioned courage and leadership, provide him with the essential qualifications for our next President," said Senator Warner. "America's prosperity and personal freedoms at home must be protected from threats beyond our shores. Security will be the primary issue in the forthcoming Presidential campaign. I consider it a privilege to join the McCain team."
Senator John McCain said that he was honored to have the support of such a distinguished public servant. "Senator Warner has served his country with honor, courage, and commitment," said Senator McCain. "His support means a great deal to me as a person, fellow Senator, and veteran. I look forward to his advice and counsel."
I'll let you be the judge. Good line or how he really feels!?
OK -- he was joking. But when you couple this questions together with the whole: "I'll build the damn fence if they want it" you have to wonder. John - you gotta be careful.
What the hell is wrong with Mitt Romney? Is he a stalking horse for Rudy Giuliani? I'm serious, is he?
Mitt is going after everyone and anyone who might be an alternative to Rudy Giuliani, but giving Rudy a free pass on everything.
I no longer think Mitt Romney is seriously running for President. I think he is looking for a VP nod from Rudy.
Somebody ping the Romney folks to take up my challenge, please! Prove to me Mitt Romney is NOT a stalking horse to take on everyone else but Rudy Giuliani in this race.
Mitt, if you want some of us to start taking your seriously, you'd better damn well start taking-on the front-runner instead of Sam Brownmback and John McCain.
The strategy is actually a good one. Rudy has so much in his closet that you almost don't have to do anything. Yes, he is the front runner right now... but that will change dramatically soon IMHO.
I thought Giuliani was stalking Romney? In all seriousness, I have advocated here and elsewhere that Giuliani would be the perfect VP for Mitt and that Mitt should not attack him.
In addition, I believe Mitt is seeking to run as a positive candidate, in contrast to McCain's grumpiness.
Mitt doesn't need to attack Giuliani. I don't believe he gains any traction by doing so. McCain is going to have to do that sooner or later anyway.
In a way, Romney's statements that McCain and Giuliani are heros is a very sound strategy. Even better than attacks. He is basically saying, I admit those men are heros, but I am still the best man for the job. Almost disarming their greatest strength. One has to acknowledge the strenghts of your opponents from time to time.
We admit up front that this list is not official. We've gathered the names from public news articles and on the candidates website. With that in mind there is no mistake that Mitt Romney increased his endorsement edge.
The difference seems to be a good majority of the Utah delegation getting behind him and making their names public. But there were also numerous endorsements from Georgia and South Carolina. Next week we will make available an endorsement application that will allow you to make contributions to this effort. We will try to source each of these as well.
Mitt Romney
John McCain
Rudy Giuliani
245
118
22
Lawyer James Bopp, Jr. Jay Sekulow Former Senator Jim Talent Former Representative Vin Weber Glenn Hubbard Greg Mankiw Cesar Conda John Cogan Governor Matt Blunt Former Governor Bill Owens Former Governor James B. Edwards Senator Robert Bennett Senator Larry Craig Senator Jim DeMint Former Speaker Dennis Hastert Representative Jim McCrery Representative Dave Camp Representative Howard "Buck" McKeon Representative Bill Shuster Representative Ed Whitfield Representative Ginny Brown-Waite Representative Hal Rogers Representative Joe Knollenberg Representative John Campbell Representative John Duncan Representative John Linder Representative Marsha Blackburn Representative Mike Rogers Representative Mike Simpson Representative Pete Hoekstra Representative Phil Gingrey Representative Ralph Regula Representative Robert Aderholt Representative Rodney Alexander Representative Ron Lewis Representative Tom Feeney Representative Tom Price Harry Cavanagh Kevin DeMenna Lee Hanley Paul And Susan Gilbert Wil Cardon Former Lt. Governor Toni Jennings Former House Speaker Allan Bense Former Republican Party Of Florida Chairman Al Cardenas Former House Speaker John Thrasher Mayor Rick Baker, St. Petersburg State Representative Anitere Flores State Representative Dennis Baxley State Representative Jennifer Carroll Former State Representative Dudley Goodlette Ann Herberger Mandy Fletcher Marc Reichelderfer Sally Bradshaw David Griffin Van Poole • Former House Speaker Brent Siegrist • Former Congressional Candidate Brian Kennedy • State House Republican Leader Christopher Rants Senator Scott Brown Senator Robert Hedlund Minority Leader Bradley Jones Assistant Minority Leader Mary Rogeness Minority Whip George Peterson Assistant Minority Whip John Lepper Representative Fred Barrows Representative Viriato deMacedo Representative Lewis Evangelidis Representative Paul Frost Representative Susan Gifford Representative Robert Hargraves Representative Bradford Hill Representative Donald Humason Representative Jeffrey Davis Perry Representative Elizabeth Poirier Representative Karyn Polito Representative Richard Ross Representative Todd Smola Representative Daniel Webster Mayor Michael Sullivan, Lawrence Sheriff Frank Cousins, Essex County Sheriff James Cummings, Barnstable County Sheriff Tom Hodgson, Bristol County District Attorney Tim Cruz, Plymouth County District Attorney Michael O'Keefe, Cape and Islands District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel, Northwestern Counties • Michigan House Republican Leader Craig DeRoche (R-Novi) • Gerry Mason, Michigan Grassroots Chairman Senator Cameron Brown Senator Nancy Cassis Senator Valde Garcia Senator Jud Gilbert Senator Roger Kahn Senator Bruce Patterson Senator Alan Sanborn
Senator Tony Stamas Rep. Dan Acciavatti Rep. Fran Amos Rep. Dick Ball Rep. Darwin Booher Rep. Jack Brandenburg Rep. Tom Casperson Rep. Bruce Caswell Rep. Bill Caul Rep. John Garfield Rep. Geoff Hansen Rep. Dave Hildenbrand Rep. Jack Hoogendyk Rep. Ken Horn Rep. Joe Hune Rep. Rick Jones Rep. Martin Knollenberg Rep. Phil LaJoy Rep. Jim Marleau Rep. Kim Meltzer Rep. Tim Moore Rep. Chuck Moss Rep. Neal Nitz Rep. Paul Opsommer Rep. Brian Palmer Rep. Dave Palsrok Rep. John Pastor Rep. Phil Pavlov Rep. Tom Pearce Rep. Tonya Schuitmaker Rep. Rick Shaffer Rep. Fulton Sheen Rep. John Stakoe Rep. Howard Walker • Former Representative Tommy Hartnett (R-SC) Former Representative Tommy Hartnett Terry Sullivan, State Director George Ramsey, Political Director Mike Green, Coalitions Director Henry Fishburne Dick Coen Larry Richter Wayland Moody Ricky Horne Paul Hogan Bill Hewitt Laura Hewitt John Rivers Joseph Murray Gene Zurlo Treasurer Kay Ivey State Senator Joe Kyrillos Cindy Costa Darrell Crate David Norcross Donna Gosney Jody Dow June Hartley Louis Pope Lynn Windel Peter Cianchette Robert Manning Ron Kaufman Sara Gear Boyd Solomon Yue Tom Rath Tony Parker Vance Day Christopher Collins, Managing Member of First Atlantic Capital, LLC Mark Guzzetta, President of Gemstone Development Jon Huntsman Sr., Chairman of the Huntsman Corporation John Miller, Founding Member of National Beef Packing Company John Rakolta, Jr., Chairman and CEO of Walbridge Aldinger Ambassador Mel Sembler, Chairman of the Board of The Sembler Company Tom Tellefsen, President of Tellefsen Investments Ted Welch, Owner of Ted Welch Investments Meg Whitman, President and CEO of eBay Senate President John L. Valentine Majority Leader Curtis S. Bramble Majority Whip Dan R. Eastman Assistant Majority Whip Sheldon Killpack Senator D. Chris Buttars Senator Allen M. Christensen Senator Margaret Dayton Senator John W. (Bill) Hickman Senator Lyle W. Hillyard Senator Scott K. Jenkins Senator Peter C. Knudson Senator Mark B. Madsen Senator Howard A. Stephenson Senator Dennis E. Stowell Senator Kevin VanTassell Senator Carlene M. Walker Speaker Greg J. Curtis Majority Leader David Clark Majority Whip Gordon E. Snow Assistant Majority Whip Brad L. Dee Rules Chair Stephen H. Urquhart Representative Douglas C. Aagard Representative Sylvia S. Andersen Representative Jim Bird Representative DeMar Bud Bowman Representative Melvin R. Brown Representative Stephen D. Clark Representative Bradley M. Daw Representative Glenn A. Donnelson Representative Jack Draxler Representative Ben C. Ferry Representative Julie Fisher Representative Craig A. Frank Representative Kevin S. Garn Representative Kerry W. Gibson Representative Keith Grover Representative Wayne A. Harper Representative Christopher N. Herrod Representative Kory M. Holdaway Representative Gregory H. Hughes Representative Fred Hunsaker Representative Eric K. Hutchings Representative Todd E. Kiser Representative Bradley G. Last Representative Steven R. Mascaro Representative John G. Mathis Representative Kay L. McIff Representative Ronda Rudd Menlove Representative Michael T. Morley Representative Michael E. Noel Representative Curtis Oda Representative Aaron Tilton Representative Mark W. Walker Representative Richard W. Wheeler Representative Carl Wimmer Representative Scott L. Wyatt Senator Orrin Hatch Georgia House Speaker Pro Tempore Mark Burkhalter Eric J. Tanenblatt Sam Olens Oscar N. Persons Fred Cooper Nancy Coverdell Senator Bill Mescher Councilman Joe Dill Representative Alan Clemmons Representative Nikki Haley Representative Chip Huggins Representative Ted Pitts Senator Ronnie Cromer Representative Nathan Ballentine
Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers Marlys Popma Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Fla.) Rep. Rick Renzi (Ariz.) Rep. Ray LaHood (Ill.) Rep. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (Fla.) Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (Fla.) Sen. Gordon Smith (Ore.) Sen. Trent Lott (Miss.) Sen. Jon Kyl (Ariz.) Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) Sen. John Thune Cory Tilley J. Antonio Villamil John "Mac" Stipanovich Governor Bob Martinez Matt Mayberry John Chambers Fred Smith Guy Rodgers Manny Kadre Marty Fiorentino Brian Ballard David Azbell De Byerly Marlene D. Elwell Fred Zeidman Dax Swatek Eileen Weiser George Dean Johnson, Jr Hayden Dempsey Ed Failor, Jr., Executive Vice President of Iowans for Tax Relief Rob Gray Maxine Sieleman Trey Walker Steve Schmidt John Thain Jerry Perenchio; John A. Moran; Thomas G. Loeffler; James B. Lee, Jr.; Lewis M. Eisenberg Donald R. Diamond Donald Bren James Huffines Florida Republican Party Vice Chairman J. Allison DeFoor Florida Attorney General Jim Smith Governor Jane Swift Macomb County Republican Chairwoman Janice Nearon Michigan Republican Party Ethnic Vice Chair Andrew Wendt state Rep. David Law state Rep. Lorence Wenke state Rep. Glenn Steil, Jr state Rep. Judy Emmons Senator Randy Richardville Agustin G. Corbella Jon Huntsman Mark Shurtleff Governor William P. Clements Robert Mosbacher R. McCombs Mike Cox Dave Dishaw Chairman Glenn Clark Doug Smith Alec Poitevint South Carolina Secretary of State Mark Hammond Michigan RNC Committeeman Chuck Yob Republican National Committeewoman Holly Hughes Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty Bobby Harrell, Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives State Senator Michelle McManus Karen Slifka, Regional Political Director for the Republican National U.S. Senate candidate Keith Butler Rep. Spencer Bachus John E. Lyons, Jr. Senator Wayne Kuipers Senator Olympia Snowe Senator Susan Collins Representative Josh Tardy State Senator John Gallus Representative Bill Remick Representative John Tholl, Jr former Michigan House Speakers Chuck Perricone Speaker Johnson Rep. Fred Upton (MI-06) Rep. Spencer Bachus (AL-06) Rep. John Shadegg (AZ-03) Rep. John Shimkus (IL-19) Rep. Mark Kirk (IL-10) Rep. Dan Lungren (CA-03) George Gallo Assistant Minority Leader Kevin Elsenheimer Representative Kevin Elsenheimer Minority Floor Leader Chris Ward Winton Blount III Rep. Ric Keller Rep. LaTourette Alabama Republican Party Executive Director Tim Howe Mayor Carlos Alvarez Rep. Ric Keller Rep. LaTourette Alabama Republican Party Executive Director Tim Howe Mayor Carlos Alvarez Rep. Christopher Shays Republican National Committeewoman Eileen Slocum Rep. Robert Watson Former Senator Phil Gramm Attorney General McKenna Congressman Chip Pickering (MS-03) Governor Mitch Daniels Michigan State Senator John Pappageorge Governor Frank Keating Rep. Mike Castle Delaware Speaker of the House Terry Spence Former Senator Mike DeWine Senator Hugh Leatherman
Candice Miller Susan Molinari David Dreier Dr. Mark P. Campbell Rick Wiley Bill Stepien Jake Menges Cary Evans K.C. Jones Matthew R. Mahoney Brian Cresta Michael Knapik Brian Lees Bruce Tarr Richard Tisei Ted Olson Pennsylvania Congressman Charlie Dent Rep. Mary Bono (R-Calif.) Rep. Vito Fossella (R-N.Y.) Rep. Peter King Rep. Candice Miller Rep. Pete Sessions
The one Republican who all agree has been part of the negotiations from the start is Mr. McCain, who is running for his party's presidential nomination. This worries Republicans who say that Mr. McCain is the last Republican they want representing their interests in negotiations with Mr. Kennedy over immigration legislation.
Mr. McCain and Mr. Kennedy have long embraced the same goal of giving illegal aliens a direct path to U.S. citizenship despite having broken laws to get here in the first place. Both men also denounce the view held by most Republicans that the federal government should first secure the border with Mexico and begin enforcing current laws before addressing other immigration issues such as what to do with the more than 10 million to 12 million aliens already here.
Who has been in and out of negotiations this year signals to Republicans that Mr. Kennedy will introduce a bill that more resembles the original McCain-Kennedy bill than the compromise that was ultimately approved last year.
Amnesty John is unsuited for the Presidency based on this issue alone. If someone has this little respect for something as basic as our borders why should we trust him with the presidency.
There are, for me, a few issues that are important benchmarks for me. Pro-Life issues, the War on Terror, Taxes, and Immigration. The only candidate who gts 4/4 on these issues is Mitt Romney. Giuliani gets a 2/4 for the War on Terror and taxes, McCain gets a 1.5/4 for the war and partially on life(Campaign Finance has hurt the pro-life movement so he gets docked there. Though McCain says he now favors the Bush Tax Cuts he voted against them.)
I know this is a long shot, but I see McCain dropping out of the race before the end of the year. He continues to loose support, and I think the gruel of this year's campaign could really wear on McCain physically. The early campaign season could prove advantageous for Romney in that regard.
I also think Giuliani is posturing as a VP, but that, too, is mere speculation.
It’s official, Sen. John McCain won’t be at the Conservative Political Action Conference next week. McCain’s people have informed CPAC planners that he can’t make the three-day conference, which will take place about three miles from McCain’s Capitol Hill office.
By skipping CPAC, McCain will have blown off three conservative events already this year. In addition to CPAC, he missed the National Review Institute Conservative Summit and the Heritage Foundation’s Conservative Members Retreat. He’s also turned down an invitation to the Club for Growth’s conference in March.
Bluey reports that Giuliani will also skip CPAC. No surprise there.
.. In a move that ought to alarm conservatives John McCain blasted the Bush administration's actions on Global Warming. From the LA Times:
"I would assess this administration's record on global warming as terrible," McCain said, recalling that he got "no cooperation from the administration" at Senate hearings on the subject. He pronounced himself "very happy to see the president mention global warming and a renewed commitment from the administration to this issue." But he added tartly: "It's long overdue." (White House spokesman Tony Fratto declined to respond directly to McCain but said Bush had "set an ambitious goal for our nation to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and we're meeting it.")
I suppose all of his friends at Davos urged him to support the Kyoto Treaty as well. I wonder how much of the American Economy he is willing to sell down the river over "Global Warming."
I also found this bit interesting from the Vice President:
McCain said that Bush had been "very badly served" by Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney, who shot back Wednesday. "I just fundamentally disagree with John," Cheney told ABC News. "John said some nasty things about me the other day, and then next time he saw me, ran over to me and apologized. Maybe he'll apologize to Rumsfeld."
David Brody: McCain Supporters, Why don't your sit down before I tell your...
Yesterday, we noted that David Brody, CBN News Capitol Hill Correspondant, was asking Pro-lifers to email him feedback on this question:
"As a pro-life voter, who would you vote for? John McCain or Mitt Romney? Who do you view as the candidate that will best represent the pro-life movement.?
The response? "It wasn't even close. More than 90% of people who emailed me said Romney was the guy, hands down." Brody gave some sample emails:
"Romney’s personal life and religion, a religion I do not share, demonstrate to me a profound love and respect for family and children. I believe he is sincerely and deeply committed to protecting the rights of the unborn."
But how about McCain. (here's the "why don't you sit down first" part):
"McCain has risked little politically with his "life" record (being from a Red State but still never being on the forefront or frontlines of the pro-life fight.) Sure he's got a "neat and tidy" voting record to refer to, but, even though he's "the king" of sponsoring new legilsation, I'm not aware of him taking a leadership role for "pro-life" causes. Plus, he's constantly shown that he's willing to "show-up" the conservative base if it suits him at the time."
Brody cites a few more emails then summarizes:
A couple of interesting themes emerge here. Clearly, there is a distrust with McCain on the life issue. I'm sure his handlers are beside themselves wondering why a solid 20 year pro-life record may not resonate as much as it should....
Part of the distrust with McCain clearly centers on how McCain hasn't made the lfie issue paramount in his career. He's more a campaign finance, anti-pork spending type guy. Yes, he's a reliable Senate vote on life issues (except on embryonic stem cell research) but he typically stays away from the issue. For that matter, Romney tried to do that as well in liberal Massachusetts. That makes sense. But now he's running for President. Will he move that issue up on his agenda?
Here's the big difference between McCain, Romney and Rudy. The one guy who will actually stand up to lead and defend the pro-life movement is the former pro-choice-leaning governor from a blue state.
It hasn't changed dramatically... there are a few more endorsements for everyone over the weekend.
Later this week we will be unveiling an interactive database for endorsements... but I'm getting a lot emails wanting names (GIVE US A NAME!) So, here are the names, in no particular order... Rough and tumble and a bit ugly... but there they are.
MITT ROMNEY
JOHN MCCAIN
RUDY GIULIANI
176
104
20
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And we're not talking about flying pigs, rather flying earmarks. John Thune's is a decent guy and a good Senator but is already neck deep in pork spending. See this entry from the CAGW:
The Dakota, Minnesota, and Eastern Railroad (DM&E) is trying to secure a record $2.3 billion loan through the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The loan would allow DM&E to expand and improve a rail line that is used primarily to transport coal from Wyoming to Minnesota, a route already served by two other railroads.
Sounds like a decent project -- although, that is a LOT of money and apparently a record loan. Say, who should we get to advocate this?
The loan application was made possible largely through the efforts of Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a former lobbyist for DM&E who earned $220,000 from the railroad in 2003 and 2004. After his election to the Senate in 2005, Sen. Thune played a key role in setting new criteria for the FRA's loan financing program and increasing its budget a whopping tenfold -- from $3.5 billion to $35 billion -- in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act.
Yikes! That sounds like a conflict of interests - if only a perceived one. Of course, now that Thune has endorsed John "Government-changed-us" McCain, perhaps it all makes sense?
Two peas in a pod, or better yet, porks in a barrel.
Mitt can debate circles around Ted Kennedy; think you need to get him in fora where people can see how able really is. He's not just a pretty face, as sound bites tend to reflect. Easily the brightest candidate on the national picture from either party == and the most forceful speaker.
Mitt needs to include that Mormons believe in Jesus Christ. This will serve to clearly communicate that he shares the faith in Christ of many other Christian 'denominations' from Protestant to Catholic to Evangelicals. This will quell some of the anxiety that Christians feel towards the Governor.
s that California's primary is now 53 individual contests and the candidates will be able to cherry pick which districts they want to be competitive in, limiting the expense of advertising in CA.
David Brody: McCain Supporters, Why don't your sit down before I tell your...
And we're not talking about flying pigs, rather flying earmarks. John Thune's is a decent guy and a good Senator but is already neck deep in pork spending. See this entry from the CAGW:
It’s official, Sen. John McCain won’t be at the Conservative Political Action Conference next week. McCain’s people have informed CPAC planners that he can’t make the three-day conference, which will take place about three miles from McCain’s Capitol Hill office.
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