...from the Washington Post? I hardly would have believed it myself until I read it. It's hard to argue with these quotes though:

But Romney's manner never changed; whether describing his appreciation of the symbolic importance of the American flag or talking about issues such as illegal immigration, the ex-governor almost never stopped smiling.

Romney was the only GOP contender in New Hampshire on Labor Day, and two of his main opponents, the undeclared Thompson and former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, did not hold any events yesterday.

Labels: washingont post

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you Ms. Michelle Griffin. As reported by the Washington Post’s Michael Shear, Ms. Griffin got her 3.5 minutes of fame today as she heckled Mitt into a conversation about healthcare as he visited Manchester’s Red Arrow diner.



There is much debate in this country about the state of the nation’s healthcare system. Ms. Griffin brought up several points that most Americans have to deal with every day. Health Insurance premiums, doctor visit and prescription co-pay amounts, and the various other minutia all add up. Some health plans are better than others. Some aren’t worth the amount of ink it takes to print their forms. Everybody thinks the health care system can be made better.

Most politicians, including every single one of the presidential candidates (both Democratic and Republican) have some plan or grandiose idea on how to effect change in the health care system. Its not a small system. It only makes up 1/7th of the US economy. Some of these politicians – especially Hillary Clinton – have been on the heath care warpath for many years.

That said, only one politician has actually done something to improve the health care system of the people he was elected to serve. That politician is Mitt Romney – former Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. If you’ve clicked on the video above you know that Mitt tried to explain this system to Ms. Griffin – several times.

Ms. Griffin wasn’t interested in the health care plan Mitt put in place in the Bay State. What she wanted was someone to come in and tell her all her medical bills would be taken care of by the government – and she wouldn’t have to pay a cent.

Well, as one of the tax-payers who would have to foot the bill to make Ms. Griffin happy, this kinda irks me. So I have a memo for Ms. Griffin:

Stop Whining. Now would be a good time. I feel for the pain caused by your family’s medical situation. Really. I do. How can I say this? Because I have a family of my own with our own medical bills to pay. I work hard for my money and, with all due respect, I’m not sure I can afford to pay for your health care in addition to my own. That is, after all, what you are asking. Government money doesn’t come from some magical printing press in Washington, DC. It comes from guys like me who think we send far too much of our hard earned cash to that city.

You don’t like your health care plan? Do something about it. Yes, I know that might involve doing something other than waiting tables at the Red Arrow. Stop expecting government to solve your problems. Do you really want an organization that pays $700 for a toilet seat deciding what health care benefits you qualify for? Every politician coming through that door is trying to sell you something. You just might want to put more stock in the guy who’s already done something about the issue rather than putting your faith in the nebulous idea of socialized medicine. Socialized Medicine is just Canadian for “Colossal Failure”.
So, Michelle, you’ve got a lot to think about. You can either stop your whining and do something for yourself (and your family), or you can wait for someone like Hillary Clinton to do something to you. Either way, please stop whining. End Memo.

As for Mr. Shear, I don’t think his reporting could have been more slanted if he had actually tried – which I’m sure he did. Memo to Michael Shear: Its August. I’m sure you don’t get out of your air-conditioned DC office very much, but I’m pretty sure you know that August in New Hampshire is anything but cool. I’ve watched the video you put up, and forgive me for being so blunt (its what I do), but the one thing I didn’t see Mitt do was sweat. At all. This is a guy who has put together billion-dollar deals using only his wits, intelligence, and guts. He knows his stuff. No diner waitress is going to find a chink in his armor – despite all your wishes to the contrary. End Memo.

The MSM silliness factor is increasing exponentially. This is a race for the Oval Office. When are they going to get serious? Are they capable of being serious? Methinks not.

Labels: bias, healthcare, New Hampshire, washingont post

This is absurd. Washington Post's "The Slueth" (aka Mary Ann Akers) tries to politicize the VT incident against Romney because he refused to politicize it.

In my mind... the Romney campaign took the high road -- even going so far as to cancel all events on Tuesday and postpone a D.C. fundraiser that was months in the making. There is no reason for noted pols to get attention over this issue.

The Sleuth would do well to take Gov. Kaine's advice:

VA GOV. TIM KAINE: I think that people who want to take this within 24 hours of the event and make it their political hobby horse to ride, I have nothing but loathing for them. This is not a political hobby horse or a crusade or something for a campaign or for a fundraising mailing. At this point, what it's about is comforting family members, doing what can be done to make sure that they have the ability to see their family members, that bodies can be released to families, and helping this community heal. And so to those who want to try to make this into some
little crusade, you know I say take that elsewhere. Let this community deal with grieving individuals and be sensitive to those needs. (Press Conference, 4/17/07)

Labels: the sleuth, Virginia, virginia tech, washingont post

The Washington Post has an excellent article today on Romney's inner circle. They have some quick pot-shots they take but for the most part this is great information.

As we noted last week about Spencer Zwick, Team Romney has a very distinct aura - a good one in our book.

* Beth Myers: The first among equals, Myers is Romney's campaign manager and closest aide. She was Romney's chief of staff during much of his term as governor, after having served a stint as a top adviser to Massachusetts Treasurer Joe Malone. Myers -- like many top GOP operatives in the '08 campaigns -- is an acolyte of Karl Rove, having served under him in the 1986 campaign of former Texas Gov. Bill Clements (R).

* Peter Flaherty: As director of Romney's outreach to conservatives, Flaherty may well hold the key to the governor's chances of winning the nomination. Prior to joining the campaign, Flaherty was Romney's deputy chief of staff in Boston. His background is in law, but Flaherty also served a stint at the movie production company Walden Media, which is run by his two brothers.

* Alex Castellanos: A well-regarded Republican media consultant, Castellanos has already been hard at work crafting Romney's image with a series of television ads aimed at introducing the governor to voters in early states like Iowa and New Hampshire. Castellanos comes to the campaign with a reputation for pointed (and effective) ad-making on behalf of a bevy of candidates, including President George W. Bush, former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-Fla.) and former Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.).

* Jan van Lohuizen: If you don't know who van Lohuizen is, that's just how he likes it. One of the lowest-profile pollsters in politics, van Lohuizen is also one of the most highly regarded. He was a key member of the Bush polling team in 2004 and has had a hand in any number of major GOP victories, including victories by Govs. Charlie Crist (R-Fla.) and Arnold Schwarzenegger's (R-Calif.) last November.

* Alex Gage: Microtargeting -- the process of collecting vast amounts of information on potential voters and then using the gathered data to tailor messages to them -- became all the rage in 2004 after President Bush found thousands of new supporters using it. And Gage, the founder of TargetPoint Consulting, is widely seen as a microtargeting guru. Bush paid $3 million to Gage's firm in 2004 and reaped huge rewards; Romney hopes to follow that blueprint in '08.

* Spencer Zwick: No one (besides Romney) deserves more credit for the candidate's $21 million first-quarter fundraising haul than Zwick. A wunderkind in his late 20s, Zwick is Romney's national finance director and a past deputy chief of staff in Romney gubernatorial office. Zwick, who met Romney while he was a student at Brigham Young University, enjoys such a close personal relationship with the candidate that he is often referred to as Romney's sixth son, according to the New York Times. (If you're a subscriber to National Journal, check out Shira Toeplitz's recent profile of Zwick.)

* Carl Forti: Forti, the campaign's political director, is a newcomer to Romney's universe, having spent the last several cycles as communications director at the National Republican Congressional Committee. Forti also headed up the NRCC's independent expenditure program -- directing tens of millions of dollars in television and radio ads as well as direct mail into districts across the country.

* Matt Rhoades: Rhoades isn't as well-known to the wider world as some of his counterparts on other campaigns, but he is regarded very highly by political professionals. Rhoades served as research director and deputy communications director at the Republican National Committee in the 2006 cycle and research director for the Bush-Cheney reelection campaign in 2004. Rhoades also enjoys a friendly relationship with Matt Drudge -- founder of the Drudge Report -- an indispensable connection in the modern "freak show" world of politics.

* Kevin Madden: The telegenic Madden was a staple of Capitol Hill in recent years as the public face for former Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) and current Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio). Madden has brought his friendly demeanor to Romney's operation, sending out a daily rundown of key clips and appearances by the former governor. Don't let the smile fool you though -- Madden is a New York native not unfamiliar with the rough and tumble of politics.

* Barbara Comstock: Comstock is a household name inside the Beltway as a former head of the Justice Department's Office of Public Affairs and research director at the Republican National Committee. Comstock rose to prominence as a master of the art of opposition research; in a 2001 profile of Comstock, Post reporter John Mintz wrote that Comstock had "done more than any other GOP operative to skewer Bill Clinton, Al Gore and their congressional allies."

* Eric Fehrnstrom: Fehrnstrom, as Romney's traveling press secretary, probably spends more time with the candidate than any other member of the Inner Circle. Prior to joining the campaign, Fehrnstrom was Romney's gubernatorial spokesman and deputy campaign manager for Romney's 2002 governor's race. Fehrnstrom, like Myers, has ties to former state Treasurer Joe Malone, for whom he served as a press fla

Labels: Alex Castellanos, Alex Gage, Barbara Comstock, beth myers, Carl Forti, Eric Fehrnstrom, Jan van Lohuizen, Kevin Madden, Matt Rhoades, Peter Flaherty:, spencer zwick, team romney, washingont post