Elect Mitt Romney in 2008

Mark Warner Drops Out

2006-10-12T17:19:00.000-04:00

Read all about it here. I'm guess that Gov. Warner found out that Sen. Clinton was monopolizing the '08 Democrat money, decided he couldn't win, and bowed out gracefully in the hopes of getting the VP nod. I bet he wishes he had run against Sen. Allen right about now.

From our point-of-view, this is good news and mildly bad news. Good news in that Gov. Warner might have been a pretty good presidential candidate. I believe Gov. Romney could beat him, but by claiming the mantle of a "moderate" and putting Virginia into play it would have been a bit more difficult and, since elections don't happen in a vacuum, might have been the Democrats best chance at sneaking in a spoiler.

The bad news is that this solidifies the anti-Hillary candidates on the Democrat side into only Sen. Edwards (he of trial lawyers' money), increasing the odds that he takes her down and denies us Republicans of the weakest candidate. Luckily, Sen. Edwards isn't a particularly strong candidate himself.

Of course, I'm getting ahead of myself. The biggest mountain to climb for a potential Romney Admiinistration remains the Republican Primary. On which we are making great progress.

~~~Thomas

Coulter now picking Romney

2006-10-04T13:58:00.000-04:00

O'Reilly had Ann Coulter on his show last night, and again made his belief that he's betting on Gov. Romney known. Surprisingly, Gov. Romney picked up another voice in Ann Coulter.

O'REILLY: Is there anything that could make you vote Democrat? Is there any scenario that you could envision you supporting the Democrat candidate for president?

COULTER: If Zell Miller were running against John McCain.

O'REILLY: You're not a big McCain fan, are you?

COULTER: No. Actually, I don't really like any of our front-runners.

O'REILLY: Really?

COULTER: I think it's going to be somebody else.

O'REILLY: I think it's going to be Mitt Romney.

COULTER: Actually, of the ones they talk about...

O'REILLY: I think Mitt Romney is the...

COULTER: ... he's my favorite. It's somebody out of the blue.

O'REILLY: ... is the guy on the inside track that very few people know about.

COULTER: And as he's pointed out, although his...

O'REILLY: All right. One more question real fast.

HT: Texans for Mitt

The Wall Street Journal highlights a certain governor

2006-09-25T18:35:00.000-04:00

Gov. Romney get props from yet another corner. Everyone who sees our man Mitt just can't help but walk away impressed.

And then there is the charisma and poise that Mr. Romney seems to exude naturally. "Many people say he certainly looks like a president--sort of a cross between Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy," says Genevieve Wood, who founded the conservative Center for a Just Society. Anyone who draws comparisons to those political genes merits further watching.

O'Reilly pronounces Romney the frontrunner!

2006-09-24T01:32:00.000-04:00

My co-blogger at electromneyin2008.com found a VERY interesting article today over at the Michigan Republican Party Blog. Bill O'Reilly, he of the highest rated show in cable news, gives Romney the edge to be our next president.

I'm not the biggest fan of O'Reilly personally (he's too populist for my taste), but his voice on the right is unmistakably strong. We're expecting a groundswell of momentum to begin soon. If O'Reilly starts repeating these views on his television or radio shows, we might very well remember this day as a key step into realizing the Romney Administration.

O'Reilly Gives Early Edge To Romney
(TRAVERSE CITY) — Fox News commentator Bill O'REILLY told a gathering here today that Massachusetts Gov. and former Michigander Mitt ROMNEY is his early favorite to win the 2008 presidential election over U.S. Sen. Hillary CLINTON (D-N.Y.) in what he sees now as the likely head-to-head race.

Speaking at the Michigan Future Forum, sponsored by the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, O'Reilly said former frontrunner U.S. Sen. John McCAIN (R-Ariz.) will be hurt for his "soft" positions on the terrorist interrogation and border security issues.

The host of the "No Spin Zone" and the "O'Reilly Factor" added that another top-tier Republican candidate, Rudolph GUILIANI, the former New York City mayor, is being hurt by his inability to handle the press and his mushy positions on issues. Former U.S. House Speaker Newt GINGRICH and U.S. Sen. George ALLEN (R-Va.) round out the top five candidates on the GOP side.

But in the last two weeks, O'Reilly said he's seeing a lot of reasons to give Romney an edge.

"He's photogenic. He's articulate. He's got money. New Hampshire likes him. This guy . . . you watch him," O'Reilly said.

The commentator made famous for his unabashed conservative lean said Clinton is far and away the favorite on the Democratic side. She has more money than any other presidential candidate at this point in history, he said. The problem is that while 35 percent of the people love her, a strong 44 percent of people don't like her and wouldn't vote for her if she was running against Osama Bin LADEN, he quipped.

Former President Bill CLINTON had the personal charm to change people's opinion of him. His wife does not. She is not engaging with the public. She doesn't give press conferences. That's a "huge negative," O'Reilly said.

U.S. Sen. John KERRY (D-Mass.) is spending a lot of time in Iowa these days, a clear sign that he's running again after losing in 2004 to Bush. Why else would a millionaire spend time in Iowa, he pointed out. The Democrats' 2000 presidential nominee, Al GORE, insists he's not running, but insiders have their doubts. Either way, O'Reilly didn't give the global warming crier much of a chance.

In a head-to-head match-up between Clinton and Romney, O'Reilly gives the edge the Romney unless the economy collapses. If terrorists hit the United States again, this country is going to "take a dramatic turn to the right," he predicted.

"If we're attacked again, the Democratic Party can go away," O'Reilly said. "People are so angry underneath."

That would hurt McCain, who does not support President George W. BUSH's position that terrorists are exempt from having to be detained and treated under Geneva Convention rules because they do not represent a country and are not soldiers in a traditional sense.

McCain, a former prisoner of war, also doesn't agree that interrogation techniques that some would consider torture, such as "water-boarding" should be used against terrorist suspects. O'Reilly said allowing the president to OK water submersion under "extraordinary circumstances" works and has stopped 12 attacks, including a suspected terrorist plot in Los Angeles.

Original source (sign-up required)

Romney chats up Congress

2006-09-23T00:51:00.000-04:00

Hotline has the story:

As Sen. John McCain struck a deal with the administration on torture policy today, MA Gov. Mitt Romney was also busy on the Beltway circuit. Romney first gave a speech this morning, discussing his much-ballyhooed initiative on health insurance to a downtown crowd at the Mayflower.

He then headed up to the Hill and joined the House GOP's "Theme Team" for their regular lunch meeting. Chaired by House Conf Vice- Chair Jack Kingston (R-GA), the Team consists of about 85 mostly conservative House GOPers who gather to hatch strategy and gin up ideas on how to get their message across. About 25 members attended today and heard Romney speak about his record in the Bay State, including the health care plan, his efforts on education and the difficulty of being Red in the heart of Blue America. One House source in attendance said that while he did not explicitly discuss '08, he made it "clear he's going to run." After making his pitch, Romney took questions about where he came down on issues ranging from Iraq to stem cell research. The word from those on the Hill is that he answered the questions effectively and made a positive impression on the members.

This is not the first time Romney has sat down with congressional GOPers, nor has he been the only '08'er to begin the courtship process, but, as we said the other day, is it still only '06?

Btw, Romney is overnighting in DC as he speaks to another group of conservatives, the Family Resarch Council, tomorrow morning. Also addressing FRC's Values Voter Summit are AR Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) and Sens Sam Brownback (R-KS) and George Allen (R-VA).

Romney/McCain snapping up the talent in Iowa

2006-09-23T00:29:00.000-04:00

The Washington Post blog "The Fix" has makes note of Gov. Romney's organizational advances.

The only other candidate with such breadth of political experience in the Hawkeye State is Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R), who announced a 50-person Iowa advisory committee in June. Romney's lead strategist in Iowa is Doug Gross, the party's 2002 gubernatorial nominee and a former aide to Branstad as well as former Gov. Robert Ray.

Remember that the major fight right now among aspiring presidential candidates is for staff talent -- specifically in key early states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. The more talent McCain and Romney are able to scoop up before the midterm elections, the more difficult it will be for any other Republican candidate to seriously compete with the two frontrunners in Iowa and beyond.

Remember, there was good reason Sen. McCain ran away from Iowa last time out.

Chavez call Bush "The Devil"

2006-09-20T18:28:00.000-04:00

Gotta love the kind of people the left associates themselves with.

If we had any sense we'd take him and Ahmadinejad seriously. But we seem to be sticking our heads in the sand lately.

Romney takes on McCain and terrorists

2006-09-17T01:40:00.000-04:00

The big news the last few days has been Sen. McCain and the usual suspects (A.K.A. Sen. Graham and the Democrats) pushing forward a crappy bill that would severely weaken the CIA's ability to interrogate terrorists and even try them later on.

Yesterday Gov. Romney went to Sen. Graham's backyard and threw in his $.02:

"I'm foursquare behind the president on this," Romney said. "We need to provide to the interrogators the definitive rules that they need" and "not be subject to lawsuits" that might come from their work.

"The people we are facing are individuals who have no interest in the Geneva Convention," Romney said. "They slit the throats of our servicemen. They target civilian populations for terror and destruction."

Pretty much on the money. He might have added that the Geneva Convention is not applicable to a bunch of guys who get together and decide to kill innocent civilians...but he's already mentioned that.

There's always someone who says this

2006-09-13T19:15:00.000-04:00

This article by Ramesh Ponnuru has been getting some play today. Sorry, I don't see it.

If we lose the Senate, we lose our ability to confirm strong judges that will prevent liberal policies from being miraculously found within the Constitution. If we lose the House, the open borders crowd wins by default and 70% of America will be ignored.

If we maintain, we will retain the presidency with Gov. Romney or whoever (against Sen. Clinton we have an easy run) and, with the retirement of President Bush, likely will regain most of the seats we'll lose this time around.

Like the optimism...but wrong

2006-09-13T19:09:00.000-04:00

Video

2006-09-07T18:09:00.000-04:00

The Political Pit Bull has the video of Gov. Romney's appearance on O'Reilly.

Click me!.

Terrorist Snubbed

2006-09-06T19:23:00.000-04:00

In case you weren't aware, we have a visitor in the U.S. from the man who, until only last year, was president of the face of the Axis of Evil. Mohammed Khatami was scheduled to speak at Harvard University on September 10 (obviously, they figured doing it a day later might have been disrespectful). As a former head of state, Khatami is usually granted certain privilidges including a police escort and VIP treatment.

Gov. Romney says "no".

Everybody smile.

Lovin' it in California

2006-08-21T17:58:00.000-04:00

Gov. Romney was in California over the weekend and made a great impression (as he always does).

"I'm a little concerned about the challenges we face," Mr. Romney said. "But I want you to know as I go through this list of challenges, I'm going to end up telling you why I am the most optimistic person in this room."
After the speech, the audience of nearly 700 erupted in chants of "Run, Mitt, Run" and the governor was surrounded by adoring fans hoping to snap a picture of the grinning, salt-and-pepper-haired politician. He worked the room for nearly an hour as chattering Republicans said things like "What a realist."

He also said something about immigration that I believe is spot on:

“It is wrong for us to build an absolute concrete wall against those with skills and enterprise,” he said, referring to foreign students who come here for advanced study, “and have a wide open door for people with no education and no skills.”

Darn tootin'! Importing an underclass for companies to exploit isn't the most wise way of choosing who gets to enter the country.

Sen. Hatch on Romney

2006-08-16T13:25:00.000-04:00

Longtime Utah Senator (and former presidential candidate) Orrin Hatch made some comments about Gov. Romney:

Hatch reeled of the names of several potential Republican candidates for president. "Mitt Romney would be the best candidate. He's the best manager, he's been a terrific governor working in a liberal state, he's charismatic, handsome and wealthy, and he made it on his own," Hatch said. "The Mormon issue could hurt him because people don't know a lot about Mormons. They still think Mormons practice polygamy and have other ideas. John F. Kennedy was able to break through though as the first Catholic president."

"I think Hillary (Clinton) could be the Democratic candidate if she wants it. I call her 'Hill.' I don't think women will vote for her."

~~~Thomas

Romney signs tax benefits for veterans

2006-08-14T13:35:00.000-04:00

Click

Property tax benefits for disabled veterans now range from $250 to $950 per year depending on the disability. Under the new law, those property tax exemptions will range from $400 up to $1,500 annually.

The new law also gives the surviving spouses of veterans killed since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, a full exemption from property taxes for five years. After that, a $2,500 exemption will be granted each year.

Activating the Guard

2006-08-10T18:08:00.000-04:00

Today some of us (sadly few from looking around the internet) are reminded that the War on Terror is a serious thing and not just a political football. Analysts are saying that we stopped "The Big One". Al Qaeda's long expected follow-up to 9/11. My thanks to everyone, from intelligence analyst to law enforcement agencies, for unraveling this plot.

Gov. Romney is doing his part by activating the National Guard for Logan Airport.

Television Appearances

2006-08-10T17:01:00.000-04:00

Via Electromneyin2008.com

Tonight, Governor Romney will be on Hardball at 7PM on MSNBC and Hannity and Colmes
at 9:30PM on Foxnews. Tomorrow at 8:45AM, he'll be on Fox and Friends

The Romney effect

2006-08-07T22:05:00.000-04:00

A post at the Corner today mentioned that Gov. Romney's health care plans are starting to spur innovation in other states as well.

They mention that there's a split in the party about this from those that think government should just butt out. I have sympathy for the position, but we have to face reality. Sen. Clinton's disaster in '93 put the genie on the socialized medicine bottle for over a decade, but it won't last forever as long as insurance premiums keep going up. Eventually we've got to deal with it. And we can either take some of the pressure off by attempting some good market based solutions, or we can face the possibility of a complete government takeover.

Which would be a disaster.

Novak on Romney

2006-08-05T22:59:00.000-04:00

Robert Novak has some tidbits on Gov. Romney's performance so far in early primary states:

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, trailing in national polls of Republican voters, has the lead in organizing early primary states for the 2008 presidential run, in the opinion of neutral GOP politicians.

Romney is particularly strong in Iowa, where caucuses begin the presidential hunt. A win there would swell Romney's now anemic identification among Republican voters.

Interesting that Novak was one of the biggest proponents of the Mormon Issue™ a scant 3 months ago. Looks like we're already changing many a mind.

We have our first faux controversy!

2006-08-01T21:59:00.000-04:00

Gov. Romney has made Time because he used the word "Tar Baby" to describe the Big Dig. Here's the definition of the word from dictionary.com:

tar baby
n.

A situation or problem from which it is virtually impossible to disentangle oneself.

A pretty apt description of the Big Dig, wouldn't you say? But, since there are those that enjoy taking offense when none is clearly meant, we have controversy.

Ah well. We're bound to hear more sillyness over the next 2 years.

National Journal Rankings

2006-07-27T04:41:00.000-04:00

National Journal has their monthly ratings out again...and nothing's changed. Gov. Romney is still solidly entrenched at #2.

What's most interesting is the degree to which the pack seems to have fallen off.

Anti-Bigotry ads are coming

2006-07-19T19:11:00.000-04:00

The filmmaker who started RunMittRun is now announcing plans to release ads countering the Mormon Issue™.

Good luck to him.

Minimum Wage falls on Romney's desk

2006-07-15T05:48:00.000-04:00

The Mass. Legislature has handed Gov. Romney a bill to raise the minimum wage to $8 an hour. That sounds a bit high to me. Gov. Romney's past position on minimum wage to about $7 and pegged it to inflation.

Here's my take on this: Unlike what most people seem to believe, the minimum wage does not exist so that people can live off of it. You can't and, frankly, you shouldn't. Not every job in the country is worth supporting a family with. The minimum wage exists to prevent the exploitation of workers.

Pegging the minimum wage to inflation is just common sense politically and as a matter of policy. If we think a worker is being exploited below a certain wage one year, then the equilivant wage should be considered exploitive the next. Furthermore, pegging the minimum wage to inflation makes the issue go away. Every year the Democrats don't get to make a fuss about the so-called "living wage".

That the national GOP has successfully stopped any raise in the minimum wage for the last nine years. This stand on principle has had negative effects across the country as several states have raised the minimum wage on their own. Basically they've cut their own wrist to satisfy their voters. Companies then move out of town in order to find cheaper workers. This is bad all-around.

As a national problem, the national minimum wage should be increased to the level of the 1997 wage indexed to inflation and then pegged.

What will Gov. Romney do? I think he'll veto it as too high and be overridden.

Stupid Question

2006-07-15T04:33:00.000-04:00

I was having a conversation just now about the Israeli situation in which I suggested that maybe they should all just come to the U.S. where Jews at least don't need to place armed guards in front of their temples. It was pointed out to me that the Jewish vote is usually around 75% Democrat. I didn't mind so much, losing a net 1% of the country to the Dems would be worth it to end the problem. At this point I decided to stop talking to myself and pose a question to those in the audience.

Why do Jews vote so disproportionately Democrat? Off the top of my head I can't think of any major offenses against the religion from the GOP. As a matter of fact it can be said that the strongest support for Israel in the world comes from the Bible Belt. Income and education levels don't support the trend. Maybe there's some regional explanations, but not nearly on this level.

And yet President Bush did almost as well in the gay community after actively campaigning to deny them the ability to marry. It's a mystery to me. Perhaps someone in the peanut gallary can provide an explanation.

Disclaimer: This is an intellectual question on demographics, not a bigoted one. My grandparents were Jewish and left Germany in the 30s when things started looking nasty. Any racist comments will be deleted.

Taking Control

2006-07-15T02:33:00.000-04:00

Seems the legislature agrees with Gov. Romney and has given him emergency control of the Big Dig. Good. Wonder if this little incident will make it to the Discovery Channel's next special on the project. Harry Shearer made a comment about Gov. Romney running for governor of Louisiana...but it turned out to just be a jab at the Army Corps of Engineers.

And, finally, Democrats wasted no time in attacking Gov. Romney immediately after giving him this new authority.

At least he'll be used to it when he walks into the Oval Office.

Michigan Primary

2006-07-14T03:36:00.000-04:00

Y'know, I'm not sure how I missed this article, but it's pretty interesting. For one thing it has The Weekly Standard putting the primary (of Michigan at least) as a two-man race between Gov. Romney and Sen. McCain. And it calls it the key primary to boot (certainly good news for a certain native Michiganlander.....if that's what you call them).

Hemmingway ends the piece by going into a detail on the internal wrangling of Michigan politics, how Chris Romney (Mitt's bro) almost short-circuited Gov. Granholm's political career before it started, and split the state party, a rift that has not yet ended.

Ah, the joys of smoke-filled rooms.

Afterthought: I wouldn't hand out S. Carolina to Sen. McCain just yet. Gov. Romney has an excellent chance of picking it up if things have gone head-to-head by then. And if the race is still open, I wouldn't be surprised if Sen. McCain finished 3rd or lower.

Mini-Platform

2006-07-14T02:28:00.000-04:00

In the Yepsen Piece I highlighted yesterday noted a 10-point list of issues Gov. Romney sees. I sort of glazed over it, but thought I'd highlight the items.

•Raising the bar on education: Romney said, "It's time to raise the bar on education by making teaching a true profession, measuring progress, providing a focus on math and science, and involving parents from the beginning of a child's school career."

That's a thin quote. Gov. Romney has much more to say on the issue in his speeches.

• Extending health insurance to all Americans: Romney, who helped fashion a bipartisan health-insurance plan for Massachusetts, said, "The health of our nation can be improved by extending health insurance to all Americans, not through a government program or new taxes, but through market reforms."

We've been through the governor's innovative health-insurance plan a couple of times. Any big program is apt to have its problems, but I'm very optomistic on this one.

• Stopping runaway spending: A good idea and one Republicans used to practice. Romney says the problem goes "beyond pork-barrel spending. We must address entitlement programs." (We await the controversial details of just how he'll do that.)

As mentioned below. Excellent that Gov. Romney mentions the bigger proplem of entitlements instead of simply the safe political jab at pork.

• Getting immigration right: Romney said, "The current system puts up a concrete wall to the best and brightest, yet those without skill or education are able to walk across the border. We must reform the current immigration laws so we can secure our borders, implement a mandatory biometrically-enabled and tamper-proof documentation and employment-verification system, and increase legal immigration into America."

Correct.

•Achieving energy independence: "This will mean a combination of efforts related to conservation and efficiency measures, developing alternative sources of energy like biodiesel, ethanol, nuclear, and coal gasification, and finding more domestic sources of oil such as in ANWR or the outer continental shelf," he said.

He's gotta say this. I have little hope of it happening for a long time. Good to know he's for drilling in ANWR.

Wind power is conspicuously absent.

• Simplifying the tax system: Again, Romney doesn't wade into thorny details. Should it be a national sales tax, a flat tax or a reconfiguration of the current system?

I suspect a reconfiguration of the current system. In which case it would take a couple volumes of the encyclopedia to get into details.

•Investing in technology: "Corporations today spend more on tort liability than they do on research and development," he said. "While the government already invests heavily in defense, space and health technologies, it is time to invest substantially in technologies related to power generation, nanotechnology, and materials science."

Interesting. Gov. Romney seems to be working on two tracks here (two more than most politicians can handle). He mentions tort liability which indicates that he's interested in easing the pressure on private industry so that they can work more on research and development. He also mentions government research. I'd like to hear more about this, but in the past, government research has been best used when persued for a specific purpose (most notably for defense and space exploration). Otherwise it's largely wasted.

•Defeating the jihadists: "The defeat of this radical and violent faction of Islam must be achieved through a combination of American resolve, international effort, and the rejection of violence by moderate, modern, mainstream Muslims," he said. "An effective strategy will involve both military and diplomatic actions to support modern Muslim nations....America must help lead a broad-based international coalition that promotes secular education, modern financial and economic policies, international trade, and human rights."

Nods head. Good, good.

•Competing with Asia: "This means ensuring our children are educated to compete in this new market, our trade laws are fair and balanced, and our economy and tax laws welcome new investment. If America acts boldly and swiftly, the emergence of Asia will be an opportunity," said Romney "Trade and commerce with these huge new economies can further strengthen our economy and propel our growth. If America fails to act, we will be eclipsed."

Personally, I see Asia having some difficulties over the next 25 years as Japan and China's populations age. Still, there's never a bad time to see that trade laws are fair, tax laws liberalized, and any economic opportunity seized.

• Affirming America's culture and values "American values are at the heart of America's historic rise to world leadership. These include, among others, respect for hard work, sacrifice, civility, love of family, respect for life, education and love of freedom," he said.

Y'know, that's been so overused by Republicans and Democrats that it's become more than a bit of a cliche. Luckily, we know that he means it.

Tired

2006-07-14T02:12:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I just hate turning on the news. Israel's fighting the world again. I don't much want to deal with it, but it must be dealt with. The only bright spot I can see here is that we're confirming that PM Olmert is willing to do what needs to be done (maybe even we can hope he finds some time to slow Iran down).

Talk of Running Mates

2006-07-14T01:59:00.000-04:00

For some reason it showed up on a couple blogs today (here, here).

As it happens, I ran through the analysis a comple months ago and, for various reasons, concluded Tommy Thompson to be a good candidate. Though Gov. Huckabee would be wonderful if we're looking for an heir apparent (though I almost can't imagine the GOP winning 5 straight elections).

I tend to dismiss the idea of Gov. Bush running for veep. Why bother? It really wouldn't help his stature within the party and might even do more harm than good to the ticket at this point.

Another Rudy Rumor

2006-07-14T01:47:00.000-04:00

AP this time with an actual quote from America's Mayor. I'm moving from doubtful to his candidacy to expecting it very quickly.

And, yes, I'm concerned. Sen. McCain seems eager to repeat the same mistakes that ultimately cost him the nomination in 2000, but with his main adversary being someone to the left of him on most social issues he can squeak through on conservative voters holding their nose and voting for him.

I could post more on Sen. McCain's love affair with sticking a thumb in the eye of the conservative base (and Hugh Hewitt does a pretty good job if you're interested), but for now I'm going to try and remain positive.

Taking over the Big Dig

2006-07-14T01:21:00.000-04:00

That's what Gov. Romney wants to do. Works for me. Still can't believe we're paying that much for a freakin' road.

"When it comes to an issue of inspecting the tunnel system, to have the person who's been responsible for it for the last several years say, 'I'm going to inspect it' and tell us, 'It's now safe,' that's not enough," the governor said. "The public wants to see an independent inspection effort."

He added: "There should no longer be any doubt that the Turnpike Authority has failed to do its job effectively."

More from Evangelicals for Mitt

2006-07-12T23:19:00.000-04:00

I was wandering through their site today and came across their "Why We Support Mitt" section. I loved it so much I thought I'd repost it here:

Why We Support Governor Romney

What Are You Guys Doing?

Evangelicals for Mitt exists because we want a president who shares our political and moral values and priorities, can win in 2008, and can govern effectively thereafter. We believe that the leader of the free world should not only understand, but also articulate why, a values-based governing strategy will result in a more humane, just, and compassionate society. We believe we have found just a person in Mitt Romney, the governor of Massachusetts. He’s not just a candidate evangelicals can support—he is the best choice for people of faith. It’s not even close. That’s why we launched a grassroots effort earlier this year that helped earn him a terrific victory at the first presidential straw poll, and that’s why we’re starting this website.

So What’s Your “Values-Based” Game Plan?

We don’t want a Republican nominee who’s simply against the same things we’re against—same-sex “marriage,” abortion, and embryonic stem cell research—because there’s more to being a person of faith than standing against injustice. We want a president who embraces a comprehensive and positive values agenda: defending religious liberty and basic human rights at home and abroad, combating poverty and disease (including the scourge of AIDS in Africa) within the world’s poorest communities, and fighting for better quality of life for our citizens. We also believe the War on Terror is not simply a national security issue, but also a values issue. The enemies of our country who are responsible for 9/11 hate our very way of life. They hate our freedom, our values, and our Judeo-Christian heritage.

Okay, So What About Mitt Romney?

Gov. Romney is the best candidate to be the next president of the United States. He shares our values, and he’s fought for those values in hostile territory—the liberal state of Massachusetts. He’s not just right on the relevant issues (from the protection of traditional marriage, to the sanctity of life, to the importance of articulating a broader faith-based agenda); he’s a thoughtful advocate for these positions. America is ready for someone who doesn’t just act, but tries also to persuade, and someone who has the moral courage to back up his positions.

What Has He Done?

Any politician can fight for his positions, but not every politician can lead effectively. Gov. Romney is a leader. He doesn’t just say he can find a way to govern amongst partisan warfare: He was elected in an overwhelmingly Democratic state and went on to cut spending, reform taxes, and enact a revolutionary, market-based health care plan. And he accomplished those things while simultaneously fighting intense political battles over some of the most controversial social issues of the day. Gov. Romney led Massachusetts out of the economic wilderness at the same time that he held the line on same-sex “marriage,” opposed Democratic efforts to dramatically expand embryonic stem cell research, and resisted attempts to expand abortion services in the state.

In fact, Gov. Romney has been a leader longer than he has been a politician. Prior to his political career, Gov. Romney helped to launch the very successful Bain Capital, and then led a turnaround at Bain Consulting. Thanks to his efforts, Bain Capital helped launch such successful franchises as (among many others) Staples and The Sports Authority. He also saved the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City which, prior to his leadership, were mired in debt and corruption but subsequently became one of the most successfully run Olympics in memory.

What About Social Issues?

Gov. Romney does not just say he supports traditional marriage; he has defended traditional marriage at great political cost. In 2003, through a breathtaking act of judicial activism, Massachusetts’ supreme court imposed same-sex “marriage” on the state. If not for Gov. Romney’s swift intervention, this action may have led to a national constitutional crisis. Same-sex couples from across the U.S. could have come to Massachusetts, gotten “married,” and then demanded that their home states honor the “marriages”—creating a national wave of litigation and conflicting decisions from state to state. Instead, Gov. Romney and his staff vigorously enforced a little-known 1913 law that prevents out-of-state couples from marrying in Massachusetts if their marriage would be illegal in their home state, keeping Massachusetts from becoming, as he called it, “the Las Vegas of ‘gay marriage.’” He followed this stand with a dynamic and articulate response to Democratic efforts to dramatically expand embryonic stem cell research.

But…He’s a Mormon.

Yes, Gov. Romney is a Mormon. We are not. According to the liberal media, this is an unbridgeable gap, and evangelicals will never turn out to support a faithful Mormon like Mitt Romney. As usual, the media have it wrong. And they root their error (as usual) in a fundamental misunderstanding about American evangelicals—seeing us as ignorant and intolerant simpletons who are incapable of making sophisticated political value judgments.

To be perfectly clear, we believe Gov. Romney is not only acceptable to conservative Christians, but that he is clearly the best choice for people of faith. He is right on all the issues, and he has proven his positions with actions. He is a gifted and persuasive spokesman for our political and moral values. Here is the bottom line: the 2008 election is for president, not pastor. We would never advocate that the Governor become our pastor or lead our churches—we disagree with him profoundly on theological issues. But we reject the notion that the president of the United States has to be in perfect harmony with our religious doctrine. In fact, that is not a test that has been applied before—after all, Jimmy Carter was probably more theologically in line with evangelicals than Ronald Reagan, yet we believe that Reagan was clearly the better choice in 1980.

Let’s leave the absurd religious litmus test to the Democrats. What we want is a president who shares our moral and political values and will put them into action. A President Romney would do that—just as he’s done in Massachusetts—making him stand head and shoulders above the rest of the field.

Finally, it is not just our theory that evangelicals will support Governor Romney. In March, 2006, he shocked the political establishment by finishing second at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference straw poll in Memphis, Tennessee. We led the grassroots effort that put him above John McCain and George Allen, and where did he get the vast majority of his support? From the very Southern evangelicals who the media is convinced will not support a Mormon from Massachusetts.

What about the Abortion Issue?

Many people know that Gov. Romney ran against Sen. Ted Kennedy back in 1994 as a pro-choice candidate. Clearly, one can be a convert on the abortion issue. Witness Ronald Reagan, the divorced movie actor who was elected president in 1980 on the strength of huge evangelical support after signing the nation’s most liberal abortion law as governor of California. Reagan later changed his heart on this issue and became one of the most effective pro-life leaders in history. Obviously, our movement can and should support true “converts” on the abortion issue. In fact, converts can be the best advocates.

Gov. Romney has proven he really is such a convert. As we pointed out earlier, he stood against embryonic stem cell research in Massachusetts, at great political cost to himself. He also pledged in his 2002 run for governor not to change the abortion laws in any way—which in his liberal state is frustrating to abortionists, not to pro-life voters. (His opponent wanted to dramatically liberalize the abortion laws, and we’re thankful she was stopped!) We are confident Gov. Romney will appoint the kind of pro-life, conservative judges people of faith (and the Constitution) demand. While there’s no perfect candidate in the field on abortion, no serious presidential contender has risked more for the pro-life cause than Mitt Romney.

Summing It All Up.

Mitt Romney has been a standout conservative governor of a very liberal state. And it’s not just us saying that: National Review, the conservative journal of record, and many others have said the same thing. He believes in the traditional family, and he has fought for it because he truly believes it gives children the best chance for a future. He, like us, is pro-life because he wants to support the weakest and most defenseless members of society. He opposes embryonic stem cell research because he wants to protect the sanctity of human life from speculative and open-ended scientific research. Perhaps most importantly, he holds these values because they are good, not because they are politically expedient. (For him, they have not been politically expedient at all!) He’s shown courage under fire in several challenging situations, and has lived out his values (both publicly and privately) during a time when other Republicans, sadly, have not.

Seriously, make these guys a daily stop.

Unfortunate

2006-07-12T18:59:00.000-04:00

Gov. Romney has been attempting to remove Matthew Amorello from the Turnpike Authority for several months now. The little feud was a side-show of some of the links on this site. Unfortunately, things just got serious. A woman was crushed to death by a

Is Mr. Amorello responsible? Who knows. Sometimes **** just happens and I'm not going to point fingers just yet. However, Gov. Romney lost confidence in his ability to lead that agency and, as governor, he should have been able to find a person he felt more qualified for a position where, as we are reminded, lives are at stake.

As a side note, hopefully this indicates there will be no Mike Browns in the Romney Administration.

VIDEO

David Yepsen on our favorite governor

2006-07-12T18:57:00.000-04:00

This gets special mention because it comes out of Iowa and doesn't have mention the man's religion once!

• Stopping runaway spending: A good idea and one Republicans used to practice. Romney says the problem goes "beyond pork-barrel spending. We must address entitlement programs." (We await the controversial details of just how he'll do that.)

Indeed. I do as well. This is the first time that I've seen Gov. Romney directly address our real spending problems. It is a wonderful sign that he already is moving beyond the simple problem of pork and will address the long-term fiscal disaster that is slowly coming over the horizon.

President Bush failed on this with his Social Security plan, which was, unfortunately, never even taken up in Congress.

Holy Shnikert

2006-07-10T22:05:00.000-04:00

Pirates of the Caribbean 2 made $135 million over the weekend. Breaking the old record by almost $20 million.

And I thought that it wouldn't do as well as the original. I hate it when I'm out of step with the public.

New Blog on the Block

2006-07-10T21:44:00.000-04:00

Evangelicalsformitt.org opened a few days ago and so far they're doing a great job. Head on over there and check them out.

Bush Machine Helping McCain

2006-07-09T02:45:00.000-04:00

Jeff Fuller has an interesting post that touches on the matter. It wouldn't surprise me at all if this type of a deal was struck. Remember, Newsweek reported that Sen. McCain was offered the vice-presidency by Sen. Kerry. Sen. McCain naturally turned him down flat. Being the vice-president to Sen. Kerry would have effectively ended his career. He would be too old by the time 2012 rolls around, and even if he weren't, neither party would ever nominate him. His only path to the presidency would be Kerry's death (and then not even for a full term). Not to mention that he probably realized that Sen. Kerry is a bozo who had no business being the president.

But a person as deep in intrigues as Sen. McCain is very capable of seeing how he could use the offer to his advantage. All he would have had to do was let the White House think he was considering it and he'd have them on their knees. President Bush would have lost to a unity ticket, of this I'm sure. Put in that position, it's easily conceivable that a deal was made.

K-Lo takes on the Mormon Issue™

2006-07-09T02:28:00.000-04:00

Y'know, it's pretty sad that I've already memorized the code to make the "™".

Anyway, early Romney-adopter Kathryn Jean Lopez of The National Review Online gives us her take on the Mormon Issue™. Her main theme is that generic polling often disintegrates once a real candidate presents itself. A very good point. As any good Republican knows, we always trail the "generic" Democrat by a solid 10 points even during a good year, and yet we always seem to maintain our majorities.

Rudy to Run

2006-07-09T02:14:00.000-04:00

Robert Novak is reporting that he's leaning in favor. It's the first report of that kind that I've seen in awhile and I'd long thought that he probably wouldn't run.

What's this mean? Well, for one thing Giuliani is a man that I greatly respect despite my differing views on his politics. He's the only person I went out to see speek during the 2004 campaign. Even though Sen. Miller had the most memorable speech during the Republican Convention (and I must admit that I'm giggling at the memory of it), Giuliani's speech was, by far, the most elequant and persuasive. Above all this is a man that was born to be the mayor of New York City. He's a bull who can dominate local politics, but I don't think he could effectively govern as president. The Congress would quickly tire of him and his foreign policy is just too blunt (though I still support giving parking tickets to the U.N.).

In a broader sense, he's a potentially dangerous candidate. Out of all the politicians out there, he's the only one that can hold a candle to Gov. Romney as a speaker. He's just as well known as Sen. McCain, and isn't nearly as hated as the base. Plus he hasn't been in Washington so long that he doesn't know which way is up anymore.

My sense is, though, that he would take the most votes away from Sen. McCain. Gov. Romney would not be as affected. The biggest threat would be that he would take up so much face time that Gov. Romney's rise might conceivably stall as the media sets up its McCain vs. Giuliani storyline.

Keep watching this.

Gov. Romney signs the budget

2006-07-09T01:31:00.000-04:00

Over half a billion dollars vetoed. Always fun. Look for every penny to be reinstated though :(

Reprehensible

2006-07-08T04:02:00.000-04:00

Well, this is the first time that I've seen a left wingnut compare Gov. Romney to the KKK. Congratulations to him.

Just a reminder: Slavery was ended with a public vote. As was Woman's Sufferage.

Gov. Romney in Arkansas

2006-07-08T03:58:00.000-04:00

Interesting that he was invited by Gov. Huckabee. Possible friendship/ticket relationship developing?

Homeland Security Credentials

2006-07-05T18:55:00.000-04:00

Jeff Fuller is at it again and explains why Gov. Romney is at the top of this list too.

Mormon Issue™ surfacing again

2006-07-05T18:39:00.000-04:00

There's been a flurry of articles on Gov. Romney's faith over the past few days here, here, here, and here.

What's it mean? Well, someone did a poll. And, like almost any poll nowadays, it was taken to make a headline. The headline being that 37% of voters wouldn't consider a Mormon candidate. I'll just take a moment to state that I don't believe it for a second, and even if it approaches reality, most doubts would be swept away long before election day.

In good news, someone thinks Gov. Romney is such a threat that they're spending money on a bogus poll to derail him.

Happy 4th of July

2006-07-04T17:01:00.000-04:00

Celebrate the birth of your country with BBQ and explosions. I'll be back tomorrow.

President Bush's Approval back over 40%

2006-07-02T04:57:00.000-04:00

The the RCP average. Good news that should have us breathing a little easier for the November elections.

If you subscribe to the theory that Republicans getting burnt in November will send primary voters running into Sen. McCain's arms then this is good news. Personally, I think that scenerio is overstated for a couple reasons (time being the biggest), but you can make up your own mind.

Romney having a good 2006

2006-07-02T04:10:00.000-04:00

At least so far according to Hotline.

-- And who had the best six months? Mitt Romney, incredibly, now an "outsider" who has distanced himself from his MA pedigree.

To say that no other WH ‘08’er had a better 6 months than Romney would assume that there was another politician in America who saw his stock rise as much as the MA gov in the first half of ’06.

--A governor (outsider) in a GOP field dominated by Senators (insiders), Romney engineered a bipartisan healthcare solution that won front-page notice from the WSJ, WP and NYT – on the same day. The bill later drew favorable reviews from the likes of Yepsen, Brownstein and Alter – on the same day. Not even McCain got that sort of MSM love this year.

--A New Englander by way of Michigan, Romney came into Memphis for the SRLC and stole the headlines with an unexpected second-place finish in the straw poll, besting two Southerners and the primary’s putative front-runner

--A lame-duck RGA chair with a national fundraising base, Romney has spent more combined time in IA, NH, SC and MI than any other ‘08’er, planting staff, seeding candidates and earning chits along the way in all four early-nominating states.

To be sure, pitfalls await Romney on his Road to the WH (Mormonism, Yankeeism and Globe’ism, among them), but if his next 6 months are like the last, he goes into ’07 at or close to the top of the field.

More and more insiders are taking notice of Gov. Romney. Also, the Democrat field is pretty amusing. When Sen. Kerry and Edwards are your big movers (VP Gore would probably be in there as well if he were running), your party is in trouble. For all the talk about her vulnerabilities, Sen. Clinton still seems like a shoe-in.

The Best Man for the Job

2006-07-01T02:31:00.000-04:00

I'd like to take a moment to explain how I ended up so strongly in support of Gov. Romney and why, exactly, I'm doing this.

As with most journeys, the first step was on the wrong path. I'm a pretty restless guy. After taking a short break after the 2004 elections, I was started looking forward to the next election even if my interest was only mild. When President Bush began to disappoint, I started looking more seriously. Early on I came to what was a critical conclusion:

Sen. Clinton will almost certainly be the Democratic nominee and is such a polorizing figure and horrendous speaker that she is sure to go down to defeat as long as the GOP puts forth a strong candidate.

Don't underestimate the importance of that truism, for it frees us in the Republican Party to ignore who would necessarily be the candidate most likely to win (the undeserving Sen. McCain) and instead focus on the candidate that will make the best president.

So the search was on for the best our party has to offer. Most of the candidates I looked at had their good points and their bad points. Sen. Frist has a first-class mind and a pretty good personal story, but his performance as Majority Leader was unexceptional at best. Gov. Huckabee seems conservative enough and probably wouldn't scare too many people, but his biggest platform seemed to be based on his weight loss. Newt Gingrich is the party's greatest idea factory, but he's almost as polorizing as Sen. Clinton. I respect Rudy Giuliani very much, but he's just too liberal on social issues and is probably not suited for the presidency anyway. Sen. Allen seems like a good guy, but he just doesn't excite me and his football stories got old quick.

I was pretty much prepared to back Sen. Allen and hope he could break through against Sen. McCain. Honestly, I wasn't sure he could, and I can assure you I wasn't motivated enough to start a blog on the subject. You see, I hate voting against somebody. I can't say that I've never held my nose and voted for somebody (not that I would have needed to in order to vote for Sen. Allen), but I much prefer to actively want my candidate to win. None of the other candidates gave me that feeling. Then I gave Gov. Romney a second look.

I hadn't ignored Gov. Romney, I just didn't know much about him. Truthfully, I was more than a little annoyed with him at the time because it was becoming clear he wouldn't be running for a second term as governor (the GOP was already looking at a bad year for holding governorships). But, for the time being, he was a governor which is always a plus when looking for a presidential candidate. So I gave him a chance and caught a speech of his on one of the Road to the White House episodes on C-Span one weekend and I immediately pegged him as a speaker at least on par with Giuliani and well above anyone else in the field.

Still not giving him his due attention, I didn't pay too close attention to the content of what I assume was a variation of the standard speech I've become used to over the past few months. Certainly I found nothing disqualifying. It was enough to gain a bit of my interest.

A few weeks later I was pondering 2008 again. I did some google searching on the various candidates again. His health care solution was very impressive. I was very suspicious of the idea of socializing the whole medical industry, but thought that eventually something had to get done. Gov. Romney set out and actually found a solid balance between a system that wasn't working, and one that wouldn't work (and would bankrupt the state/country to boot).

Successfully tackling the most difficult domestic problem was more than enough to get me digging for more. And the more I dug, the more I liked. His strong response to the Gay Marriage ruling assured me that he was strong on my most important social issue, the judiciary. Being highly disappointed in the GOP's spending binge, his ability to balance his state's budget (yes, without raising taxes) was critical. An excellent politician, he would be elected easily and would probably expand the GOP majority while he's at it. Good businessman. Unlikely to have any skeletons in the closet.

I watched him in action on a few more television appearances and I just got to liking the guy more and more at a simple gut level. Not only is this the best man for the job, but he's someone worth getting excited about to boot. I had my candidate I wanted to go out and campaign for.

Eighteen months to primary season. I don't know how I'll feel then, but right now I'm exactly where I want to be.

Gov. Romney responds to Hamden

2006-06-29T22:28:00.000-04:00

Heh, should have known Gov. Romney would be on the ball. And he pretty much agrees with me (very kind of him). Applying the Geneva Convention to a bunch of terrorists just doesn't make any sense.

"To apply the Geneva accords is very strange in my view," Romney said during a question-and-answer session with about 150 people attending his speech sponsored by the Georgia Public Policy Foundation at The Commerce Club of Atlanta.

Romney said he hadn't seen the ruling and didn't want to be too specific, but he said he knew the votes broke down between liberal and conservative judges.

"It's hard to understand how a party who's not a nation comes under the Geneva convention," he said.

Romney said he's been to Guantanamo, adding that the prisoners "are treated very well."

*Insert image of a thumbsup here*

And Speaking of the Judiciary

2006-06-29T21:47:00.000-04:00

Today the Supreme Court came down with the Hamdan decision. Not only did Justice Stevens declare the Military Tribunals unconstitutional (why do these people have any Constitutional rights whatsoever?), but he declared them to be protected by the Geneva Convention.

The denial of executive authority was expected, but the granting Geneva Convention rights simply came out of left field. Before now even the most committed leftist would back down when pressed on granting terrorists the status of POW and protection under Geneva Convention rules, but it seems Justice Stevens is even more radical than I imagined. Luckily Justice Kennedy didn't fully join in that portion of the decision so we'll likely be hearing from this issue again.

Don't ever let anybody tell you that we have a conservative court.

More from Gov. Romney on Democracy

2006-06-28T22:24:00.000-04:00

Governor Mitt Romney made the following statement today regarding the Massachusetts Protection of Marriage Amendment:

“Our elected representatives in the Legislature will soon hold a historic vote. It regards the institution of marriage.

But it will not be a vote for or against same sex marriage.

No, it will be a vote for or against democracy.

The people here today have followed the law, followed the process established in the Constitution, and gathered an astounding 170,000 signatures. Their effort means that the people, the citizens, will be free to choose how marriage is defined in Massachusetts.

This is democracy pure and simple.

Of course, democracy can be squashed. Only one fourth of the legislators must vote for democracy, for this question, this choice, to be given to the people. But it is conceivable that some will try to block a vote by the people by blocking a vote of the legislature.

We here are speaking for democracy and the rule of the law. Whether you agree that marriage should be reserved for a man and a woman or not, surely you can agree that the course of democracy, established by the Constitution, must be followed. Is there anything more fundamental to this Commonwealth and this country than the principle that power is reserved to the people, that government is the servant, not the master?

We ask for one thing: the constitutionally prescribed vote of the Legislature. Let the people speak.”

Video

Perfect

2006-06-28T18:46:00.000-04:00

"Is there anything more fundamental to the commonwealth and this country than the principle that the power is reserved for the people, that government is the servant, not the master?"

~~~Gov. Romney

That is exactly right and exactly why an out of control judiciary is the enemy of democracy. Gov. Romney has never been as clear and correct on this issue as the above statement.

Once again, I must mention that I have no problem with gay marriage and would vote in favor of it had I a vote. But I demand that the decision remain with the people of this nation and not an unelected branch of government not even invested with that power.

Veto Override

2006-06-27T18:46:00.000-04:00

Well, as with any pork project, it turns out that some people consider much of the $225 million Gov. Romney vetoed to be absolutely essential. Democrats plan to reinstate the spending and probably have the votes to do it.

‘‘A perfect example is the installation of a traffic light at Route 44 and Plymouth Mobile Estates in Plymouth,’’ Murray said. ‘‘With a fatality at the intersection, this is a major public safety concern that must be addressed.’’

Former Plymouth Selectman Eugene Lane’s wife, Dolores, was killed in an accident at the intersection in 1997.

I'm sorry to hear about Mrs. Lane's tragedy and confess that I'm not 100% clear on who is in charge of what when it comes to road construction...but isn't a traffic light a local issue?

The 700 Club

2006-06-27T18:39:00.000-04:00

Gov. Romney sat down for an interview with the 700 Club yesterday. Naturally the Mormon Issue™ was a big factor on this one. He also talked about his near-fatal car accident.

It sounds like it was a short segment, but we shouldn't underestimate the power of Pat Robertson and company. They may not be as powerful as they used to be, but they're still a strong force within the Republican Party.

I'll try to find a transcript of the interview.

Edit ElectRomneyin2008 found the video.

Smaller Question of the Day

2006-06-26T22:52:00.000-04:00

When do you think campaign season will officially start? By that I mean when will the general public and not just us political junkies start taking sides. Last cycle it really began after Howard Dean's disasterous appearance on Meet the Press in March 2003 (which was so nutty it vaulted him to the top of that field).

Right now we're just talking about inroads: building a network, gaining endorsements, picking up a little buzz. I do wonder if President Bush's lameduck status will move the race forward, or maybe even push it back a little. As a secondary consideration, Sen. Clinton is the most likely Democratric candidate and we all know that a Republican scuffle will recieve less coverage than a Democrat one.

Big question of the day...should I see Superman?

2006-06-26T22:20:00.000-04:00

Granted the movie cannot possibly give me as much amusement as the almost decade long production (remember Nicholas Cage and Ashton Kutcher as the Man of Steel?) and one wonders how they possibly managed to mess up that costume, but it is Bryan Singer. X2 was a wonderful juggling of a huge cast into a movie more cohesive than it had any right to be. But, after getting burned with the allegedly "real" Batman last year in which they repeated Tim Burton's mistake of having Batman kill I'm dubious.

BTW, I find it amusing that there are still commercials running that state the movie will open on Friday.

New Blog

2006-06-25T03:20:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm in a constructive mood tonight (or maybe I'm just avoiding working on my novel) so I decided to do something more for Gov. Romney. Introducing FloridiansForRomney.blogspot.com.

*wait patiently for the one audience memeber to stop sarcastically applauding*

If you're from Florida and would like to help me out, then by all means write me. If you're from another state, then your assignment is to start your own blog. Get them while the getting's good.

Thanks and curses to Jeff Fuller for the idea :P

Serves me right for losing the faith

2006-06-25T02:36:00.000-04:00

Of course just as soon as I mention that one of Gov. Romney's ideas won't amount to much, Wizbang posts an article detailing how it has worked in Alabama.

It took some effort, but they managed to find some things they didn't like about it. They begrudgingly acknowledge that about 200 illegal aliens have been caught by the troopers, including more than a few who were seeking legitimate drivers' licenses with forged or "borrowed" identification papers. In another case, 13 of 15 people in a van pulled over for a traffic violation turned out to be "undocumented."

Hat Tip ElectRomneyin2008

CBN News on Gov. Romney's Brush With Death and More

2006-06-25T02:15:00.000-04:00

Click Me

Mitt Romney's life story is one that was almost never told. The title of this story could very well have been "Dead Man Walking."

In Paris 1968, 21-year-old Romney was on a Mormon missionary trip when his car was hit head on, knocking him unconscious.

"The police that arrived on the scene had to get us out with the Jaws of Life, and in my case, they took my passport and wrote ‘il est mort’ – ‘he is dead,’" Romney said.

When the news back home reported him dead, his father, the governor of Michigan at the time, didn’t believe it. He called the French police to confirm, but learned that the reports had been wrong. His son was alive.

And so it goes with Mitt Romney. Turning around that near-death experience is a theme that has followed him through much of his life. Just when it appears all is lost, he's able to find an answer.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell

2006-06-25T02:09:00.000-04:00

That seems to be the consensus amongst the open borders crowd in response to Gov. Romney's proposal to allow state troopers to arrest illegal immigrants.

Granted Gov. Romney's proposal is mainly window dressing that won't amount to much either way (good to know that he's been pulled in the right direction on the issue though), but it's pretty telling when a faction of the country is so dedicated to ignoring a problem that they recoil at the idea of law enforcement officers.......enforcing the law.

The Veto Pen

2006-06-25T01:55:00.000-04:00

What's this? An Executive vetoing wasteful spending? My, I'd almost forgotten how beautiful that could be.

Of course Gov. Romney has the option of the line-item veto. Here's hoping that Congress will find a Constitutional way to empower the presidency with this critical tool. However, I do believe its use should be limited to spending bills.

Something to Look Out For

2006-06-24T04:22:00.000-04:00

The Supreme Court will be ending its session soon. If there's going to be a vacancy this year, it will probably happen within the next week or so.

What you can do

2006-06-24T04:07:00.000-04:00

My blogging hero ;) Jeff Fuller has a list of things you can do to help Gov. Romney become the next president. Remember, every little counts at this point.

It's a good listing of things to do for just about any grassroots movement.

Well I'm back

2006-06-24T03:42:00.000-04:00

Sorry about the lack of updating recently folks (if I happen to have any folks left). The dreaded Real Life got to me for awhile. What's that mean? Well, I took 2 weeks of vacation from work and didn't think about politics for awhile.

In good news, the state of the GOP is in much better shape today than when I left you. The grassroots have prevailed in the battle against opening the floodgates to illegal immigration. Al-Zarqawi is dead and Democrats picked that week to start making a bigger deal about running away. Fitzmas was cancelled. Sen. Clinton has been kicked around nicely. Overall, June has been the first net plus month for Republicans since Justice Alito was confirmed.

Unfortunately, Gov. Romney has been somewhat lost for these good weeks. Granted a flood can't hit his state every week to keep the national spotlight on him (I apologize in advance to any hypersentitive soul who takes offense), but he needs to keep his profile up if he wants to continue making inroads. Not that he's been slacking (making trips to several states), he's just not as high profile as he needs to be.

Once again, apologies for the tardiness, I promise to be more vigilant in the future.

A visit to Iraq

2006-05-26T01:24:00.000-04:00

Gov. Romney made an unexpected visit to Iraq yesterday. Important quotes from the governor:

``It would be a severe mistake for us to cut and run," the governor said yesterday in a telephone interview from Kuwait City just hours after he arrived from Baghdad. The potential sectarian strife that could ensue if the United States pulled out suddenly, he said, ``could lead to a humanitarian disaster."

Of course the memories of his father's trip to Vietnam will be brought up again. No biggie there.

Immigration

2006-05-17T03:16:00.000-04:00

Well, President Bush has made things worse.

I've already posted my general thoughts here and I continue to believe much the same. The fact is that we've reached a tipping point and I believe that the members of the House are the only thing that stands between the GOP and a Democrat sweep in November.

The only hope for Republicans is for the whole thing to just go away. A lot of damage has undeniably been done to the party by the president and the RINOs in the Senate (including Sen. McCain giving us reason #5,821 never to allow him to become president). The only damage control we can possibly do at this point is to kill the bill in conference and pray that the Democrats don't gain enough votes in 6 months to push an even worse one through next year.

This whole thing is just maddening because it boils down to pandering politics and it's not even going to work.

Sink or Swim?

2006-05-16T03:43:00.000-04:00

Hate to benefit from natural disaters, but the Boston Hearald has a piece on Gov. Romney's prospects in dealing with the recent flooding in Massachusettes.

This isn't a high profile disaster so nationally it won't make much difference unless the governor blows it or, more likely, the media makes it look like he blew it.

Voters think Romney is pretty

2006-05-15T04:22:00.000-04:00

This piece is supposed to be bad news for the governor, but there are worse things than to be shown to a nationwide audience, most of them for the first time, and have people think you're good-looking. Give Gov. Romney the time to prove himself in front of the American public and the negatives will disappear.

Travels of Governor Romney

2006-05-13T03:21:00.000-04:00

He was in Michigan yesterday.

Congratulations to the Romney family

2006-05-12T05:14:00.000-04:00

Parker Mitt Romney was born Tuesday. He is the first child of Gov. Romney's youngest son Craig and his wife Mary. This is the governor's 9th grandchild.

Powerline on Romney

2006-05-12T02:39:00.000-04:00

Powerline's Paul Mirengoff was kind enough to call Gov. Romney "In many respects, Gov. Mitt Romney is the most attractive potential presidential nominee the Republicans have. He is bright, good-looking, articulate, and conservative", before getting back to the tired Mormon business.

By the time '08 rolls around, I'm sure we'll all be sick of hearing about it.

The economy grew at 4.8% last quarter

2006-04-30T04:47:00.000-04:00

Democrats see bad news.

Mass. House overrides Gov. Romney's vetoes

2006-04-30T04:12:00.000-04:00

Remember the $295 "fee" for companies that don't provide their employees health insurance? Well it looks like it's on its way back. Gov. Romney seemed to concede that it was likely in his Hardball interview a few weeks back, still, that's disappointing.

Nintendo Wii

2006-04-30T03:46:00.000-04:00

Ladies and gentlemen, we have the worst marketing blunder of all-time!. Wii, as in "we" is the name of Nintendo's newest console. I wonder exactly who they payed to come up with a name that's a euphemism for urine and the penis.

I'm a Nintendo fan from way back, and I was looking forward to the ~~Revolution~~ Wii because I'm not willing to pay $400 (rumors of $500 for the PS3) before I get a single game and because that new controller looks really cool (the game can detect where you're pointing it and whether it's being tilted). However, Nintendo's lack of seriousness again makes me question whether they'll find support for this system.

Ah well, Wii, I hardly knew ya.

Don't want to hear about gas prices

2006-04-30T01:31:00.000-04:00

That is all.

Mighty Mitt Romney!

2006-04-23T03:36:00.000-04:00

American Spectator article.

Truth!

2006-04-22T03:59:00.000-04:00

This piece makes a great point about one of the most maddening processes in this country: adoption. Adoption is one of the best things a person can do in their life. Instead of aiding these people, we've made things so difficult that it's easier to go to China than to bang your head against our current system.

This doesn't sound like a federal issue, but the president can surely use his bully pulpit to start bringing some sanity to this issue.

Happy Easter everybody

2006-04-16T05:33:00.000-04:00

There are some changes in the works around here. Starting next week I'll be more prone to blog on general GOP news instead of only 2008. Perhaps I'll even invite a few extra bloggers to help spice things up a bit.

Romney on Hardball

2006-04-14T23:23:00.000-04:00

Governor Romney made an appearance on Hardball last night to discuss his health care bill. Despite some cheapshot Mormon questions to start off the interview, Chris Matthews seems to be enamoured with the governor. Not something to be too excited about coming from Sen. McCain's biggest fan. But at least he's enthusiastic about a positive program.

It's also nice that Gov. Romney is getting to take a victory lap and raising his profile a bit more. He'll be primed and ready to stake his claim to the nomination when he leaves the governor's mansion in 2007.

Can't wait.

Edit: Video!

"Good Government"

2006-04-12T22:54:00.000-04:00

That's the title of the Gov. Romney's piece in the Wall Street Journal. In it he makes a great case for the new Health Care Bill in Massachusettes. I certainly hope it works as well as he lays out (and that the backdoor forced subsidation doesn't make it past his veto) as its an innovative market-based solution to one of the toughest problems to tackle without going socialist.

Personally, I can do without any Republican saying the words "good" and "government" in the same sentence. But I'll let it pass this once.

We have video!

2006-04-12T22:47:00.000-04:00

"Borrowed" from The Political Pit Bull.

Enjoy!

Time for the GOP to move beyond President Bush

2006-04-09T02:38:00.000-04:00

That's the basic message of this post. Personally, I jumped ship during the Harriet Miers debacle. I'm still a supporter of the president, but I can't say that it with anything approaching the same zeal as I could back then. I will also be voting in the fall. God help me I'll even hold my nose and vote for Katherine Harris as the next senator from Florida.

I like to think of myself as a positive person though. I don't just run away when I feel disillusioned. I look for the next cause, the next battle to be fought. That's a large part of the reason I've decided to move forward and begin looking for a suitable successor.

If you feel discouraged as well, remember, we're conservatives. Faith in a better tomorrow is one of our most attractive features.

Romney's chances gooing from "good" to "excellent"?

2006-04-08T02:50:00.000-04:00

This week's passage of the Massachassettes healthcare bill appears to have given Gov. Romney some momentum amongst some thinkers. I'm a bit on the fence about this healthcare bill. It is a very promising piece of legislation coming from a blue state, though, and will be interesting to watch.

If it's a success over the next two years that becomes the model other states follow, it may well, indeed, be a huge step forward in pushing Gov. Romney into the forefront.

More Power Rankings

2006-04-02T01:17:00.000-05:00

ABC has another list of likely nominees. Gov. Romney comes in a pretty distant third. Stunningly, they place Sen. McCain as a greater favorite than Sen. Clinton and declares that he has the most internet support of any Republican. Tough to take that sort of analysis seriously.

RedState has a revised table.

Moving up a notch

2006-04-01T04:12:00.000-05:00

At least according to National Journal.

It's also good to see someone acknowledging that Gov. Romney will have the resources necessary to mount a serious campaign.

Hat tip electromneyin2008.

Well that's disappointing

2006-04-01T04:00:00.000-05:00

Interesting write-up from MSNBC.com. Sadly there's one politics-as-usual quote:

Those who are here paying taxes, and not taking government benefits, should begin a process toward an application for citizenship as they would from their home country.

I suspect he was startled by the protests last weekend. Time to get used to such things. I said it before and I'll say it again: It's all about securing the borders. Until then, everything else is a waste of our time.

Andy...thanks but no thanks...

2006-03-28T23:07:00.000-05:00

In the immortal words of Darth Vader: Noooooooooooooooooo!

See, that's how you do a Star Wars reference.

• Now that he has resigned as White House Chief of Staff, Andrew H. Card Jr. may
end up returning to his home state of Massachusetts to run for governor,
Washington Wire reports. However, other sources indicate that while Card will
return to Masschusetts, he actually plans to aid Republican Gov. Mitt Romney in
a bid for president in 2008.

Not to obsolve President Bush, but Andrew Card is a good chunk of the reason that the 2nd term of this Administration has been struggling. When President Bush's instincts have failed him, Card has refused to save the president from himself. So it has been up to the grassroots of the GOP to do it for him.

In McCain's backyard

2006-03-28T23:03:00.000-05:00

Gov. Romney did some fundraising in Sen. McCain's backyard yesterday.

Hehe.

Don't appreciate the stale Star Wars reference though, even if I do love the movies.

Immigration

2006-03-28T12:20:00.000-05:00

Well, that's the big issue of the day. Might as well put in my own $.02 on the subject.

First of all, the Republicans are basically ruining themselves today. They're going to effectively piss off everyone in the country before it's all said and done. They seem hell bent on granting amnesty-by-another-name pissing off 75% of the country that sees the word "illegal" and has the audacity to give it a negative connotation. Meanwhile, the hardliners will do a good job of making sure Hispanic voters are less likely to vote Republican. Meanwhile, illegal immigrants will continue to pour over the borders and no one will say a word about the security threat that opens, the public health issues, or the stress placed on the border states' infrastructure.

Good work guys. Not since you let the budget explode have I been so happy to work towards a Republican government.

What are my solutions? Well, I think it should be obvious:

1. Get a hold of the ****ing borders! Do not do a single thing until you've done so. Build the fence (before anyone mentions Berlin, that was a prison wall and we should all be mature enough to tell the difference between a facist government making sure their citizens stay put and a democratic government enforcing its own borders.

2. Liberalize the immigration process. Yes we need immigrants. We need them from all over the world (Mexicans don't get special treatment). Get the best, hardest working, and most dedicated to assimilating as you can find and bring their butts over here.

And, several years after the first two have become firmly in place and sanity has resumed:

3. Just grant amnesty to the illegal immigrants already here. Why fight it? They're not going anywhere and I'm not particularly interested in calling it something else.

There you go. Situation solved. Unfortunately, it appears that the Senate is set on starting with amnesty and hoping that it somehow helps the problem. Here's hoping that the whole thing falls through and the issue will wait until a president comes into office willing to take the issue seriously *hint*.

Romney in Rome

2006-03-26T04:23:00.000-05:00

Gov. Romney has been overseas the past few days for the elevation of Cardinal O'Malley. The trip has some minor political overtones, but I mainly mention it because it's the reason there's just not been much news directly related to the governor the past few days.

Dealing with the Gang of 14

2006-03-24T04:02:00.000-05:00

Today Henry Saad withdrew his nomination from the 6th Court of Appeals due to Democrat smearing and Republican neglect.

Many conservatives believe that we won with the Gang of 14 deal that ended the nuclear standoff in the Senate. They are short-sighted fools. We lose one pro-nuke seat in the Senate and Henry Saad's cautionary tale will again become the norm.

We worked hard to give the Republicans the cushion in the Senate that they needed. And they betrayed us in order to appease a group of Democrats that have no compunction against issuing vague and unethical smears and the constant and unfounded accussations of racism that reduced Martha Ann Alito to tears. The reasoning for this unilateral disarmament is that the "comity" of the Senate must be preserved. I must ask: At what price comity? How many more qualified and good people must go through what Judge Pickering suffered? How many more Miguel Estradas? How many more brilliant young conservative minds will just pass on the opportunity because they know Senate Republicans (and the White House) won't defend their honor?

The failure of the Saad nomination rests on the head of one man in particular: Sen. John McCain. Under no circumstances should this man be allowed to become president.

Happy Vaginal Foam Day! (or not)

2006-03-23T03:09:00.000-05:00

Abortion advocates are perturbed that Gov. Romney isn't issuing a worthless proclomation on a poorly reasoned Supreme Court decision.

For the record, I have no problem with most forms of birth control. However, the assertation that it's a Constitutional Right is quite flimsy and can only be justified through selective enforcement of doctrines such as privacy.

Update: One of Red State's bloggers picks up the story.

Latest Polls

2006-03-22T02:01:00.000-05:00

Okay, Fox News has come out with a new poll on the 2008 elections. Time to do some digging.

Rudy Giuliani....29%
John McCain.....22
Newt Gingrich..8
Bill Frist.............5
Mitt Romney....4
George Allen.....3
George Pataki...2

First of all, don't get upset with the 4% number. It's to be expected given Gov. Romney's name recognition at this point in the race. Remember, this time in the last election cycle Sen. Lieberman was way out in front in the Democratic field. Gov. Romney is doing very well up to this point.

Now for the fun part:

Hillary Clinton..43%
Al Gore..............12
John Edwards..11
John Kerry.......10
Joseph Biden....4
Wesley Clark....4
Mark Warner...3
Evan Bayh........2

Once again, mainly name recognition, but Sen. Clinton's advantages are pronounced. Her most dangerous challenger, Gov. Warner, has a lot of ground to make up. His biggest advantage is that he'll be able to campaign throughout 2007. However, I consider Sen. Clinton to be almost a sure bet to get the Democratic nomination. Which is why the next few polls are so much fun.

Hillary Clinton..39%
John McCain.....50

Hillary Clinton..39%
Rudy Giuliani...51

Hillary Clinton..50%
Dick Cheney.....37%

The last poll is interesting. VP Cheney has (unfairly) become the most radioactive politician in this country. It would seem that whatever she would poll against him would be the ceiling of what she could reach. That ceiling appears to be set at exactly 50%. A strong conservative candidate would have no problem dispatching her.

Do not fear Sen. Clinton. We need only run our best candidate against her to retain the White House through 2012.

One of the Kos Kids writes about Romney

2006-03-21T05:06:00.000-05:00

And, surprise surprise, it's about evil Christians will never accept a Morman candidate. Ignoring for a moment that he's practicing his own form a bigotry against Christians, I must say that I don't expect the Mormonism "issue" to be all that big of a deal in the primaries. The conservative base really is tolerant of other religions (is there any more pro-Israel section of the world now than in the American heartland?). Once Romney's election prospects begin to look real, they'll just see another man of faith who loves his wife and kids.

As usual he's also got things backwards. It'll be funny how bigoted the left will show themselves to be once Gov. Romney is nominated. I can't wait for them to overplay the idea that he :gasp: doesn't drink coffee. In the end, they'll have so disgraced themselves on this topic, that it will help elect Romney president.

Oh, just for the record:

But it was their Christian values (and by the Right's own admission, the inspiration of God) that led them to write these words first in the Bill of Rights: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

There were two Amendments passed by Congress before the 1st Amendment (one of which eventually became the 27th Amendment, but that's 200 hundred year long story). If he wants to make an argument that what comes first is most important, you could say that the first Congress was most interested in reapportionment and Congressional pay increases.

Besides, the relevant passage prohibiting a Religious Test is in Article VI of the Constitution itself.

Hat Tip blog.electromneyin08.com

Condi's Not Running!

2006-03-21T04:14:00.000-05:00

The latest person guilty of running with this idea is Fred Barnes. Am I alone in knocking 10 I.Q. points off of anyone who mentions Condeleeza Rice as a potential nominee? She's not going to run. She says she's not going to run. She doesn't have any experience in campaigning. It's just not going to happen.

It reminds me of the SNL skit when McCain hosted.

Russert: "Our issue this Sunday -- a test of will for the president as he weighs invading to Iraq and for the Buffalo Bills as they head to Miami. Joining us, to discuss Iraq -- the next move -- is Senator John McCain of Arizona. Senator, we have ask -- are you considering running again in 2004?"

McCain: "No, I have no plans to run for higher office. The president's doing a fine job."

Russert: "No plans, but you wouldn't say no."

McCain: "Tim, I have no interest in running."

Russert: "You didn't answer my question,
senator."

McCain: "What was the question?"

Russert: "Whether you would say no, unequivocally, to running for president of the United States."

McCain: "Tim, I haven't even considered running."

Russert: "What if President Bush does not run?"

McCain: "I don't see any reason..."

Russert: "What if he forgets to run? The president forgets to run for re-election and the Republicans are without a candidate, would John McCain step in to fill that
void?"

McCain: "I would call the president and remind him to run."

Russert: "So you're running?"

McCain: "What? No."

Russert: "You're a candidate?"

McCain: "I am not a candidate."

Russert: "John McCain is running for president in 2004."

McCain: "No."

Russert: "2008?"

McCain: "No."

Russert: "2012?"

McCain: "No."

Russert: "2016?"

McCain: "No."

Russert: "2020?"

McCain: "No."

Russert: "Let's talk about 2024."

McCain: "I'll be 90."

Russert: "Alright, hypothetically, genetic engineering has extended the human the lifespan to 200 years. Would a relatively young John McCain challenge a reanimated Jimmy Carter zombie?"

McCain: "Now, President Carter has been a great humanitarian."

Russert: "So John McCain would back down. Are you afraid of Carter eating you?"

McCain: "I don't think that's an accurate..."

Russert: "So you're a candidate?"

McCain: "No."

Can we please stop playing inside-the-beltway games and just cross the lady off the list? Foreign policy (important) and identity politics (not so important) aside, she's not exactly a dream conservative candidate anyway.

C-Span interview

2006-03-20T03:38:00.000-05:00

Video here.

Transcript here.

Enjoy.

Romney vs. Allen

2006-03-19T07:10:00.000-05:00

National Review's Rich Lowry has reached much the same conclusion that I have. The race to compete against Sen. McCain is fast coming down to a battle between Gov. Romney and Sen. Allen.

Romney is off to a strong start. He is a polished performer on TV, and people are noticing. He is good-looking, charming and articulate — so impressive that at times one has to wonder how he found himself tossed among all of us mere mortals.

The governorship of Massachusetts isn't a natural launching pad for a Republican presidential run. But Romney has shrewdly leveraged his position there into an ongoing social-conservative credential. He has been in fights with liberals on every social issue imaginable — gay marriage, cloning, abstinence education, emergency contraception, gay adoption. At times, it's almost been as if the conservative capital of America has been in that tiny slice of Boston occupied by Romney's office.

Romney isn't running for a second term this year, which frees him up for energetic presidential stumping and organizing, all for the cause of getting a leg up on Allen.

Excellent analysis of Gov. Romney's strengths.

Let me say that I'm not a Sen. Allen detractor. I believe he's a good man. I'm just not overly impressed by him at the moment. He has a few years to get me excited, but I don't believe that he has a spark of greatness to him that I'm looking for in a president. Could he beat Sen. Clinton? I do believe that he could. As could almost any other person on the Republican short-list. But I don't believe he would squash her like she could be, and wouldn't bring any coat-tails with him.

He's an insider's pick right now. But I do believe that he will fade over the next year while Gov. Romney will surge.

Gov. Romney's C-Span Interview

2006-03-17T21:43:00.000-05:00

Heads up guys, an interview with Gov. Romney will air Sunday at 8:00 on C-Span.

Romney was also on Imus's program this morning. I was fortunate enough to catch it even though I normally think that putting a radio program on television is rather dumb programming decision. Romney was his usual smart, competant, and funny self. For what it's worth (admittably little), Imus seemed to like him.

Also today, there was a rebuttal of Dick Morris's dismissal of Gov. Romney's chances of becoming president from RedState.

The Case Against Sen. McCain

2006-03-15T21:16:00.000-05:00

Right Wing News has an excellent laundry list of reasons to vote against Sen. McCain.

Myself, Sen. McCain scares me because I think that he has a real chance of splitting the party in two if he were ever to be its standard-bearer.

Getting Way Ahead of Myself

2006-03-14T20:21:00.000-05:00

I'm in a spirit of optimism tonight, so I believe that I'll do something stupid and start running possible Vice-President nominees.

There are a lot of reasons to pick a Veep. To "balance" a ticket, to give a competitive edge in a swing-state, to give gravitas to a younger president, to set up the next president for the party, etc. President Bush selected VP Cheney for the gravitas reason and to supply the adminstration with a solid number. While Sen. Kerry chose Sen. Edwards because he had nice hair. Let us hope that Gov. Romney chooses a bit more wisely.

A lot of the buzz will undoubtably focus on Condeleeza Rice. She's brilliant, experienced in foreign policy (as with most governors, this is among Romney's weaknesses), and, not to be diminshed, is a black woman. However, I don't think she's interested in ever being president and I would be very surprised if she runs on any ticket in 2008. She's also a political novice, and could be a liability at times. Also, the fact that she's a woman would be trumped if Sen. Clinton is the Democrat candidate.

So who do we have next? Looking at the Senate, there's Sen. Allen. He'll likely be a favorite amongst the rank-and-file. But he really doesn't add much to the ticket, though he would become the heir-apparent in 2016.

On the governor side of things, Gov. Barbour is generating some buzz coming out of Memphis and being the only competant person involved in the Katrina fiasco. However, he has a lot of negatives going even beyond his thick accent. Most of the remaining governors come from already solid red or blue states.

Personally, if I were advising Gov. Romney, I would point him to one of two regions: The southwest and the upper-midwest. Each of these regions is likely to flip over the next 15 years. The upper-midwest from Democrat to Republican, and the southwest from Republican to Democrat. There are a lot of good candidates in these regions. Sen. Kyl is a solid, if uninspiring prospect. Sen. Coleman is still relatively new to the job, but he's got a rising star quality. Gov. Pawlenty is another good choice if he manages to get re-elected (which I believe he will).

There is one name that floats to the top of the pack. He's a successful governor, leading the country on conservative bedrocks such as school choice and welfare reform, he's worked in Washington as a cabinet official (even earning a little experience within the War on Terror), he's from upper-midwest where he continues to be popular. His only downside is that he'll be, perhaps, too old to run for his own term in 2016. However, I somehow doubt the Republican party can hold on to the White House for 5 consecutive terms anyway.

Gov. Tommy Thompson would be the ideal running mate.