Elections Blog

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/21/romney.2008.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest Some major MSM here, check it out…

Ann Marie

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http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/21/us/politics/21donate.html?ei=5065&en=ec8012d7bc870ecb&ex=1164776400&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print “Being fiscally responsible isn’t easy – and it’s not always popular – but it has its rewards. If we continue the hard work of reform, we can do even more for the people of Massachusetts,” said Romney.

Governor Mitt Romney, 06-03-2004 Press Release

And then this from Drudge:

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 — She had only token opposition, but Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton still spent more on her re-election — upward of $30 million — than any other candidate for Senate this year. So where did all the money go?

It helped Mrs. Clinton win a margin of victory of more than 30 points. It helped her build a new set of campaign contributors. And it allowed her to begin assembling the nuts and bolts needed to run a presidential campaign.

But that was not all. Mrs. Clinton also bought more than $13,000 worth of flowers, mostly for fund-raising events and as thank-yous for donors. She laid out $27,000 for valet parking, paid as much as $800 in a single month in credit card interest and — above all — paid tens of thousands of dollars a month to an assortment of consultants and aides.

Throw in $17 million in advertising and fund-raising mailings, and what had been one of the most formidable war chests in politics was depleted to a level that leaves Mrs. Clinton with little financial advantage over her potential rivals for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination — and perhaps even trailing some of them.

The campaign’s financial record has fueled some criticism among Democratic activists and prompted concern among Mrs. Clinton’s supporters, including complaints from some of her fund-raisers that her top aides exercised a lack of discipline.

The lady spends other people’s money like it is going out of style. Contrast that to Mitt Romney, and the disciplined way that he cut excess spending from the Olympics, and as a Governor.

There are some great examples from his book that show how frugal he is, but I will have to post those later.

~~~Mike

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http://soundpolitics.com/archives/007542.html A Washington state blogger, Eric Earling, has declared for Romney and details his reasons why in part 1 and part 2.

Great that yet another political activist has seen the merits of Mitt!

Jeff

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http://rasmussenreports.com/Political%20Tracking/Dailies/MormanMittRomney.htm Pollsters at “Rasmussen Reports” have just released the latest in the string of many “would you ever vote for a Mormon?” polls. This one puts the figure at 43% and the report plays up the apparent story with the headline “Election 2008: 43% Would Never Vote for Mormon Candidate”.

Well, that number is just a tad higher than the 37% figure that was reported by the LA Times/Bloomberg poll a few months back. I blogged about that one here. In a nutshell, these figures in NO WAY translate into the picture (AKA “implied headline”) that some people are trying to paint . . . that “43% Would Never Vote for Romney”.

Why? Well, first off, this poll was of all likely voters (R’s, D’s, and I’s). . . obviously liberals and those aware of and uncomfortable with the fact that nearly all Mormon’s are strong social conservatives would never vote for one.

Also, some great signs for Romney are hidden in this poll:

Among the 41% with no opinion of Romney, just 27% say they would consider voting for a Mormon.

That shows that Romney has lots of room for improved name recognition. But even more to the point of this whole Mormon issue is that only about one quarter of the likely voters surveyed who don’t know Romney would vote for a Mormon. That confirms the theory that people are just more uncomfortable with a “different” religion–espeicially when they cannot put a name/face with it.

How do I come to that? Well, since 38% of all respondants said they’d consider voting for a Mormon, if we subtract out the 41% who had no opinion of Romney (along with their 27% “consider voting for a Momron” figure)—that leaves us with 59% of folks who DO have an opinion of Romney (be it good or bad). My quick calculation of these figures shows that nearly 47% of people with ANY opinion of Romney would consider voting for a Mormon. Counting out those with unfavorable views of Romney (many/most of which will be liberals/Democrats who will not vote in the GOP primary) and the figure gets up to nearly 100%.

The article then helps confirm what I’ve been saying all along: That these polls about Mormonism are not directly translatable to Romney himself.

It is possible, of course, that these perceptions might change as Romney becomes better known and his faith is considered in the context of his campaign. Currently, just 19% of Likely Voters are able to identify Romney as the Mormon candidate from a list of six potential Presidential candidates.

This shows that Romney may have a pretty “open slate” to work with and I’m convinced he’ll shine through and dispel any qualms about his religious affiliation.

However, should this following part be worrisome?

Half (53%) of all Evangelical Christians say that they would not consider voting for a Mormon candidate.

Again, I just think that this unmasks a lack of information/education of Mormonism by Evangelicals in general, and how that relates to Romney in specific.

On the brighter side, at least the American populus is more intolerant of some other religions than Mormonism . . .
The response to a theoretical Mormon candidate is far less negative than the response to a Muslim candidate or an atheist. Sixty-one percent (61%) of Likely Voters say they would never consider voting for a Muslim Presidential candidate. Sixty percent (60%) say the same about an atheist.

Jeff

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http://illinoisans-4-mitt-romney.blogspot.com/2006/11/designates-christopher-anderson-to.html Read about, and talk about it here.

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http://mfile.akamai.com/9682/wmv/www.mass.gov/Agov2/streaming/11.19.06.WMR.Marriage.Rally.lan.asx Click on the title to watch the video.

It’s quite an interesting view I get from those windows.

All I have to do is glance this way to see the stream of tourists. They come in duck boats, trolleys, and as foot pilgrims.

They’re not here for the beauty. They’re here for the history.

For this was the place where an astounding idea was born. It revolutionized America, it revolutionized the world.

The idea was this: our nation would be guided by the voice of the people.

This nation would trust the voice of the people rather than the wisdom of a king, or anyone else.

The idea was embodied in the first Constitution, written by John Adams, here in Massachusetts. It established how the voice of the people would be heard – through elections and votes, petitions and initiatives, representatives and senators.

Lincoln said that as elected leaders, we promise to follow the law, to follow the Constitution. He called this “America’s political religion.”

Last week, 109 legislators decided to reject the law, abandon the Constitution, and violate their oath of office.

For the Constitution plainly states that when a qualified petition is placed before them, the legislature “shall” vote. It does not say may vote, or vote if its procedures permit a vote, or vote if there are enough of the members in attendance. It says “shall” vote.

A decision not to vote is a decision to usurp the Constitution, to abandon democracy and substitute a form of what this nation’s founders called tyranny, that is, the imposition of the will of those in power, on the people.

As I listened to the debate in the legislative session last week, I was struck by the irony, and the hypocrisy. Legislators so energized to protect the newly discovered gay right to marry had no compunction about trammeling the long established, constitutional right of the people to vote.

The issue now before us is not whether same sex couples should marry. The issue before us today is whether 109 legislators will follow the Constitution.

Tomorrow, I will send these 109 a copy of the Constitution and of their oath of office.

And this week, we will file an action before the courts, calling upon the judiciary to protect the constitutional rights of our citizens.

Let us not see this state, which first established constitutional democracy, become the first to abandon it.

~~~~Mike

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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,230900,00.html Sounds good to me…

WASHINGTON — Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney plans to announce his decision to join the growing pool of 2008 White House contenders in early January.

But operations around Romney, including a private event on Saturday night that raised $9 million for his Commonwealth PAC, sure look headed in that direction.

The millions of dollars Romney has raised have helped pay for extensive travel around the country and donations to candidates in presidential states such as Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Michigan. He has won over activists and organizers from 43 states and 50 prominent CEOs, including the chiefs of Ebay and Marriot Hotels. His fundraising team also features nearly three-dozen Pioneers and Rangers from the Bush-Cheney election team. Those Bush backers individually raised $100,000 and $200,000 in each of the last two presidential campaigns.

Romney, 59, has also assembled some key GOP advisers and fundraisers. They include former Bush Justice Department spokeswoman and GOP adviser Barbara Comstock, longtime Gov. Jeb Bush aide Sally Bradshaw and former New York Rep. Rick Lazio. Alex Castellanos, one of the most sought-after GOP advertising men in the country, and Alex Gage, the Bush re-election team’s voter microtargeting specialist, are signed on as well.

Romney and his family hosted an invitation-only conference in Boston over the weekend with a tour and dinner at Fenway Park. According to sources, Romney’s family was enthusiastic, even “active participants,” in what looked to be pre-run positioning for a White House run that included many words of thanks to the 150 participants.

Asked of his plans, Romney said he is “planning on making my decision sometime after the holidays.” Romney is hosting his five sons, their wives and his nine grandchildren for Christmas at his vacation home in Deer Valley, Utah.

His term as governor expires Jan. 4, and a decision could be announced any time afterward.

Already, Romney, a Mormon, is trying to stake out ground as the conservative option in what could be a crowded Republican field. Romney opposes gay marriage and wants the Massachusetts high court to let voters decide state policy with a ballot question defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Ten days ago state lawmakers refused to approve the referendum. Romney is suing.

“This week, we will file an action before the courts calling upon the Judiciary to protect the constitutional rights of our citizens to vote,” he said Sunday, adding, “I was struck by the irony and hypocrisy of our legislators so energized to protect the newly-discovered right to marry for some citizens had no compunction whatsoever about tramelling the long-established constitutional right of the people to vote.”

Known as smart, conservative and charismatic, Romney has already won the respect of potential 2008 rival Newt Gingrich, who suggested the current field, including Sen. John McCain and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, is missing a true conservative.

“There’s a yearning for a clearer voice of conservatism and I think that Mitt Romney has an opportunity to fill that,” Gingrich said on “FOX News Sunday.”

But Romney’s faith will be a real test for religious conservatives. Mormonism, or the Church of Latter Day Saints, has a complex and controversial reputation that Romney has often been reluctant to discuss.

In a Wall Street Journal interview in June, he briefly broached the subject.

“If you examine some of the history or practices or doctrines of a church you’ll scratch your head and say, ‘Boy, that sounds strange,’ and that’s certainly going to be true in mine and any other,” he was quoted saying.

Senior White House correspondent for The Washington Examiner Bill Sammon spoke with Romney in September about his faith.

“He said, ‘Look, I believe in Jesus Christ as my personal savior, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera,’” Sammon said. “I think that’s the kind of talk that starts to win over some of these skeptical evangelical Christians. I think he’s got that rap down pretty well … But when I spoke to him today, this afternoon, what I think is interesting was he was essentially characterizing himself in so many words as the real conservative on the Republican side of the presidential hopefuls,” Sammon said.

Deep theological differences divide Evangelical Christians and Mormons. But Tom Minnery, spokesman for Focus on the Family, an influential Evangelical Christian organization led by James Dobson, said Romney, who opposes abortion rights, has a bigger problem with flip-flops than with faith because of his support for abortion in the 1990s.

“Pro-life people have been observing politicians for long enough now to sense a little bit of nervousness about politicians who are late-blooming believers in the pro-life cause, as he appears to be,” Minnery said.

Christian conservative voters are indispensable to a Republican presidential campaign and a little bit of quote nervousness is how many feel about Romney’s religion.

“Nobody really knows how Mormonism will play across the board from the big picture once he gets on the national stage and starts articulating his faith,” said Charmaine Yoest, Vice President of Communications for the Family Research Council.

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http://myclob.pbwiki.com/Massachusetts Rebecca Knight of FT.com just copied and pasted an amazingly un-intelligent story from David A. Fahrenthold. Both stories say exactly the same thing, and I’m sick and tired of it.

While Mr. Romney succeeds at portraying himself as a “solid, good guy”, Prof Stewart said he loses points with professionals for the way he has treated Massachusetts “as a political whipping boy”. In various out-of-town speeches, Mr Romney has portrayed the state’s liberalism as a foil to cast himself as a conservative fighting blue-state waste, according to Prof Stewart.

“He is running against Massachusetts by playing to his conservative base at the expense of the state where he is governor,” he said.

These stories quote a “Prof Stewart” and a “Yanek Mieczkowski”. I do not think that either of these people exist, because no professor would actually say something so stupid. I believe that Rebecca night, David A. Fehrenthold, Prof Steward, and Yanek Mieczkowski are all one person trying to pull off some weird scheme (or all of them are very stupid real people).

All of these people (this one person) need to relax, or try harder to find an issue to attack Romney on. Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done.”

Mitt Romney did not make his state the butt of his Jokes. He did not even make Massachusetts liberals the Butt of his Jokes.

Romney said, “Being a conservative Republican in Massachusetts is a bit like being a cattle rancher at a vegetarian convention.”

Did he say that liberals are bad? Did he say that people in Massachusetts are bad? No. He pointed out a fact: that there are not very many republicans in Massachusetts. If the main stream media keeps portraying this as an attack on Massachusetts, I am going to get angry, and then, be very sad, after 5 stages including denial.

Massachusetts is the most democratic state in the union, and pointing this out is not attacking the state, and it is not something that reflects poorly on Romney. Professionals will not think Romney is acting unprofessional by saying that “there are not very many republicans in Massachusetts”.

It doesn’t even make sense, and only the stupidest of reader would read this as objective reporting, or would come to the conclusion that Romney is in trouble for making fun of his state, simply by pointing out that as a republican he is in a minority.

I am glad that I live in the internet age, were I can respond to this article, but it is not very satisfying. I would rather go back before the days of the newspapers, back to the days when you had to talk to people.

I believe that when people ran the risk of having to defend their assertions, fewer stupid things were said. Before newspapers, if you said something stupid, the people listening to you could call you on it. But today I hear the same thing over and over again: “Mitt Romney attacks his home state”.

This type of thing makes me dislike the world I live in. I’m not meaning to go over board or try to make a bigger issue out of this than it really is, but the world is so stupid. It is frustrating when things don’t seem to be the way they should be. Moby has an album called “everything is wrong”. Well everything is wrong. This article should have a place for people to respond. It should have two columns, were people can post reasons to agree with the conclusion (Romney is using Massachusetts as a whipping boy) and a column for reasons to disagree. And when you click on each reason you should be able to submit reasons to agree or disagree with those reasons. But no one is interested in finding the truth. No one cares.

People don’t really believe Romney hates the state that he lived his whole life in and raised his children in. People don’t really believe that Romney makes fun of his home state, when all he said was there are not very many republicans in Massachusetts. They just think it will hurt Romney to say that he is making fun of his home state, and so they say it, because there is negative consequence for saying stupid things. There is a vast army of people that want to believe negative things about Romney, who will believe, and repeat the assertion without spending ½ of a Watt of brain power, thinking about it.

You don’t have to make any logical sense. If you Google “Mitt Romney Massachusetts whipping boy” you will find thousands of pages asserting the stupid conclusion that because Romney said there are not very many republicans in Massachusetts, that he is guilty of making fun of his home state. And what can you do? How can you fight so much idiocy? And am I harming Mitt Romney by calling these things idiotic? Am I supposed to play nice? Mitt Romney doesn’t fight back. He just keeps on smiling. Some times I look at Mitt Romney’s smile, and think he has an idiotic smile on his face. He must be deaf. How can he suffer so many stupid things being said about him? If I was him, I would be angry all the time…Is he deaf? Why doesn’t he get mad?

So I just try to point out things that don’t make any sense, but in a crazy world, the sane are insane.

I would like to speak to the author of this story. I would like to hear an apology. I would like to understand how he could accuse mitt Romney of attacking Massachusetts. I would like to know the rest of the story. Who is this guy? What are his interests? What made him want to write this story? Does he believe what he wrote?

* “There’s no question I do love jokes,” Romney answered when queried on this point. “Indicating that there are very few conservative Republicans in Massachusetts, I do not think is a surprise to anyone inside or outside of Massachusetts and is in no way an indictment of the state. If anything, it’s a recognition that I have to do a better job of recruiting Republicans.”
** Governor Mitt Romney, Mighty Mitt Romney, By Shawn Macomber, The American Spectato, [04-21-2006]

As for Democrats’ complaints about the amount of out-of-state traveling he’s done, Romney refuses to repent. “My guess is my travel outside of the state has been far less than either Michael Dukakis or Senator Kerry,” he said, adding, “What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, and I would encourage my Democratic friends to remember that.”

So, to be clear, did Romney — who came here in 1975 to seek degrees from both Harvard Business and Law schools — pursue the governorship out of some Machiavellian plan to attain higher office, or does he love the state he leads?

* “We’ve lived here now 34 years, raised all five of our sons here, and paid a mountain of taxes here,” Romney noted. “You don’t do that unless you enjoy the state and the economic, social, and cultural opportunities which it provides.”
** Governor Mitt Romney, Mighty Mitt Romney, By Shawn Macomber, The American Spectato, [04-21-2006]

Links:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/25/AR2005092501146_pf.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15817005/

http://myclob.pbwiki.com/humor

http://myclob.pbwiki.com/Massachusetts

~~~Mike

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http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650208386,00.html The Deseret News (out of SLC, Utah) has recently highlighted our friends at E4M (Evangelicals for Mitt).

They’re getting over 5,000 hits per day and it will be surging as things heat up. The article concludes with:

Meanwhile, blogs like EvangelicalsforMitt.org, are going to play a bigger role in the 2008 election than ever before, Corrado said.
“You can’t simply put them aside,” Corrado said. “They have become part of the culture.”

Jeff

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http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=658399 From KSL.com: 2008 presidential race hasn’t even officially begun, but a new poll shows Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is the favored candidate among Utah voters.

About 44 percent of Utahns surveyed said they would vote for Romney if a presidential race were held now, the Deseret Morning News said in a copyright story Sunday.

Sen. John McCain R-Arizona was second at 15 percent, according to the poll of 416 registered voters conducted for the newspaper Nov. 14-16 by Dan Jones & Associates. The poll has an error margin of 5 percentage points.

Romney was also first among Utah Republican voters at 60 percent and drew 33 percent of support from independent voters, the poll found.

McCain drew support from only 14 percent of Utah Republicans, but 21 percent of independents.

Dave

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http://myclob.pbwiki.com/values Values

Quotes from Governor Mitt Romney on values.

There’s one more thing I’ve seen in the people who swim in the deep waters of life. They don’t fashion their values and principles to suit their self-interest; they live instead by enduring principles that are fundamental to society and to successful, great lives. I learned important lessons about those principles from some of the Olympians I saw in Salt Lake City, like bobsledder Vonetta Flowers.

Vonetta was brakeman on USA sled two. All the attention, however, was on sled one, the sled that had taken the World Cup and was a lock for the Olympic Gold. But just before the Olympics, the pilot of sled one dropped her partner and invited Vonetta Flowers to join her.

Vonetta had a tough decision. On sled one, she’d get a gold medal for sure – the first Olympic gold to be won by an African American in the Olympic Winter Games. Those of us rooting for US metals hoped she would jump to sled one. She didn’t. She decided that friendship and loyalty to her longtime teammate on sled two was more important than winning the gold.

Of course, sled one did well. But when sled two beat them all, coming in first, the crowd went nuts. And tears dripped off Vonetta’s cheeks. Friendship and loyalty above gold.

o Governor Mitt Romney, 05-23-2004, COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS TO THE STUDENTS OF SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY

* “With the help of the council members, my Administration will work hard to foster a culture of inclusion that values diversity. We want Massachusetts to be recognized as a great place for people from all backgrounds to work and raise a family.”
o Governor Mitt Romney, 09-26-2003 Press Release

* “Now some people say wait, when you talk about culture, Governor, that’s not of the same order of magnitude as the things you just mentioned: jihadists and the emergence of Asia, spending too much money, using too much oil. And I disagree. There was a book written some years ago by a fellow named David Landis; he’s a Harvard professor. The book was given to me. It’s called The Wealth and Poverty of Nations. The jacket cover included an endorsement by John Kenneth Galbraith. I said, oh boy, this is going to be some liberal diatribe. I read through it and found it pretty scholarly. And after about 500 pages, he concludes with roughly these words: If anything can be learned from the history of economic development in the world, it is this–culture makes all the difference.”
o Governor Mitt Romney, Values Voter Summit 2006, Washington, DC, 09-22-2006

* ” Now what is it about America’s culture that’s made us the most powerful nation on the Earth? You can think about some of those things. One is we believe in hard work as Americans. We believe in education. We love freedom. We seek opportunities. We’ll take risks in order to bring a better future for ourselves and our families. We sacrifice for the future and for our families. We are, in the words of the Bible, a God-fearing people. And even those among us who don’t believe in God, as part of what Rick Warren might call a purpose-driven life, we live for something greater than ourselves. Americans respect the value and the sanctity of human life. And American society is built on the foundation of the family unit.”
o Governor Mitt Romney, Values Voter Summit 2006, Washington, DC, 09-22-2006

* “Now when I say foundation–we use those words frequently–when I say foundation I want to underscore the fact that a foundation is essential for something to stand. Our society stands on the basis of the family unit.”
o Governor Mitt Romney, Values Voter Summit 2006, Washington, DC, 09-22-2006

Quotes from other’s on Governor Mitt Romney’s Values:

* “I was particularly impressed that when the Governor called me he did not ask for political affiliation or suggest an agenda to pursue with regard to the University. He just said he wanted an established academic on the board that would follow the values and ideals that are consistent with the reputation of UMass.”
o Dr. John DiBiaggio, former president of Tufts University, 10-04-2003 Press Release

Quotes from Governor Mitt Romney on other’s Values:

* “In his more than 30 years of service to the Commonwealth both by leadership and by example, Judge Daher has compiled a track record of unblemished integrity and unflinching dedication to the values of honest and ethical government. Judge Daher’s courage, his willingness to stand up and speak out about injustice, to cross the political power structure and to take on the insiders make him the best possible choice for this important position.”
o Governor Mitt Romney, 10-14-2003 Press Release

Schools can teach family values, not religion or prayer. (Aug 1994)

Other

Three years ago, with the 2002 Winter Olympics mired in controversy and facing serious financial crisis, Mitt was asked to become President and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee. Although the challenge seemed daunting, he was compelled to assume the task by both the urgings of his wife, Ann, and by the memory of his father, George Romney, who had been a successful businessman, four-term Michigan Governor and tireless advocate of volunteerism.

In his three years in Salt Lake, Mitt erased a $360 million operating deficit, organized 23,000 volunteers, galvanized community spirit, oversaw an unprecedented security mobilization to ensure public safety and led one of the most successful Olympics in our country’s history.
Source: Campaign web site, Romney2002.org Mar 20, 2002

* “My dad is someone who I’ve subconsciously patterned my life after. He was someone who had a very strong sense of public service, which is something that, as I’ve gotten a little older, seems to have sprung up in me as well.”
o Governor Mitt Romney, Quoted in Harvard Law Bulletin, Spring/02 Mar 1, 2002

* “With 15 years of venture capital under my belt, I’m a convert to the power of persistence, ambition, hard work, and foresight. But I’m also convinced that when it comes to making money or earning fame, more than a fair amount of serendipity is at play. There is, however, a brighter way. If you give yourself for great things, you will not be subject to serendipity. Giving your life for great things generates as much satisfaction in the effort as it does in the achievement.”
o Governor Mitt Romney, Commencement Speech, Westminster College, UT Jun 2, 2001

* “Giving yourself to great things is the only sure path for successful living. I have spoken of some of those choices. To them I might add family and children, faith, scholarship, exploration, healing, teaching, athletics, and creation.”
o Governor Mitt Romney, Commencement Speech, Westminster College, UT Jun 2, 2001

~~~Mike

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http://www.cafepress.com/pacthanks.87834146 I always appreciate Daniel Owen’s take on American politics. He is from London, (in the United Kingdom)

Daniel says;

For a politician like Mitt Romney, saying ‘thank you’ for the millions of dollars people have raised for his Commonwealth Political Action Committee is a challenging task. According to this Associated Press story on CNN, Romney chose the route of throwing a party - probably not a very wild or raucous party; actually, it’s described as a “meeting” - “to thank the people who helped raise $8.75 million for the Commonwealth PAC.”

This is an area that Hallmark is missing out on. There is, I’m almost certain, no generally available ‘thank you for the millions of dollars you raised for my political action committee’ greetings card.

I hope Romney uses the cards!

As you can see from this picture, he is able to laugh at himself.

~~~Mike

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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,230344,00.html?sPage=fnc.politics/youdecide2006 BOSTON — Republican Gov. Mitt Romney, a potential 2008 presidential candidate, said Friday he’s bringing his top financial advisers to Massachusetts this weekend to thank them for helping him raise money.

Romney, who has been traveling extensively as he considers a campaign, said he will not be affected by Arizona Sen. John McCain or former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, fellow Republicans who announced this week they were establishing presidential exploratory committees.

“I’m not planning something of that nature anytime soon — not within the next few weeks,” the governor said after a news conference on a local project.

Romney said the focus of the weekend meeting, first reported by The Boston Globe, is to thank the people who helped raise $8.75 million for the Commonwealth PAC. Romney has used the committee to finance his travel and make donations to candidates in critical presidential states such as Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Michigan.

As for when he will announce his decision, the governor stuck with his previous statement that it will most likely be after New Year’s Day. The governor is hosting his five sons, their wives and his nine grandchildren for Christmas at his vacation home in Deer Valley, Utah.

“I’m planning on making my decision sometime after the holidays,” Romney said.

This is not the transcript from the interview that just took place on Fox News.

Copied from: Fox News

Kevin Davis Jr.

Technorati Tags: Mitt Romney, 2008, Presidential Election, Election 2008.

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Mitt Romney is on Fox news right now.

Kevin Davis Jr.

Addendum:

The interview is now over.
The interview took place on “The Big Story”.

Kevin Davis Jr.

Addendum #2:

“Here” is the link to a video of the interview!

Hat tip to: Jared Trent

Kevin Davis Jr.

Technorati Tags: Mitt Romney, 2008, Presidential Election, Election 2008.

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http://www.frontpageflorida.com/ TAMPA – Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who is expected to launch a 2008 presidential bid before year end, will give the keynote address to the Hillsborough County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Dinner scheduled for March 10 in Tampa.

Hillsborough Chair David A. Storck told FrontPageFlorida.com that Romney asked to speak at the annual party fundraiser, a gathering of elected officials, political activists, lobbyists, agricultural and business people. Last year, in coming House Speaker Marco Rubio, a Coral Gables Republican, was the keynote speaker before an audience of some 500 people.

Storck said ticket information for the event, which is open to the public, is available by calling 813-657-6499.

Copied from: FronPageFlorida.com

Kevin Davis Jr.

Technorati Tags: Mitt Romney, 2008, Presidential Election, Election 2008.

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http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/16032443.htm Don’t expect to see Sen. Rick Santorum’s name on the 2008 presidential ballot.

“Absolutely, positively not. Absolutely not,” Santorum said yesterday on The Michael Smerconish Show on WPHT-AM (1210). “My wife would throw me out of the house if I do anything in ‘08.”

It looks like you can cross Santorum off of the VP list for 2008.

Copied from: The Philadelphia Inquirer
Hat tip to: PrezPolitics

Kevin Davis Jr.

Technorati Tags: Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, 2008, Presidential Election, Election 2008.

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http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/11/17/romney_faces_a_reckoning_on_08/
With just seven weeks left in office, Governor Mitt Romney is bringing together his advisers and leading supporters for a postelection powwow this weekend as he nears the most important decision of his political career.

Romney, widely expected to launch a 2008 presidential bid in coming weeks, is convening the meetings at an undisclosed location. Aides to his Commonwealth Political Action Committee refused to say who is attending or how big a gathering it is.

“What I can say is it’s an effort to thank those who have been supporters of the Commonwealth PAC over the last year,” said PAC spokesman Jared Young.

The Commonwealth PAC, whose stated objective is to support Republican candidates around the country, says it raised $8.8 million and gave away $1.3 million to candidates and party organizations in the just-completed two-year election cycle.

For the full story, go to The Boston Globe.

Kevin Davis Jr.

Technorati Tags: Mitt Romney, 2008, Presidential Election, Election 2008.

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http://duke27.blogspot.com/2006/11/getting-to-know-you.html Here are some blogs that you might want to check out:

http://duke27.blogspot.com/2006/11/getting-to-know-you.html

This blog is kind of hard to read, with that great picture of the capital in the background, but it does say this: “I really want to say that Mitt Romney would be an outstanding nominee for the Republican ticket.”

http://conservativehero.blogspot.com/2006/11/sorry-about-long-hiatus.html

Don’t click on the video of you don’t want to see a republican tell the 70s style hippie “You have no right to call me a —- face.“

Looks like this guy is pretty involved, and knows how to use YouTube. Anyone contact him for College Republicans for Romney

Here is another good one:

http://kudlowsmoneypolitics.blogspot.com/2006/11/wit-from-mitt.html

Anyone else see some good bloggs that aren’t just about Mitt?

~~~Mike

And this one:

http://louisgray.com/live/files/mormon_and_liberal_not_conflicted.html#unique-entry-id-569

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“O’REILLY: Would you build a wall between Mexico and the United States and would you put the National Guard on the border?

ROMNEY: Absolutely. We’d put the National Guard there because we don’t have the wall yet. You have to have a wall or a fence or electronic surveillance. And you have to have a tamper-proof document to make sure that people who are here are aliens are identified and registered, and people can not hire them unless they’re here legally.”

Copied from BILLOReilly.com.
“Immigration has been an important part of our nation’s success. The current system, however, 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, tamper proof documentation and employment verification system, and increase legal immigration into America.”

Copied from Mitt Romney’s Commonwealth PAC.

He said the federal government should issue a biometric employment card to every noncitizen in the country, deport criminals who are illegal residents, and give welfare and Medicaid timetables for noncitizens to get off those programs or face deportation. And for those law-abiding, tax-paying illegal immigrants who have been here for years, he wants to see them go to the back of the line to apply for legal status.

“We have to secure our borders and have a policy we can control,” he said.

Copied from The Business Journal.

Kevin Davis Jr.

Technorati Tags: Mitt Romney, 2008, Presidential Election, Illegal Immigration.

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June 4, 2006 6:58 PM

The Importance of Protecting Marriage
Romney encourages the Senate on FMA.

An NRO Primary Document

Editor’s Note: Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has sent the following letter to United States senators on Friday in anticipation of this week’s vote in the Senate on a Federal Marriage Amendment.

Dear Senator,

Next week, you will vote on a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution protecting the institution of marriage. As Governor of the state most directly affected by this amendment, I hope my perspectives will encourage you to vote “yes.”

Americans are tolerant, generous, and kind people. We all oppose bigotry and disparagement, and we all wish to avoid hurtful disregard of the feelings of others. But the debate over same-sex marriage is not a debate over tolerance. It is a debate about the purpose of the institution of marriage.

Attaching the word marriage to the association of same-sex individuals mistakenly presumes that marriage is principally a matter of adult benefits and adult rights. In fact, marriage is principally about the nurturing and development of children. And the successful development of children is critical to the preservation and success of our nation.

Our society, like all known civilizations in recorded history, has favored the union of a man and a woman with the special designation and benefits of marriage. In this respect, it has elevated the relationship of a legally bound man and woman over other relationships. This recognizes that the ideal setting for nurturing and developing children is a home where there is a mother and a father.

In order to protect the institution of marriage, we must prevent it from being redefined by judges like those here in Massachusetts who think that marriage is an “evolving paradigm,” and that the traditional definition is “rooted in persistent prejudices” and amounts to “invidious discrimination.”

Although the full impact of same-sex marriage may not be measured for decades or generations, we are beginning to see the effects of the new legal logic in Massachusetts just two years into our state’s social experiment. For instance, our birth certificate is being challenged: same-sex couples want the terms “Mother” and “Father” replaced with “Parent A” and “Parent B.”

In our schools, children are being instructed that there is no difference between same-sex marriage and traditional marriage. Recently, parents of a second grader in one public school complained when they were not notified that their son’s teacher would read a fairy tale about same-sex marriage to the class. In the story, a prince chooses to marry another prince, instead of a princess. The parents asked for the opportunity to opt their child out of hearing such stories. In response, the school superintendent insisted on “teaching children about the world they live in, and in Massachusetts same sex marriage is legal.” Once a society establishes that it is legally indifferent between traditional marriage and same-sex marriage, how can one preserve any practice which favors the union of a man and a woman?

Some argue that our principles of federalism and local control require us to leave the issue of same sex marriage to the states—which means, as a practical matter, to state courts. Such an argument denies the realities of modern life and would create a chaotic patchwork of inconsistent laws throughout the country. Marriage is not just an activity or practice which is confined to the border of any one state. It is a status that is carried from state to state. Because of this, and because Americans conduct their financial and legal lives in a united country bound by interstate institutions, a national definition of marriage is necessary.

Your vote on this amendment should not be guided by a concern for adult rights. This matter goes to the development and well-being of children. I hope that you will make your vote heard on their behalf.

Best regards,

Mitt Romney

Copied from National Review Online.

“Remarks by Governor Mitt Romney
Liberty Sunday: Defending Our First Freedom
October 15, 2006

Welcome to this historic city. The authors of liberty recognized a Divine Creator who bequeathed to us certain inalienable rights. They affirmed freedom of religion and proscribed the establishment of any one religion. Today, there are some people would like to establish a single religion for America . . . the religion of secularism. They not only reject traditional religious values, but also the values of the founders. And they set aside the wisdom of the ages. Their allies are activist judges. Here in Massachusetts, activist judges struck a blow to the foundation of civilization, the family. They ruled that our constitution requires same sex marriage. I believe their error occurred because they focused on adult rights. If adult heterosexual couples can marry, they reasoned, then to have equal rights, adult homosexual couples must also be able to marry.

But marriage is not primarily about adults. Marriage is primarily about the nurturing and development of children. A child’s development is enhanced by the nurturing of both genders. Every child deserves a mother and a father. Of course, the principal burden of the Court’s ruling doesn’t fall on adults. It falls on children. We are asked to change the state birth certificate. To prevent “heterocentricity,” mother and father would become parent A and parent B. An elementary school teacher reads to her 2nd graders from a book titled “The King and King” about a prince who marries a prince. And a 2nd grader’s father is denied the right to have his child removed from class while that book is being read. Our state’s most difficult-to-place adoptive children may no longer be placed by Catholic charities because they favor homes where there’s a mother and a father.

The price of same sex marriage is paid by children. Our fight for marriage, then, should focus on the needs of children, not the rights of adults. In fact, as Americans, I believe that we should show an outpouring of respect and tolerance for all people, regardless of their differences or their different choices. We must vigorously reject discrimination and bigotry. We are all God’s children. He abhors none of us.

Massachusetts is the front line on marriage, but unless we adopt a federal amendment to protect marriage, what is happening here will unquestionably enter every other state. The spreading religion of secularism and its substitute values cannot be allowed to weaken the foundation of family or the faith of our fathers who more than life their freedom loved.”

Copied from Elect Mitt Romney in 2008!

Romney also said he doesn’t support same-sex marriages or civil unions and would only extend rights or benefits pertaining to hospital visitations.

Copied from The Business Journal.

Kevin Davis Jr.

Technorati Tags: Mitt Romney, 2008, Presidential Election, Gay Marriage.

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