Elections Blog

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-mitt10oct10,1,6805742.story?coll=la-headlines-nation (Apologies to Paul Harvey for stealing his line.)

It wasn’t enough for the LA Times to sponsor and publicize a misleading poll thay many have thought casts doubts on Romney’s chances of becoming POTUS because he’s LDS (That’s the one that says that 37% don’t want a Mormon POTUS–see the link above for why I think that’s a poorly conducted and highly misleading poll).

Well, now the LA Times has run another story titled “Romney’s 2008 Bid Faces Issue of Faith: Massachusetts’ GOP governor has political promise, but voters may not embrace a Mormon.”.

As is becoming a common theme with articles about Romney they essentially say that he’s the PERFECT candidate . . . except for that darn religion that he ascribes to.

DES MOINES — In seeking a presidential candidate for 2008, why would Republicans look further than the governor of Massachusetts?

Tall and urbane, Mitt Romney has a prime political pedigree, an unblemished personal life and the cool confidence of a CEO. He is a conservative Republican who won easy election in a fiercely liberal state — then streamlined Massachusetts’ government and enacted the country’s most sweeping healthcare overhaul.

He is a passionate defender of states’ rights and recently has embraced strong views against stem cell research and abortion — a reversal of earlier positions. He never swears, and his sole vice is Diet Coke. Not incidentally, the 59-year-old governor boasts Ivy League credentials and movie-star looks.

OK . . . they could have stopped the article there; but they go on to quote folks who seem to think Romney’s Mormonism will be a BIG hurdle (some even think insurmountable).

As a devout Mormon — and a onetime bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — Romney adheres to a faith that makes many Americans uncomfortable.

They quote their own lousy poll as evidence of their point and then quote a Poli Sci prof from Emory, Merel Black:

“He starts out with a deck stacked against him,”

Then it gets interesting:

[Romney's] reluctance to delve deeper into his beliefs, only add to the mystery of a faith that many Americans associate with polygamy — although that practice has long been outlawed by the church — and with customs such as marrying people after they have died and converting the dead.

“Evangelicals are appalled by all that,” said Pastor Ted Haggard, president of the National Assn. of Evangelicals in Colorado Springs, Colo. “We evangelicals view Mormons as a Christian cult group. A cult group is a group that claims exclusive revelation. And typically, it’s hard to get out of these cult groups. And so Mormonism qualifies as that.”

In addition, Haggard said, evangelicals do not accept Mormon Church founder Joseph Smith as a prophet. “And we do not believe that the Book of Mormon has the same level of authority as the Bible,” he said.

Boy, sounds like this Haggard guy is going to be leading the charge against a Romney presidency, right?

WRONG!

That same Pastor Ted Haggard, just one month ago spoke with a reporter from the Salt Lake Tribune and he didn’t seem to be such an obstacle to a President Romney:

The Rev. Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, said Friday he would have no problem voting for a Mormon for U.S. president. . . .

“We rejected an Evangelical [Harriet Meiers] for the Supreme Court and accepted a Catholic [Samuel Alito],” said Haggard, who was in Salt Lake City to address the Religion Newswriters Association’s annual convention. “It’s a question of competence.” Evangelical Christians are more interested “in good government,” than in religious affiliation, . . .
But it’s not all so rosy for Haggard:
“We believe Mormonism is a Christian cult,” [Haggard] said after his speech. “But we have the same positions on many social issues, pro-life and so on.” He said that Evangelicals and Catholics have long joined forces on these social issues and a similar dialogue about them between Evangelicals and Mormons is “in the early stages.” “We are in search for areas where we can stand together,” Haggard said.

At least the Salt Lake Tribune carried both sides of Haggard’s comments . . . The LA Times wasn’t quite so honest, eh?

But it’s not just Haggard that they hold up as an obstacle to Romney. They quote a South Carolinian GOP County Chairman, Rick Beltram, about how much work Romney has to do to make any headway in that Bible Belt State:

But as he campaigns in South Carolina, “the biggest weakness for Romney is that he is a Mormon,” said Spartanburg County Republican Party Chairman Rick Beltram.

“He’s got to convince the rank and file that Mormonism isn’t some strange cult religion, and persuade people that the beliefs he holds are very much mainstream USA.”

Starting with Romney’s first exploratory trip to Spartanburg, S.C., in February 2005, Beltram said, “Everyone said, ‘Oh boy, what does a Mormon believe in?’ ”

Wait though, this the same Rick Beltram who was quoted just a few days ago in a South Carolina paper, The State:

“Romney has moved up the fastest,” said Spartanburg County Republican chairman Rick Beltram.

Obviously, Beltram isn’t painting a picture of an insurmountable challenge (which seems to be the whole point of the LA Times article.) Very shady journalism, if you ask me.

Well, I just thought every one deserved to hear . . . “The Rest of the Story.” One sided reporting of issues is something we’ve come to expect from liberal rags like the LA Times. But that doesn’t mean that we have to take the trash they’re trying to shove down our throats.

Jeff

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David Broder and E. J. Dionne Jr. (highly influential political columnists for the ever-important Washington Post) both mentioned Romney in recent Op-Ed pieces.

Broder , the editorial king of presidential politics, discussed how Gov. Arnold in Cali has brought hope for the possibility of that state being back on the table for the Presidential race in 2008 (I know Ann Marie is excited about this possibility–I’m a native Californian and would love to see it go Red for Romney!).

Indeed, key Republicans here — including some of George W. Bush’s former people imported for the Schwarzenegger campaign — think the governor’s example is one that could be emulated in 2008.

Their argument is that at least three possible Republican contenders — Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York; John McCain, the senator from Arizona; and Mitt Romney, the governor of Massachusetts — could compete effectively for California if they made the effort.

Dionne, discussing the lay of the land in New Hampshire wrote:

Tom Rath, one of the state’s most experienced Republican power brokers, loyally insists that Bush is still “personally” liked here. But Rath sees Iraq taking a huge toll on the president, partly because so many in New Hampshire’s National Guard have served there and “the repetitious call-ups are disruptive to people’s lives.”

Rath recently announced his support for Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. His rationale is surprisingly similar to the explanations that Democrats give for the popularity of governors such as Lynch or Sebelius: Voters are in a mood for less “doctrinaire” politicians who can fix things.

Of the federal government, Rath said: “There’s a feeling that this great big thing doesn’t work very well.” He said Republicans need to win back voters who feel they gave “the keys to the car” to their party only to have it driven “into the back of the garage.” Rath sees Romney as the GOP’s repairman.

That’s a catchy title: “The GOP’s Repairman”. . . as a DC outsider, Romney has a better chance of filling this role than many other hopefuls.

Jeff

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http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/3646 This article from the New Standard has some important news . . . state & local officials can now not only enforce federal immigration laws, but they have access to federal records and screening systems (Oh WHY has it taken FIVE years since 9/11 to get this done?).

New Program Gives Local Police Immigration Enforcement Tools
by Michelle Chen

Sept. 13 – Massachusetts has become the launchpad for a new federal initiative to enmesh community policing and immigration-law enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced last Thursday that it will provide state and local police with unprecedented access to a new federal database. The plan will be tested first in Boston.

The program will integrate two key federal fingerprint databases: the DHS’s growing collection of data on visitors to the US, and the FBI’s fingerprint identification system, which links to the country’s main criminal database, the National Crime Information Center.

Under the merger, according to the DHS, when state or local law-enforcement officials process the fingerprints of someone who is also registered for an immigration violation, federal authorities will be automatically alerted. Local police can assist federal officials by detaining the suspect.

Not surprisingly, the ACLU and immigrant advocacy groups are against this measure (I guess they have something against enforcing laws).

Later the article continues . . .

The DHS acknowledges that the system is still being developed, but says the Boston pilot will serve as a trial-run before the database goes nationwide.

Meanwhile, some states have begun warming to the prospect of taking on immigration enforcement duties. Since 2002, Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement division has launched special joint initiatives with agencies in Florida, Arizona, California and other states to apprehend undocumented immigrants on federal and state charges. Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney proposed directing state troopers to help root out immigration violators earlier this year.

Generally, collaboration between local and federal authorities on immigration has been limited. In the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, however, the Department of Justice declared that states had “inherent authority” to apprehend immigrants, even for civil violations.
Romney has been on the forefront of calling for this type of intergration for essentially his whole term as Governor. See his testimony to U.S. House Select Committee on Homeland Security given on June 17, 2003 titled “First Responders: How States, Localities, and the Federal Government Can Strengthen Their Partnership to Make America Safer.” (It’s a long document . . . but has his call for such integration and his actions as Governor up to that point.)

Jeff

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http://washingtontimes.com/national/20060821-122910-1527r.htm From the Washington Times: California Republicans believe a handsome, blue-state Republican such as Mitt Romney would turn the presidential map upside down in 2008, appealing to the voters on both coasts who normally back Democrats in national elections.
Mr. Romney is eyeing a White House bid as he finishes his last few months in the Massachusetts governor’s mansion, and made his case to state party activists this weekend at the California Republican Convention. They loved him — cheering wildly for a stump speech that closely resembled a stand-up routine and later praising him as someone with the right kind of fiscal and conservative values.
“He’s got the charisma Kennedy had and the morals we wish Kennedy would have had,” said Republican Donee Chabot of Los Angeles, who works in real estate.
Mr. Romney, 59, is an attractive candidate for the Republican nomination because of his political savvy, state party officials said.
“He’s a national-level player with national-level experience, and he showed that once again tonight,” said Duf Sundheim, chairman of the California Republican Party.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.”
Others said Mr. Romney understands the direction the nation is headed, and specifically liked his call for a line-item veto and for reining in federal entitlement programs. They also agreed with his theory on keeping the U.S. competitive with India and other Asian nations.
“He is a visionary. He sees the problems, and he knows how to work them out,” said Rosemary Licata of Ventura. I’ve been trying for 8 months to sum it all up in such a short sentence. Thanks, Rosemary.

Dave

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http://www.californiansforromney.com

Just returned from a remarkable speech by Gov. Romney to the California Republican Party. The crowd of hundreds gave him an extended standing ovation following his 30 minute address. Party chair Duf Sundheim delivered the introduction, citing Gov. Romney’s many accomplishments in business, running the Olympics and overcoming challenges as a Republican governor in one of the most Democratic states in the nation. (An interesting tidbit–GOP Vice Chairman Ron Nehring later pointed out that Massachusetts has enjoyed the longest continuous current stretch of Republican governors in the nation.)

Gov. Romney hit on many of the same themes and issues he mentioned in the speech aired on C-SPAN last weekend. He carefully articulated some major challenges facing the nation, including threats from terrorism, government overspending, our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, the growing economic development of Asia. But he countered these challenges with an infectious optimism. He spoke about the strength of American values and our nation’s commitment to freedom, opportunity, service to others, and belief in family. It was an inspiring address.

After the speech, Gov. Romney was mobbed by admirers. He stayed to shake every hand, take every picture, and sign every autograph he could. Ann Romney was delightful as well. Turns out she has a California connection and raises horses in Southern California. She has been here several days working with her horses, one of whom she hopes will be ready to compete in equestrian events in the next Olympic Games.

Prior to the speech, Gov. Romney dropped by the board meeting of the California Republican Assembly. This grassroots group was dubbed “The conscience of the Republican Party” by President Ronald Reagan. CRA president Mike Spence introduced Gov. Romney to the group of nearly 100 activists. Gov. Romney gave a brief speech and again talked about his conservative values and the priority he places on education and the sanctity of human life.

On a personal note, Mitt could not have been nicer. During the reception prior to the dinner, he spotted my Romney in 2008 button and broke into big grin. He asked if he could have one for Ann. Fortunately, I had bought three. One I gave to Mrs. Romney and one for Josh, his chief advance man. (I’m pleased to report that Josh is a Bay Stater who got his undergraduate degree from USC, where I work. Fight on, Josh!) I’m down to one button and had to decline a request from KNBC TV political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe for it. I promised her I’d get her another. She’s on the faculty at USC, so I’ll be able to keep that promise.

Hope you enjoyed this long post. If I can figure out how, I will put up some photos in the next few days and include links to media coverage of the Governor’s visit.

From Geoffrey Baum at Californians for Romney

Posted by Dave

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http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Romney_California_GOP.html Governor Romney gave the keynote address last night to an enthusiastic California GOP convention. His remarks were greeted with enthusiastic applause from this conservative crowd, for whom illegal immigration is a hot issue. Romney, a Republican governor in a Democratic state, is exploring a presidential run in 2008. California, with its reservoir of campaign cash, is a key stop along campaign trails.One focus of his speech was the other side of the immigration problem. “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.”All in all, an incredibly successful trip to California for Governor Romney and the Commonwealth PAC, which raised a cool million the previous evening.

Dave

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http://www.boston.com/news/local/politics/candidates/articles/2006/08/18/southern_audience_delights_in_a_visitor_from_north/?page=2 To say Governor Romney was a hit in Mississippi would be an understatement, according to the Boston Globe. They had seen the handsome governor from up North on Fox News and had read about his leadership of the Big Dig in local newspapers.

So when the ladies dressed in red welcomed Governor Mitt Romney to this Gulf Coast town yesterday, they had no interest in the handshakes Romney was offering. They went in for hugs.Senator Trent Lott was equally positive about the Governor’s visit. Lott promptly returned the favor, telling reporters at a press conference that Romney is “definitely in the top tier” of Republican presidential candidates, alongside Senator John McCain of Arizona and former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani. Joshing about his looks, Lott called the governor a “real pretty one,” but was serious about his prospects.

“He’s got an excellent chance. Everything I have seen about him has always been impressive,” Lott said. “We may actually get to vote for somebody from Massachusetts before it’s over.”There was a brief recap of his trip to Iowa. A day earlier, Romney looked mildly out of place at the Masonic Temple near downtown Dubuque, where the Nussle fund-raiser was held. Romney posed for pictures near two giant moose heads, chatting with donors who gave Nussle $1,000 each for the privilege of a personal photo with the Massachusetts governor.

Then Romney camped out in front of the buffet line so he could meet all 200 guests as they prepared to pile chicken, pork, and green-bean casserole onto their plastic plates.

“That’s a fabulous tie,” Romney gushed to one guest. “Mitt Romney, great to meet you,” he greeted several others. When one local activist told him that other 2008 presidential contenders had already called her, Romney wheeled and issued directions to an aide.

“I need to find out how to reach this young lady,” he said.Next, it’s off to California. Tonight, Romney is hosting a high-dollar fund-raiser for his political action committee at the exclusive St. Regis Resort in Dana Point, Calif., where donors must pony up $25,000 for a pair of seats at the head table. He’s capping off the trip tomorrow in Los Angeles, with the keynote address at the California Republican Party’s annual convention.All of this, and he’s getting the job done back home.

Dave

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