Elections Blog

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.fednews.com/transcript.htm?id=20061101t7988 MR. GIBSON: With me now is someone who knows Kerry very well, the Republican governor of Kerry’s home state of Massachusetts, Governor Mitt Romney.

So, Governor, do you buy the sincerity of Kerry’s apology today? Sort of late, but there it is.

GOV. ROMNEY: Well, it’s awful late, to begin with. And secondly, ask yourself, why couldn’t it just be a straightforward apology? I’m happy to get any apology. I think our men and women in uniform deserve an apology. But what came out seems like kind of an attack apology. He’s attacking people for misinterpreting supposedly what he said, but what he said was as plain as plain could be. And he really ought to issue an apology that’s as plan as plain can be, but you know, he’s done what he’s going to do now. And unfortunately, the damage is done. What he’s communicated is that somehow that old idea that our military is not up to the national standard is underlined, and frankly, it’s wrong. The military that serve from our state — active duty, Reserve and National Guard — are bright, capable, professional people. We ought to be proud of them, not denigrating them. …

You must be a registered user to view the full transcript.

Read the rest of the story at the Federal News Service.

Kevin

Technorati Tags: Mitt Romney

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The Governor will appear on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends” tomorrow (Wednesday) at 8:10am EST to comment on Senator John Kerry’s regrettable remarks to students in California yesterday that if they don’t do well in school, “they could get stuck in Iraq”.

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Just a heads up…Governor Romney will be on Your World With Neil Cavuto TODAY at 4PM. Watch, set your VCRS, DVRS, and TIVOS.

Ann Marie

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http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=74332 Yesterday it was announced that Gov. Romney will appear in person on the Family Research Council’s “Liberty Sunday” simulcast this weekend (including a webcast at www.libertysunday.com).

No word on future First Lady Ann Romney’s scheduled appearance, but it appears she’s been bumped off the list in favor of her husband.

Y’know, I’m mildly disappointed. It’s great that another audience will get to see Gov. Romney in action, but I personally (and selfishly) would have liked to have seen Mrs. Romney. Usually we only see her introducing the governor.

~~~Thomas

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Apologies to those not versed in 1980’s alternative Rock music for the title. Essentially, this post is inspired by the recent praise and positive prognostication Romney’s received from political pundits. Some almost seem like endorsements, some just predictions; but all may be helping Romney rise to near “frontrunner” status and will help to increase his still poor name recognition among the general populus. I’ll put these down somewhat in order of influence on helping Romney secure the GOP nomination.

#1 Rush Limbaugh:
Jason Branham at South Carolinians for Romney reported that he heard an interesting exchange on Rush’s radio show last week:

In other news, I know Rush Limbaugh has almost completely withheld commentary on the ‘08 race. But today he called George Allen the most truly conservative potential ‘08 candidate, then quickly said that Mitt Romney was a CLOSE second. I hope that’s a quick peak into Rush’s mind and an indication that Romney could receive Rush’s backing come campaign time. One thing’s for sure, after his daily McCain bashing, we know Rush isn’t going to be getting behind the senator from Arizona any time soon!

I’d say that’s a dang positive sign . . . especially since, despite his solid conservative credentials, Allen has proven to be gaffe-prone (”Macaca-gate” and Jewish ancestry issues). Also, with his controversial history on race-relations he’s someone that doesn’t stand a very strong chance in a general election . . . imagine the attack ads that the Dems and 527s would be hurling at Allen ad nauseum.

#2 Bill O’Reilly:
(ranked behind Rush only because Limbaugh probably has more influence among staunch conservative Republicans than O’Reilly–who has much more of an independent/libertarian streak)

A couple of weeks ago, O’Reilly said that Mitt Romney is his early favorite. to win the 2008 presidential election over Hillary Clinton
(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.

That’s as close to an endorsement as I’ve seen from a pundit at this point of the game.

Further, when Bill O’Reilly interviewed Ann Coulter last week on “The Factor” the following exchange occurred: 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…he’s my favorite. It’s somebody out of the blue.

O’REILLY: I think Mitt Romney is the guy on the inside track that very few people know about.

We know about him Bill!

#3 Ann Coulter:
. . . see just above. A conservative “shock jock” (even though she doesn’t have her own show). Not the most tactful pundit, but does carry a lot of weight among staunch conservatives. Also, Coulter helps run an influential conservative news source and website–Human Events Online (which in the past hasn’t been too friendly to Romney though one of there editors, Ivy Sellers, is a BYU alumnus-that can’t hurt)

THE NEXT TIER (hard to rank these):

Mort Kondracke:
Frequent pundit (a proclaimed Moderate) on Fox News and Executive Editor of “Roll Call” has frequently had good things to say about Romney. In an opinion piece not too long ago Kondracke liked Romney’s policy stances quite a bit.

Hugh Hewitt:
Conservative Radio Talk show host has long been hosting Romney on his show. He’s not “on the record” as endorsing Romney . . . but he sure seems to be quite praiseworthy. It was at Hewitt’s suggestion/request that Lowell and John started the Article6Blog.

Michael Medved:
Just yesterday, Michael Medved (Conservative talk Radio host) was inteviewing John Halpern about his book, “The Way to Win”, and Medved had this to say about Romney:

“We’re talking with Mark Halpern, the author of “The Way to Win: Taking the White House in 2008” and political director of ABC News. One thing about your book that I mentioned, I was struck by something that isn’t in there. You talked about the likely Hillary Rodham Clinton race for the Presidency in 2008, but nowhere in your book, and I checked the index, do you mention the name of the gentleman I believe to be the most likely next President, and I’m wondering if that’s a conscious omission. I happen to believe that…it’s obviously a long way to 2008, but I think that Mitt Romney, Governor of Massachusetts, is a likely Republican nominee and winner.”

Glenn Beck:
Prominent Talk Radio host (3rd most listened to talk show in America among Adults 25-54) and has a nightly show TV show on CNN’s Headline News.

On his TV show he recently opined:

Well, today the real story is that someone with actual power and intelligence agrees with me. Mitt Romney, the governor of Massachusetts. He issued a statement saying, quote, “State taxpayers should not be providing special treatment to an individual who supports violent jihad and the destruction of Israel. For him to lecture Americans about tolerance and violence is propaganda, pure and simple.”

Thank you, Mitt Romney. Finally someone besides a radio talk show — a clown basically saying what the rest of America is thinking. If you want to know the truth, don`t listen to Harvard which calls the speech quote, “a free exchange of ideas.”

Listen to Mitt Romney who says that Khatami is nothing more, quote, “than a wolf in sheep`s clothing,” end quote. A wolf that we are allowing to walk right into the hen house. Mitt Romney will be on my radio program tomorrow morning to talk about this, and we`ll of course keep our eye on the rest of the Khatami visit and update you as things develop.

Also, it probably doesn’t hurt that Beck is LDS (converted and baptized in 2000)

Laura Ingraham (and Bob Novak?):

As reported at the Article6Blog . . .

I happened to be listening Laura Ingraham’s show this morning during the second hour, about 40 minutes ago. In an interview with Robert Novak, Laura brought up Dobson’s comments yesterday [that he thinks many Evangelicals may not end up voting for Romney because he's Mormon]. Going from memory, here’s what I recall:

Laura expressed shock at Dobson’s comments. She said she had received a great deal of e-mail from conservative Christians expressing strong disagreement with Dobson, saying “we love Romney.”

She mentioned Novak’s column. Novak said that there were a number of “respectable,” well-known, and prominent evangelical leaders who are privately telling him the same thing Dobson was saying. I do not recall if he said those evangelicals told him that they personally would have trouble supporting Romney. Nor did he say if those statement were recent, or dated back to his April 27 column. I believe he used the present tense, as in, “they are telling me.” Novak said those people “would blow your head off” if you revealed what they had privately said about evangelical support for Romney. Novak said rather forcefully that he thinks this is “un-American.”

Novak also opined that Romney needs to address this issue– something we have also said many times.

Laura said that “we can’t have this,” or words to that effect. Novak said that with George Allen faltering, Romney was shaping up to be the conservative Republican standard-bearer for 2008, and that the campaign must not be a “theological debate.” Laura heartily agreed.

Others that keep saying nice things about Romney are K-Lo (Kathrine Lopez–the editor of National Review Online–including “The Corner” href=”http://www.davidfrum.com/aboutfrum.htm”>David Frum (Former GW Bush Speechwriter and the guy who apparently came up with the “Axis of Evil” title/strategy for Bush) here and here, and Doug Wilson, the CHAIRMAN of Townhall.com (great conservative site where he recently wrote an Op/Ed titled “Mitt Romney for President?” that is pretty darn praiseworthy of our favorite candidate!)

In a different vein, two influential MSM political reporters for presidential races, David Yepsen (here and here) and David Broder, seem to be pretty high on Romney’s chances.

Any others I missed?

Jeff

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Just a heads-up to everyone that C-Span’s “Road to the White House” series will include Gov. Romney this Sunday at 6:30pm (preceded by a Sen. McCain speech).

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) speaks at a fundraiser in Grinnell, Iowa, followed by a meet and greet during which he explains Massachusetts’ proposed new healthcare program.

~~~Thomas

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http://www.michaelmedved.com/ A friend heard the Michael Medved Show (Conservative talk Radio host) today where he was inteviewing John Halperin about his book “The Way to Win”–a book about tactics hopefuls have and/or should use to become POTUS. Well, apparently during the Conversation Medved said he though Romney would be the Repubican nominee for the 2008 election. The talking heads are aligning quickly and the list is growing.

Jeff

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http://www.redstate.com/stories/podcasts/redstate_radio_welcome_gov_mitt_romney There is a GREAT interview posted with the next President on Red State radio. Among topics discussed are Taxachusettes, Romney’s Health Care plan, as well as his religion and how it may affect his pending run for President.

It’s a great listen (even for the non Romney fan), as it truly highlights why he is the Republicans best chance in 2008.

Chris

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Just wanted to give you all a heads up….. Romney will be on the “O’Reilly Factor at 8pm tonight on FOXNews.

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http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/Transcript_Page.aspx?ContentGuid=b523d9c9-24fd-496f-9ee0-20f90955dff4 Romney’s radio conversation with Hugh Hewitt is available in transcript form here.

The 9 minute audio segment is available here.

Romney shows his pragmatic philosophy and fiscal discipline and he tough stance on radical jihadists all in one fell swoop

. . . any time a person of interest and substance comes to our state, if they require escort or security personnel, or special receptions at the airport and so forth, we provide those things out of a sense of dignity and honor. But Harvard, of course, has every right to invite who they want to come. I would disagree with their selection of invitee here, but they have a right to invite whoever they want. But they don’t have the right to expect that the state taxpayers, and our police force, are going to provide this individual with an escort and security services. That, in this case, is simply too outrageous for us to bear.

When Hugh asked him about the timing of the event Romney responded . . .

We have a service here on September 11th at the state capitol, and then meet with the families of those who lost loved ones. As you know, aircraft left Boston that were lost on that tragic day, and so we have families who are still grieving, and will always grieve at the loss of their loved ones. And in that setting, to have someone who is a terrorist, who led a nation which was described by our State Department during his tenure as the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world, having him in our state at this time is acid in open wounds, and is not something welcome.

The liberal media has been labeling Khatami as a “moderate” . . . simply because the current Iranian president, Ahmadinejead, is the most whacked-out leader imaginable. Anyone would look like a moderate compared to him! Romney points this out nicely:
Yeah, I think his rhetoric is not as outrageous as Ahmadinejead, but it’s fully outrageous, and it’s terrorist in nature. It is the violent jihadist extreme, which we cannot countenance. It’s important for America to reach out to voices of moderation and modernity in the world of Islam, and that is the majority of people in the world of Islam. But this person is not one of them, and welcoming him here, and inviting him to speak at Harvard University is simply wrong.

And further . . .

I think one of the sad things is that we have not developed an understanding of the nature of what’s going on in the world of Islam, and how it threatens people there, and how it threatens people in their own country. And you know, I recently heard Tony Blair speak on the battle that’s going on, the world of Islam. It was really quite effective. I wish it were better heard and understood in our country. We are facing not just a group of al Qaeda lunatics in the hills of Pakistan, but a worldwide effort to cause the collapse of civilization as we know it, and Western societies. And that is a very real threat, and is going to require vigilence on our part, not just military, but Hugh, using Eisenhower’s term, we will have to wage full-out peace to help encourage people to, in the Muslim world, to turn to modernity.

Among the final questions Hewitt asked . . .

HH: Now I heard a speech you gave at the Republican state convention in Los Angeles three weeks ago, and you used the term Islamic-facism, a term the president has used, but for which he has been significantly criticized. Do you stand by that term, Governor?

MR: Oh, absolutely. These are violent jihadists. Facism is probably as close a parallel as we can come up with, and I know a number of people have used that term. I think we’re having to make sure that people understand that this is something far broader than a group of anarchists in hills. It is a concerted, organized effort which is designed to cause the unification of all the nations of Islam, the reconquering of prior Islamic lands, and ultimately, the conquering of the world. And it sounds absurd to us, but that religious fervor can lead to awful acts of terror, and has already done so. And in no way can we contribute to the legitimizing of these individuals by inviting someone like Khatami to our country.

Hewitt finished the segment with:

Governor Mitt Romney of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, thanks for spending some time with us. Congratulations on your decision concerning Ayatollah Khatami. Very, very blunt, and I think overdue. Thank you, Governor.

Jeff

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http://www.nysun.com/article/39232 This interesting editorial from the New York Sun praises Romney and Giuliani for their strong stands against terrorist visits to our soil and compares their actions to Teddy Rooseveldt’s humorous handling of another Anti-Semite, Rector Ahlwardt.

They then continue:

Mr. Romney faced a slightly different situation than Commissioner Roosevelt, for we are now in a war and anti-Semitism isn’t looking so ridiculous. Mr. Khatemi is not just an itinerant preacher. He’s the front man for a nation that is actively fighting against us, that is levying a war against the Jewish state, that has played a role in killing hundreds of Americans. His motives in coming here are patently disingenuous, as are those of the Kennedy School in hosting him. Our government has allowed Mr. Khatemi in as a private person, but the mission on which he is here is to carry out hostile state purposes — and his speech at Harvard has been timed to mock the victims of the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Mr. Romney put out a long and exceptionally thoughtful statement explaining his decision. By our lights Mr. Khatemi’s visit is more like ,. . . [a] calculated insult

They have it right like Romney does.

Also, Romney has spent at least some of the last two days speaking to media outlets. I saw him on the “Personal Story” segment of the “O’Reiley Factor” tonight and he seemed to convince a skeptical Bill O’Reiley toward his point of view. I heard he was on Sean Hannity’s, Laura Ingraham’s, and Hugh Hewitt’s Radio shows recently too. When I find links . . . I’ll get them posted.

Jeff

Edit:

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

Click me!.

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http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/08/17/romney_aided_conservative_groups/ The Boston Globe today attempted to cast a shadow on donations from Mitt & Ann Romney’s private Tyler Charitable Foundation, particularly donations to the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society. Governor Mitt Romney’s private foundation — which often sends money to religious organizations, schools, and social services groups — gave $50,000 in 2005 to two prominent conservative think tanks that have provided him with a platform as he readies for a potential run for president, public records indicate. The Globe then goes on to reveal to their readership that the donations were legal. Whew! Thanks, Globe, for that nugget. I can sleep at night now. No one was accusing him of breaking the law, but thanks for telling us the unnecessary news. Eric Fehrnstrom, a spokesman for Romney, said the governor doesn’t make donations for political reasons.

“Governor Romney’s support of civic organizations is not something he calls attention to,” Fehrnstrom said. “He does not do it for public acclaim. His charitable giving is done out of a sense of helping groups that rely on the philanthropy of others to carry out their mission.”So Romney has a foundation that doesn’t have his name in it, and he doesn’t send out a press release everytime he makes a donation. He keeps it private, and gives his money for the right reasons. Man, he should be dragged into the public square and stoned for such selfless behavior in this era of self-promotion! Didn’t he get the memo? Tax specialists interviewed this week said the donations could help Romney with conservative activists.

“There is a political interest here that says why is Mitt Romney now giving his money to the Heritage Foundation and what is he trying to accomplish?” said Donald Tobin, an associate professor of law at Ohio State University. “But if I were a Republican candidate, it would absolutely make sense to give money to organizations that would promote issues I support.”Yeah. Apparently this is a no-brainer to everyone except the Globe.

Dave

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The Republican Party of Iowa’s Chairman’s Dinner will be featured tonight on CSPAN’s Road to the White House at 6:30. It will focus on Governor Romney, who gave the keynote address at the dinner.

Dave

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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14303121/ Romney was on MSNBC’s Hardball last night and this link has the entire transcript from the show. However, to save your scrolling digits I’ve pasted in Romney’s portion below. I did not see this interview and would love to hear from anyone who did about how Romney came across:

MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL, overlooking the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

For the first time since September 11, 2001, National Guard troops have been ordered to patrol Logan International Airport in Boston. Governor Mitt Romney issued the order this morning and he joins us now from Boston. Governor, what will the army troops, the National Guard troops be able to do there that the airport police can‘t?

GOV. MITT ROMNEY ®, MASSACHUSETTS: Well, frankly, the real reason they‘re there is because we don‘t have enough airport security personnel and TSA personnel to man the double number of points for inspection that we‘ve had in the past. We‘ve always had one single place for security checkpoint.

Now we have a checkpoint at gates, as well as at the security point. We have to double our number of personnel, almost, and there just aren‘t enough people ready to do that. And that‘s why the National Guard has to step in and play that key role.

MATTHEWS: What do you make of Bob Baer, the expert who just came on and said that the problem now isn‘t so much the detection of metal objects that could‘ve been used—that certainly were used in 9/11 and could be used again, because these liquids are undetectable and therefore we‘re going to be in the situation that the Israelis are in, where you really have to detect the criminal intent of the passenger.

How are we going to have the logistical capability to conduct those kinds of lengthy examinations of people before they get on a shuttle to D.C., for example?

ROMNEY: Well, I think what this particular experience has taught us is one more time, the only way to effectively protect the homeland is not by inspecting every possible source of attack, but rather to do effective intelligence and counterterrorism work. That‘s what the British have shown us again.

You have to find the bad guys, reveal the plots before they carry them out, because the number of ways that people can attack us and the number of possible targets is so large that you can‘t protect every single asset, every single human, every single airplane, building, hospital, school. You have to find the bad guys and get them out of our country before they attack us.

MATTHEWS: Well, there‘s the tough stuff, because, as you know, you‘ve got to make decisions regarding civil liberties and national security which often come in conflict. How do we really do a great job of surveillance if we have people who are very concerned in this country about the Fourth Amendment and other guarantees of our freedom?

ROMNEY: Well, of course, we have to respect our Constitutional guarantees of freedom, recognize that the most important civil right we have is the right to life. And we need to make sure that our citizens are protected and don‘t lose their lives by virtue of not having done an effective job to survey those who would attack us.

Fortunately, in Great Britain, they have a very tough Patriot Act equivalent which allows them to do the kind of surveillance that identifies this plot before five or 10 aircraft end up killing all on board.

That‘s the most important thing that we have to do is to protect our citizens, and we can do it within a constitutional framework that we‘ve come to know and love. But intelligence work and counterterrorism has once again been proven as the only effective way to protect the homeland.

MATTHEWS: How do we do that? I‘m sure you‘ve traveled to Israel and gone through those interviews where they‘re very extensive. I remember back when I got out of the Peace Corps, they asked me what was I doing with a typewriter, was I going to write anything about the country, really invasive kinds of questioning to try to get at your political intent because that‘s the only way Israel has retained its 100 percent safety record with regard to hijacking. Can we get that tough?

ROMNEY: Well, we‘re going to be as tough as we have to be to protect our citizens from the kind of criminals that want to kill them. I was at Logan Airport today, as people were having their bags checked one more time just before they got on the aircraft.

They were checked first at the security checkpoint, now at the gate checkpoint. And I asked people going on board, do you find this intrusive, are you bothered by this? And they said, no, we‘re glad you‘re doing it. The American people want to be safe as they travel. They want the airline industry to be safe and effective and on time. They want the hotel industry to be able to accommodate passengers.

Look, this is an extremely high priority for our country, to protect our citizens, and the most effective tool we have currently is intelligence and anti-terrorism efforts. But, of course, we‘re also going to use every means of technology we have to protect citizens at the airport and to have those devices in place that can identify attack weapons and the like. But there‘s no way you can find every possible weapon and secure every possible target. It‘s just impossible. Instead, you have to go after the bad guys.

MATTHEWS: OK, thank you very much, Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts.

P.S. Gov. Pataki (NY) followed where they called up the national gaurd as well . . . and, as mentioned before, Schwartzeneger in CA did as well.

Jeff

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http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=16381 Human Events Online today posted a wonderful interview with Governor Romney. Here’s a portion:You’ve had to deal with some disasters such as flooding and now the tunnel roof panel collapsing and killing a motorist. How has this changed you?

My career has had a long string of turnarounds and there are three things to remember when dealing with a crisis. First, sunshine is the best disinfectant. Bring some transparency, let people know what’s going on and stop hiding. Second, I believe in bringing in people smarter than me to help deal with some of the situations we have to face. No. 3 is to take personal responsibility. By that I mean I don’t just delegate a job to others and hope they do a good job, I remain actively involved in directing our efforts.That, folks, is the next President of the United States.

Dave

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***Special Announcement***
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
***End of Special Announcement***

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http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/012/555ivsyw.asp?pg=1 The Big Dig and Romney’s response are featured in this week’s Weekly Standard:
“Early on, anyone looking at the Big Dig saw that it was a management horror show,” Romney told me. “It has been grossly under-managed, with huge cost overruns and extraordinary delays. What we began to find out was that it also had apparently cut corners and not been subjected to the kind of rigorous oversight that you’d expect in the world’s largest public works project.”

“When I learned that a ceiling panel had collapsed and killed a human being,” Romney went on, “it followed the same pattern, but the human cost had now reached a new level. What was before a financial embarrassment became a human tragedy.”

He described how he plans to handle the problem. “The best way to make something better is to expose it to the disinfectant of sunlight,” Romney says. “My approach in these kinds of settings is to open the doors, open the windows, let the light in, let the public see what’s going on. In my experience, people always feel better knowing about the real problems than guessing what those problems might be.” Taking the reins, without regard for the political consequences. Leadership and competence defined again by Governor Romney.

Dave

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http://iowansforromney.blogspot.com/2006/08/hear-mitt-speak-speak-mitt-speak.html A new Iowa political blog focused on the 2008 presidential race is being run by Kevin Schmidt. It is named “RealWorldPolitico.” I breifly met Kevin at Romney’s PAC event in Ames and he seemed like a nice guy. Fortunately, Kevin recorded Romney’s speech and the Q&A session (two seperate mp3s) and has them available at this link (the speech cuts out a few minutes early). In the Q&A session, mine is the second question about the political risk of taking over the Big Dig . . . yes, the question that brought forth the now famous “tar baby” comment.

Additionally, this link should get you to the streaming audio (about 13 minutes) of Gov. Romney on today’s “Morning in America” radio talkshow hosted by Bill Bennett . . . he states he has 2.4 million listeners/day and is the #9 radio talk show in the nation. Sounds like good exposure for Gov. Romney. Not sure how long it will be available online as free streaming audio.

Topics discussed:
The Big Dig
Welfare Reform
Immigration
War on Terror/Iraq/Afghanistan
Israel and Lebanon
China and Economic Policy

One thing that struck me from the interview . . . Romney said: “we under-communicate to the world and to the American people when we call it a “War on Terror.” Terror is the technique that’s involved by the others side. This really is a war against radical jihadists. And we’re going to have to recognize that, and see it’s breath and help the world of Islam reject the extremists, because they and we together are going to have to do this.”

Just after the interview Bennett said of Romney: “Clear, smart, an articulate voice thinking about the wider world as well as his own state of Massachusetts . He’s shown that he can work with Democrats; the question is can he work with Republicans–because there aren’t any up there . . . or at least not very many.”

Great showing, once again, by our man Mitt!

Jeff (cross-posted at Iowans for Romney)

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http://www.opinionjournal.com/cc/?id=110008742 A Wall Street Journal editorial today takes on the Big Dig, including a conversation with Governor Romney. A portion:Mr. Romney, one of the leading Republican presidential contenders, has arrived at a Rudy Giuliani-type moment that could elevate or ruin his political fortunes. He inherited this pile of political manure, and Massachusetts’s heavily Democratic careerist legislators “just don’t want him cleaning out the stables,” as Eric Fehrnstrom puts it, who focuses on transportation as one of Mr. Romney’s top aides.

But Mr. Romney scored his first significant victory when he forced the resignation of the independent Turnpike Authority head, Matthew Amorello. Mr. Romney is now empowered to put his own clean-up crew in charge. He seems well qualified for the task; after all, he first gained international renown for righting the scandal-plagued Salt Lake City Olympics.

Dave

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