Wow. I've looked over the details of the poll and nothing strikes me as completely out of the ordinary. Hat tip to the Mitt Report

A poll released today by Datamar Inc., shows Former Governor from Massachusetts, Mitt Romney in the lead with 32.3%, in the California Presidential primary. Former Mayor of New York, Rudi Giuliani, is in second place with 14.7%. Congressman Duncan Hunter jumps to third place with 11% and U.S. Senator from Arizona, John McCain is fourth with 5.4%. Findings are based on a June 6 – 11, 2007 survey of California voters using Datamar’s proprietary targeted-registrationbased- sampling (TRBS)* method.

OK. Then. Off to the races we go!

http://www.datamar.net/pdf/CRPP061407.pdf

Labels: California, Polls

(ht: Iowans for Romney)

Had a great Time with our own Jason Bonham and Kavon Nirad (of Race 4 2008).

Check out these video entries.

Installment #1

Installment #2

Many thanks to Kavon for getting these videos up.

Governor Romney had an excellent piece in the National Review Online today on an approach to stem cell research that would avoid the ethical and political controversies associated with that research. Some excerpts and reaction:

"Late last week, two developments involving stem-cell research offered a sharp contrast between the great strengths of American biomedical science and the terrible weakness of Washington politics."

"First, on Wednesday, we learned that researchers in Massachusetts, building on prior accomplishments by colleagues in Japan, had managed to transform regular skin cells into the equivalent of embryonic stem cells in mice. Their work points to a way to produce cells with the qualities scientists value about embryonic stem cells — but without the need to create, harm, or destroy human embryos, and therefore without ethical or political controversy."

"But then, on Thursday, the Congress passed a bill that would for the first time use taxpayer dollars to encourage the destruction of embryos for research. Just as it is becoming increasingly clear that scientific ingenuity could offer a way around the divisive controversies of the stem-cell debate, congressional Democrats are working to stoke those very controversies. They have opted to exacerbate what they see as a political debate that works in their favor, rather than encourage a scientific solution that would work in America’s favor."

"Support for ethical biomedical research should be part of our collective identity as a noble society. Instead of turning the quest for cures into a partisan battle, Congress should embrace the exciting emerging lines of research that could meet the goals of all sides in the stem-cell debate. A bill to support just such a positive approach to stem cell research passed the Senate in April by a whopping margin of 70 to 28. But the House Democratic leadership, choosing politics over the prospect of consensus on science, appears to be unwilling even to allow a vote on that hopeful legislation."

"It is time to move beyond typical Washington politics, and offer support for stem-cell research techniques that bring science and ethics together to promote life, protect life, and save lives."

Nothing is more apparent from this article than that Romney is a leader. He is an intelligent and optimistic voice for the issues we care about. Just when others are attacking Romney and seeking to infect voter's minds with misinformation, Romney simply continues the good fight, laying out his approach and alternative to political positioning in government and in the primary election. Where others are simply content to run a negative campaign, Romney is innovating, looking for solutions, and seeking to promote the right position with information and ideas.

Below are Governor Romney's excellent remarks at the National Right To Life Convention. (In other new, who is the one candidate to not make an appearance at this event?)

This speech is a powerful defense of the life movement.

"Thank you Carol. We appreciate your many years of dedicated service to the cause of life.

"I was honored to accept your invitation to address the National Right to Life convention.

"I am humbled to be standing among the many who have toiled for the pro-life movement for so long, when I arrived at this place of principle only a few years ago.

"I appreciate the decades of dedication and the effective advocacy of people like Jim Bopp, the Special Adviser to my campaign on life issues.

"I know that it is not time but conviction that unites us.

"I proudly follow a long line of converts – George Herbert Walker Bush, Henry Hyde, and Ronald Reagan to name a few.

"I am evidence that your work, that your relentless campaign to promote the sanctity of human life, bears fruit.

"Consider the double standard at work here, by the way. When a pro-life figure changes to pro-abortion, they get praised for their courage. But when someone becomes pro-life, the pundits go into high dudgeon.

"And so, I am humbled but also grateful to be welcomed so warmly by so many with whom I share a common dedication.

"Anyone here from the pro-life community in Massachusetts knows they were always welcome in my office when I was Governor. Together we worked arm in arm.

"I can promise you this – you will be welcomed, and we will work together, if I'm fortunate enough to be elected President.

"People often ask me how a conservative Republican such as myself could have been elected in Massachusetts. I tell them that there were three things that helped account for my improbable victory.

"First, the state was in a fiscal crisis. A meltdown, of sorts. State government couldn't get budgets done on time. Another big tax hike looked like it was on the way. I promised to balance the budget without raising taxes. And together with the legislature, that's what we did. We eliminated a $3 billion shortfall. And by the time I left, my surpluses had replenished the rainy-day fund to over $2 billion.

"Second, we were in an economic crisis. Massachusetts was losing jobs every month and our citizens were afraid of losing more. I went to work to bring employers back to our state. By the end of the recession, we added 60,000 new jobs. We got our economic development act together – which explains much of the economic growth that the Commonwealth continues to experience even today.

"And third, we were in the beginnings of a cultural crisis. Social values also played a role in my campaign success. My opponent said she would sign a bill that would sanction same sex marriage. I said that I would oppose gay marriage and civil unions. My opponent favored bilingual education. I did not. I said that to be successful in America, children need to speak the language of America. And my opponent wanted to lower the age of consent for an abortion from 18 to 16 – and I did not.

"And so, social conservatives, many of them Democrats and Independents, joined fiscal conservatives to elect a Republican.

"That being said, I had no inkling that I would find myself in the center of the battlefield on virtually every major social question of our time.

"The first battle came when the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, by a one vote majority, found a right to same sex marriage in our constitution. John Adams wrote that constitution. I'm sure he'd be surprised.

"The Court said that traditional marriage – the natural union of one man and one woman – 'is rooted in persistent prejudices' and 'works a deep and scarring hardship … for no rational reason.'

"No rational reason? How about children? Isn't it clear that marriage provides the best environment for the development and nurturing of children? And isn't a child's development enhanced by having both a mother and a father?

"I believe that the Court got it wrong because it focused on the desires and perceived rights of adults.

"The Court should have focused on the needs of children. The ideal setting for the raising of a child is a home built on a marriage between a loving mother and father.

"Then came the 'slippery slope' – not the argument but the reality.

"The implications of the marriage decision quickly went well beyond adult marriage. Efforts were made to change birth certificates by removing 'mother' and 'father' and replacing them with 'parent A' and 'parent B.' I said no to that. And parents of a child in second grade were told that their son is required to listen to the reading of a book called the 'King and the King,' about a prince who marries another prince. The school's rationale was since same sex marriage was legal, the education system should advance the idea.

"And then another slide along the slippery slope. The Catholic Church was forced to end its adoption service, which was crucial in helping the state find homes for some of our most difficult to place children. Why? Because the Church favors placements in homes with a mother and a father. Now, even religious freedom was being trumped by the new-found 'right' of gay marriage. I immediately drafted and introduced legislation to grant religious liberty protection, but the legislature wouldn't even take it up.

"When I was Governor, we took every conceivable step within the law to stop, block or slow down this unprecedented court decision.

"Our goal was to take the decision away from the Court and give it back to the people. But yesterday, the Massachusetts state legislature, at the urging of the new Democratic Governor, refused to allow the voice of the people to be heard.

"The fight is not over.

"We need to take this battle to Washington again. We need to explain the far-reaching implications of the push to dramatically change our marriage laws. Now is the time to pass a federal marriage amendment to protect marriage in all 50 states.

"In the midst of that battle, another arose. It involved cloning and embryo farming for purposes of research. I studied the subject in great depth. I have high hopes for stem cell research. But for me, a bright moral line is crossed when we create new life for the sole purpose of experimentation and destruction.

"That's why I fought to keep cloning and embryo farming illegal.

"It was during this battle that I began to focus a good deal more of my thinking on abortion.

"When I first ran for office, while I was always personally opposed to abortion, I considered whether this should be a private decision or whether it should be a societal and government decision. I concluded that I would support the law as it was in place – effectively, the pro-choice position.

"And I was wrong.

"What became clear during the cloning debate is how the harsh logic of an absolute right to abortion had cheapened the value of human life to the point that rational people saw a human embryo as nothing more than mere research material to be used, and then destroyed.

"The slippery slope was taking us to racks and racks of living human embryos, Brave New World-like, awaiting termination.

"What some see as just a clump of cells is actually a human life. Human life has identity. Human life has the capacity to love and be loved. Human life has a profound dignity, undiminished by age or infirmity.

"My experience as Governor taught me firsthand that the threat to our culture is real and those in a position to do so must take action to defend it.

"Times of decision are moments of great clarity. Before I was Governor, the life issue was just that, an issue. But when responsibility for life or ending life was placed in my hands, I made the right decision. I chose life.

"Just like some others in the pro-life movement, a moment of decision became a defining moment.

"And so, every time I faced a decision as Governor that related to life, I came down on the side of life.

"I fought to ban cloning.

"I fought to ban embryo farming.

"I fought to define life as beginning at conception rather than at the time of implantation.

"I fought for abstinence education in our schools.

"And I vetoed a so-called emergency contraception bill that gave young girls abortive drugs without prescription or parental consent.

"That is my record as Governor of Massachusetts.

"Recently, I was attacked by one of my opponents because when I ran for Governor I promised to maintain the status quo with regards to laws relating to abortion in Massachusetts. Of course, I kept that promise. But in Massachusetts, that meant vetoing pro-choice legislation – as I consistently did as Governor. That's why last month I was honored with an award from Massachusetts Citizens for Life in recognition of the actions I took as Governor to protect life.

"The next president, especially if faced with a hostile Congress, will be confronted with many legislative tests, such as challenging the Hyde amendment and advancing cloning. You can be sure that I will be bringing my gubernatorial experience – and my veto pen – with me to Washington.

"The larger problem is there are some people who believe that their pro-choice views must be imposed on everyone. More and more, the vehicle for this imposition is the courts.

"Some say that it is 'OK' for the courts to impose their personal public policy preferences on society. I am not among them.

"Make no mistake: the claimed rights of abortion-on-demand and same-sex marriage are not in the Constitution.

"But the problem of an activist bench goes beyond the issue of abortion and gay marriage that.

"Slowly but surely, the courts have taken it upon themselves to be the final arbiters of our lives. They have forgotten that the essence of democracy is the right to govern ourselves.

"Chief Justice John Roberts put it best at his confirmation hearing, when he described the role of a judge. 'Judges and Justices are servants of the law,' he said, 'not the other way around. Judges are like umpires. Umpires don't make the rules, they apply them … and I will remember that it's my job to call balls and strikes and not to pitch or bat.'

"Now that's the type of Justice that I would appoint to the Court.

"On the tenth anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Ronald Reagan observed that the Court's decision had not yet settled the abortion debate. It had become 'a continuing prod to the conscience of the nation.'

"More than thirty years later, that is still the case. Numerous court decisions have not settled this question, but have further divided the nation. And Roe v. Wade continues to work its destructive logic throughout our society.

"This cannot continue.

"At the heart of American democracy is the principle that the most fundamental decisions should ultimately be decided by the people themselves.

"I certainly believe in treating all people with respect and dignity. You can't be a pro-life Governor in the bluest of blue states without understanding that there are heartfelt and thoughtful arguments on both sides of the question.

"It is our great task to persuade our fellow citizens of the truth of our convictions.

"Strengthening our country and our families, protecting marriage and human life and preserving for our children the true blessings of liberty; these are noble purposes. I am confident we are worthy of them.

"After all, we are a decent people who have a commitment to the worth and dignity of every person. This is ingrained in our hearts and etched in our national purpose.

"Thank you."

Labels: abortion, event, pro-life, speech

It's no secret Brownback's Campaign is floundering in the ocean of obscurity. And it's no secret that Brownback, despite his wonderful work for the pro-life cause in the past, has decided to trade his integrity and honor for a few cheap political points. Points he will never realize anyway.

Brownback blogger Billy Valentine (who I actually think is a pretty solid guy,) penned this blog which featured Brownback's amazingly dishonest and desperate press release (really a call for help.)

The best part of the press release was the advice that Martin Gillespie, the political director, gave Romney, courtesy of Mark Twain:

"Always tell the truth. That way, you don’t have to remember what you said."

What is actually funny is that the campaign then goes on to post the YouTube that McCain Camp used, which dishonestly portrays Romney by only including half of his statement. Dishonesty at it's worst.

Here is what Romney said about this while in Chicago yesterday:



I feel for Sam. He is a lousy candidate who is about as exciting as a trip to the proctologist. But what I find alarming is that Sam is OK misrepresent the truth in order to paint Romney as a liar.

Brownback spokesman Gillespie also had this to say:

“One would think that Mitt Romney is in training for an Olympic gold medal in verbal gymnastics, as his various political contortions on abortion are stunning in their timing and flexibility,”

Look for his comments around 1:37 where he actually claims Romney is not pro-life.


Brownback had this to say himself:




Really?

I think we all see the Irony here.

Now lets back up and see the forest. Brownback, eager to break 0% in the polls, starts to chime in with the dishonest and sad attack campaigning that McCain has already begun. This will probably be one of the last posts I will put up on Brownback, because the guy has zero chance and is dead after Ames. He is a bottom feeder hoping to pick up some of the votes of dying candidates such as McCain. His tactics of racking on Romney will win him no favors in the GOP and really has set him up in a position to be left out of a future Romney administration. Frankly I support that. Brownback is a Bozo and doesn't deserve the time of day of the conscientious voter.

So Sam, if you are reading this (and why do I actually think you might?) maybe it's time for you to head your own counsel, to "Always tell the truth. That way, you don’t have to remember what you said." I am tired of your self-righteous hypocrisy.

OK... it's official. In case you missed it, last week we had a great time at the Young Professionals for Mitt kickoff in DC. A few sign-ups here, a $100 contribution there, and bingo! We've surpassed our goal of $50,000 raised for Mitt.

So... now I'm asking you. What should our next goal be?

Labels: fundraiser, poll

McCain's legislation that restricted political speech may be struck down in part in a forthcoming Supreme Court decision. On the other hand it may be upheld as just because the Court is deciding an issue doesn't mean it will actually decide it. If it is struck down, it will be a major slap to the legislation that has warped funding in politics. If it isn't, the legislation should still be repealed and a system of disclosure put into place.

From Mitt Romney's Campaign:
"Governor Romney Believes That There Must Be More Transparency And Disclosure In Campaign Finance. McCain-Feingold has not accomplished its stated goals of reducing the role of money or special interests in politics. Instead, it has driven money into secret corners and given more power to hidden special interests. Governor Romney believes we must have more transparency and disclosure in the process, rather than more restrictions and censorship of political speech."

I was delighted today by the presence of a new design to http://www.mittromney.com/. The main tabs that include the link to the Five Brothers Blog, Issue Watch, and Mitt TV remain the same but the main page also now features a few nice editions. There is a "Mitt Wire" section where current news articles are featured. In addition, the Five Brothers are proud to have a little more screen space. My favorite addition though is the Upcoming Events section. I have been hoping for a while that more information would be forthcoming about events and this section is delivering. For example, for the upcoming Ann Romney Reception in Illinois, there is contact information for people who might like to attend.

One visitor to the website has suggested the average reader in Iowa may not have enough bandwidth to view the site. It may be prudent to have a dial-up version of the website. But the flash stuff is nice to look at on my computer.

Finally, the footer of the site now features the three prong message of Romney's campaign:

"I believe the strength of America lies in the strength of her people. I am running for President because I want to help keep America strong. That means a strong military, strong economy, and strong families. We are facing many challenges, but America has always overcome these challenges in the past, and I am confident that we can do so again."