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 Friday, November 23, 2007
Monday, April 16, 2007
The Des Moines Register has an interesting article on the state of the Race in Iowa.
The article states: The race for the 2008 caucuses is fluid, with Romney, a former MassachusettsRepublican officials in Iowa's most populous counties give the nod to Romney when asked who has the advantage when it comes to on the ground organization: "There really isn't a frontrunner in Iowa right now," former state GOP ChairmanAnother believes: Pottawattamie County Republican Chairman David Overholtzer said Romney hasChairman Steve Schmitt from the Waterloo area said: "I still say Romney's got more what I would call momentum up here," SchmittWhy is this important? Despite the polls saying Giuliani is winning in Iowa the key test at this point is organization. Romney and McCain have invested heavily in their staff organizations. This partly accounts for Romney's burn rate which left him essentially tied with Giuliani on the cash on hand number. Getting staff, headquarters, and equipment has many one time costs that are incurred by the campaign. Having run a grassroots headquarters in 2006 for Senator Santorum this is an apparent fact for me. The things that have to be bought include copy machines, cell phones, hookup fees for the calling plans for the cell phones, printers, paper, fax machines, office supplies, security deposits on the property they are renting, hookup fees for the services the headquarters requires, tables, furniture, any equipment the staff requires, and materials for grand openings. Then you take all of these expenses and multiply them by how many headquarters are set up around the country in IA, NH, SC, MI and Boston. These are all one time costs that have been incurred by the Romney Campaign and not by the Giuliani campaign. It has been noticeably lacking in the coverage of Romney's cash on hand numbers and should be considered when analyzing the numbers. Labels: cash on hand, fundraising, iowa, Romney Tuesday, February 27, 2007
There has been some confusion as to where Rudy stands on Immigration. Over at Ankle Biting Pundits they looked into this. They found this speech on the Welfare Reform law given September 11th 1996. There are aspects to the Welfare Reform Bill that, as just a matter of policy, I disagree with and I think could pose very serious problems, and although I do think the bill does some good, in the end I believe it does more harm than good. Which aspects did he disagree with so much that he decided to go to court over it? In the welfare bill it required Cities to turn over the names of illegal immigrants over to the INS. From the speech: New York City's Executive Order 124, signed by Mayor Koch in 1988 protected Giuliani defends his decision by saying that: The tenth amendment reads: "The power not delegated to the United States by He says that Police power is a local authority and therefore the bill is unconstitutional by dictating what a local police force must do when in violation of local laws.. I would counter that while Police power is a local authority the integrity of our borders and the security that integrity provides is a federal one. It being a federal power therefore means that local authority cannot supersede it.This is another area with stark differences between Governor Romney and his two leading opponents. While McCain and Giuliani both favor policies to coddle and give aid to those whose first action in this country is to violate this country's laws Governor Romney has advocated tough enforcement of our immigration laws. From his Website:  We need to make America more attractive for legal immigrants -- for citizens -- and less attractive for illegal immigrants. I want to see more immigration inour country, but more legal immigration and less illegal immigration." Labels: Giuliani, Immigration, Romney Tuesday, February 20, 2007
CBN's David Brody
Romney's Attempts To Level Campaign Playing Field With Ads Promising Less Talk And More Action ABC News Washington Post Jonathan Martin at The Politico The Corner Part I KJL: Perhaps Newt can follow-up with a PSA on Thursday complaining about how early The Corner Part II JPOD: I hope he goes negative! Tuesday, February 13, 2007
 From National ReviewKey Excerpts: "I love America and I believe in the people of America. I believe in God and I believe that every person in this great country, and every person on this grand planet, is a child of God. We are all sisters and brothers. I believe the family is the foundation of America – and that we must fight to protect and strengthen it. I believe in the sanctity of human life. I believe that people and their elected representatives should make our laws, not unelected judges. I believe we are overtaxed and government is overfed. Washington is spending too much money. I believe that homeland security begins with securing our borders. I believe the best days of this country are ahead of us, because… I believe in America!" "There are some who believe that America's strength comes from government – that challenges call for bigger government, for more regulation of our lives and livelihood, and for more protection and isolation from competition that comes from open markets." "That is the path that has been taken by much of Europe. It is called the welfare state. It has led to high unemployment and anemic job growth. It is not the path to prosperity and leadership. "  "How is the American family made stronger? With marriage before children. With a mother and a father in the life of every child. With healthcare that is affordable and portable. With schools that succeed. With taxes that are lower. And with leaders who strive to demonstrate enduring values and morality."Good speech. You can read the whole thing at the link above. Labels: Announcement, Romney, speech Monday, February 12, 2007
 James Bopp, Jr, who recently endorsed Governor Romney for President, recently took time to answer a few questions on why he decided to endorse Romney. __________________________________________________________________ MMM: Why did you endorse Mitt Romney? Bopp: I believe that Governor Romney is the best qualified person for President. He is a fiscal and social conservative, he has impressive administrative experience in the private, non-profit and public sectors, and he is a proven and successful politician. MMM: Given Governor Romney's well documented statements on abortion in the past what would you say to pro-life leaders who remain concerned about Romney's commitment to the movement given his recent conversion to it. Bopp: The pro-life movement is open to converts. Two of our most stalwart pro-life presidents, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush,  were converts. I believe that Governor Romney's conversion on the pro-life issue is sincere for three reasons. First, it was based on a real life pivot point, when Harvard researchers told him that there was no "moral issue" with embryonic stem cell research because they "destroy the embryos at 14 days." This had a profound effect on him.Second, as Governor, he consistently pursued pro-life policies. He vetoed the bill providing state funding for embryonic stem cell research, he vetoed a bill that provided for the "morning after pill" without a prescription because it is an abortifacient, he vetoed legislation which would have redefined Massachusetts longstanding definition of the beginning of human life from fertilization to implantation, and he fought to promote abstinence education in the classroom. These actions as Governor, and others, have lead leaders of the most important social conservative groups in Massachusetts, including Massachusetts Citizens for Life, Massachusetts Family Institute and the Knights of Columbus, to observe that, while previous comments by Ronmey "are, taken by themselves, obviously worrisome to social conservatives including ourselves, they do not dovetail with the actions of Governor Romney from 2003 until now - and those actions positively and demonstrably impacted the social climate of Massachusetts." They conclude that Romney "demonstrat[ed] [his] solid social conservative credentials by undertaking" these actions, and has, therefore, "proven that he shares our values, as well as our determination to protect them." Third, I have met with Governor Romney and asked him the questions that I think need answered. I am satisfied with his answers. MMM:While Rudy Giuliani has obvious flaws for the Pro-life movement John McCain's are not as apparent.Why should pro-life voters care about the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act(BCFRA), or McCain-Feingold. Bopp:  While both Giuliani and McCain would be superior to any potential Democrat nominee, I have serious policy differences with each of them. Giuliani is not a social conservative. He is pro-choice, pro-partial birth abortion, pro-special rights for homosexuals, soft on gay marriage and pro-gun control. Senator McCain opposes the federal marriage amendment, supports embryonic stem  cell research and was a ringleader of the Gang-of-14 compromise that made it easier for Democrats to block President Bush's judicial nominees. He voted against Bush's tax cuts, supports an amnesty plan for illegal immigrants, and supports the Kyoto-like restrictions on the American economy.Finally, Senator McCain is the principal sponsor of the McCain-Feingold bill which imposes severe limits on the participation of citizens groups and political parties in our representative democracy. The pro-life movement should care about McCain-Feingold because it has seriously undermined our ability to accomplish our policy goals by making it much harder to influence public policy. MMM: How do you think a Romney Presidency will advance the pro-life movement? Bopp: I think he will support pro-life legislation, continue the Bush administration's pro-life policies and nominate judges in the mold of Justices Scalia and Thomas.  MMM: Do you think pro-life issues will affect the Republican Primary?Bopp:Yes, the vast majority of Republican primary voters are pro-life and want a pro-life President. Many thanks to James Bopp Jr. for taking the time to talk with us. Labels: Bopp, Endorsements, pro-life, Romney Saturday, February 10, 2007
The Michigan Republican Party had its convention over the last two days (Friday and Saturday) in Grand Rapids, the home of late President Gerald Ford. On this cold February weekend, around 3000 of the Michigan Republican Party faithful gathered to elect statewide party offices and listen to two perspective Presidential candidates give speeches including Mitt Romney.
In regards to the Michigan Republican Party officer elections, every race except the Youth Chair race, the lowest statewide office, featured only one candidate. The Youth Chair race came down to a nailbitting recount of the 9th Congressional District caucus, where the margin of victory of Matt Hall fell from 20 to 8. Both candidates tried to appeal to the camps of the respective Presidential candidates for support as seen with both having endorsements from multiple camps. I was sort of shocked by the closeness of the race as many expected Hall to win by a wide margin. Beyond the party office races, the Presidential campaigns of Mitt Romney, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, and Sam Brownback had representatives and volunteers at the convention. I was helping the Romney campaign by doing the general campaign work like handing out stickers, manning tables, etc... While the McCain camp was expected to have a large delegation seeing their strength in the western part of Michigan, the Romney team had a large presence. The reaction of the delegates and others at the convention to Romney's candidacy shocked me. I knew Mitt was popular among the party faithful, but the exceptionally strong levels of support for Mitt convinced many of us that he is the favorite among the majority of the party activists at the convention. While this is driven to a certain extent by fond memories of his father's three terms as Governor among the older delegates, some of whom shared their memories of George Romney to the volunteers, a great deal of Mitt's support comes from those who are impressed by Mitt himself. Along with these exciting details, it is obviously important to note that Mitt's speech to the Convention was very impressive as he talked about his record, his family, and his vision for America. The strong support for Mitt was evident from the crowd's reaction to his speech and the impressive welcome he received as he entered the convention hall. Along with his speech, his receptions on Friday night and Saturday afternoon were well attended by the party faithful. The convention definitely showed the strength of Mitt's campaign in Michigan at levels I did not even expect to see. From seeing the reaction to Romney at the convention, I am more confident than ever he has a strong chance in the Michigan primary next year. Thursday, February 1, 2007
Alabama Fundraising: State Rep. Jeff McLaughlin, D-Guntersville, said the PAC and its actions violate (Who cares about the spirit of the law?) Romney in NH today: Traveling with his son Craig, Romney will make Granite State stops at a Twelve points isn't a huge gap a year out with a candidate who has the name ID of Romney.  ROMNEY'S MORMONISM: Brody File: Has Romney Turned the Corner? Lawmakers differ on whether Romney's Mormonism an issue in presidential race Republican state Representative Gloria Haskins, a graduate of Bob Jones(I've never liked theocrats per se but even I didn't think people were that brazen about it!) The race for presidential cash in its infancy, Sen. John McCain reported NOTE: These are from 2006. Romney wasn't required to report for 2006 BUT: Romney seeks grass-roots support in S.C. Endorsements won't get the next president of the United States elected, former Still, it seems that the Republican Party has an opening for a conservative Wednesday, January 31, 2007
 ALSO: McCain on Global Warming Mitt Romney hopes that the endorsement of the ABM Caucus will propel him to Includes Speaker of the Iowa State House Romney as a convert to Reaganism. Interesting quote: The president of Americans for Tax Reform, Grover Norquist, on the other Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Today the Romney Campaign announced that James Bopp, Jr. Esq., has endorsed Mitt Romney for President and that he will serve as a special adviser on Life issues.
This is a major pickup for Romney. Let's take a look at it: WHO IS JAMES BOPP, JR. ESQ. (View full Bio here)
 WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT This is important on two levels. First, James Bopp is a trusted figure in the Pro-life movement. Hundreds, if not thousands of local pro-life leaders have used James Bopps legal memos in their activism. He has spoken at many pro-life events and conventions, including three that I've been at. This will go a long way in gaining the trust of the pro-life movement. It is also important on another level. James Bopp is one of the leading opponents of Campaign Finance Reform Laws, or put another way: McCain-Feingold. Consider the following: Bopp's actions at the RNC Winter Meeting:
The ban, which applies 30 days before primaries and 60 days before general She has since retired and has been replaced by Samuel Alito. FINAL ANALYSIS: Giuliani is completely unacceptable to Pro-Life issue voters. McCain, though, isn't as obvious in his threat to the Pro-Life movement. Romney's latest endorsement gives him a forceful, pro-life voice to remind the movement why McCain has been a threat to the movement. It's a two-for-one deal for the Romney Campaign: burnishing Romney's pro-life credentials and tarnishing McCain's. Labels: Endorsements, Giuliani, McCain, pro-life, Romney Romney: Roe vs Wade Cheapens Human Life
Boston Globe: Romney's business skills face a political test Romney in Columbia, SC today Romney in SC: Romney Gets Support in SC Every decision I have made as governor in a very liberal state has been on Romney in SC Mr. Romney, who said he inherited a $3 billion deficit when he became Romney stops in Columbia Romney on Nightline: The Surprise Hit Candidate in Iowa Romney Draws Fire for Seeming to Have Bought Rumsfeld's Iraq Line Religion Could Stunt Romney's White House Bid Interview excerpts General 2008: Disadvantage of Being a Senator Running for President GOP Right Sees Lemons in White House Race | ||||
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