comMITTed to Romney!

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First the Pols . . . as in the trio of politicians (3M-state governors) recent trip to Iraq). There’s a great blog/diary entry by one of the Air Force’s C-130 pilots who flew the governors into Baghdad. A couple of the relevant exerpts:

Romney was on the flight deck with us for the takeoff, and not knowing Mitt Romney from Knute Rockne I asked him who he was. When he told me he was Massachusett’s governor, I politely asked him to leave the flight deck, declaring the cockpit off limits to all Red Sox fans. He laughed and made a few cracks my way, regarding the Yanks, and we hit it off pretty well. I asked him if he was at Fenway when the Sox finally won the World Series, and with a huge boyish grin he replied, “Yes I was.”

Two helicopters waited fifty feet from our plane for them, but before anyone could whisk them away, the governors promised us a few photos, and were gracious enough to oblige. Romney even handed me his personal coin, and told me “You’re not a bad guy… for a Yankees fan.” I wished him “Good Luck in ‘08,” and we went our separate ways.

ADMIN INPUT:
The Pilot who is mentioned above emailed me today, here is a copy of his message.

I’m the pilot that wrote about delivering Governor Romney to Baghdad on my plane. Handing a troop a coin or RMO (round metal object) is a military tradition dating back to WWI. Each unit has their own insignia and each commander (usually a general and above) has his own as well. They’re given out to people as tokens of appreciation, and are prized souveniers. Here is a pic of Gov. Romney’s RMO.

Enjoy.

Jay

He was kind enough to send me a picture of both the front and back, and here are the pictures.

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Now onto the Polls:

This first ABC News poll (props to Jason at Illinoisians for Mitt for finding this one) confirms what most of us know already . . . and that’s that it is way too early for anyone to be a “lock” as a frontrunner. Only 9% of voters polled at this point “would definitely vote for McCain” . . . less than half of those that are already sold on Hillary (19%). Broken down to just the Republicans and he’s still only got 11% “sealed-uup” at this point. What is even more encouraging for Mr. Romney (both in the primary and in the general election) is that 28% of those polled would definitely not vote for McCain and 42% for Hillary. This confirms the polarizing nature of Hillary amogst voters since nearly two-thirds (61%) of voters have already made up their minds on Hillary. The Republican field seems to be wide open!

The last interesting poll summarized and linked at a Giuliani blog site is another of the “cold-call” phone survey types (which means that they’re all about name recognition . . . since most people don’t care this early in the game and are apt to agree to the first name that they recognize that doesn’t completely repulse them just to get off the phone and back to dinner. I mean who hasn’t heard of McCain, Giuliani, or Newt? No surprise that they’re leading).

Governor Romney has never been a “frontrunner” in these kinds of polls (see this link for lots of them over the last several months) because of his poor name recognition. However, it is interesting that where his name is better known (i.e. Michigan . . . where at least the older crowd remember his fathers leadership), he is definitely on the map at 15%. Look for these numbers to go up once he formally announces his candidacy and is seen/recognized in the public eye as a serious contender.

One other thing to consider is that George Allen seems to have almost NO support outside of the south . . . 3% in Michigan and 1% in Washington State? That’s not going to get him very far in the GOP primaries . . . but again, that might be mostly name recognition as well . . . but 1% . . .)

It should be an interesting next 8-12 months as the candidates announce their campaigns and the race starts to take form.

What do ya’ll think of these poll numbers?

AMC
JJF

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Romney continued his Mid-east War-zone tour with a visit to Mass Troops in Afghanistan. The governors of Mass, Montana, and Missouri were part of the DOD sponsored visit and that makes 28 of 50 sitting governors who have been to the Mid-east War-zone.

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In other news, in this National Review opinion piece (about Jeb Bush and his play in the ‘08 GOP presidential mix) the author, Kathryn Jean Lopez, says that Romney is her favorite GOPer among the current choices (followed by George Allen).

It mentions a Romney-Bush GOP ticket . . . what do you guys think? If Romney does get the nomination who would be your pick for VP? I would be fine with Huckabee, Allen, Bush, and Rice (in that order).

ADMIN ADDENDUM:
For some reason I can’t find the post, maybe it got deleted on accident months ago, but if you do a technorati search on this blog you’ll find the link to the post (even though the post isn’t there ) Anyway, from the beginning I’ve dreamed of a Romney-Bush ticket. Prior to starting this blog when I contemplated who I wanted to support in 2008 I strongly considered Jeb for President in 2008. Having lived in Florida during a majority of his Governorship I was able to see him in action. After careful consideration though I just didn’t think that 2008 was the time for Jeb to run. Yes, I know that we shouldn’t consider the fact that his brother is our current President, but it does play a factor. I truly believe that had Jeb not lost to Lawton Chiles the same year that W won the Governorship in Texas we would have a different Bush in the White House today. Jeb is just a better leader than W is. He’s articulate, is well spoken (just like Mr. Romney), and as an added bonus he is completely fluent in Spanish and regularly conducts his speeches in Spanish after he completes the English version. I believe that a Romney-Bush ticket in 2008 would be a powerhouse. They could work together using their impeccable executive leadership skills and lead this country in ways that haven’t been seen in a very long time.

JJF
AMC

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http://www.boston.com/new…for_aid?mode=PF

Mitt Romney’s requests for federal aid from the federal government for the damage inflicted by the recent flooding has been approved. This is good for Romney as his strong “within the crisis” leadership is now followed up with an influx of relief dollars for Bay Staters. I see this experience helping to increase Romney’s poll numbers in Massachussetts the next time around.

In other news . . . Romney’s support of the Abstinence educational program for MA school kids is hitting a bumpy road, but should make it through the congress.

Also, GOVERNOR ROMNEY IS STILL LISTED AS #2 AMONG CURRENT LIKELY GOP CANDIDATES. (Link now fixed . . . wrong link before, sorry) It says:

“These rankings are based on a number of factors, including: organization, money, buzz and polling. The two candidates in our two top spots are the candidates who are doing well in all four attributes.”

Great job Gov. Romney!

JJF
Iowans for Romney.

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Arizona will be getting a visit from Governor Romney this upcoming June 10th:

“Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a 2008 Republican presidential hopeful will keynote an Arizona Republican Party event June 10 in Scottsdale. Romney recently visited the state to talk about his possible White House run with Mormon business and political leaders. Romney is Mormon. Tickets to the Scottsdale event run between $275 and $5,000.”

Also, an upcoming Michigan visit with the Midland County Republican Party luncheon in Midland, MI is scheduled for August 11th.

Mark you dates and go see/hear him if you can!

JJF

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http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2000063

Mr. Romney made an unannouced trip to the middle east to visit US troops. He said he was impressed by the determination of U.S. forces during the visit.

“You come back feeling extraordinary appreciation for the troops,” Romney told The Associated Press in a telephone interview after returning to Kuwait from Baghdad.

AMC

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Check out Iowans for Romney for the latest news.

Mitt Romney’s Official Commonwealth PAC website issued this press release this morning which announces Doug Gross as taking the job of heading up the Iowa division of Romney’s PAC.

For those who are not versed in Iowa politics you may be wondering: “Who is Doug Gross?”

Here is his bio from his Law Firms’ website.

This link gives his bio/history when he was running for Iowa Governor in 2002 and mentions:

“Despite the time it took to serve as the managing partner of one of the state’s largest law firms, Gross continued to advise many Republican candidates for office and was co-chair of George W. Bush’s finance effort in Iowa in 2000.”

Looks like Gross knows how to spot and support a winner! He’s obviously seen something special in Gov. Romney.

Over at “The Krusty Konservative” (the best conservative Iowa blog) they are discussing this improtant announcement and arguing about how important (or not) this “get” is for Romney.

JJF

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http://www.humaneventsonl…le.php?id=15028

This article from Human Events Online discusses the inherent differences in Senators vs Governors as presidential candidates and highlights Mitt Romney’s recent successes in Massachusetts.

JJF
www.iowansforromney.blogspot.com

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http://www.boston.com/new…r_arkansas_gop/

Mr. Romney hoping to boost the GOP’s chances in Arkansas will headline a Arkansas GOP fundraiser in Little Rock on July 6th.

While there Romney will host a private fundraiser for Asa Hutchinson who is running for Governor of the state.

Details have not been finalized for the party fundraiser, but GOP Executive Director Clint Reed set tickets are tentatively priced at $125 a plate.

A couple of other Arkansas sources mentioned this earlier today. The Arkansas Family Coalition’s blog and this Arkansas Times Blog section have some comments and debate going on about the upcoming visit. Feel free to comment at these two sites. Also, let your family/friends in Arkansas know that Gov. Romney will be coming!

AMC
JJF

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http://www.redstate.com/story/2006/5/21/112537/756

This Red State article about Mr. Romney’s extensive managerial experience and success is generating a lot of discussion and interesting comments. I highly recommend registering with Red State and commenting there. It’s a pretty important conservative discustion site. Feel free to join in the discussions.

Also, Mr. Romney didn’t do so poorly at the Wisc state GOP straw poll for ‘08. Six candidates (Allen, Giuliani, Gingrich, Rice, Romney, and McCain) all received between 10-17% of the votes (n=357). That’s a “wide-open” field if I’ve ever seen one. I assume that Romney would have done much better if he had been able to keep his appointment and speak at the convention as scheduled . . . might have even been the front-runner.

JJF

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http://www.boston.com/new…ionally?mode=PF

This recent story out of Massachusetts has an interesting take on Romney’s recent leadership through the flooding crisis in Massachusetts. A disaster like this is horrible and devastating to affected individuals. Situations like this require focused effective leadership and Gov Romney seems to be providing that well. Also, one cannot dispute the fact that situations like these represent opportunities for Gov. Romney to prove his leadership capabilities beyond the borders of his state and thereby improve his still poor national “name recognition factor.”

This story got me thinking again about the “name recognition factor” and how it plays a roll in the pre-election world.

Romney supporters (or potential Romney supporters) should not be discouraged by all of the “early polls” (like this compilation of polls over the last year or so) about the 2008 presidential race. At this point . . . people called by a polling service about a potential race over 2 years away are not likely to take it seriously and would probably say anything to get off the phone quicker. More importantly, at this point these phone polls are all about name recognition. That’s why McCain, Giuliani, and Rice seem to do the best . . . because they are well known names that have been highlighted on the national stage. However, political pundints see it a little differently as the following links (here, here, here, and here) all show that Romney is in the top teir of possible republican nominees.

What about McCain? Is he unbeatable? I mean he’s tops in the polls and tops among pundits!

Well, a few of points on McCain:

1) Bear in mind that the mainstream media (MSM) LOVES and has always loved McCain. He’s championed campaign finance reform which gives disproportionate power to the MSM. Plus, he’s a “Maverick” and the media love a guy who will speak out about and against the “status quo”. So, McCain sort of gets “a pass” by the MSM. However, when election time comes up all of his controversial past WILL be brought up and will make the GOP base have some second thoughts about Senator McCain

2) Longtime GOPers and the Christian right don’t much like McCain as he’s been so willing to team up with the left on several issues. GOP bloggers also have a pretty negative opinion of him as far as polls go.

3) As stated above, McCain is a “Maverick” which is an OK stance to take as a moderate republican senator . . . but is not much of what most people think of in a President. In a word, McCain doesn’t strike many people as “presidential.”

4) He’s not terribly young . . . Most people remember him as he was during the 2000 presidential race, but he’ll be 72 years old in 2008. Assuming the GOP wants to get another potential two-term president in office, that would make him 80 years old as a president. This will play a bigger factor than people are now realizing.

5) He’s pretty testy and reactionary which won’t go over well in debates or when he’s finally grilled by the MSM during a hotly contested GOP primary.

6) He’s a senator. Time and time again, the public seems to wildly prefer Governors to Senators when it comes to electing a president.

7) Part of McCain’s support now is based on the polling that shows him handily beating Hillary in a general election. This excites the GOP base and engenders support from people who want to win. However, Mr. Romney is no slouch against Clinton either . . . one online poll at CNBC showed Mr. Romney smoking Clinton in a head to head race (74% to 26%). Once this kind of polling is confirmed, those “wanting to win” could easily switch camps.

Well, I don’t mean this to be an attack on McCain . . . I just wanted to point out to Romney supporters that there is not only “hope” but a strong chance that McCain can and will be beat.

So don’t be scared to support Mitt Romney because you don’t think he has a chance. He is the horse that will pull away from the rest near the finish line!

JJF
Iowans for Romney

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Mr. Romney’s ability to turnaround messes is simply amazing!

Massachusetts had been hemorrhaging jobs since it hit an employment peak in 2001. They lost over 200,000 jobs between 2001 and early 2004. (Romney took control in 2003 and the slope of the curve started to even out pretty quickly). Granted, much of this is out of any politicians’ control as so much is based on the economy . . . but under his watch the job losses lessened through 2003 and started to recover in 2004. They have added nearly 51,000 jobs since the nadir in early 2004 and are now in the net positive since he’s been governor. The numbers should countinue to improve thoughout the rest of the year until his term ends . . . yet another accomplishment to add to his list for the campaign trail.

Once again, Romney comes into a mess and things “magically” get better under his watch(see SLC Olympics, Bain Capital’s history of turning around struggling companies, Mass huge budget defecit etc . . .) Either he is the luckiest man alive . . . or he’s just a skilled and capable leader/manager. He may well earn the nickname “Midas Mitt” since he sure seems to have the “Midas Touch”

Originally posted at Iowans for Romney

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Wisconsin Romney supporters will be disappointed that Romney will not be in attendance at the state GOP convention today/tomorrow due to the “state of emergency” in Massachusetts from the flooding (I guess this is the true definition of a “rain check.”)

No word yet on his Sat night eventing banquet at SEA-TAC airport hotel

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This article in today’s Boston Globe actually had some nice things to say about Romney’s message and reception at the 44th annual Governor’s Prayer Breakfast. I had to post it since it is such a rare occurrence.

Some notable excerpts:

Romney said: ”I think sometimes we think that because we’re this high-tech state . . . that we somehow have everything under control. But all that rain from the sky reminds us that that’s not the case at all. It can bring us to our knees and bring us up short.”

And later he queried: “‘What is it about America’s culture and values that makes us such a successful nation and society? Part of that is we love liberty, we love our country . . . I believe it’s also because we are a people who love God and look for a purpose greater than ourselves in life.”

One Rabbi in attendance said: “‘I actually thought the point about addressing the nobler and more generous side of people and human nature was very inspiring.”

Another of today’s articles from the Globe reviews the Mass Senates’ new proposal for the budget plan. The democratic senators had a heyday planning ways to spend the “extra cash” that Mitt’s balancing of the budget provided. They ignored Romneys’ repeated requests to decrease the Mass. state income tax to 6% lower than it’s current level (a modest and deserved reward for Mitt and the tax payers–from 5.3% to 5.0%) . They have a different concept altogether of taxes and stewardship than does Mitt. The article states: “Murray defended the decision to ignore Romney’s proposal to cut the state income tax rate from 5.3 percent to 5 percent. ”We felt we would rather invest the money in education and higher education and health,” she said.”

If I lived in Mass., I would be livid that the lawmakers were planning how to “invest” my surplus tax dollars rather than planning how to get that surplus back to me via a tax cut.

Originally posted at Iowans for Romney

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http://iowansforromney.bl…convention.html

It looks like Mitt will be a keynote speaker at the Wisc. GOP convention (at a reception the night before and at the convention itself Sat-Sun) this upcoming weekend in Appleton, Wisconsin along with RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman (the head guy for the Repulican party nationally–AKA the GOPs Howard Dean). Not only is Wisconsin a battleground state, Mehlman is obviously a power player in setting up support for 2008 GOP presidential hopefuls. Looks like he’s a fellow Harvard Law guy like Mitt (that can’t hurt!)

This upcoming weekend looks to be a productive one for Gov. Romney. Let any friends or family in the area know about his visit so that they can see and hear the man in person . . . I’ve yet to meet the person who has come away unimpressed! For anyone able to attend, I’d appreciate an update . . . email me @ jjfuller72@yahoo.com

Text from the flyer (in case you have trouble viewing the PDF):

“The Banquet Honoring County Chairmen: Featuring guest speaker Governor Mitt Romney, this year’s banquet will be one of the most exciting yet! As Chairman Rick Graber said, “Mitt Romney has shown brave and principled leadership in a state where Republicans are vastly outnumbered by Democrats and despite a hostile political environment, Governor Romney has stood up for socially conservative values and fought to lower taxes and control state spending. He is a dynamic leader for our party and we are excited he is coming to Wisconsin.” Be sure to register today to attend the banquet and the VIP cocktail reception for a chance to meet Governor Romney and have your photo taken with one of the GOPs rising stars! ”

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When he’s done in Wisconsin, he’ll be heading west two time zones to a hotel @ SEA-TAC airport. As Washintonians for Mitt reminds us:

“This is a perfect opportunity to see Mitt Romney at his best. He is the featured speaker at the Mainstream Republicans of Washington’s “Cascade Conference” on Saturday May 20th at 6pm. You can sign up for the entire conference or just for the banquet. Here is the full agenda. Here is the registration form.”

This Blog states that registration fees for the conference can be waived for Young or College Republicans.

A local Washington paper previews the event:

“no one disputes its (Mainstream Rep of Wash) coup in securing Massachusetts Republican Gov. Mitt Romney, a potential 2008 presidential candidate, to speak Saturday night. His legislative success, such as a law mandating health insurance, in a Democrat-dominated Massachusetts Legislature exemplifies the group’s pursuit of policy-makers as politicians.

“As long as you’re willing to share the credit, a lot can get done,” Romney said in a telephone interview.”

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Again, let your family and friends in the Seattle-Tacoma area of Washington know about the visit and chance to see and hear Mitt. Washintonians for Mitt blogger plans to attend and we look forward to hearing his take on the evening.

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Teenage cult favorite (and already “cult classic”?) film Napoleon Dynamite (2004) was one of the most quotable movies in the last decade (you’ve probably heard plenty of teenagers throwing around: “Lucky!” or “Gosh!” quite a bit more in the last couple of years). And, as an aside, thoughtful parents should like a film like this too . . . when was the last time that a popular teenager movie contained ZERO swear words and no sexual content?

When I first watched Napoleon Dynamite I never dreamed that it could be the deciding factor in Mitt acheiving the presidency. But here’s how it could really be a factor:

Why, you may ask, would Napoleon (Jon Heder) support Mitt? First off, I expect that some, if not most, candidates will have the idea to play off this teenage cult film (the “Vote for Pedro” T-shirts are just too popular to ignore). Capturing votes out of the “pop culture” crowd can be difficult (especially for republicans). The teenage crowd that loved and quoted the movie will be 4 years older in 2008 than when the movie came out. That means that most of them will be first time voters and most will not be too up on the complexities of the issues. But they may think that it’s so cool that Napoleon would support a candidate that they might just vote for that candidate.

The key may be in the connections . . . both Napoleon and the movies’ director Jared Hess are BYU alumns like Mitt. I honestly cannot say where they stand politically, but, playing the odds, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints they are most likely to be fairly conservative and republican in their leanings. Plus, this would give them a resurgent national interest in their film and merchandise, with the finiancial benefits that would follow.

So, here’s hoping that Napoleon Dynamite changes his political support from “Vote for Pedro” to “Vote for Mitt”

To quote the movie:

Pedro: Do you think people will vote for me?

Napoleon Dynamite: Heck yes! I’d vote for you.

Pedro: Like what are my skills?

Napoleon Dynamite: Well, you have a sweet bike. And you’re really good at hooking up with chicks. Plus you’re like the only guy at school who has a mustache.

Surely, if Napoleon could rally his whole school to vote for Pedro with those skills . . . just think what an easy task he would have at rallying the nation when he has Mitt’s skills to tout!

Imagine Napoleon on the “Late Show” circuit voicing his support for Romney or doing his dance at the 2008 Republican National Convention when Mitt accepts the GOP nomination for the presidency! OK, I’ve gotten a little carried away here . . . but don’t be at all surprised when you see the “Vote for Mitt” T-shirts!

This was originally posted at www.iowansforromney.blogspot.com

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