comMITTed to Romney!

It seems that Jack Murtha, the King of Pork, has used a weapon of mass destruction, his mouth, to get to the point where Bill Russell is within striking distance of retiring the man who slandered the Haditha Marines in one of the most shameful episodes in American political history.

If Bill Russell is successful this Tuesday night in defeating the man who said these Marines “murdered innocent civilians” only to see them exonerated or having the charges dropped, you may be able to hear me celebrating in Missouri from Pennsylvania.

~~John Cronin~~

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/murtha-pleas-for-1-million-after-racism-comments-2008-10-30.html

Veteran Democratic Rep. John Murtha (Pa.) has sent out a last-minute plea for $1 million to save his hotly contested seat, endangered by his own remarks describing his district as racist.

In an e-mail sent to potential donors, Murtha’s campaign asked his supporters to maximize all campaign contributions.

“We need to raise another $1 million to compete,” his campaign fundraiser Susan O’Neill wrote in the e-mail obtained by The Hill. “We need money immediately.”

O’Neill blamed Republicans from outside Pennsylvania for Murtha’s problems. Polls show Murtha, running for his 18th term, ahead of his GOP opponent by just a few percentage points.

“Congressman Murtha is in a brutal reelection campaign,” O’Neill wrote. “The Swift Boaters have put up a candidate from Virginia and have raised millions of dollars against Congressman Murtha. In addition, other 527s and the [National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC)] have spent millions to smear Congressman Murtha on TV, radio and in newspapers.”

Murtha’s race appeared to tighten after he called his western Pennsylvania district a “racist area.” After apologizing, he added more fuel to the fire by saying the district was, until recently, “really redneck.”

Murtha’s comments have been widely repeated, and the congressman was even parodied on “Saturday Night Live.”

In a fundraising e-mail sent on Thursday, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) asked her own supporters to help Murtha. “In Pennsylvania, my good friend John Murtha — a strong supporter for me during the primaries and an important voice against the war in Iraq — is depending on your help to win,” Clinton wrote.

GOP challenger William Russell, a 46-year-old Iraq war veteran and retired Army colonel, has outraised Murtha so far. As of Oct. 15, Russell had raised $2.9 million compared to Murtha’s $2.2 million.

Political action committees can donate up to $5,000 to candidates, while individuals may donate up to $2,300.

Murtha, a close ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), is a welcome target for Republicans, who otherwise are headed toward what appears to be a gloomy election night.

Russell moved from Virginia to run for Congress because of Murtha’s criticisms of the Iraq war.

Murtha’s comments about western Pennsylvania being racist have emboldened Republicans to give last-minute help to Russell.

Murtha, a decorated war veteran, first won his seat in a 1974 special election by a little more than 100 votes.

The NRCC this week bought a television ad that highlighted Murtha’s remarks. Separately, former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) accused Murtha in a radio spot of “insulting his own constituents” and “apparently forgetting who he works for.”

Murtha is the chairman of the House Appropriations Defense subcommittee. He has been very successful in the federal earmarking process, ranking as the highest recipient of earmarks in the defense appropriations bill.

His earmarks have revitalized Johnstown, the largest city in his district, and defense companies have opened offices and facilities throughout the region he represents.

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The title of this post comes from a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, but could have come from anyone of tens of thousands of Party activists across the country. There have been some press reports of friction between loyalists within the Romney camp and the McCain/Palin camp, but whether or not those reports are even true, it bears repeating what I believe is an undeniable truth: Gov. Romney has been selfless and untiring in his support for the Republican ticket in this election and deserves our gratitude and admiration.

Is part of this dedication due to the Governor’s ambition to run for the nomination again in 2012? I sure hope so!! As I look around at the party’s potential leaders in the next election cycle, I see some very promising individuals for the future. By “the future” I mean within the next decade, not the next election cycle. Gov. Romney remains head and shoulders above the rest of the party. In terms of financial and business acumen, conservative philosophy, defense and military strategy, pro life credentials and his communication skills. Everybody else remain a distant second, at best. And some of the so called “contenders” for the nomination next go around are, IMHO, not even Republicans in the way the word has traditionally been defined.

Gov. Romney’s appearances for the McCain/Palin ticket and for Congressional candidates and incumbents have been so numerous that I don’t post many of them due to time constraints. He has personally donated $70,000 according to reports and has raised over $20,000,000 for the ticket.

During this time of service to his party, what have been the contributions of some of his rivals for the nomination? With the exception of Rudy Guiliani, most of them have been AWOL.

As we go into the final days of this election, I know that I am far from alone in looking forward, with great enthusiasm, to a major leadership role for Gov. Romney within the republican Party and hopefully a successful run for the nomination in 2012.

~~John Cronin~~

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There’s a mini-controversy brewing over at Townhall & the American Spectator blogs. In a nutshell, Matt Lewis picked up on some rumors published at the Prowler saying that it is former Romney loyalists turned McCain staffers who are trashing Palin in the media. He cites no sources and has no real evidence whatsoever. If you want the full background, click here, here, here, and here.

What I really wanted to bring to your attention, however, is a great column by the inimitable K-Lo, Kathryn Lopez, over at National Review Online. Read it all, but here’s an excerpt:

All this back and forth reminds me, however, of how hard fought, exhausting, and frankly ugly the primary campaign got for us hard-core Mitt supporters. I don’t know what is going to happen next Tuesday, but if McCain does not win it will be with very mixed emotions that look forward to the 2012 primary season.

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I wanted to provide some perspective on what Gov. Romney was talking about with Glenn Beck on the post that Ann Marie put up. Specifically, his comments regarding the competitive disadvantage that the United States has relative to our competitors with regard to corporate tax rates.

~~John Cronin~~

http://www.macpa.org/Content/24384.aspx

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2008 – Tax Foundation President Scott Hodge has released the latest Tax Foundation “Fiscal Fact” in response to a new study from the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). The OECD study shows that for the 17th consecutive year, the average rate of corporate taxes in non-U.S. countries fell while the U.S. corporate tax rate stayed the same.

As a result of the U.S. failure to lower its corporate tax rate for more than two decades while other major trading nations lowered theirs, the U.S. corporate tax rate is now 50 percent higher than the OECD average. Nine key trading partners cut their rates during 2007.

“Continued failure by U.S. tax policymakers to keep up with our top global economic competitors means that we’re solidifying a trend that will result in our children and grandchildren not seeing the economic growth we’ve seen in our lifetimes,” said Hodge. “There’s a real-wallet impact for Americans as we continue to sit idly by while other countries improve the way they do business, and we should be very concerned about jobs, capital, and investments moving from high-tax countries to low-tax countries.”

This comes on the heels of another recent OECD study showing that corporate taxes are the single most harmful tax to GDP growth, more so than personal income taxes or consumption taxes.
The combined federal and state corporate tax rate in the U.S. currently stands at 39.3 percent (the second-highest among industrialized countries), while the OECD average rate has fallen to 26.6 percent. Even China has recognized the significance of cutting the corporate tax to become more competitive. According to the report, China has reducing its top standard corporate tax rate from 33 percent to 25 percent just this year.

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From GlennBeck.com

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Real Audio

GLENN: Gosh, I think it was a year and a half ago I said, gang, the only thing that’s going to matter when this election rolls around is the economy. I know everybody thought I was absolutely out of my mind crazy nuts when I said we are in big trouble and we could be facing another Great Depression. I don’t know what we’re facing now but we are facing dire, dire things in front of us. Every play has to be played exactly right. You know, when I say that, I want you to know that it’s going to be a great time in the future to be an American just like it was on September 12th. September 11th you didn’t want to go through, and in ‘99 I was telling you Osama Bin Laden was coming and there would be bodies in buildings in the streets of New York in 1999 and nobody wanted to hear it then, and there were. And let me give you the same kind of warning there’s going to be real trouble ahead, but the next day comes and we’re America again. And I said this to you a year and a half ago that the only thing that they were going to be arguing about in the end is going to be the economy and that’s why I said Mitt Romney was the guy to lead us. He was just with John McCain in Cleveland. We go to Mitt Romney now and I want to get some handle, Mitt, on have you ever seen a candidate like Barack Obama be more clear that he is a Marxist and people not listen.

GOVERNOR ROMNEY: Rally, Glenn, it’s interesting. I haven’t been around forever and I’m 60 now and in my lifetime I do not recall a presidential candidate who had a more antijob program than does Barack Obama. He plans on paying people off by giving them a check, you know, sending a check to everybody, a $1,000 check. But I think the American people would far rather have a job than a one-time $1,000 check. And his plan kills job. John McCain’s plan will actually create jobs. Barack Obama’s would take a recession and turn it into a deep prolonged recession, or worse. And, you know, I just think Barack Obama at this time is exactly the wrong course for America.

GLENN: Did you hear the — did you hear what he said in 2001? Finally the tape has been released and surprisingly not by the mainstream media, what Barack Obama has said about the Constitution? Have you read the transcripts or heard the tape?

GOVERNOR ROMNEY: Yeah, I did. I heard that he again is, you know, sad that the Supreme Court wouldn’t deal with redistribution of wealth and it’s a very different economic approach than the one that’s created America as the most powerful economy and the most powerful country in the world. You know, right now, of course, no one’s thinking about redistributing the wealth because wealth is disappearing, and redistributing wealth, that was the policy that, well, that some in Europe and other places in the world adopted and it led to economic failure.

GLENN: Okay. He is saying that he’s got — Barack Obama’s saying that he’s got this jobs creation program. As a businessman, I mean, I’m a small businessman. You’ve been a large businessman your whole life. Tell me the frothing at the mouth that people, just chomping at the bit to get that $3,000 that Barack Obama will give you for every new job created here in America. That’s his job growth plan. Tell me how great that is for business.

GOVERNOR ROMNEY: Well, I’m afraid that’s a drop in the bucket compared to the economic risk you take in hiring additional employees, and people take that risk if they see a bright future. And if they’re looking at higher taxes for their corporation, higher taxes for them individually, if they’re looking at fees or penalties for not having a healthcare plan that Barack Obama finds acceptable and if also they are looking at new efforts to unionize small business through this card check program Barack Obama’s in favor of, they’re simply not going to be thinking about growing jobs here. I listened this morning to a CEO of a major employer. I won’t mention his name but a very large employer. He employs over 100,000 people. And he said, look, you know, Barack Obama’s policies will cause us to build plants in places other than the U.S., and it is a job-killing program. We’ve got to support a job program like John McCain’s. John McCain is talking about cutting taxes on corporations, it immediately sounds horrible to people because of the perversion that we’ve allowed to happen, you know, with our press and everything else, where corporations are evil, where rich people are evil. Explain, if you will, to you know the average person that is struggling, busting their butt. Why a corporation getting a giant tax cut, why that makes a difference in creating jobs here in America as opposed to other countries.

GOVERNOR ROMNEY: Well, the simple fact is that corporations can decide where they are going to reside, where they are going to do their business. And they can be here, they can be in Ireland, they can be in Canada, they can be anywhere they want in the world and right now America and Japan have the two highest corporate tax rates in the world and so as businesses think about locating a new facility or even moving their corporate headquarters, they are free to go wherever they want. They are not like U.S. citizens that don’t have citizenship in a place like Hong Kong or China or Japan. They can go wherever they want. And so if you have high taxes, high corporate taxes, you cause businesses to go somewhere else. It’s as simple as that. In Ireland, for instance, the European Union, they said, you know what, we’re going to have the lowest tax rates. And sure enough businesses flocked to Ireland. They created scores of new jobs. People had high paying jobs. It was good for the people and it was good for the government as well because they got taxes from all the people paying income taxes. The answer is always create growth, create jobs. A job is so much more of an economic benefit than is a check from government.

GLENN: Mitt, let me talk to you not about politics and no about either of the politicians. Let’s just say we’re having this conversation the day after and whoever’s won, whoever won, okay?

GOVERNOR ROMNEY: Yeah.

GLENN: I said earlier this morning I believe this is the most important — and I will say this the day after the election, no matter who won. This is the most important time possibly in American history. The problems that face us, the decisions that we have to make, the time to know who we truly are and what we truly believe in, the values of America, we must reconnect with them because this is quite possibly the most important time in our country’s history. Do you believe I’m overstating that?

GOVERNOR ROMNEY: No, I actually think you’re right, Glenn. You know, in my campaign stump speech I used to say almost that, which is this is an extraordinarily critical time for our country. We face challenges from without. We face a new stronger China, we face Russia using energy to propel their new power and we face global jihad. So we face three fronts, if you will, from a national security standpoint. And then our economy is facing some tough competitive challenges. And if we become a second tier nation economically, we will have a hard time defending our freedoms. This really is a “Make it or break it” time for America.

GLENN: I know we have to let you go, you have other things scheduled but we’d love to have you back sometime this week if we could. I’d like to talk to you a little bit about the importance that Russia and Venezuela and Iran and what — everybody is looking at oil saying, oil, this is great, it’s going down. They are talking now it could go down to $46 a barrel, which would be great at the pump, but it is a colossal danger because these countries that we depend on for oil are now becoming extraordinarily unstable economically. Could we spend some time with you maybe later this week if we can get the schedules together?

GOVERNOR ROMNEY: I’m out campaigning for John McCain but we’ll keep in touch.

GLENN: Okay, thank you very much.

GOVERNOR ROMNEY: Thanks, Glenn.

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http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/european-shares-tumble-financial-turmoil/story.aspx?guid={AE94769F-A8F3-4FA5-9C64-2BB1106EBD30}&tool=1&dist=bigcharts&

LONDON (MarketWatch) – European shares tumbled again on Monday after more heavy losses in Asia and more trouble in the financial sector after German retail banking group Deutsche Postbank reported a quarterly loss and unveiled plans to raise capital.

The pan-European Dow Jones Stoxx 600 index fell 4.3% to 190.36, just off a five-year low reached earlier in the session. Losses in the last year now exceed 50%.

The index fell sharply on Friday, in line with other global stock markets, as growing worries about a longer and deeper recession than earlier envisaged slammed stocks.

“There is a distinct sense of déjà vu as equity markets continue to slide. This is largely because bad news (recession) is being priced on top of the response to previous bad news,” said Peter Dixon, strategist at Commerzbank Corporates & Markets.

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http://www.williamrussellforcongress.com/

[Washington DC]—Vets for Freedom is proud to announce its support of Bill Russell for United States Congress in the 12th District of Pennsylvania. Bill and his family represent the symbol of American patriotism. A third generation soldier, Bill is a graduate of West Point, eventually retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel after 28 years of Active and Reserve Duty, including six tours of duty in war zones. These deployments include Operation Desert Storm, Kosovo and most recently Operation Iraqi Freedom.

On September 11th, 2001, Bill and his pregnant wife were working at the Pentagon when Al Qaeda brought war to America’s shores. After confirming that his wife was safe, Bill joined hundreds of survivors in an unprecedented rescue and recovery operation. Their son was born three months after the attack, becoming the youngest Pentagon survivor of 9-11. Vets for Freedom is honored to stand by Bill’s side as he continues his life of public service in the United States Congress.

As a proud Army veteran of Iraq, I am humbled to speak on behalf of over 35,000 members of Vets for Freedom in offering our strong endorsement of Bill Russell for United States Congress,” said Vets for Freedom Co-Chairman, David Bellavia. “Bill embodies the values which makes our nation the greatest on earth. Bill has delivered time and time again for America, and he will again deliver for the good people of Pennsylvania.”

Vets for Freedom is a nonpartisan organization established by combat veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its mission is to educate the American public about the importance of achieving success in these conflicts by applying our first-hand knowledge to issues of American military strategy. For more information, please visit www.vetsforfreedom.org.

For more information or to schedule interviews with David Bellavia or other Iraq/Afghanistan veterans, please contact Judy Mayka at (202) 338-4070 or Judy@VetsForFreedom.org.

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Due to a vast public outcry for an update on my political activities this past week, I’d like to catch everybody up to date on the state of the McCain/Palin campaign in St. Louis County, Mo.

The local office asked for volunteers to help with a huge mailer they were putting out, statewide, this week and into next week.

The mailer asks questions about Barack Obama’s judgment when it comes to his political cronies. I know all of you know the usual cast of characters. Whether these types of mailers are too little, too late, only the next nine days will tell, and judging from the scope of the allegations of voter fraud, maybe a lot longer than 9 days.

We went directly to the plant that did the printing and Monday evening, we were working with pieces so “hot off the presses” that traces of ink were coming off on our hands. So, now I can refer to myself as an “ink-stained wretch” and it is literally true!

We alternated between helping run the machine that put the “wafers” on the fold out flyers and affixing the “wafers” to the flyers by hand. We were especially useful when the machines would break down and we were all busy at work at three long tables, putting on the wafers while a couple of guys familiar with the machines would repair them. That was a story in itself. Talk about self-sufficiency. One man was a retired Engineer and the other some kind of a mechanic and between the two of them, they would get the machines up and running in about a half hour.

Some retired people were working 12 hours a day. One of the campaign workers would check on one of the older women, asking her how she felt, urging her to go home and rest if she was feeling worn out. But the older woman was having none of it. She said she was fine, that everyone had been so nice to her and that she was doing it for the country and that the country was more important than her. I feel fortunate to have heard that first hand. You just can’t get a feel for the country any other way. It’s good to know those folks are still out there.

Several of the volunteers were World War II vets, one was a Korean War vet and one much younger guy was active Air Force, stationed at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.

Part of what made it so meaningful was the conversations that were going on as we worked. Rock-ribbed Republicans all. WSJ readers, Fox News viewers and most were computer savvy and knew all the websites we talk about here.

One thing that struck me, and this was not the first time this has happened, is how we Romney supporters have almost a celebrity status within the party. When they asked me if I had been active in any other candidate’s campaigns and I told them I was a Romney supporter, the other conversations went silent and everyone within earshot listened intently as I told them about our trip to Des Moines to work for Romney there, the opportunity I had to speak on Gov. Romney’s behalf at a fire station in Birmingham, Iowa, the media circus, being on MSNBC, CNN and being interviewed by a Japanese television film crew during the Super Bowl Party when Mitt was in St. Louis. Again, from first hand information, I can tell you that Mitt Romney is highly respected within the halls of Republican power, it’s just that enough misdirected folks out at the fringes of the party were conned into voting for Huckabee, that caused the situation in which we now find ourselves.

Speaking of misdirected, one guy from the campaign that I sat next to had worked for Huckabee during the primary season. He confirmed that the Home School movement had been a big source of volunteer help for them. He said one of the reasons that Huckabee was so gaffe prone, was that he did not have a speech writer. He agreed with me that Huckabee’s remark about not being an expert in foreign affairs, but that he had stayed at a Holiday Inn Express the night before, was extremely embarrassing to them.

There were not any RINO’S present at the printing plant. You know the folks I am speaking of. Long on hot air and opinions, but hard to find when the heavy lifting needs to be done. We very much enjoyed each others company, but no one was upbeat about McCain/Palin’s prospects on Nov. 4. We also talked about the need to roll back Obama & Co. during the mid-terms in 2010. These folks will put their money and their shoe leather to work to elect a Republican Congress. Those of us at this website have got our fingers on the country’s pulse. I had never met any of these people and they are saying THE SAME things we are. The party is more unified than the press would have you believe. We just need to learn our lesson from the awful primary we went through this spring and work to run Huckabee out of the party as a reward for the way he screwed the election up. You know, it just occurred to me as I am typing this, Mike Huckabee is probably as much responsible for Obama likely becoming the next President, as any other one person that I can think of. Thanks, Mike, good call.

After working at the plant from 5pm to 8 pm, Mon-Fri, I went up to the McCain H.Q. Saturday at 2 pm to get trained to become a Poll Watcher. We will stand behind the Judges and the Supervisors and make sure everyone is presenting some form of proper I.D. We are not allowed to speak to any of the voters and if we see something not kosher, we first go to a Judge and then to a Supervisor. If we still think something improper is going on, our next action will be to call a lawyer, who will show up at the polling station and they will take it from there.

The law student who gave the instructions was asked about voter fraud in the upcoming general election. He mentioned a church that we were all familiar with and asked, does that Church look like a residence to any of you? When we said no, he responded with: “Well, I can tell you that there are 13 voters registered at that address.” He even went as far as to ask any of us who are willing and able, to follow the vans to the Board of Elections to make sure the ballot boxes are delivered safely. Sadly, that is where we are at in this country. I am beginning to feel like I live in a Banana Republic. With that in mind, I would like all of you to keep your eyes and ears open on election day and to be sure to report ( discretely ) anything suspicious to a Poll Watcher.

I am going to vote tomorrow at the Board of Elections so that I won’t have to worry about it on Election Day. I will be at my post at 6 am and will remain stalwart and observant until the polls close. I will cast my vote for McCain/Palin, not because I am going back on my word, but because I called the Board about a week ago and was informed that Missouri does not allow write in votes in the General Election. Hopefully, I will get my chance to cast, not a write in vote, but a vote for Mitt Romney as the winner of the Republican primaries and as the nominee of the Republican Party in November of 2012!!

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http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersEdge/idUSTRE49P1RT20081026

By Ed Stoddard

DALLAS (Reuters) - If Republican John McCain loses the November 4 election as most polls predict, his party may be in for a rough period of soul searching.

Analysts and some party activists say losing the White House will highlight the pitfalls of relying too heavily on a narrow foundation of conservative Christians whose support has nonetheless become crucial to Republican electoral success.

But some social conservatives say a victory for Democrat Barack Obama, whom they regard as an “ultra-liberal,” will energize them for the 2010 congressional “mid-term” races and the 2012 White House battle.

The election is still over a week away and a lot can happen between now and then. McCain has staged huge comebacks before.

But almost every major poll has Obama with a commanding national lead as his campaign benefits from an unfolding financial crisis that has shaken America and knocked conservative red-meat issues like abortion and gay marriage off the political stage.

“An Obama victory will galvanize social conservatives for 2010 and 2012 and they will look for a standard bearer they can rally around,” said Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the public policy arm of America’s largest evangelical group.

And that would be MITT ROMNEY!!!

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Interesting article over at POLITICO.COM, putting some historical perspective on Sarah Palin’s future within the GOP. As in most areas of life, it is sometimes better to wait for just the right moment, than to jump into the deep water before you are ready.

~~John Cronin~~

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14881.html

Many of my down-in-the-mouth Republican friends, contemplating the ongoing implosion of John McCain’s campaign, are consoling themselves with the idea that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin represents the future of the party. She’s the new rock star in the firmament of the Grand Old Party, they’re convinced — and she certainly will be the presumed favorite for the Republican nomination in 2012.

All I can tell them is, don’t bet the bank on it. (OK, maybe under our economic circumstances that’s not quite the right choice of terminology, but you know what I mean.) During my lifetime (I was born in 1951), only one nonincumbent vice presidential nominee on a losing ticket — Bob Dole, who ran with President Gerald Ford in 1976 — has ever come back to win their party’s nomination, and none has ever been elected president.

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The text below comes from an email sent to me from Townhall Magazine where they talked about an upcoming issue of their magazine. The issue will feature the “Six Keepers of the Reagan Flame.”

If it doesn’t include Romney’s name their stock will plummet in my estimation, but that’s a debate for another day. The reason I posted the text here is because they captured almost to the word the way I feel about this election and the choices we are faced with.

~~John Cronin~~

Dear Friends,

It has been twenty years since Ronald Reagan left office and now there are only eleven days until Americans pick the 44th President of the United States.

Regardless of who prevails on election night, we as conservatives have a lot of work ahead of us. If John McCain wins, conservatives will have to keep the new administration’s feet to fire, making sure the principles that Reagan espoused are not only not forgotten but championed.

If Barack Obama wins, America will face the most dangerous four years of liberalism this nation has faced since Jimmy Carter. Conservative will have to take up the cause of freedom like never before to ensure that America still resembles the nation Ronald Reagan left us once Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi are through with it.

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We’re down to just a handful of days until American voters will pick between Barack Obama and John McCain for the position of our next President. But with an Obama landslide looking increasingly likely, many Republicans are already turning their focus toward 2012, and who will be selected to lead a Republican Revival.

A three-decade old rule in party says that the runner-up in a primary contest should be the nominee in the next open election. Reagan was second in ‘76 and won in ‘80, Bush was second in ‘80 and won in ‘88, Dole was second in ‘88 and won in ‘96, and McCain was second in ‘00 and won in ‘08. Note that Pat Buchananwas second in ‘96, but choose not to run in 2000. There are some who believed, or perhaps hoped, that 2008 would break that tradition and allow Sarah Palin to become the Republican nominee in four years, but that isn’t happening. A new Newsweek poll - likely the first of the 2012 season - puts Sarah Palin in third place, behind Mike Huckabee. At the front of the pack? None other than Gov. Mitt Romney, who is able to claim a 9% lead in a three-way race.

Newsweek 2012 Republican Presidential Nomination

Mitt Romney        35%
Mike Huckabee   26%
Sarah Palin          20%

A nine-point lead isn’t enough to let us kick back for the next three years, but its a good starting point. I’ll have more out later about this, and what the Republican Party needs to do over the next two years to win in 2012.

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http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081023/NEWS/81023031

DOTHAN – Former presidential hopeful Mitt Romney stopped in south Alabama on Thursday to help Republican congressional candidate Jay Love raise money and to talk about the struggling economy.

Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, and Love were greeted by an enthusiastic crowd at the Five Star Credit Union.

Dozens of people turned out to see Romney. The governor and Love walked through the credit union and greeted employees and customers.

Love, a Republican state representative from Montgomery, faces Democrat Bobby Bright for the 2nd Congressional District seat. Bright is the three-term mayor of Montgomery.

Romney said he met with Republican party leaders not long ago. He said they looked at races the Republicans needed to win on Nov. 4 to help stop “extreme liberal policies.”

The 2nd Congressional District is one of those targeted races, said Romney, who is visiting those districts.

“This is a race I think is critical,” he said.

Romney said Bright appears to be a good man who has some of the same beliefs as Republicans, but will answer to liberal Democrats when he gets to Washington.

Bright has said he ran as a Democrat because party leaders said he could be independent and vote his district. He is pro-life and supports gun rights.

More Republicans are needed in Washington to keep health care private, to promote drilling and domestic energy production, and to keep taxes low, Romney said.

Before the public event at the credit union, Romney attended a fundraiser for Love that was closed to the media.

Romney finished third among Republicans in the Alabama presidential preference election in February. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and U.S. Sen. John McCain finished well ahead of Romney.

Romney was a successful businessman and was credited with helping to turn around the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City after well-publicized scandals.

Bright was in Dothan on Monday, when he was endorsed by state Sen. Harri Anne Smith, who finished second to Love in a contentious runoff in the Republican primary. Bright started his 16-counties in 16 days truck tour here on Monday.

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Note:Before I begin posting, I’d like to introduce myself to all the readers here at Committed to Romney. My name is Matthew Kilburn, and in addition to managing my own website,  I’ve been a regular commenter both here (as ActBlog) as well as on other sites. I’ve also been a Romney supporter since 2007, and look forward to playing a role here during the next election cycle.

David’s latest post about Romney’s interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is sure to raise a few eyebrows, but I have to caution my fellow Mittheads against reading too far into anything Romney said, for several reasons. First, we are still 48 months from the 2012 election, 24 months from the midterms, and still two weeks away from election day 2008. For Romney to announce plans now - even that he was considering a future run - would be foolish, at the least. As a leading figure within the Republican party, it is Romney’s job to act, publicly, as though the next four years will pass under a John McCain Presidency. To even hint at the possibility of a run in 2012, Mitt would have to acknowledge the likelihood of an Obama win, something that could be perceived as ambition trumping loyalty - a near-suicidal act in party politics.

Also, lets assume for a minute that Romney were to announce, or even hint at, a run in four years. What else could he possibly do this early in the game? The position the country will be in in four years is unknown, as are the main issues of the campaign. What the Congress looks like, how popular Obama will be, and what kinds of challenges the country will be confronted with are, and will remain, a mystery until much closer to election day. Even if he put together a campaign staff tomorrow, Mitt would have nothing to run on except an ambition to be President, and, while ambition is certainly necessary to hold political office, it often turns off those who might otherwise support you. True or not, Americans like to think of their leaders as holding office for noble motives, not personal benefit.

Finally, the wording of the interview doesn’t suggest disinterest in running again, in which case I might be tempted to believe it, but more a belief that the “window” won’t be open again. Romney never said that he wasn’t interested in running again, but that he believes the opportunity to become your party’s nominee comes only once.  Of course, as John McCain has shown, that isn’t even close to the truth. In fact, the GOP has a history of nominating candidates on their second (or even third) try, and that is something you’ll be hearing more about from me in the coming weeks. Clearly, Romney intends to remain in politics, and, if in two years the opportunity to run is there, I have no doubt that Romney will.

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