comMITTed to Romney!

Robert Evans has some interesting gossip that he is dishing tonight.

~~John Cronin~~

http://www.suntimes.com/news/novak/917712,CST-EDT-novak27.article

April 27, 2008

ROBERT NOVAK novakevans@aol.com

Big-time Republican contributors are complaining that prospective presidential nominee John McCain is poorly organized for the campaign and off to a bad start in raising money.
McCain begins well behind Democrat Barack Obama in the 2008 money derby, and longtime Republican givers say there is no coherent plan for catching up and getting ahead.

The bright spot for McCain in the opinion of the GOP money men is the presence in his campaign of New York investment banker Lew Eisenberg, an experienced Republican fund-raiser. Eisenberg, a pro-choice social liberal who has often contributed to Democrats, was attacked by conservatives when he came on board with McCain in 2007. When McCain clinched the nomination, Eisenberg was sent to the Republican National Committee as victory finance chairman.

In another article further down on the same page some Mitt Romney news.

McCain for guns

Sen. John McCain, continuing to mend his right-wing fences, will do something next month that George W. Bush never has done during 7½ years as president: attend a National Rifle Association event.

McCain plans to be in Louisville, Ky., on May 16 for the NRA’s ”Celebration of American Values.” Also on hand will be two of McCain’s defeated rivals for the Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee.

The NRA gave McCain a mediocre C-plus rating in 2004, but since then his pro-gun voting record as a senator has been 100 percent. While some activists in the gun-ownership movement are still suspicious of McCain, his voting is vastly better than that of his two Democratic opponents, Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton. Each is graded F by the NRA.

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In keeping with my earlier post titled: “Participatory Democracy”, I would like to give everybody a heads up on a former US Delta Force member who is running for John Kerry’s Senate seat in Massachusetts. I know very little about him, but what I do know is impressive. He sounds like the kind of man we would like to see in the Senate.

In my previous post, I said that it is our responsibility to do everything we can to promote the candidacies of conservative Republicans as we head into the general election. We have all seen Gov. Romney doing his part to raise funds for the Party and to help elect a Republican majority. I am writing this to encourage all of our readers and contributors to help play a part in rebuilding the Party as well.

I have included some quotes from Mr. Beatty’s website (referenced below) and he impresses me as the kind of candidate who has the military and national security bona fides to help move the country back from the leftward tilt we have experienced the last several years.

I’m going to get up to speed as quickly as I can on his positions on the issues and I’ll be sharing the information here as quickly as possible. In the meantime, click on over to his website and also check out the YouTube interviews as well as the YouTube endorsement by a man I highly respect, Col. Dave Hunt (Fox News Contributor) and himself a national security expert.

~~John Cronin~~

Senate Candidate Jeff Beatty calls John Kerry a Hypocrite

March 18, 2008

Kerry accuses others of using troops as political props, when he himself has used service men and women to fuel his own ambition in the past.

Boston, March 18—U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Beatty, a Republican, is calling on Democrat John Kerry to match his rhetoric with deeds regarding our troops and veterans. Beatty points to Kerry’s Monday appearance on the Don Imus radio program where the junior Senator criticized the use of our troops as “props” for photographs. Beatty says this yet again provides proof of the Senator’s hypocrisy.

“History is repeating itself,” said Beatty, a former Delta Force officer. “Kerry has a long record of denigrating our armed services and now exploits them for his own political gain.”
On Kerry’s accusations through Imus, Beatty contends that “Kerry continues to use our troops to boost his political fortunes; it is Kerry who has exploited and degraded two generations of veterans—including our troops currently serving on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

VIETNAM GENERATION

Kerry served as spokesman before the “Winter Soldier Investigation,” testifying before the Senate foreign relations committee and recounting the testimonies of alleged atrocities committed by American soldiers:
“They told the stories at times they had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan.” [1]

There was no evidence to substantiate the allegations, yet no charges were ever filed to confirm or contradict his testimony[2]

Kerry exploited unfounded sensational allegations about American service members in order to gain national TV exposure in 1971 and help launch his political career. Today, the North Vietnamese honor Kerry’s role in their victory in their War Museum.

TODAY’S GENERATION

Beatty is adamant that “Kerry voted to send our troops to war in Iraq, because it served his 2004 Presidential ambition,” and that “now, despite urging the President to cut and run from Iraq, Kerry continues to use our troops and our veterans for his own political purposes. He is making the rounds of troops in the field and veteran centers at home posing for photos and using our veterans and troops as “props” in another example of his incredible hypocrisy.”
“In spite of Kerry’s efforts, the hard work of service men and women is prevailing. We are now winning in Iraq,” says Beatty. “Yet Kerry persists in pursuing tactics that weaken our efforts, not strengthen them. Is Kerry going to be honored with another plaque like he was from the North Vietnamese, but this time from Bin Laden and Al Qaeda?” Beatty asks. “It’s time to replace John Kerry with one of us.”

Jeff Beatty is a Candidate for the US Senate who can be found at www.jeffbeatty.com. Beatty is a small businessman (founder of www.totalsecurity.us) who previously served in The Delta Force where he received a Purple Heart while helping rescue hundreds of Americans. He also served as a Special Agent of the FBI, advising the national Hostage Rescue Team and as a CIA Counter-terrorism Officer running successful operations in Europe and the Middle East.

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I know that this is trying to be spun negatively, but what a class act. He dropped out when it was time, he was willing to put his money where his mouth was. He took a chance on himself, just like others did. I think that this is a positive story. Great Job Mitt. We’ll see you again soon!

From The Los Angeles Times

Maybe you remember — it seems like less than three weeks ago — former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was flying back and forth across the country in a last-minute bid to score well in the Super Tuesday Republican primary voting.

And he started visiting reporters in the back of his campaign plane and ruminating and we wrote here: Is Mitt Romney pondering The End?

And, sure enough, after a disappointing showing that Tuesday, he quit. And soon after, he endorsed Sen. John McCain. But while Romney was talking to reporters before that Tuesday, someone asked him how much of his own personal fortune he was willing to invest in the campaign. And Romney said that he and his wife of 38 years, Ann, had indeed set a limit. But he wouldn’t say what it was.

Now, we know.

The limit was $42.3 million.

That works out to about $150,000 of his own money for every convention delegate Romney won. But then he also spent another …

$55.7 million of other people’s money on his campaign too. A total of $98 million.

Those are some of the figures that The Times’ Dan Morain has mined from the latest campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. Other interesting financial tidbits:

The GOP candidate with the most cash in hand at the end of January was good old Ron Paul, the 72-year-old House member with the libertarian leanings and the devoted followers who’ve given so generously and left him with $6 million cash — and not a penny of debt.

Spurred by another $6 million in donations in 2008, Paul has reactivated his presidential campaign.

Sen. McCain had $5.2 million cash on hand at the end of January, but, oops, $5.5 million in debts. And stubborn not-so-old Mike Huckabee, who keeps hanging around way behind McCain in delegates but way ahead in quips, had less than $1 million in cash.

Do you remember some guy named John Edwards, a well-coiffed fellow who used to be a senator and a Democratic presidential candidate? He’d spent $41.78 million on his campaign through the end of January before quitting. He raised $38.9 million and got a bank loan of nearly $9 million at an interest rate of prime-plus-5%.

At the end of last month he had $7 million cash on hand, but debt of a little more than $9 million.

No wonder Edwards was so opposed to foreclosures.

– Andrew Malcolm

Photo: Jonathan Ernst / Getty Images

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Here are some latest news bits about Mitt.

Top Thompson Fla. fundraiser joins Romney

By The Hill Staff

Mitchell said she decided to go with Romney after she was contacted by the other GOP campaigns. She said she will likely start raising money for the former governor after she meets with him Sunday.
Mitchell said she thinks “a lot of the people I brought to the table for Fred will go with Romney.”

Scoring Mitchell and her considerable Sunshine State connections could prove to be invaluable for Romney in Florida’s Jan. 29 primary, as poll after poll continues to show a tight race.

Duncan Hunter endorses …. Mike Huckabee?!  Hmmm…

Hunter backs Huckabee

Hunter’s endorsement could help Huckabee with his credentials on illegal immigration and border security. The congressman’s presidential campaign never caught fire and ended Saturday, following the Nevada Caucus.
 

Louisiana results - Mitt gets another bronze - well, probably…

Louisiana Caucus: McCain wins, Paul second, Romney third

State party officials cautioned that the results were preliminary. In order for a voter to be eligible to participate in the Caucus they must have been registered with the state Republican Party by November 30 2007. Party official are still verifying provisional ballots for newly registered voters which may boost Paul’s numbers a little since most of the newly registered voters supported his candidacy.
The delegates elected at the Caucus will attend a state convention on February 16th where they will elect national delegates. As a result it is unclear at this time how many delegates each candidate will receive.

Finally, on a McCant, McCranky, McCain note - Ann Coulter says it like only Ann can.  Hat tip to reader Louise for this one!

‘Straight Talk’ Express Takes Scenic Route to Truth

 

John McCain is Bob Dole minus the charm, conservatism and youth. Like McCain, pollsters assured us that Dole was the most “electable” Republican. Unlike McCain, Dole didn’t lie all the time while claiming to engage in Straight Talk.

Of course, I might lie constantly too, if I were seeking the Republican presidential nomination after enthusiastically promoting amnesty for illegal aliens, Social Security credit for illegal aliens, criminal trials for terrorists, stem-cell research on human embryos, crackpot global warming legislation and free speech-crushing campaign-finance laws.

I might lie too, if I had opposed the Bush tax cuts, a marriage amendment to the Constitution, waterboarding terrorists and drilling in Alaska.

It’s good, keep reading …

More »

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Consider these points:

• McCain’s the candidate of amnesty for illegal aliens, (more here)
• McCain supports embryonic stem-cell research
• McCain has said “I would not support repeal of Roe vs. Wade”.
• McCain opposed the Bush tax cuts, (and still does), and refuses to sign the “No New Taxes” pledge, (more here)..
• McCain supports legislation that would increase taxes on energy.
• McCain was the ring-leader of the Senate “Gang of 14″, which kept the then Senate Republican leadership from ending the ability of Democrats to filibuster Bush’s judicial nominees, (more here).
• McCain supports legislation to grant due-process rights to terrorists.
• McCain sponsored the legislation which restricts free-speech rights of those involved in the political process, (the McCain/Feingold bill)

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Following is a note I received from a friend of Governor and Ann Romney today. I ask that you read it carefully and consider his request:

As you know, I have sent out many appeals for financial support for Mitt’s Presidential Campaign, and many have been kind and gracious in their support — Thank you. We are at a very critical juncture in the campaign, having made great strides. You can go to Political Scene 2008 which offers further insight to the Republican Race.

Most recently, Lauren and I were in New Hampshire and Boston with the Campaign. We were talking with Mitt and Ann and sharing some of our feelings about this effort. Ann mentioned how she and Mitt are committing all that they have to this effort, be it financial resource and/or personal sacrifice. From our personal perspective, the sacrifice the Romney’s are making in this pursuit is beyond measure. They have given up all privacy and luxury for the sake of serving our nation. Both Mitt and Ann are engaged in this effort, surely not for personal self interest, but out of a sincere sense of duty and service. It is their commitment to duty and service that has driven Lauren and me in our support. We know Mitt and Ann, their heartfelt sense of duty and service, as well as Mitt’s depth of experience and competency that can make a significant difference in all of our futures. I have often said that this will be an economic election, and given the flatness of the world, we need someone of Mitt’s capacity to lead our nation.

While holding our granddaughter the other night, it became poignantly clear, that the times that we face in our country are critical. I thought to myself, what kind of world will our grandkids grow up in under the leadership of those running for office. I am more committed know that ever to Mitt’s effort.

Hopefully, you will join with us again, or for the first time if you haven’t made a contribution to this cause. Although we would ask for whatever you are able to give toward this effort, recognizing for many it is a sacrifice, we ask knowing of the sacrifice of Mitt and Ann, and Lauren and me. It is times such as this that sacrifices become necessary. Please consider the seriousness of this request, and the benefits that will be ours in this nation under Mitt’s leadership. If each who receives this email were to contribute $100, we would raise $30,000 for the campaign. Enough money to purchase significant media spots in key primary markets. If some were able to give more, even to the maximum of $2,300, the impact would be even greater.

Click here to make a contribution to Governor Romney —–> OFFICIAL CONTRIBUTION FORM (no contribution is too small — please contribute what you can)

Thank you for your kind consideration and support, and your willingness to listen and give again or for the first time.

Thank you so much,

David L. Parker, Co-Chairman — National Finance Committee │Romney For President

In the note I received from David, he attached a form for those who live in California who would like to attend a luncheon with Governor Romney on January 31st (Thursday) in Orange County. The luncheon is a campaign fundraiser at $1,000 per person and for those who wish to contribute the maximum of $2,300 will have a photograph taken by the campaign with Governor Romney. If you are interested in attending the luncheon with Governor Romney, please send me an email at vic.lundquist@gmail.com and place “LUNCHEON” in the subject line.

NOTE: If you have already maxed out at $2,300 in the primary season, you can now contribute the maximum for the general election. If for any reason Governor Romney does not win the nomination, you will receive any general election contributions back.

~ Vic

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We all knew McCain had bootstrapped his campaign from near-bankruptcy earlier this summer. The campaign was bragging about this after their NH 1st place showing, talking about how they’d pledged their donor list to a bank for a loan. Here’s what was reported at the Politico yesterday:

Back on the plane, he [McCain campaign manager Rick Davis] reiterated that they had not accepted federal matching funds nor used anticipated receipt of funds to guarantee the line of credit they took out late last year to keep their campaign afloat.

The collateral, Davis said, was their fundraising list. The windfall from selling or leasing such a list was sufficient to get them their cash.”

I wondered at the time whether that was a great idea, and whether donors would be happy about their private, confidentially-given information being pledged to a bank, sold or leased.

Now we find out that McCain’s actions likely violated his own privacy policy. That’s the form you get in the mail saying what the recipient of your private info, like on a credit card application, plans to do with it. I believe the content of these policies is voluntary, meaning you can sell info, you just have to tell people your plans. McCain apparently didn’t. Here’s what McCain’s policy says, in bold in the original: “We will not sell your personal information.”

According to the related story at Politico, the McCain campaign is spinning the angle that “it’s customary” and that all the campaign’s assets were pledged. While that’s likely true, a struggling political campaign’s only valuable asset is the donor list, which would suggest that the campaign, likely with John’s awareness, was probably offering their donors’ private info to one or more banks in trying to get that loan. And while it’s customary to pledge assets to banks when repayment is iffy, it’s also customary for banks to foreclose when loans aren’t repaid, which was a real danger at the time. It looks like the campaign either wilfully violated their own policy or didn’t read their own fine print. Or maybe McCain will try to walk the tightrope that is the semantic difference between “sell” and “pledge.” Perhaps John should have called a lawyer…

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Governor Romney needs your help now more than ever (see link below). Many of you have maxed out in your contributions to Governor Romney’s campaign:

THANK YOU!

Did you know that if you maxed out in your contributions last year, that was only for the primary season? Starting now, the Mitt Romney for President, Inc. campaign is accepting contributions to the general election and they are really needed now. Please help again if you can.

Photograph taken at Principal Financial Group, Des Moines, January 3, 2008

If you have the resources to max out your contribution again as an individual ($2,300) or as a couple ($4,600), please do so so here and now. The campaign is going to have to shift into high gear this week to take on a strong, national campaign.

Please click this official campaign form to make your campaign contribution:

OFFICIAL MITT ROMNEY FOR PRESIDENT CONTRIBUTION FORM

Any contribution of any amount is needed! There is no contribution that is too small. Please know that any money you contribute is spent very wisely. Did you know that most of Governor Romney’s air travel is paid by the media? Did you know that Governor Romney tries to stay in relatively inexpensive hotels like the Hampton Inn? Read this post and linked article ——–> Air Travel

My point? Governor Romney is very frugal and does everything in his power to maximize all campaign funds so you can know that any contribution you make will be used most wisely.

Again, THANK YOU so much for your past contributions in support of Governor Romney’s presidential bid.

If you make a contribution, please leave a comment at this blog (if you wish) to inspire other readers to contribute.

~ Vic

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I posted earlier today on policy and track record related reasons for not supporting John McCain. Add financial viability to that list.

The Politico reports that McCain has been approved for $5.8M in taxpayer matching funds for his campaign. Now, leave aside for a moment whether you think it makes sense for taxpayer dollars to subsidize candidates who cannot raise enough their own funds on the open market. Accepting these funds would cap the total amount of money that McCain can spend at $50M until after the September Republican National Convention. Given that as of Q3, McCain had spent $29M, and assuming that his burn rate in Q4 held flat (big assumption), that means by this time, he’s probably spent about $40M to date.

This would leave only $10M for McCain to spend between now and September! To provide a sense of scale, John Kerry raised $233M and GWB raised $259M in primary dollars back in 2004. It’s no stretch to believe that HRC or Obama would raise at least this much, giving them over a 5 to 1 advantage over a hypothetical candidate McCain!

Marc Ambinder wrote about this scenario back in July. Key excerpts:

A minefield awaits Sen. John McCain if he asks his campaign to accept federal matching funds for the primary.

There are two significant limitations that come with the roughly $6M that the federal government would pay McCain. One is that McCain would not be able to raise money beyond the limits proscribed by the system. That’s about $50M. If the nomination contest is wrapped by Feb 6., Mr. McCain will be out of money. The Democratic nominee may find him or herself in a similar predicament, but they have the option of raising and spending as much as they want between February and their late August convention. McCain could raise nothing. And therefore could spend nothing. He would rely on the good graces of the national media to ensure that at the very least, he gets to respond to the Democratic presidential nominee. But he won’t be able to campaign. He wouldn’t be able to build a field organization for the general election, relying instead on the Republican National Committee to conceive, fund, and construct the entire GOTV apparatus. (Forget about RNC soft money ads. Um, McCain-Feingold prohibits them.) He probably couldn’t even campaign. Outside allies in the party? They don’t like McCain.

This is an argument that McCain’s opponents will make to reporters and to wavering Republicans: by accepting federal matching funds, McCain will put himself at a distinct disadvantage if he wins the nomination. The Democrat, in other words, would have an edge.

Now, as a guy who donated to Tom McClintock on principle in his run against Arnold SchwarzenKennedy in the California Republican gubenatorial primary (for those of you from California, you know exactly what I’m talking about…for you non-Golden Staters, think Don Quixote tilting at windmills), I am the last person to lecture McCain supporters over his financial viability. That being said, the thought of having a hamstrung candidate who cannot spend any money during the spring and summer while the Democrats pick him apart piece by piece has to give even the most die-hard McCain supporter pause.

By contrast, here’s why I’m supporting Mitt Romney for President.

Please help!

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Is this really 7 days old? Why have I not heard about this? This is big-time crazy, and will be on Drudge, I bet, or all over major newspapers soon….

How many of these stories has the politico broke, and is the date on the link accurate? From 7 days ago?

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1207/7494.html

“

By: Kenneth P. Vogel
Dec 20, 2007 01:03 PM EST

The Federal Election Commission, facing imminent crippling over a confirmation stalemate, on Thursday approved more than $19 million in matching taxpayer money for seven cash-strapped presidential candidates.

“Democrat John Edwards will get $8.8 million in federal funds, and Republican John McCain $5.8 million.

…

“On the other hand, McCain, an Arizona senator, has ‘not made a decision on matching funds,’ said spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker, who added the campaign hasn’t borrowed against anticipated matching funds.

…

“The matching fund program provides up to $250 in taxpayer money for each donation from an individual, with the maximum amount a candidate could receive currently estimated to be about $21 million.

“But it’s seen as a trade-off, since it also caps at about $50 million the amount of cash campaigns can spend during the primary.”

Maybe this hasn’t been all over the news because not everyone understands it. Since the primary election technically ends after the Republican convention’s conclusion on September 4, Sen. McCain will be essentially be unable to spend virtually any money throughout the summer of 2008. Marc Ambinder at The Atlantic discussed the scenario earlier this year:

http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/07/mccain_the_matching_fund_quand.php

“A minefield awaits Sen. John McCain if he asks his campaign to accept federal matching funds for the primary.

“There are two significant limitations that come with the roughly $6M that the federal government would pay McCain. One is that McCain would not be able to raise money beyond the limits proscribed by the system. That’s about $50M. If the nomination contest is wrapped by Feb 6., Mr. McCain will be out of money. The Democratic nominee may find him or herself in a similar predicament, but they have the option of raising and spending as much as they want between February and their late August convention. McCain could raise nothing. And therefore could spend nothing. He would rely on the good graces of the national media to ensure that at the very least, he gets to respond to the Democratic presidential nominee. But he won’t be able to campaign. He wouldn’t be able to build a field organization for the general election, relying instead on the Republican National Committee to conceive, fund, and construct the entire GOTV apparatus. (Forget about RNC soft money ads. Um, McCain-Feingold prohibits them.)

He probably couldn’t even campaign

. Outside allies in the party? They don’t like McCain.

“This is an argument that McCain’s opponents will make to reporters and to wavering Republicans: by accepting federal matching funds, McCain will put himself at a distinct disadvantage if he wins the nomination.

The Democrat, in other words, would have an edge

.”

So how great of a handicap would matching funds be for the Republican nominee? Well, according to the New York Times, President Bush raised roughly $259 million in primary dollars and Senator Kerry raised more than $233.5 million in 2004. Again, Senator McCain would be limited to a mere $50 million total in the primaries.

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Hugh Hewitt does an excellent job recapping why McCain’s campaign was on life support only a month or two ago only to have been resurrected by the MSM.

On McCain Feingold:

First, they have to forget that the fundraising advantage the GOP built to counter the Dems’ union juggernaut was overthrown by the McCain-Feingold campaign finance “reform,” and done so in an unconstitutional fashion, proving not only McCain’s indifference to the party’s success but also to the idea of Free Speech. This bust of a bill also unleashed the 527s on the land, guaranteeing even more secretive and dirty pool politics. Senator McCain’s signal legislative achievement turns out to be deeply flawed constitutionally and counterproductive of its announced goals.

On the Bush Tax Cuts and Federal Marriage Amendment:

Economic conservatives will also have to have their memories erased of Senator McCain’s votes against the Bush tax cuts.

The neuralyzer will also have to get to the social conservatives and erase the memory of John McCain’s votes against the Federal Marriage Amendment.

On the McCain-Kennedy amnesty bill:

The biggest issues for many Republican voters center on immigration and border security. These voters will have to be persuaded to forget John McCain’s ill-fated attempted jam down on immigration which McCain ally Lindsey Graham forced through the Judiciary Committee. Not remembering the bill is a bit of a big order since it was known as McCain-Kennedy and was widely understood by conservatives to be tantamount to amnesty.

On National Security:

National security conservatives will have to agree to set aside the fact that McCaiin’s grandstanding on the issue of the treatment of unlawful combatants in September 2006 derailed the entire GOP’s endgame agenda heading into the elections. The Senate leadership and the White House had agreed on a careful series of legislative propositions on the Gitmo detainees and on surveillance protocols for use when watching terrorists abroad communicating with their allies inside the U.S., an agenda which also included some crucial judicial nominations like the still stalled one of Peter Keisler to the D.C. Circuit of Appeals, an agenda which would have done much to recapture the sense of momentum the upper chamber and the GOP as a whole had lost and which would have focused the public on the war and the role of intelligence gathering in it. Senators McCain and Graham smashed up the entire plan and the Senate majority was erased a few weeks later.

On Conservative Judicial Nominations:

And all conservatives will have to set aside their deep, deep anger over John McCain’s Gang of 14 coup that ended the hopes of restoring decency, order and constitutional process to the judicial confirmation process.

Recall what had happened: Serial filibusters were staged by Dems against many Bush nominees throughout 2003 and 2004. The GOP and the president campaigned on the issue of the judges throughout the elections of 2004, and won a 55 seat Senate majority in part on the strength of the outrage on the issue. Majority Leader Frist set about organizing a strategy –the Constitutional Option or Nuclear Option– which anticipated that a ruling would be requested from the Senate Chair –the Vice President– on whether or not a filibuster could be used against a judicial nominee. At least 50 of the GOP’s 55 senators were pledged to support the chair. A crucial and long-lasting victory would have been won and a principle established.

Days before the vote and the end of the filibusters, John McCain engineered a deal with six other Republicans and seven Democrats which threw some fine nominees under the bus in exchange for a temporary abandonment by Democrats of filibusters against some Bush nominees. The shock and outrage at McCain among conservatives at this awful deal was of a intensity that has rarely been matched. John McCain in effect undid the vote of 2004, compromised away an issue he had not been asked to lead on and on which millions of Republican voters had voted and for which they had contributed. Millions of Republicans care deeply about judges. John McCain did not. He could not allow Majority Leader Frist his victory, but in sabotaging Frist, he sunk his own candidacy. The one issue on which all three core GOP constituencies agree is the importance of originalists on the bench. It was obvious amid the wreckage brought about by the Gang of 14 that John McCain didn’t care about the courts. He cared about John McCain.

By contrast, here’s why I’m supporting Mitt Romney for President.

Please help!

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POLITICAL SCENE 2008

One of the things I have enjoyed the most of my involvement in this amazing journey to elect the best man to ever run for President of the United States is the people I have had the privilege of knowing. From those who contribute to this blog to those behind-the-scene grassroots workers who put in countless hours as volunteers for Governor Romney. Governor Romney truly has thousands of amazing individuals and teams of individuals who are willing to do whatever it takes to to elect Governor Romney as President.

One of those individuals, a true leader in this cause and close friend of Governor and Mrs. Romney, is David Parker. Back in January of this year, my friend Kevin Anderson and I were discussing politics (shocker) and how things might shake out in 2007 and 2008. We got into an intense discussion about Governor Romney. I knew enough about Gov. Romney to be dangerous in a discussion about him and had more questions than answers. Kevin suggested I speak with his good friend David. We met over lunch, David played 20-questions with me patiently and with a smile. The answers I got far surpassed anything I expected.

[This photograph was taken immediately preceding Governor Romney's historic speech at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library. Left is David Nierenberg, right is David Parker]

I have to admit that I expected rather political kinds of answers or maybe ideological ones. Instead, David’s perspective and candor allowed me to get a glimpse of the true character of Governor Romney, his motivations to serve, and his real love of country. Sadly, many deride Governor Romney for his wealth, but David pointed out that one of the overriding benefits of financial independence, as perceived by Governor Romney, was that he would never have to be beholden to any third party or person as he sought the highest office of this nation. He would be able to lead this nation according to his guiding principles with no other agenda.

David serves the campaign as a Co-Chair of the National Finance Committee for Romney for President. At the Faith in America speech in College Station, I watched David as he graciously thanked many supporters of Governor Romney for being there for the speech and for all they were doing in their work for him. David is an example of the many wonderful people of character that Governor Romney attracts to work for him.

Kevin informed me of David Parker’s political blog which I decided to visit and bookmark. I recommend it to you as David’s insight and perspective are unique and well informed for obvious reasons. David has become a good friend whose political insight I thoroughly enjoy receiving from time to time. As well, David’s confidence is contagious!

Below the following link to David’s blog are titles of his recent posts. Click here to visit his blog:

Political Scene 2008 — Inviting Provocative Political Dialog

1. Jimmy Carter Incarnate! America Cannot Bear the Cost of Another
2. How Much More Can We Take of the Huckabee Hustle?
3. Perspective - Honesty and Integrity
4. It was only a matter of time…
5. Mitt Romney Faith in America Address, with Comparatives!

David’s blog site is so new, I noticed there are either no comments or very few. We should leave him a few comments. Give him a piece of your mind!

~ Vic

Help Governor Romney get his message out — PLEASE CONTRIBUTE TO THE CAMPAIGN NOW, HERE

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I wanted to thank all of you who have given to Governor Romney via my fundraiser ID. Today, December 1st, 2007 you put me over the bar of $20,000. While I know I’m not the fundraiser powerhouse like those at My Man Mitt, it’s not too bad for a rural small town girl from Kentucky. I have to thank all of you who have given, it means so much to me and it’s definitely helping Governor Romney. So, thank you so much! Now if you’d like to give more, click here —–>Contribute Now!. Thanks again everyone, words can not express how thankful I am!

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Check out this blog post at —–> ABC News’ The Blotter titled Out of Spotlight, Giuliani Embraces Convicted Moneyman…

Background:

A Pennsylvania man convicted in a notorious corruption case played host to former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani at a fundraiser last night, despite the Giuliani campaign’s public efforts to distance itself from the man.

Bob Asher, a major Pennsylvania Republican player as a national party committeeman, was one of four hosts for the $2,300-a-person event. Asher was convicted in 1986 on charges stemming from a bribery scheme intended to win a $300,000 state government contract. The case gained national attention when his co-defendant in the case, Pennsylvania state treasurer R. Budd Dwyer, committed suicide at a televised news conference. Asher was sentenced to serve one year in prison.

At that time, Giuliani was a federal prosecutor in New York, building a reputation by locking up criminals for similar corruption-related misdeeds.

Emphasis Above Added

This part is particularly telling:

Giuliani came and went from last night’s fundraiser without comment, ducking down in his car as ABC News cameras attempted to photograph him arriving.

Mr. Giuliani, why are you so afraid of appearing with one of your top fundraisers?

See Also:

A Giuliani administration is likely to be rife with cronyism and criminality

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