comMITTed to Romney!

Any frequent visitors of this site know that I occasionally launch into random diatribes. What follows will be no different; however, I wish to share with you some of my thoughts, feelings and frustrations. I have been honored to be a part of this site. I have had a lot of fun, and met some great and interesting people. It has been an exciting year, and Presidential Campaign. Many of us have enjoyed the ups and downs of the Romney Campaign  together, and have shared stories, articles, opinions,  friendship, and time.

Governor Romney ran a great campaign. He represented his supporters well; he made alliances and gained the trust of many conservative leaders–but ultimately, he came up short. Many of us were frustrated, sad, maybe even angry when he dropped out of the race. Millions of Republicans voted for him; he won eleven State Primaries or Caucuses; he was endorsed by many prominent conservative activists and leaders. Regardless of whether or not he is ever elected President, or Vice President for that matter, he will be a driving force for conservative principles in the future.

Since Mitt’s pursuit of  the Presidency ended, it has been a struggle to maintain the quality that this site has enjoyed. Some bloggers and readers have chosen not to stick around. At times I have found myself posting multiple posts regarding one topic. Sometimes the only thing I find to talk about is whether or not Mitt will be asked to join John McCain on the ticket. If that were to happen, we would have plenty of material, and a renewed ferver in supporting “our” candidate. I would like to think that if it does not happen, that we will be able to sill post quality information, and continue to enjoy each others friendship, and dialogue.

During tha past couple of days there has been a renewed push against Mitt Romney. It was launched by an obscure PAC known as Government Is Not God. The organization endorsed Mike Huckabee and is ran by some of his supporters. I was upset about it, as I know many of you were. But after their petition was effectively rendered useless, and many Romney supporters signed a petition of our own, I found myself feeling like I was upset about something of no consequence. Now, I still want people to sign our petition; and it will be forwarded to Sen. McCain; I just feel like some of us have let people cause us to dwell on things that really are not that important. The people that are protesting Mitt Romney becoming VP are the minority. Many of them are religious bigots, (if you don’t agree, read some of their comments) and are bitter because their guy is not being considered for VP. The vast majority of Republicans would be happy with a McCain/Romney ticket.

Our time is very limited; and the space in our brain should be considered prime real estate. Whatever things are to occupy that real estate should pay the rent to dwell there, abide by the rules of the land owner, or be evicted. Haters and detractors have no business  in our minds, and should only cause us to examine our own priorities and attitudes. I am grateful for each of you. I hope that all of us continue to support conservative principles and agendas. I also hope that we can be respectful of each other, and those who disagree with us. There is a reason each of us came to this site in the first place. I hope we can continue to find reasons to come back to it.

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David Keene of the American Conservative Union (ACU) has a great article entitled “Double-Talk Jeopardy” discussing McCain’s dishonesty in the days leading up to the Floriday Primary. David has endorsed Mitt Romney. Read the whole thing, but here are a couple choice quotes below:

Most politicians who identify their interests with the national interest eventually conclude that whatever they have to do to advance those interests is justifiable; that in their case, the end almost always justifies the means. Such politicians can be dangerous and John McCain is just such a politician. In McCain’s world everything is personal: to disagree with him marks one not just as wrong, but as almost definitionally evil.

Stories of McCain’s intolerance abound in Washington. He’s attacked his fellow senators personally when they have had the temerity to actually disagree with him. Indeed, one Republican senator told me several years ago that he was confronted by an enraged McCain after voting against a minor amendment in committee and dressed down in “language that would be inappropriate in a barroom, let alone in the Senate.”

It is these qualities that concern many who know McCain best. Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran (R) is universally liked and admired by his colleagues. He’s known McCain for decades, and while he’s no camera hog, his colleagues listen when he speaks. In endorsing Romney over McCain in what many now view as a two-man race, Cochran said of McCain, “The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine.”

Help Mitt Romney win the nomination. Make a donation today and ask your family and friends to turn out for Mitt on Super Tuesday!

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What do you think Mitt did the night after his 2nd place finish in Florida?  I know what I did - went to bed, intending the next day to take a short break, and try to re-energize and re-configure, re-focus for Super Tuesday.  It was a blow, I was mad at McCain, mad at Huckabee and mad that there weren’t more conservative voters in Florida.  I started to question if there are even enough conservatives left in the country to put their voices and hands behind Mitt and give and do and say all they could to get him to the White House.  I was worried, disheartened, frustrated.  Then the next morning, Rush Limbaugh started talking about how “the great thing about this country is that there’s always another election - 2012, 2016 - so maybe we’ll win next time around, blah, blah, blah.”  Thanks for another downer, Rush.

What was Mitt doing?  Hmm, let me think - tireless worker, eternal optimist, master strategist, turnaround expert…  - well, he probably wasn’t doing what I was doing! 

Elizabeth Holmes from the Wall Street Journal, who I believe is part of Mitt’s press entourage, confirmed my suspicions:

…Mr. Romney began sharpening his strategy early Wednesday as his campaign-chartered Boeing 737 flew over the Rocky Mountains. With most of the entourage asleep, the candidate sat at the front of the plane in the fold-down seat typically reserved for a flight attendant, surrounded by three of his aides, a notepad in hand.

Is this not the Mitt we know and believe in?  In the early morning hours after Florida, Mitt’s up strategizing (hopefully his aides are early-birds like him!) planning and preparing for the days and weeks ahead.  Sitting on the not-so-comfy flight attendant seat to boot.  I don’t know about you, but it’s those little details about Mitt that I really admire, and find so inspiring.  The types of actions that are characteristic of an honest, humble, hard-working leader, that are often so absent in Washington.  I find it interesting that the lie that is told the most by Mitt’s critics - that he lacks conviction and therefore personal integrity - is in reality the exact opposite - that he is a man, person, leader, husband, father, Governor, CEO and future President of extremely strong morals, standards and values, and who is willing to walk the walk, to do all and more of what he asks of those who follow him - this is what I have come to admire the most in Mitt.

Mitt’s in this for the long haul.   I think this is going to go beyond Super Tuesday, which is excellent for Mitt.  The more time he has, the better his chances are of exposing McCain, refuting the media’s lies (they haven’t really come up with a new one for a while now - that’s why McCain’s attempt over the weekend was so pathetic), and gaining the support of the conservatives of the party.  As Ann Romney said in the Florida speech, “This is just the beginning.”  It’s really exciting to watch and be a part of.  Mitt can and will take this all the way.  Let’s work hard to keep up with him!

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How do you defend against attacks that are purely dishonest? Barack Obama had to struggle with that issue last week when the Clinton machine went after him. Perhaps we can take solace in his resounding win in the Democratic contest that took place yesterday. But I believe the short answer to that question is: control the message (i.e., change the subject).

Readers here know what McCain said about Mitt’s comments weren’t true. I’d seen the clip McCain was referring to weeks ago, and there was nothing in there about Mitt proposing or supporting a timetable for withdrawal: it was about whether there may be a Bush administration timetable and how if there was one it was important not to share any such timetable with our enemies. So why the manipulation of the facts by McCain? As others have said here, it’s likely that he’s seen his lead slip in Florida and felt he needed to do something to change the subject. So let’s change it back.

Unfortunately, as Senator McCain likes to say when he’s not the source of the attack, “you don’t mud wrestle with a pig, because you both get dirty and the pig likes it.” Of course it’s quite hyporcritical for McCain to be doing what he did today (e.g., abandoning “straight talk” and his “principles,” going negative, criticizing Mitt for a position McCain endorsed, etc.). But it’s apparent a discussion of any topic but the economy would be an improvement for him.

So let’s remind ourselves of what Mitt’s message is:

1. Washington is broken. Nothing serves as better evidence of this than McCain’s recent attacks. If we want more of the same we can send the same sorts of people back to Washington. McCain has been there 24 years; now he wants to be President. If we obliged, it’s hard for me to see how things would change, in particular given McCain’s legendary inability to work well with others in the Senate and the vendettas / back room favors he’ll owe if he goes back.

2. The economy needs Mitt. Since the days of Clinton and before, it’s always been about the economy. You can’t have a strong national defense if we dont have manufacturing and a strong economy at home. You can’t be a strong nation if you have to buy all your equipment from your enemies. And the American economy won’t be strong if we can’t keep the jobs from flowing out to our overseas competitors. So we need to send someone to Washington who has an intimate knowledge of the economy and can fix the many manifestations of problems we’ve had recently: stock market crashes, surging oil prices, real estate collapse, mortgage melt down, etc. Unfortunately, John McCain does not have the requisite experience, and has repeatedly said he’d have to find someone else to help him with this issue. McCain didn’t support the Bush tax cuts, then he did. Then he said he wanted to cut government spending to stimulate the economy. Unfortunately in the short run cutting spending would harm the economy and make it more likely to push the country into recession, or at least offset the benefits of any tax rebates. Unfortunately, as he’s said himself, he just doesn’t know enough about economics.

3. Mitt stands for strong families, and he wants to appoint judges to the Supreme Court that will read the Constitution as the framers intended it, not in a manner that creates new laws without a democratic process. Not all the other candidates have this same priority. McCain in fact has gone up against his own party on the issue of judges being appointed, and has a very spotty record on issues of family values.

4. Mitt stands for legal immigration, but “turning off the magnet” on illegal immigration. McCain very recently proposed a bill that would have allowed illegal aliens to stay in the country indefinitely. His own party rejected this stance only a few months ago, but he seems ill-at-ease saying he was wrong.

We’ve got lots of positive parts of our own message to spread without getting distracted by McCain’s attack. I’m positive that staying on message will benefit Mitt incredibly (as it’s done in Florida so far), while indulging in mud wrestling allows the media to just report on the wrestling match. I’m hoping that the media really gives it to McCain today for his intentional misrepresentations, but even if they don’t, let’s keep on task and keep spreading our own message.

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Hat tip to Rush Limbaugh for this one! There are some great lines in here about the nature of McCain’s changes.

CAMPOS: McCain’s the real flip-flopper

By Paul Campos, Rocky Mountain News 

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

One of the curiosities of American politics is the media’s ongoing infatuation with John McCain. A bit of this is based on things such as McCain’s opposition to torture (unfortunately we can no longer treat opposing torture like opposing child molestation, i.e., something one assumes is standard equipment in a presidential candidate rather than a luxury upgrade). Yet most of the journalistic love affair with McCain is based on other factors.

Consider this typical endorsement from The Orlando Sentinel: While McCain “has stuck to his principles at the risk of sinking his campaign,” Mitt Romney “has abandoned positions that would have alienated his party’s conservative base.” (Indeed I checked a computer database and discovered that, in the national media, Romney is at least six times more likely to be described as a flip-flopper than McCain).

This does not merely ignore but actually inverts the truth. The fact is that no presidential candidate in either party has flip-flopped as egregiously as McCain on such a wide range of issues. Here’s just a small sample of Sen. Straight Talk’s recent series of remarkable conversions to politically convenient stances:

* On abortion rights, McCain has done a 180-degree turn, from favoring only the most minor restrictions and opposing the overturning of Roe v. Wade, to supporting an almost total ban, while advocating that the Supreme Court reverse Roe immediately.

* McCain has transformed himself from a deficit hawk who mocked supply-side economics, into someone who sounds like he’s drunk deeply from the wackiest vats of supply-side Kool-Aid, to the point where he now claims raising taxes decreases revenues (a claim so wildly in conflict with the facts - for example federal tax revenues almost doubled in real terms after the Clinton tax increases - that it’s either a shameless lie or a product of astounding ignorance).

* In regard to ethanol subsidies, McCain has gone from treating them as the worst sort of pork, to becoming a strong supporter of a program despised by economists, but beloved of Iowa farmers and the good people at Archer Daniels Midland.

* Six years ago McCain sternly condemned Jerry Falwell as “an agent of intolerance.” Eighteen months ago he gave the commencement address at Falwell’s university, while openly embracing one of the most noxious figures of the religious right.

These are just a few examples from a far longer list. On topics ranging from immigration, to campaign finance reform, to gay marriage, to accepting support from various sleazy characters he previously shunned, McCain has either completely reversed his views, or seriously equivocated regarding what they are this week.

Yet the media continue to lavish him with worshipful paeans to his supposedly uncompromising commitment to principled leadership no matter what the political cost etc., etc.

Part of this is accounted for by lazy autopilot journalism, which stops people from bothering to check whether the story line they’ve repeated for years still has any relationship to reality.

But part of it is something worse. When it comes to McCain, many of the sophisticates at the top of the media pyramid are like a masochistic spouse who treats open infidelity as a twisted sort of faithfulness. They love McCain because when he lies to their face he doesn’t even pretend to be doing otherwise. According to the pretzel logic of a certain kind of journalism, that counts as candor.

All this would be merely amusing if McCain were not a genuinely tragic figure. The young man who showed such exemplary courage in the face of his North Vietnamese tormenters has become an old man whose courage abandoned him when subjected to the more subtle tortures of worldly ambition.

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I wanted to use a boxing analogy for the title of this post. I just got an email from our state campaign office about a group supporting Huckabee and the tactics they are using and I immediately thought of a boxer leaning on the ropes, hoping the bell would ring to signal the end of the round, before he got knocked out.

I am told that a group supporting Huckabee is in the process of making 200,000 “robo-calls” in the state of Missouri. The calls take several minutes to complete (no word on whether or not any body can stand to listen to the calls until they end) and they serve up the usual litany of false claims against Gov. Romney and the false claims of conservative positions for Pastor Mike.

We have all observed the pattern in weak campaigns. No true believers who will set aside the time to make live calls, only paid mercenaries who will distribute second rate propaganda over the phone lines. It is a testament to the Romney campaign both here in my state as well as across the country that we have stuck to the issues, avoided character assassination and simply “made our case” to the voters based on the merits of Mitt Romney and the people who surround him.

On a happier note, MissouriansForMitt held our weekly phone bank last night and there were DOUBLE THE NUMBERS FROM TWO WEEKS AGO MAKING LIVE CALLS! At 7:30 PM I had to dial into our weekly conference call and there were DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE on the call from a week ago. We are in our “get out the vote” campaign and in the process of distributing yard signs, recruiting “call from home” volunteers and soliciting support for Gov. Romney for Super Tuesday. What a contrast to a certain “Republican In Name Only” (RINO) and his teetering campaign.

~~John Cronin~~

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For fellow conservatives considering Mitt for the first time, it’s important to understand Mitt’s staunch support of the pro-life platform.  The media has tried to downplay and negate Mitt’s position on this.  They’ve managed to stick a big old post-it note on Mitt’s forehead labelled “Flip Flopper” in permanent ink.  They’ve asserted that he lacks conviction.  They’re wrong.  As Governor, Mitt consistently stuck to conservative principles.  On abortion, marriage, health care, economy and other important issues, Mitt consistenly made conservative decisions.  For a great summary on Mitt’s real record, see Ann Marie’s post back in November 2007.

On Monday, the 35th anniversay of Roe v. Wade, Mitt once again committed to overturning this decision:

After 35 years of Roe v. Wade, we are again reminded why this decision should be overturned,” Romney said in a statement provided to LifeNews.com.

“We recognize the worth and dignity of every person, a fact that is ingrained in our hearts and etched in our national purpose,” Romney added. “Unelected judges should not be the final arbiters on these important decisions which define who we are as a people.”

Recently, Romney told Nevada voters that he wanted the high court to overturn the infamous decision allowing virtually unlimited abortions.

“I am pro-life, and I would welcome a time when the people of America concluded that abortion was wrong, but that’s not where America is, and that’s why I believe that the next right step for America is for the court to overturn Roe v. Wade,” he said then.

“That would return to the states and to the elected representatives of the people the ability to set their own laws related to abortion,” he said.

“Today, as Americans from across this country participate in the annual March for Life, my thoughts are with all those whose dedication and compassionate concern have done so much to educate and assist others in creating a genuine culture of life,” he said.

The last phrase is a very telling remark.  As he does with so many issues, Mitt is able to look at the broader implications and ramifications of following a certain path.  When he discusses his decision to become politically pro-life, Mitt often states that as Governor he realized that the effects of Roe v. Wade weren’t just limited to abortion.  They extended to issues like embryonic stem cell research and teenage pregnancy, and to the very basic fabric of our culture.  The question, “Are we a culture of life, or of death,” has strong ramifications for our children, their education, their government, their health, their society and their future.  Mitt understood (and has helped me understand) that the issue of abortion isn’t solely about choice or murder or rights - it’s about the kind of culture, society and country we are creating (or destroying) for the next generation.

If you are unsure about Mitt’s conviction on this or other social issues such as marriage, please DO NOT believe the picture the media has painted.  Please take a few minutes to visit Mitt’s site where he discusses his belief in “promoting a culture of life,” or visit the Encyclopedia Mittanica, where you can scroll down and find Mitt’s answers to just about any question, all neatly alphabetized according to issue. 

Warning:  if you take a few minutes to do this - to objectively look at Mitt’s platform and record, you WILL find he is a true Reagan conservative, and you WILL most likely want to join, sign up, contribute, campaign for, blog and in all other ways become a Mitt supporter!  Let us know when you do - we’d love to hear your story!

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For many weeks now, I have been saying that all the candidates are out of money except Governor Romney. Giuliani, McCain, and Huckabee are all effectively running on fumes right now. All of them have barely enough money to get some ads up in Florida, except Huckabee. After Florida, then what?

But the bigger question is why is Huckabee staying in the race at all? Almost his entire support is the narrow base of evangelical voters. But of them, he struggles to garner 50% of all evangelical votes and cannot even break 10% of all non-evangelical voters. His support is far, far from anything called broad-based. His support is about as narrow as one can get. This Sunday, he will probably continue to keep it narrow by giving a “non-political” sermon (or two, or three, or four) for a hefty fee of $25,000 each, “sacred funds” that, oh by the way, go into his political coffers. That is really a great way to broaden your support!

One last editorial comment before we see these great excerpts. Did any of you catch Huckabee’s reply to the South Carolina flag dispute the other day? He said something to the effect, “If someone came into my state of Arkansas and told me what to do with our state flag, I would tell them where to stick the flag pole!”, and he said it with a broad smile and a laugh. When he wants to be the Baptist minister, he knows how to turn on the humble charm. When he wants to play the shrewd, crass politician, he can easily change course in his language. Language unbecoming any minister of Jesus Christ.

Why are not more Americans able to see through the facade we call Mike Huckabee?

Anyway, check out these quotes. Why is Huckabee still running in this race? Who is he kidding? By staying in the race with such a narrow support base, he is just exploiting those few supporters who are willing to give him money, either directly into his political coffers, or by dropping it in their Sunday church plate.

FLORIDA PRIMARY — Huckabee skimps on Florida for Georgia — Posted on Mon, Jan. 21, 2008 — BY MARC CAPUTO — mcaputo@MiamiHerald.com

“No television commercials. A small and hastily arranged Florida rally. No clear travel schedule. Mike Huckabee is running the most unorthodox campaign of the major Republican candidates. While his opponents blanketed Florida — the biggest primary yet — on Monday, he opened and closed the day in another state, Georgia. … Political observers and Huckabee’s political opponents say it’s all proof that he’s writing off Florida, where he’s not scheduled to campaign Tuesday and where his opponents appear to be out-fighting and out-spending him. Some even speculate that he’s now running for a vice-presidency slot. But Huckabee said reports of his political death are as exaggerated as they are old. ‘’We plan no Mickey Mouse operation in Florida,’’ he said. But he also noted that ‘’no one’’ will have the race ‘wrapped up’ in Florida.”

Or what about this next quote? Apparently, some of Huckabee’s most ardent supporters have finally seen the light with this man:

Washington Prowler — Huckabee Broke — By The Prowler — Published 1/22/2008 12:08:32 AM

“Less than a month after a huge upset victory, and promises that fundraising would be ramped up, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is asking his senior staff to keep working for him without pay, while lower level campaign staff are seeing their salaries cut dramatically or eliminated altogether. ‘The goal is to get a leaner, meaner campaign structure moving into Super Tuesday,’ says a senior campaign adviser. But many of those being asked to take the cut are refusing, and walking away, leaving the campaign with holes to fill. ‘The money simply hasn’t come in at the rate that we expected,’ says the aide. ‘Florida is a $7 million commitment that we can’t meet, and if we did, that leaves us exposed for Super Tuesday, where we have a lot of states and a lot media buys. We had to make tough decisions.’”

Hopefully, as Huckabee continues to barely get 35% of the evangelical vote and hardly any of the non-evangelical vote, somebody will tap him on the shoulder and tell him the truth. In my opinion though, Huckabee’s ego, greatly enlarged by his Iowa evangelical win, will not allow him to quit the race.

~ Vic

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Following is a comment I received at my Path to Victory post just below. It is by Stephen and reflects an outstanding perspective as regards Governor Romney and our great nation (I added the bold below):

After spending yesterday and this morning in airports as a result of substantial delays I had considerable time to reflect on Mitt Romney and the early caucuses. I knocked off John Adams, by David McCullough, and found many of the insights of Adams and his competition illustrative of the similar difficulties we face today. Back in Adams times there were many characteristics of the sharp contrasts on the shaping of government, heightened personal ambition and keen intellects, much as today.

As the primary season in now underway I thought of how Romney has chosen to make a difference. An accurate barometer of his differences can be gauged by how others react, rally around or respond.

What initially attracted me to support Mitt Romney was his diverse grasp on a multitude of issues, his keen intellect, his character and personality along with his extensive and accomplished background. Yet, what provided the cementing feature was his talk on religious liberty. Here was a man who reminded me of the Founding Fathers. A man who has extraordinary gifts: this was a self-evident truth that struck me in a profound way as I thought about the words and feeling I had as I watched what I believed, and still do, was an historic moment.

Fast forward a few weeks from that day and now the rapid primary pace heightened by the constant buzz and drone of taking heads and soothsayers who would lead you to believe that they can predict the future. Such is the profession of the daily political speculators whose equity consists of a limited currency of facts. The guessing games while short on research, are abundant on instinct, and as quickly cast aside as the estimate proves to be incorrect. Like fund managers taking up a stock of which they have vested interests the duplicity reflects an investment that has gone awry.

What have we witnessed thus far? Gulliani was to be the Prince, Thompson the new Reagan, McCain the straight shooter, and then Huckabee whose opportunism excelled at reaching base levels than one wouldn’t have imagined considering what he has been preaching, especially for the Republican Party’s primary. Perhaps, Thomas Sowell words provide great insight when Huckabee offers that “ any politician who starts shouting election-year demagoguery about the rich and the poor should be asked, “What about the other 90 percent of the people?”

The lust for power creates strange perversions and odd bedfellows. Such abuse of men’s potential is nothing new or rare. Indeed, the lust for a fleeting moment of fame or a temporary hold on power will cause some men to vacate any sound or reasonable principles.

In contrast, to such lusts when one contemplates the office that represents a nation, the mere thought should give men of sober and virtuous minds pause. For with such a position is required an equal amount of sacrifice and challenges. A series of challenges that will test and re test a person’s constitution and mettle to be the leader of the free world: continuing in the line of many great men who have previously given much for this nation, America.

Romney is a man who thought about the significance of the Office of the President. The weight of which it carries and the tests one must endure to prove oneself worthy to hold such an office. His seeking the Presidency is based on his belief that he can help to lead others to make a difference. Surely, he knew how difficult the path would be with the up and downs and weight of many who may seek to bring him down. Yet, as his family gathered around and weighed the final factors and merits of going ahead or not. Mitt Romney sensed a duty: a duty and responsibility that was larger than him self.

Regardless of any momentary shifts of public perception or a commentator’s view of the day, Mitt Romney knew before he started this journey of the rigorous and taxing road that it is. A perfect season in any sport is rare. “If you can’t accept losing, you can’t win,” said Vince Lombardi.

If life were perfect every year within the NFL you would have an undefeated team for each season. That is why such excitement has been generated for Miami’s 72 Dolphins and the 07 New England Patriots because such an accomplishment is rare. Of course New England’s other super bowl victories are not diminished because they didn’t go undefeated. New England experienced great competition and in the end was victorious.

Some questions are useful to consider when challenges or difficulties present themselves. When others criticize what you believe do you believe everything they say? Does your mind shift with the winds of the day? Ask yourself why? And then ask yourself what is it you see in Mitt Romney. I looked and I saw and see greatness within a man who is willing to sacrifice for God and Country. A man who embodies what is good about America. The man Willard Mitt Romney.

Thank you Stephen for the thoughtful comment!

~ Vic

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This morning, U.S. Senator Jim Talent sat down with me to express why he is such an ardent supporter of Governor Romney. A couple of things caught my attention as we began and I started asking questions related to Mike Huckabee. Senator Talent is a Evangelical Christian and is one of the strongest national leaders in promoting pro-life issues. His official title is Chairman, Domestic Policy Task Force – Mitt Romney for President, Inc. The interview was at the Romney Iowa Caucuses Headquarters in Des, Moines.

Press Release at the time Senator Talent joined Mitt Romney’s team

Senator Talent’s Wikipedia Description

The interview was conducted in a large, open space in what is effectively an office building among several tables and dozens of people making calls to get the vote out. After five minutes, about six volunteers joined us and actually helped me conduct the interview. How you ask? Well, I do not know short-hand, so first, their brief interruptions served to allow me time to better write my notes, and second, they had a couple of great questions that added to the interview!

Q: Why Romney and not other candidates such as Huckabee?

“Governor Romney is the only candidate with the whole package necessary to defeat the Democrats in the general election. The others do not have what it takes including Giuliani, Huckabee, McCain, or Thompson.

None of the other candidates are as effectively pro-life as Governor Romney. All you have to do is look at what he did as governor of Massachusetts. Nobody fought harder in the protection of traditional marriage than Governor Romney and nobody was more effective in fighting for life at the early stages than Governor Romney. Regardless of any of the candidates’ positions in the pro-life agenda, Governor Romney is the only one that will be the strong, effective pro-life leader. He is the only one who will serve the pro-life agenda in a truly effective way.

Governor Romney is the only Republican candidate who can accomplish all of three of the following:
• Unify and mobilize the entire the Republican Party.
• Articulate an incredibly powerful message around 1) strong national defense, 2) strong families, and 3) a strong economy.
• Reach out to and connect with the center of America.

Governor Romney is the only true, comprehensive conservative among all the Republican candidates.

Q: Why Governor Romney over Huckabee?

I like to ask the simple question, “What would happen if Mike Huckabee were to be the Republican nominee?”

Think about Hillary Clinton deciding to run to the right of Huckabee on crime and taxes. Clinton could easily challenge Huckabee on any number of issues and run to the right on his past. Crime for example: Huckabee pardoned or commuted the sentences of 1,033 felons. On taxes, Huckabee raised taxes on the middle class.

As a person who has run several campaigns myself and who has run a couple of very tough campaigns, I know how important it is to have adequate resources. Mitt Romney is the only Republican candidate who has the resources to wage a long, tough, national campaign against the Democrats; all the other Republican candidates are underfunded and do not have the necessary resources.

Governor Romney has the executive management skill of all candidates and his campaign is the best run campaign of all.

Anybody who has ever met Mitt Romney knows him as a very open and genuine person. It is very touching when he is with his family.

Governor Romney is the only Republican who will make many good things happen and prevent bad things from happening.

Neither McCain nor Huckabee can mobilize all conservatives of our nation. Neither has a strong record on tax cuts. Republicans will not be able to win the general election without a strong stand on illegal immigration and Mitt Romney is the only candidate who is strong in this critical issue.

I have been a strong pro-life advocate my whole life. Certainly, we should scrutinize the pro-life position of any leader that has converted from a pro-choice position. Those of us who are national leaders (James Bopp, Jr. and Jay Seculow) in the pro-life movement have performed that scrutiny of Governor Romney and know him to be absolutely committed to the pro-life agenda in every way. He is the strongest pro-life candidate running today.

This is important. The Massachusetts Citizens for Life do not give out their highest award to just anybody and they gave theirs to Governor Romney for his tireless work in Massachusetts for life issues!

Stayed tuned for more news from Iowa. I have been working all day, but based on the buzz around me and what I have seen here today, there is a lot going on FOR Governor Romney. There are lots of really cheerful, enthusiastic volunteers all around, coming and going. I have been around very organized projects my entire career. Nothing compares to this though.

Ann Romney stopped in and went around and met many volunteers along with Mary Romney (Craig’s wife I think) and her son. Scott Romney, Mitt’s brother also stopped in and gave a little update along with Senator Talent accompanied by cheers. Apparently tonight there is a rally for supporters. When you get a chance, look for updates from Jason Bonham over at My Man Mitt who is embedded with Governor Romney’s press corp as they fly around Iowa. I had dinner with Jason last night and he was pretty excited about today.

~ Vic

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This recommendation to the Romney for President, Inc. campaign team is not mine. It was mentioned to me by Brent Koch, a friend, and one of our newest writers at this blog.

Brent just called and is mad about the cheap shots McCain is taking at Governor Romney: 1) McCain’s whining about the factual, truthful, and contrasting ads, 2) McCain’s irrelevant personal attack ads, and 3) McCain’s refusal to refute the facts presented to the people of NH by Governor Romney.

Brent’s recommendation?

That Governor Romney create a 30-second TV ad exclusively for New Hampshire that runs often, every day until January 8th. I TOTALLY love this idea of Brent’s. Seriously. If Governor Romney were to play this ad endlessly, it would cause John McCain to start dancing as if he were on hot coals. This clip is too long to play in its entirety, but you could make the most awesome 30-second spot that matches McCain at his level. What do you think?

Count how many times McCain mentions “honesty” and “integrity” in direct reference to Governor Romney.

Why is this brilliant? McCain’s ads are pulling video clips from old archives; this one above matches him on that front. This proposed 30-second ad would be completely positive; it does not bashe McCain in any way and it is all in McCain’s own words and passionate words at that! If played often in NH, it would create media buzz forcing McCain to answer it; it is the best way to put McCain on the defensive.

Think about it. McCain would be smoked out of his smug fox hole to refute his own words and angle to and fro to explain why he was wrong at the time.

~ Vic

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“HE HAS AGREED TO BE A PART OF THE GROUP”
Gov. Huckabee Claims Foreign Policy Advisers Who Aren’t Advising Him
No Laughing Matter: A serious look at Gov. Mike Huckabee’s record and policy beyond the one-liners.

• Gov. Mike Huckabee: “And the ultimate thing is, I may not be the expert that some people are on foreign policy, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night.” (WABC Radio’s “Imus In The Morning,” 12/4/07)
• National Review: “The Holiday Inn Express Candidate.” “In sum, conservatives should have worries about the depth and soundness of Mike Huckabee’s foreign-policy views. And staying at a Holiday Inn Express is not going to be enough to allay them.” (Editorial, “The Holiday Inn Express Candidate,” National Review, 12/10/07)

Confronted With Misstatements On Foreign Policy, Gov. Huckabee Insists He Is Authentic And Honest:

• Gov. Huckabee Says That People Are Looking For “Authenticity” And “Honesty.” NBC’s LESTER HOLT: “But can you afford those kind of misstatements when the spotlight is on you and people are looking for credible foreign policy credentials?” GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: “What they’re looking for is authenticity, they’re looking for honesty.” (NBC’s “Today,” 12/29/07)
• Yet, Gov. Huckabee Continues To Insist He Is Being Advised By Former Ambassador John Bolton:
  On Thursday, Gov. Huckabee Said That Ambassador John Bolton Had Agreed To Help Him Formulate Foreign Policy. “At a Thursday evening news conference, Huckabee said, ‘I’ve corresponded with John Bolton, who’s agreed to work with us on developing foreign policy.’” (Lisa Lerer, “Huckabee’s Foreign Affairs Lapses,” The Politico, 12/29/07)
• On Friday Morning, Gov. Huckabee Said That He Had Spoken With Amb. Bolton About Foreign Policy. “On Friday morning, Huckabee listed former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton as someone with whom he either has ’spoken or will continue to speak.’” (Lisa Lerer, “Huckabee’s Foreign Affairs Lapses,” The Politico, 12/29/07)
• By Friday Evening, Amb. Bolton Said He Hadn’t Spoken With Huckabee, Nor Agreed To Be His Adviser. “Bolton, however, has a different view. ‘I’d be happy to speak with Huckabee, but I haven’t spoken with him yet,’ said Bolton, now a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington. ‘I’m not an official or unofficial adviser to anyone,’ said Bolton, who mentioned he’d had conversations with other Republican candidates but declined to name any names.” (Lisa Lerer, “Huckabee’s Foreign Affairs Lapses,” The Politico, 12/29/07)
• On Saturday Afternoon, Gov. Huckabee Was Still Claiming That Amb. Bolton Had Agreed To Be His Adviser. REPORTER: “Governor, you mentioned John Bolton as someone who is helping you to shape your foreign policy proposals. He says he hasn’t had communications or conversations with you. And he wasn’t the only person who you mentioned in your list of people you have talked to, to get advice from, who have said they haven’t spoken to you. Can you clear that up?” GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: “Well, I had an e-mail exchange with John Bolton, and he has agreed to be a part of the group. He has not endorsed me. he has not indicated he would be supporting my candidacy, but he is one of many people who would be willing to have conversations. And we did have that e-mail exchange.” (Gov. Mike Huckabee, Press Conference, 12/29/07; YouTube)
  
  
• Gov. Huckabee Also Wrongly Claimed Former National Security Adviser Richard Allen Is Advising Him:
  “Huckabee Said He Had Also Spoken With… Former National Security Adviser Richard Allen.” “Huckabee said he had also spoken with former State Department official Richard Haass (now president of the Council on Foreign Relations); military analyst Ken Allard; former national security adviser Richard Allen; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; Frank Gaffney, founder of the Center for Security Policy, a conservative think tank; and a ‘number of military personnel.’” (Lisa Lerer, “Huckabee’s Foreign Affairs Lapses,” The Politico, 12/29/07)
• Yet, Allen Also Says He Has Not Spoken With Gov. Huckabee. “Reached via e-mail, Allen said an intermediary asked him to speak with Huckabee, but he hadn’t yet agreed. ‘I’m gradually getting older, but am fully capable of recalling with whom I have spoken,’ said the former Nixon and Reagan foreign policy campaign adviser.” (Lisa Lerer, “Huckabee’s Foreign Affairs Lapses,” The Politico, 12/29/07)

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Great article from Ronald Kessler over at Newsmax on why Mitt is the best candidate. The whole thing is worth a read.

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I was watching this report with my father tonight while I sat there and visited him with my daughter, and it literally made my Dad walk away and he threw his hand down at the TV. It disgusted him that much. Prior to my involvement with the Romney campaign (i.e. this blog, and various trips) he would have been solidly in McCain’s camp, but my Dad knows Romney’s character. He’s read what he wrote in my book, the various letters and post cards, and the way he’s treated me at meetings with him. Not to mention the fact that he cares about my kids so much. To people like my Dad those are signs of true character. Sure, he has his disagreements with him, but my Dad sees Romney as “the real deal”.

It’s truly sickening that Huck chose to commute these people’s sentences for religious reasons. Reeks of out and out discrimination, I guess he’d never commute a jew, they aren’t going to have that “coming to Jesus” moment.

Commutations Score:
Romney - 0
Huckabee - 1023

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