comMITTed to Romney!

Jonathan Martin posted this on his blog at Politico. 

The pro-Huck/anti-Mitt forces have crafted a petition to keep Romney off the ticket, so naturally the Mitt-heads have responded with their own petition — urging McCain to pick their guy.
And the 2012 jockeying goes on.

Visit the link if you would like to post a comment on his blog. Every bit of exposure helps.

Also, I am unable to post the corrected Ad below from my mobile device. It just contained one spelling error. If any blogger can get a hold of Ron Frey and edit my post, I would really appreciate it.

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I’m not sure if you’ve noticed that Jonathan Martin of The Politico’s blatant disregard for Romney and the Republican Presidential Nomination. Today for example Not A Single Mention of Romney’s 5pt lead over McCain in Florida.

Here are an example of other posts not exactly favorable to Governor Romney:

• Huckahelpeer
• Split decisions set up GOP fight for Florida
• The Rest of ‘Em
• The Preemptive Romney Spin
• Large Mormon Turnout Powers Mitt (which is nuts, because as Governor Romney said from FL…if you took out every single Mormon vote he still would have won Nevada).

There are several others, just go back into his archives. This guy has nothing but contempt for Romney, and I felt the strong need to call him out on it.

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From Jonathan Martin at The Politico

Here is the video from his previous appearance on May 3rd, 2007.

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McCain’s Attack Mailer

More than just the same old personal attacks, McCain has now launched a mailer exaggerating increases in fees in Massachusetts while Mitt was governor and criticizing Mitt for other things. See the Politico for the story.

Astute readers will recognize the hypocrisy here. McCain cried “foul” when Mitt presented McCain’s record on the Bush tax cuts and amnesty for illegals. While McCain didn’t agree with Mitt’s definition of amnesty (though Fred Thompson did agree with Mitt in a subsequent debate), McCain’s only responses were to cast aspersions on Mitt’s character, effectively calling Mitt a liar. He also criticized the ads as “negative.” Well, here’s McCain doing what he so roundly criticized. Here’s his campaign’s response:

Asked how they reconcile running a positive campaign with such a mailer, McCain spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker said: “We’ve been attacked enough times by Mitt Romney to justify getting out front to set the record straight.”

Sound like any two year old you know? “He did it first!”

JMart Points out McCain Flaws (Quoting Mark Lavin)

Jonathan Martin of the Politico recently posted a blog wondering aloud why no GOP candidate is hitting McCain on his “obvious” flaws in his not-so-conservative Senate voting record. He provides a link to a National Review Online article written by Mark Lavin on this subject. The obvious answer to me is that McCain and Huckabee have a marriage of convenience. It’s in both’s interest to take Mitt down, and McCain is gambling he may never have to get negative on Huckabee as Huck is likely to fade on his own. Huckabee knows he’s helped as well and is willing to take his chances against McCain later one on one after a more conservative rival is gone. But for you wondering why everyone considers McCain a liberal (and why he continues to garner more support among liberals than among people classifying themselves as “Republican”) see the following:

There’s a reason some of John McCain’s conservative supporters avoid discussing his record. They want to talk about his personal story, his position on the surge, his supposed electability. But whenever the rest of his career comes up, the knee-jerk reply is to characterize the inquiries as attacks.

The McCain domestic record is a disaster. To say he fought spending, most particularly earmarks, is to nibble around the edges and miss the heart of the matter. For starters, consider:

McCain-Feingold — the most brazen frontal assault on political speech since Buckley v. Valeo.

McCain-Kennedy — the most far-reaching amnesty program in American history.

McCain-Lieberman — the most onerous and intrusive attack on American industry — through reporting, regulating, and taxing authority of greenhouse gases — in American history.

McCain-Kennedy-Edwards — the biggest boon to the trial bar since the tobacco settlement, under the rubric of a patients’ bill of rights.

McCain-Reimportantion of Drugs — a significant blow to pharmaceutical research and development, not to mention consumer safety (hey Rudy, pay attention, see link).

And McCain’s stated opposition to the Bush 2001 and 2003 tax cuts was largely based on socialist, class-warfare rhetoric — tax cuts for the rich, not for the middle class. The public record is full of these statements. Today, he recalls only his insistence on accompanying spending cuts.

As chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, McCain was consistently hostile to American enterprise, from media and pharmaceutical companies to technology and energy companies.

McCain also led the Gang of 14, which prevented the Republican leadership in the Senate from mounting a rule change that would have ended the systematic use (actual and threatened) of the filibuster to prevent majority approval of judicial nominees.

And then there’s the McCain defense record.

His supporters point to essentially one policy strength, McCain’s early support for a surge and counterinsurgency. It has now evolved into McCain taking credit for forcing the president to adopt General David Petreaus’s strategy. Where’s the evidence to support such a claim?

Moreover, Iraq is an important battle in our war against the Islamo-fascist threat. But the war is a global war, and it most certainly includes the continental United States, which, after all, was struck on 9/11. How does McCain fare in that regard?

McCain-ACLU — the unprecedented granting of due-process rights to unlawful enemy combatants (terrorists).

McCain has repeatedly called for the immediate closing of Guantanamo Bay and the introduction of al-Qaeda terrorists into our own prisons — despite the legal rights they would immediately gain and the burdens of managing such a dangerous population.

While McCain proudly and repeatedly points to his battles with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who had to rebuild the U.S. military and fight a complex war, where was McCain in the lead-up to the war — when the military was being dangerously downsized by the Clinton administration and McCain’s friend, former Secretary of Defense Bill Cohen? Where was McCain when the CIA was in desperate need of attention? Also, McCain was apparently in the dark about al-Qaeda like most of Washington, despite a decade of warnings.

My fingers are crossed that at the next debate, either Fred Thompson or Mitt Romney will find a way to address McCain’s record. (Mike Huckabee won’t, as he is apparently in the tank for him.)

Conservatives need to wake up to the fact that McCain is not one of us and is a better candidate for a third party, or even the democrats, than for the Republicans. Most Republicans have recognized that (remember his no-show in Iowa and losing among actual Republican voters in NH to Mitt). We need to spread the word so we don’t inherit McCain as our candidate through dirty pool.

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Thanks to John Cronin for the current delegate count, which Mitt leads. But let’s also try this with an Olympics theme. USA! USA!

Current medal count on the GOP 2008 Winter Games, in order:

Mitt: 1 gold (WY), 2 silvers (IA, NH)
Huck: 1 gold (IA), 1 bronze (NH)
McCain: 1 gold (NH)

Mitt also leads the popular vote counting only IA and NH (couldn’t find the info for WY, which should add significantly to his lead). While McCain’s win is impressive for his comeback from the dead, he’ll start getting real scrutiny once the charm wears off. I find it hard to anoint him the GOP nominee just yet with just one win under his belt, particularly with the name recognition in NH and having carried it decisively in 2000. I believe his margin of victory tonight was by less than he beat GW back then.

USA! USA!

Lessons Learned?

If I had to cite lessons learned, I’d focus on the last few days in NH where I think Mitt was making a rebound before time ran out. Here is my sense as a true lay observer:

1. The debates helped. Why? Piling on didn’t look good for John, even though he came out the victor tonight. And in the 2d debate the press was uniformly positive, I think because Mitt stayed on his message. People seem to want to connect with him, and he succeeded in that 2d debate.

2. Mitt seemed to “find his voice” (to use his term). Again he started connecting with people. Mitt just seems too good to be true to some. It seems the best way to combat that is to let them get to know you personally; put yourself out there and stir real emotion (remaining presidential, of course).

3. As Mitt stayed on message about change and fixing Washington, people seemed to see someone they could vote for, instead of someone they’re less likely to vote against.

4. The main stream media is mostly just looking for a story. That may not sound like a revelation, but I personally don’t think the press is always biased (okay, Jonathan Martin at the Politico seems to be). The focus just goes to the “story”: Obama’s charisma, John McCain’s resurrection, Hillary’s tears; etc. Mitt needs to find a positive story (perhaps a decisive win in Michigan!) for them to report on. Comebacks seem to attract attention (McCain has had one, Huckabee has had one, Obama has had one, Clinton has had one–now it’s our turn).

Bottom line from the above: I think Mitt’s got a great, positive message he can continue to deliver and I’d encourage him to get out there and deliver it passionately, like we know he can. There’s a reason the National Review chose him: his positions on all the issues, which I know he believes in. And we shouldn’t necessarily look for any breaks from the media, nor take it too personally if they’re negative. It’s kind of like the refs in a sports contest: you can’t complain about them, you just have to play through it and give them something good to talk about.

The Independent Factor

The thought was Independents would pile on for Obama, but perhaps they went to McCain instead, thinking Obama had it in the bag. Here’s a quote from CNN tonight:

exit polls showed 37 percent of those who cast a Republican ballot Tuesday identified themselves as independents, and McCain got the votes of 39 percent of them, compared with 27 percent for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who finished second Tuesday. Romney and McCain were almost even among those who identified themselves as Republicans, with 33 and 34 percent, respectively”

While it’s clear McCain got more of them, I wonder where the rest went (only 66% of Independents voting Republican are accounted for above). In any event one final takeaway from this is not to get too cocky about Obama’s ability to draw Independents, or to even beat Hillary. Some good news in that is that the Democratic race may be as lengthy as the GOP race. Some had said a long fight in the GOP after the Dems had already anointed their candidate would favor the Democrats. Even more good news–Republican turnout was quite high in NH as well, meaning the GOP is paying attention, as we all know they should. And to repeat, with all the record turnout, MITT LEADS THE POPULAR VOTE.

USA! USA!

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By: Jonathan Martin

POLITICO

Jonathan Martin has a very brief article at the Politico website that expresses admiration for Gov. Romney’s tenacity in the fight to win Iowa. It reminds me of Gen. Patton’s remarks that were so brilliantly delivered by the late, great George C. Scott in the movie, Patton.

(paraphrased) “When we were growing up, we all admired the champion boxer, the big league baseball player, the best marble-shooter. Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser. I wouldn’t give a hoot for a man that lost and laughed about it.”

No one knows whether are not Gov. Romney will win in Iowa. Of course I hope he does. But in the event that he doesn’t win, he will still be an enormous winner in my book because of the great character he has shown. He continues to campaign, continues to face the media onslaught, continues to criss cross the state and continues to rise in the polls.

Here’s a quote from Mr. Martin.

But that doesn’t change the fact that Romney is doing things here that no other candidate is doing — and that could be the difference in a tight race.

I also included a comment from one of Politico’s readers.

One thing I’ll say about Mitt, he’s resilient. He is the most attacked by the democrats, he is roundly attacked by every other GOP candidate, the media constantly investigates his every utterance, and often makes up stuff (like him being behind push calls), and still he keeps slugging it out. No, he was no one hit wonder like Huck Ray Cyrus or any number of no talent blunders that spent 30 minutes in the spot light. Mitt’s rise has been slow and steady. The more he is hit, the farther he goes. I like that in him. That and he is one of those top 5% people that are great at everything they do and find success no matter the obstacle. He may not win the nomination, but I admire his tenacity.

Posted by DO Dec. 21, 2007

~~John Cronin~~

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BY: Jonathon Martin

POLITICO

Interesting poll numbers. I suspected, but couldn’t know, that RG’s internal polling must have shown him losing traction in NH a couple of weeks ago when the rumors first surfaced that Rudy was pulling back in NH and re-allocating resources to Florida. With these numbers, we have a better feel for what is happening with Rudy’s NH campaign.

A new Granite State poll out this morning from UNH/CNN has Mitt Romney still enjoying a solid lead, but with John McCain inching up and taking command of second as Rudy Giuliani drops a bit.

The numbers:

Romney: 34
McCain: 22
Giuliani: 16
Huckabee: 10
Paul: 5

The survey is the starkest indication as to why, after an expensive, month-long TV investment, Rudy’s campaign decided to cut their ad presence in the state. His buy just didn’t move the needle. In fact, a UNH poll (all trend lines inside the link) taken right about the time Rudy went up on the air in mid-November had him at 16% — where he is now.

McCain’s team has to be buoyed a bit by the numbers. Though they’ve finally begun to sell the “McCain Surge” story of late (thanks to a flurry of endorsements) they hadn’t had real numbers to back it up. This is no huge step, but to finally crack the pyschological barrier of 20% is important. Moreover, the numbers, as well as Rudy’s tactics, increasingly point to a head-to-head race between McCain and his nemesis.

That nemesis, Mitt Romney, also has to be liking what he’s seeing this morning out of NH. His lead is still double-digits, even as more in the Granite State begin to make up their minds. Further, he enjoys an advantage with the much-vaunted independent votes that McCain did so well with in 2000. Of the 40% of undeclared voters who said they intend to play on the Republican side, Romney leads 30% to 25% over Rudy. McCain picks up 23% [emphasis mine]

Still, the race remains fluid and likely will until after the new year. A total of 45% of those surveyed said they had not yet decided and only 22% said they have settled for good on a candidate.

A Huckabee win in Iowa could instantly rocket his numbers.”

~~John Cronin~~

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See it here —–>The Onslaught Continues.

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It get’s even worse…

Not only did Rudy hide the expenses incurred for his tom-catting trips out to the Hamptons…

Not only did Judith Nathan (the kept woman) use the NYPD as her personal car service…

…she even made the NYPD transport her friends and family when she wasn’t even with them!!

…Six years later, presidential candidate Giuliani is facing questions about that security. A source involved with the mayor’s operations at the time tells CBS 2 HD that Nathan took flagrant advantage of that police car and driver.

The source says Nathan forced police to chauffeur her friends and family around the city — even when she wasn’t in the car.

That set off alarms with ethics watchdogs.

“The rules are clear, you can’t use city resources for private reasons,” said Gene Russianoff of the New York Public Interest Research Group. “And if you’re using a city car, a police driven car to chauffeur around relatives, unless they’re explicitly protected and their deemed to be the subject of potential security threats, it’s just wrong.”

Nathan’s detail was approved by the NYPD after a stranger made an unspecified threat to her. The commissioner at the time was Bernard Kerik, who was recently indicted on tax fraud charges in an unrelated matter.

“It wasn’t about her being the mayor’s girlfriend,” Kerik said. “The person spoke to her by name and made comments to her.”

On Friday, Giuliani avoided reporters’ questions about the security for Nathan back then. He told reporters off camera “we’ve explained it.”

Giuliani’s press secretary, Maria Comella, angrily denounced the use of an unnamed source in this story.

But she did not deny the assertion that Nathan used her police detail to ferry around friends and family.

And she repeated what Giuliani has said about reports questioning how his security detail was financed, saying, “This is nothing more than partisan politics aimed at the Republican front-runner.”

A vote for Rudy = a vote for Rudy
A vote for Huckabee = a vote for Rudy

Do we really want Rudy to represent our party? Can you imagine what Judy will do if she gets a hold of Air Force One and the White House?

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Two early state primary dates were more or less uncertain until today. Michigan had to decide whether they would have a convention or primary, and today a Michigan State Supreme Court decision sealed Michigan as a primary state, to be held January 15th. New Hampshire was awaiting that decision to ensure there would be no change of the Michigan date, so NH’s expected date of January 8th is now set allowing it to stay within state law mandating that its primary be held at least seven days before the next primary. The Michigan State Supreme Court decision was a very important decision affecting all the Republican candidates in important ways (see additional comments on this below the list of states).

7 “Early” States’ Caucuses and Primaries List (from Politico):

Here is the schedule for the month of January, when the fun gets underway:

Jan. 3 — Iowa caucuses

Jan. 5 — Wyoming GOP caucuses

Jan. 8 — New Hampshire primary

Jan. 15 — Michigan primary

Jan. 19 — Nevada caucuses

Jan. 19 — South Carolina Republican primary

Jan. 26 — South Carolina Democratic primary

Jan. 29 — Florida primary

Why is the Michigan Primary decision important? Click here to read the entire Politico article —–> The Michigan Primary:

Romney has worked his native state harder than any other GOP candidate and put in place the most extensive organization. It was such that some of this rivals, namely Rudy Giuliani, were inclined to cede him a victory had the state GOP been forced to schedule a convention. The prospect of a hollow victory in a low-profile gathering of a few thousand party loyalists in late-January would have done little to boost his chances.

But a statewide primary — where independents can participate — that will likely take place directly after New Hampshire and include Giuliani offers a considerable opportunity for Romney.

If he can win both Iowa and New Hampshire, he’d have a head of steam going into a friendly large state where he does not suffer name ID problems. And coming out of the gates 3-0 would put him in a very strong position to win the nomination.

For John McCain, the decision is a mixed bag. He won the Michigan primary in 2000 — thanks in large part to indies and Dems who didn’t have their own contest — but probably would’ve had a better shot in a small-universe convention, given the support he’s picked up among grass-roots activists in the state since 2000 and the lesser price tag of such a contest. Still, McCain is a known quantity in the state and has experienced people working for him who know how to run a Michigan race.

For Fred Thompson and Mike Huckabee, this is not good news. Both would have much rather survived (or even skipped) New Hampshire to head straight to the friendly terrain and familiar accents of South Carolina. Neither has done much of anything in Michigan, and they’ll now need to play catch-up to their three rivals. Unless they decide to bypass it altogether and camp out in the Palmetto State.

For an excellent article on how each candidate is spending in the early states, click here ——> PRIMARY TACK

To see the latest Iowa and New Hampshire Polls, click here —–> RealClearPolitics

The folks here will likely have all the details over the next week or so. Click here —-> MICHIGANDERS FOR ROMNEY

~ Vic

“Two things fill my mind with ever-increasing wonder and awe: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.”

— Immanuel Kant, Prussian geographer and philosopher (1724-1804)

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John McCain and Fred Thompson got their jabs in today…

Although, McCain backed off on his comments…

This is very similar to how the DNC has been going after Romney, at one point at a much larger clip than any another candidate…

Examples:

• DNC=Zero Credibility
• DNC and Mitt
• Why So Much Media Focus on Romney Rather than on the Tarnished Candidates
• Romney facing more fire than the other GOP hopefuls
• Run Poor Horse, the DNC’s got a Whip
• The DNC and the Boston Globe
• Democratic National Committee (DNC) on the Warpath Against Romney…THIS IS GOOD NEWS FOR ROMNEY

That’s ok…We know Romney’s the best!

Please excuse all the ?’s embedded in the posts, I don’t know what is up with that. Some sort of transfer to the new design I guess. I’ll try and figure it out later.

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