comMITTed to Romney!

A few of our readers have wondered how many people actually visit this site that are not already in Governor Romney’s corner. Let me say first that traffic to this site has tripled in the last six weeks and it is increasing. Second, on a given day, between 20% and 40% of our visitors are referred to the site from search engines like Google, Yahoo, etc. (common search words result in a 3rd or 4th place ranking on the first page — higher than any other unofficial Romney site). These do not include the click-throughs from private emails in which “newbies” are following a private referral. So, a very high number of people new to Romney visit the site every day.

This is a brief comment left today at a post I wrote October 30, 2007 (“Mitt Romney as Christian”):

by Richard Ciara:

Romney is born in the likeness of His [Christ's] death raised to walk in newness of life is all I need to know about Mitt Romney. Huckabee whom I know personally should be ashamed of himself by thinking only his upbringing as a Southern Baptist somehow conflicts with Romney’s Mormonism. Both good men and Christians. Huckabee can not win but he could help a Christian brother out in Romney if he could get his head up and do some serious study between now and super Tuesday’s election on Romney’s Mormonism. Nobody is trying to steal converts from Mike’s church for Romney’s church here.

I believe Richard. Those who have read comments on this site in the last few weeks can attest that many wonderful non-denomination Christians and those of various denominations are ardent supporters of Governor Romney. Of all evangelical voters, Mr. Huckabee gets at most 35% of the vote in each primary (he won 4% of the non-evangelicals in Florida). In my comment back to Richard in the original post, I asked him to call Governor Huckabee and reason with him. This may be naive on my part, as I do strongly believe that Mr. Huckabee does not really have the best interest of America in mind, and for whatever unknown reason, wants John McCain to be the nominee.

Richard, since you just sent your comment today to my October post above, I presume you will see this post. Please monitor the comments of this post and use your best judgment and contact Gov. Huckabee, if you can, and reason with him. This I can tell you without hesitation: An evangelical candidate named George W. Bush received the vast majority of all Mormon votes when he ran against Gore (GWB lost the popular vote). Without their support and campaigning and votes, we would have Al Gore as President. Had the Mormons viewed an evangelical candidate for President the way many Huckabee supporters view a Mormon candidate today, both Bush I and Bush II would have struggled to become President and could easily have lost. If John McCain is ultimately nominated, it will be a direct result of Mike Huckabee’s cunning.

~ Vic

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I realize Stephanie may have linked to this already, but if you have not heard this interview of Senator Santorum today, you have to listen to this all the way to the end. INCREDIBLE!

SENATOR RICK SANTORUM and LAURA INGRAHAM, February 1, 2008

Listen to what is said at the end about marriage and national security! I just cannot believe any person who has one thread of conservative fiber would even think of voting for McCain!

~ Vic

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Something has been bugging me ever since McCain has tried to take on the “leader” label and also tried to paint Governor Romney as a “manager.” People in this country need to wake up. Points to consider:

1. A senator is a bureaucrat. Period. Bureaucrats, as politicians, manage legislation to compromise. McCain is the master manager of compromise away from conservative principles as he partnered wih the most liberal of Democrats.
2. A leader inspires and motivates. If in fact McCain ever inspired or motivated anyone while in the Navy, it was decades ago. Certainly, nobody has ever suggested he has inspired or truly motivated anyone since being in Congress.
3. By contrast, Mitt Romney has been a true leader of dozens of companies and ventures. If I were to list the details of each of these, it would literally take pages. Though most people have not really studied the background of his leadership in four of them (Bain 1, Bain 2, 2002 Winter Olympics, and Massachusetts), suffice to say that these are only four examples of unquestioned leadership, among the dozens throughout his life.
4. As a leader, Mitt Romney is prominently known for inspiring others. Countless stories came out of his miraculous rescue of the Olympics and his leadership to a Games considered the most successful of its time. Taking it from about a $400 million deficit when he inherited the debacle to a little less than an unprecedented $100 million surplus when the Games were completely over! The 2002 Winter Olympics (recent history) is but one example of extraordinary inspirational leadership spanning years. Mitt Romney is known as an extraordinary leader, if nothing else!

For John McCain to sit on some debate stage with that snarky, smug look on his face and so arrogantly tell the world, with a straight face and no embarrassment at all, that he is the leader and Governor Romney is a manager, is frankly repugnant. His assertions, this past 30 days in this regard, would be comedy if he were not so serious. He actually believes he is superior above all. Frankly, based on John McCain’s career, he is a mediocre manager, at best.

I live next to Camp Pendleton, the largest United States Marine Corps base in America. In my church and community responsibilities over the last 20 years, I have had the privilege of working side-by-side with many of the finest enlisted men and officers this nation has known. As a civilian, I have always been impressed by their personal and Corps discipline. I have studied John McCain’s career, as well as that of Mitt Romney’s, for years. If the two of them were in the United States Marine Corps the same amount of time (let’s say 40 years or so), Mitt Romney would certainly be a 4-star general today and John McCain would be lucky to be a major (below a colonel). That assuming he had not washed out of the Corps years earlier for his inability to bridle his temper.

Marines are known for being tough, certainly. But Marines are known more for their extraordinarily disciplined temperament. Frankly, in my humble opinion, John McCain’s temperament is completely the opposite of that of a United States Marine, regardless of John McCain’s assertions to the contrary. I know many enlisted Marines of the rank of sergeant and corporal whose temperaments are far superior to that of John McCain.

No, John McCain would have washed out of the Corps within a few years of entering the Marines, if he could even make it through boot camp without slugging a drill instructor.

There are many reasons senators are not elected Presidents.

~ Vic

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This article in today’s The Wall Street Journal is by Vin Weber, Policy Chairman of Governor Romney’s campaign.

COMMENTARY — A Call to Conservative Action — By VIN WEBER — February 1, 2008; Page A15

On each of the major challenges confronting our country, Washington has failed to act. Mr. Romney will not. Throughout his career in business and public service, he has never failed to meet a challenge. That is leadership we need today.

For far too long, Americans have watched as our borders remain unsecure, our tax burden grows, and long-term challenges are left unfixed. This is a call to action that Mr. Romney has spoken to throughout this campaign. He will build a stronger America and has laid out the conservative strategy to do so.

Mr. Weber, a former Republican congressman from Minnesota, is policy chairman of the Romney for President campaign.

~ Vic

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Though I provide analysis below, I do not suggest I have answers to the questions I raise. But I do raise questions that I think are of critical importance and consideration; not just to this current presidential contest, but more importantly to America. These are questions I think nobody wants to discuss (see photo below).

Tonight (1/29), I have heard the term “lick their wounds” several times. That is not at all how I feel about the loss in Florida. It is fair to say, I believe, that America as a nation, has matured in its history to a point in which a woman or a black man can be elected President by a majority of both sexes and a majority of those of the white or black races. I believe that America has come of age to the point that the bigotry we call sexism and racism, though still engrained in some people, has been marginalized.

What about the bigotry of religious intolerance? In an enlightened age, it is known by all that bigotry of any kind is not acceptable. In this modern day, we don’t generally hear statements of bigotry in common language in ways that were pervasive as recent as the 1950s and 1960s. Religious bigotry was even out in the open at that time as evidenced by evangelical ministers that routinely and publicly denounced the idea that Americans might vote for a Catholic. Today, bigotry of any kind, as a matter of common discussion in mixed company, is simply unacceptable in today’s diverse age. As a result, we do not hear public discussion about religious bigotry. Does that mean that this form of bigotry has also been marginalized to the point America can elect a Mormon? I do not believe it has. In fact, I think it is still pervasive, if now private.

In the states in which GMR won the Silver, by how much did he miss the Gold? Usually around 5%, maybe 10%. Today, he missed the Gold by 6% in a very large state. Since I began to seriously pay attention to presidential politics for 2008 back in 2006, I have seen poll results showing that a fair number of Americans are unwilling to ever vote for a Mormon; anywhere from about 20% of those surveyed to 40% recently. Since I have always concluded that America has matured to the point at which religious intolerance has been effectively marginalized, I more or less dismissed those poll numbers as based on simple ignorance, not bigotry.

Then, as the early state caucuses and primaries became history, I started to see a trend that I saw repeated today in Florida. It is fair to say that a majority of Americans do not find McCain acceptable as President as evidenced by his votes of 35% compared to 65% to all others. But to understand whether bigotry is at work against MR specifically, we need to drill down into the numbers. Is it not also fair to say that the most conservative voters of all would not be generally attracted to McCain, who is a well-known liberal Republican, or at least a Republican that cannot be trusted?

[In order to keep this commentary from becoming longer than it is, I use only the initials of candidates’ first and last names and any time there is a number, it represents a percentage]

In Florida, among evangelicals, the votes were JM(30), MR(29), MH(29). We can conclude that the 29 who voted for MR are not bigots. My presumption is that the reason MH’s 29 did not go to JM is because they consider him way too liberal to represent their values and principles. But if MH were not in the race, would all 29 go to MR? As you think about that answer, if they would not all go to MR, why would any significant portion of them go to JM? Incidentally, as MH keeps smiling and telling the world he can be the nominee, he knows he cannot. He won exactly 4 of all non-evangelical votes; that is par for the course for him. Since day one in Iowa, there has never been broad support for MH. Why does he stay in the race?

White evangelicals voted this way: MH(31), MR(31), JM(28). I think it is fair to say that those who voted for JM would be the more moderate or less orthodox evangelicals, simply because they could have chosen an orthodox evangelical in MH, and they did not. If true, and MH were not in the race, would MH’s 31 go to JM or MR and why? Why would an orthodox evangelical vote for the more liberal, twice married, untrustworthy Republican when they have MR, whose values and principles are much closer to theirs by comparison?

Of voters who think abortion should be illegal, the votes were MR(35), JM(29), MH (21). These are very conservative voters. We know 35 are not bigots and since MR won the majority here, we know that a very high percentage of voters know him to be strong pro-life. If MH were not in the race, would most of his 21 go to MR or JM and why? Of voters who think abortion should always be illegal, the votes were MH(32), MR(30), and JM(26). These voters are even more conservative overall. If MH were not in the race, would most of his 32 go to the more conservative candidate MR? If they would not, why not? Why would more than a handful go to JM instead of MR? Could bigotry influence their decision to go to JM?

Voters that identified themselves as very conservative were MR(44), JM(21), MH(20). It is well known by now that MR is the most conservative of both JM and MH. That being the case, if MH were not in the race, would his ‘very conservative’ voters go to the known, more conservative MR or to the less conservative, more liberal JM? And why? Could bigotry influence their decision to go to JM?

Over at Evangelicals for Mitt, both Steven Muscatello and Nancy French think MH should do “the honorable thing” and drop out. Read their excellent arguments here and here. But think of the context of my rhetorical questions above and consider this. If RG could so easily see the vanity of continuing the race, knowing he could never win, why can MH not see it? Or is it that he sees it and has ulterior motives? Think of the irony. RG, the person many have derided as ethically challenged, drops out seeing the reality; there are no ulterior motives really. MH, whose supporters consider the most ethical and upstanding man in the race, who would consider himself the most humble among them all, plans to “win the nomination” to quote him. Right. And pigs will fly for the first time in February. We now have resounding proof that MH cannot garner more than 10% of all non-evangelical votes and he has only nearly received 40% of all evangelical votes in one state. Clearly, he has no broad support, unlike GWB did as an evangelical. So, his decision to stay in the race is based on what? Ego? Vanity? Love of the sport? Is he lying to us when he says he is not running for Pastor in Chief? Or does he want to influence his voters away from MR and if so, why?

As many at this site have shown, MH revealed his stripes when he let slip his rhetorical Jesus/brother question in an interview. He also ardently campaigned in Salt Lake City to save the Mormons there from hell at the evangelical convention.

My opinion is that the frequent citing of 20 to 40 percent of all Americans unwilling to vote for a Mormon for President, the bigots are at the low end of the range. I may be naïve, but I do not believe that 40% of all Americans are religious bigots. Now, we know that when MR loses the Gold, the margin of loss is only 5% to 10%. That margin of difference is well below the 20% conservative estimate. Where are those 20% or so aligned? Are they divided among RG, MH, and JM? Are they mostly with MH or JM?

My conclusion is that the margin of victory that JM has enjoyed in any state, is a direct correlation to the reported bigotry still pervasive in America. If so, how does MR overcome this obvious bigotry, to win? These less than 20% “unwilling voters” are currently aligned with RG, JM, and MH, in some unknown mix. But knowing this does not help, does it? By definition, if they are bigots, MR will never be their choice. It cannot be argued that all 20% of these “unwilling” voters are in JM’s camp. Yet, it is he that is the beneficiary of their unwillingness to ever vote for MR. And clearly not all of the supporters left in RG’s and MH’s camp are bigots; but some are. So it is fair to say that if both RG and MH were not in the race, a fair number of their non-bigoted supporters would back the most conservative candidate in the race — MR. And why are the voters not following Rush Limbaugh’s advice to not vote for JM and MH?

So again, what is the motivation of MH to remain in a race he knows he cannot and will not win? Is his primary motivation to steer as many evangelicals to the Protestant JM, away from MR? If so, is that reason enough to not drop out of the race?

I think this issue is the 900-pound gorilla in the room with which nobody wants to make eye contact.

~ Vic

[Source of exit poll information above: CNN Politics]
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NOTE: Any comment left at this post that is primarily religious based or which contains vitriol, is antagonistic, or generally obnoxious, will be deleted without notice. Please set a standard of discussion that is productive and illuminating. If you have religious opinions, please leave them out of the discussion at this post.

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In the last few days, I have been reading most of the comments that many of you been leaving in this blog. First of, I wish to thank all of you who have done so; even those who presently disagree with the authors of this site or with Governor Romney himself. Those of us who strive to bring truth to the surface as we attempt to enlighten, are grateful.

Many of the comments are by new visitors. I have read comments by those who have served Fred Thompson well. Many are from Ron Paul supporters. Others, though they may not state their allegiance, may presently support Governor Huckabee, Mayor Giuliani, or Senator McCain. Many of you are contemplating support of Governor Romney. My concern is that many are stating they are afraid that if he is elected President, he will “revert to his liberal past” or words to that effect.

With complete respect, I offer some information. First, many comments mention that Gov. Romney is a privileged man with a privileged upbringing; the inference being that he is out of touch with the average man and woman. Those who struggle day to day to provide for their families. I will save what I would like to write here for another future post. Suffice to say that Governor Romney has spent thousands of hours in silent service (one-on-one) of children, women, and men with struggles many of us will never know (crying with them; praying with them; helping them).   That, as a lay leader in his church over many years.   If you want to get a glimpse of the real man, click here —-> MESSED UP HAIR
(keep in mind that Governor Romney has never mentioned this, nor has he ever mentioned personal service rendered to others; unlike Mike Huckabee who has done so many times).

It is simply false that GMR has ever been liberal in any way. Even the label “pro-choice”, to which GMR admitted, is misleading because his actions, his behavior, his decisions have always been on the side of life. Why am I writing this to you at 2:00 in the morning instead of sleeping? Because too many good, strong conservatives have bitten into the hook of the liberal MSM (hook, line, and sinker) to simply accept the flip/flop label altogether without doing any primary research. I must admit I did too in 2006 before I conducted my own primary research. Don’t make a fatal mistake. Conduct your own, personal, primary research on the man and you will find what I did. That he has always been a consistent conservative.

Proof? Look at this simple flyer to contrast GMR’s positions to that of Senator Kennedy as GMR ran against him in the 90s. Click here ——-> THE REAL ROMNEY (remember, this campaign flyer showing Governor Romney’s positions, is from 1994)

But don’t take my word for it or even the content of this flyer that has been around for years. Please conduct your own research. It takes time, but you will discover, as I did, that the truth about the man is altogether different than what the MSM and Governor Romney’s competitors want you to swallow without thinking.

One good place to start is the following site. Click here —–> Encyclopedia Mittanica maintained by our own Mike Laub.

Lastly, for those of you who are just now discovering Governor Romney and wish to get different perspectives from those who have conducted extensive research into the man, the statesman, the husband/father, the volunteer, click here ——> WHY ROMNEY? (be sure to scroll down; there are dozens of entries)

~ Vic

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Introductory Comment: Writing this is Vic Lundquist. I took the liberty of moving this outstanding post by David Kim to the top of the site again. I also took the liberty of removing the page break so that no reader would miss the eight reasons listed by Ms. Goldstein. Rarely has there been a blog post at this site with over 30 comments. The comments alone are worth reading. This is one of the finest articles I have read about Governor Romney. In light of the New York Times article stating why the other Republican candidates hate Governor Romney, I thought it would be best to provide a more accurate editorial. Please forgive me David for taking this liberty without first consulting you.
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Original Post by David Kim:

H/T to ERI2008 reader Ranzel (thanks!)

Great article that sums up why the other guys seem to dislike Mitt so much from the American Thinker. Full article after the jump…

January 23, 2008
Why they Hate Mitt Romney
By Amy D. Goldstein

Have you noticed how all of the Republican candidates can barely conceal their contempt for Governor Mitt Romney? It goes way beyond the typical good-natured competition that usually is the hallmark of Republican contests. Senator McCain has snarled at Governor Romney in debates and Gov. Huckabee has tried to paint Romney as cold and uncaring, while Sen. Fred Thompson attacked Governor Romney right out of the box. This display of hatred usually is the hallmark of the Democrats.

So, why do the other candidates hate Mitt Romney? Several reasons:

1. He can win. Governor Romney appeals to economic conservatives and could appeal to foreign policy conservatives based upon his understanding of the issues. Most non-partisan foreign policy wonks who have briefed the major candidates tell me that Romney “gets it” better than any other candidate — even better than those who have held high profile office for decades. Moreover, he is the candidate that the Democrats most fear.

2. Jealousy — from his hair to his appearance to his family to his money - these are all reasons for deep seeded, if unseemly, jealousy. This green-eyed monster makes its appearance in almost every speech or presentation, in the form of a joke, a jab or a veiled reference.

3. He isn’t beholden to interest groups. Governor Romney’s wealth frees him from any influence that interest groups could apply to others - especially those who lack funds or who are Washington insiders. He doesn’t need them, and that scares the interest groups and their allies. He is not of the game and wants to change it - and his personal wealth allows him to do so. He really can change Washington.

4. His brains - not only is he one of the smartest people ever to seek the presidency (having earned a Harvard MBA and JD simultaneously), but he understands the complexities of the issues that America faces and is able to devise workable solutions. Just look at his proposal for an economic stimulus and compare it to what the other candidates are proposing. Romney clearly can lead this country through economic challenges.

5. His wealth — again. While he has raised more than any other candidate, Governor Romney doesn’t need to raise the money in order to continue. Nevertheless, he understands that successful candidates must have people invested in their candidacy in order to succeed. He has learned the lessons of past wealthy businessmen who make vanity runs for the White House. The other candidates have to constantly raise money in order to continue their campaigns.

6. His experience. The rest of the Republican field has been in politics in one form or another for most of their adult lives. Governor Romney came to public service after having a successful career in which he directly created jobs, saved jobs, invested in new companies and turned around failed businesses. He even fixed both the Olympics and the failing state of Massachusetts. More than any other candidate, Governor Romney’s experience is most directly applicable to the average American’s situation.

7. He believes that America’s best days are ahead of it, and not a memory. Governor Romney is a man of the future, not of the past. He sees America as a beacon of freedom for the entire world, and not a country limping toward its last days. His infectious optimism is informed by his business experience, his love of country and his family values. His can-do spirit is the antidote to defeatism masked as “straight talk” or “reality.”

8. His beliefs. When all else fails, Governor Romney’s opponents attack his religion in the hopes of sowing fear and loathing. Not only is this unseemly, but it is dangerous. We have seen this type of rhetoric before - in the 1920’s and 1930’s - from the likes of Henry Ford and Father Caughlin and others who sought to disenfranchise whole segments of the American population. Governor Romney believes in the common American faith of democracy and religious freedom, as he so eloquently stated in his speech “Faith in America.” These are the values our Founding Fathers codified in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Why do the Republican candidates hate him? Because they don’t have any answers to his challenges. They seek to undermine him by using personal attacks more worthy of a middle school playground than a presidential contest. This is politics and Washington as usual, and choosing any candidate that employs these tactics will only get us more of the same. One would hope that Americans could see beyond these base attacks and choose the candidate who is best for the country - Governor Mitt Romney.

Amy D. Goldstein is an occasional contributor to American Thinker.

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I wanted to put together the most informative blog post on the internet about Mitt Romney and Bain. If I missed any good tidbit (links, photos, videos, ext.) just tell me and I’ll update this post.

Prior to his Olympic service, Mitt Romney enjoyed a successful career helping businesses grow and improve their operations. From 1978 to 1984, Mr. Romney was a Vice President at Bain & Company, Inc., a leading management consulting firm. In 1984, Romney founded Bain Capital, one of the nation’s most successful venture capital and investment companies. Bain Capital helped guide hundreds of companies on a successful course, including Staples, Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Domino’s Pizza, Sealy, Brookstone, and The Sports Authority. He was asked to return to Bain & Company as CEO several years later in order to lead a financial restructuring of the organization. Today, Bain & Company employs more than 2,000 people in 25 offices worldwide.

How Mitt Romney Saved Bain & Company
Governor Romney’s message of strengthening America’s economy not only in the short term but also in the long run, as we face increased competition from Asia, has really resonated with voters. This video shows Governor Romney’s business colleague, Kelt Kindick, describing how Mitt rescued Bain & Company, a consulting firm that was on the verge of collapse. Kindick later served in Gov. Romney’s administration as the Massachusetts’ CFO.

“Searched”
Robert Gay, a former business partner of Governor Romney, recounts the story of his daughter who disappeared in New York City in the summer of 1996. When no one could find her, Governor Romney and his colleagues stepped forward and closed down their company in Boston, Bain Capital. Together, they headed to New York City to aid the search. Spreading out across the city, they set up command centers, combed through neighborhoods, passed out fliers and drew media attention to the case. Through their efforts, Robert Gay was reunited with his daughter. This ad is their story.

Greg Brenneman On Mitt Romney
Greg Brenneman recalls Mitt Romney from their days together at Bain Capital.

“Business World”

Cramer On Being Interviewed By Governor Romney
CNBC’s Jim Cramer recalls being interviewed by Gov. Romney more than twenty years ago.

Jim Cramer: Romney “Best Business Man In North America”

Click below for more:

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In the last month, traffic to this blog site has doubled, more or less. To all of you who have visited this site, THANK YOU! And to all those who contribute as writers, THANK YOU.

For a couple of weeks now, I have been thinking of all the new visitors coming to the site to learn about Governor Romney. Many of us have been studying him for well over a year and we know all about him, his life, his career, his family.

But many of you are new to Gov. Romney and know nothing about him. His speech last month in College Station, Texas was a turning point in his campaign for the presidency, much as a similar speech was for JFK in 1960. Arguably, this speech by Gov. Romney will go down in history as one of the great statesman speeches of all time in this great nation of America. Indeed, many political experts and pundits, including Chris Matthews opined that this speech was the single best political speech they had heard in decades.

I still run into supporters of Governor Romney who still have never heard this speech. This speech is worth the time it takes to watch it. Please do if you have not seen it yet.

I was fortunate to attend this speech. It was an event I will never forget. It was a deeply emotional speech; emotions I observed among many not of the faith of Gov. Romney.
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~ Vic

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To compliment Ann Marie’s post just below this one, I decided to bring to the top an outstanding interview conducted by Autumn McAlpin last summer. Autumn is a professional writer and author. We were returning on a flight from Boston to California, after a national call day. As I recall, Autumn was able to spend over 90 minutes with Ann during this flight. I remember Autumn telling me how the first 15 minutes or so was a relaxed conversation in which Ann asked Autumn about her family. Incidentally, Autumn recently had a new addition to her family.

This is her post:

Ann Romney: The Woman Next to the Man

~ Vic

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Welcome to me, the latest addition to the ElectRomneyIn2008.com blogger staff. My name is Paul Johnson and this is my first posting. I have some good tidbits for you live from Urbandale, IA, one of Mitt Romney’s volunteer campaign sites.

First a bit about me: I’m a corporate lawyer by trade, trained at BYU both undergrad (dual major in English and Business) and grad school (JD/MBA). I started my career in the internet boom in Palo Alto, CA in ‘96, transferred with my then-current firm to San Diego in ‘99, and have stayed in San Diego since. I specialize in corporate financings and in mergers and acquisitions.

My intro to Mitt Romney was, like many, through hearing about the debacle that was unfolding at the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics. As someone who spent a lot of time in Utah, I didn’t want the state or our country to be embarrassed by the event. I heard someone named Mitt Romney, a very successful business person with Bain, was being put in charge, and not long after was hearing things were turning around. Of course September 11 intervened and the Olympics staff had to respond to an entirely unforeseen security threat in just a few months’ time. I myself was going to be attending the event with my 3 sons, so security was a concern for me. When I arrived, security was tight and the event unbelievably well-organized.

Next I heard about the Miracle in Massachusetts, how the same Mitt Romney, a republican, had somehow been elected to be governor of a deep blue state. Another good impression. I knew this person must have cross-party appeal. More good news followed as Mitt was able to balance MA’s budget, then actually adopt a healthcare plan tailored for the state. Then I hear about the MA Supreme Court’s decision (described here by CNN). CNN said at the time: “Massachusetts’ governor immediately denounced Tuesday’s decision and said he would work for a constitutional amendment to overturn it,” and I was glad to know we had a resourceful man of integrity at the forefront of this issue.

More good impressions followed. A few years ago Matt Romney, Mitt’s son, moved into my neighborhood (see Matt’s musings at the Five Brothers Blog). Matt and I ended up on some volunteer assignments together. I’d told Matt I was a baseball fan, so he invited me at one point to a game with him, his brother, Tagg and a few other friends. I came to find out as well that another friend, Jim Davies, was Ann Romney’s brother. When it began to be rumored Mitt might run for president, I told Matt if his dad ran, I’d be interested in pitching in. Soon I was attending events in San Diego and contributing to the campaign, a first for me. A couple weeks ago I began responding to some bitter and biased posts about Mitt, his family and his religion, some things I knew a little about first-hand, by some readers of The Politico (a site I otherwise enjoy) and other political websites. Now I find myself in Urbandale doing my first blog post!

I’ll get to where I agree with Mitt on policy issues in future posts, but for now here are some snapshots from one of the command centers.

A visit from Ann Romney

The troops got encouragement from Ann Romney just before lunch. She met with volunteers and gave her pitch for her husband as a man capable of addressing our country’s complex issues.

Here’s the view from the cheap seats!

Here’s Ann with grandson Parker:

Visits from the Press

Yesterday we had a visit from CNN. Today the folks from Salt Lake’s KSL TV and Salt Lake’s CBS affiliate were here, as was RAI from Italy. Jim Davies gave an interview in fluent Italian. It’s been great to be at ground zero at such an influential time in American politics. Channel 24 from Argentina is just going through now. Wish you were here, where we hope to be a part of electing the next president of the U.S. More to come…

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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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I never properly introduced myself on this site. My name is Rebecca. I am married and have two small children. My current employment is as a wife and mother. I have always liked politics and I have always loved to write. When a friend offered me the chance to blog on this site, it seemed like a good way to get involved without taking too much time from my family.

I first heard the name of Mitt Romney sometime in 2003 or 2004. I was talking with my Dad. The conversation had drifted to abuses of power by government agencies who were not accountable to anyone. He expressed the desire for a strong president that would take power from the bureaucrats and return it to the people, where it belonged. He thought that Governor Romeny could be that man–if only he would run.

Now, I respect my father and I have a high regard for his opinion. That said, he would be the first to tell you that I very seldom rely soley on his advice to make important decisions. I waited to see who was running and then I did a little research. What I found convinced me that Mitt Romney is the best candidate to lead the United States at this time.

In the first place, he is running. Say what you will, it is very difficult–perhaps impossible–to elect a man to office who is not willing to campaign. George Washington is the only man who was ever able to do it.

In the second place, he is running as a Republican and a Conservative. I have no use for the modern Democratic party. I cannot see that they have accomplished anything useful in my lifetime and they are actively advocating the downfall of my country and my species.

Thirdly, Mitt Romney is a good man. There has been a lot of debate over the past couple of decades about the division of public office and private affairs. I do not think there is a division. In a time when we must trust our President with our safety, trust him to make important decisions about life or death, we need someone who is, well, trustworthy. Opponents may like to paint Romney’s squeaky clean personal life as “too perfect” but to me it simply means he has integrity. And I refuse to believe that integrity can go out of fashion.

And then there is Romney’s experience. Romney’s business career consisted of turning around organizations founded on good ideas but with fiscal problems. He was immensley successful at doing this and gained a tremendous amount of trust and respect from his peers. He then used his experience and skills, as well as political saavy and diplomacy, to turn around the 2002 Olympic Games and the budget for the State of Massachusetts. Who better to take the helm of a nation founded on the principle “that all men… are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” but also finds itself in ever increasing financial turmoil?

I was, of course, concerned over the charges of “flip-flopping” on social issues, as well as Romney’s tendency to be rather more liberal on fiscal issues than many true-blue (or should I say true-red?) conservatives would like. As to the former, Romney did switch his position. Once. He has since said he was wrong. His story attests to the fact that Romney is ultimately ruled by his own morality than by any philisophical argument. In response to the latter, I have found that he is overall more conservative than other candidates. I also have great faith in the separation of powers. The President does not have the power to pass laws, Congress must do that. Should the President introduce any bill that is not favored by the people of this nation, it can be efficiently stopped by an appeal to individual legislators from their districts. See the graveyard of amnesty bills killed by grassroots efforts during the current Bush administration.

Romney is also a Mormon. I had no problem with this since I also belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Romney does not speak for the LDS Church. Those seeking clarification of Church doctrines should turn to other sources. I recommend www.mormon.org for a comprehensive outline of the tenets of this faith.

I have been in the same room with Governor Romney twice. Both times were at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library in my home town of College Station, Texas. I never got close enough to shake his hand. Nor did he answer any of my questions. However, there is a feeling of quiet confidence, determination and willingness to work hard that surround this man. His wife was with him on both occassions as were several of his sons. It is impressive to me that his sons take such an active role in his campaign.

Mitt Romney is a man that I feel I can trust. The President of the United States is the leader of his or her party. They are responsible for the security of the nation. It is more important to be able to trust their judgement and morality than to agree with all of their so-called plans or positions. As it happens, in my case, Romney is the candidate whose positions I agree with most often and in whom I have the most confidence. I believe that as you search for information beyond the TV ads and radio spots that you will discover that he is someone to whom you may safely trust the future of our nation.

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By: Mary Jacoby

WALL STREET JOURNAL December 26, 2007

I am obviously playing catch-up with my print edition of the WSJ, but this story is very much relevant even though it’s a few days old.

The results are clear. In the battle of “significant” campaign speeches, Mitt Romney’s Dec.6 “Faith In America” address has crushed Rudy Giuliani’s Dec. 15 “closing argument” campaign speech in one key barometer of buzz: YouTube.

As of Monday, a clip of Mr. Romney’s much anticipated address, in which he defended his Mormonism and explained the need for expressions of faith in public life, garnered 46,437 views and some 1,500 comments on the popular video-sharing website.

Mr. Giuliani, speaking to about 200 supporters in Tampa, stressed his leadership qualities and unveiled his new slogan: “Tested. Ready. Now.” His campaign had billed it as the former prosecutor’s “closing argument” for the Republican presidential nomination. The jury appears unconvinced, however. As of Monday, a clip of the speech had been viewed only 1,106 times and it drew no comments.

To me, it is very ironic, that Mike Huckabee’s shameless playing of the religion card, which had the effect of re-introducing an issue that many felt had been taken out of American presidential politics by John F. Kennedy’s speech in Houston, Texas back in 1960, has produced one of the best moments of the campaign thus far and has generated the “buzz” that all politicians hope for, but few attain. It is also ironic that the Romney campaign was at first reluctant to give the speech, understandably and justifiably so. Gov. Romney has run his campaign on the theme of the “three legged stool” of a strong economy, a strong military and strong families. He did not intend to run a campaign based on religion or he would have incorporated it into the original theme.

However, former Gov. Huckabee had a different idea and chose to emphasize religion as a major plank in his platform. I wonder if Mr. Huckabee is having any second thoughts about opening the door on an issue that has now turned into a major gift in disguise.

~~John Cronin~~

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Governor Mitt Romney is going to win the nomination.

Governor Romney is going to win.

Does this mean he has it in the bag? NOT AT ALL! Now is the time that every person — who wants Governor Romney to win every early state — needs to redouble his or her efforts to make a difference in this race.

If you have not gotten involved in the campaign, please make a decision to do so now. If you are watching with excitement from the sidelines, please make the decision today to get in the game. Ask around in your community to find out who is working for Governor Romney’s grassroots efforts and call them; tell them you are ready to roll up your sleeves and help out.

What if you don’t have time? Then please consider contributing some money to help get Governor Romney’s message out. See the link just below for the official online form. No contribution is too small. Please contribute as much as you can to make a difference.

But, please get in the game now. Governor Romney is going to need every person on deck to help out.   NOW.   Tomorrow may be too late.

~ Vic

Help get Governor Romney’s message out — PLEASE CONTRIBUTE HERE, NOW

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