comMITTed to Romney!

In 1992, James Carville, then political strategist for Bill Clinton, crafted the phrase “It’s the Economy Stupid” to focus his candidate as he ran against incumbent president George H.W. Bush. Sixteen years later, in the wake of the mortgage crisis and signs of a recession, John McCain’s handlers would do well to heed the advice of Mr. Carville, but with a twist.

The two main themes of the upcoming general election will be the economy and Iraq. McCain, a staunch supporter of the war in Iraq, cannot retreat from his position in the Middle East regardless of what happens there before November. On the other hand, McCain can shore up his ticket on the economic front by selecting someone who has a solid financial footing: former rival Mitt Romney.

Yesterday my colleague, Andrea Murphy, discussed the potential Republican ticket of John McCain and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Despite a recent poll suggesting that a McCain-Rice ticket could win New York in November (a feat no Republican has accomplished since Reagan-Bush in 1984), Mitt Romney is the right choice to join McCain on the ticket.

Beyond Condoleezza Rice’s status as a lightning rod for the failures of the Bush administration, the secretary of state does not address McCain’s largest weakness: his relative inexperience on financial issues.

Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, in addition to readers of Trailwatch, attacked Senator McCain’s first mortgage proposal, which the candidate submitted to Forbes. The criticism: this plan did not do enough to help homeowners hit by the mortgage crunch.

Yesterday, John McCain revised his policy, calling for more government intervention to aid “well-meaning homeowners” who cannot pay their mortgages. To his credit, McCain shows a willingness to modify his positions, but the new plan did not give details on who, exactly, would be eligible for government assistance, earning McCain a new round of criticism from Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

What could Mitt Romney contribute to the Republican ticket? Before serving as governor of Massachusetts, Romney was chief executive of Bain & Company and co-founder of spin-off private equity firm Bain Capital where, over his 14-year stint at the helm, the company enjoyed great success.

A March campaign stop in Utah may have laid the groundwork for a future alliance between the former adversaries. Romney has pledged to raise $15 million for McCain, and he stumped for McCain in Lancaster, Pennsylvania yesterday.

A McCain-Romney ticket makes sense for both men. McCain gets a boost on economic issues and Romney gets a seat next to McCain in the White House—assuming they manage a victory in November. The increased exposure would serve Romney well should he choose to seek the presidential nomination in the future. Considering John McCain’s age, Romney’s chance could come as soon as 2012 if a victorious McCain decided to only serve one term.

–Paul M. Murdock

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Ron Frey created this ad proposal; and I think that it well represents our petition and our unity in supporting Mitt Romney.

Our Petition is still getting signatures and can now viewed at: yesmittvp.com  I would like to thank Sterling, who was kind enough to assign the domain to our site. Please keep letting your friends and family know about our petition. If you have not signed it and would like to:

      CLICK HERE

I am also looking into an ad buy to let more people know who we are, and who we stand with. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please let me know.

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Please visit the GOPNation Blog and vote for whichever  candidate you wish John McCain to select as his running-mate. This is the same poll that is featured at Ann Coulter’s Website. The first round of voting has ended with Mitt winning; however, he is currently tied with, well someone.

      VOTE HERE

Also, my apologies to KKSM, Doug and Darlene for not posting it earlier.

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Two days ago I created a petition to gain signatures of persons in support of Gov. Romney for VP. If you are interested and have not yet signed it yet, please consider it. Also, please consider sending the link to family members, friends, church members, and any others that you see fit. We are close to two-hundred signatures and need more. I will be sending this petition to the McCain campaign soon, so let’s see how many signatures and comments we can get. To access the petition please:

        CLICK HERE

Also, for those of you who are reluctant to support John McCain but still support Gov. Romney, please consider that Mitt getting elected VP might be his only shot at the Presidency later. If John McCain becomes President, his VP will likely become the Republican nominee in 2012, or 2016.

In regards to answering the “No Mitt” ad, remember that many in the GOP establishment are already pushing for a McCain/Romney ticket. Several of McCain’s advisors, including Carl Rove, have asked him to pick Mitt. I understand the frustration you might have towards this group and their ad; but please remember that they are a small group of Huckabee supporters; and they do not represent the majority of the Republican Party. They also have not purchased many ads, they have limited resources, and they are being talked about mostly on a few “Social Conservative” web-sites. John McCain is not going to let some angry ad decide who he chooses to ask to run with him. I personally am done talking about the ad; and I feel that I gave it too much attention in the first place.

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(AP)

SALT LAKE CITY — In a show of Republican unity, one-time bitter foes John McCain and Mitt Romney raised money and campaigned together Thursday for a single goal — getting McCain elected president.

“We are united. Now our job is to energize our party,” McCain said in an airport hanger, flanked by Romney and Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., an early McCain supporter.

Both men have been mentioned as potential vice presidential picks, and while McCain praised each, he did not tip his hand on whether either was under consideration.

Romney, for his part, praised McCain and promised to do all that he could to help, saying: “He is a man who is proven and tested” and without question the right man to be president.

In February, Romney won 90 percent of the vote in Utah to McCain’s 5 percent. Romney’s ties to the state run deep, from his Mormon faith to his work overseeing the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.

“Look, that wasn’t the only state I lost to Governor Romney in — it was just the largest loss,’ McCain said chuckling. He joked that it was abject humiliation that was understandable given Romney’s Utah links. “I was at least hoping to break into double digits though!”

“I think he did just fine in New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida, California …,” Romney said, laughing as well

McCain and Romney then headed to Denver for another fundraiser.

McCain, who has struggled to raise campaign money compared with Democratic rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, is on a weeklong western fundraising swing. Romney is popular in Utah and Colorado, states with large numbers of residents who are members of his Mormon faith.

The former Massachusetts governor dropped out of the race last month after it became apparent it would be near impossible to topple McCain in the convention delegate race. A week later, he endorsed the Arizona senator and pledged to do whatever he could to help McCain win the nomination.

Since then, McCain has praised Romney repeatedly as someone who is certain to continue playing a large role in the GOP. Romney, for his part, has suggested that he’d accept the No. 2 spot on the ticket, though some Republicans privately speculate that he’s looking ahead to 2012 and a possible repeat run.

Neither man appeared especially fond of the other during the campaign. Romney cast McCain as outside of the GOP’s conservative mainstream and a Washington insider who contributed to the problems plaguing a broken system. McCain, in turn, argued that Romney’s equivocations and reversals on several issues indicated a willingness to change his positions to fit his political goals.

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