comMITTed to Romney!

This just in, more dirty tricks from Romney opponents desperate to stop the leader in delegate count and the candidate at the top of the national polls.

POLITICO.COM

By: Jonathan Martin

From Romney’s Michigan state Director Jason McBride in an e-mail to state supporters:

Dear Michigan Voter,

The focus of this election has now turned to Michigan. In the coming days, each Republican campaign will be engaged in an intense effort to make contact with each potential voter. Yet, while some will engage in an effort to turn out their vote, third party groups will be engaged in a campaign to discourage the supporters of their opponents. Based upon reports from Iowa and New Hampshire, you should expect:

Anonymous E-Mails Or Fake E-Mails: In both Iowa and New Hampshire, voters received emails that appeared to be coming from Romney for President but were actually meant to suppress support for Gov. Romney. In both states, voters received email messages from “Team Romney” touting the endorsement of the Log Cabin Republicans. The truth is that the Log Cabin Republicans have launched attack ads against Gov. Romney. They do not support the governor and oppose his strong defense of traditional marriage in America.

Nuisance Calls: In New Hampshire, Romney supporters received calls from California numbers late at night. The callers claim to be Romney staffers. These “staffers” will call back time and again late at night. These calls are intended to reflect poorly upon Gov. Romney and his campaign. We are committed to nothing but professionalism.

Push Polling: In both Iowa and New Hampshire, voters received out-of-state calls from supporters of Gov. Mike Huckabee claiming to run an impartial survey. However, once a voter identified themselves as a Romney supporter, they were subjected to negative information about the governor. The information received is patently false.

~~John Cronin~~

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Fox News’ commentary said Mitt had “hit a home run.”

Fox’s Frank Luntz said “With just two days to go, Mitt Romney hit a home run tonight.” Other key quotes about responses from Luntz’s focus group: “Mitt Romney consistently got the best responses throughout the evening…incredibly favorable.” “When Mitt Romney talked about where he stood on immigration, the dials shot through the roof.”

The overwhelming response in blogs is positive. Mitt really helped himself tonight.

From the National Review:

Kathryn Jean Lopez says:

“The fighter is out in him tonight. No one is going to call him a wimp tonight, that’s for sure. He’s taken initiative, from minute one. And he’s turned the tone of his campaign around. He’s letting Romney be Romney — the confident, forward-looking candidate with a conservative temperament he is — it was those qualities that first made me pay attention to him when he was in the statehouse. I think he’s being himself tonight. We saw him be himself during the religion speech. And we’re seeing it tonight. This Mitt is the Mitt we have to see everyday from hereon out. It took a while for him to be unleashed but I don’t think it’s too late by any stretch. Let Mitt be Mitt and Mitt might win.”

From Rich Lowry:

“Politics is a game of adjustments, and Romney adjusted to the debate from last night, realizing that he’d be under constant attack tonight and he’d better gird himself and go on offense. He spoke forcefully and put the case for himself as the reformist businessman in the best possible light. I think he basically dominated the first hour, and fell off a tab after that, but otherwise was truly excellent. His best performance yet, in very high pressure circumstances. His answers on taxes, job creation, and immigration were top notch … [I]f he somehow wins NH, tonight will be a big reason why.”

McCan’ts “Experience” Question; I.e., Why Not McCain?

McCain wants us to believe with 20+ years in Washington, and over the age of 80 at the end of a 2d term, he’d change his stripes and try to improve the system he’s helped construct and has benefited from for 2 1/2 decades. Sorry, but if he was serious about fixing something before he would have done it by now. And because of his age he’s a lame duck president on day 1. A nearly 80 year old with a history of a temper with his finger on the button? Quack quack. Others also noticed the McCain slam on Bush (the remark about governors). This is why McCain is NOT a republican candidate. I’ve heard one Senator say that if a secret poll were taken on the Senate floor, they’d nearly unanimously support Mitt over McCain, which McCain seems to acknowledge in his comment he hasn’t won any congeniality contests in the Senate. And he’s supposed to suddenly “change” and work with these people to get things done? GOP: IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. MCCAIN WILL CONTINUE TO DO WHAT HE’S DONE FOR THE PAST 24 YEARS.

Here’s another quote from Mark Levin tonight at the National Review in that regard:

“[C]ome on John McCain. You’re known in Washington as, well, very temperamental and holding grudges. Let’s not pretend you are Mr. Positive when, in fact, you are not.”

Expect mainstream republicans to reject this man, starting tomorrow in the AM radio shows when they call out his school-yard tactics with cohort Huckabee.

After Wyoming’s sweep by Mitt, McCain’s undignified attacks last night and Mitt’s performance tonight, expect Mitt’s poll numbers in NH to take a bounce upward. With the race being as tight as it is, Mitt’s performance tonight was big.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Please help!

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See it here —–>The Onslaught Continues.

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From The AP:

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Mike Huckabee once advocated isolating AIDS patients from the general public, opposed increased federal funding in the search for a cure and said homosexuality could “pose a dangerous public health risk.” MORE

From The Politico:

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, surging in Iowa polls in the Republican presidential race, wrote on a questionnaire while running for U.S. Senate in 1992 that homosexuality is “aberrant” and “sinful.”

“I feel homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle, and we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk,” Huckabee wrote in the questionnaire for The Associated Press, which reported the answer on Saturday.

In another answer that could damage his standing in the presidential race, Huckabee wrote on the questionnaire that AIDS research was receiving an unfair amount of federal money. Instead, he said celebrities should pay for the research themselves.

“In light of the extraordinary funds already being given for AIDS research, it does not seem that additional federal spending can be justified,” Huckabee wrote, according to the AP.

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POLITICO.COM Ben Smith

According to the POLITICO, they have obtained billing records through New York’s Freedom Of Information Act, that they say shows tens of thousands of dollars in highly questionable bills sent to obscure New York City agencies, bills that relate to trips that RG allegedly took to visit Judith Nathan at her condominium in the Hamptons.

These bills were submitted when RG was Mayor of NYC and still married to Donna Hanover. The bills were discovered during a routine audit of a tiny agency in NYC, the agency that regulated loft apartments.

You never know what story will catch fire and explode across the nation’s headlines. Maybe people will shrug their shoulders and say, “So what. He’s a politician, that’s what politicians do. Besides, a few thousand bucks is peanuts.”

On the other hand, RG already has a full count on him with social conservatives, meaning his multiple marriages, pro-abortion position, Bernie Kerick, etc. This might prove to be the scandal that causes him to foul ball the presidency.

~~John Cronin~~

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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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Welcome to those of you coming to us from Barack Obama’s Website.

Feel free to look around and stay a while. We welcome visitors with open arms

Thanks for stopping by…The Elect Romney in 2008 Crew!

Robert Novak is reporting (click here —-> Hillary vs. Obama) the following:

Agents of Sen. Hillary Clinton are spreading the word in Democratic circles that she has scandalous information about her principal opponent for the party’s presidential nomination, Sen. Barack Obama, but has decided not to use it. The nature of the alleged scandal was not disclosed.

Obama has replied as reported at Politico in part:

Obama accused Clinton of “Swift boat’ politics” and vowed he will not be intimidated.

“I am prepared to stand up to that kind of politics, whether it’s deployed by candidates in our party, in the other party or by any third party,” Obama said. “The cause of change in this country will not be deterred or sidetracked by the old ‘Swift boat’ politics. The cause of moving America forward demands that we defeat it.”

Howard Wolfson, Clinton’s campaign communications director, said she has “no idea” what the item is about.

In the statement, issued at 11:39 a.m. Eastern time, Obama called on Clinton to renounce the report or disclose the information, and twisted the knife by adding: “She of all people, having complained so often about ‘the politics of personal destruction,’ should move quickly to either stand by or renounce these tactics.”

The statement continues: “The item did not identify these ‘agents,’ nor did it reveal the nature of the charge. It was devoid of facts, but heavy on innuendo and insinuation of the sort to which we’ve become all too accustomed in our politics these past two decades. If the purpose of this shameless item was to daunt or discourage me or supporters of our campaign from challenging and changing the politics of Washington, it will fail. In fact, it will only serve to steel our resolve. But in the interest of our party, and her own reputation, Sen. Clinton should either make public any and all information referred to in the item, or concede the truth: that there is none.”

Obama’s statement is a bit unusual in that it gives Novak such credence.

Since I decided to get involved to support Governor Romney, I have given a great deal of thought to whether the reporting of fact-based information, that reflects on a candidate’s character, should be off limits. Two very important attributes drew me to Governor Romney as a leader in the first place. First he is the most intelligent, master strategist of all candidates. Second was his character. The character of a leader has always been a very important requirement for me, and I believe is paramount among most Americans.

Most people running for high office rely on their character and reputation, in part, to garner widespread support. Character is more important to some candidates and their supporters than it is for others obviously. Americans need to know, as much as is possible, the true character of the leaders they elect to positions of high trust. Each new commander-in-chief is empowered to send my son or grandsons to war.

My conclusion was that information that is factual to a candidate’s true character is important for the public to know. We know from the Bill Clinton administration that some Americans think a leader’s personal life, relative to extramarital relationships, should be off limits and private. I disagree. The fact that such remained private in earlier presidencies is beside the point (would JFK have been elected President if all Americans knew his wife could not trust him with other women?). Presidential candidates are constantly “selling” themselves to impress us with their strength of character and leadership. Highly respected leaders are generally self-disciplined and are above reproach as to the principles and values they tout. Of course, they err as humans, but the leader of character has mastered self to the point that he or she would never make a choice to sully their character or their reputation. In other words, behavior that leads to damaged character, is in fact a decision; it is a choice. Such behavior is not a “mistake” as we often hear from our leaders when they choose to leave the moral path in any way.

So what about this Novak report? All biases aside, I think the floating of this ‘innuendo and insinuation’ by Clinton is despicable and base. Unfortunately, the fact that she did this does not surprise me, which for me is a sad commentary in the modern, enlightened age. It is no surprise because it eminated from Ms. Clinton. I strongly agree with Obama’s camp that she should either come forth with the facts, or come clean and state there is nothing to report. It is utterly despicable to publish statements that you have potentially serious, character-damaging facts you intend to keep private. In my book, what Ms. Clinton did today through Novak and others, reflects perfectly on the lack of character in her stoop. This behavior is a perfect example of a decision or a choice a candidate makes that damages their character. This is not a mere mistake by Ms. Clinton. Few things are left to chance by this senator. Curiously, such behavior further damages Senator Clinton’s character, but not her reputation.

As to the facts. I do think if facts exist, that if revealed would alter Americans’ perception of Senator Obama’s character, those facts should definitely be revealed. But if revealed, they should be reported in all professionalism, without sensationalism. The fact that any man or woman in this nation would expose themselves to incredible scrutiny by running for the Office of President, is behavior worthy of our highest respect, in my opinion. That is until or unless they break the trust. Senator Obama has my highest respect in this regard.

Because I strongly believe that Senator Clinton has many times broken the public trust in many ways and seeks to be President mostly out of lust of power, it is she that I hope wins the nomination of the Democrat Party. If we can nominate Governor Romney on the Republican ticket, it would be an historic match-up of character polarization never before seen in this nation’s history; unlike a Clinton-Giuliani match-up.

~ Vic

“Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.”

— Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. president (1809-1865)

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This piece from The Politico goes in depth into the differences between the way Governor Romney and Rudy Giuliani are running for President, especially when it comes to the money trail…

Here’s a highlight, click the link above to read the entire story.

“We’ve never seen anybody with the strategy, ‘I’m probably not going to win Iowa and New Hampshire; I’ll start winning after that,’” political analyst Charlie Cook said. “What you would need is the financial resources to sustain losses early, and play later.”

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The Politico’s Jonathan Martin: “Gregg – whose father was governor and whose last name retains considerable cache – is the prize get in New Hampshire for any GOP presidential hopeful.” (Jonathan Martin, “Gregg To Endorse Romney,” The Politico, 10/29/07)

The New York Times’ Michael Luo: “Mitt Romney has landed a big endorsement in the Granite State. … So this was a big ‘get’ for Mr. Romney, who is leading in the polls in this early primary state.” (Michael Luo, “Gregg To Endorse Romney In N.H.,” The New York Times’ “The Caucus,” 10/29/07)

The Hill’s Klaus Marre: “Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) scored a major win Monday with the endorsement of Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.). The backing of New Hampshire’s senior senator should provide a boost to Romney, who already leads in the key early primary state.” (Klaus Marre, “Romney Scores Big Win With Gregg Endorsement,” The Hill, 10/29/07)

The Boston Globe’s Foon Rhee: “Mitt Romney will have a big name by his side today at a rally before he officially files for the New Hampshire primary. US Senator Judd Gregg, who is in his third term representing the Granite State, is endorsing Romney, his campaign announced this morning.” (Foon Rhee, “Gregg Backs Romney,” The Boston Globe’s “Political Intelligence,” 10/29/07)

ABC News’ Matt Stuart: “The endorsement is a boost for Romney’s New Hampshire chances, as the state’s junior senator, Republican John Sununu, has said he will remain neutral through the primary season.” (Matt Stuart, “Romney Wins Key N.H. Endorsement,” ABC News, 10/29/07)

MSNBC’s Erin McPike: “On the morning of his filing in New Hampshire, Romney got a nice boost to his Granite State campaign. Senior Sen. Judd Gregg (R) endorsed Romney and will join him in Concord for his presidential filing.” (Erin McPike, “NH Senator Endorses Romney,” MSNBC’s First Read, 10/29/07)

Wall Street Journal’s Susan Davis: “This is good news for Romney and comes on the heels of the latest University of Iowa Hawkeye poll released this morning that shows Romney as the clear favorite in Iowa, with nearly three times as much support as any other Republican candidate in the field in the state among likely caucus goers.” (Susan Davis, “Judd To Endorse Romney,” Wall Street Journal’s “Washington Wire,” 10/29/07)

Townhall’s Hugh Hewitt: “This is a very big deal for the Romney campaign. … Senator Gregg’s endorsement is the most sought-after in the Granite State, and it adds to the sense of momentum that Romney has built there.” (Hugh Hewitt, “New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg Endorses Romney,” Townhall, 10/29/07)

CNN’s Mark Preston: “Gregg’s decision to back Romney is a major boost for the Massachusetts governor…” (Mark Preston, “Senior New Hampshire Senator To Back Romney,” CNN, 10/29/07)

The Washington Post’s Michael Shear: “Do endorsements matter? Mitt Romney is about to pick up a key vote of support that could help answer that question. Later today, Romney will receive the endorsement of New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg in Concord, according to the campaign.” (Michael Shear, “N.H.’s Gregg For Romney,” The Washington Post’s “The Trail,” 10/29/07)

The Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder: “It’s tough to say that any endorsement carries votes these days, but Gregg’s ability to validate Romney’s competence and economic message, as well as his freedom to act as a surrogate for Romney at events should not be underrated.” (Marc Ambinder, “Breaking: Sen. Judd Gregg To Endorse Romney,” The Atlantic, 10/29/07)

Real Clear Politics’ Reid Wilson: “Sen. Judd Gregg, dean of the New Hampshire congressional delegation, will endorse Mitt Romney today at the state capitol, the Union Leader reports this morning.” (Reid Wilson, “Gregg Endorses,” Real Clear Politics, 10/29/07)

Arizona Republic’s Dan Nowicki: “Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney today announced the endorsement of one of New Hampshire’s Republican senators, Judd Gregg. As far as Granite State endorsements go, this one is pretty big.” (Dan Nowicki, “Romney Wins Key New Hampshire Endorsement,” Arizona Republic’s “McCain Central,” 10/29/07)

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This story from The Politico details just how Governor Romney has used his impressive business acumen to run his campaign with precision.

BOSTON, Mass. — Mitt Romney built a fortune by taking over troubled companies and making the tough business decisions and shrewd financial adjustments to turn them into winning investments for himself and investors in his firm, Bain Capital.

In similar ways, Romney is applying the same tactics in his quest to win the 2008 Republican Party primary and the White House.

BOSTON, Mass. — Mitt Romney built a fortune by taking over troubled companies and making the tough business decisions and shrewd financial adjustments to turn them into winning investments for himself and investors in his firm, Bain Capital.

In similar ways, Romney is applying the same tactics in his quest to win the 2008 Republican Party primary and the White House.

Which raises the question: How did he get here?

A visit to his Boston headquarters overlooking the Charles River provides some clues.

The first thing that hits you is that it is not the typical paper-strewn, crowded, chaotic political headquarters. The lobby is furnished with faux suede chairs and a couch. The walls are decorated with pictures of Romney meeting troops and of his father, George, sitting in the Oval Office with President Richard Nixon.

It’s an interior design reflecting the private-public partnership that runs through the Romney operation: the investors and businessmen who know Romney from his Bain Capital days who today are teamed up with the professional political strategists from Washington.

Our own Victor Lundquist had a tour recently and posted about Governor Romney’s Headquarters that were just mentioned.

Once again here are his pictures…

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From The Politico

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney increased his already growing credibility with evangelical Christians on Saturday afternoon by winning the Family Research Council’s “2008 American Values Straw Poll.”

Romney edged former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a former Baptist minister who received the most enthusiastic reception of any of the speakers at the council’s “Values Voter Summit” at a Washington hotel. The results, released with a literal drumroll:

First — Mitt Romney — 1,595 votes

Second — Mike Huckabee — 1,565 votes

Third — Ron Paul — 865 votes

Fourth — Fred Thompson — 564 votes

A total of 5,576 votes were cast.

Announcing the results, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said the top four issues picked by voters were 1) abortion; 2) marriage; 3) tax cuts; and 4) permanent tax relief for families.

Here’s something important to remember about the poll: The results reflect not just the 2,000-plus attendees at the three-day conference, but also anyone who went online and contributed as little as $1 to join FRC Action, the legislative action arm of the Family Research Council.

All the Republican presidential candidates spoke to the conference. The poll is being widely watched as a barometer of the preferences of social conservatives, an electorally potent group whose leaders have not settled on a candidate.

Attendees who filled out the straw poll on-site were given colorful “I Values Voted” stickers. People had to be in line by 1 p.m., so the results could be announced at 3 p.m. sharp.

After speaking to the crowd on Saturday morning, Huckabee held both an availability with bloggers and a news conference. His campaign handed out fliers saying “Do Not Compromise Your Values,” with “Your” crossed out and replaced by “God.”

Romney’s campaign distributed a news release announcing he had been endorsed by Dr. John Willke, founder and former president of the National Right to Life Committee. Willke said on the release: “I know he will be the strong pro-life president we need in the White House.”

On the straw-poll ballot, the first question was: “Which of the following candidates for President would you be most likely to vote for?” Voters were given the choice of 18 candidates, both Republican and Democratic, plus “Undecided.”

The second question, with the same list, was: “Which of the following candidates would be least acceptable to you as President of the United States?”

The third question was, “Please indicate which issue is the most important in determining your opinion of the candidate that you will most likely vote for?” A dozen choices were provided, most of them priorities of social conservatives, plus tax cuts.

Seven candidates addressed the crowd on Friday. Two spoke Saturday morning:

Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani took a conciliatory tone, promising to work toward “decreasing abortions and increasing adoptions”: “You and I know that I’m not a perfect person. I’ve made mistakes in my life, but I’ve always done the best that I could to try to learn for them. I pray for forgiveness. I pray for strength. … During what I believe were the greatest crises of my life, I prayed to God, and I needed God’s help and guidance. Religion is about love, forgiveness and inclusion – it’s about salvation. .. If we’re honest with each other, trust will follow. We may not always agree — I don’t always agree with myself. … I want to work with the community of faith to develop new ideas that can protect our shared vision.”

Huckabee took a fierier approach. After talking about protecting freedom and family, Huckabee said: “Faith is also threatened, and let me share with you how. I believe that there are many who will seek our support. But let me say that it’s important that people sing from their hearts, and don’t merely lip-synch the lyrics to our songs. I think it’s important that the language of Zion is a mother tongue, and not a recently acquired second language. It’s important that a person doesn’t have more positions on issues that Elvis had waist sizes.”

FRC says it “champions marriage and family as the foundation of civilization.”

–By Mike Allen

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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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