Romney is bona fide pro-life!

Yesterday's announcement that Mitt has the support of James Bopp, Jr should lay aside any concerns that Mitt is pro-choice.

"For almost three decades, Jim has been at the center of the fight to protect the sanctity of human life. Representing numerous national and state pro-life and pro-family organizations, he has helped defend the rights of those seeking to promote life," said Governor Romney."

Mitt may have flipped on this issue...but he hasn't flopped the other way. And believe me when I say that I will be the first to call him a flip-flopper in the unlikely event that he goes the other way...

Actions speak louder than words:

"As Governor, Mitt Romney has stood side-by-side with those seeking to protect the weakest and most innocent of our society. In one of our country's most liberal states, he has acted to protect the sanctity of life. Governor Romney's record on fundamental life issues is one of not just words but action. I am proud to count myself among his supporters."

article

Edwards Compound

Democratic hopeful John Edwards' North Carolina compound. How many innocent people were sued to build this thing?

The Carolina Journal is reporting that John Edwards, man of the people, member of the proletariat, and top spokesman for the common working man, has - for the good of America's working families, no doubt - recently moved into a 28,220-ft² house, the "largest and most valuable home in Orange County," North Carolina. (redstate.com)

Edwards has always talked about the "two Americas"... guess which one he lives in!

This might make you think...

David Alvord published an interesting article about the war in Iraq

We shouldn't expect freedom to come easily to the middle-east. Yet, in
spite of the sacrifice required, freedom is always worth the cost. Is that not our American heritage?

Romney dominating another poll

Romney has been steadily moving up the National Journal's candidate rankings, and is now at number 2, just behind McCain. Of course, we all know he should be at number 1, especially considering McCain's dismal numbers in the GOP Bloggers poll below. At least the voters on National Journal seem to know what's up...
http://nationaljournal.com/racerankings/wh08/?results

Poll results: (lower score is better)

#1 Romney 2.61
#2 McCain 2.96
#3 Giuliani 3.86

For comparison, Obama and Clinton are tied on the Democrat side, with 2.88 each.

Mitt Romney - An Introduction

Good watch. Take 10 minutes and see what Mitt has done over the past years (budgeting, problem-solving, homeland security, military, heathcare, leadership, and family).

Anything [insert any candidate here] can do, Mitt can do better!

A comment from Jay posted on mymanmitt:


One other thing... I think we Mitt fans ought to take the approach of: "Anything _____ can do, Mitt can do better." Brownback might have a decent (if blemished) record on fiscal restraint - But Romney has a better one. Giuliani may have a lot of charisma - But Romney has more. McCain may talk straight, but Romney talks straighter, more forcefully, and with greater clarity and precision.

Evangelicals For Mitt's David French Exposes MassResistance Lies

See David French's excellent work here:

http://www.evangelicalsformitt.org/massresistance

Mitt is Dominating in the Polls that Matter

GOP Bloggers is the largest GOP straw poll I am aware of--with over 13,500 votes in. Guess who is dominating the competition…

Nationwide:
Romney: 27%
Giuliani: 20.1%
McCain: 4.2% (that’s NOT a typo)
Note: Newt Gingrich is an option on this poll and many took the opportunity to voice their approval of Newt. I have omitted his results from this entry as he is not generally considered a candidate at this point. Overall, Newt came in second, behind Romney, and in the states listed below, only Texas has him as the leader.

Key States:

Iowa:
Romney: 20.9%
Giuliani: 19%
McCain: 3.9% (again, NOT a typo!)
Note: I can’t believe how poorly McCain is doing in this poll. It just goes to show you how little support he has among informed, energetic, grassroots GOPers.

South Carolina:
Romney: 37.2%
Giuliani: 16.2%
McCain: 5.2%
Note: Wait, I thought Mitt would get ravaged by all the Evangelicals in SC? The numbers speak for themselves.

New Hampshire:
Romney: 38.8%
Giuliani: 14.6%
McCain: 1.9%
Note: Mitt is rampaging NH!

Other BIG States:

California:
Romney: 33%
Giuliani: 21.2%
McCain: 2.7%
Note: Mark my words, Mitt will win the State of California in the GENERAL ELECTION! Won’t that be an accomplishment for a Republican? (If you doubt me, remember that Massachusetts is infinitely more liberal than California, and Mitt won the MA Governorship.)

Texas:
Romney: 25.6%
Giuliani: 21%
McCain: 2.4%
Note: Like I noted above, this is one of the rare states where Mitt was not on top. Newt was by about 1 percentage point.

New York:
Giuliani 34.5%
Romney 20.4%
McCain: 7.3%
Note: Rudy’s home state. What did you expect?

Virginia:
Romney: 22.6%
Giuliani: 18.5%
McCain: 6.8%
Note: McCain is a bit higher here, probably because of a beltway effect. Shows that he has a touch of support in D.C., but, unfortunately for him, nowhere else.

Florida:
Giuliani: 22%
Romney: 20.9%
McCain: 3.8%
Note: Hanging chads.

Other States of Interest:

Arizona:
Romney: 32.2%
Giuliani: 17%
McCain: 3.6%
Note: McCain’s home state. What did you expect? Oh, wait... if I were McCain, after seeing this, I would save myself a lot of wasted energy and drop out of the race now.

Massachusetts:
Romney: 40.7%
Giuliani: 18.3%
McCain: 3.7%
Note: We love Mitt! He did a fantastic job in Mass.

Utah:
Romney: 77%
Giuliani: 7.3%
McCain: 2.1%
Note: Do you think Mitt just might be able to take Utah? Just to assuage your fears that the overall poll was skewed by the Utah numbers, of the 13,500 + votes, only 191 came from Utah.

Make sure you check out the poll at http://www.gopbloggers.org/janpollresults.php?state

And vote at http://www.gopbloggers.org/mt/archives/004589.html

Email Dan Balz and Tell Him What's Up

I was watching PBS news with Jim Lehrer tonight and they gave at least 3 times as much coverage to the Democrats than they did the Republicans. Also, they interviewed Dan Balz and he named ONLY Giuliani and McCain as top GOP contenders. This guy MUST know about Mitt's meteoric rise, so either he is biased himself, or he was forced by liberal PBS to not discuss Romney. I can't think of any other explanation.

Anyway, email Dan Balz and let him know he should cover Mitt next time...
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/staff/email/dan+balz/

Hillary may unite Republicans for Mitt

The Republicans will need to nominate someone who can match Hillary's rhetorical prowess. They will need someone who has successfully sailed in liberal waters and knows the democratic play book. They will need that individual who can articulate conservative values in a persuasive and intelligent manner. I can think of no better candidate to take on Hillary than our own Mitt Romney! Hillary Clinton may be the one adversary that will be scary enough to unite all Christians. Baptists united with Catholics. Mormons united with Evangelicals.
Is America ready for a Mormon president? If he can defeat Hillary, America may just have room for a Mormon after all!

see article by David Alvord

Can McCain control his temper?

A Salon.com article on McCain gives me additional reasons to be concerned about McCain. Although I like McCain over any of the Democrat candidates, Mitt is of such higher caliber than McCain that I can hardly believe McCain is still generally considered the Republican frontrunner. I'll just have to assume that most folks simply haven't gotten to know Mitt well enough to make an earnest comparison.

The Salon article reveals some pretty disturbing things about McCain that I consider well beneath the type of behavior we should demand from the President of the United States.

McCain's political colleagues, however, know another side of the action hero -- a volatile man with a hair-trigger temper, who shouted at Sen. Ted Kennedy on the Senate floor to "shut up," called his fellow Republican senators "s---head," "f-----g jerk," "a--hole," and joked in 1998 at a Republican fundraiser about the teenage daughter of President Clinton, "Do you know why Chelsea Clinton is so ugly? Because Janet Reno is her father." As recently as a few months ago, McCain suddenly rushed up to a friend of mine, a prominent Washington attorney, at a social event, and threatened to beat him up because he represented a client McCain happened to dislike, and then, just as suddenly, profusely and tearfully apologized.

Within the Republican Party nearly everyone who has had serious dealings with McCain distrusts him (including traditional Republican moderates, not just conservatives). While taking right-wing positions on social issues like abortion and gay marriage, his simmering resentment of Bush led him to virtually caucus with the Democrats in early 2001 (before Sept. 11), using the Democratic Leadership Council as his back channel. Then, abruptly, he rushed to embrace Bush.

'We Have Sinned Against You' -Richard Mouw, Evangelical leader

Insightful audio commentary on the "divide" between Mormons and Evangelicals.

Full Richard Mouw quote:

I am now convinced that we... have often seriously misrepresented the beliefs and practices of the Mormon community. Indeed, let me state it bluntly to the LDS folks here this evening: we have sinned against you. The God of the Scriptures makes it clear that it is a terrible thing to bear false witness against our neighbors, and we have been guilty of that sort of transgression in things we have said about you. We have told you what you believe without making a sincere effort first of all to ask you what you believe...Indeed, we have even on occasion demonized you, weaving conspiracy theories about what the LDS community is 'really' trying to accomplish in the world. (Emphasis added.)

Link

"Romney is Tomorrow"

"Romney's aides are hoping Republican primary voters will see a pattern: here's a turnaround specialist ready to fix the party, the country and the world. "The idea is to be the fresh perspective...McCain is yesterday, Giuliani is today, Romney is tomorrow." - anonymous advisor for Romney's campiagn quoted in Newsweek.

The New New Bigotry

Weisberg’s attack on Romney is exactly the sort of attack on other Christians and believers in the miraculous that the secular left would love to make routine. To mainstream Protestants and Mass-attending Catholics, the virtual mob against Romney because of his LDS faith may seem like someone else’s problem, but it is really another step down the road toward the naked public square. Legitimizing bigotry by refusing to condemn it invites not only its repetition, but its spread to new targets.

Article by Hugh Hewitt...an excellent read

see Evangelicals to be praised

Religious tests

Article VI, section 3, and states that:

"...no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."

No Al Gore... too bad!

Al Gore had to acknowledge his own "inconvenient truth": He had no chance against Hillary!

But I, for one, am sad to have his presence missing from the '08 election. I wanted to hear about another social security lock box! It also would've been fun to hear both Al and Hillary take credit for the Clinton years...and come to think of it...who really was second-in-command all that time?

link No Gore

Why America Needs Mitt

By David M. McEntire

Our country needs Mitt.

American citizens can no longer request character in their political leaders—they demand it. This entry discusses in general terms why Mitt Romney's character is the primary reason he will win the 2008 presidential election.

Mitt Romney has not entered the 2008 presidential race for self-seeking reasons. He has entered the race to act on his love of country, to ensure prosperity of American citizens, and to esteem safety for America's children and grandchildren (Glen and Helen Show).

Dorman B. Eaton wrote in his classic article of public administration:
“Thoughtful citizens whose hearts are warmed by a true love of their country, who are humiliated as they see that country failing to rise to its true identity before the world, who comprehend that, under better methods, worth and ability of a higher order could be made to elevate politics and official life—will be drawn to the subject by all the strength of interest, patriotic duty, and national pride. They feel that the United States stand before the world as the original and the noblest embodiment of the republican ideal in government” (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1880).

America needs a well-rounded president. Romney describes himself as a “thinking conservative (G&H). His character is augmented by an exceptional education. Competitive experience in private business has prepared him to be an effective decision maker in the Whitehouse. Additionally, his history as governor of Massachusetts has confirmed his abilities to make meaningful progress while fostering teamwork in the midst partisan dynamics.

America demands a well-rounded president to not merely meet challenges, but to come running to them. Mitt Romney's character drives him to be a man of action. He will rise to new frotiers of national security, engender economical prosperity and advocate family values. Romeny is a man of faith (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).

Mormons stand for strong families and embrace modern divine revelation. Romney agrees America needs a faithful leader (brand of religion is not as important) to uphold family values (G&H). These new frontiers beckon Mitt Romney's new leadership. “Year by year, the prosperity and morality of every enlightened people become, in a still greater degree, dependent upon the character and capacity of those who fill their places of public trust” (Eaton).

Integrity is the foundation of character. Mitt Romney readily admits he has made administrative mistakes in the past. He also realizes there is wisdom in learning from mistakes. Additional wisdom comes from age (G&H). Romney, during his governorship, fostered competitive decision-making by surrounding himself with individuals having diverse opinions. "If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary” (Federalist Paper LI, James Madison). As Romney strides toward the Whitehouse, Americans can have confidence his charater will demonstrate integrity making sound decisions.

President Woodrow Wilson may very well have been referring to Mitt Romney when he described public duty as giving life to the federal government. He says, “the task is great and important enough to attract the best minds” (Political Science Quarterly 2; June 1887). Mitt Romney not only is among the best minds of our time, but his character meets America's demand for new leadership.

Evangelicals for Mitt to be praised!

By David Alvord

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

-Pastor Martin Niemöller

Although this poem was written to portray the rise of Nazi Germany, it also has application to religious bigotry.
"Bigot" is often used as a pejorative term against a person who is obstinately devoted to their prejudices even when these views are challenged or proven to be false. And "bigot" is the term I would use for anyone who would rule out a candidate based solely on his religious persuasion.

I have read several articles that proclaim Mitt Romney to be the ideal candidate with just one problem: He's a Mormon. Can this statement reveal anything other than religious discrimination? Such an attitude threatens not only a Mormon candidate, but candidates of any religious persuasion.

Joseph Smith, himself a victim of severe bigotry, said it well:

The Saints can testify whether I am willing to lay down my life for my brethren. If it has been demonstrated that I have been willing to die for a "Mormon," I am bold to declare before Heaven that I am just as ready to die in defending the rights of a Presbyterian, a Baptist, or a good man of any other denomination; for the same principle which would trample upon the rights of the Latter-day Saints would trample upon the rights of the Roman Catholics, or of any other denomination who may be unpopular and too weak to defend themselves.

And so in that spirit, praise be to the website Evangelicals for Mitt! The founders of that site have looked past their religious differences to add their support to Mitt Romney. I believe that good people of all religions are stronger when united...and weaker when divided. The E.F.M. have not only demonstrated their willingness to support a candidate of any religious persuasion, but they have also picked a man of integrity and one of the most promising candidates of our time.

Mitt Understands Immigration

I just visited eBay with a group of students and it struck me that this "great American success story" was founded by a guy who was born in France and has Iranian parents. This guy, Pierre Omidyar, moved to the US at the age of six and grew up in the Washington D.C. area. In addition to founding one of the biggest and most consistently successful companies of our time, he is a well-known philanthropist. Finally, Pierre had the good sense to hire Meg Whitman as eBay's President and CEO. Meg is an outstanding leader and, as you may know, is one of Mitt Romney's National Finance Co-Chairs. Meg even flew out to Boston on Monday to be a part of Mitt's historic $7 Million telethon.

So what does all this have to do with Mitt Romney as our next president? Well, Mitt understands the immigration issue much better that his myopic partisan opponents. Mitt has worked in the private sector, he has invested in hundreds of businesses, and he comprehends the nuances of both sides of the immigration issue.

It is extremely important that we make sure the United States remains the preferred destination for entrepreneurs, scientists, academics, artists, etc. These are the people that will build the next eBays and the next Googles--bringing thousands of jobs and billions of dollars to the US economy. I am so glad that Pierre's parents came to the states with their 6-year-old son. We need to revise our policies to enable and encourage such immigration through the proper channels. On the other hand, we need to have have the safety provided by some kind of fence, wall, or, preferably, security zone, so that all people from all parts of the world are forced to go through the proper procedures for entry into the US.

From Mittromney.com:

Getting Immigration Right: Immigration has been an important part of our nation's success. The current system, however, puts up a concrete wall to the best and brightest, yet those without skill or education are able to walk across the border. We must reform the current immigration laws so we can secure our borders, implement a mandatory biometrically enabled, tamper proof documentation and employment verification system, and increase legal immigration into America.

Governor Romney: "We need to make America more attractive for legal immigrants -- for citizens -- and less attractive for illegal immigrants. I want to see more immigration in our country, but more legal immigration and less illegal immigration." (AP, June 23, 2006)

EFM response

There have been some false reports about Mitt Romney in circulation that relates to his stance on some social issues. In response, "Evangelicals for Mitt" have posted answers to many of the reports on their blog.
If you have heard any of these rumors, this may be a good place to visit. article

Mitt's a fund raising maniac!

Mitt has raised 6.5 million in his first day of fundraising! This represents the biggest haul of any candidate since the passage of campaign finance reform!

Check out the link: Romney's big day

And just how does this compare to Rudy and McCain?

The figure dwarfed the money raised so far by two GOP stars leading the 2008 speculation, U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
McCain has raised $2 million while Giuliani has picked up $1 million. Like Romney, both have created 2008 exploratory committees. Link to article

Anyone familiar with modern presidential politics will tell you that he who raises the most money the earliest will get the national spotlight. All the more reason to be optimistic for Mitt's campaign!

Mitt has a chance!

This post was taken from Dave Alvord's blog: docviews.blogspot.com

I have found it strange that the people who have the most pessimism about Mitt Romney's chances as a Mormon candidate are Mormons themselves! Why is that?

It may have to do with the fact that many members of the LDS faith have served missions, or are married to those who have. As missionaries we have had doors slammed in our faces, have been ridiculed, and have had to endure more rejection than acceptance. Even though many do accept our faith, most reject it. We are used to being rejected. I think that it is this psychology that could be the cause for so many of my friends and associates to have such a grim outlook...when it comes to not only Mitt, but any LDS candidate.

But to vote for a leader, one doesn't have to accept the testimony of the prophet Joseph. He doesn't have to pay 10% of his income. He doesn't have to convert to Mormonism at all.

I think that we may be mistaking religious rejection for political rejection. After all, today's highest-ranking member of the United States Senate is, well, a Mormon. Harry Reid may be a democrat, but he is also a Mormon. His kids attended BYU, and he happens to be pro-life. That is a strange selection for the top post among the democrats...a pro-life Mormon. But there he is.

It's really not all that strange. If you think about it, the LDS people are natural-born leaders. We dress up every Sunday, give talks, and attend loads of meetings. We have faced opposition and rejection throughout our lives. We don't drink, smoke, or gamble...and most of us would bleed on the flag just to make sure it's stripes stay red (MI3).

Some may cite recent polls that suggest that the majority of Americans would not vote for a Mormon. While there may be a few who would never vote for a Mormon, I think that many may have cast their opinion in ignorance. There was another survey a few years ago that asked if people would vote for a "heterosexual" for president. Surprisingly about 1/4 said No to that question. It was ignorance that caused that response...and it is probably ignorance that has caused the Mormon polls to look like they did. A person may not want a polygamist in the White House, or an Amish-type president (these are some common misconceptions of mainstream Mormonism). But they may be okay with a family-man, with one wife, from Massachusetts...who just happens to belong to the LDS church...as long as their taxes stay low, and they think that the candidate is a man of integrity.

There is no doubt that Mitt's candidacy will require educating many Americans about the LDS faith. He will need to clear up many misconceptions about the chruch. But he won't be doing it alone. The Media will churn out piles of stories about all of the candidates...and Mitt will not be an exception. In fact, there is such a fascination with Mormonism that it could turn to Mitt's advantage. Mitt may be talked about more than other candidates BECAUSE of his religion.

Some advantages that Mitt Romney has:

1) Strong support of many LDS throughout the country. Do not underestimate the influence of the members of the church...we have influenced many elections in years past. For example, we recently helped defeat a gay marriage amendment in California. We also may have given the ERA the decisive blow in the 80s.

2) Strong support in Michigan. His father was a beloved Governor and is still remembered. 17 electoral votes.

3) A very successful term as Governor in Massachusetts. He balanced the budget without raising taxes. He also provided health care to every person in the state, again without raising taxes!

4) Mitt has raised the most money. His PAC tops them all.

5) In Tennessee, a presidential straw poll put him in second place among republicans. The only person with more votes was Frist (who announced last week that he will not run for president).

6) Governor Schwarzenegger was just reelected in California. A republican in California! With a goofy name! An immigrant! He defends Bush! He was an actor! A meat-head! Despite these obstacles, the "governator" was reelected. No doubt, he is a huge star...but he also ran as a fiscal conservative and pro-environment. California will forgive a multitude of sins if you will be for the environment. If Mitt can be a pro-environment Republican...he may have a shot at those tasty 55 electoral votes in California. And guess which church is the second largest in California? Hint: it's the true one.

7) Mitt is the most conservative of the known possible '08 candidates. John McCain has ticked off too many of us...also he has that grouchy-old-man thing going. He made a fool of himself on SNL. All that McCain's opponents need to do is play those SNL tapes during the primaries. It will be "so" over! Rudy is pro-abortion. He better start whistling a new pro-life tune or he will not get the republican nomination. Period. Newt Gingrich is awesome! But I am the only one who thinks so. Whoever wins ought to consider putting Newt in some kind of advisory role. He just isn't "presidential" enough (whatever than means). Among conservatives, Mitt fits the bill almost perfectly.

8) This is America. Anything can happen here. A tall, ugly, and awkward Republican from Illinois can get elected, free the slaves, then guide us through a civil war. A divorced actor from California can lead us against a communist super-power, and win...without a shot being fired. A fellow from Virginia can lead a rag-tag army against the largest military of it's time and successfully achieve independence for our country.

I do not say that Mitt will win the presidency, but I do say that he has a chance. If you believe that our leaders can be foreordained (and I do), then we may likely see a Mormon president. We may see several of them! I don't know if Mitt will achieve the presidency or if he will pave the way for one who will.

But would you just do one thing for me?

Would you just admit that he has a chance!