An exit poll of Iraqis as they are freed from an Al Qaeda ran torture prison reveals startling support of the US presence in Iraq. A surprising 42 out of 42 freed prisoners say they support the US involvement in Iraq and are thankful for their release.
See this story
What? Al Qaeda in Iraq? Mitt Romney understands that Islamic extremists of every kind must get their minds around the fact that Iraq will have a strong central democratic government.
Thank heavens for the men and women who are fighting this war and draining the swamps in Baghdad. Happy Memorial Day!
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Cash Cab? Insured? Mitt for Good Hands
Today, the Discover Channel's commercials created more questions than the answers given from watching Mythbusters.
The Discovery Channel advertised their special "Cash Cab" where New York taxicab passengers answer surprise questions by the cab driver.
Answering trivia is fun. Answering trivia while moving seems even more fun. And answering trivia in a cab with blinking lights, blaring soud, and for MONEY?...Sign me up!
However, the cab also has a VERY distracted driver asking the trivia questions. Yea, try earning a living, running a game show, and handing out money to screaming people--all while driving the crazy streets of New York. Safe?
Ironically, the next commercial was for Allstate Insurance. The commercial depicted various ways drivers become distracted. The Allstate commercial ended with "24" star, Dennis Haysbert (President Palmer, ironic title?) asking, "are you in good hands?"
Mitt has my vote becuase I know he has the ability to navigate through potential distractions in addressing what matters most for America today--family values, economic prosperity, and safeguarding our freedom.
-David McEntire
Wait, the MSM would have us believe that nobody in Massachuttes likes Mitt
Not only was Mitt leading in Mass way back in February, but he was leading by a lot. With how liberal even the Republicans are here in MA, it's pretty amazing that he was doing so well against Giuliani. Come primary season, look for him to win by the biggest margins in MA and UT.Poll Data.
Look at Romney's surge in California
Although he's been to California a few times this year, it's harldy been a focal point of Mitt's campaign thus far. Despite that fact, Mitt's numbers have improved from only 3% in January (without F. Thompson included in the poll) to 11% in EARLY May (with F. Thompson). I'm sure the next poll will have him in the mid-teens, at least. McCain's numbers are sure to go down. Just wait for when he starts campaigning there!
Fred Thompson: McCain is NOT a wishy-washy conservative
Maybe Fred was too lazy to do his homework on McCain...
From the Brody File:
Quote:
We'll get to the wishy washy comment in a moment but first...If and When Fred Thompson gets in this race, he’s going to have to make an articulate argument about why he’s a supporter of campaign finance reform. Conservative groups don’t like it. The Brody File discovered this gem from 2000 when Fred Thompson appeared on CNN Late Edition. He was talking about campaign finance reform as it relates to how it might affect Christians:
"I wouldn't be too concerned about Christians and conservatives…Christianity has to do with saving souls and uplifting people, and not raising large amounts of soft money to run attack campaigns on folks."
Huh? Rewind the tape. Oh, wait, can’t do that here. Is he saying in a broad sense that Christians should stick to the pews and not try and influence the political process? Probably not but he’s going to need to explain himself on this topic. I’m told by someone who has met with Thompson that he has said in private that the intent of campaign finance reform is no to go after Christian groups and that will be something he’ll make clear when the time comes.
Speaking about making these clings, I’m sure he’ll have to revisit some past statements he made about John McCain. Remember, Thompson was one of McCain’s national co-chairman when McCain ran for President back in 2000. Here’s another little tidbit The Brody File found from back in 2000. Once again, from CNN’s Late Edition:
CALLER: Yes, hello. Senator Thompson, my question is for you, sir. How could a hard-core conservative like yourself support such a wishy-washy conservative like Senator McCain?
THOMPSON: He's not a wishy-washy conservative. If you look at his voting record over his entire career, whether you look at the conservative's rating or the liberal's ratings, John McCain is a conservative by any measure. He's been right there on all the conservative core issues his entire career. They're misrepresenting the effect of campaign finance reform. What John McCain recognizes is that it takes money in politics, but he thinks there should be some reasonable limit on it.
You see, for Thompson the last thing he needs is to be compared to John McCain. McCain’s conservative credentials are not the issue here. The issue for FDT is that some rank and file conservatives don’t trust McCain (immigration, judges, campaign finance reform, taxes) so to be seen as a “supporter” of John McCain could damage him.
From the Brody File:
Quote:
We'll get to the wishy washy comment in a moment but first...If and When Fred Thompson gets in this race, he’s going to have to make an articulate argument about why he’s a supporter of campaign finance reform. Conservative groups don’t like it. The Brody File discovered this gem from 2000 when Fred Thompson appeared on CNN Late Edition. He was talking about campaign finance reform as it relates to how it might affect Christians:
"I wouldn't be too concerned about Christians and conservatives…Christianity has to do with saving souls and uplifting people, and not raising large amounts of soft money to run attack campaigns on folks."
Huh? Rewind the tape. Oh, wait, can’t do that here. Is he saying in a broad sense that Christians should stick to the pews and not try and influence the political process? Probably not but he’s going to need to explain himself on this topic. I’m told by someone who has met with Thompson that he has said in private that the intent of campaign finance reform is no to go after Christian groups and that will be something he’ll make clear when the time comes.
Speaking about making these clings, I’m sure he’ll have to revisit some past statements he made about John McCain. Remember, Thompson was one of McCain’s national co-chairman when McCain ran for President back in 2000. Here’s another little tidbit The Brody File found from back in 2000. Once again, from CNN’s Late Edition:
CALLER: Yes, hello. Senator Thompson, my question is for you, sir. How could a hard-core conservative like yourself support such a wishy-washy conservative like Senator McCain?
THOMPSON: He's not a wishy-washy conservative. If you look at his voting record over his entire career, whether you look at the conservative's rating or the liberal's ratings, John McCain is a conservative by any measure. He's been right there on all the conservative core issues his entire career. They're misrepresenting the effect of campaign finance reform. What John McCain recognizes is that it takes money in politics, but he thinks there should be some reasonable limit on it.
You see, for Thompson the last thing he needs is to be compared to John McCain. McCain’s conservative credentials are not the issue here. The issue for FDT is that some rank and file conservatives don’t trust McCain (immigration, judges, campaign finance reform, taxes) so to be seen as a “supporter” of John McCain could damage him.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Mitt Romney Not Our Pastor-in-Chief
A great article in Newsmax by Nancy French...
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/5/23/85724.shtml?s=po
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/5/23/85724.shtml?s=po
Mitt Rocks!
I wish I could say that we Mitt Rockers were doing some savvy guerrilla marketing, but, sadly, we weren't responsible for the sign in this picture...
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Fantastic new article on Mitt and Ann Romney
Check it out here.
Here are some highlights:
"I weigh in on personal characteristics," Ann says. "I have no tolerance for people that are phonies. None. I just know when someone doesn't have the right character. And to me that matters a lot; character matters a lot."
"Both of us are pro-life," Ann says. "But Massachusetts is a pro-choice state." In fact, she says, "He's always personally been pro-life. Given our faith, we obviously believe in God, we believe in the sanctity of life. He was responding to how he thinks the government should be involved in the issue. And Mitt totally thinks it should be turned over and let the states decide, and get the bickering over with."
Meanwhile, as governor, Mitt took pro-life stands, vetoing bills that authorized embryo farming, therapeutic cloning, and access to emergency contraception without parental consent.
On the charge that Mitt is a flip-flopper:
"It's a great campaign tactic by the opposition," Ann says. "They say he flip-flopped on abortion. Well, you know what? He did change his mind. It took courage. I'm really proud of him, to really study an issue and really come to that. That is the only change he's made, and I believe it's a change in the right direction. He hasn't changed his position on anything except choice, and that has been very public, and it has never been a change in his personal philosophy."
"If he's in a meeting and someone doesn't have the right data, hasn't prepared well, they know that they're in trouble," Ann says. "I think he's a bit intimidating that way, because he's so bright he cuts through a lot very quickly. He thinks in hyper-speed, and he expects people to keep up with him, and sometimes they don't."
As outlined in an April 1 NewsMax article, "Romney to the Rescue," Romney was instrumental in saving the life of the 14-year-old daughter of a fellow Bain Capital partner after she took an overdose of ecstasy and went missing in New York.
"She hugged one of the ladies there, spoke with an ex-con who was doing intake, and then she went to the place where welfare moms were getting trained to find jobs," Towey tells me. "She mingled effortlessly, and no one knew she was first lady. With some people in political life, they walk into a homeless shelter and can't wait to finish the tour and get out because they don't know what to do or say. With Ann, it seemed like she was with family or something."
Towey says Ann is someone who "doesn't talk about her faith — she puts it into action. She's the real deal."
"I think sometimes when you have a person who is as attractive as she is and as appealing as she is, it's hard to believe that they can be as good as she is," says Richard "Bink" Garrison, who currently serves with Ann as a director of the United Way.
There is SO much more. Check out the whole thing here.
Here are some highlights:
"I weigh in on personal characteristics," Ann says. "I have no tolerance for people that are phonies. None. I just know when someone doesn't have the right character. And to me that matters a lot; character matters a lot."
"Both of us are pro-life," Ann says. "But Massachusetts is a pro-choice state." In fact, she says, "He's always personally been pro-life. Given our faith, we obviously believe in God, we believe in the sanctity of life. He was responding to how he thinks the government should be involved in the issue. And Mitt totally thinks it should be turned over and let the states decide, and get the bickering over with."
Meanwhile, as governor, Mitt took pro-life stands, vetoing bills that authorized embryo farming, therapeutic cloning, and access to emergency contraception without parental consent.
On the charge that Mitt is a flip-flopper:
"It's a great campaign tactic by the opposition," Ann says. "They say he flip-flopped on abortion. Well, you know what? He did change his mind. It took courage. I'm really proud of him, to really study an issue and really come to that. That is the only change he's made, and I believe it's a change in the right direction. He hasn't changed his position on anything except choice, and that has been very public, and it has never been a change in his personal philosophy."
"If he's in a meeting and someone doesn't have the right data, hasn't prepared well, they know that they're in trouble," Ann says. "I think he's a bit intimidating that way, because he's so bright he cuts through a lot very quickly. He thinks in hyper-speed, and he expects people to keep up with him, and sometimes they don't."
As outlined in an April 1 NewsMax article, "Romney to the Rescue," Romney was instrumental in saving the life of the 14-year-old daughter of a fellow Bain Capital partner after she took an overdose of ecstasy and went missing in New York.
"She hugged one of the ladies there, spoke with an ex-con who was doing intake, and then she went to the place where welfare moms were getting trained to find jobs," Towey tells me. "She mingled effortlessly, and no one knew she was first lady. With some people in political life, they walk into a homeless shelter and can't wait to finish the tour and get out because they don't know what to do or say. With Ann, it seemed like she was with family or something."
Towey says Ann is someone who "doesn't talk about her faith — she puts it into action. She's the real deal."
"I think sometimes when you have a person who is as attractive as she is and as appealing as she is, it's hard to believe that they can be as good as she is," says Richard "Bink" Garrison, who currently serves with Ann as a director of the United Way.
There is SO much more. Check out the whole thing here.
Mitt Rocks debate party a huge success!
Last Tuesday night, the Mitt Rockers hosted a party to watch the Republican debates. We had great attendance, raised money, and signed up several people to Team Mitt. We found that we were one of almost 1000 parties nationwide.
Some of the conclusions that were reached:
1) Don't mess with Giuliani on 9/11...but you can mess with him on pretty much everything else.
2) McCain, as POTUS, will lead our country like a really powerful senator by "reaching across the aisle" to the other party. In other words, he won't really lead at all, but will give lots of speeches and take fun trips in Air Force One. But don't expect a Reagan-like leader who will take the case to the American people and destroy the democratic party for the next thirty years.
3) McCain is starting to quote Reagan, without giving credit: "Congress spends worse than a drunken sailor" etc...McCain IS Congress...and so is his buddy Kennedy.
4) Romney will lead like a Governor, McCain like a Senator, Rudy like a Mayor during a tragedy, and Thompson like a Ghost.
5) The McCain-Kennedy bill is worse than McCain-Feingold and that's bad!
6) Romney ran against Kennedy, McCain is running with Kennedy!
7) We can't wait for Romney to get his hands on Washington!
Monday, May 21, 2007
Another cigar-puffing lazy guy in the White House?
All we need is another chubby, lazy, undisciplined cigar-chomper in the Oval Office...
Lazy Fred Thompson vs. Hard-Working Mitt Romney
There are 3 reasons work ethic matters in the White House:
1. Without a strong work ethic, you won't GET to the white house. Fred Thompson thinks he can get the nomination with a "virtual campaign", but what about the general election? If we nominate a candidate with no ground troops, how can we win the general election against a well-organized and hard-working opponent with a real ground-game? The answer is that we won't will. We need an organizational powerhouse with an amazing appetite for hard work and a off-the-charts IQ. Yeah, we need Mitt. Alex Castellanos, Mitt's seasoned media guy, said of Mitt Romney “I have worked with many leaders and politicians, including some of the other presidential candidates in the race today, and none of them compares to Mitt’s work ethic nor to his energy level! He is the hardest working guy I have ever known!” http://www.californiansforromney.com/?p=90
2. Americans deserve a hard-working president. Collectively, we Americans put a lot of faith and trust in our president. We EXPECT him/her to work really really hard. Out of the 300 million people in this country, can't we find at least one person who is ridiculously smart and unbelievably hard-working to be our president? Don't we deserve that? The last thing we need is a lazy undisciplined cigar chomper in the Oval Office. (see post above)
3. Lead by example. Think of the various bosses you've had... Did you ever have one that was lazy but expected you to work hard? Didn't that frustrate the heck out of you? Now think of a boss that leads by example - a motivator that demands a lot but also works his/her butt off... That is the way Romney will lead - by example. I can guarantee that his staff and the vast personnel within the executive branch will work harder and do a better job knowing that they will have to answer to someone as hard-working and intelligent as Governor Romney.
Why do I call Fred Thompson lazy?
From http://race42008.com/2007/05/07/lazy-freddie-thompson/
Lazy Freddie Thompson?
One of the knocks against former Senator Fred Thompson thus far in his pre-launched campaign has been that he’s lazy. Washington Monthly magazine says that “his most famous quality is his laziness.” The New Republic has given Thompson the nickname “Lazy Boy”. The Wall Street Journal’s Opinion Journal says, “he had a reputation for being a little lazy.” New York Magazine wrote that “Thompson developed a reputation for being lazy.”
This issue has risen to the forefront again when Thompson told Politico that if he ran, he would rely on technology and on large events so that he could “avoid some of the slogging through the snow in Iowa and New Hampshire that is normally required of White House hopefuls.”
Well, now Jonathan Martin, GOP blogger at the Politico, adds a little more fuel to the fire. He
links to a reporter in the Tennessean who got a hold of a copy of Thompson’s high school yearbook (where he is known as “Freddie”), which may further show his penchant for laziness:
What’s notable from the piece is that the same knock on Thompson now — he’s lazy — is apparently nothing new. Says the high school football coach of the the class clown and lineman at Lawrence County High (Class of ‘60): “He probably could have been a straight-A student if he’d applied himself.”
And Thompson himself appears to admit his penchant for procrastination in his senior yearbook quote: “The lazier a man is, the more he plans to do tomorrow.”
Fair or not, this is a meme that the former Senator is going to have to deal with when he decides to enter the race.
by HeavyM @ 11:22 pm. Filed under
Fred Thompson
1. Without a strong work ethic, you won't GET to the white house. Fred Thompson thinks he can get the nomination with a "virtual campaign", but what about the general election? If we nominate a candidate with no ground troops, how can we win the general election against a well-organized and hard-working opponent with a real ground-game? The answer is that we won't will. We need an organizational powerhouse with an amazing appetite for hard work and a off-the-charts IQ. Yeah, we need Mitt. Alex Castellanos, Mitt's seasoned media guy, said of Mitt Romney “I have worked with many leaders and politicians, including some of the other presidential candidates in the race today, and none of them compares to Mitt’s work ethic nor to his energy level! He is the hardest working guy I have ever known!” http://www.californiansforromney.com/?p=90
2. Americans deserve a hard-working president. Collectively, we Americans put a lot of faith and trust in our president. We EXPECT him/her to work really really hard. Out of the 300 million people in this country, can't we find at least one person who is ridiculously smart and unbelievably hard-working to be our president? Don't we deserve that? The last thing we need is a lazy undisciplined cigar chomper in the Oval Office. (see post above)
3. Lead by example. Think of the various bosses you've had... Did you ever have one that was lazy but expected you to work hard? Didn't that frustrate the heck out of you? Now think of a boss that leads by example - a motivator that demands a lot but also works his/her butt off... That is the way Romney will lead - by example. I can guarantee that his staff and the vast personnel within the executive branch will work harder and do a better job knowing that they will have to answer to someone as hard-working and intelligent as Governor Romney.
Why do I call Fred Thompson lazy?
From http://race42008.com/2007/05/07/lazy-freddie-thompson/
Lazy Freddie Thompson?
One of the knocks against former Senator Fred Thompson thus far in his pre-launched campaign has been that he’s lazy. Washington Monthly magazine says that “his most famous quality is his laziness.” The New Republic has given Thompson the nickname “Lazy Boy”. The Wall Street Journal’s Opinion Journal says, “he had a reputation for being a little lazy.” New York Magazine wrote that “Thompson developed a reputation for being lazy.”
This issue has risen to the forefront again when Thompson told Politico that if he ran, he would rely on technology and on large events so that he could “avoid some of the slogging through the snow in Iowa and New Hampshire that is normally required of White House hopefuls.”
Well, now Jonathan Martin, GOP blogger at the Politico, adds a little more fuel to the fire. He
links to a reporter in the Tennessean who got a hold of a copy of Thompson’s high school yearbook (where he is known as “Freddie”), which may further show his penchant for laziness:
What’s notable from the piece is that the same knock on Thompson now — he’s lazy — is apparently nothing new. Says the high school football coach of the the class clown and lineman at Lawrence County High (Class of ‘60): “He probably could have been a straight-A student if he’d applied himself.”
And Thompson himself appears to admit his penchant for procrastination in his senior yearbook quote: “The lazier a man is, the more he plans to do tomorrow.”
Fair or not, this is a meme that the former Senator is going to have to deal with when he decides to enter the race.
by HeavyM @ 11:22 pm. Filed under
Fred Thompson
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Romney surges ahead in Iowa!
Romney was named the top choice by 30% of Republicans. John McCain got 18%, and Rudy Giuliani was third with 17%.
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070520/NEWS/305200006
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070520/NEWS/305200006
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Rudy and Rupert
Are you getting the same blatantly pro-Giuliani vibe from Fox News that I'm getting?
I'm not big into consipracy theories, but one can't help but question whether the ruler of the Fox News empire, Rupert Murdock, has been able to lerverage his media outlets to help his buddy Rudy Giuliani. I'll just say that it's theoretically possible.
Ted Turner is not someone I generally take seriously, but he did say some interesting things about Rudy and Rupert back in 1998.
Check out this New York Times article:
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani responded yesterday to allegations by the cable entrepreneur Ted Turner about the Mayor's connections to one of Mr. Turner's cable rivals, Rupert Murdoch, calling them ''totally, absolutely false.''
The Mayor dismissed the suggestion that he has a conflict of interest in dealing with Mr. Murdoch's media empire because his wife, Donna Hanover Giuliani, works for a television station owned by Mr. Murdoch.
It was the first time Mr. Giuliani has specifically responded to charges that have emerged from a dispute between Time Warner Inc., the company to which Mr. Turner recently sold Turner Broadcasting, and Mr. Murdoch's Fox News Channel. Time Warner has refused to carry the Fox News Channel on its cable system in New York City, and the Giuliani administration has tried to intercede on Fox's behalf.
The Mayor said that in a deposition Mr. Turner gave to city lawyers on Friday, ''Turner says that Rupert Murdoch was a major political contributor to me. He just makes that up. Rupert Murdoch has never made a political contribution to my campaign of any kind.''
In the deposition, Mr. Turner did not say the Mayor received contributions from Mr. Murdoch. He did say Mr. Murdoch had ''bought the government of New York City.'' He also said Mr. Murdoch, who owns The New York Post, had put the Mayor ''in his pocket'' by endorsing him in a Post editorial and by employing the Mayor's wife as a reporter and anchor on WNYW-TV, Channel 5, which Mr. Murdoch also owns.
Regarding his wife's work on Channel 5, the Mayor said he had received a legal opinion from the city's Corporation Counsel ''that there is absolutely no conflict,'' because she works for ''an entirely independent company.'' The Mayor said he believed Mr. Turner was making false claims to try to make his cable news network the only one available to New Yorkers.
If anyone has further information on this connection, let us know...
I'm not big into consipracy theories, but one can't help but question whether the ruler of the Fox News empire, Rupert Murdock, has been able to lerverage his media outlets to help his buddy Rudy Giuliani. I'll just say that it's theoretically possible.
Ted Turner is not someone I generally take seriously, but he did say some interesting things about Rudy and Rupert back in 1998.
Check out this New York Times article:
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani responded yesterday to allegations by the cable entrepreneur Ted Turner about the Mayor's connections to one of Mr. Turner's cable rivals, Rupert Murdoch, calling them ''totally, absolutely false.''
The Mayor dismissed the suggestion that he has a conflict of interest in dealing with Mr. Murdoch's media empire because his wife, Donna Hanover Giuliani, works for a television station owned by Mr. Murdoch.
It was the first time Mr. Giuliani has specifically responded to charges that have emerged from a dispute between Time Warner Inc., the company to which Mr. Turner recently sold Turner Broadcasting, and Mr. Murdoch's Fox News Channel. Time Warner has refused to carry the Fox News Channel on its cable system in New York City, and the Giuliani administration has tried to intercede on Fox's behalf.
The Mayor said that in a deposition Mr. Turner gave to city lawyers on Friday, ''Turner says that Rupert Murdoch was a major political contributor to me. He just makes that up. Rupert Murdoch has never made a political contribution to my campaign of any kind.''
In the deposition, Mr. Turner did not say the Mayor received contributions from Mr. Murdoch. He did say Mr. Murdoch had ''bought the government of New York City.'' He also said Mr. Murdoch, who owns The New York Post, had put the Mayor ''in his pocket'' by endorsing him in a Post editorial and by employing the Mayor's wife as a reporter and anchor on WNYW-TV, Channel 5, which Mr. Murdoch also owns.
Regarding his wife's work on Channel 5, the Mayor said he had received a legal opinion from the city's Corporation Counsel ''that there is absolutely no conflict,'' because she works for ''an entirely independent company.'' The Mayor said he believed Mr. Turner was making false claims to try to make his cable news network the only one available to New Yorkers.
If anyone has further information on this connection, let us know...
Friday, May 18, 2007
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Romney Now Leading In Iowa. Yep, IOWA!
This is really big news. Iowa sets the stage for the entire country and Romney has just pulled into the lead. I knew America would fall in love with Mitt once they got to know him, I just didn't realize it would happen so fast!
Newsmax Article
Newsmax Article
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Romney Rises to the Top
Another brilliant NewsMax article by Ronald Kessler:
Excerpts from "Mitt Romney Rises to the Top"
Ronald KesslerMonday, May 14, 2007
Suddenly, the mainstream media are taking Mitt Romney seriously.
"60 Minutes" just featured Romney as its lead story Sunday night. Time magazine has Romney on the cover this week. The Romney campaign is besieged with interview requests.
The surge in interest follows Romney's widely perceived "win" in the Republican debate on May 3. A recent New Hampshire poll has Romney leading the GOP pack in the key primary state.
"The last couple of weeks have been important for Mitt Romney in terms of enlarging his presence on the national stage," Eric Fehrnstrom, Romney's traveling press secretary, tells me.
From the beginning, he says, "We expected there would be a long run-up to the time when people around the country got to know Mitt Romney, but that once they did, they would respond positively to his record of leadership in the private sector, running the Olympics and as governor."
Still, the media focus on atmospherics, Romney's Mormon religion, and his change in position on abortion, rather his record of accomplishment and character.
Instead of focusing on these facts, Time devotes almost 40 percent of its coverage of Romney to his religion and the question of whether Evangelicals will vote for a Mormon. Yet, as Time quotes Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's public-policy arm, "Southern Baptists understand they are voting for a commander in chief, not a theologian in chief."
Nor can the New York Times resist taking a dig at Romney by distorting his success story. In a May 12 story, the paper says, "Although he often tells crowds that he started in a ‘small business,' the company [Bain Capital] began with an initial fund of $40 million and eventually controlled billions in assets."
In fact, Romney began Bain Capital with zip: He spent a year raising $37 million to start the company. By investing in companies like Staples even before the office supply firm opened its first store, Romney turned Bain Capital into one of the three or four largest venture capital firms in the world. During the 14 years Romney headed Bain Capital, its annual average internal rate of return on realized investments was more than 100 percent.
Unlike much of the media coverage, the "60 Minutes" portrait of Romney was generally fair. In the interview, Romney went further than he has in the past to point out that the Bush administration made many mistakes in planning for a post-invasion Iraq.
"I think the administration made a number of errors," he told Mike Wallace. "I don't think we were adequately prepared for what occurred. I don't think we did enough planning. I don't think we considered the various downsides and risks."
Romney also deplored the polygamy his ancestors practiced in the 19th century.
"I must admit, I can't imagine anything more awful than polygamy," he said
In fact, among the leading Republican candidates, Romney is the only one still married to his first wife.
Asked if he and Ann Romney violated the Mormon proscription against pre-marital sex, Romney told Wallace, "No, I'm sorry. We don't get into those things." But then Romney said, "The answer is no."
Indeed, Dr. Dane McBride, a friend of Mitt Romney who was a Mormon missionary with him in France, tells me that Romney confided to him before marrying Ann that they planned to consummate their marriage after the ceremony.
"He told me that's what they were going to do," McBride says. "And I assume they did."
The Romneys' abstinence before marriage puts into practice a theme sounded by Ann Romney.
"Ann wants to help young girls make the right choices, which includes waiting until marriage to have children," Fehrnstrom says. "Approximately one-third of all births in this country are to unmarried mothers; this number is close to 70 percent in some of our inner city neighborhoods. Reducing the rate of out-of-wedlock births in this country would be a special focus for Ann Romney as first lady."
On "60 Minutes," Romney demonstrated why he may outshine even Ronald Reagan as the great communicator. Anxious to find a flaw, some commentators like Wallace suggest that may mean he is too perfect.
Asked about that by Jay Leno, Romney said his family may differ with that description.
"I'm far from perfect. ... I can kick back. I can have a good time," Romney said. "But you're not going to hear about it. What goes on in Disneyland stays in Disneyland."
Ronald Kessler is chief Washington correspondent of NewsMax.com. View his previous reports and get his dispatches sent to you free via e-mail.
Excerpts from "Mitt Romney Rises to the Top"
Ronald KesslerMonday, May 14, 2007
Suddenly, the mainstream media are taking Mitt Romney seriously.
"60 Minutes" just featured Romney as its lead story Sunday night. Time magazine has Romney on the cover this week. The Romney campaign is besieged with interview requests.
The surge in interest follows Romney's widely perceived "win" in the Republican debate on May 3. A recent New Hampshire poll has Romney leading the GOP pack in the key primary state.
"The last couple of weeks have been important for Mitt Romney in terms of enlarging his presence on the national stage," Eric Fehrnstrom, Romney's traveling press secretary, tells me.
From the beginning, he says, "We expected there would be a long run-up to the time when people around the country got to know Mitt Romney, but that once they did, they would respond positively to his record of leadership in the private sector, running the Olympics and as governor."
Still, the media focus on atmospherics, Romney's Mormon religion, and his change in position on abortion, rather his record of accomplishment and character.
Instead of focusing on these facts, Time devotes almost 40 percent of its coverage of Romney to his religion and the question of whether Evangelicals will vote for a Mormon. Yet, as Time quotes Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's public-policy arm, "Southern Baptists understand they are voting for a commander in chief, not a theologian in chief."
Nor can the New York Times resist taking a dig at Romney by distorting his success story. In a May 12 story, the paper says, "Although he often tells crowds that he started in a ‘small business,' the company [Bain Capital] began with an initial fund of $40 million and eventually controlled billions in assets."
In fact, Romney began Bain Capital with zip: He spent a year raising $37 million to start the company. By investing in companies like Staples even before the office supply firm opened its first store, Romney turned Bain Capital into one of the three or four largest venture capital firms in the world. During the 14 years Romney headed Bain Capital, its annual average internal rate of return on realized investments was more than 100 percent.
Unlike much of the media coverage, the "60 Minutes" portrait of Romney was generally fair. In the interview, Romney went further than he has in the past to point out that the Bush administration made many mistakes in planning for a post-invasion Iraq.
"I think the administration made a number of errors," he told Mike Wallace. "I don't think we were adequately prepared for what occurred. I don't think we did enough planning. I don't think we considered the various downsides and risks."
Romney also deplored the polygamy his ancestors practiced in the 19th century.
"I must admit, I can't imagine anything more awful than polygamy," he said
In fact, among the leading Republican candidates, Romney is the only one still married to his first wife.
Asked if he and Ann Romney violated the Mormon proscription against pre-marital sex, Romney told Wallace, "No, I'm sorry. We don't get into those things." But then Romney said, "The answer is no."
Indeed, Dr. Dane McBride, a friend of Mitt Romney who was a Mormon missionary with him in France, tells me that Romney confided to him before marrying Ann that they planned to consummate their marriage after the ceremony.
"He told me that's what they were going to do," McBride says. "And I assume they did."
The Romneys' abstinence before marriage puts into practice a theme sounded by Ann Romney.
"Ann wants to help young girls make the right choices, which includes waiting until marriage to have children," Fehrnstrom says. "Approximately one-third of all births in this country are to unmarried mothers; this number is close to 70 percent in some of our inner city neighborhoods. Reducing the rate of out-of-wedlock births in this country would be a special focus for Ann Romney as first lady."
On "60 Minutes," Romney demonstrated why he may outshine even Ronald Reagan as the great communicator. Anxious to find a flaw, some commentators like Wallace suggest that may mean he is too perfect.
Asked about that by Jay Leno, Romney said his family may differ with that description.
"I'm far from perfect. ... I can kick back. I can have a good time," Romney said. "But you're not going to hear about it. What goes on in Disneyland stays in Disneyland."
Ronald Kessler is chief Washington correspondent of NewsMax.com. View his previous reports and get his dispatches sent to you free via e-mail.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Host a Mitt party!
The Mitt rockers are going to host a party this Tuesday the 15th of May. If you want to host your own party please visit mittromney.com for more information.
We will be watching Mitt win his second debate, live on FOXNEWS this Tuesday. If you are friends with either of the Daves, please give him a call (you have the number, right?)
At the party you can make a contribution, or sign up for Team Mitt. Also, there will be snacks and loud applause whenever Mitt lands a sweet line.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Where's Mitt?
Click to see the Washington Post's Mitt Romney campaign tracker:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2008-presidential-candidates/tracker/candidates/mitt-romney/
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2008-presidential-candidates/tracker/candidates/mitt-romney/
Cool-Head--Well Said
Once again, Mitt Romney takes the "high road" by not abruptly rebuffing Rev. Al Sharpton's sharp words concerning religion and the White House. A true leader understands the importance of unerstanding intent and reason before reaching decision. In this case, Romney has once again taken the high road--that's right the high road is the one without any dirt on it.
Taken from Deseretnews.com article:
Listen to audio of the debate.
On Monday, Sharpton said in a debate that "those of us who believe in God" will defeat Romney for the White House. He denied he was questioning the Mormon's own belief in God.
...Rather, the New York Democrat said he was contrasting himself with Christopher Hitchens, the atheist author he was debating at the time. "As for the one Mormon running for office, those who really believe in God will defeat him anyways, so don't worry about that; that's a temporary situation," Sharpton said during a debate with Hitchens at the New York Public Library. Romney's campaign seized on the comments to criticize Sharpton, and the candidate complained about the remarks on Wednesday, calling them "terribly misguided." Asked if he considered the civil rights leader a bigot, Romney demurred. "I don't know Reverend Sharpton," he said. "I doubt he is personally such a thing, but the comment was a comment which could be described as a bigoted comment." Romney added that he was willing to believe Sharpton didn't mean to be offensive. "Perhaps he didn't mean it that way, but the way it came out was inappropriate and wrong," said Romney.
Yea, Mitt Rocks!
Monday, May 7, 2007
Romney, Clinton top NH polls
Take a good look...these are probably our two candidates.
A recent surveyUSA poll has Romney and Clinton with the lead in New Hamshire. Looks like they watched the debates last week. I wonder if the other Republicans will want to avoid future debates with Romney...
*
REPUBLICAN RESULTS:
*
Romney 32%
Giuliani 23%
McCain 22%
Fred T. 11%
*
DEMOCRATS:
*
Clinton 40%
Hussein 24%
Edwards 22%
Friday, May 4, 2007
Mitt Romney: "The Clear Winner"
Seems like the pundits agree: Mitt Rocks!
Plus, see a video compilation of all Mitt's debate answers here:
http://www.mittromney.com/News/Debates/Reagan_Library_California/index:sc=SHQ025?cid=RWIR0504
Politico's analysis, Noonan analysis
The Politico's informal read of the consensus order of finish for last night's GOP Presidential Candidates Debate in the Air Force One Pavilion of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library:
1) Mitt Romney
2) John McCain
3) Rudy Giuliani
4) Mike Huckabee
5) Duncan Hunter
6) Ron Paul
7) Sam Brownback
8) Jim Gilmore
9) Tommy Thompson
10) Tom Tancredo
In other words, Mitt won!
Then, Peggy Noonan had this to say:
If we view the proceedings in vulgar and reductive Who Won, Who Lost terms, and let's, Mitt Romney won, Rudy Giuliani lost, and John McCain is still in. The moderator, Chris Matthews, seemed to think he was on "Hardball" and had to keep the pups, punks and rubes--that would be the candidates--in line. He cut them off--"Congressman, that's time!"--and occasionally hectored. One of the stars was the buzzing clock. It interrupted all thought.
1) Mitt Romney
2) John McCain
3) Rudy Giuliani
4) Mike Huckabee
5) Duncan Hunter
6) Ron Paul
7) Sam Brownback
8) Jim Gilmore
9) Tommy Thompson
10) Tom Tancredo
In other words, Mitt won!
Then, Peggy Noonan had this to say:
If we view the proceedings in vulgar and reductive Who Won, Who Lost terms, and let's, Mitt Romney won, Rudy Giuliani lost, and John McCain is still in. The moderator, Chris Matthews, seemed to think he was on "Hardball" and had to keep the pups, punks and rubes--that would be the candidates--in line. He cut them off--"Congressman, that's time!"--and occasionally hectored. One of the stars was the buzzing clock. It interrupted all thought.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Mitt Romney Wins First Debate
I'm so glad America has seen what an amazing President Mitt Romney will be. After over 16,000 votes, Mitt is the clear winner.
Vote here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18436681/
and here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18421356/
Vote here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18436681/
and here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18421356/
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
NEW POLL NUMBERS: Mitt with 27% increase in 1 month!
If you remember my post below "Chris Matthews is an Idiot - Boycott his show!", you will probably not be surprised that I am frustrated at MSNBC's selection of Matthews as tomorrow's debate moderator. Nevertheless, Mitt, along with the other Republicans, is showing good sportsmanship in agreeing to the debate arrangement (unlike the Democrats who boycotted Fox News).
You may also recall that the Chris Matthews consistently referred to an outlier poll to perpetuate the false notion that Mitt was at only 3% nationally. I showed that the polls averaged just under 8% for Mitt Romney in March.
Now let's look at the April numbers...
Please remember that ALL these polls INCLUDE Newt Gingrich AND Fred Thompson, neither of whom have announced that they will be running.
http://www.pollingreport.com/wh08rep.htm
Results of latest primary polls (all took place in April, 2007):
NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll: 12%
American Research Group poll: 12%
CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll: 10%
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey: 8%
USA Today/Gallup Poll: 9%
Time Poll: 10%
FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll: 10%
ABC Poll: 9%
LA Times: 8%
Romney's Average for all of April: 9.8%
(This is a 27% increase from 7.7% last month)
You may also recall that the Chris Matthews consistently referred to an outlier poll to perpetuate the false notion that Mitt was at only 3% nationally. I showed that the polls averaged just under 8% for Mitt Romney in March.
Now let's look at the April numbers...
Please remember that ALL these polls INCLUDE Newt Gingrich AND Fred Thompson, neither of whom have announced that they will be running.
http://www.pollingreport.com/wh08rep.htm
Results of latest primary polls (all took place in April, 2007):
NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll: 12%
American Research Group poll: 12%
CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll: 10%
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey: 8%
USA Today/Gallup Poll: 9%
Time Poll: 10%
FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll: 10%
ABC Poll: 9%
LA Times: 8%
Romney's Average for all of April: 9.8%
(This is a 27% increase from 7.7% last month)
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Mitt on Jay Leno
While in California for the Thursday evening's Republican Presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Governor Mitt Romney will appear on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on Wednesday, May 2 at 11:30pm in Eastern and Pacific time zones and 10:30pm in Central and Mountain. Make sure to watch Mitt on Leno!
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