Saturday, July 4, 2009
Romney Continues to Do Everything Right
Race 4 2012
Max Twain's Top 15
2012 Presidential Power Rankings
1) Mitt Romney
– Gov. Romney remains in the best position to win the GOP nomination in 2012. He continues to do everything right; good interviews, smart policy critiques of Obama without the red meat attacks, joining the he National Council for a New America, etc. He gave a wide ranging speech on national defense spending and budgets to the Heritage Foundation, the most convincing sign yet that Romney is all in for 2012. Until someone else emerges clicking on all cylinders, he will remain poised as the undisputed front-runner for 2012. The misfortune of many 2012 potential candidates is beginning to make me think Mitt has a voodoo doll collection of GOP upstarts. Their failings are Mitt’s gains, as he looks more and more the solid, intelligent, national leader with each passing day. Palin is just the latest Republican to make Romney look good by default.
Previous Ranking: Romney # 1
Libertarian Republican: The Choice for All Republicans is Mitt Romney
Libertarian Republican:
For 2012, the choice for all Republicans,
including Libertarian Republicans, is now Mitt Romney
(Excerpts only)
by Eric Dondero
Perhaps Sarah Palin will come up with some knock-out explanation for her dropping out yesterday, which would change my mind on things. But I doubt it. As one of her earliest supporters, and as one of the three original "Draft Sarah Palin for VP" people from 2007 (along with Stephen Maloney and Adam Brickly), I gotta say I was truly baffled and dejected by the whole press conference yesterday.
I've got the feeling this morning that she's let her supporters down. Those of us who've stood by her through thick and thin, got only a vague promise of "more to come," and a Twitter in a few days explaining her reasons. Sorry Sarah, but that's not enough. Too late. The balloon is deflated, and unless you come up with some spectacular explanation, this is one staunch supporter of yours who'll be moving on.
Just yesterday I was writing in LR comments how Romney would be the natural choice now for all Republicans. How ironic a Wall Street Journal editorial this morning completely echoing my sentiments.
... [Romney] is a libertarian-leaning Republican, and that's certainly good enough for me. He may be best described as a "Western Conservative," despite his ties to New England, and the upper Mid-West. Recall, Romney kicked ass in just about every primary and caucus West of the Mississippi in 2008, from Montana to Alaska to Nevada to the Dakotas. That's prime libertarian country.
I'm just fine with a Reagan-style Western Conservative as our Party's nominee for 2012, and I'm going to start planning for that inevitability.
Frum: Romney Emerges as Front-Runner
David Frum:
New Majority
Now the steady and diligent Mitt Romney now emerges as the far and away Republican front-runner.
Matt Lewis: Romney Rising
Matt Lewis
Townhall: Romney Rising
(Excerpts only)
And while this GOP collapse may, at first blush, appear to be a bad thing for Republicans, it ironically may help Republicans prevent a nasty primary battle on the right, freeing up Romney to focus his energy on President Obama.I thought both Matt Lewis and A.B. Stoddard had a good take on Palin.
Of course, should the economy recover, Obama may well be unbeatable. But should the economy continue to slump, Romney would be uniquely suited to challenge Obama. After all, prior to becoming Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney ran Bane Capital -- a firm specializing in turning around failing companies.
Moreover, Romney is temperamentally suited to this task, as well. Whereas other Republicans are passionate, Romney (with a few exceptions) relies a bit more on a logical dispassionate approach to politics. In this regard, he is well suited to the times, and more stylistically like Obama than his other potential competitors.
Conflicts arise when there is no clear leader, and this may be the opportunity for Romney to become the de facto leader of the GOP, sooner than anyone thought. It's still a long way off, but Mitt Romney couldn't have planned this any better had he tried ...
You can watch them on Hardball here
(approx 1:30 min mark)
Friday, July 3, 2009
Romney '12 Looks Very Good
Boston Herald:
Gov’s sudden resignation may boost Mitt Romney
Gov. Sarah Palin’s bombshell announcement that she’s stepping down from office this month leaves former Bay State Gov. Mitt Romney as the “clear front-runner” for the 2012 GOP presidential nod, according to several local politicians and observers.
“It’s a shocker,” said former Congressman Peter I. Blute. “I can’t tell what she was thinking, but Mitt Romney looks very good right now because he contrasts well not only with (President) Obama, but also with the other (Republican) candidates.”
David Johnston, CEO of the national polling group Strategic Visions, believes Palin’s sudden resignation “takes her really out of contention in 2012.”
Romney ... is “making all the smart moves. He’s letting everyone else self-destruct while he becomes really the only viable candidate. He is the clear front-runner for 2012,” Johnston said.
The Party Wants and Needs Mitt
Jonah Goldberg
A Letter to Sarah
...there’s a hunger for Republicans who can effectively articulate and sell our policies and philosophy. That’s why the wonks have the upper hand. Mitt Romney, Indiana governor Mitch Daniels, Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, and other hands-on types are what the party wants and, frankly, needs.
Mitt Romney's Statement on Sarah Palin
"I wish Sarah Palin and her family well, and I know that she will continue to be a strong voice in the Republican Party."
Palin Quits
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
>> Watch Palin's full 20+ minute announcement here
Her official statement here
KTUU Alaska reports:
Gov. Sarah Palin will resign her office in a few weeks, she said during a news conference at her home Friday morning. Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell will be inaugurated as her successor the weekend of July 25 in Fairbanks.
Update: Palin links resignation to 'higher calling'
"A Very Good Year" for Mitt Romney
Gerald Seib's article in the Wall Street Journal:
Romney Emerges as Top Issues Play to His Strength
Seib: "A very good year for Mitt Romney"
FYI: Jerry Seib is executive Washington editor of The Wall Street Journal and author of the twice-weekly Capital Journal column.
Proven Strength of Mitt Romney as a Leader
WSJ: Romney Emerges as Top Issues Play to His Strength
By Gerald F. Seib
(Excerpts only, read full article here)
Most Republicans have just finished what might be called the spring of their discontent. Not much went right in the first half of the year; not much to cheer about.
But not Mitt Romney. For this unsuccessful 2008 Republican presidential contender, it is hard to imagine how events could be moving more decisively in his favor in 2009. One can almost hear him wondering: Why didn't things break this way last year?
Let us count the ways that the world has conspired to help Mr. Romney. At a time when the Republican Party is straining to find new leaders, other prominent party members who aspire to that role -- Govs. Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindal and Mark Sanford, and Sen. John Ensign -- have stumbled or, in the case of Gov. Sanford, flamed out in spectacular fashion. Mitt Romney now looks by comparison like the serious adult in the room.
Beyond that, the national agenda is squarely focused on the economy -- which plays to Mr. Romney's strength as a successful businessman --And beyond the economy, what are the other big items on the agenda? Well, one is the auto industry, which happens to play nicely to the Romney background as a Michigander and son of an auto-company executive. The other is health care, which tees up Mr. Romney to talk about the health overhaul he led in Massachusetts while that state's governor. All this leads, inevitably enough, to talk of Mr. Romney already emerging as a leading contender for the party's next presidential nomination.
"He's very genuine when he says he hasn't made a decision about 2012," says Kevin Madden, a close aide during the presidential campaign and part of a small team of informal advisers. "I know him well enough to know that when he makes a decision he goes 100 miles an hour. Right now it's in a lower gear."
In fact, one of the questions Mr. Romney's advisers are wrestling with is how to avoid over-exposure. But more exposure seems certain as the health-care debate heats up in Congress, and Mr. Romney is called upon to compare his health overhaul in Massachusetts to the one Democrats are proposing. He is able to say that his plan incorporated some aspects of overhaul that Democrats embrace -- a mandate that every citizen acquire some form of coverage, for example -- while avoiding the element that Republicans really despise, a government-sponsored insurance plan to compete with the offers of the private sector.
More broadly, Mr. Romney has developed a well-modulated critique of President Barack Obama, one that is tough without sounding harsh.Besides, talk of a presidential candidacy misses the more relevant point. Republicans are looking for a voice to speak for the party in exile, and Mr. Romney is starting fill the role quite nicely.
Yet the most important thing Mr. Romney is doing may lie elsewhere, in the air miles and shoe leather he is investing to help fellow Republicans.
Last year, Mr. Romney's political action committee endorsed 84 Republican candidates for federal office and passed out more than $400,000 in contributions, while Mr. Romney appeared at 34 campaign events for Republican congressional candidates.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Krauthammer: "Romney really is the frontrunner"
Yes. He. Is.
Charles Krauthammer last night on Fox 'Special Report'
Updated w/ video below post
via The Corner:
From last night’s “All-Stars.”
On prospective GOP candidates for 2012:
Romney really is the frontrunner. He has done himself well. He is a grown-up. He knows economics. He's trusted on that.
There is also a tradition among Republicans of nominating the next in line, as we did with George Bush, Sr. in 1988, Dole in '96, and McCain in '08, sort of the last grown-up who was left over from the last campaign.
And I think that Romney has done well. Look, he is the guy who is as clean as clean can get. You are not going to wake up in the morning and discover he is crying in Argentina. This is a solid guy and he's got a record.
Now, as to Palin, I agree entirely with what Mara said. She is—she has star power without any doubt. She has an extremely devoted following. But she is not a serious candidate for the presidency.
She had to go home and study and spend a lot of time on issues in which she was not adept last year, and she hasn't. She has to stop speaking in clichés and platitudes. It won't work.
It could work for eight weeks if you're the number two candidate, as she was last year. But even so, she got singed a lot in that campaign. You cannot sustain a campaign of platitudes and clichés over a year and a half if you're running for the presidency.
FYI: The Vanity Fair article Fred Barnes mentions: It Came From Wasilla
Also -- Chuck Todd talks with the author of the article Todd Purdum here
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Video: Mitt Romney on 'Special Report'
Massachusetts governor has reformed health care in his own state and is critical of the president's nationwide plans
Tonight: Mitt Romney on 'Special Report'
Romney "exemplifies everything that is supposed to be 'American'"
Hip Hop Republican
Mitt Romney: Why He should be our next Commander-In-Chief
by Brandon Brice
In the era of Obama, America has taken a major step forward by electing an African American as our current Commander-in-Chief. So what America has proven is that anyone can be elected, despite race, background, creed or religion. So what about a Mormon?>> keep reading at HHR
...Romney who exemplifies everything that is supposed to be “American”, the emphasizes on family, service, sobriety, hardwork, innovation, emphasis for a strong military defense and supporting a healthcare plan that actually works and is affordable.
GOP Reply: Mitt 2012
In Wake of McCain, Sanford, Ensign:
By Jennifer Donahue
Political Director, New Hampshire Institute Of Politics
Huffington Post
Republicans get hungry fast. Having just digested the lack of leadership in the GOP, mainstream Republicans appear to be coming out of denial. The shock and awe of the election of President Obama, unease over Senator McCain, the leadership of Dick Cheney, Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich has all come fast. But the Sanford and Ensign stories have woken Republicans up.
The bruises are still sore for a Grand Old Party which has come to be seen by a huge new millennial generation as simply, "Old", but Main Street Republicans are starting to stir.
In discussions with Republican men and women, something has replaced the head shaking of a few weeks ago. The have a reply now. And it has nothing to do with Sarah Palin saying if she runs she can beat Obama. It has nothing to do with her at all.
The word is this: Mitt. Tried and true in 2008, getting comfy like the baseball "mitt."
He's running a quiet campaign, the underground kind the national press is not supposed to notice, but reminding voters he is in the hunt. Romney is living largely out of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.
Republicans have more than a little buyers remorse about having nominated Senator McCain.
"If Mitt had been there when the economy went down last year, we'd be in a much better position," or some variation, is what Republicans are echoing now.
What kept him from the support he needed to get that nomination? Indecision. Republican loyalists acknowledge that while they liked his family values, they were concerned about how the country would react to a Mormon candidate.
"I like his values and couldn't care less what religion he is," says a mother in her 40's. "But it's true, I didn't know how it would play in the South and in other places. Now that seems like a small thing."
Having elected an African American President, many Republican voters are wondering if they let the perfect become the enemy of the good when they passed Romney over. Romney's campaign for president was better executed than McCain's, for sure. But McCain was a known entity, a choice made when foreign policy seemed like the main event.
Many of the Republicans who support Romney now liked him in 2008 but talked themselves out of it.
They weren't ready for him; he couldn't close the deal with them. But in a shrinking field, he now seems the elder statesman. He knows it too: not talking about the sensational stories of late. Waiting out the silly season.
If you listen early and hard, you can hear what a party wants. In New Hampshire, Republicans are looking at an opportunity they haven't seen in a long time. A wide open Senate seat as Sen. Gregg exits, an open house seat as Rep. Paul Hodes runs for Gregg's seat, and a seat Republicans feel they can pick up in Rep. Carol Shea-Porter's district.
Add to that the recent passage of gay marriage in New Hampshire, legalization of medical marijuana, and economic pain that is only getting worse as companies let go of hundreds of workers at at time, and you have Republicans seeing red.
New Hampshire is a really good focus group of 1.3 million people for whom politics is never far from their thinking. Take that idea national, and you can get an early read on what Republicans around the country are starting to feel. They smell vulnerable Democrats. In New Hampshire, that's enough to start to organize. And it may provide some clues to the feelings of voters elsewhere too.
Romney Encourages GOP to "Stand Up" to Obama
Fox News:Romney Urges Republicans to 'Stand Up' to Obama's Policies
Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney called on Republicans to "stand up" to President Obama and his policies on the economy, health care and energy, in a wide-ranging interview with FOX News.
At a time when Republicans desperately are searching for a unifying leader and message, and Democrats add to their ranks in Congress, the former Massachusetts governor and 2008 presidential candidate took a no-excuses attitude toward his party.
"I think Republicans have to stand up and make it very, very clear that we run the risk as a nation of having the entire world lose confidence in the currency of the United States and that would lead to something worse than a recession -- that would lead to an extraordinary slowdown globally that would hurt us more than any other," Romney told FOX News Tuesday evening.
He said the GOP has a responsibility, however thin their numbers, to stand up to stimulus spending and excessive government intervention in health care.
"When the stimulus bill is wrong, when it wastes money and threatens the viability of our currency long-term, you have to stand up and say 'no.' When a health care plan says we're going to have the government take over health care which is roughly a fifth of our economy, Republicans are going to have to say 'no' to that," he said.
Romney was at the Massachusetts State House Tuesday night for the unveiling of his portrait as the 70th governor of the commonwealth. It was a reunion for Romney backers from his days in the capital as well as his campaign for president, which some say hasn't really ended.
With the ranks of GOP rising stars thinning as a result of recent scandals and missteps, Romney is frequently talked about as a 2012 contender. Though not playing it up, Romney isn't ruling out another run at American politics' biggest prize.
>> continue reading here
more on health care, cap-and-trade
Portrait of Governor Romney
Photo by John Wilcox, source: Boston HeraldBoston Globe: Romney returns to the State House for a cameo role
Former governor Mitt Romney pulled a blue sheet off an easel last night, revealing a gubernatorial portrait that depicts him wearing a business suit, a slight smile, and what is a first for a State House portrait: a cameo appearance by his wife, Ann.
Romney’s official portrait, unveiled with more pomp than the State House has seen in years, shows the one-term governor leaning on a desk, with two items on it: a photo of his wife and a leather binder that has a medical seal representing the state’s landmark healthcare legislation, approved during Romney’s tenure.
It is the first time a governor’s wife has been included in a Massachusetts gubernatorial portrait.
Report from NECN about the event:
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Ceremony Tonight to Honor Governor Romney
From the Boston Globe:
Romney portrait to be unveiled at State House
The official portrait of former Governor Mitt Romney will be unveiled this evening in a ceremony at the foot of the Grand Staircase in the State House.
New Hampshire artist Richard Whitney painted the one-term governor in what an aide described as an office setting. Following the tradition of other governors, Romney commissioned the work with $30,000 from his state campaign account and will donate the painting to the Commonwealth, said Romney's spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom.
"I don't want to give away any surprises, but it’s a very realistic looking portrait," Fehrnstrom said this morning. "There are some interesting features that I think people will find unique."
The 6 p.m. ceremony is expected to draw 150 to 200 people. Speakers include Romney's former budget chief Thomas Trimarco, former Senate President Robert Travaglini, former Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, and Governor Deval Patrick.
By tradition, Romney's portrait will hang in the outer office lobby of the governor's office.
Monday, June 29, 2009
2Q Deadline: Donate to Mitt's PAC
Midnight on June 30th is the second quarter deadline for donations to Mitt's Free & Strong America PAC. These quarter totals are used to gauge the PAC's strength (and the candidate behind them!)
So let's make sure Mitt's PAC does well, and the candidates he's supporting have what they need to win their elections. The two Governor's races in New Jersey and Virginia this Fall are going to be significant pick-up opportunities for the great candidates that Mitt is supporting. Results in the 2010 races also depend on the groundwork that Mitt's Free&Strong America PAC is working on today.
I just made another donation, and hope you'll join me.
PS> The PAC blog mentioned they still have baseball themed items they'll include for various donation levels as a special thank you for your generous contribution!
Help Chuck DeVore Defeat Barbara Boxer!
Assemblyman Chuck DeVore currently represents the 70th District of the State of California with over 500,000 constituents.
Chuck DeVore is a common sense conservative candidate for United States Senate in 2010 against Barbara Boxer.
Visit: Chuck DeVore for US Senate
Note: My Man Mitt's Justin Hart
is the Director of New Media for the DeVore campaign.
Team Romney Remains At The Ready For 2012
Politico: Mitt Romney's team awaits 2012
by Jonathan Martin
(Excerpts only, read the entire article here)
Mitt Romney says publicly he’s not considering another presidential campaign, most recently on Sunday during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” But many of his loyalists expect one and remain at the ready for 2012.
In addition to the full-time employees the former Massachusetts governor has at his Boston-based Free & Strong America PAC, the early primary states and Washington are filled with former staffers and supporters who are in regular contact with one another.For a primary campaign that ended in defeat, it’s remarkable how much the Romney team has hung together.
The ongoing coordination and alliances serve as perhaps the best reminder that, unlike any of his potential rivals, Romney has a turn-key political apparatus in place and ready for deployment should he decide to run again.
"Having run before for president puts you in a better place to run to run again,” said Terry Nelson, a top GOP strategist and for a time John McCain’s 2008 campaign manager. "He doesn’t have to build an infrastructure or recruit a a national fundraising team.”
Romney may also benefit from the Republican tradition of political primogeniture – the rewarding of the presidential nomination to those who’ve won a place at the head of the line by having run once already.
But GOP observers say that Romney’s stock is rising for two other important reasons –the political climate and his own deft moves since losing the nomination.
After the national security-dominated Bush years, the recession has brought the importance of economic issues into sharp focus.
Following a primary spent trying to navigate the politics of Iraq and a vigorous--and sometimes cringe-inducing--courtship of social conservatives, the issue matrix now favors Romney’s background as a turnaround specialist.
It’s not just the economy in general where Romney finds himself working from a position of strength, but more specifically on issues like health care and the auto industry where Romney can voice informed opposition to President Obama in a way few others in his party are equipped to.
And while other potential 2012 contenders in the party are falling by the wayside because of adultery, Romney loyalists say the father of five’s straight arrow ways suddenly look even more appealing.
“We know everything about the guy,” said one former Romney campaign official. “The good, the bad and the ugly. And it ain’t that ugly.”
Romney is also creating his own good luck.
Ed Gillespie, the former Republican National Committee chairman, saw Romney speak earlier this month at a Virginia GOP fundraiser and came away impressed.“You could have heard a pin drop,” said Gillespie. “And his critique of President Obama was very thoughtful and principled. It was not harsh.”
At a time when Republicans are seeking the right balance in taking on the popular president, Romney’s approach is effective, Gillespie said.
“Part of being a leader in the party is showing people how to talk about these issues, how to effectively challenge the other side,” he said.
Romney’s early moves have paid off in the polls. His favorability rating has grown by 10 points and his unfavorables have plummeted 16 points since he dropped out of the primary in February 2008, according to a Pew poll released last week.
“He’s obviously the frontrunner,” said Mark Salter, a former top aide to John McCain who launched some tough attacks on Romney during the primary.
It’s a sentiment echoed privately by many senior Republicans who see an already-thin 2012 bench getting thinner with the sins of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and Nevada Sen. John Ensign, the departure of Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman to China and the sense that other would-be rivals either won’t run or have become damaged goods.
One potential obstacle doesn’t seem to be at issue anymore: Fehrnstrom said Romney’s wife, Ann, is in good health and cancer-free after having a pre-cancerous growth removed last December...
The consensus among those close to Romney is that his oft-stated mantra about “not closing the door” on a run is about right – he’s watching Obama closely and would be inclined to get in if it seemed like he had a realistic path to victory.
If and when he does, he’ll have a team ready to follow.
“There is a nucleus of people who, should he decide to run, will drop everything and go help him again,” said Madden.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Video I: Mitt Romney on "Meet the Press"
Topic: Stimulus and the Economy
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Video II: Mitt Romney on "Meet the Press"
Topics: Health care and Iraq
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
and on Iraq (2:20 min mark)
Video III: Mitt Romney on "Meet the Press"
Gov. Romney on the "heartbreaking matter" of Gov. Sanford
and on holding people in public life to a higher standard
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Also see: Mitt Romney says govs must 'live by a higher standard'
