Huckabee tapes ad, doesn't show it, then shows it???

Today the Huck held a press conference and said that he had taped a negative ad against Mitt Romney, but then said he would be the "better man" and not air the commercial, but then he played the commercial to all the press at the press conference. I saw it on NBC news at 5:30 pm. I am still trying to find the video online. If you have it, paste the URL in a comment.
Guess what, Huck, that's the same thing as airing the ad. Now all the press are airing out the ad like laundry. Way to shoot yourself in your foot, Mike. Ummmm.... is anyone else as confused as I am. Is he thinking this will drum up support for him? Or is he throwing the election because he bet his salary on himself losing? You can't have that cake and eat it, too. Example given: You can't walk into a bank, and say "I don't have a gun, and I am not robbing this bank" and then slip a note to the teller damanding all the money". It is still technically robbing a bank.

Confused.......

Great New Romney Ad: "Everywhere"

Solid "closing argument" for Romney . . . entitled "Everywhere":

Guest Blog: Why I Support Mitt Romney for President

From a Romney Supporter (who lives and works in Waukee Iowa):

For disclosure sake, my career is no longer made in the world of politics, but I feel so strongly about Mitt Romney, I am inclined to write this email this evening. As a friend and acquaintance, I want to tell you a little about why I am supporting Governor Romney for President. I first met Mitt Romney during the 2004 campaign when he was in Iowa campaigning for President Bush. I was immediately impressed by him, and as 2006 neared and it looked as though he might be thinking of running for President I did some extensive research on him. And, I liked what I found.

I found he was successful in business. His business was to fix broken businesses. He got so good at it, the 2002 Olympics called upon him to fix the Olympics when they were $379 million in debt. Mitt Romney came in and applied the same business models he had used in business to help fix the broken structure of the Olympics, and I think we all remember how successful the 2002 Olympics were, just months after 9/11. His success in the Olympics drew the eye of many at home in Massachusetts, and they asked him to run for Governor. Massachusetts faced immense problems, including a $3 billion debt. Mitt Romney was elected, and applied the same models he had in business, and at the Olympics, and he fixed the problems of Massachusetts without raising taxes or borrowing money, in a state with an 85% democrat legislature. He turned the deficit into a surplus and he put in place private sector health care for all citizens of Massachusetts without raising taxes. His fiscal conservative principles prevailed and turned Massachusetts back around, and got them on the right path again. He also improved the schools to become the best in the nation, stood up for traditional marriage and fought the Supreme Court to preserve marriage as being between one man and one woman only. He stood for life in Massachusetts, where it wasn’t the popular thing to do; but he stood for life because it was the right thing to do. He believes strongly like me that we need to secure our borders, and that children that come to America legally are taught in English.

Over the last couple of years I have gotten to know Mitt Romney as a man of character and integrity. He believes in Strong Families, Strong Economy and a Strong Military. He believes in what we believe in as Iowans; faith, family, hard work and Midwestern values. He has an outstanding record of accomplishment in terms of standing up for Republican values in one of the most liberal parts of America, and proving that Republican principals work. These are just a few reasons why I feel he should be our parties’ nominee. I hope you will help to make him our parties’ nominee by showing up Thursday evening and casting your vote for Mitt Romney in the Iowa Caucus. If you do that, he will be our nominee, and the next President of the United States.

Thanks, and I hope you caucus for Governor Mitt Romney this Thursday evening!

From Rhinotimes.com

We need to determine which candidates are honorable and say what they mean and mean what they say; which candidates know how to make a promise and keep it, no matter what.

I remember back in 1992, as I looked at Bill Clinton, saying to anyone who would listen: If he can't keep his promises to his wife, why should we believe any of the promises he makes to us? And, sure enough, he was in office about 20 minutes before he was breaking promises to almost everyone.

(The only exception was his stand in favor of limitless abortion – which is what won him the silence of the so-called women's movement when he was committing perjury to conceal his exploitation of powerless women.)

His life already revealed his moral character, and we got the president we paid for.

In an election year, we can't possibly guess what future the president will be presiding over. But we can decide what kind of person will lead us through that future, and what moral principles will guide him.

Will it be the person who obviously took bribes but simply denies it?

The person who used public money to conceal an adulterous relationship?

The person who uses religious bigotry as a tool to bring down a front-runner, even as he claims to stand for constitutional values?

The person who claims to champion the poor, but treats ordinary people with disdain when he happens to run into them?

The person who kind of wants to be president but doesn't want to do any of the work required to actually get the office?

I remember commentators nodding wisely and saying that the "character issue" doesn't really matter. I shook my head in despair. If a candidate's character is bad, if they can't be trusted, what does it matter what he or she might promise us?

Look at their life, at their past, at what they actually do. That's how you find out the kind of person you're going to have in charge.

Mitt visits Iowa City at the Hamburg Inn

Mitt Romney stopped thru Iowa City today for a visit at the famous Hamburg Inn restaurant. There were a ton of supporters that turned out, and the amazing thing is that I didn't recognize the majority of them from our other visits. There are Mitt supporters coming out of the woodwork!

Mitt speaking to a local supporter, with our Johnson County Chair in the background!

Mitt and Ann with owner of the Hamburg Inn No. 2

Media Madness!

A supporter and his youngster grabbing a photo op with the future President and First Lady!

A local news station had a video story on the visit today (click here for video), and got some great supporter comments. They highlighted that Huckabee is trying to get some sympathy for being "attacked" and tried to call out Mitt as having run "attack ads" and being "dishonest". Fact remains, Huckabee won't answer to the information in the ads, he'd rather not face the truth, and instead divert attention elsewhere. A local supporter, Stephen Hunter, said it best that "they aren't attack ads, they are comparative and informative". The fact remains, Romney has not attacked anyone's character. Only Huckabee is doing that now. (See story)

Mitt's Iowa polling numbers have now topped over Huckabee in the latest ARG poll, Mitt at 32% and Huckabee at 23%, and Huckabee is resorting to personal attacks about Mitt's "honesty" now, and trying to pull the "victim" card. He's even trying to make an alliance with McCain for some reason. He's as desperate looking as Hilary pulling the "woman" card with her campaign. Ugh! 4 more days. 4 MORE DAYS!

Update on the Mitt Stocking : it's now been signed. Awesome!

If anyone needs info on where to go to vote for Mitt Romney on Thursday, call the campaign office at

866-505-2008

And remember to bring 5 friends to the caucus for Mitt!

Mitt Romney is Dishonest

Or so says Mike Huckabee.



For what it's worth here is the fact check from mittromney.com responding to Huckabee on Meet the Press.

Here is another one setting the record straight on Huckabee's questioning whether or not Mitt can be trusted on abortion or gun rights.

Here's what I'd like from Mike Huckabee. Stick to the issues. If you're going to call Mitt Romney dishonest, you'd better POINT OUT AN ACTUAL EXAMPLE of where he was dishonest.

Here's a two minute video of Mike Huckabee where he never once gets down to the substance of Romney's criticism of his record. He just calls Mitt Romney dishonest and mean.



If he stoops to personal attacks like calling his opponent dishonest he better have something to back it up with.

Mike Huckabee - did you grant 1033 commutations and pardons during your time as governor? If not, what is the actual number of commutations and pardons?

Mike Huckabee - did the Arkansas budget go from 6 billion dollars to 16 billion dollars during your time as governor? If not, what is that actual dollar amount your budget increased during your time as governor?

Mike Huckabee - did you lessen the mandatory sentences for meth dealers, or increase the sentences for meth dealers? Give me some specifics.

What happens when you do a simple fact check on Mike Huckabee's statements about his own record?

Caucus Primer

Due to some technical difficulties, this is a re-post, but a very important one.

CAUCUS PRIMER
We have 4 days to bring along as many voters to caucus for Mitt. Remember this is an extremely tight race, and your vote counts.

Republican caucuses differ from democratic caucuses in Iowa in one important way. Voters show up to caucus, write the name of who they are supporting on a confidential ballot, the votes are counted and that's it. (In the democratic caucus, there is a viability test, and if your candidate does not get enough votes you've got to choose someone else to vote for, which tends to lead to a lot of arguing.)

Find out: WHICH PRECINCT ARE YOU IN?
Follow this link - http://www.sos.state.ia.us/elections/voterreg/PollingPlace/search.aspx

Once you find out your precinct: WHERE DO YOU CAUCUS? A lot of people think they just show up to caucus where they usually go to vote. Not true. Follow this link to find out where your caucus location is: http://www.iowagop.net/countycontacts.asp
You just click on your county, and find your precinct.

SHOW UP TO CAUCUS - Caucus starts at 7:00. You have to be on time. It's best to show up early.

Vote for your candidate. The process takes around 30 minutes. If you have small children, they are welcome at the event (they can't vote) so feel free to bring them along.

If you are not already registered to vote, try to show up by at least 6:30. YOU CAN REGISTER TO VOTE AT THE CAUCUS. I personally know a few students who have lived in Iowa for a few years, and have an out of state drivers license. Doesn't matter. Bring your out of state drivers license, AND A UTILITY BILL. Get registered, no problem.

If you are 17 years old, but will be 18 by the end of October 2008, you can caucus! Come to the caucus, and get registered. If your child is old enough to caucus, encourage them to participate in the process.

CAUCUS MANNERS
Remember that this is America and we all have a right to vote for anyone we want. If somebody supports a candidate you disagree with... remember that it is the candidate you disagree with. Don't show contempt for the supporters of any particular candidate. There are a lot of reasons someone may be supporting a different candidate. You don't know the reasons. The caucus is not the time to get in an argument with anyone. At this point of the game the philosophical arguments are basically over. It's time to tally the votes. Don't do anything mean spirited, or unprofessional in support of your candidate. Remember, on January 4th, somebody will have won, and somebody will have come in 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc... You don't have control of that. You have control of your vote, and your personal actions.

I was at a Mitt Romney rally tonight in Bettendorf. I had some Mormons with me. The consensus was that there weren't hardly any Mormons at the rally. Other than Ann and Mitt. That's good, Mitt has a solid base of support in Iowa.

In each precinct the Romney team has come up with a goal number of votes. In my precinct the goal is 42 votes. That is not very many votes. You can make a huge difference in your precinct if you make the decision to show up and support Mitt. You can also make a huge difference if you bring along somebody to the caucus.

If you own a magical weather machine - arrange for bad weather in Western Iowa.

Romney's Next Iowa Swing!!

Mitt Romney's Strong America Bus Tour

Please Join Governor Mitt Romney as he travels across Iowa to discuss his vision for America . He will be visiting the Hamburg Inn restaurant on Linn Street in Iowa City on Sunday 12/30/07 at 1:30 pm. Please come out and show your support for Governor Romney at the Hamburg Inn! It is a great opportunity to meet Governor Romney before the Iowa caucuses on January 3 ^rd. Bring a friend, too! (Full list of other campaign stops throughout the state are listed below as well).

Please RSVP by e-mailing IowaRSVP@MittRomney.com or calling 866-505-2008

Saturday, December 29^th

*With special guest Senator Jim Tallent

8:45AM Mitt Romney's "Strong America" Bus Stop in Altoona

Coffee House Hollander, 3770 Eighth St. SW , Suite J, Altoona

10:00AM Mitt Romney's "Strong America" Bus Stop in Newton

Midtown Café, 120 1^st St. N. , Newton

11:45AM Mitt Romney's "Strong America" Bus Stop in Pella

Smokey Row Coffee House, 639 Franklin St . , Pella

1:45PM Mitt Romney's "Strong America" Bus Stop in Oskaloosa

Smokey Row Coffee House, 109 S Market St . , Oskaloosa

3:15PM Mitt Romney's "Strong America" Bus Stop in Ottumwa

Bridgeview Center , Meeting Rooms, 102 Church St . , Ottumwa

6:15PM Mitt Romney's "Strong America" Bus Stop in Burlington --Caucus Rally

Burlington Golf Club, 2124 Sunnyside Ave. , Burlington

Sunday, December 30^th

*With special guest Mrs. Ann Romney

12:00PM Mitt Romney's "Strong America" Bus Stop in Columbus Junction

Columbus Civic Center, 232 2^nd St. , Columbus Junction

1:30PM Mitt Romney's "Strong America" Bus Stop in Iowa City

Hamburg Inn, 214 N Linn St . , Iowa City

3:00PM Mitt Romney's "Strong America" Bus Stop in Mt. Vernon

Fuel and Nest, 103 1^st St. E. , Mt. Vernon

4:30PM Mitt Romney's "Strong America" Bus Stop in Moscow

The Cove, 1288 307^th St . , Moscow

6:45PM Mitt Romney's "Strong America" Bus Stop in Bettendorf --Caucus Rally

The Lodge, Mozart Room, I-74 at Spruce Hills Dr . , Bettendorf

Monday, December 31^st

*With special guest Congressman Bob Beauprez

8:00AM Mitt Romney's "Strong America" Bus Stop in Clinton

Happy Joe's, 408 S 1^st St . , Clinton

10:00AM Mitt Romney's "Strong America" Bus Stop in Bellevue

Potter's Mill, 300 Potter Dr . , Bellevue

12:15PM Mitt Romney's "Strong America" Bus Stop in Dubuque

Midway Hotel, Julien Room, 3100 Dodge St . , Dubuque

2:15PM Mitt Romney's "Strong America" Bus Stop in Manchester

Cedar Lodge, 205 S 12^th St . , Manchester

3:30PM Mitt Romney's "Strong America" Bus Stop in Independence

Bill's Pizza and Smoke House, 201 1^st St. W. , Independence

5:45PM Mitt Romney's "Strong America" Bus Stop in Waterloo --Caucus Rally

Galleria De Paco Lounge Space, 622 Commercial St . , Waterloo

Vote For Romney!!

Go over to The Real Sporer and Vote for Mitt in the poll on the left sidebar.
(and Cyclone Conservatives has a poll to and Don over there always has some astute analysis)

On the Media and the GOP Primary

This has been a very interesting race to watch. Within the last few weeks two GOP candidates (Mike Huckabee and John McCain) have come from relative obscurity and into contention for the nomination. They had both spent months on end out of the media limelight (cross-hairs) that usually accompanies the GOP front-runner(s) . It's like they've been drafting at the back of the pack of cyclists, without ever taking their turn up front where the pedaling is more difficult. Having evaded the negative headlines for months has proven beneficial for both.

Much has been said/argued about Huckabee's rise . . . and it's clear that the DNC/MSM axis has held much of their fire seeing him as an "easy kill" in a general election. But what of McCain?

McCain's rise was PRECEDED by newspaper endorsements from the Des Moines Register, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and the New Hampshire Union-Leader. TV and print journalists were obviously impressed and joined on the "comeback-kid" praise McCain bandwagon. Thomas Alan at ElectRomneyIn2008.com/ComMITTed to Romney expanded on how the McCain surge has been completely media created and driven. The editorial boards in New Hampshire have praised McCain and bashed Romney with regularity over the last week. And don't even get me started on how cable news outlets have been fanning the flames of McCain's surge and shouting nothing but negativity about Romney.

Does the MSM have power? Of course they do, but how they choose to wield it is the more important point. They know they have power/influence. As proof, just today I saw Chuck Todd (NBC's political director) actually admit on Hardball with Chris Matthews: "If John McCain comes in third in Iowa, we in the media, will carry him to a win in New Hampshire." (his assumption was that Huckabee would beat Romney in Iowa). That arrogance just inflames me.


But isn't there an inherent danger in being a media-created contender? Do we want to choose a nominee that has the media constantly plugging and defending them during the GOP primary? If they're in need of it now to rise in the polls do you think they can count on that during the general election? Absolutely not! The same media that is pumping McCain in NH and elsewhere is not going to be behind him if he's the nominee. You can take that one to the bank.



Instead, how about having a candidate that's been routinely savaged by the media with personal character attacks, gross distortions of his record, and misleading propaganda? How about one that has been has been target #1 for the DNC (drawing more press-release attacks than McCain, Thompson and Huckabee COMBINED!)? Maybe the one who has been THE MAIN TARGET OF EVERY OTHER GOP CANDIDATE FOR MONTHS ON END? Or one that has yet to draw an endorsement from a liberal newspaper's editorial board? Which do you think will have a better chance in the general election . . . the one who's a front-runner DESPITE the MSM coverage or the one(s) that's a challenger BECAUSE of the MSM coverage? I think the answer to that is clear. I'd want the guy who's truly battle-tested.

I can only hope that the voters in Iowa and New Hampshire can see thorough the MSM's distortions and look at the actual records and capabilities of the candidates. If they do that, it's clear to see that Romney will win in a landslide.

A Romney Christmas Surprise

I have the coolest Christmas Stocking ever! My sister made this for me and surprised me with it on Christmas Morning filled with wonderful gifts! Best sister ever! You are all free to be jealous now......

Iowa City Press-Citizen half-endorses Huckabee? They are playing by the DNC rules again

The Iowa City Press-Citizen half-endorsed Huckabee. (click here for full text of that so-called-half-endorsement) How does that work? Let me explain.
First start out with the fact that you are a well known liberal newspaper, and you are willing to follow the DNC's rules regarding all positive press for Huckabee.
Second, get your feelings hurt that no other candidates besides Ron Paul took the time for a phone interview with your editor's board (not a surprise considering the newspapers leftist reputation). Take a look at who did speak with them: Huckabee who is benefiting from the lefty media to boost his campaign, and Paul who is harvesting much of his support from disgruntled democrats anyways).
Third, come to an agreement that you as a newspaper will endorse Huckabee.
Fourth, realize that he's a terrible candidate anyways, and include a list of bad attributes in the endorsement to accompany the good aspects. What?? This is where I get lost. Anyone who is not 100% behind someone doesn't really count as an endorsement in my mind.
Fifth, have the lack of judgement to publish all of this for everyone to read.

The outcome:
A. Their loyal media zombies (those who believe anything in a paper or on the network news) who read the paper will feel good about themselves for being a democrat, knowing that the GOP doesn't have a single candidate worthy of a full endorsement.
B. The conservative media zombies who read and who don't know who to vote for yet will want to vote for the Huck, and will possibly take the time to skip the Orange Bowl and go out to vote (if they can find their precinct due to a lack of info on that aspect of caucusing).
C. The true conservatives saw this shenanigan coming from 3 weeks ago and sit back for a chuckle as they watch the media try to set up a sure-fire-win in 2008 by foolishly pushing Huckabee to the front of the presidential Lunch Line! Those same true conservatives have Mitt Romney set in their minds and have been active in this process since the straw poll, and know exactly when and where to go on 1/3/08 to cast their vote for Mitt Romney. Those same voters know what else to do that night after the voting to ensure a solid win for Romney in Iowa!

link: http://press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071219/OPINION03/712190311/1018

The True Fiscal Conservative in the Race . . . Mitt Romney

A Press Release From the Campaign

Governor Mitt Romney: "I don't think that the Democrats are right when they say that they're planning on raising taxes, that'll somehow make us stronger. I think that'll hurt our economy. Raising taxes slows the economy down. I want to keep taxes down. That was the first lesson of Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan 101: bring taxes down, that will grow the economy and allow us to have better jobs and a better future. And so I want to keep our taxes down." (Gov. Mitt Romney, Remarks, Conway, NH, 12/22/07)

Governor Romney Has A Record Of Fighting For Lower Taxes In Massachusetts:

The Club For Growth: Governor Romney's Record Includes "Solid Efforts To Promote Pro-Growth Tax Policy." "That said, Governor Romney's single term contained some solid efforts to promote pro-growth tax policy." (The Club For Growth, "Mitt Romney's Record On Economic Issues," Press Release, 8/21/07)

- Massachusetts Citizens For Limited Taxation Executive Director Barbara Anderson: "There was no one else out on the horizon and with the legislature almost entirely Democratic, we felt it was necessary to have a grown-up in the corner office. ... And we were right to back him. He's been a really good friend to the taxpayers." (Shawn Macomber, "Mighty Mitt Romney," The American Spectator, 3/06)

- Beacon Hill Institute Executive Director David Terck: Governor Romney Did "Hold The Line On Taxes In Every Significant Sense." (Fox News' "Journal Editorial Report," 3/31/07)

CAPITAL GAINS TAXES: Governor Romney Turned The Legislature's $250 Million Retroactive Capital Gains Tax Increase Into A $250 Million Tax Refund. (Governor Mitt Romney, Remarks At The Conservative Political Action Conference, Washington, D.C., 3/2/07)

INVESTMENT TAX CREDIT: Governor Romney Signed An Economic Stimulus Package Making The Investment Tax Credit (ITC) Permanent. (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Romney Signs Economic Stimulus, Supplemental Budget Bills," Press Release, 11/26/03)

PROPERTY TAX RELIEF: Governor Romney Proposed And Signed Legislation Providing Property Tax Relief To Senior Citizens, Enabling Them To Keep Their Homes. (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Romney Signs Bill To Give Seniors Tax Relief," Press Release, 11/20/05)

2004 SALES TAX HOLIDAY: Governor Romney Enacted The State's First-Ever Sales Tax Holiday In 2004. (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Romney Promotes Tax-Free Shopping Day On Saturday," Press Release, 8/14/04)

2005 SALES TAX HOLIDAY: Governor Romney Enacted A Second Sales Tax Holiday. (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Romney, Dimasi, Hart Promote Tax-Free Shopping Weekend," Press Release, 8/14/0)

BIOTECH MANUFACTURING JOBS TAX REBATE: Governor Romney Proposed And Enacted A Tax Rebate For Manufacturing Jobs Created In The Biotechnology, Life Sciences And Medical Device Fields. (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Romney Signs Economic Stimulus, Supplemental Budget Bills," Press Release, 11/26/03)

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT TAX CREDIT: Governor Romney Proposed And Enacted An Expansion Of The Research And Development Tax Credit. (Jay Fitzgerald, "Gov Nearly Halves Package; Rebellious Legislators Vow To Override Stimulus Vetoes," The Boston Herald, 11/27/03)

LOW-INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT: Governor Romney Extended The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit. (Jessica Fargen, "Romney Pegs Courthouses For Repair Money," The Patriot Ledger, 8/11/04)

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS TAX RELIEF: Governor Romney Ended The Prescription Drug Tax Which Fell Disproportionately On Seniors. (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Romney Signs No New Tax Budget In Time For New Fiscal Year," Press Release, 6/30/03)

COMMUTER TAX RELIEF: Governor Romney Signed Legislation Allowing Commuters To Deduct Transportation Costs From Their Income Taxes. (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Governor Romney Signs $25.2 Billion FY 2007 State Budget," Press Release, 7/8/06)

VETERANS TAX RELIEF: Governor Romney Signed Legislation Providing Disabled Massachusetts Veterans With Extensive Tax Exemptions. (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Romney Expands Tax Benefits For Disabled Veterans," Press Release, 8/14/06)

HOME HEATING OIL DEDUCTION/ENERGY EFFICIENT CREDIT: Governor Romney Signed Legislation Giving Homeowners A Deduction Of Up To $800 For Home Heating Costs And Providing A One-Time Credit For Homeowners Who Purchase Energy Efficient Heating Products. (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Romney Signs Legislation To Provide Energy Price Relief And Increase Conservation," Press Release, 11/22/05)

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: Governor Romney Proposed And Enacted A Refundable Tax Credit To Promote Development At The Former Fort Devens U.S. Army Base. (Stephen Heuser, "$660M Drug Plant, 550 Jobs For Mass.," The Boston Globe, 6/2/06)

FIRE SAFETY TAX DEDUCTION: Governor Romney Proposed And Enacted A Tax Deduction For Businesses Installing Automatic Sprinkler Systems To Enhance Fire Safety. (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Romney Signs Into Law Landmark Fire Safety Legislation," Press Release, 8/17/04)

CONFORMITY TO FEDERAL INCOME TAX CODE: Under Governor Romney, Massachusetts Was Brought Into Conformity With The Federal Code, Providing Massachusetts Taxpayers With A Range Of Credits, Exemptions and Deductions Previously Unavailable To Them. (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Romney Urges Taxpayers To File For New Tax Breaks," Press Release, 1/24/06)

MEDICAL DEVICE TAX CREDIT: Governor Romney Enacted Legislation Providing A Tax Credit For User Fees Paid By Medical Device Manufacturers to The U.S. Food And Drug Administration. (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Romney Expands Tax Benefits For Disabled Veterans," Press Release, 8/14/06)

MOTION PICTURE TAX CREDIT: Governor Romney Signed Legislation Providing Tax Incentives For Movie And Television Production In Massachusetts. (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "'Lights, Camera, Action!' In Massachusetts," Press Release, 11/23/05)

BROWNFIELD REDEVELOPMENT TAX CREDIT EXTENTION: Governor Romney Signed Legislation Extending The Tax Credit For Brownfield Site Redevelopment. ("Campaign Notes," The Berkshire Eagle, 7/8/06)

HISTORIC REHABILITATION TAX CREDIT: Under Governor Romney, The Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Was Created Which Provides A Tax Credit For The Renovation Of Historic Buildings. (The General Court Of The Commonwealth Of Massachusetts, Chapter 141 Of The Acts Of 2003, "An Act Relative To Investments In Emerging Technologies To Promote Job Creation, Economic Stability And Competitiveness In The Massachusetts Economy")

Governor Romney Has Proposed A Pro-Growth Tax Agenda That Includes:

Making The Bush Tax Cuts Permanent. Governor Romney believes making the Bush Tax Cuts permanent is the first step to ensuring that Americans are able to keep more of their hard-earned money. (Romney For President, "Strategy For A Stronger America: A Conservative Blueprint To Lower Taxes," Press Release, 10/4/07)

Rolling Back Tax Rates Across The Board For All Americans. As President, Governor Romney will cut marginal tax rates across the board, allowing all Americans to save more money. This approach is fair, simple and extends the pro-growth benefits of tax rate cuts to all Americans. (Romney For President, "Strategy For A Stronger America: A Conservative Blueprint To Lower Taxes," Press Release, 10/4/07)

Making Middle Class Savings Tax Free. Governor Romney's plan will allow middle class Americans to save tax free by changing the tax rate on interest, capital gains and dividends to absolutely 0%. By helping more Americans save and invest, we can meet the challenges of an aging population and ensure the financial security of America. (Romney For President, "Strategy For A Stronger America: A Conservative Blueprint To Lower Taxes," Press Release, 10/4/07)

Killing The Death Tax. It is unfair to tax the American people three times: once when they earn their money; second when they invest it and receive income from those investments; and third when they die. (Romney For President, "Strategy For A Stronger America: A Conservative Blueprint To Lower Taxes," Press Release, 10/4/07)

Making Our Corporate Tax Rate Must Be Competitive With The Rest Of The World. The United States has the second highest corporate tax rate in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. We simply cannot afford for future economic growth to have a tax rate that is out of alignment with the other major economies of the world. (Romney For President, "Strategy For A Stronger America: A Conservative Blueprint To Lower Taxes," Press Release, 10/4/07)

Opposing Any Increase In Social Security Taxes. We can strengthen Social Security without resorting to higher Social Security taxes that will impact all Americans. Governor Romney will oppose any proposed increase in Social Security taxes. (Romney For President, "Strategy For A Stronger America: A Conservative Blueprint To Lower Taxes," Press Release, 10/4/07)

Making Qualified Medical Expenses Tax Deductible. Governor Romney supports the full deductibility of qualified medical expenses, which will allow Americans to deduct the cost of their health insurance and out-of-pocket medical expenses, where accompanied by at least catastrophic insurance. (Romney For President, "Strategy For A Stronger America: A Conservative Blueprint To Lower Taxes," Press Release, 10/4/07)

Preventing The Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) From Hurting More American Families. At the very least, Congress must pass a patch to the AMT that will prevent this tax from affecting more and more families in America. (Romney For President, "Strategy For A Stronger America: Real Conservative Solutions," Press Release, 12/13/07)

Governor Romney Has Always Supported The Bush Tax Cuts:

Governor Romney Called The President's Tax Relief A "Powerful" Economic Tool. "Like Rhode Island, Massachusetts is heavily Democratic; John Kerry of the Bay State will sweep both places in November. I asked Romney how it helps Massachusetts that Bush is president. 'It helps America to have George Bush as president, and Massachusetts is part of America – still,' he chuckled. He said Bush, using the 'powerful' tool of a tax cut, has worked hard to stimulate the economy." (Charles Bakst, "Mitt Romney To Have His Moment In The GOP Spotlight," The Providence Journal, 8/31/04)

At The Republican National Convention, Governor Romney Praised Fiscally Conservative Government That "Leaves More Money In The Hands Of The Taxpayers." "We step forward by insisting on Ronald Reagan's vision of a compassionate and fiscally conservative government that promotes the opportunity of ownership and leaves more money in the hands of the taxpayers." (Governor Mitt Romney, Remarks At The Republican National Convention, New York City, NY, 9/1/04)

At A 2002 Fundraiser, President Bush Advocated Making The Tax Cuts Permanent Saying "I Know Romney Feels The Same Way." PRESIDENT BUSH: "They also need to make sure the tax cuts are permanent. Let me tell you my thoughts about tax relief. When your economy is kind of ooching along, it's important to let people have more of their own money. Here's the page out of the textbook that I believe is important. I know Romney feels the same way. If you let somebody keep more of their own money, they're likely to demand a good or a service. And when they demand a good or a service in this system, somebody is likely to produce that good or a service. And when somebody produces that good or a service, somebody is more likely to be able to find work." (President George W. Bush, Remarks At A Massachusetts Victory 2002 Reception, Boston, MA, 10/4/02)

- Mitt Romney: President Bush Knows How To Stop Those Who Want To Raise Taxes. MITT ROMNEY: "We have to make sure that we have that battle cry here today as well because there are some people who would get the bus going back to 'Taxachusetts' and this man [President Bush] knows how to stop that kind of stuff." (Mitt Romney, Remarks At A Massachusetts Victory 2002 Reception, Boston, MA, 10/4/02)

Campaign Update

Please join Governor Mitt Romney along with Mrs. Ann Romney and former Congressman Bob Beauprez of Colorado as they bring the “Strong America” bus tour to Eastern Iowa. These stops will be Governor Romney’s last before the Iowa Caucus on January 3^rd! Friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers and more than welcome to join!

Sunday, December 30^th

Mrs. Ann Romney joins Governor Romney

4:15 pm Mitt Romney’s “Strong America” Bus Stop in Cedar County

The Cove Restaurant

1288 307^th St

Moscow, IA

6:45 pm Mitt Romney’s “Strong America” Bus Stop in Bettendorf

The Lodge, Mozart Room

I-74 at Spruce Hills Dr

Bettendorf, IA

Monday, December 31^st

Congressman Bob Beauprez joins Governor Romney

8:00 am Mitt Romney’s “Strong America” Bus Stop in Clinton

Happy Joe’s

408 S. 1^st St

Clinton, IA

9:45 am Mitt Romney’s “Strong America” Bus Stop in Bellevue

Potter’s Mill

300 Potter Dr

Bellevue, IA

12:00 pm Mitt Romney’s “Strong America” Bus Stop in Dubuque

Midway Hotel, Julien Room

3100 Dodge St

Dubuque, IA

cbouziden at mittromney.com
All events are free of charge and open to the public. I hope you and your family have a safe and Merry Christmas! For all events RSVP to cbouziden @mittromney.com

**Remember to vote for Mitt Romney at your Caucus on January 3rd at 7 pm and bring a photo ID!**

"Straight Talk" McCain-Style

Lest anyone accuse us of focusing all our fire on Huckabee . . . we present the following.



Ouch, Ouch, Ouch, Ouch, and Ouch!

George Romney/MLK March . . . My 2 cents

A little independent research via Google can apparently get better "fact-checking" than the MSM reporters can.

You've probably heard before that two eyewitnesses have come forward and said that they saw George Romney and MLK march together. Well, now FOUR historical books have confirmed the same thing. Also, Mitt's brother, Scott states that he heard his father say that he had marched with MLK (in that same last link).

My scientific background also reminds me that positive evidence (like the two lady eyewitnesses' claims, or the 4 books cited) is always stronger than negative evidence ("I didn't see them together" or "newspaper columns of the time failed to confirm").

It is not out of the realm of possibility that, despite all this evidence to the contrary, they did not march in the same parade. But with historical books and records getting it wrong it's hard to claim that Romney "fabricated this out of whole cloth" like opponents are implying. I think most rational people are willing to not get caught up in the figurative use of the word "saw" when we can all "SEE" that George Romney was truly a champion of civil rights (the silver lining in this whole affair).

Regarding the 1978 quote that apparently Romney said that he marched with his dad and MLK through the streets of Detroit . . . well, given the apparent lack of journalistic accuracy in this whole affair I'm afraid that I wouldn't be surprised if it was a complete misquoting of Romney. However, if he did in fact say that, then at least he hasn't propagated or inflated that error in the intervening three decades (something that serial liars/exaggerators cannot help but do . . . the stories usually get better and better with time!!).

Update . . . A Harper's Magazine article from 1967 stated that George Romney and MLK marched together. You need a subscription to read the PDF. Here's the search results which gives some of the text and the relevant quote is:

"When the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King marched in Detroit three years ago, Romney marched with him. He is proud that he helped write a state constitution that has the most comprehensive civil-rights guarantees in the nation, including open occupancy in housing."

Good post over at Redstate

I started posting on this blog because I was tired of all the going after Huckabee, and not explaining why Romney was the right man to be POTUS.

But it's just so EASY!

Here is a link to a thread over at REDSTATE discussing some questionable speaking engagements during the campaign. I'm just cutting and pasting the money quotes.

So, here's the thing. An email was sent to the International Speakers Bureau seeking to get a Huckabee speaking engagement. Here's the response back:

From: "Rosalie Jefferson"
Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2007 18:50:01
Subject: Mike Huckabee

Thank you for your inquiry regarding booking Mr. Huckabee for your upcoming event.

Due to the ongoing Presidential campaign, Mr. Huckabee is not accepting speaking engagements.

If you would like to consider other political figures who are not currently running for office, please let me know your budget and I will be delighted to send you bios and fees accordingly.

Happy Holidays,

Rosalie Jefferson
Content Consultant
International Speakers Bureau

A second email was sent to the ISB *specifically* inquiring about Huckabee speaking at a church. Now it gets interesting:

Hi,

I would be happy to help you with Mike Huckabee. He charges a minimum of $25,000 per engagement plus expenses and he can not address anything to do with his running for President.¹ Do you have a date in mind for your event?

Kind regards,
Emily

Emily Boyd
International Speakers Bureau/Worldwide

So, Huckabee, even though campaigning for President, makes $25,000.00 per engagement plus expenses to speak at churches, but not to general audiences. And he gets the income from the events (not that I blame him because he'd otherwise be unemployed and needs to pay this off).

But how many other candidates are making personal money on the campaign trail? And why milk churches, but no one else? On Face the Nation this morning, Huckabee said, well, from Mark Kilmer's review of the shows:

Mike Huckabee said that he's going to change the Republican Party because it needs to be changed, to be more inclusive of those with less.

It seems to me that Mike Huckabee is not just trying to drive church voters into the polls for him, but he's trying to get their wallets while he's at it.

A Contrast in Scrutiny

Mitt Romney has come under fire repeatedly for 'flip flopping'. Here is a story from Powerline Blog contrasting Romney's record to Barack Obama. It's pretty obvious that the flip flop meme tagged to Romney is hyped up compared to other people in the race. Barack Obama has made significantly larger 'flip flops. We're not even going to talk about Hillary Clinton right now. Why does Romney get hammered for being a flip flopper when Barack Obama gets a pass? The mainstream media, and Romney's not so subtle primary opponents are trying to use the issue to bring him down.

Romney's record has already received ample scrutiny. If Mitt says the slightest thing that isn't spot on he gets hammered. - (Recall the recent brouhaha over Mitt's comments regarding George Romney marching with Martin Luther King as an example.) He came through the 'scandal' looking better than before.

Contrast how Mitt looks under scrutiny to how Governor Huckabee endures scrutiny. Here's another story over at Powerline Blog talking about how the closer you look at Mike Huckabee's clemencies and pardons the more obvious it is that he isn't the compassionate advocate for his constituency that he claims. Huckabee's defense of his pardons and clemencies becomes less persuasive day by day.

Sioux City Journal Endorses Romney (and Obama)

Nice news out of western Iowa (this is Rep. Steve King's district) where Huckabee's stronghold is (and Fred is fighting for some of that base).

Endorsement done via video.

Text available as well.

"We sought to identify the two candidates we feel best combine a new voice with a strong vision of the future on key issues facing the country. Also, we chose candidates we feel possess integrity, who can lead, who can forge consensus and who will run positive, issue-oriented campaigns.

"We believe the two candidates we have endorsed have a unique ability to inspire and motivate our country to meet the significant challenges we face."

. . .

"From the Republican field, the Sioux City Journal endorses Mitt Romney. Romney combines an outsider's new face with a proven track record of success in both the private and public sectors.

"As a businessman, the president and chief executive officer of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and governor of Massachusetts, he has demonstrated an ability to bring people together and bridge partisan divides, organize, mobilize and motivate in order to solve problems. In short, he combines an engaging personality with the leadership qualities necessary to inspire others to follow him.

"Let's be honest, a candidate for president can prepare volumes of detailed ideas, but if he or she is a polarizing figure within the halls of Congress or devoid of the personal traits necessary to get Americans to listen and act, those plans don't have a chance of success."

Granted, I don't put much stock in these kind of endorsements . . . but it's better that this goes to Mitt than another candidate. Also, the convincing argument they lay out for Mitt may sway some people Romney's way. Who knows?

I Don't Trust Huckabee To Be Persuasive

There are several groups out there unaffiliated with, but supportive of the Huckabee campaign who are going negative in remarkably unbecoming ways. I'm intentionally leaving out the links in this paragraph, and not naming names. Mike Huckabee has gone on record saying that he wishes that they would stop.

They haven't stopped. Mike Huckabee can't even persuade his own people.

Mike Huckabee hasn't been persuasive enough to convince Rush Limbaugh that he (Huckabee) is a conservative.

Mike Huckabee isn't winning a lot of support even among potential allies on foreign policy.

Does Huckabee remind you of someone?

How exactly does Mike Huckabee plan on building a coalition to implement the fair tax?

How exactly does Mike Huckabee plan on getting support for that National Smoking Ban that he supports?

How exactly does Mike Huckabee plan on persuading fence sitting northeast independent voters to support traditional marriage?

How exactly is Mike Huckabee going to persuade Iran to become a good global citizen?

Remember last time we tangled with Iran when a policy lightweight was in the white house? Jimmy Carter was lacking the cojones to deal with the American hostages in Iran, so Ross Perot did it instead. On his own. Because two of the hostages were his employees.

I don't see how a candidate who can't convince his own supporters to lay off their counterproductive negative tactics can convince 50 unique states to unite and solve the problem of illegal immigration.

Rush Limbaugh's UNdorsement of Mike Huckabee (Sutbly Recommends Mitt, Fred, and Duncan Hunter)

Rush Limbaugh Slams Huckabee for 3 hours:
(coverage here, here, here, here, and here) . . . THIS IS HUGE FOLKS!!! RUSH'S DENUNCIATION OF HUCK WILL SOLIDIFY THE HUCKABUST AND HE WON'T BE ABLE TO SLOW HIS DOWNWARD TRAJECTORY.

Check out these quotes from the Friday 12/21 show (first segment here):

I think Rollins and his candidate need to stick to the issues. They need to stick to the record. They need to stop with this Clintonesque spinning that they're doing out there. You know, McCain's starting to look better to me than this guy -- and that's saying something! More I see what Huckster's -- Huckabee's (laughs) record was in Arkansas, there's a lot of liberalism in there. There certainly isn't a lot of Reaganism in there, and I think that the Huckabee campaign is trying to dumb down conservatism to comport with his record, and now they focus on me, challenging me on a personal level here like the libs do.

. . .
So, I see some similarities here in the Huckabee campaign and Perot. You know, Perot, Whitman, Ed Rollins? I guess if you listen to the Huckabee people, Bill Buckley has been read out of the movement by Huckabee as well since he's lived in Connecticut and he's worked in New York. Who is this campaign to be defining who is or who is not a conservative? I never heard of Huckabee in an important ideological way before this campaign got going, and believe me, I know who the conservatives are out there. So this elitism they keep talking about... When they're talking about the New York-DC axis, the codeword there is for "elites." It's the elites who want open borders, not middle America. It's the elites who want higher taxes -- and this is Huckabee's campaign. It's elites who want to talk to the Iranian regime, not middle America. It's the elites soft on crime, want to release criminals from prison, not middle America. Look at what Schwarzenegger is doing out there, because of a budget shortfall. If we can choose a candidate... This is my only point, folks. If we can choose a candidate who is pro-life and anti-same-sex marriage and good on national security, illegal immigration, taxes, and spending, why shouldn't we choose that candidate? Why do we have to choose somebody who's trying to get a redefinition of conservatism to comport to his views? By the way, this is not just about Huckabee. This has been my lament from the moment this campaign began, if you recall.

. . .
RUSH: We'll start with last night's Hardball with Chris Matthews on PMSNBC. He was talking to Romney senior advisor Ron Kaufman, and the new Huckabee national campaign chairman Ed Rollins, and Matthews said, "Ed, does faith bring you guys together or separate you?"

ROLLINS: Well, first of all, you and I are Catholics and our candidates are different, and, uh, Ron, are you still an atheist, or have you basically converted?

KAUFMAN: (nervous laugh) Okay.

ROLLINS: Now that you're rich. (laughs)

MATTHEWS: We've had a Mark Penn moment on this show already, Ed. We don't need another one.

ROLLINS: He's my -- He's my very dear friend.

MATTHEWS: I know, but you just accused him of being an atheist.

RUSH: That's the Huckabee national campaign chairman Ed Rollins asking if one of Mitt's guys, Ron Kaufman, is an atheist. So then Matthews says, "Relevant to this campaign, is there any religious difference between Romney and Huckabee. Relevant to this campaign, is there a religious difference? Ed Rollins, you know exactly what I'm asking."

ROLLINS: I know exactly what you're asking, and I think the bottom line is that the voters themselves will make that decision.

MATTHEWS: Whoa! Whoa! Ron Kaufman, he just dodged on the question of whether there's a religious difference between the two candidates and what they're offering in terms of policy!

RUSH: Yeah, he just did. So there's the latest in the campaigns. You know, the Huckabee campaign is apparently very thin-skinned. There are a lot of stories out there, one of the AP headlines: "Huckabee: Woe is Me," a couple of others that I have here in the stack. I just want all of you to know: I have nothing against Mike Huckabee personally other than he is for exercise, and I'm not. I don't know him. But the purpose of a primary is to try to take the measure of a candidate, to try to discern what kind of president he would be to try to cut through all the clutter, determine what kind of record a candidate has and so forth. This is how elections have worked since there have been elections. It's an important process. The president is very powerful. These are very critical times in our history. If the candidate wants your vote, he has to earn it and convince you why he's worthy of it.

As you know, as a general and practical rule I do not endorse primary candidates, but I do take a careful look at the candidates and comment on what I think their strengths and weaknesses are, and it appears that in doing so, the Huckabee campaign has taken offense. Maybe Huckabee himself, I don't know, . . .
. . .
This is where I'm coming from and where most of you are coming from in this audience, and we want a candidate for president -- and ultimately a president -- who shares these fundamental understandings. So when I raise questions about public reports regarding a candidate's record or position, I'm comparing the record and position with our founding and conservative principles and my own beliefs. It is not personal. When I talk about Huckabee's illegal alien position, tax increases, the release of hundreds of criminals, the rhetoric about our war effort, it isn't personal.
. . .
RUSH: Again, when I raise questions about public reports regarding any candidate's record or position, what I am doing is comparing the record and position with our founding conservative principles. I am a conservative first. I am not a Republican first. It matters. When I raise questions about, say, about Governor Huckabee's positions on illegal aliens, tax increases, the release of hundreds of criminals via pardon and his rhetoric about our war effort, sorry, I'm trying to develop an understanding of the guy so I can determine for myself whether he is in fact the kind of conservative you and me want as our president. I've not "attacked" him. I have studiously avoided it. But I've raised questions -- and, of course, in this climate, questions will be considered an attack, but I'm going to keep asking the questions if I believe it's warranted to do so. Yet the mere fact that I have commented on his record appears to have caused great anguish in his campaign. They accuse me (and apparently others, too), who are going through this process of being part of the DC-Manhattan axis. Last time I checked, I was born and raised in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Now, it may not be Arkansas, but it is Middle America.
. . .

I mean, individuals who have fought immigration for years are not happy with his open borders positions as governor. They're just not. Anti-tax groups are unhappy with his tax increases when he was governor. Conservatives who helped defeat the Soviet Union under Ronaldus Magnus are troubled by his statements about our war effort and his desire to negotiate with Iran, for instance -- and it raised eyebrows among longtime school-choice advocates when the New Hampshire NEA endorsed Huckabee. They endorsed Hillary on the Democrat side; Huckabee on the right. The NEA is not interested in conservatives getting any kind of power anywhere. So it seems to me that it is Huckabee's record that is well suited for the axis of liberalism that he decries. Huckabee's record is a better fit for the Wall Street-DC axis that he is criticizing. At a minimum, it deserves scrutiny, doesn't it? And let me be blunt about this: Since Huckabee has raised it, or his campaign has, how is questioning such a record an "attack" on Christians and evangelicals in particular? I find that offensive, as if raising questions about such a record is said to be raising questions on somebody's faith or the faith of an entire community? That's a deplorable tactic. You people know I oppose abortion. I oppose same-sex marriage. I oppose the left's war on faith. I oppose the Supreme Court's effort to ban religion from the public square. I oppose the left's war on all those things, and I do not take a backseat to Huckabee or anybody else on these issues, and to suggest otherwise is to attack the character of anybody who dares to question your political and policy positions, and that's what the libs do, because the libs can't debate the issues. The libs don't want to debate the issues because they can't win. I'm getting the sense that Mike Huckabee doesn't want to debate the issues, and he's relying on other things as a firewall to keep the issues from coming up. Folks, we have to force a debate on the issues, our issues. That has to happen. Conservatism is what unites a lot of us together, you and me in this audience.

Any candidate who doesn't want that debate and is trying to dumb down conservatism and attack those who raise questions about that debate, that's a red flag to me. So I, again, wish that this had not come up. I wish that this didn't happen. I did not attack Huckabee. I don't know him. I don't dislike him. I have nothing personal whatsoever against him. I have not made one comment about his record as governor, other than to ask questions about some of these policies he engaged in as they relate to what kind of president he would be, and if you're not entitled to ask those questions without somebody in the campaign launching out with some personal BS, then that campaign seems to be a little thin-skinned. So it is what it is, ladies and gentlemen.

Another segment of the show

RUSH: Buster in Chattanooga, Tennessee, you're next. Welcome to the EIB Network, sir. CALLER: Thanks, sir. Mega Rocky Top dittos. RUSH: Thank you, sir. CALLER: Hey, it's an honor to talk to you. I've been listening to you for, well, since I came back to the States. My parents were missionaries in Africa, and I came back in '92. My oldest brother was listening to you there on WORD in Greenville a long time ago, and I follow you quite a bit. Hey, my comment is about this, Rush. I'm a preacher. I travel all over the States -- and conservative, and up until Huckabee really came in the front, what I was hearing from 90% of the people were that we don't have any conservative that really is a true conservative. The issues obviously were abortion, gun rights, and the homosexual agenda, and then Hucklebee (sic) really jumped up, and the whole mood has changed, almost like it's been revitalized. They see a light at the end of the tunnel. The comment I have to make... I agree with you a hundred percent, 90% of the time, even more than that. Just the fact that something negative has come out against your show, which I like, I feel like you shouldn't be so condemning to Hucklebee when it is against something about you being an entertainer, which we know you're not. But, uh, I think -- I think -- you're merchandising on that to build your reputation, not that it needs to be built, but it has to be maintained, and I think it will be more suitable, I think, for the Republicans and conservatives if we could just kind of support our guy. I think it does more damage to the Republicans getting the nomination. I think the Democrats like you slamming Hucklebee because I think Hucklebee is the most winnable candidate that the Republicans have. RUSH: Well, all right. I learned. I'm not going to try to talk you out of it. I'm not going to argue with you about it, because you're committed. It's your life, it's your decision-making process, and your vote, and it's yours. I'm not here to argue with you about it. All I'm doing is raising questions about what I think are not even anywhere near conservative aspects of Governor Huckabee's experience, and his governance in Arkansas. As to the fact that I am taking on Governor Huckabee here for my own marketing or ego? No. I guess what you mean is that I am doing this today to somehow show people that I have power. I want you to believe me; I've said this countless times. I may have power, but I'm harmless with it because I don't walk in here every day thinking about that. I really don't. I walk in here every day thinking to just be honest and tell people what I think, and that's what I did today. I'm glad you called.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Okay, folks, let me tell you what's going on now. I sadly, and unfortunately, must make this point reacting to our last caller. What we have going on here is identity politics, I think, in a large swath of support for Governor Huckabee. Identity politics is what the left does. Do you know what I mean when I say "identity politics," Rachel? Okay. Identity politics is: You vote for the Christian. You vote for the black. You vote for the woman. This is traditionally how the left looks at people. We, as conservatives, don't. We don't see you, for example, in a political sense, and see a woman first. We might see a woman first because you're beautiful, but we're men and we can't help it. In a political sense, we wouldn't say, "You don't qualify. You're not smart because you're a woman," and we wouldn't say you deserve anything special because you're a woman. We wouldn't look at a black and say, "Oh! Poor, disadvantaged, slavery heritage, presidential material!" without knowing anything about the guy. We wouldn't if there was the first admittedly open gay running, we wouldn't say, "Oh, terribly discriminated against, really has had no chance! We're going to vote for the gay guy because it makes us feel better about ourselves."

That's identity politics, or a little strain of it, and that's what's happening in the Huckabee race. The identity of Huckabee is: "Christian, Southern Baptist minister," and that identity is covering and is being translated by supporters as meaning whatever they want it to mean, as opposed to actually looking at how he's governed. Like the pastor who just called and said Huckabee is a light at the end of the tunnel. Pastor, the light at the end of the tunnel is the oncoming train, and you can't get off the track! That's the light at the end of the tunnel, and I think identity politics was a fundamental feature of the Perot campaign as well. People really didn't even care what his policies were. He didn't even have to articulate policies. Remember that? (classic Ross Perot impression) "I'll tell you, Larry, here's what we're going to do! We're going to get rid of all these 737s, going to hire a bunch of Lear 55s. We're going to have smaller airplanes." He cares so much! "You own this country! You own it. This is your country. We're going to give this country back to you." That's identity politics, and this is traditionally not what conservatives and even Republicans, right-wingers, do.

We're a little bit more serious about it, and this is also one of the things that I detect. Of course, one of the things that makes me convinced I'm right about this is that Governor Huckabee is doing what he can to avoid discussing his record and his policy beliefs and is, in fact, relying on his identity to keep people on his side, in his camp, and perhaps even grow it. In one way, you'd have to say it's pretty smart because on the other side his opponents, you've got admitted conservative flaws -- admitted conservative flaws which do trouble the Christian right, which is a large part of the Republican base. Either support for abortion or gay marriage, things that would be disruptive to the culture, and many people are very, very concerned about the culture. So with Huckabee, the identity is, Christian. That means hundred percent thoroughbred on social issues, the cultural issues. Yet you dig deep, and you find the policy on immigration. If you look at Huckabee in an identity sense and yet at the same time you really think illegal immigration is destroying this country, then your identity association with Huckabee as a Christian likely will make you overlook the fact that he's opposite your belief on illegal immigration. Jimmy Carter was a Southern Baptist and he ran on that and he tried to capitalize on that. He ran on the religious identity, too.

Yet another segment from 12/21:

RUSH: Bozeman, Montana. This is Greg. You are up first in this hour. It's nice to have you, sir. Hello.

CALLER: Hey. Merry Christmas. Dittos, Rush.

RUSH: Thank you.

CALLER: Hey, I'm a Huckabee guy, but I'm thinking about switching.

RUSH: You're a Huckabee guy, but you're thinking about switching. Why?

CALLER: Well, I don't know. All my people -- Ann Coulter, Peggy Noonan all those people -- are, I don't know, they don't like him, and I don't know. All the stuff is starting to come out against him. It's starting to make me nervous. (nervous laugh)

RUSH: Well, that's what campaigns are for: examining people's positions on things. But I would make up your own mind. I wouldn't listen to influential figures to shape and form your mind for you. It might send you in a direction your curiosity would take you, but I think maybe some people that you think and respect were not on board when you were caused to actually start looking, and that's why you know what some of these positions are that you now think, "Wow, I didn't know that." Right?

CALLER: Right. I think some of it is like the last campaign where everybody bailed out on Howard Dean because they thought he was kooky -- well, he was kooky. They thought he was unelectable, and I don't want to do that. I don't want to just jump at somebody that I think can win but doesn't necessarily line up with what I believe.

That quote about getting a candidate "who is pro-life and anti-same-sex marriage and good on national security, illegal immigration, taxes, and spending, why shouldn't we choose that candidate?" is golden for Mitt. Only Mitt, Fred, and Duncan Hunter meet those criteria and, among them, only Mitt has a credible path to win the nomination.

George Romney and Martin Luther King

Romney has been taking some heat in the last 24 hours for supposedly exaggerating that George Romney and Martin Luther King Jr marched together.

Two eyewitnesses

Some people were pretty quick to criticize Mitt Romney on this issue, and it confused me from the beginning. The Romneys were leaders in the civil rights movement. If the republican party had followed George Romney's lead on this issue, then election dynamics would probably be different today.

Update - It looks like they didn't march together. See this link.
Here's the point. Mitt Romney is solid on civil rights. That's incontestable.
Here's another link

George Romney was so solid on civil rights.

Holding Fire On New Huckabee Ethics Rumors

Over at the Caucus Cooler there are some fairly bold charges about ethics issues as governor.

You can read a summary here

You can see the documents here

Here's the thing. I'm sure this story is going to get bigger, or get smaller in the next couple of days. Before we at Iowans for Romney get into the discussion on this topic we're going to keep an eye on things and see where this goes. Until then, let me just say that I think Governor Huckabee is a good person, doing the best that he can. I'll weigh in on this at a future date. Or if it turns out to be nothing, then I'll go back to talking about why Governor Romney is the better candidate for President.

UPDATE: The source of this information is the Thompson campaign. Yesterday there was a Huckabee campaign event in Muscatine IA and some questions were asked about Huckabee's stance on stem cell research. In response to Huckabee's boilerplate answer about his longstanding opposition etc... the Thompson campaign sent out sent out the info.

UPDATE # 2: Novo Nordisk does actively support stem cell research, which makes it a little difficult for Huckabee to claim consistency on this issue. (This doesn't sway me one way or another, but I do recall Fred Thompson taking a good deal of heat a few months back for something similar.)

Jimmy Carter may have been a squish on foreign policy, and a disaster for our country, but I don't recall hearing of any conflicts of interest like this. Would a Huckabee administration be like some hybrid Clinton/Carter administration? All the incompetence of Jimmy Carter, with all the ethics of Bill Clinton.

Pounding Signs for Mitt in Davenport

I spent the day today, and a lot of yesterday pounding posts into the ground. I do have a day job, but I'm taking some vacation days so I thought I'd volunteer.

Here's a photo. Do you have a sweet spot in your yard along a busy road like the one shown above? Contact the Romney campaign and tell them to send some people out and put up a sign in your yard. If you just want a smaller yard sign, you can probably convince someone to drop it off, or you could just go into a Romney HQ office and pick one up.

Only a few days left before the Caucus!

HEALTHCARE - Part 2

I would have probably included this link in the previous post on health care. But I didn't see it until tonight.

California Health Care Reform Passes Major Hurdle

One thing I wanted to point out is that the California health care plan includes more than one tax increase.

Not to pile on against California or anything (I have nothing against California - I promise!) but here's another 2 headlines:

Emergency measure planned for California budget

California Gov. Schwarzenegger May Free 20,000 Inmates to Save Money

Conservatives have a lot of reasons to be wary about forays into the health care issue. But here's the thing - Mitt Romney took on the impossible and made it work.

HEALTHCARE

One thing that Mitt Romney achieved during his term as Governor was to get a law passed that made it so that everyone in Massachusetts could have health insurance.

MITT HAS SINGLE HANDEDLY SHIFTED THE NATIONAL CONVERSATION ON HEALTHCARE.

There are around 45 million Americans who don't have health insurance. 10 years ago, the Democrats pretty much owned this issue. People who didn't have health coverage tended to be sympathetic to democrats on this issue.

Mitt Romney has opened the door for Republicans to own this issue. The problem is, that I don't think anyone else in the field could have pulled it off to begin with. And none of the current primary candidates except for Mitt Romney can really speak to the issue credibly.

Everyone else has talked about this issue. Hillary Clinton talked about it. Barack Obama talks about it. John Edwards, Al Gore, and the Governator in Cali-for-nia talk about improving access to health care for the uninsured.

Mitt Romney actually did something about it.

If somebody besides Mitt is the nominee, how are the republicans going to credibly draw in the 45 million voters who don't have health insurance?

My opinion - If somebody besides Mitt is nominated, we cede this issue to the Democrats.

Missionary Mitt

Here is the question. Would a Mitt Romney presidency encourage people to leave their current congregations, and fill up Mormon chapels?

Nope.

Let's try a thought experiment. Imagine Bill Clinton (or George W. Bush) changed religions during his term in office and became a Jehovah's Witness. Would you become a Jehovah's Witness? Would you regard that religion as more legitimate somehow?

In my mind, the Jehovah's Witness religion would not be any more or less legitimate because of the President converted to it. And I have to believe that you're basically the same as me. If the next president is a Methodist, the Methodist church will have the exact same legitimacy in my mind that it currently has. Same with the legitimacy level in your mind.

Does the religion of the US president even influence how many people join that religion? If it does, I'd like to see some data. Have people left their pentecostal congregations in droves to become Methodists since George W. Bush's election?Did the Quaker congregations swell in number during the Nixon years?

Okay okay. A lot of people don't like George W. Bush. And Nixon went down in flames. But Reagan won big at the polls. Did people bail out of their Baptist congregations to become Presbyterian during the Reagan administration?



How about during the Clinton administration, or the Carter years? Did people leave their Presbyterian congregations and join Baptist congregations?

I don't even recall that it was an issue during the 2004 campaign. If John Kerry would have been elected would people have flocked to the Catholic church? Is that what happened when John F. Kennedy was elected? Were Evangelicals worried back then that Catholicism would somehow gain a fresh new appeal and Protestants would switch and become Catholic? I wasn't around back then but I thought the concern was that the Pope would decide on policy issues. Was that just the concern that was articulated, when the real concern was that people would go Catholic? I suspect that it was a concern during the JFK campaign.


But it was no longer a concern with John Kerry. I certainly don't remember any hand wringing about this subject in 2004.

Was it a concern?
All of the above denominations are mainstream, fairly well accepted American religious traditions. Catholics accept baptisms of most of the above denominations (Catholics don't recognize Mormon baptisms). But what about religions that fall firmly outside mainstream Christianity? If Al Gore had won the election in 2000 with Joe Lieberman as a running mate would Americans have left their religious traditions to become Jewish?


What about the idea that is circulating out there that a Mormon in the White House would add additional credibility to the Mormon religion. If that is true, then let's see some data. Does the Mormon church swell in numbers in states where there is a successful Mormon Governor? When Mitt Romney was governor of Massachusetts, did people leave their churches faster than before to join up with the Mormons? If so... let's see some data.

For that matter, did people leave their Episcopalian, or Lutheran congregations in droves when Mike Huckabee was Governor to become Southern Baptist? If so, I'd like to see some data supporting that. I think religion is way too personal to be influenced in any meaningful way by politicians. The influence goes in the opposite direction.

Tanc in the Tank: What Tom Tacredo's Endorsement of Mitt Romney Means to the Iowa Race

Tom Tancredo, deciding to end his pursuit for the GOP nomination, endorsed Mitt Romney today:

“At this point in time, (Romney) is the best hope for our cause,” Tancredo said during a news conference in downtown Des Moines.

The cause that vaulted the Colorado congressman into the race –– illegal immigration –– also motivated him to abandon his pursuit of the nomination, Tancredo said.

His continued presence in an election he could not win, he said, may have helped the campaigns of Gov. Mike Huckabee and Sen. John McCain –– candidates Tancredo says are soft on immigration.

Dianne Bystrom, an Iowa State University political science professor, said Tancredo’s exit and endorsement of Romney could shake up the volatile Republican field.

“Tancredo throwing his support behind Romney comes at a key time when Romney is trying to fight off the surge of Mike Huckabee,” she said. “For Romney, it probably couldn’t have come at a better time.”

. . .

Tancredo and Romney met for about an hour today prior to the announcements, Tancredo said. He opted to support Romney after he was reassured that he had clarified his position on immigration.

Tancredo has questioned Romney’s sincerity on the issue in the past, but said Thursday he’s convinced Romney would secure the border, prosecute employers of illegal immigrants, and make those who are here illegally return to their native countries.

Another source had this to say:

. . . his endorsement of Romney could prove a powerful validator of the former governor's bona fides on the issue.

Of the Tancredo endorsement, Romney said: " While we don't agree on every issue, we agree on the need to keep America strong. I look forward to working with him and other Republicans to achieve that end."

Yet another take:

Tancredo said he did not agree with Romney on all issues, but believes that the governor has a "solid record" on immigration issues and can "go the distance."

The reactions around the bloggosphere have been vaired. Case in point: this Race 4 2008 post and comments section where supporters of other candidates reacted with either dissing Tancredo himself, alleging some quid pro quo was involved, or saying that it is an insignificant endorsement (I love the ones who allege some quid pro quo because they seem to be admitting that Romney will not just win the nomination but will become President!)

But How Does This Effect the Voting (especially in Iowa)?
The most trusted Iowa poll (The Des Moines Register) showed Tancredo with support of 6% of likely caucus goers as of just 3 weeks ago. In most other recent Iowa polls he's been registering 1-4% support. Obviously, former Tancredo supporters are not going to march en bloc into the Romney camp. But to those voters there is no question what the most important issue is . . . halting illegal immigration. They're not going to be voting for Huckabee, McCain, or Giuliani though some may go to Duncan Hunter, Ron Paul, or Fred (in light of Rep. Steve King's confusing endorsement . . . where it seems that he really wanted to/meant to endorse Romney). However, I think many (if not most) Iowa Tancredo supporters could come over into the Romney camp and we welcome every single one of them.

But will these Tancredo supporters be motivated to caucus? Well, he did a pretty darn good job at turning them out to the Ames Straw Poll in August where he took 4th place with 14% and nearly 2000 supporters (just 600 less than 2nd place Huckabee . . . even with all the people the Fair Tax organization bused in for Huck). That 2000 figure likely represents 2-3% of total number of people caucus attendees. That's a nice potential "bump" and that doesn't even count all the Tanc supporters that didn't participate in the straw poll. It will be interesting to see if Tancredo will share the contact information of his supporters with the Romney camp. That could be a nice boon to team Romney.

But just looking at Tanc's polling numbers and supporters is potentially just a small piece of the pie that this endorsement could bring to Romney. Poll after poll after poll (and especially in Iowa, NH, and SC) show that illegal immigration is the #1 or #2 issue of importance to GOP voters. What this endorsement does is give Romney a huge stamp of approval on the #1 issue of the GOP race. This factor cannot be overstated. This will enable many voters to feel more comfortable pulling the lever for Romney and may swing many votes to Romney that are now in other camps. That's where this endorsement could really matter the most.

Actually, this is why Tancredo himself said he dropped out . . . so his immigration supporters won't be "wasted votes," and so that a weak immigration candidate (a la Huckabee, McCain, or Giuliani) can be avoided as our nominee. This was done by Tanc to help advance his own agenda . . . and I'm convinced that Mitt can and will win and advance that agenda once he becomes POTUS.

No matter how this endorsement effects voting, there's one thing this effects for sure:

[Romney now has a nice comeback to] the "Sanctuary Mansion" line: "How much of an immigration squish can I be, I was endorsed by Tancredo!"

Why I'm for Mitt - No Skeletons

Remember the days of the Monica Lewinsky scandal? I know I took comfort in the fact that the political party I identified with had no such embarrassing scandal associated with it.

Those days are over.

In the last 10 years, there have been several scandals that have embarrassed the GOP, tarnished the republican 'brand', and gave fodder to insufferably smug talking heads like Bill Maher.

Remember these guys? -
You'll be sorely missed Mark Foley

Ted Haggard. What can I say.

Larry Craig. Mitt Romney threw you under the bus, and like the rest of America I wish that were literal instead of metaphorical.

I think that we can all agree that guys like this make us almost ashamed to be lumped with the same political party that they are.

I'm tired of it.

One reason I support Mitt Romney is that I know he absolutely won't put up with this kind of nonsense.

Mitt Romney doesn't have any skeletons in his closet. He's been intensely vetted by the Kennedy's, and the liberal press in Massachusetts and he's clean. In fact Mitt Romney is the guy people call in when things are extremely out of control and need to get turned around.

That's what happened in preparation for the Olympics.

Things were mired in scandal. Mitt came in and turned it around. The Salt Lake City Olympics was something that the entire country was proud of. Mitt Romney's personal actions throughout his career have been exemplary and above reproach.

Contrast Mitt Romney's record with Mike Huckabee, who is currently leading the polls here in Iowa.

I'm not perfect. Mitt Romney is not perfect. And I do not expect Mike Huckabee to be perfect. That said, here are some links to follow regarding ethics questions that have dogged Huckabee for some time, and have recently been given a little more scrutiny. The most charitable and fair word I can come up with in regards to these ethics questions is TACKY.

TACKY


The American Spectator - TACKY

Politico - Ethics Complaints

Salon.com - The Dark Side of Huckabee

The thing is, I didn't have to look very hard for those links. There's a lot more where that came from.

Don't we all want somebody who has a track record of good behavior? You scratch the surface with Mitt Romney, and you just find more good stuff. Nominate Mitt Romney and the GOP's image problem goes away in one fell swoop. The branding problem where the GOP name has been dragged through the mud for the last 8 years... gone.

That's what I want.

New to Iowans For Romney

Hello Everyone,

My name is Jay Bryner, and I'm new to the Iowans for Romney blog. With only a few short days to go before the Iowa Caucuses I contacted Jeff Fuller and asked if I could participate in the conversation. Jeff invited me to participate and here I am.

Here is a picture of me and my daughter with Mitt at a recent event in Bettendorf IA.


I must admit that I'm a supporter of Mitt Romney primarily for fiscal reasons. I want a candidate who will go through the federal budget line by line to look for waste, inefficiency, and duplication. I trust Mitt Romney more than anyone else in the country to show leadership and change the runaway spending we currently see in government.

But I support him for other reasons as well. In my opinion the National Review said it best - (I'll paraphrase but you've got the link) Mitt Romney is a full spectrum conservative with the best chance of uniting the Republican coalition.

I look forward to future posts.

Best

Jay Bryner

More Confirmation . . . Romney back in "the game" in Iowa.

It's "Game On" again in Iowa folks!

From Rasmussen



I wish that they said somewhere how many people they polled.

Huckabee’s favorable rating has dropped from 81% to 67% in one week, and his support from evangelicals dropped from 62% to 49%. However, he maintains the highest "certain to vote for him" level:

Among those who have participated in the caucuses before, it’s all even--Huckabee 26% and Romney 26%.

Sixty-two percent (62%) of Likely Caucus participants say they are certain they will not change their mind before January 3. That includes 65% of Huckabee supporters, 58% of those who prefer Romney, and 55% of McCain voters.

Therefore, this reads "Advantage Huckabee" . . . but soon we could be at "Deuce" (sorry for the bad tennis analogy.)

McCain in 3rd is obviously an interesting development. He's way up in a clear 3rd place at 14%. I'm not buying that one. I know he got the Des Moines Register endorsement, but I think that the actual number of caucus attendees who would care about who that editorial board recommends has got to be less than 5% (we all know how liberal they are.) McCain just doesn't have the organization (anymore at least . . . he used to have the biggest Iowa staff) to turn in a 3rd place showing . . . I'm expecting Fred to get the third place spot.

Fred needs to start attacking Huck in Iowa frontally. Huck’s fall in Iowa would make Fred viable again in South Carolina and Florida. I think Fred realistically wants a 1) Romney, 2) Huck, 3) Fred fisnish in Iowa to know Huck out of contention and make Fred relevant again. If Huck wins Iowa then he stays relevant through into SC/FL despite expected poor showings in NH and MI.

Hopefully Fred and Steve King will hit Huck on the campaign trail and in ads too. That’s his only way back to southern strength and a shot at SC/FL.

Signs of Life in Iowa? New Poll show Romney back in Lead/"Statistical tie" with Huckabee

Signs of Life in Iowa? I'd like to see more confirmation with a couple more polls before I get too excited.

Insider Advantage Republican Iowa Caucus

• Romney - 28.0%
• Huckabee - 25.1%
• Thompson - 10.8%
• McCain - 6.9%
• Paul - 5.5%
• Giuliani - 5.1%
• Tancredo - 3.7%
• Hunter - 0.5%
• Undecided - 14.4%

Survey of 418 highly likely caucus voters was conducted Dec 16-17, and has an MoE of 5%. Among just “likely voters”, a sample of 835 people, Huckabee is up by just 2.6% (27.7% to 25.1%). The rest of the percentages are virtually the same, including Giuliani in sixth place.

Their last poll was so long ago that it might be unmeaningful for comparison. But their last poll (10/02) in parentheses are here–with the RCP Averages on 10/02 following after the dashes.

* Romney - 28.0% (24-----26)
* Huckabee - 25.1% (13-----8)
* Thompson - 10.8% (13-----15)
* McCain - 6.9% (10-----8)
* Paul - 5.5% (4-----3)
* Giuliani - 5.1% (16-----17)
* Tancredo - 3.7% (not included . . .)
* Hunter - 0.5% (2-----n/a)
* Undecided - 14.4% (13-----n/a)
* Brownback was in that 10/02 poll and got 5%

Observations from this:

1) The last Insider Advantage Iowa poll was very in line with the RCP averages at that time.
2) The only notable exception to this was that the last one OVERESTIMATED Huckabee at 5 points higher than his RCP average.
3) With Brownback dropping out and most of his support going over to Huckabee that 18% combined Huck/Brownback vote then was something I remember taking note of and worrying about if one of them dropped out. If anything last time, this poll over sampled religious conservatives.

Thoughts?

Guest Blog: It's the SUBSTANCE that matters

Shane Hopkins chimes in with what he likes about Romney:

Having left Iowa for post-graduate training in New York, I can only watch the fun of the Iowa contest from a distance. I've long since learned that Romney is the best person to lead our country, based on the entire complement of his personal characteristics, abilities, and views.

But it's been painful to watch the news coverage!

Over and over again Mitt has been painted as a charlatan with cynical strokes of the journalist pen. Some seem to forget the golden rule of treating someone as you'd like to be treated--give him the benefit of the doubt until you get the whole story! I've been watching the news feeds for many weeks now, and it's just gone on and on in a head-shaking show of he-said-she-said perpetuated cynicism.

Well, the Mitt I've seen is as genuine as they come. He's so genuine, in fact, that many think he's too good to be true. He's not.

He really is that brilliant, that family-oriented, that capable.

And yet, as the media reports press on, I find the subtle phrasing to always cast everything into doubt, assume that everything is contrived and duplicitous and calculated for nothing more than political ambition. What a sad state of our collective minds.

I could provide example after example (and initially thought I would quote them), but I'll leave this on a positive note instead. I was happy to see this refreshingly upbeat assessment of Romney.

...But then Romney has been masterful in everything he has attempted. It is not insignificant that this cum laude JD/MBA graduate of Harvard guided Bain Capital to become a hugely successful private equity investment firm and rescued Bain & Company from financial collapse. Romney was brought in to save the 2002 Winter Olympics when the games were mired in scandal and $379 million in debt. Romney was able to turn the situation around completely so that the games actually turned a $100 million profit instead. (He also gave back his salary.) That's not slick, that's substance.

Let's take a minute to forget about keeping score in the very political part of the political process. Step back from the sound bites and the ad hominem and the pundit analysis to see where there's objective evidence of greatness. That evidence can be found in many of the candidates, I believe, but nowhere more abundantly than in Gov. Romney's character, optimism, and plan for positive change in America.

What a Confusing Endorsement . . . Steve King for Thompson (and against everyone else but Romney)--Updates #1 and #2 Added

Wow . . . sounds like he wrote his endorsement to be for Romney, but made his choice for Thompson. I'm a bit baffled.

It's really weird. First, he goes through and strikes candidates off his list:

On McCain:

McCain remains an active proponent of comprehensive amnesty which puts our national sovereignty at stake.

On Rudy:

His positions on life and marriage do not square with a promise to appoint “strict constructionist” judges. The former mayor of a sanctuary city would be unlikely to put an end to sanctuary cities, let alone bring operational control to the border and shut off the jobs magnet.

On Huckabee:

But Huckabee has been forceful and even judgmental in voicing his conviction to give scholarships to illegal immigrants. Just one amnesty policy, and there are others, destroys the chance to reestablish the Rule of Law. How can Huckabee answer to the sons and daughters of veterans or veterans themselves who come back from the war to find that illegals have desks in classrooms at a discount prohibited to them? Compassionate conservatism run amok is hard to harness, as we have seen. The Rule of Law cannot be reestablished without “tough love”. Our destiny pivots on amnesty.

Next he lists Thompson with quite a few praises, but with these critiques:

Thompson, like Bush, would need help with appointments. He needs to really want to be president.

I'm sure all the reporters and Romney people in the room thought it was in the bag for Romney at this point. Especially when he started to bring up religion:

The cultural calamity toward which we are headed is the focus of my life. I believe America was founded by Christians and that the broad core of our culture is Christian, founded in Judaeo-Christian values. I do not believe America, or the American Presidency, is closed to other faiths, let alone other Christian faiths. I believe our destiny as a nation is in the hands of God, but as individuals we have free will. Some are so passionate in their beliefs that they believe they have the market cornered on salvation. In fact, if we didn’t believe our faith was the true faith, there would be no reason for competing denominations. God only knows if any of us are right, but each of us justly believe we are.

Then he goes on:

That candidate also has to have the fire in his belly to go the distance and the brains and resources to get there.

That candidate also meets the test of life and marriage, judges and borders. That candidate has taken solid, persistent, and principled positions consistent with the Republican platform-which we wrote to inform the candidates of the positions of Iowa Republicans.

That candidate has a record of faith, family, freedom, service, and success.

Well, it sounds like Romney is King's man then. Fred is against the Constitutional Ammendment of Marriage Protection. He is not a religious man by most reports (and a "record of faith" is not something that Fred or his supporters tout). On the issue of family . . . he hardly has the model history. He long played "The Bachelor" lady's man inside the beltway for over a decade. Also, I'm still searching for any huge "successes" Fred can lay claim to. I mean those few lines I quoted above are right out of the Romney campaign "talking points" about what's so good about him.

But what is interesting is that King never even mentioned Romney in his whole statement (he even talked of Tancredo, Hunter and Paul, in addition to the ones I mentioned above).

It gets even stranger . . . as Kay Henderson from the Radio Iowa blog reports:

After the event, I asked King if he had made up his mind on the spot as he was
speaking this morning.

"You have great intuition," King replied.

Sounds like he was planning to endorse Romney . . . but just decided on the spot to go with Fred. Amazing and baffling.

(PS. I wonder how many Huckabee supporters in his district sent him emails/calls/letters threatening to withdraw their voting and financial support if he endorsed Romney . . . just wondering . . . maybe Fred was the safe choice for King?)

Update (3 hours later): I didn't get a chance to finish my thoughts before publishing the above entry.

First off, Kudos to Thompson for getting this endorsement. It will help Fred in Iowa . . . there is little doubt of that. He got the endorsement and I'm not whining about it.

However, it is INCREDIBLY doubtful that this will bring Thompson up to the level of challenging Mitt and Huck to win Iowa. The guy just doesn't "have it" on the stump and is too cash strapped to build any momentum off of positive news like this.

But what this does do is make it harder for Rudy, McCain, or Paul to come in third in Iowa (if the "three tickets out of Iowa" theory even applies this year). Those guys will be fighting for 4th-6th places (could this have been part of the strategy for King . . . wanting to cripple McCain and Rudy who he's never been a fan of?)

Also, I think that Huckabee stands to lose more from King going to Fred than Romney does. Huck's base of support is strongest in western Iowa . . . and specifically in King's district. It may give some of them "pause" that Huck didn't get this endorsement and that Fred might be an acceptable (non anti-Bush) alternative. I'm sure Romney could lose some to Thompson too . . . but geographically Huck is more vulnerable here.

Again, I wish Romney had gotten this endorsement (King could have played "Kingmaker"), but it is still telling that King had negative things to say about all the top teir candidates (even Thompson) except Romney during this endorsement. Hopefully King's statements here will reflect a similar unwillingness to trash Romney on the stump when he seems open to doing that for all the other candidates.

Crazy day (especially with NBC's "First Read" and the Radio Iowa Blog going forward with the "King endorsing Romney" story before retracting it back.)

Update #2: And it gets more baffling . . . from the NBC reporter who went "live" with the "King Endorses Romney" story we get this update:

No one will ever accused Rep. Steve King (R) of not being theatrical.

The Iowa congressman kept his endorsement choice under wraps so closely that no one knew who he would choose between Thompson or Romney for his nod. The vociferous critic of illegal immigration was said to have narrowed his choice to the two candidates, but he joked that "not even his wife" knew who he'd choose.

But at the start of a sparsely attended press conference in Des Moines today, the superstars of Romney's Iowa shop gathered in the back, leading journalists to conclude that King's nod was destined for the Massachusetts governor. But then curious members of Team Thompson swooped in at the last minute.

Apparently, no one knew what lurked in the congressman's mind.

As he named each GOP candidate, King called the choice of endorsement "one of the hardest decisions I've ever made in my life, and one of the latest coming."

He mentioned the pros and cons of each candidate, notably ruling out both Giuliani and Huckabee, after casting doubt upon their records on immigration.

As he detoured into a treatise on religious tolerance -- a clear reference to Romney's Mormonism -- a Romney endorsement seemed imminent. "I think it's inappropriate to draw conclusions about what we think someone else's faith might be," he said.

"There's only one candidate who epitomizes the full spectrum of our conservative values," he continued. "There is one who is a comfortable conservative, in whom I have full confidence in his decisions."

"He also has the fire in his belly to go the distance, and the brains and resources to get there," said King.

Nail in the coffin for Thompson, everyone thought in the room. (Thompson is frequently caricatured as sluggish and apathetic about his White House hopes, and his campaign coffers are paltry in comparison to Romney's millions.)

Then King added, "If it's not there, I intend to work hard to put it there." The typing and the scratching of pens in the room suddenly stopped as reporters' heads snapped up. "I will put all of my efforts -- and the fire into the belly -- of the person who I believe destiny has called to be the president of the United States."

"I will be working for and supporting Fred Thompson for president."

As King dramatically took off his glasses, folded them, and put them back in his coat pocket, the room was almost silent. A lone Thompson staffer clapped a few times.

And more than one reporter re-learned a hard lesson … it ain't over til it's over.

Weird, weird, weird. What could have caused King to "call and audible" on this one at the last minute? Thoughts?

P.S. Here's the audio of the press conference courtesy of Radio Iowa.

Congressman Steve King to Endorse ____________ at 9AM Tomorrow in Des Moines

I was just alerted to this press release from a press contact (emphasis mine):

December 16, 2007

Iowa Congressman Steve King (Republican) to Announce Presidential Candidate Endorsement at Press Conference Monday

Where: Embassy Suites Hotel

101 East Locust

Salons F&G

Des Moines, Iowa

When: Monday, December 17

8:00 am CDT – doors open

9:00 am CDT – press conference begins

What:

Steve King, Republican of Iowa's Fifth Congressional District, will explain his rationale and declare his support for a candidate for president in the Iowa caucus.

King said, "The caucus process in Iowa is long and uniquely personal. Iowans have more access to the presidential candidates than anyone, myself included. We have closed the door and had intense discussions with nearly every candidate. I have a duty and an obligation to make my decision public about my choice for president."

"This decision is my personal conviction. No candidate, committee, or even my wife knows the conclusion I will announce," said King.

King plans to offer his support and volunteer to join the Iowa campaign of the candidate he endorses.

Press Conference Agenda (all central time):

9:00 am King to name his choice for president

9:15 am Q and A

9:30 am Finish

Wireless internet and a mult-box will be available.

I'm still hopeful, if not a little optimistic. I doubt King would endorse Huck with the "Bush's arrogant bunker mentality" as fresh news. I think he would give Huck a few days to try to diffuse that bomb before endorsing him (unless he REALLY loved Huck and wants to help him change the subject and get him some positive news).

Conversely, the timing would be ideal for Romney (or Fred or Tanc FWIW), because the Huckabee-loving King district would see Huck's "disloyalty" to Bush and the GOP and understand why King couldn't go with him. I predict King wants to go with the guy who is with him on the issues and can win the state. He likely sees that the tide is turning back to Mitt and could claim some degree of "Kingmaker" status if his endorsement coincides with a shift in polling back to Mitt.

Chime in with your thoughts.

Big News: Iowa Congressman Steve King WILL Endorse Before Caucuses . . . But Who?

Politico reports the following potential bombshell for the Iowa GOP race:

Steve King WILL endorse before the caucuses

Romney just finished up a visit at a restaurant in Early, Iowa, which is in Sac County, the home of Rep. Steve King.

King's son and campaign manager, Jeff, is here for the visit, keeping an eye things for the congressman.

Jeff King tells me that his dad will endorse before the caucuses, but hasn't made up his mind about who to get behind.

Steve King is a vocal anti-immigration advocate and has developed a close relationship with Tom Tancredo because of their shared views on the topic.

Some Iowans thought this friendship could preclude King from getting behind one of the top-tier candidates, but that''s not the case according to his son.

Jeff King wouldn't say who his dad favors, but did concede that he the congressman had concerns about the Arkansan's immigration views.

Interesting, eh? Just for context, Rep. Steve King and Sen. Chuck Grassley are the two most influential Republicans in the state of Iowa. King is absolutely untouchable in his ultra-conservative district and so he won't be jeopardizing his re-election campaign next year.

It made me think of a previous post I wrote over a year ago after attending the Iowa Christian Alliance's Banquet in Clive, IA. Here's the relevant excerpt:

King then took the stage (he and Schlafly were the only speakers to get a standing ovation before and after their addresses). King always gives a dynamic speech and he did not fail to impress. He said that the several hundred people in the room will be the ones choosing our next President . . . that the influence of the politically active Christian coservatives in that room would weigh heavily in who will be the 2008 GOP nominee and future President. King then said that we should take the opportunity to get to know each of the candidates personally and to find out where they really stand on issues important to conservatives , especially the Marriage Protection Amendment (MPA) and in being tough on immigration.

I'm cautiously optimistic based on this statement of those last two key issues King mentioned. Huck is for the MPA but, as Politico reports, King ain't too keen on Huck's immigration past (and probably sees right through the sham of his "deathbed conversion" with his new immigration plan). Fred's pretty solid on immigration, but doesn't support the MPA. Romney's solid on both of those key issues to King (at least that's how it stood over a year ago).

King's district is where Romney faces the toughest challenge from Huckabee (Western Iowa is a huge base for Evangelical conservatives.) King's endorsement could be big news and I'm cautiously optimistic that if he does indeed endorse, that it would be for Mitt.

P.S. King is a funny guy. He delivered this great line at the Iowa GOP convention in Aug 2006 (I was there and it's where I first met Romney in person):

Steve King got a huge response when he was introduced. Can you say red meat?

Great King quote #45,367: "There are probably not 72 virgins in the hell Al-Zarqawi is in. If there are, they probably all look like Helen Thomas."

Is that funny or what?

Highlights from Romney Campaign Email

In the News

Mitt Romney for President, National Review Online

Our guiding principle has always been to select the most conservative viable candidate. In our judgment, that candidate is Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts. Unlike some other candidates in the race, Romney is a full-spectrum conservative: a supporter of free-market economics and limited government, moral causes such as the right to life and the preservation of marriage, and a foreign policy based on the national interest. While he has not talked much about the importance of resisting ethnic balkanization — none of the major candidates has — he supports enforcing the immigration laws and opposes amnesty. Those are important steps in the right direction.

Candidate profile: Romney 'relentlessly upbeat' (By Dan Gearino - Quad City Times)

DES MOINES — In the summer of 2006, the Republican governor of Massachusetts was in northwest Iowa, and he wanted to know if the local state senator had time to talk.

Mitt Romney and Sen. Dave Mulder met for an hour at a bank in Orange City.

Mulder, who represents the most socially conservative part of the state, later summed up what he liked about Romney in one word: sincerity.

"When I look at him, I think what you see is what you get," Mulder said.

Local Events

Friday, December 14, 2007

1:45 p.m.

Governor Mitt Romney Holds a Carroll County "Strategy for a Stronger America: Enforcing our Immigration Laws" Ask Mitt Anything

Carroll Country Club

20069 Olympic Avenue

Carroll, IA

3:45 p.m.

Governor Romney Holds a Sac County Meet and Greet

Crossroads Restaurant

112 Highway 71

Early, IA

4:45 p.m.

Governor Mitt Romney Holds a Buena Vista County "Strategy for a Stronger America: Enforcing our Immigration Laws" Ask Mitt Anything

Buena Vista University, Dows Conference Center

610 West 4^th Street

Storm Lake, IA

Saturday, December 15, 2007

9:00 a.m.

Governor Romney Holds a Humboldt County "Strategy for a Stronger America: Enforcing our Immigration Laws" Ask Mitt Anything

Rustix Restaurant

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Rudy-leaning Iowa Voter: "More and More Uncomfortable With the Campaign of Mike Huckabee and The Influence of Evangelical Christians In Iowa"

Check it out here.

ABC NEWS Jake Tapper: Iowa City Councilman Calls Mormonism a Cult

Boy . . . I'm torn as to what to do with this one. I really wish this issue would just go away and that people would stop attacking a wonderful man and accomplished candidate on his religious affiliation. I know it's just a small segment of the population that feel this way about Romney/Mormonism, but for every elected official who's willing to go on the record about it, how many other stealth/whisper campaigns are going on? Who knows . . . but onto the story.

In my previous post I linked to the Caucus Cooler's story about the City Councilman, Craig Adamson, from Marion, IA condemning Romney and Mormonism via email. Well, now ABC News' Jake Tapper interviewed Adamson and he's digging himself in even deeper. And, we find out that he's a Huckabee supporter (sadly unsurprising):

The Mormon faith of presidential candidate Mitt Romney continues to receive scrutiny and criticism in ways that would likely not be so vocally aimed at any faith other than, perhaps, Islam.

In Marion, Iowa, City Councilman Craig Adamson -- a registered Republican who considers himself a supporter of Mike Huckabee -- sent out an email asserting that if "you think religion, especially Christianity, is being marginalized by ACLU and other organizations" then "you would be piling on" if you vote for Mitt Romney because "Mormonism is a cult. In case I didn't type it clearly enough … Mormonism is a cult."

As first reported on the Iowa Caucus Cooler blog, Adamson wrote that "based on my knowledge of Mormonism, I would not trust him as my president as he might be fooled into believing most anything. How could he possibly be trusted to negotiate with Islamic radicals? He might believe Muslim and Mormons are the same, just like he tries to pass off Mormons as Christians."

Adamson . . . suggests his objections to Romney are not just faith-based.

"Whether or not you believe what Mormonism has to say, Romney has flip-flopped on important issues such as whether or not he's pro life," Adamson says.

But he goes on to say that Romney's faith bothers him. "If you've delved into the Mormon faith at all there's a lot to swallow," he says. "Mormonism tries to assimilate itself as mainstream Christianity."

. . .

Adamson intends to attend the Republican caucuses in Iowa on January 3. While he's strongly leaning towards Huckbee, a former Baptist preacher, he considers Huckabee weak on illegal immigration and likes the views of Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., on that issue. The only matter he seems sure of is that he's "going to campaign against Mitt Romney. He's a very educated man -- there's a lot of very educated people that are Mormon. Orrin Hatch is a Mormon; he's been in the Senate for like 100 years. But if you're going to be in positions of responsibly it does trouble me."

"Mormonism is a cult," he says again. "I'm not going to back down on this."

Says Romney campaign spokesman Kevin Madden, “Governor Romney continues to believe that this campaign should not be about questioning a candidate’s faith. While it is fair to criticize a candidate’s record or policy positions, we would strongly disagree with anyone who would choose to make disparaging remarks about a candidate’s personal faith."

And he notes that Romney said in his speech at the George Bush Presidential Library just last week, "I am an American running for President. I do not define my candidacy by my religion. A person should not be elected because of his faith nor should he be rejected because of his faith."

In other anti-Mormon news, a Baltimore Sun columnist actually weighs in on whether or not Romney wears the garments preferred by some members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. (60 Minutes' Mike Wallace took a look at this LDS practice HERE.) A Sun reporter used a bathroom at one of the Romneys' many mansions and took a peek.

This is one of the reasons why people hate the media.

And on Bloomberg TV, Huckabee is asked what he meant when he asked a New York Times Magazine reporter, "Don't Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?"

"Where were you going with this comment and is it reasonable for people to question how an ordained minister would ask this kind of question?" asked Peter Cook.

"No, because I don't know that much about the Mormon faith," Huckabee responded. "I haven't studied Mormonism. I have enough trouble keeping up with Baptist theology. I'm a Baptist. The reporter actually knew more about the Mormon faith than I did. It was a question that was asked, 10 words, in the context of about a three- to four-hour conversation that we had over a period of several days. Somehow, 10 words got lifted out of an 8,100-word article and it’s unfortunate. I’m not, you know, talking about somebody else’s faith. It’s not my job to discuss it."

Would any religious belief, if practiced by a minority population, withstand such scrutiny?

The "I'm campaigning against Mitt Romney" and the support for Huckabee is, again, sadly unsurprising. Those objecting to Romney on theological grounds seem to have found a home with Huck from Hope.

Also, I love the irony of how this Adamson clown objects to Romney because of his "Flip-flop" on abortion, but can still be a strong supporter of Huckabee despite his "deathbed conversion" on immigration. The Huck-a-flops are starting to pile up (taxes, Guantanomo, Immigration, crime rhetoric, etc . . .).

It's easy to see how unflappable and presidential Romney has acted through all this. He definitely is the one standing on higher ground.

Vote for Romney!

Over at Bill O'Reilly's site.

I think we are seeing a trend . . . and it's disturbing

All the people who object to Romney because of his religious affiliation seem to be Huckabee supporters:

Pastors for Huckabee:
1) "Are Christians Bigiots If They Can Not Support Mitt Romney Because He Is A Mormon?"
2) "Huckabee Ask; Does Mormonism Teach That Jesus and the Devil were Brothers? The Answer is Yes! Here is the Proof."

From Iowa Likes Mike (moderating comments . . . and takes a more moderate stand . . . but down deep is trying to defend Huck's injection of the "Jesus/Satan Brothers" doctrine into the race):
1) Is Mike against Mormons?
2) "A Note About the Mormon Issue"

Via the Caucus Cooler (back in action . . . most of us are still convinced it's a McCain blog in hiding): An email from a Iowa legislator, Craig Adamson of Marion, IA, states "Mormonism is a cult" and uses that logic to convince other Iowans that Romney should be rejected (actually, I have no confirmation that this guy's with Huckabee. But chances are . . .)

The Baptist Press seems to be interjecting themselves into the debate:

• They've got a 6 part series (up to part 4 currently. . . Part 1 here) about Mormonism.
• This one tells Baptists how to respond if Mormon missionaries come to the door.
• Oh, and they're defending Huckabee as a martyr whose being targeted because of his faith.
• And lest there be any doubt . . . their alternating ticker in the top right corner has a picture of Romney with the words "Romney and Mormonism". Shameless. Do you see the LDS website freaking out that Huckabee's a Baptist and bringing forth articles to attack his faith?

Now, all of this is not Huckabee's fault per se. His supporters can do/say what they want and will. However, I don't believe he's been at all clear in denouncing and condemning this line of opposition to Romney's candidacy. He and his organization should seek to counsel their supporters to leave these debates to the theologions, apologists, and chruch leaders. Let's keep this OUT of politics.

International Romney Fans! Canadians for Mitt

Check out Romney's "across the border" support at Canadians for Mitt.

Some funny stuff there.

Romney Wins Iowa Debate!

Overwhelming evidence that Romney won the debate:





A lot of pundits are saying that Fred Thompson won the debate . . . but, while he did have a great moment or two, his showing was mostly just a striking contrast to his previous poor showings. Pundits are always looking for a new story, a good moment, or some change in the horserace. Thompson provided that but it's too little, too late for him. This common man focus group clearly thought Romney was the winner.



Some early reactions to the debate (via a campaign press release):

Fox News' Frank Luntz: "When we do these debates, usually there is some sort of a split in how people react in terms of winners or losers. We do not have a loser this time, but clearly, Mitt Romney was the winner." (Fox News' "Live," 12/12/07)

- Luntz: "When Mitt Romney talked about education, it was an absolute home run. Romney's communication of education talked about his background and it was very effective in his presentation." (FOX News' Post-Debate Coverage, 12/12/07)

- Luntz: "[Romney] united both elements of the Republican Party. And not only was his language effective, but they thought that the job that he did was very well-communicated." (FOX News' Post-Debate Coverage, 12/12/07)

- Luntz: "It was a very good day for Mitt Romney – very effective." (FOX News' Post-Debate Coverage, 12/12/07)

National Review's Kathryn Jean Lopez: "Mitt won – sounded presidential, competent, made a case for himself, and was optimistic but realistic about the threats we face. He's hit his stride." (Kathryn Jean Lopez, "Was There a Conspiracy Against Rudy and McCain?" National Review's The Corner, http://corner.nationalreview.com/ Posted 12/12/07)

- Lopez: "...he seems to be focusing on his managerial skills in a big way this debate. Strikes me as a smart idea." (Kathryn Jean Lopez, "Romney, the Manager," National Review's The Corner, http://corner.nationalreview.com/, Posted 12/12/07)

The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder: "Mitt Romney had a hell of a good afternoon." (Marc Ambinder, "First Take: The Final Republican Debate," The Atlantic, http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/, Posted 12/12/07)

- Ambinder: [Romney] seemed more sinewy than usual, less programmed, quite (dare we say) presidential, and even-tempered." (Marc Ambinder, "First Take: The Final Republican Debate," The Atlantic, http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/, Posted 12/12/07)

National Review's Rich Lowry: "Romney wins in a romp. Positive and substantive." (Rich Lowry, "Luntz Focus Group," National Review's "The Corner," http://corner.nationalreview.com/, Posted 12/12/07)

- Lowry: "Romney nails his answer to the tax question." (Rich Lowry, "Middle Income Families," National Review's "The Corner," http://corner.nationalreview.com/, Posted 12/12/07)

Lowry: "I think Romney's tax answer was so good with its emphasis on 'middle class families' is that so far the only candidate to try to address the anxieties of the middle class is Huckabee. Romney needs to get on that territory, but provide better policy answers than Huckabee. Which is exactly what he did." (Rich Lowry, "Off The Charts," National Review's "The Corner," http://corner.nationalreview.com/, Posted 12/12/07)

- Lowry: "Another plug for 'middle class families' from Mitt. It's important for him to keep hitting on it." (Rich Lowry, "Another Plug For 'Middle Class Families'," National Review's "The Corner," http://corner.nationalreview.com/, Posted 12/12/07)

Commentary's John Podhoretz: "Romney says it's incredibly important that the next president should be a conservative. We need to follow Ronald Reagan's model: social conservatives, economic conservatives and foreign policy conservatives. I want to draw on those strengths. Very strong answer." (John Podhoretz, "LIVE: Blogging the Republican Debate Part Two," Commentary's "Contentions" www.commentarymagazine.com/, Posted 12/12/07)

- Podhoretz: "Quick call on the debate: Romney is very good." (John Podhoretz, "LIVE: Blogging the Republican Debate Part Two," Commentary's "Contentions" www.commentarymagazine.com/, Posted 12/12/07)

The Weekly Standard's Richelieu: "Romney on his game." (Richelieu, "Richelieu: The Iowa Debate," The Weekly Standard's "Campaign Standard," www.weeklystandard.com/, Posted 12/12/07)

National Review's Jim Geraghty: "The issues – education, the budget – played to [Gov. Romney's] strengths." (Jim Geraghty, "Iowa PBS and the Des Moines Register: Making CNN Look Good," National Review's "The Campaign Spot," http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/, Posted 12/12/07)

National Review Endorses Mitt Romney for President!!!

Merry Christmas Mitt!!

Gotta Quote This one en toto . . .

Romney for President

By the Editors

Many conservatives are finding it difficult to pick a presidential candidate. Each of the men running for the Republican nomination has strengths, and none has everything — all the traits, all the positions — we are looking for. Equally conservative analysts can reach, and have reached, different judgments in this matter. There are fine conservatives supporting each of these Republicans.

Our guiding principle has always been to select the most conservative viable candidate. In our judgment, that candidate is Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts. Unlike some other candidates in the race, Romney is a full-spectrum conservative: a supporter of free-market economics and limited government, moral causes such as the right to life and the preservation of marriage, and a foreign policy based on the national interest. While he has not talked much about the importance of resisting ethnic balkanization — none of the major candidates has — he supports enforcing the immigration laws and opposes amnesty. Those are important steps in the right direction.

Uniting the conservative coalition is not enough to win a presidential election, but it is a prerequisite for building on that coalition. Rudolph Giuliani did extraordinary work as mayor of New York and was inspirational on 9/11. But he and Mike Huckabee would pull apart the coalition from opposite ends: Giuliani alienating the social conservatives, and Huckabee the economic (and foreign-policy) conservatives. A Republican party that abandoned either limited government or moral standards would be much diminished in the service it could give the country.

Two other major candidates would be able to keep the coalition together, but have drawbacks of their own. John McCain is not as conservative as Romney. He sponsored and still champions a campaign-finance law that impinged on fundamental rights of political speech; he voted against the Bush tax cuts; he supported this year’s amnesty bill, although he now says he understands the need to control the border before doing anything else.

Despite all that and more, he is a hero with a record that is far more good than bad. He has been a strong and farsighted supporter of the Iraq War, and, in a trying political season for him, he has preserved and even enhanced his reputation for dignity and seriousness. There would be worse nominees for the GOP (see above). But McCain ran an ineffectual campaign for most of the year and is still paying for it.

Fred Thompson is as conservative as Romney, and has distinguished himself with serious proposals on Social Security, immigration, and defense. But Thompson has never run any large enterprise — and he has not run his campaign well, either. Conservatives were excited this spring to hear that he might enter the race, but have been disappointed by the reality. He has been fading in crucial early states. He has not yet passed the threshold test of establishing for voters that he truly wants to be president.

Romney is an intelligent, articulate, and accomplished former businessman and governor. At a time when voters yearn for competence and have soured on Washington because too often the Bush administration has not demonstrated it, Romney offers proven executive skill. He has demonstrated it in everything he has done in his professional life, and his tightly organized, disciplined campaign is no exception. He himself has shown impressive focus and energy.

It is true that he has less foreign-policy experience than Thompson and (especially) McCain, but he has more executive experience than both. Since almost all of the candidates have the same foreign-policy principles, what matters most is which candidate has the skills to execute that vision.

Like any Republican, he would have an uphill climb next fall. But he would be able to offer a persuasive outsider’s critique of Washington. His conservative accomplishments as governor showed that he can work with, and resist, a Demo­crat­ic legislature. He knows that not every feature of the health-care plan he enacted in Massachusetts should be replicated nationally, but he can also speak with more authority than any of the other Republican candidates about this pressing issue. He would also have credibility on the economy, given his success as a businessman and a manager of the Olympics.

Some conservatives question his sincerity. It is true that he has reversed some of his positions. But we should be careful not to overstate how much he has changed. In 1994, when he tried to unseat Ted Kennedy, he ran against higher taxes and government-run health care, and for school choice, a balanced budget amendment, welfare reform, and “tougher measures to stop illegal immigration.” He was no Rockefeller Republican even then.

We believe that Romney is a natural ally of social conservatives. He speaks often about the toll of fatherlessness in this country. He may not have thought deeply about the political dimensions of social issues until, as governor, he was confronted with the cutting edge of social liberalism. No other Republican governor had to deal with both human cloning and court-imposed same-sex marriage. He was on the right side of both issues, and those battles seem to have made him see the stakes of a broad range of public-policy issues more clearly. He will work to put abortion on a path to extinction. Whatever the process by which he got to where he is on marriage, judges, and life, we’re glad he is now on our side — and we trust him to stay there.

He still has some convincing to do with other conservatives. Romney has been plagued by the sense that his is a passionless, paint-by-the-numbers conservatism. If he is to win the nomination, he will have to show more of the kind of emotion and resolve he demonstrated in his College Station “Faith in America” speech.

For some people, Romney’s Mormonism is still a barrier. But we are not electing a pastor. The notion that he will somehow be controlled by Salt Lake City or engaged in evangelism for his church is outlandish. He deserves to be judged on his considerable merits as a potential president. As he argued in his College Station speech, his faith informs his values, which he has demonstrated in both the private and public sectors. In none of these cases have any specific doctrines of his church affected the quality of his leadership. Romney is an exemplary family man and a patriot whose character matches the high office to which he aspires.

More than the other primary candidates, Romney has President Bush’s virtues and avoids his flaws. His moral positions, and his instincts on taxes and foreign policy, are the same. But he is less inclined to federal activism, less tolerant of overspending, better able to defend conservative positions in debate, and more likely to demand performance from his subordinates. A winning combination, by our lights. In this most fluid and unpredictable Republican field, we vote for Mitt Romney.

The National Review officially endorses Mitt Romney

FROM THE EDITORS OF THE NATIONAL REVIEW:

"WE VOTE FOR MITT ROMNEY"

This is a significant endorsement, especially in light of the recent "love affair" that has been going on between the left-wing media and Huckabee. The accompanying editorial explains their reasoning, ans is very interesting to read. Here are some snip-its:

"Our guiding principle has always been to select the most conservative viable candidate. In our judgment, that candidate is Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts."

On his record:

"No other Republican governor had to deal with both human cloning and court-imposed same-sex marriage. He was on the right side of both issues, and those battles seem to have made him see the stakes of a broad range of public-policy issues more clearly. He will work to put abortion on a path to extinction. Whatever the process by which he got to where he is on marriage, judges, and life, we’re glad he is now on our side — and we trust him to stay there."

On his Competition:

"Uniting the conservative coalition is not enough to win a presidential election, but it is a prerequisite for building on that coalition. Rudolph Giuliani did extraordinary work as mayor of New York and was inspirational on 9/11. But he and Mike Huckabee would pull apart the coalition from opposite ends: Giuliani alienating the social conservatives, and Huckabee the economic (and foreign-policy) conservatives. A Republican party that abandoned either limited government or moral standards would be much diminished in the service it could give the country."

"John McCain is not as conservative as Romney"

"Thompson has never run any large enterprise — and he has not run his campaign well, either. Conservatives were excited this spring to hear that he might enter the race, but have been disappointed by the reality."

Full Article - click here.

(Thanks to Jed for the early heads up on this!)

Dems "heart" Huckabee as an "Easy Kill"

The Drudge Report has a front page story on how the democrats are going easy on Huckabee because they see him as an easy defeat. They also show statistics on who is getting attacked, and it isn't Huckabee.
Look who is being attacked the most - - - Mitt Romney. WHY?? Because the dems fear him the most. They know that he is the one man who can and will beat Hillary, or whoever they put at the podium. Here's the stats on the attacks-

Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA) – 37% (99 press releases)
Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R-NY) – 28% (74)
Senator John McCain (R-AZ) – 24% (64)
Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN) – 8% (20)
Governor Mike Huckabee – 2% (4)]

See whole story at www.drudgereport.com

Other link to story . . . here.

Ask and Ye Shall Receive . . . Comment section Highlights

Big Jay recently posted the following in our comments section:

've been saying this for the last 6 months, first with Fred Thompson, and now with Mike Huckabee. A surge in the polls results in increased scrutiny. Some candidates can withstand it, some can't. How many areas of scandal are people going to put up with in regards to this guy? First he takes over 100K in gifts, uses the state emergency funds to destroy hard drives, has questionable judgment in regards to the prison system, endorses the biggest regressive tax ever, has a terrible record in regard to immigration.

Prediction - this isn't the end of the scandal.

The GOP has an image problem guys! The majority of the scandals since Bill and Monica have been REPUBLICAN scandals.

Mitt Romney solves the image problem instantly, he's clean as a whistle.

The GOP has a fiscal image problem. All the major spending since Clinton was in office has been a result of Republicans!

Mitt Romney is the best budget balancer of his generation.

The GOP has a competency problem. Hurricane Katrina did not happen under Clinton's watch.

Everything Mitt Romney touches goes well. He's got the midas touch.

Jeff - how about some posts about this stuff? Huckabee will hang himself. Let's remind our readers why Mitt Romney is better.

Good point Jay . . . I, unfortunately have limited time and with the media cycles revolving around Huckabee (and him being the only threat in Iowa to Romney) I've been drawn to those stories.

For the first year of this blog there was almost no criticizing of other candidates, it was all about how great Romney is/was. Readers are welcome to browse through our previous entries to see all the pro-Romney stuff. I'll make a more concerted effort to highlight some of these stories. Good point Big Jay and thank you.

Some of my favoite Romney articles are here, here, here, here, here, and here. Anybody else's favorites are welcome in the comments section.

And then, for comic relief, Zeus King of the Gods wants someone in Iowa to dress up in a Haz-Mat suits at Huckabee's Iowa events (hey, Romney's had Flipper the Dolphin show up at all of his events):

I just got the funniest idea ever! Too bad that I don't live in Iowa, and I actually have a day job. But wouldn't it be classic if somebody would start showing up to all of Mike Up-Chuck-abee's events in something that looks like a HAZ-MAT suit, and whenever anybody asked he could say that his name was "HAZ-MAT HUCK" and that since the government refused to quarantine people with HIV and AIDS that he was just making sure that he didn't get HIV by standing next to anybody in the audience.

This kind of political maneuver is actually very effective. The Flip-Flops that followed John Kerry or the Flipper dolphin that one candidate went off on a few years ago and basically lost because of it. Usually College Republicans are pretty good at pulling this kind of stuff off.

Now, when John Edwards came to campaign here in Arizona back in 2004, I got everybody dressed as doctors in medical gowns with surgeon masks and make-shift handcuffs, and we had great fun with our: "Vote Ambulance Chaser!", "Ambulance Chaser Rules!", and my personal favorite "Sue Your Doctor Today!" chants.

I won't even feel bad when somebody else takes all of the credit for this if they can actually pull this one off. But "HAZ-MAT HUCK" has winner written all over it!

Thoughts/Comments?

HuClemency's Record: Not just Dumond . . . Disturbing And Compiling Evidence of Regligious Nepotism By Huckabee in Releasing Dangerous Criminals

The evidence is mounting and it's becoming clearer and clearer that Huckabee (who may now go by the name of "HuClemency") is guilty of religious nepotism to the exclusion of a safe society. You probably saw my post about the fact that rapist turned murderer Wayne Dumond was paroled largely because Huckabee and Dumond's pastor believed that he had been "Born Again"

But now there's more disturbing evidence:

Gov. Huckabee probably never read the confession of a demented killer named Glen Green before he made the monster eligible for parole.

Green's confession is so depraved, its sadistic details so scary that no sane, responsible adult would consider him for parole.

If the governor didn't read the confession, he is guilty of dereliction of duty.

But if he read the confession and still considers Green deserving of parole, he's certainly unfit to hold office. Who would free a madman who beat an 18-year-old woman with Chinese martial-arts sticks, raped her as she barely clung to life, ran over her with his car, then dumped her in the bayou . . .

In usual fashion, Huckabee's office didn't even contact the victim's family about the clemency.

Although he's required to by the Constitution, the governor, as is his custom, won't say why he granted clemency to this crazed killer (over the unanimous objections of the Post-Prison Transfer Board).

Huckabee apparently listened to Green's minister (and a friend of the governor), who thinks the murder was an accident and Green was forced to confess.

The Jacksonville police, who arrested Green in 1974 after a witness linked him to the crime, think the minister and Huckabee are both delusional, which is the mildest epitaph we can print.

This old police reporter knows a genuine confession when he sees one, and Green's depravity has the ring of truth.

The full story has more disturbing details. Another report confirms the veracity of these claims. And the Parole Board's recommendation that this request for Clemency was "Without Merit" . . . but that didn't stop Huckabee from taking the word of this killers Minister over the professionals.

P.S. I'm getting this stuff from a thread at Race 4 2008 where a well-known Fred Thompson Supporter (Tommy Oliver) is posting the links in the following comment thread (Look's like Fred's Opposition Research Team as been working overtime, eh?)

Update: HUCKABEE EVEN ADMITS TO FACTORING IN RELIGIOUS "REDEMPTION" INTO HIS CLEMENCY/PARDON DECISIONS.

Huckabee says redemption a factor in clemency decisions
Thursday, Jul 22, 2004

By David Robinson
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK - Gov. Mike Huckabee said Wednesday that his religious background and belief in redemption played a key role in the high number of state prisoners he has pardoned or turned loose early.

"I would not deny that my sense of the reality of redemption is a factor," the former Baptist pastor said in a radio interview with KUAR in Little Rock. "And I don't know that I can apologize for that because I would hate to think of the kind of human I would be if I thought people were beyond forgiveness and beyond reformation and beyond some sense of improvement."

. . .

Huckabee two weeks ago issued proclamations granting clemency for Denver Witham, who is serving life in prison for a 1974 murder in Saline County, and for John H. Claiborne, who is serving 375 years in prison for a 1994 kidnapping and armed robbery conviction in Pulaski County. Both men are still in state custody and are waiting parole hearings before the state Post Prison Transfer Board. A board spokeswoman said those hearings probably would be in August.

Jegley said last week that he decided to write Huckabee after talking to the son of the victims who were kidnapped and robbed by Claiborne.

The son said his mother is still alive and is "scared to death" that Claiborne may be released soon, Jegley said.

Based on information from the secretary of state's office, Jegley said Huckabee has granted 669 clemencies since he became governor in 1996. The previous three governors, Bill Clinton, Frank White and Jim Guy Tucker, granted a total of 507 clemencies during their 18 years in office, he said.

I wonder how many of Huck's Clemency's were based on the word of Muslim Clerics that the violent criminals had "found religion" in Islam . . . or did non-Christian or even non-Born Again Evangelical converts face a "need not apply" policy for clemency? Would be interesting to know, eh?

Huckabee's Word vs. Many Witnesses

I haven't touched this story yet on our blog here because it's an obvious tragedy for everyone involved . . . but now Huck's digging in even deeper to his side of the story despite overwhelming evidence and personal testimony to the contrary. This has become more than just a tragic case, but it's looking to be a controversial look into the character of a certain surging candidate . . . and it's time that as many people as possible knew about it.

Pastor Jay D. Cole had two close friends. One was an inmate in the Arkansas state penitentiary. There, the minister would sit with Wayne DuMond "and pray and read the Bible." For a while, the prisoner's wife even lived in Cole's home.

Cole's friendship with Mike Huckabee ran deeper, back to when Huckabee was the youngest-ever head of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. The two men produced Bible lessons on videotape. "We worked heavily with him when he got politically involved too," Cole said.

A little over 10 years ago, the paths of these three men merged in Little Rock, the state capital, where Huckabee was the new governor. With Cole's urging, and with DuMond insisting he was "born again," Huckabee played a key role in setting free a rapist who was supposed to serve many more years, say three of the seven members of the state board that paroled DuMond.

After being released, DuMond moved to Missouri, where less than a year later he suffocated the mother of three in a Kansas City suburb. Police suspect that he killed another woman there as well.

How a convicted rapist went free has become an issue in today's increasingly heated presidential campaign.

. . .

Huckabee said this week that he had "considered" -- but then rejected -- the idea of using his powers as governor to commute DuMond's sentence and release him for time served. The state parole board acted before he had to make a final call. It was the parole board, Huckabee said, that unlocked the cell door.

"It was a horrible situation, horrible. I feel awful about it in every way. I wish there was some way I could go back and reverse the clock and put him back in prison," the candidate said at a news conference this week.

Though he acknowledged discussing the case with the state parole board, Huckabee said that conversation was "simply part of a broader discussion" initiated at the request of the board chairman. "I did not ask them to do anything," he said.

Three board members recalled it differently. They said Huckabee raised the issue of DuMond's release, asking to discuss the matter with them in a closed session. They said his religious beliefs, and the influence of the evangelical community from which he came, drove him.

"We felt pressured by him," said board member Ermer Pondexter. "I felt compelled to do it. . . . It was a favor for the governor."

Looking back, she added, "I regret it."

Parole board member Deborah Springer Suttlar said Huckabee did not mince his feelings about DuMond: "He wanted him out."

A committee of board members voted to parole DuMond. It took the action just before the deadline by which Huckabee would have had to decide what assistance, if any, he would grant to an inmate whom he had already said he wanted to help.

"He thought DuMond just grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, that he may have gotten a raw deal and a longer sentence than others under similar circumstances," recalled board member Charles Chastain, who said he was the lone dissenter in a 4-1 committee vote to grant parole.

All seven members of the board had been appointed by Huckabee's Democratic predecessors.

The board chairman declined to comment; one board member could not be reached and one said he did not remember details of the case. A seventh member is deceased.

So 3 board members say this was Huckabee's doing, with none of the seven agreeing with Huckabee. Also, the pastor Jay Cole obviously admits to pushing Huckabee in this direction.

"There will be people who will probably be brought forth to make statements but, you know, I can't fix it," he said. "I can only tell the truth and let the truth be my judge."

Cole, the minister who befriended DuMond, said: "The governor felt compassion for Wayne. He was sorry for him. So, I asked the governor to help. I asked him if anything could be done. And Mike had a lot of people on his neck trying to get him to get Wayne released."

"Many of them," Cole added, "were in the Christian community."

After detailing the grizzly details of the rape he committed, the castration he received while awaiting trial, and his sentencing the article continues . . .

Once in prison, DuMond said he found religion.

"I became his spiritual director," Cole said. "He was a nice fella, and it was hard to believe he could have done what he was accused of doing. And Wayne claimed to be saved. So, we'd sit and talk and pray for two hours, and other times he'd call me on the phone a lot. Collect. He was just wanting to know if I'd made any headway finding people who could help his situation."

. . .

Cole, meanwhile, was working to help DuMond. Cole said he talked to "probably a hundred people" about his hope of winning DuMond's release, turning foremost to the evangelical community. He said many evangelicals were encouraged that DuMond had claimed a religious conversion, and that many joined Cole in writing to Huckabee about DuMond's situation.

The clincher, he said, was their belief that DuMond had been "saved."

"All of them thought Wayne was innocent," said Cole. "And the governor knew about it. We talked about it together. But Mike was very careful. He was cautious about saying too much. In an elevated position like governor, you've got to be careful."

Huckabee said the DuMond case was already "on my desk" when he became governor in July 1996. He announced that he was considering a commutation. Later, he acknowledged, he wrote a letter to the prisoner saying parole was a better option.

"Dear Wayne. . . . My desire is that you be released from prison," the governor wrote. "I feel now that parole is the best way. . . ."

The rape victim, Ashley Stevens, became enraged. She and prosecutor Fletcher Long met with Huckabee at the Capitol. They warned him that DuMond would strike again.

At one point in the meeting, Stevens recalled, she stood up, put her face next to Huckabee's and told the governor: "This is how close I was to DuMond. I'll never forget his face, and you'll never forget mine."

The meeting ended, and Long, a Republican, could tell the governor was unmoved: "Most of what I think about him would be unprintable. His actions were just about as arrogant as you can get."

The prosecutor added that Huckabee and Arkansas evangelicals were conned by DuMond's contention that he had been "saved" -- a common ruse by prisoners.

"If you're religiously converted," Long said, "how do you go out and kill two women in Missouri?"

A very good question Mr. Long.

Other rape victims of Dumond also wrote letters to then Gov Huckabee stating that they feard for their lives if he was released. More details on this horrendous case can be found here (with the documents available). Unfortunately, Huckabee ignored their claims and fears . . . obviously trusting his inner circle of pastor friends that Dumond had been "Born Again." This is disturbing on so many levels.

Also, see this YouTube video of the Good Morning America report of this case.



And if you don't think that this is anything but a Huck's word vs. the parole board's word then check out this YouTube video of Huck on Meet The Press.



Now some will be apt to believe one GOP Baptist Minister over a cadre of Democrats . . . but to them I submit that this isn't the first time that Huck's fibbed (or flat out lied) about his record (see here and here). I'm sure he's a good man, but he's a politician too.

Comments? Concerns?

Romney's Eastern Iowa Upcoming Plans

Mitt and Ann Romney’s Christmas Caucus Extravaganza
Wednesday, Dec. 12th starting at 5:45 pm and at 7:00 pm watch the GOP Des Moines Register Debate on a big screen
Lin-Mar High School
3111 North 10th Street
Marion, IA
Drinks and appetizers will be served.
RSVP: 866-505-2008
No cost or obligation!


“Ask Mitt Anything” Town Hall Meeting
Thursday, Dec. 13th at 9:30 am
Hotel Muscatine
101 West Mississippi Drive
Muscatine, IA
Coffee and rolls will be served.
RSVP: 866-505-2008
No cost or obligation!


Coffee and Conversation with Ann Romney
Thursday, Dec. 13th at 10:45 am
Annie’s Lil Bits
469 Bluff St
Dubuque, IA
Coffee and muffins will be served.
RSVP: 866-505-2008
No cost or obligation!


Grand-Opening of Romney for President Bettendorf Field Office
Thursday, Dec. 13th at 12:15 pm
5188 18th St
Bettendorf, IA
Christmas cookies and hot chocolate will be served.
RSVP: 866-505-2008
No cost or obligation!


Muscatine County Caucus Orientation for Supporters with Craig Romney (youngest son)
Saturday, Dec. 15th at 10:00 am
Musser Public Library
304 Iowa Ave
Muscatine, IA
RSVP: 866-505-2008


Scott County Caucus Orientation for Supporters with Craig Romney (youngest son)
Saturday, Dec. 15th at 1:00 pm
Romney for President Bettendorf Field Office
5188 18th St
Bettendorf, IA
RSVP: 866-505-2008


Clinton County Caucus Orientation for Supporters with Craig Romney (youngest son)
Saturday, Dec. 15th at 3:30 pm
Clinton GOP Headquarters
125 5th Ave South
Clinton, IA
RSVP: 866-505-2008


Dubuque County Caucus Orientation for Supporters with Craig Romney (youngest son)
Saturday, Dec. 15th at 6:00 pm
HyVee Meeting Room
400 S. Locust
Dubuque, IA
RSVP: 866-505-2008


Cedar County Caucus Orientation for Supporters
Monday, Dec. 17th at 6:30 pm
Tipton Public Library
206 Cedar St
Tipton, IA
RSVP: 866-505-2008

Huckabee's 1992 HIV/AIDS Plan: QUARANTINE All HIV Carriers/AIDS Patients & Then Cut Research Funding

Wow! Talk about an extreme idea from a man running for political office! And yes, that's the key point to all the below, it's that Huckabee said all this in the position and context of running for political office . . . in essence, he was not just giving his personal/religious views, he was suggesting public health policy.

The AP is reporting that Huckabee, during his 1992 failed run for the US Senate, suggested a quarantine for not just those with clinical AIDS, but for all those with HIV:

Mike Huckabee once advocated isolating AIDS patients from the general public, opposed increased federal funding in the search for a cure and said homosexuality could "pose a dangerous public health risk."

As a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in 1992, Huckabee answered 229 questions submitted to him by The Associated Press. Besides a quarantine, Huckabee suggested that Hollywood celebrities fund AIDS research from their own pockets, rather than federal health agencies.
. . .
When asked about AIDS research in 1992, Huckabee complained that AIDS research received an unfair share of federal dollars when compared to cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

"In light of the extraordinary funds already being given for AIDS research, it does not seem that additional federal spending can be justified," Huckabee wrote. "An alternative would be to request that multimillionaire celebrities, such as Elizabeth Taylor (,) Madonna and others who are pushing for more AIDS funding be encouraged to give out of their own personal treasuries increased amounts for AIDS research."
. . .
When Huckabee wrote his answers in 1992, it was common knowledge that AIDS could not be spread by casual contact.[yes, this was POST-Magic Johnson]

Relatedly, The Politico is reporting that Huckabee also stated on a issue questionnaire (that he didn't HAVE to answer BTW . . . his opponent didn't):

"I feel homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle, and we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk,"
. . .
"If the federal government is truly serious about doing something with the AIDS virus, we need to take steps that would isolate the carriers of this plague.... It is difficult to understand the public policy towards AIDS. It is the first time in the history of civilization in which the carriers of a genuine plague [ed. insert: i.e. those with just HIV and not just those with clinical AIDS] have not been isolated from the general population, and in which this deadly disease for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights issue instead of the true health crisis it represents."

About the homosexuality comment . . . fine, most religious conservatives feel the same way (and this comment certainly won't hurt him with his base . . . though speaks to "electability" concerns were he to be the nominee.) But to purposefully and willfully interject such personal opinion onto a political questionnaire speaks to the wisdom and sensitivity of a candidate. However, where things get even more interesting are when Huckabee responded to this story breaking.

Huckabee's response is so internally contradictory that I can't stop laughing:

In the late 80’s and early 90’s we were still learning about the virus that causes AIDS. My concern, as a Senate candidate at the time, was to deal with the virus using the same public health protocols that medical science and public health professionals would use with any infectious disease.

Before a disease can be cured and contained we need to know exactly how and with near certainty what level of contact transmits the disease. There was still too much confusion about HIV transmission in those early years.
. . .
In the absence of conclusive data, my focus was on efforts to limit the exposure of the virus, following traditional medical practices developed from our public health experience and medical science in dealing with tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.

First, he's right that in the 80s there was lots of discussion/argument/fear about the communicability of HIV . . . but when he filled out this survey in 1992 there was no question how it was passed on and that a quarantine was completely uncalled for (the CDC in 1985 said that HIV was not passed by casual contact).

So, we can sum up Huckabee's 1992 HIV/AIDS plan as follows:

AIDS poses a serious public health risk and so, because we don't know exactly all the ways it's passed on, we should:

1. Quarantine all HIV carriers or those with clinical AIDS immediately.
2. DECREASE HIV research funding and let all the rich Hollywood types pay for ways to figure out excatly how/why HIV is transmitted.

I hope this irony isn't lost on the general public. If he was dearly concerned and perplexed as to how HIV was transmitted why would he call for decreased funding?

I'm guessing that "Huck's fibbin" once again on this one.

"THE" Speech

"Doctors in the Lounge" Reaction to Romney's Speech

You've all heard of the "man on the street" reaction to current events, right? Well, I had the opportunity of catching most of Romney's speech (video and text) live in our doctor's lounge between surgical cases this morning.

Two other doctors and a CRNA were there too, one watching the tube, one reading a novel, and one perusing the paper while snacking. I watched their reactions as Romney got into his speech. The two that were reading put down their material and were watching within the first few minutes.

After a few minutes one asked: "Where was he Governor?"

"Massachusetts" I said.

"I thought so . . ."

"Yeah, he's giving this speech because many are wary of his Mormon faith, similar to JFK's Catholic speech in 1960." I explained.

"That's funny, I was just thinking that he reminded me of JFK" he repsonded.

Back to viewing. A few minutes later another spoke up:

"Wow, I'm glad that he's talking about this. He really seems to 'get it' as far as how neither religion nor government should dominate one another. Most politicians would be too scared to discuss this."

Nods all around . . . followed by more attentive viewing.

After Romney finished one doc commented how impressive he was, and well-spoken. I then confessed that I was a big Romney supporter and gave him my "shpeel" about why Romney is the best candidate.

"How would he be for the economy?" he asked. I spoke of his business background, commitment to free trade, and also that Barron's Online rated him as the best candidate on either side for the economy.

"I think I've decided who to support." he said.

More nods.

Huckabee Video: God Responsible for My Rise in Iowa Polls.

Unbelievable.

I'm predicting Romney will use the same reasoning to explain how well he's doing in early states tomorrow when he gives his speech. (Heavy sarcasm)

HatTip: Mother Jones Blog.

Update: I'm not alone in thinking this. Jim Geharty sees this as a strange claim from Huck (and his wife's similar claim as confirmation) Love his line: "Dang. Here I was looking at poll numbers, advertising, and endorsements, when I should have been detailing and quantifying the "not human" factor in the race."

A Preponderance of Evidence (Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, and Mike Huckabee)

A compilation of links confirming the following themes:

1) First and Foremost . . . Mitt Romeny is Awesome! (Boy, so many to choose from; but I'll limit it): here, here, here, here, here, and here. Anybody else's favorites are welcome in the comments section.

2) Rudy/Huck alliance or "A vote for Huckabee is a vote for Rudy": here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

3) Huckabee's politicizing religion and marginalizing himself as the "Evangelical candidate" (who the MSM and Dems would have a field day destroying . . . of course only AFTER he's helped stir the pot in the GOP field): here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here (and his religious perceptions determine his policy positions which, therefore, can no longer be up for debate, right? here, here, here, here, here, and here) . . . also, I just saw Fox News footage of a Huckabee Campaign event in SC where he said: "I'm here today to talk about Jesus, not to talk about me" (not sure how old that footage is).

Bonus material: Huckabee's slick but unsubstantive style is exposed in this RedState comment (scroll up to see the the post for context). Love it!

"Iowa Likes Mike" Blogsite Whimps Out?

Iowa Likes Mike has erased all the comments on recent posts placed by non-Huckabee supporters.

The blog owner calls out Romney supporters thus:

Unfortunately, recently, many Romney supporters have used my blog as a means to promote their own blogs denigrating Governor Huckabee. I am not interested in providing a bulletin board for Huckabee hate messages. With that said, I have deleted the last batch of comments with the attached links - (Some links were listed twice- somewhat obnoxious...)
Please feel free to continue to post, however, all comments will now be moderated. If you are seeking honest discussion, I welcome it.

Then why did you delete all of the honest discussion comments along with the apparent few unsavory ones?

I've been watching that blog frequently, and didn't see the type of comments he seems to be referring to (maybe I missed the last bunch?)

We have unmoderated comments here at Iowans for Romney (though Keith and I reserve the right to delete comments that contain profanity or are clearly "out-of-bounds"). Check out this comment stream with both anti-Mitt and anti-Mormon themes (and yes, it's from a Huckabee supporter). Here at Iowans for Romney we aren't afraid of any negative messaging from outside sources. It's a chance to argue the policy points and/or point out bigotry for what it is. I realize that Huck and his supporters are trying to ride their current wave of popularity and ignore his troublesome record and/or current stances for a few more weeks. That's all he (Ruduckabee) needs.

Good luck with that.

Huckabee FINALLY Caught in Distortion on Scholarships vs. In-State Tuition for Illegals

I've wished I were the interviewer or a debate contestant as Huckabee has kept "snowing" everybody about "Meritorious Scholarships" vs. "In-State Tuition Breaks" for illegal immigrants. George Stephanopolous finally nailed him as being deceitful on the issue:


Then he seems flabbergasted by George's question on whether or not he'd similarly support federal tuition breaks, federal student loans, and federal Pell Grants for illegal immigrants (like he'd never even thought about it):


He also opposed a bill that would have required proof of citizenship for voting (with a pretty lame excuse IMO):


NOTE TO HUCKABEE . . . IT'S THIS KIND OF "COMPASSION CONSERVATISM" BY YOU AND OTHERS THAT IS JUST AS MUCH OF A MAGNET FOR ILLEGALS TO COME HERE AS ARE THE JOBS. YOU ARE COMPOUNDING AND PROPAGATING THE PROBLEM WITH SUCH POLICIES!

If govenrment has enough money to provide scholarships/tuition breaks shouldn't our own citizens and legal immigrants have first priority? (Mitt made this argument at a Cedar Rapids, Iowa "Ask Mitt Anything" event last week that I saw on C-SPAN)

All the Right Enemies

A quick quiz . . .

Question: Which candidate has (wait to click on the links if you don't want to ruin the suspense):

1) A GOP pro-abortion group attacking him with negative TV ads in Iowa (and New Hampshire)?

2) A GOP gay agenda group (the Log Cabin Republican) attacking him with negative TV and radio ads in Iowa? (Also, this candidate is front-page issue #1 on their website where they are soliciting donations to help take him down.)

Answer Key:
Logically that should be the supposed newfound leader/candidate of the Evangelical Christian movement Mike Huckabee, right?

Wrong, the correct answer is Mitt Romney.

Believe me, there's ammo on both these issues that these groups could go after Huckabee if they wanted to (like him comparing abortion to the Holocaust).

Now think about this: which candidate do you think the GOP pro-abortion and GOP pro-gay agenda groups ARE pulling for in this race?

That's a no-brainer . . . it's THE GOP candidate that IS pro-abortion and pro-gay agenda . . . Rudy.

Many see that this is a way for Rudy to attack Mitt without doing it himself and without using his own money. But what is being lost is that they are holding their fire for Huckabee, because even they see that any challenge to Mitt in Iowa is good news for Rudy.

Makes ya wonder, eh?

Giuliani/Huckabee "Civil Union" Solemnized by Dick Morris?

Please forgive me for that "shocker" of a headline . . . but once I thought it up I simply couldn't help myself. First, let me explain the use of the "Civil Union" term. No, I'm not suggesting that the reciprocal Rudy-Huck man-crushes have actually developed far enough to where they've switched sexual orientation . . . rather, I'm suggesting that Rudy and Huck do have a "union of civility," (as confirmed through a preponderance of evidence here, here, here, here, here, and here --any I missed?) that there is a pact that they will both pump each other up (and both slam Romney) at every opportunity.

Now it looks like Dick Morris may be facilitating this Rudy-Huckabee relationship while simultaneously attempting to pose as an "objective pundit":

"Mike Huckabee has been holding private conversations with Dick Morris, according to aides, a long-standing relationship that is raising new questions as Huckabee’s campaign begins to take off.
. . .
[Morris'] brought Huckabee onto his client roster, beginning in 1993 when he advised the Republican’s winning campaign for lieutenant governor.

Morris lately has been lavishing praise in newspaper columns and television appearances on Huckabee, whose polished debate performances and recent gains in the polls in Iowa have given him a chance to penetrate the top tier among the GOP candidates.

Morris’ public touts of Huckabee sometimes come with disclosures of his past working relationship with the candidate, but they do not mention that the two men still talk regularly — an omission that could raise eyebrows among journalistic ethicists.

As Huckabee’s prospects become more serious, speculation about Morris’ role has blossomed in the small circle — sometimes incestuous, sometimes bitterly competitive — of national political operatives. Some accounts place Morris as an important figure among Huckabee’s kitchen cabinet of outside advisers.

Here is what is known: Morris and Huckabee confer with one another, according to two top Huckabee advisers . . .

Morris declined to be interviewed but said in an e-mail he talks with Huckabee casually and does not consider himself an adviser.
. . .
Morris is doing his part to nudge along Huckabee’s chances.

Huckabee is “the last survivor in the elimination tournament of the Christian right,” Morris exclaimed in an Oct. 17 column. “And they could do a whole lot worse!”

“Mike Huckabee is shaking up the Republican race,” Morris declared in an Oct. 26 column.

He has compared Huckabee favorably to GOP rivals, such as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

On Fox News’ “Hannity & Colmes” show last week, Morris spoke of the two candidates’ records on social issues and how they will play in Iowa: “Romney's record on all this stuff is very tentative, so that when a phony social conservative meets up with a real social conservative, Huckabee, I think Huckabee gains, gains, gains and probably wins.”

And recently, Morris has stepped up his advocacy of his former client and current friend and begun to offer the first hint of wanting some credit for the rise of Huckabee.

After a series of unfavorable columns and articles by conservative journalists — culminating in a much-discussed piece by Robert D. Novak — questioning Huckabee’s fiscal conservative credentials, Morris started a column a few days ago:

“As his political consultant in the early ’90s and one who has been following Arkansas politics for 30 years, let me clue you in: Mike Huckabee is a fiscal conservative,” he wrote before making the case for Huckabee in Iowa — and beyond.

So how does Rudy come in with Morris? Well, I remember him saying just a few days ago on Fox News that he likes Huckabee and Rudy the most (though not disclosing that he was actively talking and informally advising both candidates.) From the same article above Morris stated via email:

“[Huckabee], like Rudy and the staff of three or four other campaigns, are personal friends, and I chat with them from time to time, but nothing like an adviser,”

Yeah RIGHT Dick! Interestingly, why did Morris single out Rudy as a "personal friend" here? I think Morris actually wants some public recognition for brokering this particular Rudy/Huckabee alliance. He hinted at this a few weeks ago in his column with the idea that a Huckabee surge/win in Iowa might just save Rudy from his mistake of not taking Iowa seriously:

Rudy could still bounce back in Iowa if he gets his act together there and at least make it close. More possible would be for Huckabee, who has been surging with no money, to close with Romney and win in Iowa. Mike’s consistent pro-life position contrasts sharply with Mitt’s flip-flop-flip on the issue and could propel Huckabee ahead of Romney . . .

You can look at Morris' other recent columns and connect the dots as well:

In one a couple of weeks ago, Dick Morris goes against reason (and against every prominent fiscally conservative pundit and watchdog group) by saying that "MIKE HUCKABEE IS A FISCAL CONSERVATIVE" (yes, it was all in caps). Just a few days ago his column was devoted to highlighting Romney's recent supposed struggles in the campaign (that I'm sure he's chuckling behind the scenes because he's helping to cause them).

I always thought this guy was a sleazeball just from listening to him (and that was even before my wife pointed out to me his scandalous past). Seeing him being party to this hypocritical Rudy/Huckabee alliance confirmed my gut reactions.

Rudy Camp: "Huckabee is an unmitigated Godsend for Rudy."

"Huckabee is an unmitigated Godsend for Rudy"

I wonder what God Team Rudy is referring to . . .

Mind you, last week Huckabee said that God was responsible for his recent surge in Iowa.

"Mr. Huckabee also said that Divine providence was responsible for his recent surge in the polls in Iowa" [side note: can you imagine the backlash if Romney would have said the same thing a few months ago?!?!?]

With all the other campaigns bringing God into the campaign so much maybe it really IS time for Romney to give "The Mormon Speech"

Breaking . . . Romney to address issue of "Faith in America" - - - - - "Mormon Speech"

From the NYTimes Blog

Jeff Fuller

Iowa Christian Alliance President Scheffler: "Rudy Giuliani cannot be elected" (And how Huck's trying to have it both ways)

States this in Romney's presence:

DUBUQUE, IA -- It's no secret that Iowa Christian Alliance president Steve Scheffler isn't a Rudy fan. But tonight, within spitting distance of Giuliani’s rival GOP candidate Romney, Scheffler explicitly urged Iowa Christians to oppose Giuliani in the race for the nomination. "If our party nominates this guy," he told a crowd at a Dubuque gathering of the ICA, "we will see a bloodbath at the polls like we've never seen before."

Scheffler went on to slam Giuliani's position on same-sex marriage, life issues and gun rights. "Rudy Giuliani cannot be elected," he said, citing the ex-mayor's differences with social conservatives. "We cannot afford to nominate somebody who's out of touch with the base."

Also, Iowa voters should take note that Scheffler made these comments not just while Romney was present, but in the presence of Pro-Life crusader James Bopp Jr. (Romney endorser) who essentially said at that same meeting that a vote for anyone else in Iowa but Mitt is a vote for Rudy, arguing that Mitt is the only candidate that can take on and beat Rudy.

Let's see, Scheffler, as a leader among Iowa Christian voters is HARD CORE against Rudy . . .

These same Christian voters should then take pause at why Huckabee seems to be so pro-Rudy (and vice-a-versa). Shouldn't the so-called chosen son of the Evangelical movement have a little more "Rudy is unacceptable" fire in him? Instead, Huckabee isn't simply ignoring that the "front-runner" for the GOP nomination is anathema to all socially conservative things, but Huck takes it far beyond silence, and is constantly complimenting Rudy and even defending him. There is also evidence that Huckabee is timid about taking on Rudy head to head and has said himself:

". . . if you go after Rudy, you better be prepared to take one upside the head, because Rudy's an experienced fighter and knows how to do it."

More "Rudy love" recently from Huckabee:

"There is an authenticity about Rudy that people find refreshing."

. . . hardly what the social conservative movement is looking for I would assume (I'm socially conservative, and I'm not looking for someone who can't take down Rudy! Of course, I'm already aligned with the only guy who can take out Rudy AND win the general election!).

Makes one wonder whether Huckabee is truly a leader of the social conservative movement, or if he's just a political opportunist who is trying to ride his "flavor of the month" status as long as he can. At least Rudy's team sees that "Huckabee is an unmitigated Godsend for Rudy." (interesting use of that religious metaphor . . . are they saying that God wants Rudy to be POTUS?(sort of ironic, eh? . . . ). The social conservative Baptist minister rides in to save the day of the pro-abortion, pro-gay agenda, socially liberal and anti-religiosity candidate. (Please excuse me while I clean up my own emesis)

However, if what George Will is suggesting is really what's going on in Iowa then the above may all be a moot argument:

Although Huckabee is considered affable, two subliminal but clear enough premises of his Iowa attack on Mitt Romney are unpleasant: The almost 6 million American Mormons who consider themselves Christians are mistaken about that. And -- 55 million non-Christian Americans should take note -- America must have a Christian president.

Another pious populist who was annoyed by Darwin -- William Jennings Bryan -- argued that William Howard Taft, his opponent in the 1908 presidential election, was unfit to be president because he was a Unitarian, a persuasion sometimes defined as the belief that there is at most one God. The electorate chose to run the risk of entrusting the presidency to someone skeptical about the doctrine of the Trinity.

If Huckabee succeeds in derailing Romney's campaign by raising a religious test for presidential eligibility, that will be clarifying: In one particular, America was more enlightened a century ago.

I'm not saying that is what's happening and dearly hope not. If so, I'll pray even more earnestly for the future of our nation.

I beg rational leaders of the Evangelical movement to see what's happening with this "Unholy Alliance" between Rudy and Huckabee. Then help convince and persuade others that Mitt is the right man at the right time to stop both Rudy and Hillary . . . that he is a leader with proven strength and results. Your endorsement of Romney can help avoid a situation where both party's nominees are unapologetically pro-choice. Most importantly, a Romney candidacy, more than any other viable candidate, can keep together the long-important "Reagan coalition" of social, fiscal, and national security conservatives.

Oppo Round-up

Updates on the Iowa Competition:

Rudy:

• Politico: Rudy's Affair Financied (in part) by NYC taxpayers (and it looks like he tried to hide it)
  

Money quote: "As New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani billed obscure city agencies for tens of thousands of dollars in security expenses amassed during the time when he was beginning an extramarital relationship with future wife Judith Nathan in the Hamptons"

• Citing Statistics, Giuliani Misses Time and Again

Huckabee:

• The affable but subliminally unpleasant Mike Huckabee — By GEORGE F. WILL

Money quotes: "Mike Huckabee's candidacy rests on serial non sequiturs: I am a Christian, therefore I am a conservative, therefore whatever I have done or propose to do with "compassionate," meaning enlarged, government is conservatism. And by the way, anything I denote as a "moral" issue is beyond debate other than by the uncaring forces of greed." . . . "Huckabee combines pure moralism with incoherent populism"

• Immigration group: Huckabee a ‘disaster’
  Money quote: "there’s little doubt which Republican scares them most — former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. “He was an absolute disaster on immigration as governor,” said Roy Beck, president of NumbersUSA, a group that played a major role in rallying the phone calls that helped defeat this year’s Senate immigration bill. “Every time there was any enforcement in his state, he took the side of the illegal aliens.”

• Richelieu: Huckabee’s Challenge
• Mike Huckabee, The Populist (from HuckabeeFacts.org)
• Huckabee offered ‘no-cost’ deal for Mexican Consulate - Developer confirms role, legislator raps ex-governor for using taxpayer funds for illegals.

McCain:

• Internal McCain Campaign Memo: GOP, Turn Down The Volume On Immigration

Fred:

• Fred Thompson’s almighty misunderstanding
• Why One Iowa Blogger Won't Vote for Fred

Money quote: "Fred Thompson is conservative enough but he has never been a conservative leader. When I hear him speak I think, "Nice enough guy, probably was a decent senator." . . . the argument that Iowa socons should rally around Thompson doesn't make any sense."

• Too Bad Fred Won’t Sell His Good Ideas

New Hampshire Poll from Fox News shows Romney Strongly in the Lead

November 30th poll from FoxNews shows Mitt Romney with an 8 point lead over McCain, and most importantly, and 10 point lead over Giuliani. America, are you listening??? Romney is leading in the important states, and will carry over this momentum to the rest of the non-early states! Here are the numbers:

1. Mitt Romney 29%
2. John McCain 21
3. Rudy Giuliani 19
4. Mike Huckabee 7
5. Ron Paul 4
6. Fred Thompson 4
7. Duncan Hunter 1
8. Tom Tancredo -
9. (Other) 1
10. (Don’t know) 14

Unlike the other candidates, Romney is experiencing steady, long-term gains in polling. As he visits these states, his polling goes up. His polling is not a reflection of national name recognition, nor government long-timer presence, nor media-driven endorsements. Romney is the real deal. He's what Americans want in a president, and the media is struggling to keep him down.

Other interesting facts from the poll in New Hampshire:

The poll (also) shows that five percent of all likely Republican primary
voters describe themselves as "evangelical Protestants," with most of the rest
split between identifying themselves as Catholics (32 percent) and traditional
Protestants (34 percent). Among evangelicals, Romney holds a sizeable lead over
Mike Huckabee (37 percent to 23 percent), with McCain a close third at 21
percent and Giuliani trailing in fourth position with 11 percent.

Looks like bad news for Huckabee, considering his primary leg that he is standing on is the "Evangelical Protestant" vote.

Regarding the key qualities these voters look for in a candidate, the poll found
honesty (32 percent) and standing up for one’s beliefs (30 percent) about
equally important, with experience trailing far behind (18 percent).

Seems as if they are describing Mitt Romney in what they look for in a candidate.

Editorial Addendum by Jeff Fuller:

That Fox News Poll is actually one of the worst showings for Romney in NH in a while (all Fox News Polls . . . especially the national ones . . . tend to give Romney lower numbers, and Rudy higher numbers than most other polls). The Real Clear Politics NH Average has Romney with a 15 point lead. Also, the Rassmussen NH poll that came out the same day as this Fox one showed Romney with a 19% point lead with 34% and no one else over 15%. Now that's what we call DOMINATING a poll!

Let's focus on winning Iowa though!

Why Evangelicals Should Support Mitt Romney

Very convincing arguments from Evangelicals that are supporting Mitt

Why Evangelical Christians are supporting Mitt Romney

Bookmark Evangelicals for Mitt . . . a great site/resource.