ROMNEY WINS IOWA!!!

Defying conventional wisdom and with relatively little staff and money, Mitt Romney pulled off a first place showing in Iowa last night!

http://gotmitt.com

http://gotmitt.com

http://gotmitt.com

GO MITT GO!!!

WIN MITT WIN!!!

Please follow Mitt Romney Central for all the latest and greatest Romney updates.

Cain taking a chance as the Fair Tax Fairy

Herman Cain has been running through the motions of campaigning to be the republican nominee. Last week he got a lot more public about his support for the fair tax. The fair tax proposes to replace income tax and payroll tax with a 23% consumer sales tax. On a Fox News interview, he was asked "Why do you think you can carry this message and win the nomination where Mike Huckabee failed 4 years ago on a similar platform?" He didn't really have an answer. He's proposing a 2-phase boost to the economy? He wants to cut taxes and then educate the public about the fair tax? The public is too smart for that. They will make up their mind about the fair tax LONG before they ever put you in office, Mr. Cain. Cain says he can defend all the lies about the fair tax. But what he can't defend the open-ended questions.



I have discussed the fair tax at length in the past. It is an "idea", moving towards flatter taxes, but there are some major concerns that I feel are deal breakers:

<> In order for this to take place, you have to repeal the 16th amendment. Impossible. Good luck.
<> They claim this will eliminate 90% of the IRS. Cain says these folks are smart enough to find new jobs. HOW WILL YOU CREATE NEW JOBS FOR THEM WHEN CONSUMER SPENDING WILL HALT THE SECOND THE FAIR TAX IS IMPOSED?
<> This would drive a lot of sales underground, to the black market. Wealthy people work hard to keep their wealth, and the instant his would be put in place, a mutli-billion dollar underground market would be created. You would need an enforcement team twice the size of the current IRS just to combat the black market.
<> This would bankrupt anyone on fixed income. Those who don't currently pay income tax, such as the poor and retired citizens, would have the same income or the same savings and then be expected to pay 23% more for everything. Retired citizens would not support this bill. They have been working their entire lives and paying income taxes. Can you imagine the effect of them having to pay the equivalent of an income tax through their consumer spending? It would drive them to buy everything.......on the black market.

So the concerns are separate yet tied one to another. This is just my opinion, but it sure seems illogical and UN-Fair to a lot of folks who have been working their whole lives to enjoy retirement.

Herman Cain is banking on the Fair Tax to win over a few percentage points in the polls from the fair taxers out there. And why shouldn't he be a fan of it? He's a CEO. He realizes that he could eliminate payroll taxes, and raise prices 23% simultaneously. And he knows it would be pretty hard to buy a Godfathers extra large pepperoni pizza on the black market. Win-win for him. Lose-lose for his GOP nomination aspirations.

Polls, Polls, Polls!

Mitt Romney is off to a great start with a huge fund raiser on National Call Day and a surge of support since his official announcement. (video links below in previous posts). Now lets take a look at the polls. Mitt is running in the lead in most of the polls right now. Not all of them, but most of them. The last 4 polls to post are as follows:

Fox News Poll for Republican Presidential Nominee, June 5-7, 2011 :
Mittt Romney 23%
Rudy Giuliani 13%
Sarah Palin 12%

Reuters/Ipsos Poll for Republican Presidential Nominee, June 3-6, 2011:
Sarah Palin 22%
Mittt Romney 20%
Ron Paul 7%

Quinnipiac University Poll for Republican Presidential Nominee, May 31-June 6, 2011:
Mittt Romney 25%
Sarah Palin 15%
Herman Cain 9%

ABC News/Washington Post Poll for Republican Presidential Nominee, June 2-5, 2011:
Mittt Romney 21%
Sarah Palin 17%
Rudy Giuliani 8%

So here is the question: How can we help to keep Mitt at the top of the list. There is a lot of time until the 2012 caucuses start up. What will you be doing to help? Feel free to comment.....

It's official : Mitt Romney 2012

Mitt Romney has officially announced his candidacy for the Presidential race~ Here is the vidoe from the announcement.

Does avoiding the limelight prove to be working?

As the media-loving candidates run all over the country chasing cameras, Mitt Romney casually sits in the background, avoiding the media darts, and raising support (and money). More on this opinion from David Frum from CNN, click the link below:

. What do you think? Are Romney's tactics working? Leave a comment to reply.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/05/31/frum.romney.invisible/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

Mitt Romney in Iowa, looking to make an announcement on June 2nd

Mitt Romney made his first stop in 2011 thru Iowa today! The first was a stop in Des Moines, where former Governor Romney met with agriculture representatives and plenty of supporters. He got a lot of questions regarding the strategy of his campaign for the state of Iowa, but he held strong to his message that the details are yet to be determined. Smart to keep his cards close. The media is grasping for anything they can use against him, including insider information regarding his campaign strategy. One humorous side note to the Des Moines event was that a bag of popcorn was overcooked and caught fire, setting off the fire alarms in the entire building, where Mitt Romney then directed everyone to exit the building, and continued taking questions outside the building on the street.

Here is the Fox News video from Des Moines:

http://video.foxnews.com/v/963687256001/mitt-romney-courts-iowa/

Mitt Romney then came to Cedar Rapids for a joint Johnson County and Linn County GOP event at a historic farm on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids. In a barn that was nearly 100 years old, amid horses, carriages, and hay fields, he treated the supporters to a spirited speech about the economy and the pride of being American. He stayed for almost an hour afterwards to speak with all the supporters there, and then wisely grabbed a quick bite to eat on the way out.

Mitt speaking to the crowd.

A view of the historic barn, up in the hay loft.

Greeting supporters upon his arrival

Speaking to future voters in Iowa

More Fans

The big question of the announcement came up at the event, and Romney hinted at a June 2nd announcement in New Hampshire that will be coming. We are all assuming that announcement will be that he is officially running.

Now what? He came to Iowa, saw great support from both old and new supporters, but now what should we expect? All signs point to a smaller campaign and more grass roots communication rather than hitting the pavement for multiple campaign stops per day in the state. Supporters will need to learn how to maximize the potential of communication through social media to stay connected with Mitt in the mean time. Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc, are all becoming new players in the political arena. We learned of their importance through all of the college aged young adults who so strongly supported Obama at the last election, and used social media to organize and turnout votes. The only problem now is that all of those college student from 4 years ago are struggling to find real jobs, and their hopes for a better life with Obama have come to a close. Perhaps all the jobless college grads will realize that Mitt Romney knows business, and how to get job growth in America. As Mitt stated today, it's time we have someone in the white house trying to create jobs who actually has held a job!

To find Mitt on Facebook, go to :

http://www.facebook.com/mittromney and

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Iowans-For-Romney/155625597826799

American Family Association Poll

The American Family Association is running an online Poll for Presidential GOP Candidates. Go vote for Mitt and spread the word!

American Family Association Poll online - - - go vote for Mitt!

www.afa.net

Major Fundraising Day for Mitt! $10.25 Million

Today was a major fundraising success for Mitt Romney. The fundraising event took place in Las Vegas today, and raised $10.25 Million. Quoting Romney "It's important to me that we get that started, the ball rolling today." That ball just got bigger, and it's definitely rolling now!

Full story below:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110516/ap_on_go_ot/us_romney_campaign_money

Mitt Romney is coming to Iowa!

Mitt Romney is coming to Iowa!

Mark your calenders! Friday May 27th, Mitt Romney invites you to join him for a BBQ Picnic in Cedar Rapids with the Linn and Johnson County GOP, friends and family~

6:00pm at the Dwight Hughes Nursery and Farm
5201 Nursery Road, Cedar Rapids, IA

Come join the fun for an evening with Mitt Romney!

RSVP requested , go to Facebook Event here:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=146317518774763

GREEK WEEK for the freshman candidates!

Tonight was the first televised Republican Candidate Debate. It was run on the Fox news network, and the freshman were out in force, as if it was Greek Week at the local state college. Some of the freshman included Gary Johnson, former governor of New Mexico, Harman Cain, former CEO of Godfathers Pizza (interesting), Rick Santorum, former representative and senator, and Tim Pawlenty, former governor of Minnesota. Obviously these freshman were as eager as new college kids to get to campus for orientation week, and to pledge for the fraternity. Which fraternity, you might ask?? The "legitimate candidate" fraternity house. Lets call it Gamma Omega Pi (GOP). Strangely enough, one of the upperclassmen, Ron Paul, also showed up for rush week because he's still pledging to get into Gamma Omega Pi.

He started the much popular frat Tau Epsilon Alpha (TEA), but he feels he needs to be part of Gamma Omega Pi to make to the top and graduate as the republican nominee. Seriously though, Ron Paul never turns down a chance to get in front of a camera and wave to his revolutionaries.

Where were the rest of the upperclassmen? There were some folks missing from this debate. They know you don't have to show up for orientation week and pledge all over! They are still relaxing on summer break, or still working before the semester starts. Missing from the debate was Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee, all legitimate Gamma Omega Pi's. Donald Trump wasn't there either. He is too busy making money to go back to campus. Michelle Bachmann of Tau Epsilon Alpha was also not there. So does it hurt these candidates to not show up to the first televised debate? No. They are already national figures in many diverse ways. Instead, the freshman candidates can have some screen time, get a name drop or two, and then promptly get fired at by the moderators with poignant questions. Poignant questions that are intended for one purpose and one purpose only : to get a candidate to drop out. I am convinced the debate producers and the networks behind them secretly want to be able to make the claim that so-and-so dropped out of the race because of our hard-hitting questions.

The real debate to look forward to will be in August in Ames Iowa. This is right before the famous Iowa Straw Poll. Will the straw poll hold as much weight in Iowa this time around? Who knows. Logic would point to "no" seeing as the media is over occupied with all the other states that have surpassed Iowa in their importance and "reality TV flair". Iowa needs to have a decent turnout if the media is to be impressed this time around. If the GOP were smart, they would try to narrow the pool down sooner than later so we don't fraction up the party again this time like we did in 2008. Unity, faith, and perseverance!! Thats what we need to get Obama out of the president's chair in 2012!! And in my opinion, Mitt Romney is the man to do it. Go Mitt!

RNC Online Straw Poll - Go Vote For Mitt!

The RNC released their online straw poll today. Be sure to visit the poll and vote for our man, Mitt! They will ask you to make a donation, which obviously goes to help prevent another 4 years of Obamism, but if you don't wish to you can check the box that says "none". They will also ask you to give your contact info. This is a good thing to help the RNC reach it's supporters once our nominee is selected. If you don't agree, make up a name....

Here's the poll:

https://www.gop.com/PresidentialStrawPoll/PresidentialStrawPoll.htm

and be sure to "like" us on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Iowans-For-Romney/155625597826799

$1 billion to win a campaign? What have we become?

Apparently President Obama has been throwing around fundraising goal figures for his 2012 re-election campaign. How much you might ask? Try 1 billion dollars. It almost sounds like something out of an Austin Powers movie, buts its the sad truth in todays political environment. Money wins elections. A recent article stated that the frenzy has begun amongst those looking for a bid in 2012, and on the republican side it is looking like a tough race to come. ( http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/04/24/gop-presidential-hopefuls-fundraising-frenzy/ )

The republican candidates are already including financing in their collection of arrows firing amongst the candidates. Donald Trump is already calling Mitt Romney out for being a "small business guy" and boasting in CNN's "State of

the Union" that he has a "much, much bigger net worth. I mean my net worth is many, many, many times Mitt Romney". (Full Story http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/04/17/trump-downplays-romney-small-business-guy-touts-personal-fortune/ )

Despite this financial David vs. Goliath, Mitt leads Trump 2 to one in recent polls. Romney is a household name now, and doesn't need to invest the face time and money to get recognition this time around. Obviously Trump is a household name as well, but he has to introduce to Americans why he is a good presidential candidate, and not just a good CEO. That's going to cost some money and should he decide to move forward with this idea in June, we will really start to see the money fly. One thing for sure: even a failed campaign will still have a significant return on investment for Mr. Trump, otherwise he wouldn't proceed with it!

For now, Mitt Romney can take a step back while freshman candidates like Donald Trump take the media spotlight and take the early rounds of media onslaught and bad press. Once all these greenies fall by the wayside, Mitt Romney can stay the course and win an election on conservative values, small government, a strong military, and a strong economy.

Romney a Favorite among Conservatives

The Washington Post's "The Fix" hone in on a very interesting and encouraging fact from a recent poll in a post entitled "Mitt Romney, Conservative Darling?":

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has spent the better part of the last five years working to convince conservatives that he is one of them. And, if the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll is right, he’s done it.

Sixty percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents view the potential GOP presidential candidate favorably, while just 21 percent see him in an unfavorable light.

That’s an improvement from where he stood in early January 2008 – in the heart of the GOP primary fight – when 55 percent of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents viewed him favorably and 36 percent felt unfavorably toward him. And back in November 2007, Romney’s favorable score stood at 42 percent while 28 percent felt unfavorably toward him in Post/ABC data.

Perhaps more important for Romney as he gears up for a second presidential bid in 2012 are his numbers among the most conservative segments in the GOP. Sixty-eight percent of self-identified conservatives view Romney favorably; his numbers are even higher among the portion of that group who identify themselves as “very” conservative – with 71 percent seeing the former governor in a favorable light.

Many of us supporters have seen him as a conservative for years (how he governed in liberal Massachusetts was nothing short of a conservative miracle) . . . but it's nice to see other conservatives finally starting to see the light.

Romney values vs. conservative Christian republican values: What seems to be the difference?

Here is an article from last month. Click title for direct link:

"The Christian case for Mormon values" by John Mark Reynolds of the Washington Post

The Christian case for Mormon values

With former Utah governor Jon Huntsman and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney both believed to be gearing up for a run for the presidency, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has again found itself answering questions about what these two prominent members believe.

Post reporter Sandhya Somashekhar wrote in a story published Tuesday that Mormon leaders see the ascendancy of these and other Mormons (such as convert Glenn Beck) as a sign "that the community has finally 'arrived,'" but added "researchers say there remains a deep mistrust of Mormons and that little has changed in public opinion to suggest that voters will be more open this year than they were in 2007."

If conservative Christian and Mormons share a political agenda, why do suspicions still plague Mormon politicians? Do media personalities such as Glenn Beck help or hurt the cause?

God works in mysterious ways to perform His wonders. Old Testament prophets complained about the instruments God chose, but God went on being God despite their complaints. 2012 is likely to give Americans two serious candidates for president that are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS). Many conservative Christians, for good and bad, get inspiration and information from Glenn Beck, who is also a member of the Church.

Should Americans be concerned? Bluntly, no, though those of us who are not Mormon should be depressed that such a small group has outworked, out thought, and out hustled us. Mormon success should spur traditional Christians, who outnumber Mormons by tens of millions, to do better.

Sadly ignorance of the LDS Church is widespread in our culture. Despite over a century of faithful citizenship and embracing family values, stupid stereotypes remain. Magically much of the media easily remembers Glenn Beck is Mormon, but keeps forgetting that Harry Reid is as well. Sacred garments on Christians and Jews are normal, but sacred garments on Mormons?

Of course, there is a vocal fringe of Americans who think any religious person is nuts. These equal-opportunity offenders can be ignored as invincibly ignorant. They don't respect Mormons, because they don't respect Christians, Jews, Muslims, or anybody who thinks we are more than computers made out of meat.

There is another group, sadly not so tiny, that cannot be friends or co-laborers with anyone who does not share their theology or ideology. This sectarianism is the bane of any movement, but most Americans know we can learn and work with almost anyone if they share our values in some area.

There are no good reasons not to consider voting for a Mormon. Theologically, I disagree with the faith's teachings. My professional speaking has included pointed academic encounters with LDS professors about our areas of disagreement. Simultaneously, serious disagreements have not prevented our making common cause on many issues.

Studying Mormonism closely did not make me a Mormon, to the contrary, but it did give an abiding respect for certain things the LDS Church gets right. They have demonstrated things worth knowing. If this is a Mormon moment in American history, there is a reason for it. Their virtues have particular civic relevance today and their theological vices (from my point of view) do not. The LDS I know love America, urge good behavior on their members, and promote many traditional American values. If that bothers you, vote for somebody else--the LDS will fight and die in the American forces for your right to do so.

The LDS Church made North America sacred space. With Native Americans and Spanish mission builders in California, they have loved this land and made it part of their story. The Mormon revelation, whatever its origins, is centered in North America.

Part of that epic is actual Mormon history: born, bred, and thriving in the United States of America.

Mormonism is old enough by American standards to feel "ancient," but young enough to make the founding stories easy for Americans to understand. Joseph Smith received his revelations closer than four score years after the American founding. Any literate English speaker can read founding Mormon documents without the need for much translation or scholarly explanation, but knowledge of American history is vital. Most Americans look abroad for "holy land," but Mormons look here.

This gives them a passion for this place difficult for anyone else to match. Other religious groups must work harder to match this sense of place that the LDS Church has naturally.

A great weakness of our lives today is isolation and loneliness. Mormonism is one solution to that problem for many. LDS church services to members and communities are a free market model for private charity. I have personally seen LDS charity help families that were not LDS, but related to a member. The charity gave work-centered help that met needs without sacrificing dignity. The commendable community found in Mormonism should be imitated not attacked.

For good and bad, Mormonism is deeply American. Born on our frontier and nurtured in our wilderness, American values are Mormon values. And yet, no LDS swaggers into the culture assuming he will be accepted. Mormons know the imperfections of American life. An American mob murdered their founder. As a result of their history, Mormons have a thoughtful and subtle take on religion in the public square. This last week Dallin H. Oaks, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, gave an important speech at the Chapman University School of Law in California on religious liberty.

I am sure Glenn Beck would agree that more Americans should read that speech, even if it meant turning off his program. Oaks, a professor and judge, not Beck, represents the best civic face of the LDS Church.

If this is, as the Washington Post suggests, a Mormon moment, it is because Mormons clung to truths now unfashionable and addressed questions others ignore. They suffered exile in their own land, persecution, and the need to change important ideas to be part of the broader culture. This American experience taught them good lessons about America. Being right is powerful and most LDS are right on many of today's big issues: the nature of family, the protection of life, defense of religious liberty, and republican values.

Traditional Christians should learn from their example and patriotic Americans should celebrate their effective service.

I cannot be a Mormon, because I think they are seriously wrong in their theology, but most Mormons are not wrong about the traditional values of our republic. Mormons like Harry Reid will never get my vote, because his policy ideas do not match with mine, but a Mormon like Mitt Romney could, because I support his good ideas.

Providence works in peculiar ways and it is particularly odd for an evangelical and Orthodox Christian to be grateful for this Mormon moment in American history. But if a Biblical prophet could celebrate the pagan emperor Cyrus for being God's man to free His people, surely we can praise our Mormon countrymen for sounding a trumpet call to rally America to life and liberty.

BY JOHN MARK REYNOLDS | FEBRUARY 9, 2011; 7:29 PM ET

http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/john_mark_reynolds/2011/02/an_american_trumpet.html

Romney to Obama : "You lost focus on the economy"

Romney discusses the Obama Misery Index in his recent post on the Free and Strong America PAC website. Romney calls out Obama for losing focus on the importance of the jobs crisis in America. Iowa may not have seen the job crisis as bad as the rest of the country, but the lack of results in Washington are still affecting the state.

Story Below:

http://freestrongamerica.com/news/op-eds/2011/03/08/obama-misery-index-hits-record-high