Mitt Romney to Air First Presidential Campaign Ad in Early Voting States

This will be a long and very expensive Republican Primary!

Romney's first ad is posted at YouTube.com

"This will be a long and very expensive Republican Primary!"

Possibly what the party of Soros was hoping to accomplish by having their candidates declare so early. The one who DOESN'T run out of money IS generally the winner, after all. That'll be Hillary unless we unite. Let's keep that in mind when we declare we'll donate to NO Republican because of the actions of creeps like McStain and Specter.

Advertising is an area where Romney will shine. And he has tons of money, with more where that came from.

Not that that knowledge gives me any sense of joy.

It might be expensive, but that's a GREAT campaign commercial.

I haven't checked stats lately but last I knew Romney was way ahead on cash. Rudy had a couple million and McCain not much at all. ( 200k?)

If Romney knocks out the other two early it helps Hunter to get news coverage and offers a choice for more conservative voters. It will be interesting to watch the RINO's battle to the death and the Hunter slay the last one standing...lol

Thanks for the link, I enjoyed the Romney first ad.

Lets see how Romney's ad stacks up against Hunters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow1L4MsmUGM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28q0qxsrX6E

McStain is gonna knock himself out. IMO, Romney is conservative enough. I like Hunter too and will vote for EITHER him or Romney OR a team of him AND Romney. Can we PLEASE stop summarily accusing EVERY conservative candidate that we personally are not rooting for of being a RINO? It proves us to be idiots.

Not bad. The race towards Reaganism is a good thing. That leaves Rudy and McCain out though.

I have no skill in graphic arts to adequately respond to the clever picture in Post #4. All I can offer in rebuttal is my research.

Examine the record of what Mitt Romney did while Governor of Massachusetts and you will find that he applied and practiced core conservative principles of fiscal and social conservatism in one of the most liberal states of the U.S. It required courage to take the positions and actions he did in the face of an overwhelmingly hostile political environment.

I believe we should care about his positions and actions while in a position of authority since taking office in 2003 much more than we care about words he spoke in campaigns years ago. His record as Governor, when his actions had real consequences, speaks volumes to me about how he would govern as President.

The following is my latest collection gathered from personal research all around the web. Mitt Romney is not a RINO judging from his record. I hope FReepers will give it an honest look.

War on Terror

Mitt Romney holds some of the most hawkish, anti-jihadist positions among the top-tier candidates; especially against Iran as revealed in his major foreign policy speech delivered at the Herzliya, Israel Security Conference. Romney was the only candidate who traveled to Israel to attend the conference and speak.
Listen to the short video clips about Iran and see if you like what you hear from Mitt Romney concerning the WOT.
Romney: On Why Wishful Thinking on Iran is Wrong
On Confronting the Iran Threat: A 5-Point Plan
Concluding Remarks on the Iran Threat (Israeli remarks at end are key)
Mitt Romney had to manage the first Olympic Games in a post-9/11 world just five months after the attacks. Complex and costly security arrangements for the huge international event were a major part of the challenge of turning around the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics. That counts for something in real world management experience with the WOT.
Finally, there is a personal example showing how Romney feels about Iran’s leadership. It was Mitt Romney that denied Massachusetts state police protection to Iran’s former President Khatami when he visited Boston to speak at Harvard. Romney thought it was a mistake to invite Khatami to the U.S.

Guns

Governor Romney: “Americans should have the right to own and possess firearms as guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution. I’m proud to be among the many decent, law-abiding men and women who safely use firearms." - Jan. 12, 2007 statement by Mitt Romney at Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show
Hasn’t Gov. Romney been against the right to bear arms?
No. Gov. Romney has always supported that right. In fact, despite a heavily Democratic anti-gun Legislature in Massachusetts, he lifted numerous restrictions on pistols and hunting rifles.
Much is made of the fact that Gov. Romney signed a permanent assault weapons ban in Massachusetts in 2004. However, the bill enjoyed the support of Massachusetts gun owners because it also encompassed several measures they favored, including a lengthening of the terms of firearm identification cards and licenses to carry.
To review all actions taken by Gov. Mitt Romney in each year of his administration pertaining to the right to keep and bear arms, please see Governor Mitt Romney and Firearms Policy

Abortion

Mitt Romney was presented with legislation from a Democrat controlled Legislature concerning the sanctity of life on four occasions as Governor of Massachusetts. In every instance he took the pro-life position by vetoing bills or lobbying for the pro-life approach, including the following actions:
He vetoed the bill providing state funding for embryonic stem cell research
He vetoed a bill that provided for the "morning after pill" without a prescription because it is an abortifacient and would have been available to minors without parental notification and consent
He vetoed legislation which would have redefined Massachusetts longstanding definition of the beginning of human life from fertilization to implantation
He fought to promote abstinence education in the classroom.

Governor Romney has received the important endorsement of James Bopp, Jr, a nationally-known attorney and leading figure in the pro-life movement. Jim Bopp reviewed Romney's record as Governor and questioned him personally before giving Romney his endorsement.
Bopp said about the record of Gov. Romney, “These actions as Governor, and others, have led leaders of the most important social conservative groups in Massachusetts, including Massachusetts Citizens for Life, Massachusetts Family Institute and the Knights of Columbus, to observe that, while previous comments by Romney "are, taken by themselves, obviously worrisome to social conservatives including ourselves, they do not dovetail with the actions of Governor Romney from 2003 until now - and those actions positively and demonstrably impacted the social climate of Massachusetts." They conclude that Romney "demonstrated his solid social conservative credentials by undertaking these actions”, and has, therefore, “proven that he shares our values, as well as our determination to protect them."
Governor Romney believes Roe v. Wade should be overturned and the States should set abortion policy.
Romney believes that controversial social issues, such as abortion policy, should be decided through the democratic process by citizens in the several states and their elected representatives rather than by federal judicial mandate.
Governor Romney: "I understand that my views on laws governing abortion set me in the minority in our Commonwealth. I am prolife. I believe that abortion is the wrong choice except in cases of incest, rape, and to save the life of the mother. I wish the people of America agreed, and that the laws of our nation could reflect that view. But while the nation remains so divided over abortion, I believe that the states, through the democratic process, should determine their own abortion laws and not have them dictated by judicial mandate." (Boston Globe Op-Ed, July 26, 2005)

Homosexual Rights

Romney has always opposed same-sex marriage. He diligently lobbied Congress in favor of a Federal Marriage Amendment to the U.S. Constitution defining marriage to be between one man and one woman. Sen. John McCain opposed the FMA.
After the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling in the case of Goodridge v. Department of Public Health legalized same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, Gov. Romney enforced a little-known 1913 law in the state that prevents marriages in MA which are illegal in other states, thus preventing gay couples living outside MA from coming to the state to be married.
Mitt Romney does not favor action at the national level to sanction civil unions and would leave it to the several states to define the permissible contractual relationships between two people. Romney would not seek to impose, at the national level, a prohibition on contractual relationships between two people. (ABC News This Week interview with Mitt Romney on Feb 18, 2007)
Governor Romney upheld the right of Catholic Charities in Massachusetts to deny placing adoptive children in the homes of gay couples.
Whereas Mitt Romney believes sexual orientation should not preclude joining the Boy Scouts, he supports the right of local Councils of the Boy Scouts of America to decide and enforce their policy regarding homosexuals in their organization and leadership. Romney served on the Boy Scouts of America’s National Executive Board from 1993 to 2002.

Immigration

Mitt Romney opposed a bill that would have allowed illegal aliens to get driver’s licenses.
He vetoed a bill to give illegal aliens the right to in-state tuition at public universities.
He arranged a federal and state agreement enabling Massachusetts State Troopers to investigate immigration status and arrest illegal aliens that they encountered during the normal course of their duties.
Governor Romney: “I’m against an amnesty and against anything that provides an incentive for people to come here illegally.”
Romney proposes an immigration plan with the following features:
1. Strong border and internal enforcement and security.
2. An enhanced, fair and workable employee verification system that eliminates the burden and uncertainty of the current workplace enforcement system.
3. A temporary worker program that enables willing foreign workers to be matched with participating employers to meet increasing workforce needs.
4. Provisions that will allow undocumented workers to earn legal status so that they can continue to remain in the workforce.

For the 12+ million illegal aliens in the country now, Romney favors deportation of criminal illegal aliens and deportation of illegal aliens who refuse to get off public welfare assistance.
Watch the video of Mitt Romney discussing his immigration plans during a visit to Columbia, SC.

Size of Government and Spending

Governor Mitt Romney inherited a $3 billion deficit in Massachusetts upon taking office in 2003 and over the course of his administration he balanced the annual state budgets and erased the deficit by cutting spending and without raising taxes. The state had a $1 billion budget surplus when Romney left office in 2007.
Romney included the following items about federal budgets, spending, and taxes in an economic policy speech at the Detroit Economic Club on Feb. 7, 2007:

FISCAL DISCIPLINE: Unless Given The Line-Item Veto, Governor Romney Would Veto Any Appropriations Bills If They Exceed Spending Targets. "I have a fairly simple idea for keeping spending in check. Give Congress a spending target and then insist that it is met. If Congress does not meet the spending targets, then its appropriations bills should be vetoed. I regularly exercised my veto power while governor. The alternative is for the Congress to vest the President with a power held in some form by 43 governors, including this Governor - the line-item veto."
MAKING THE 2001 AND 2003 TAX CUTS PERMANENT: "Which course is better for America? A European model of high taxes and regulations? Or, low taxes and free trade - the Ronald Reagan model? That's the choice the next President will make. Some are already fighting to implement a massive tax increase. Instead, we should make the tax cuts permanent."

Gov. Romney sought to cut the state income tax from 5.3% to 5%
He opposed Kyoto-like “global warming” regulations, unlike John McCain
He secured the enactment of a market-based, private sector healthcare reform plan supported by the Heritage Foundation, America’s premier conservative think tank. When the liberal Legislature of Massachusetts added costly, unnecessary mandates to the market-based healthcare plan, Gov. Romney vetoed the added mandates (the Legislature overrode the vetoes).
Mitt Romney has received the endorsement of Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) who is a leading figure in the U.S. Senate advocating reduced federal budget spending and smaller government (a hero to fiscal conservatives).

Hunter i beleive spent less than 200 dollars on his two ads. He just pulled out a camera and talked into it. No fancy ad people, probably just had one of his staffers edit it on a pc/mac

Yet direct and to the point as few ads ever are.

Hunter will not be a factor.

Excellent post. Please post it again on the Romney trashing threads.

IMO If any of the current top three gets the nomination it will be Romney. McCain will self destruct and Rudy's views on the hot-button issues will eventually become widely known and cause him to tank in polls.

This far out from the primaries its hard to tell who will be leading in the end. I can see no way possible for it to be the current leader in the polls.

I notice that Duncan's first ad is going to play in the Carolinas and South Dakota.

He's measuring the impact that the border/fence issue has, trying to see if there really is strong support for a presidential nominee on that issue. My guess is that he thinks Iowa/NH are too liberal to care or he doesn't want to spoil his chances there by running a first-ad that might lower his standing in those first two primaries.

It all seems shrewd enough, a good way for him to start testing the waters. I would bet he polled voters in those states prior to the ads and will poll again afterward. I'd love to know the numbers on those.

Romney's ad is pretty good. Shows his considerable assets in his appearance, demeanor, voice. High production values indicate a well-funded media production unit in his campaign.

Romney's targeting of five early primary states seems to indicate his intention to run, run hard, and not quit early. I think we're seeing a candidate who is disciplined and well-paced. Whether some people think he's too liberal or Mormonism is too weird, he has formidable assets, both personally and politically.

I think Romney is waiting for Julie-fever to die down and the mayor's liberalism to sink in with the Right. It's not clear that being frontrunner in February is a smart move for any candidate.

Don't forget that Newt is in play too. In fact I think the Newt factor is freezing out the 2nd tier. Ultimately, it is going to be a choice between Rudy, McCain, Newt and Mitt.

Newt betting on a slow start and a fatigue factor--he is going to be wrong on both counts (activists are not going be fatigue this time around and it is going to be an accellerated primary).

McCain had the illusion that he is the front-runner; that is gone with emergence of Rudy and he is not going to recover.

Rudy is going to be very vialable for the WOT is the most important issue crowd.

While Newt has enthusiatic support, he is an old face and would platuea.

Mitt would be damaged most by Newt's success.

Under this scenario, Rudy wins going away strong. Mitt's (who is my favorite) only hope is to pick up steam way before Newt officially enters and keeps Newt out of the race. Under that scenario, Mitt may win the nomination.

It only reveals where your mind dwells!

#11. Pure BS.