2008 Endorsement Edge? Advantage: Romney

My Man Mitt.com ^ | 2/23/07 | Justin

[RightSideRedux]

Romney 245: McCain 118: Rudy 22

[RightSideRedux]

Chart as of 2/23

We admit up front that this list is not official. We've gathered the names from public news articles and on the candidates website. With that in mind there is no mistake that Mitt Romney increased his endorsement edge.

The difference seems to be a good majority of the Utah delegation getting behind him and making their names public. But there were also numerous endorsements from Georgia and South Carolina. Next week we will make available an endorsement application that will allow you to make contributions to this effort. We will try to source each of these as well.

Mitt Romney	John McCain	Rudy Giuliani
245	118	22
Lawyer James Bopp, Jr. Jay Sekulow Former Senator Jim Talent Former Representative Vin Weber Glenn Hubbard Greg Mankiw Cesar Conda John Cogan Governor Matt Blunt Former Governor Bill Owens Former Governor James B. Edwards Senator Robert Bennett Senator Larry Craig Senator Jim DeMint Former Speaker Dennis Hastert Representative Jim McCrery Representative Dave Camp Representative Howard "Buck" McKeon Representative Bill Shuster Representative Ed Whitfield Representative Ginny Brown-Waite Representative Hal Rogers Representative Joe Knollenberg Representative John Campbell Representative John Duncan Representative John Linder Representative Marsha Blackburn Representative Mike Rogers Representative Mike Simpson Representative Pete Hoekstra Representative Phil Gingrey Representative Ralph Regula Representative Robert Aderholt Representative Rodney Alexander Representative Ron Lewis Representative Tom Feeney Representative Tom Price Harry Cavanagh Kevin DeMenna Lee Hanley Paul And Susan Gilbert Wil Cardon Former Lt. Governor Toni Jennings Former House Speaker Allan Bense Former Republican Party Of Florida Chairman Al Cardenas Former House Speaker John Thrasher Mayor Rick Baker, St. Petersburg State Representative Anitere Flores State Representative Dennis Baxley State Representative Jennifer Carroll Former State Representative Dudley Goodlette Ann Herberger Mandy Fletcher Marc Reichelderfer Sally Bradshaw David Griffin Van Poole • Former House Speaker Brent Siegrist • Former Congressional Candidate Brian Kennedy • State House Republican Leader Christopher Rants Senator Scott Brown Senator Robert Hedlund Minority Leader Bradley Jones Assistant Minority Leader Mary Rogeness Minority Whip George Peterson Assistant Minority Whip John Lepper Representative Fred Barrows Representative Viriato deMacedo Representative Lewis Evangelidis Representative Paul Frost Representative Susan Gifford Representative Robert Hargraves Representative Bradford Hill Representative Donald Humason Representative Jeffrey Davis Perry Representative Elizabeth Poirier Representative Karyn Polito Representative Richard Ross Representative Todd Smola Representative Daniel Webster Mayor Michael Sullivan, Lawrence Sheriff Frank Cousins, Essex County Sheriff James Cummings, Barnstable County Sheriff Tom Hodgson, Bristol County District Attorney Tim Cruz, Plymouth County District Attorney Michael O'Keefe, Cape and Islands District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel, Northwestern Counties • Michigan House Republican Leader Craig DeRoche (R-Novi) • Gerry Mason, Michigan Grassroots Chairman Senator Cameron Brown Senator Nancy Cassis Senator Valde Garcia Senator Jud Gilbert Senator Roger Kahn Senator Bruce Patterson Senator Alan Sanborn Senator Tony Stamas Rep. Dan Acciavatti Rep. Fran Amos Rep. Dick Ball Rep. Darwin Booher Rep. Jack Brandenburg Rep. Tom Casperson Rep. Bruce Caswell Rep. Bill Caul Rep. John Garfield Rep. Geoff Hansen Rep. Dave Hildenbrand Rep. Jack Hoogendyk Rep. Ken Horn Rep. Joe Hune Rep. Rick Jones Rep. Martin Knollenberg Rep. Phil LaJoy Rep. Jim Marleau Rep. Kim Meltzer Rep. Tim Moore Rep. Chuck Moss Rep. Neal Nitz Rep. Paul Opsommer Rep. Brian Palmer Rep. Dave Palsrok Rep. John Pastor Rep. Phil Pavlov Rep. Tom Pearce Rep. Tonya Schuitmaker Rep. Rick Shaffer Rep. Fulton Sheen Rep. John Stakoe Rep. Howard Walker • Former Representative Tommy Hartnett (R-SC) Former Representative Tommy Hartnett Terry Sullivan, State Director George Ramsey, Political Director Mike Green, Coalitions Director Henry Fishburne Dick Coen Larry Richter Wayland Moody Ricky Horne Paul Hogan Bill Hewitt Laura Hewitt John Rivers Joseph Murray Gene Zurlo Treasurer Kay Ivey State Senator Joe Kyrillos Cindy Costa Darrell Crate David Norcross Donna Gosney Jody Dow June Hartley Louis Pope Lynn Windel Peter Cianchette Robert Manning Ron Kaufman Sara Gear Boyd Solomon Yue Tom Rath Tony Parker Vance Day Christopher Collins, Managing Member of First Atlantic Capital, LLC Mark Guzzetta, President of Gemstone Development Jon Huntsman Sr., Chairman of the Huntsman Corporation John Miller, Founding Member of National Beef Packing Company John Rakolta, Jr., Chairman and CEO of Walbridge Aldinger Ambassador Mel Sembler, Chairman of the Board of The Sembler Company Tom Tellefsen, President of Tellefsen Investments Ted Welch, Owner of Ted Welch Investments Meg Whitman, President and CEO of eBay Senate President John L. Valentine Majority Leader Curtis S. Bramble Majority Whip Dan R. Eastman Assistant Majority Whip Sheldon Killpack Senator D. Chris Buttars Senator Allen M. Christensen Senator Margaret Dayton Senator John W. (Bill) Hickman Senator Lyle W. Hillyard Senator Scott K. Jenkins Senator Peter C. Knudson Senator Mark B. Madsen Senator Howard A. Stephenson Senator Dennis E. Stowell Senator Kevin VanTassell Senator Carlene M. Walker Speaker Greg J. Curtis Majority Leader David Clark Majority Whip Gordon E. Snow Assistant Majority Whip Brad L. Dee Rules Chair Stephen H. Urquhart Representative Douglas C. Aagard Representative Sylvia S. Andersen Representative Jim Bird Representative DeMar Bud Bowman Representative Melvin R. Brown Representative Stephen D. Clark Representative Bradley M. Daw Representative Glenn A. Donnelson Representative Jack Draxler Representative Ben C. Ferry Representative Julie Fisher Representative Craig A. Frank Representative Kevin S. Garn Representative Kerry W. Gibson Representative Keith Grover Representative Wayne A. Harper Representative Christopher N. Herrod Representative Kory M. Holdaway Representative Gregory H. Hughes Representative Fred Hunsaker Representative Eric K. Hutchings Representative Todd E. Kiser Representative Bradley G. Last Representative Steven R. Mascaro Representative John G. Mathis Representative Kay L. McIff Representative Ronda Rudd Menlove Representative Michael T. Morley Representative Michael E. Noel Representative Curtis Oda Representative Aaron Tilton Representative Mark W. Walker Representative Richard W. Wheeler Representative Carl Wimmer Representative Scott L. Wyatt Senator Orrin Hatch Georgia House Speaker Pro Tempore Mark Burkhalter Eric J. Tanenblatt Sam Olens Oscar N. Persons Fred Cooper Nancy Coverdell Senator Bill Mescher Councilman Joe Dill Representative Alan Clemmons Representative Nikki Haley Representative Chip Huggins Representative Ted Pitts Senator Ronnie Cromer Representative Nathan Ballentine	Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers Marlys Popma Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Fla.) Rep. Rick Renzi (Ariz.) Rep. Ray LaHood (Ill.) Rep. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (Fla.) Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (Fla.) Sen. Gordon Smith (Ore.) Sen. Trent Lott (Miss.) Sen. Jon Kyl (Ariz.) Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) Sen. John Thune Cory Tilley J. Antonio Villamil John "Mac" Stipanovich Governor Bob Martinez Matt Mayberry John Chambers Fred Smith Guy Rodgers Manny Kadre Marty Fiorentino Brian Ballard David Azbell De Byerly Marlene D. Elwell Fred Zeidman Dax Swatek Eileen Weiser George Dean Johnson, Jr Hayden Dempsey Ed Failor, Jr., Executive Vice President of Iowans for Tax Relief Rob Gray Maxine Sieleman Trey Walker Steve Schmidt John Thain Jerry Perenchio; John A. Moran; Thomas G. Loeffler; James B. Lee, Jr.; Lewis M. Eisenberg Donald R. Diamond Donald Bren James Huffines Florida Republican Party Vice Chairman J. Allison DeFoor Florida Attorney General Jim Smith Governor Jane Swift Macomb County Republican Chairwoman Janice Nearon Michigan Republican Party Ethnic Vice Chair Andrew Wendt state Rep. David Law state Rep. Lorence Wenke state Rep. Glenn Steil, Jr state Rep. Judy Emmons Senator Randy Richardville Agustin G. Corbella Jon Huntsman Mark Shurtleff Governor William P. Clements Robert Mosbacher R. McCombs Mike Cox Dave Dishaw Chairman Glenn Clark Doug Smith Alec Poitevint South Carolina Secretary of State Mark Hammond Michigan RNC Committeeman Chuck Yob Republican National Committeewoman Holly Hughes Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty Bobby Harrell, Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives State Senator Michelle McManus Karen Slifka, Regional Political Director for the Republican National U.S. Senate candidate Keith Butler Rep. Spencer Bachus John E. Lyons, Jr. Senator Wayne Kuipers Senator Olympia Snowe Senator Susan Collins Representative Josh Tardy State Senator John Gallus Representative Bill Remick Representative John Tholl, Jr former Michigan House Speakers Chuck Perricone Speaker Johnson Rep. Fred Upton (MI-06) Rep. Spencer Bachus (AL-06) Rep. John Shadegg (AZ-03) Rep. John Shimkus (IL-19) Rep. Mark Kirk (IL-10) Rep. Dan Lungren (CA-03) George Gallo Assistant Minority Leader Kevin Elsenheimer Representative Kevin Elsenheimer Minority Floor Leader Chris Ward Winton Blount III Rep. Ric Keller Rep. LaTourette Alabama Republican Party Executive Director Tim Howe Mayor Carlos Alvarez Rep. Ric Keller Rep. LaTourette Alabama Republican Party Executive Director Tim Howe Mayor Carlos Alvarez Rep. Christopher Shays Republican National Committeewoman Eileen Slocum Rep. Robert Watson Former Senator Phil Gramm Attorney General McKenna Congressman Chip Pickering (MS-03) Governor Mitch Daniels Michigan State Senator John Pappageorge Governor Frank Keating Rep. Mike Castle Delaware Speaker of the House Terry Spence Former Senator Mike DeWine Senator Hugh Leatherman	Candice Miller Susan Molinari David Dreier Dr. Mark P. Campbell Rick Wiley Bill Stepien Jake Menges Cary Evans K.C. Jones Matthew R. Mahoney Brian Cresta Michael Knapik Brian Lees Bruce Tarr Richard Tisei Ted Olson Pennsylvania Congressman Charlie Dent Rep. Mary Bono (R-Calif.) Rep. Vito Fossella (R-N.Y.) Rep. Peter King Rep. Candice Miller Rep. Pete Sessions

[Rodney King]

What do you have to do to be counted on this list? Who are all the schmoes on this endorsement list? Please mark Rodney King down in the Ron Paul camp.

[LtdGovt]

90% of the people I don't even know. Maybe it would be appropriate to list what function they have, and in what state.

[LtdGovt]

Please mark Rodney King down in the Ron Paul camp.

Isn't Rodney making a Machiavellian calculation by endorsing the person he doesn't want to win?

[tiger-one]

Mitt boy has all the MASS RINO's under his name.

[EternalVigilance]

Embryonic Stem Cell Research Financier Joins Pro-Gay Fundraiser To Host Mitt Romney San Diego Event

Romney gets passionate about abortion - In his own words

[Rodney King]

Well, the first guy "James Bopp", is a lawyer. It's good they pointed that out, because we all know how much better than the rest of us lawyers are.

[AFA-Michigan]

RightSide,

Please post the list of officials who initially endorsed Romney and then scrambled to have their names removed from the list after Mitt's record of promoting abortion on demand, the homosexual agenda, and gun control was (and is being) widely exposed.

There are at least three state reps in Michigan who have already removed their names from the list, two of which have since publicly endorsed McCain.

The third is still listed on your posting above, so I know for a fact that at least one name above is posted in error. (I'm not going to name him, that's not my place, but you can contact Romney's Michigan HQ for the correction.)

There are other social conservatives on the list in MI who are also on the brink of doing so, but who are understandably embarrassed and hope they can do so without much notice. And because they're social conservatives, they did not join those who left earlier to endorse McCain.

According to a fourth state rep in MI, whose name appears on your list above, he supported Romney because Romney promised him in private that he would support a Human Life Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Romney has since publicly stated that he does not favor such a national pro-life policy, instead saying he supports letting each state decide, i.e., allowing states that wish to continue terminating the lives of prenatal children to do so.

[EternalVigilance]

Your post is Devastating.

And the battle has only begun to be joined.

[Rodney King]

Well yeah, but look at these Mitt supporters, how could you not be convinced after learning of their endorsement?

Henry Fishburne
Dick Coen
Larry Richter
Wayland Moody
Ricky Horne
Paul Hogan
Bill Hewitt
Laura Hewitt
John Rivers
Joseph Murray
Gene Zurlo
Cindy Costa
Darrell Crate
David Norcross
Donna Gosney
Jody Dow
June Hartley
Louis Pope
Lynn Windel
Peter Cianchette
Robert Manning
Ron Kaufman
Sara Gear Boyd
Solomon Yue
Tom Rath
Tony Parker
Vance Day

[ClaireSolt]

It is interesting that McCain has the Miami cubans. I expect Cuba to explode during this campaign when Castro dies, and we will suddenly have a new and pressing issue.

[Plutarch]

Endorsements constitute evidence of a viable campaign, as do polls, fundraising, media coverage, straw votes, odds, future markets (such as Intrade or IEM), and expert opinion.

Those belittling the importance of Romney's endorsements would be vaunting and crowing if the forlorn hope candidate they support garnered an endorsement above the rank of county clerk.

[Rodney King]

Those belittling the importance of Romney's endorsements

Well, if Louis Pope endorsed him, he's gotta be a winner.

[Rodney King]

an endorsement above the rank of county clerk.

You mean like these people:

Henry Fishburne Dick Coen Larry Richter Wayland Moody Ricky Horne Paul Hogan Bill Hewitt Laura Hewitt John Rivers Joseph Murray Gene Zurlo Cindy Costa Darrell Crate David Norcross Donna Gosney Jody Dow June Hartley Louis Pope Lynn Windel Peter Cianchette Robert Manning Ron Kaufman Sara Gear Boyd Solomon Yue Tom Rath Tony Parker Vance Day

[maui_hawaii]

Here is an article on the guy you mention.

He is an extremely successful entrepreneur and gives millions in microfinancing with his own money in Africa. He is a pioneer in the micro finance arena.

-----

Alumni Feature: Louis Pope—Building Business, Building Lives

Because of Louis M. Pope, more than eight thousand of the poorest women in the rural areas of Kenya enjoy a better quality of life and have become more self-reliant. Because of Pope, more than six hundred people in Utah Valley have jobs. Because of Pope, at least one man was given a second chance to build a productive life.

Pope, a MBA alumnus, is the founder and CEO of US Synthetic—the world’s leading provider of polycrystalline diamond cutters to the oil and gas industry. US Synthetic has beat out such mega competitors as General Electric, Megadiamond, and DeBeers. In 2006, US Synthetic did business in eighteen countries, earned revenues of nearly $150 million, added more than two hundred jobs, and was considered one of the fastest-growing companies in the United States.

A Social Entrepreneur

But Pope, who graduated from BYU in 1975, is more than just a successful businessperson; he’s also a model social entrepreneur. A case in point: In 1999, Pope set out to address poverty and economic self-reliance for families in rural areas of the developing world. These places lack jobs, health care access, education and sufficient infrastructures. To accomplish this monumental task, Pope established Yehu Microfinance, located in the rural coastal region of Kenya.

Yehu Microfinance (in the local dialect “Yehu” means “our”) is a bank run by the poor for the poor. Its mission is to combat poverty by empowering very poor women of rural Kenya to help themselves rise out of poverty by giving them access to very small loans. These loans can be used to start or expand small businesses, such as raising goats and chickens; growing mangos, cashew nuts, coconuts, or oranges; or making handicrafts, such as skirts, mats, or woodcarvings.

By gaining access to a small loan (initially around $70), these women are able to get out from the oppressive grip of loan sharks, who sometimes charge more than 100 percent interest per day. Some women use this money to buy additional inventory, some to buy products in bulk at a better rate, and others to buy bicycles so they can travel from village to village to sell their goods.

The positive impacts of microfinance initiatives have been well documented, and Yehu is no exception. Since 1999 more than eight thousand women and several hundred men have joined the bank. The members meet together weekly to save and make payments on their loans. Together, they have saved more than $250,000, thirty cents at a time.

To date, more than fifteen thousand loans have been given out to men and women, the vast majority of whom have proven to be incredibly creditworthy. Despite not having any collateral, loan recipients in the majority of Yehu’s centers have paid back the funds at an incredible rate of 95 percent. There are now forty employees of the bank, all native Kenyans.

The success and growth of Yehu Microfinance has been nothing short of amazing, and Pope is now well known and revered in the villages of Kenya where the bank is functioning. Other villages have also clamored for the bank’s services, as they have seen the benefits the bank’s members have enjoyed.

Beyond Microfinance

Perhaps the greatest tragedy in areas where there are no jobs and no opportunities is the absence of hope among the poor. While microfinance ventures make a noticeable dent in the communities where they operate, Pope wants to increase the scope and reach of his efforts by addressing a problem that microfinance has not yet addressed. Specifically, he hopes to move the poor from very small microenterprises to larger small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This is a critical jump, as SMEs offer more opportunities to increase income and create new jobs.

To accomplish this vision, Pope—together with BYU’s Economic Self-Reliance Center and Steve Gibson, founder of the Academy for Creating Enterprise in the Philippines—is working to create what they call “microfranchise” opportunities for entrepreneurial individuals in Kenya. Of course, the franchise concept is not new. Most Americans are familiar with franchise business opportunities that range from a $10,000 nail salon to a $125,000 sandwich shop to a high-end franchise costing millions. However, the typical franchise that continues to democratize capitalism in the developed world is well beyond the capacity of these entrepreneurial men and women in the developing world.

To address this issue, Pope envisions creating franchise opportunities that cost between $500 and $5,000. The goal is to create businesses that will move the microentrepreneur from the informal into the formal economy and take them from hovering at the poverty line into the middle class.

“The average annual per capita income in Bolivia right now is approximately $1,200,” Pope says. “If a Bolivian franchise can yield the owner a monthly income of between $150 to $200, we are satisfied with that level of performance. If a Bolivian owner can take home $400 per month, we consider that a very successful franchise. When the owner creates good jobs that employ people outside his or her immediate family, the mission is accomplished.”

Pope continues, “The beauty of the microfranchise concept is that it provides a ‘business-in-a-box’ for potential entrepreneurs, complete with an operating manual of a proven business, training, and a support system to ensure ongoing success. Once a system is refined and well-documented, that business can be replicated over and over again, creating hundreds of jobs for entrepreneurs all around the world.”

Currently, microfranchises are being developed in the Philippines in ink jet printer cartridge refilling, cellular phone service, and bakeries. They are also in the process of developing additional businesses in poultry-raising, edible oil processing, and village digital photography, to name a few. Ultimately, the team hopes to create a dozen or more viable microfranchise opportunities that would be replicated in struggling communities around the world.

Pope and his team have spent the last year developing an organic coconut oil factory in Kenya that is already employing twenty rural Kenyans. They hope to build dozens of these mini-factories along the coast of Kenya and create additional microfranchises based on the natural hand-pressed coconut oil, such as charcoal production, coconut soap, and lotions.

Back Home

While working wonders for communities around the world, Pope also has a business to run at home in US Synthetics. But he isn’t interested in just making the numbers for his investors. Pope believes that US Synthetics exists to make a positive contribution to the community. He has often told other business owners that the greatest good they can do is to create good jobs for people and work to give them success in their lives.

And Pope not only talks the talk, he also walks the walk by providing each employee with profit sharing and ownership opportunities in US Synthetic. He has also provided jobs to people who need a second chance at a productive life—such as a machine shop worker who recently earned more than $120,000 one year in total compensation after no one else would hire him.

Pope is a generous and caring humanitarian and philanthropist and is very active serving in many capacities for the LDS Church, in the Provo/Orem community, and in the Marriott School, where he serves as a board member for the Economic Self-Reliance Center. Despite his many achievements at work and around the world, however, Pope and his wife, Christine, believe the greatest achievement in their lives is their family, which includes five married children and eighteen grandchildren.

[Rodney King]

Mormon endorses Romney. News at 11.

[HairOfTheDog]

What do you have to do to be counted on this list? Who are all the schmoes on this endorsement list?

Endorsement padding :~)

[maui_hawaii]

Mormon who came from nothing, who built a $150 million dollar a year enterprise, who gives millions to poor nations and volunteers his time and money to the community here and abroad, mostly to non Mormons, endorses Romney.

Maybe you would rather that Brittney Spears endorsed someone, maybe because she's a little more famous?

[Rodney King]

Maybe you would rather that Brittney Spears endorsed someone, maybe because she's a little more famous?

No, I'd just rather not see a silly post where someone dumps a hundred unknown people onto an endorsement list in order to claim his candidate is winning.

[maui_hawaii]

I don't know who wrote it, and certainly no one is winning anything at this point.

If we are talking rathers, I would rather not see negative posts about a good, non politician.

You may not know him, but the guy carries sway in the community which he is involved in.

You will probably find that most on the list fall in the same category of character and accomplishment as the one you picked out.