Posted on 10/26/2007 9:05:09 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
JOHNSTON, Iowa - Mitt Romney says the campaign for the Republican presidential nomination will come down to Rudy Giuliani and a more conservative challenger. Like Mitt Romney. It's no surprise that Giuliani is doing well in national polls of Republicans, Romney said Friday, because candidates with more conservative views on social issues such as abortion and gay rights are splitting the support of like-minded voters.
At some point, the former Massachusetts governor said, the party's conservative base will coalesce around a single candidate, making it tougher for Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City.
"Those of us who represent that base will find that we can get that support and ultimately face up one-to-one with Mayor Giuliani," Romney said. "At that point he'll have a more challenging time because I do not believe the Republican Party is going to keep Hillary Clinton out of the White House by acting like Hillary Clinton."
Giuliani supports abortion rights and has favored gay rights and gun control. On abortion in particular, Giuliani has sought to ease the worries of conservatives by pledging to appoint judges in the mold of Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts.
Romney said that's not enough.
"I think being pro-life is more than saying you'll appoint strict constructionist judges," Romney said.
He spoke during a taping of Iowa Public Television's "Iowa Press" program and later during a meeting with reporters.
"I hope it comes down to me and Mayor Giuliani," said Romney. "I think Mayor Giuliani will likely be one of the last two as well. If I'm successful in this effort then I'll be one of the two."
For now, he said, Giuliani has maintained his lead in polls because so many candidates are vying for support from social conservatives.
"There are a lot of us fighting on that side. There are six, seven or eight of us going after that audience and Mayor Giuliani is pretty much alone on the other side," Romney said. "It's not a big surprise that he continues to hold that portion of the party."
"I think his positions are not entirely aligned with the mainstream Republican voter."
A spokesman for Giuliani dismissed Romney's comments.
"This sounds likes sour grapes from Mitt Romney as Mayor Giuliani's support continues to grow and Mitt's numbers are dropping despite spending millions of his own money," said spokesman Jarrod Agen.
While Giuliani has built a lead in national polls, Romney has focused his campaigning and spending on key early states, especially Iowa and New Hampshire. Polls show he leads in those states, and Romney said that support will be hard to overcome.
"I think you're going to see the other candidates come on with their spending and their ads and their time and try and catch up," he said. "It's hard to catch up with the number of personal meetings I've had."
Romney said his campaign experience and success in the traditional early states has made him a backer of the current campaign calendar.
"I think that has to be protected," he said. "I will work hard as the nominee, or if I'm the next president, to protect Iowa and New Hampshire's role coming at the beginning."
Iowa Republicans have scheduled their precinct caucuses on Jan. 3 to keep them as the nation's first test, and Democrats are expected to take the same step this weekend. Romney said the specific date is less important than that Iowa and New Hampshire lead off the process.
"If X, Y, Z state jumps ahead and says we're going to go Dec. 15, I would cry foul," he said. "That would be something I simply could not support."
Hopefully Fred will cause them both to fade.
Ghouliani's support will sleep with the fishes.
It's also more than lying rhetoric from a guy who has been a hardcore pro-abort for thirty five years.
Now come on, be fair, he was pro life, he was just “faking” being pro choice...
Now come on, be fair, he was pro life, he was just “faking” being pro choice...
Steve Deace afternoon host of WHO Des Moines plays the money line every afternoon at 4:09pm Central as part of his standard intro sound bite montage.
Fred Thompson will soon push right past him in Iowa. Watch and see. Come join our team! Thompson will beat Hillary and her liberal party, and probably bring the House and Senate back to the Republicans. We as a Party still need to vote out a great many RINOs (McCain included). You can add to the list.
Mitt Romney says the campaign for the Republican presidential nomination will come down to Rudy Giuliani and a more conservative challenger.When I first read this I thought Romney was announcing he was withdrawing from the race. Then I realized... he views HIMSELF as the "more conservative challenger."
Interesting twist on the concept of denial.
He'll never get my vote.
I've often wondered if his lying isn't of the pathological variety.
Just got this in my inbox:
Romney on top in N.D. Republican presidential straw poll
Massachusetts Mitt. Should have taken lessons from Kerry. At least he’d finish second. LOL!
I know this hate for another man is something for no normal man has and acts like you do EV, if they are not carrying a personal vendetta...
Yikes!
Ya think?
I don't know...
"He's been a pro-life Mormon faking it as a pro-choice friendly," Romney adviser Mike Murphy told the National Review in 2006.
Romney ran for US Senate in 1994 pledging to keep abortion ''safe and legal in this country." As a 2002 candidate for governor, Romney said he would not change the state's abortion laws. But in recent months, he has described himself as ''personally prolife" to out-of-town political audiences.
Romney is the "great executive".
An executive is responsible for the actions of those they hire.
An executive sets the ethical tone and permissiveness of the organization.
What tone has Mitt set?
These were not acts committed by over zealous supporters or some college kids on a classroom PC. The Web Site was done by a professional political consulting firm, and the badges were used by campaign staffers. Impersonating an office is a felony in most jurisdictions. Those involved were reprimanded, but what would cause professionals to act in such a manner. Either they felt it was ok or they were grossly incompetent. Either way reflects poorly on the one in charge
FAKE BADGES + FAKE WEB SITE + FAKE STANCE = THE REAL ROMNEY
That’s worth a new thread. Be sure to check “ND” in the list of keywords.
How much did this win cost him?
Maybe you'll be lucid long enough for once to do what no Romney supporter has ever been able to manage -- answer this simple question:
Shouldn't a candidate's current rhetoric bear at least a passing resemblance to his actual record?
But it does buy you first place in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Iowa does not want to look like a fool in this process...Thompson will come out on top. New Hampshire is no great loss...even if McCain pulls out on top. It’s New Hampshire after all. There will be many twists and turns in this process and 60+ days is a lot in politics.
I want to see a campaign against Thompson and Hillary. That will be priceless.
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