If our guys running don’t recognize a bum and a one-man-party-killing-machine and willingly accept their aid, I do call into question their judgment. Look at in the reverse with Newt aiding the leftist in NY, and destroying the last of his credibility. I think it’s a very valid criticism. Any $$ that comes from Slick Willard comes with enormous strings attached, he will expect 100% fidelity in his next run for office without question. Is Harmer aware of that, and does he support Slick Willard’s candidacy ? If so, I can’t endorse him in good conscience.
I’d gladly take his money and then tell him to go fornicate himself when he asked me for my support. ;D
DJ, Harmer is running in a district that gave Kerry like 58% and Obama over 60%. He is also a Mormon whose family probably has long ties to the Romneys. It is unfair of you to expect Harmer to denounce Mitt Romney and renounce his endorsement, which would have the effect of (i) driving away a huge number of potential Mormon donors (not to mention businessmen), (ii) making him seem like someone that isn’t satisfied with a Republican unless he’s 100% conservative (like he doesn’t have enough problems as a pro-lifer running in a socially liberal district), and (iii) making him seem like an ingrate.
I know that you loathe Romney, and I don’t like him very much, either (as you know, once Fred Thompson dropped out, I actually supported McCain over Romney for the nomination, which says more about how I feel about Romney than about how I feel about McCain), but politicians facing an uphill battle in a tough district against an opponent that can raise unlimited money cannot be expected to reject the endorsement of someone that not only is one of the most popular figures and best fundraisers in the party, but who is actually, for whatever reason, very popular with the base of the party. Harmer can’t afford to alienate Romney’s supporters in that district—or anywhere, for that matter. Harmer needs every Republican, and every independent, and most moderate-to-conservative Democrats, to vote for him if he is to win, and he’s running to win, not to make a point about how pure he is and lose in a landslide. Heck, if I was running in the CA-10, I’d be happy if Romney endorsed me, or even Arnold (who is 10 times more liberal than Romney) for that matter. I wouldn’t move an inch from my issue positions to get their endorsement, but if they wanted to endorse a conservative I wouldn’t reject their endorsement, since I would want people that agree with me only on a few issues to vote for me as well.
Let me put it to you this way: if Mitt Romney himself was the House candidate in CA-10—or in MA-05, or MA-10, or any of the MA districts that vote pretty similar to the CA-10—I would root for him to win. While I can understand if you think that Romney is so dangerous to conservatism that you wouldn’t support him even running for an office that we normally would have no chance of winning, I can’t believe that you would assign guilt by association to Harmer merely for accepting his endorsement.
Harmer is very scrupulous.
He is nothing like Mitt.
Having once been married to a woman from one of the original founding Mormon families, I can say with confidence that the politics of most Mormons are nothing like Mitt’s.