Sen. John Kerry to Don Imus on RomneyCARE=HillaryCARE: "I like this health care bill".
Sen. Hillary Clinton on RomneyCARE=HillaryCARE: "To come up with a bipartisan plan in this polarized environment is commendable."
Posted on 10/29/2008 6:34:55 AM PDT by Reaganesque
It’s been the most frequently asked question I’ve gotten from National Review Online readers and conservatives over e-mail and in person since the market chaos and subsequent bailout circus began.
My answer these last few months has always been: Turn on MSNBC. Turn on FOX. Google a conservative candidate for Congress. Romney is liable to turn up.
And yet, a ridiculous item on the Internet yesterday suggested that he’s been in hiding, keeping a “low profile nationally” and unwilling to help out Republicans who aren’t a sure thing.
There are problems with that contention: Why do I keep seeing the man on television? Is any Republican a shoe-in this year? Someone get Norm Coleman on the phone with the good news! Because Romney is scheduled to campaign with the Minnesota senator, who is fighting for his political life against the not-so-funny prospect of Senator Al Franken. The images on his website blog do not suggest someone who’s decided to sit out the election — they suggest someone still engaged in the election year. Nor does his travelog, as he’s been doing McCain surrogate events everywhere from Pennylvania and Colorado to Nevada and Texas (among other places including Oregon, Georgia, Nashville ... ). Nor do his post-debate spin-room appearances or his interview on The Laura Ingraham Show this morning suggest that Mitt is standing down on election 2008.
Romney’s been in Virginia helping Keith Fimian in that newly blue-leaning state. He’s campaigned for Michele Bachman, now a favorite of MSNBC. He’s raised money for John Sununu in New Hampshire and Oregon senator Gordon Smith — both of whose reelection prospects are far from guaranteed. The list goes on.
Since Romney suspended his campaign and subsequently formed the Free and Strong America political action committee in April, he has donated approximately $202,000 to 75 GOP candidates, according to numbers made available to NRO from the PAC. Romney has also made an additional $173,000 in donations through flexible spending accounts to five affiliated state PACS, including $10,000 to the National Organization for Marriage, which is working to pass Proposition 8 in California, and $5,000 to stop a ballot initiative in Massachusetts to decriminalize marijuana.
And when the McCain campaign famously withdrew from Michigan, Romney contributed $50,000 to the demoralized GOP there. According to his PAC, “The total amount of financial support to GOP candidates and conservative causes through Romney-controlled state and federal PACs is $375,000.”
The web piece further blamed former Romney aides for being the source of the Sarah-Palin-is-a-diva complaints coming out of the McCain camp, presumably meant to damage her post-election prospects should the Republican ticket lose next week. The problem with that is: Most of Romney’s inner circle is still his inner circle — some having come from the business world, others being Massachusetts people now running his PAC. Others returned to Washington, and are doing McCain surrogate work, but are far from campaign insiders. Whomever is shooting at Palin from the McCain camp is not doing Romney’s bidding.
The good news for Mitt Romney is folks care what he’s doing. And someone out there sees him as enough of a threat to their ambitions to try to wound him. That rarely happens to irrelevant also-rans.
When longtime Romney spokesman Eric Fernstrom was asked about the former Massachusetts governor’s future on Monday, the longtime aide suggested Romney’s 2008 presidential ambitions weren’t running his life: “Gov. Romney had his shot at the White House, and he lost fair and square.” After a hostile primary season that highlighted some shameful instincts hostile to religious liberty both in the mainstream media and on the Right, you might not blame Romney if he went into retreat. But he never did. Romney got on the campaign trail for John McCain, defending the free-market policies that this successful businessman could no doubt run with, if he were in the driver’s seat.
Romney’s been a team player. Is it because he wants a Cabinet seat? Ask him — but I doubt it. There are easier jobs that taking over a massive bureacracy with limited freedom. Is it because he wants to be president? Ask him, but I don’t think that’s it either — and only time will tell, anyway, who will be Right prospects in a few years.
Watching him these past few months, he acts like a man who found a home on the Right, who both personally and philosophically appreciates those who were open to what he brought to the campaign trail, and continues to want to serve his country in whatever capacity she needs him. Right now, that’s by fundraising, contributing, and campaigning for conservative candidates and causes like the Susan B. Anthony List and Proposition 8 in California.
In his final primary-campaign speech in February, Mitt Romney said:
I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, I feel I must now stand aside, for our party and for our country.
I will continue to stand for conservative principles. I will fight alongside you for all the things we believe in. And one of those things is that we cannot allow the next President of the United States to retreat in the face of evil extremism.
And so he campaigns for candidates who share his general vision of the world. Romney was with McCain in Ohio on Monday. He’ll be in New Hampshire on Wednesday campaigning for congressional candidates Jeb Bradley and Jennifer Horn. And then he’ll take off for get-out-the-vote rallies.
If you’re wondering where Mitt is — and you can suspend some of your cynicism — the answer might just be: Where he can be of use. If you take him at his word and his schedule, that’s what it reads like anyway.
— Kathryn Jean Lopez is the editor of National Review Online.
If anyone has been arrogant during this campaign (other than Obama) it's people like Tom Ridge:
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, speaking to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, said the race would have been different in his state, which has 21 electoral votes, if McCain had chosen him as running mate instead of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
"I think we'd be foolish not to admit it publicly," he said...
Mitt Romney would never say anything that arrogant or classless in a million years. Yet, he is attacked and Tom Ridge ignored. Hmmm.
Sen. John Kerry to Don Imus on RomneyCARE=HillaryCARE: "I like this health care bill".
Sen. Hillary Clinton on RomneyCARE=HillaryCARE: "To come up with a bipartisan plan in this polarized environment is commendable."
Here's more from Lopez on NR's Corner:
The Anti-Romney Campaign [Kathryn Jean Lopez]
I feel like the primary campaign isn't over as fingers point to Mitt Romney supposedly trying to take down Sarah Palin. The whole thing is a distraction Dems must be grateful for.
If the former Massachusetts governor is trying to do Palin in for the sake of his future, why has he been on TV and radio defending her? (Thanklessly, too; conservatives don't even see him when he's on David Gregory's show — just my hunch.)
People — e-mailers have been since I wrote on this last night — will point to items on the web about his former campaign spokesman, Kevin Madden, who is now with the Glover Park Group, being critical of Palin as evidence Team Romney is moving full-speed ahead toward 2012. But Kevin's back in D.C., in his and his family's post-Romney mode. He's also been a Palin defender on TV — including in an interview where he has been accused of trashing her — but also offers honest analysis of the campaign, missteps and all. But whatever Kevin says, wherever he says it, that's Madden speaking now, not Mitt Romney. The primary actually is long over.
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=YjhlZDExN2VmODYxZDM1OTUzYzM2Y2MyZjNkMTk4MDM=
Same c**p, different day from a bunch of Pharisees.
The IQ level around here has dropped with the rise of hysteria.
Part of it is anti-Mormonism, but a larger part is jealousy. Mitt represents everything they will never have and never be.
Go back to that thread and see my comment which is #93. Without going back and reading the entire thread, my recollection is that almost every comment on the thread was negative about Ridge. I don't know how anyone could conclude that somehow Ridge's comment was ignored.
That’s a shame. In a Utopian world, those types would only be found on the liberal side, on the DU, etc., not here. Perhaps there are enemies among us indeed.
Let me rephrase. I missed that thread. While Ridge has come out and directly insulted Palin there has been one article (same one posted twice) on FR and little to no controversy in the blogosphere. On the other hand, while Mitt Romney has continuously sung Palin’s praises and campaigned around the country for her, there are countless threads smearing Mitt Romney on FR for days on end and a conspiracy theory hysteria in the blogosphere.
Being pro-abortion and pro-socialized healthcare are liberal positions. That’s his history.
I oppose anyone who supports those things, regardless of what religious affiliation they claim.
I oppose Romney for those reasons just as I opposed Clinton for those reasons, even though Clinton called himself a Christian.
When their actions belie their words, they’re hypocrites and can’t be trusted, no matter WHO it is.
When someone with a history all of a sudden changes his or her position right at election time, my only thought is that that person is merely saying what they think people want to hear so they can get into office.
IOW, I think that they’re lying. Trust needs to be earned. It’s not earned by saying one thing and doing another.
“Where’s Mitt?” you ask?
Well, dummy me forgot to mention that Mitt Romney and Jack Kemp were with John McCain on Monday holding an economic event in the building directly across the street from where I work:
http://www.newsnet5.com/politics/17810382/detail.html
So, how do you feel about Reagan? I feel he was one of the greatest Presidents we've ever had despite these issues. You? Many trusted Reagan despite all this just as many trust Romney as well. Remember as well, Reagan was a Dem. just 4 years before running as Governor.
BTW, the Romney health care plan WAS NOT SOCIALIZED HEALYHCARE. His health care (i.e. hospitals, doctors, etc.) was not run by the government. Respected conservatives helped Romney craft it. Just the facts mam.
You might want to get ready to rephrase again.
I did a search on the Free Republic using the word "Romney" which showed 15 threads in October with several of them positively commenting about his actions on the campaign trail for McCain/Palin or other Republican candidates. By my count, there were three which complained about Romney's associates attacking Palin. Two of those were posted today, the other Monday. That doesn't seem to be countless threads going on for days.
BTW, if go back to post #47, you'll see that I complimented Romney on his campaigning. I don't know about his associates so I withhold judgment on them. Three different conservative authors have recently raised this issue in the three threads noted above. I wouldn't dismiss this too quickly. There's enough smoke that there could be a fire here.
Sure.
True. Only Mitt Romney has been a shape-shifting backstabber.
FReepers are not like that.
I appreciate your opinion here, but Madden's public quotes are not what is coming into question. There are other former Romney staffers on the McCain campaign, and yes, I think they are involved. This isn't about Romney, except that I would expect him to get to the bottom of it and straighten out his guys if he seeks to work with them in the future. As for McCain, he might want to consider sacking them or finding a mail room for them to spend the duration of their service to his campaign. As for your assertion that I should be spending my time to volunteer for McCain and stop an Obama presidency, you obviously didn't read the blog I included on my comment.
In the past 5 days, I've traveled 4 states away (on my own money, and own time) to volunteer in a battleground state. Since my arrival here, I've made 1,783 calls, recruited 15 new volunteers and put them to work, attended 2 rallies, spent 6 hours street-side campaigning, and get hundreds of visitors a day to my blog in support of this campaign.
I think I'm doing a lot and don't at all appreciate your comparison of my comments resembling "the left." Since I'm working my tail off to win AND at the same time, I want the saboteurs out of the McCain/Palin campaign.
I stand by my last comment. If you only searched "Romney" then you would have missed many of the threads. You would have missed all of the Palin threads about her being "irked by aides" or going "rogue" or "off script" or the ones about "2012" which all devolved into anti-Romney conspiracy threads as well.
In any event, a good deal of time and effort has been spent smearing a man who has done more campaigning/fundraising for the ticket than all of the other former candidates. It's sad.
Lastly, not sure which conservative authors you are referring to, but suffice it to say, the American Spectator - Prowler, which started this frenzy, has been no friend of Mitt Romney's throughout this election process. Additionally, several other conservative authors/bloggers have always supported other candidates or have been outright anti-Romney. So I consider the source and their motivations.
Well then; YOU will have to point out the ones YOU think are lies, from the rest of the facts, or folks will not be able to tell which is which and have to assume that it is ALL the truth.
Now we're getting somewhere!
SURE we can!!
KJV Matthew 22:11-13
11. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
12. And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
13. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
But...
Which is WHICH??
The lurkers have NO way of knowing unless it is pointed out quite accurately.
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