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.
"KEVIN MADDEN, FORMER ROMNEY CAMPAIGN NATIONAL PRESS SECRETARY: Yes. And that's an indication just how unseasoned Sarah Palin is as a national candidate."
I saw this comment, personally. Of course, if YOU didn't see it, you probably don't consider it "evidence"...but the transcript is there.
That's the same cry we hear from the obama people. Anyone opposed to obama's socialist/marxist stand is immediately accused of being a racist.
It's not about religion, it's not about race, it's about voting record and political history.
Good catch.
I can’t believe I missed it.
One of the biggest reasons I will be voting for McCain is Sarah Palin. That and the fact that Sen. McCain understands that we are at war and will not surrender because the Euro-Socialist want us to. I also believe that win or lose this coming November 4, Governor Palin will likely be the first female, US President and I, for one, will enthusiastically campaign for her as will most Romney supporters I know. Like, say, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Campaign 2012 well underway...
And gathering steam...
Right now it's President.
As far as Mr. Romney, he has said that he wanted to run for President (not VP) and that he does not want a cabinet position, but wants to help out any way he can in the background. I hope he does. We need someone with his insider financial expertise to stimulate the economy and clean out Washington and Wall Street.
We need both Mrs. Palin and Mr. Romney with their specialized expertise.
Correct
Just for the record, the abbreviation of Gov. had the same number of letters as the abbreviation of Mrs.
It’s not any more effort to type out Gov. instead of Mrs.
Gov. Palin earned the title. She deserves to be called by it.
Has Governor Palin ever been a national candidate before? And at what point did Kevin Madden say that her “new to the national scene” status meant she couldn’t handle the job and should be removed from the ticket?
Sounds like Romney's a bit busy campaigning for GOP candidates. We can wait until after the election, when he has more free time, to hear from him, personally, but it's nice to hear someone answering the silly criticism of him.
Well, then I’ll use Gov. then for all of you. It doesn’t matter to me.
Well, then I’ll use Gov. then for all of you. It doesn’t matter to me.
Mutt Romney needs to go back to that liberal $hithole he came from and stay there.
Just an aside after looking at the picture you posted -
Why do politicians all laugh so hard at bill signings? They always are laughing like little schoolgirls...I’m 50, and I can’t think of many times where I’ve laughed as hard as a politician does.
The only thing I can think of is that they enjoyed screwing the taxpayer again. BOHICA!
Bain Capital is located in Boston, so Mr. Romney lived there. He saved Bain Capital. Then he decides to run for Gov. of MA. How do you get elected in MA? By running a little to the left. There are so little “red” areas in MA. That's life and that's politics. He governed that state the best way that he could, and I think he did okay.
I remember Mike Romney. He ran for president last year, right?
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