Friday, March 30, 2007
Patrick v. Romney...
Well, if you had doubts about how Romney would be different from a democrat or how conservative Romney is, you need not speculate any further. Basically, everything Romney did in MA is being reversed by the new Governor. Including now, stem cell restrictions.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Romney for Fiscal Conservatism...
I am proud to see one of my former state assemblymen making a passionate argument for Mitt Romney.
"As a lifelong fiscal conservative, I feel the greatest dangers to our country's continued strength and influence are easily found in our nation's capital — overspending and overtaxation. The bedrock principle of the Republican Party used to be fiscal discipline, but in the past few years, we have lost our way. We must recognize that even the richest, most powerful nation in the world has limits, and we have more than started to push these limits with reckless federal spending that has become the norm rather than the exception."
Read the entire piece here.
"As a lifelong fiscal conservative, I feel the greatest dangers to our country's continued strength and influence are easily found in our nation's capital — overspending and overtaxation. The bedrock principle of the Republican Party used to be fiscal discipline, but in the past few years, we have lost our way. We must recognize that even the richest, most powerful nation in the world has limits, and we have more than started to push these limits with reckless federal spending that has become the norm rather than the exception."
Read the entire piece here.
Tax Cuts...
More of Romney's economic plan is taking form, according to the Journal.
"The bidding begins in earnest today, when former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney becomes the first major candidate in the field to unveil a tax-cut plan, a staple of Republican primary debates since Ronald Reagan transformed the party’s fiscal priorities in the 1980 campaign."
"The bidding begins in earnest today, when former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney becomes the first major candidate in the field to unveil a tax-cut plan, a staple of Republican primary debates since Ronald Reagan transformed the party’s fiscal priorities in the 1980 campaign."
Iran and Hostages...
I want to take a moment out of the regular blogging to say something about Iran's taking of 15 British hostages. I am glad to hear that PM Blair is saying the return of the hostages is non-negotiable.
As one of our best friends in the world, I consider the taking of British hostages to be the equivalent of taking our citizens. What is worse, it appears that the Iranian regime is no different than the terrorists in Iraq who capture peacekeepers to use them for propaganda purposes in order to try and get the coalition forces to withdraw from Iraq.
How do you deal with people like Iran? Well, consider this. If my neighbor down the street took one of my family members hostage, claiming they had stepped onto their property, I wouldn't be asking for their return. I would be going in there with guns blazing. Now, if my neighbor took one of my wife's family memebrs hostage for the same reason, you had better believe I would do the same thing.
I hope the UK knows that this American is with him and I hope President Bush has let them know we are prepared to help however needed.
As one of our best friends in the world, I consider the taking of British hostages to be the equivalent of taking our citizens. What is worse, it appears that the Iranian regime is no different than the terrorists in Iraq who capture peacekeepers to use them for propaganda purposes in order to try and get the coalition forces to withdraw from Iraq.
How do you deal with people like Iran? Well, consider this. If my neighbor down the street took one of my family members hostage, claiming they had stepped onto their property, I wouldn't be asking for their return. I would be going in there with guns blazing. Now, if my neighbor took one of my wife's family memebrs hostage for the same reason, you had better believe I would do the same thing.
I hope the UK knows that this American is with him and I hope President Bush has let them know we are prepared to help however needed.
Illegal Immigration...
Romney is spot on about immigration:
"'I don't think there should be a special pathway to citizenship for those that are here illegally,' he said. 'It makes no sense at all to have a border which is basically concrete against skill and education but wide open to people to just walk on in who have neither.'''
Of course, folks are out to try and discredit him on even that point. Check out the Bloomberg article.
Why don't you need a special pathway for citizenship? Well, for starters, that creates horrible incentives to flaunt our immigration laws. Secong, the problem of illegal immigration takes care of itself in the United States because of jus soli.
When an anchor baby is born and grows up in America, they can sponsor their parents for a greencard when they are 18 years old. This is one of the easiest ways there are to immigrate. Because of this, if we would just enforce our immigration laws, illegal immigration would largely go away in 20-30 years, even without deportations. There would still be people who remained illegal until their death, but by and large, you could expect most to apply for family based immigration if they are eligible.
"'I don't think there should be a special pathway to citizenship for those that are here illegally,' he said. 'It makes no sense at all to have a border which is basically concrete against skill and education but wide open to people to just walk on in who have neither.'''
Of course, folks are out to try and discredit him on even that point. Check out the Bloomberg article.
Why don't you need a special pathway for citizenship? Well, for starters, that creates horrible incentives to flaunt our immigration laws. Secong, the problem of illegal immigration takes care of itself in the United States because of jus soli.
When an anchor baby is born and grows up in America, they can sponsor their parents for a greencard when they are 18 years old. This is one of the easiest ways there are to immigrate. Because of this, if we would just enforce our immigration laws, illegal immigration would largely go away in 20-30 years, even without deportations. There would still be people who remained illegal until their death, but by and large, you could expect most to apply for family based immigration if they are eligible.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Savings...
Today I was talking to a friend about some of Romney's fantastic ideas. Here is one of the ideas we talked about and one of my favorites because it encourages Americans to invest in savings. If we are ever going to survive the Social Security crisis (and if Global Warming is a crisis than SS definitely is), we need to start encouraging individuals and families to think more long term.
Fred Thompson...
I have been contemplating what Mr. Thompson's objectives are in the current election cycle. I have been a bit befuddled about it all, to tell the truth. The man who decided not to seek a second term as Senator. The man who basically retired from political life. The man who seemed content to puruse a career as an actor. The man, frankly, who didn't seem to want the headache that comes with higher political office.
As of right now, he is "leaving the door open" (which basically says he is not sure about running). I get the impression that this is a candidate who doesn't want to be President when it comes down to it, but would really enjoy being VP. Why does this matter? Well, I propose to you that Thompson may be a reluctant candidate and reluctant candidates do not normally make good Presidents. They are the equivalent of a person who is unsure whether they like their job and perform it perfunctorily.
This doesn't mean I don't like Thompson, I just have serious doubts about him because he is not committed to running for office. It is sort of an afterthought. It seems to be a, "Hey, I kind of miss holding elected office and my casting roles have dried up," sort of impulse.
In the meantime, I remain convinced that Romney's proven executive experience and ability make him the best candidate to lead America in solving the next generation of challenges.
As of right now, he is "leaving the door open" (which basically says he is not sure about running). I get the impression that this is a candidate who doesn't want to be President when it comes down to it, but would really enjoy being VP. Why does this matter? Well, I propose to you that Thompson may be a reluctant candidate and reluctant candidates do not normally make good Presidents. They are the equivalent of a person who is unsure whether they like their job and perform it perfunctorily.
This doesn't mean I don't like Thompson, I just have serious doubts about him because he is not committed to running for office. It is sort of an afterthought. It seems to be a, "Hey, I kind of miss holding elected office and my casting roles have dried up," sort of impulse.
In the meantime, I remain convinced that Romney's proven executive experience and ability make him the best candidate to lead America in solving the next generation of challenges.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
A Mormon's View...
I just found this fascinating article by Orson Scott Card on the religious questions surrounding Mitt's candidacy.
"When I heard that Mitt Romney was actually running for President, my first thought was, "Is he serious?'"
"Everyone knows that Christian evangelicals hate Mormons so badly that if they had to choose between a bribe-taking, FBI-file-stealing, relentless-lie-telling, mud-slinging former first lady, and a Mormon ex-governor who doesn't lie, who's still married to his first wife, and who supports the entire Christian evangelical agenda, they'd still rather die than vote for a Mormon."
Give it a read, it is really insightful.
"When I heard that Mitt Romney was actually running for President, my first thought was, "Is he serious?'"
"Everyone knows that Christian evangelicals hate Mormons so badly that if they had to choose between a bribe-taking, FBI-file-stealing, relentless-lie-telling, mud-slinging former first lady, and a Mormon ex-governor who doesn't lie, who's still married to his first wife, and who supports the entire Christian evangelical agenda, they'd still rather die than vote for a Mormon."
Give it a read, it is really insightful.
Hillary and Grandpa...
Well, there seems to be some support for what we already anticipated in my family. When the die hard Catholic Democrat Grandparents were recently asked whether they would vote for Hillary if she were nominated, Grandma quickly said yes, but there was nothing but deafening silence from Grandpa. Grandma urged him on, "you'd vote for her wouldn't you?" Nothing but a slight smile screaming "I'm not about to let you know what I intend to do on this one."
The Hill is reporting that half of adults feel that way about Clinton. "In addition, 69 percent of those 62 and older said that they would not vote for Clinton."
This just confirms to me that Hillary is very beatable. The negative numbers Clinton has been polling are quite remarkable. The only thing we have similar on the Republican side is Newt Gingrich's numbers. It really is saying a lot when so many are already so polarized about a candidate. On the other side, Romney has significant numers of people who say they don't know enough about him to venture an opinion. While he may poll lower numbers because of it, it is decidedly a better position to be in at this stage of the process.
The Hill is reporting that half of adults feel that way about Clinton. "In addition, 69 percent of those 62 and older said that they would not vote for Clinton."
This just confirms to me that Hillary is very beatable. The negative numbers Clinton has been polling are quite remarkable. The only thing we have similar on the Republican side is Newt Gingrich's numbers. It really is saying a lot when so many are already so polarized about a candidate. On the other side, Romney has significant numers of people who say they don't know enough about him to venture an opinion. While he may poll lower numbers because of it, it is decidedly a better position to be in at this stage of the process.
Monday, March 26, 2007
MySpace...
The Globe on Mitt's MySpace page:
"His slick mix of outdoorsy moutain man and boardroom bigwig is apparently winning over legions of soccer moms, bikini babes and other female admirers who dominate his site."
When I saw Mitt had a page, I had little choice but to register my own so that I could ask to be his friend. MySpace is a peculiar place in many ways. I have gotten at least 5 requests from non-existent cyber girls to let me be their friends. Needless to say, I didn't visit their pages. Nevertheless, I see the social fascination. The combination of access to million's of other people's personal photos and information combined with the ability to craft an entirely contrived personal persona make for the ultimate "people watching" (what my wife and I do when we are sitting at a bench in the park).
"His slick mix of outdoorsy moutain man and boardroom bigwig is apparently winning over legions of soccer moms, bikini babes and other female admirers who dominate his site."
When I saw Mitt had a page, I had little choice but to register my own so that I could ask to be his friend. MySpace is a peculiar place in many ways. I have gotten at least 5 requests from non-existent cyber girls to let me be their friends. Needless to say, I didn't visit their pages. Nevertheless, I see the social fascination. The combination of access to million's of other people's personal photos and information combined with the ability to craft an entirely contrived personal persona make for the ultimate "people watching" (what my wife and I do when we are sitting at a bench in the park).
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Homosexuality and Politics...
Recently there was some uproar on the comments of General Pace about homosexuality being immoral. I just stumbled across this AP article that talks about Senator Brownback's views on the remarks, referring to him as: "a favorite of the religious right, [who] has been a prominent opponent of gay marriage."
The article goes on to say of Romney:
"Another Republican candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who has been criticized for changing his views on gay rights to conform with conservative views, said he thought Pace's comments were 'inappropriate for public discourse.'"
'"He can believe what he wants to, that's the great thing about America — believe in what you want. But in a governmental setting, the right way to go is to show more of an outpouring of tolerance,' Romney said on CNN's "Larry King Live."'
Of course, I found the refence to Sam Brownback as a prominent opponent of gay marriage funny since I believe that Romney's fight against gay marriage is much more prominent.
In the past, many people have questioned Romney's statements that people who are gay deserve to have their rights protected as much as anyone else while at the same time being a strong proponent of a federal marriage amendment to defend traditional marriage.
I recently concluded a trial in which another person was attacked and there was substantial evidence from the defendant's statements that he attacked the victim because he was gay. I think that I may understand where Romney is coming from in one way.
People who are gay do deserve the full protection of the laws. This is not the same thing as saying they should have all of the tax benefits and social incentives in place to encourage and support families. What it is saying though is that committing a crime against someone because they are gay is a nefarious thing to do. It is one of the poorest possible reasons that can be conjured up. Likewise, we should not look at homosexual victims of crime with any less sympathy than we do other victims of crime.
Even if a person believes that homosexual acts are entirely immoral, I believe this still holds true. The laws should be governed by an impartiality that looks at the conduct of the defendant without regard to the moral state of the victim.
People have a natural right to not be a victim of crime. The police power of the state, to keep people secure in their person, is one of the most basic functions of any government.
The article goes on to say of Romney:
"Another Republican candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who has been criticized for changing his views on gay rights to conform with conservative views, said he thought Pace's comments were 'inappropriate for public discourse.'"
'"He can believe what he wants to, that's the great thing about America — believe in what you want. But in a governmental setting, the right way to go is to show more of an outpouring of tolerance,' Romney said on CNN's "Larry King Live."'
Of course, I found the refence to Sam Brownback as a prominent opponent of gay marriage funny since I believe that Romney's fight against gay marriage is much more prominent.
In the past, many people have questioned Romney's statements that people who are gay deserve to have their rights protected as much as anyone else while at the same time being a strong proponent of a federal marriage amendment to defend traditional marriage.
I recently concluded a trial in which another person was attacked and there was substantial evidence from the defendant's statements that he attacked the victim because he was gay. I think that I may understand where Romney is coming from in one way.
People who are gay do deserve the full protection of the laws. This is not the same thing as saying they should have all of the tax benefits and social incentives in place to encourage and support families. What it is saying though is that committing a crime against someone because they are gay is a nefarious thing to do. It is one of the poorest possible reasons that can be conjured up. Likewise, we should not look at homosexual victims of crime with any less sympathy than we do other victims of crime.
Even if a person believes that homosexual acts are entirely immoral, I believe this still holds true. The laws should be governed by an impartiality that looks at the conduct of the defendant without regard to the moral state of the victim.
People have a natural right to not be a victim of crime. The police power of the state, to keep people secure in their person, is one of the most basic functions of any government.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Romney in New Hampshire...
Some great numbers for Romney out of New Hampshire:
Giuliani 29
McCain 28
Romney 22
Gingrich 5
Huckabee 2
Brownback 1
Hagel 1
Hunter 1
Tancredo 1
Undecided 9
This is a 5% increase for Romney. Surprisingly, it is quite a bit of decrease for Giuliani.
Giuliani 29
McCain 28
Romney 22
Gingrich 5
Huckabee 2
Brownback 1
Hagel 1
Hunter 1
Tancredo 1
Undecided 9
This is a 5% increase for Romney. Surprisingly, it is quite a bit of decrease for Giuliani.
End PollCode, Enter PajamasMedia Poll...
I wanted to point out that I have registered as a PajamasMedia Precinct and invite everyone to click on the widget to the left and vote for their candidate of choice.
In light of this, I have taken down the PollCode Poll I had previously and I just wanted to report the results...
Who would you vote to be the Republican Presidential Nominee?
Mitt Romney 81%, 532 Votes
John McCain 4%, 26 Votes
Duncan Hunter 1%, 8 Votes
Rudy Giuliani 5%, 35 Votes
Mike Huckabee 1%, 6 Votes
Newt Gingrich 4%, 26 Votes
Condoleeza Rice 4%, 24 Votes
Nothing too surprising about Romney soundly defeating the other potential nominees, since this is a pro-Romney site. I did find the other numbers, although small samples, intresting though. Consider that Duncan Hunter polled stronger than Mike Huckabee (I realize it is not statistically significant). That is somewhat surprising since I consider Duncan Hunter such an improbability. I also enjoyed the fact that Condoleeza Rice polled as high as Newt Gingrich and John McCain. This confirms something that I had already suspected about John McCain; his candidacy is seriously struggling.
In light of this, I have taken down the PollCode Poll I had previously and I just wanted to report the results...
Who would you vote to be the Republican Presidential Nominee?
Mitt Romney 81%, 532 Votes
John McCain 4%, 26 Votes
Duncan Hunter 1%, 8 Votes
Rudy Giuliani 5%, 35 Votes
Mike Huckabee 1%, 6 Votes
Newt Gingrich 4%, 26 Votes
Condoleeza Rice 4%, 24 Votes
Nothing too surprising about Romney soundly defeating the other potential nominees, since this is a pro-Romney site. I did find the other numbers, although small samples, intresting though. Consider that Duncan Hunter polled stronger than Mike Huckabee (I realize it is not statistically significant). That is somewhat surprising since I consider Duncan Hunter such an improbability. I also enjoyed the fact that Condoleeza Rice polled as high as Newt Gingrich and John McCain. This confirms something that I had already suspected about John McCain; his candidacy is seriously struggling.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Immigration and AZ...
There is good video at Fox 10 news out of Phoenix of Romney's visit to the Republican Headquarters there, for those of us out there who care strongly about securing our country. The difference between Romney and the other candidates is most apparent in McCain's home state.
Among other things, he said more local law enforcement agencies should be trained in enforcing federal immigration law. For those of us serious about cleaning up our streets, this is a tool that would greatly increase the ability of agencies to keep us safe. It would be nice to deport some of the gang bangers before they commit serious crimes.
Among other things, he said more local law enforcement agencies should be trained in enforcing federal immigration law. For those of us serious about cleaning up our streets, this is a tool that would greatly increase the ability of agencies to keep us safe. It would be nice to deport some of the gang bangers before they commit serious crimes.
Romney v. Democrats...
The Rasmussen Reports has some numbers that show both Obama and Clinton beating Romney in a head-to-head match-up. Believe it or not, I found the numbers quite compelling and positive for our candidate. 30% of voters don't know enough about Romney to give him a favorable or unfavorable rating. This tells me that if Romney won the nomination and got the spotlight associated with it, he stands in a good position to beat both of those candidates. If he picks up just half of those 30% and doesn't lose ground in other areas, then he wins. That may be making a few assumptions, but I think it is a positive sign. It is good to only be trailing Clinton by 9% when 30% of voters don't even know enough about you to venture an opinoin about you. Even the 15% lead of Obama ain't bad.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Blog Rankings...
Romney appears to be winning the race for the most pro-candidate blogs:
Check out the graph at MyManMitt and the list at OvalOffice2008.
Check out the graph at MyManMitt and the list at OvalOffice2008.
Spread the News...
Romney is headed to Giuliani territory for a fundraiser. The NY SUN has a bit about the effort:
"While Mr. Giuliani served as a popular mayor of New York, he doesn't yet have all of the city's big donors locked up."
-
"Mr. Romney, the founder of Bain Capital, an investment firm, has a host of relationships throughout the financial community."
It will be interesting to know how Mitt does in NY.
"While Mr. Giuliani served as a popular mayor of New York, he doesn't yet have all of the city's big donors locked up."
-
"Mr. Romney, the founder of Bain Capital, an investment firm, has a host of relationships throughout the financial community."
It will be interesting to know how Mitt does in NY.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Forthcoming Television Appearances...
DON'T MISS GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY
As he continues his campaign for our nation's highest office, you will have two chances this week to watch Governor Mitt Romney take questions in primetime. Tonight, he will be Sean Hannity's special guest on Fox News' "Hannity & Colmes." On Thursday, he and Mrs. Romney will take questions from CNN's Larry King.
Check below for times and dates and then encourage your friends to watch Governor Romney on TV this week and to visit MittRomney.com to join Team Mitt and register their support. Together, we'll bring strong, new leadership to the White House.
Monday, March 12:
Governor Mitt Romney Interviewed On "Hannity & Colmes"Fox News9:00 P.M. EST
Thursday, March 15:
Thursday, March 15:
Governor and Mrs. Romney Appear On "Larry King Live"CNN9:00 P.M. EST
Friday, March 09, 2007
Stumping in W. Virginia...
There is a good read on Mitt's speech today in W. Virginia by William Stewart:
"Yesterday was a good day to be a West Virginia Republican. Kanawha County played host to the very first declared Republican presidential candidate to visit our state, Governor Mitt Romney. His speech at the Kanawha County Lincoln Day Dinner was as good as stump speeches go and while one should never make their decision on whistle-stop addresses, he raised several points worthy of consideration."
Read the rest of his post here.
"Yesterday was a good day to be a West Virginia Republican. Kanawha County played host to the very first declared Republican presidential candidate to visit our state, Governor Mitt Romney. His speech at the Kanawha County Lincoln Day Dinner was as good as stump speeches go and while one should never make their decision on whistle-stop addresses, he raised several points worthy of consideration."
Read the rest of his post here.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Ready to Surge...
Romney's is in a great position in the polls. Read the synopsis version at My Man Mitt.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Saturday, March 03, 2007
My Man Mitt...
I am pleased to announce my participation over at My Man Mitt, arguably the finest pro-Romney blog. Yesterday, I suggested that Romney could run in California on his natural strenghts in the area of illegal immigration and support for marriage and family. The fact remains though, that California loves a rock star candidate like Rudy Giuliani. Unfortunately, California Republicans have been willing at times to look past a candidate's positions so long as they have the right political affiliation because a liberal Republican is always better than a liberal Democrat.
What concerns me today is the impact a radical change in our current primary election cycle would have on the influence of social conservatives in the Republican party. Social conservatives are already on the way to a marginal role this election because of their rocky relationship with McCain and some hesitancy about Romney's religion. While they revel in the quandry of lacking a favored candidate amongst the top tier, their influence is quietly slipping away as the most liberal Republican in the election begins to emerge as the front-runner.
Californian Republicans are as conservative as the next bunch, but there is an awful large contingency of independants. Because of this, if California's role in the Republican nomination becomes more important, the influence of social conservatives may be diminished even further.
This should be a cause of concern to social conservatives everywhere and should underline the importance of getting behind Romney as soon as possible unless you want to see the gains made under President George W. Bush completely obliterated. I would suggest that once you have a liberal Republican in the white house, it is difficult to ever have a conservative again.
What concerns me today is the impact a radical change in our current primary election cycle would have on the influence of social conservatives in the Republican party. Social conservatives are already on the way to a marginal role this election because of their rocky relationship with McCain and some hesitancy about Romney's religion. While they revel in the quandry of lacking a favored candidate amongst the top tier, their influence is quietly slipping away as the most liberal Republican in the election begins to emerge as the front-runner.
Californian Republicans are as conservative as the next bunch, but there is an awful large contingency of independants. Because of this, if California's role in the Republican nomination becomes more important, the influence of social conservatives may be diminished even further.
This should be a cause of concern to social conservatives everywhere and should underline the importance of getting behind Romney as soon as possible unless you want to see the gains made under President George W. Bush completely obliterated. I would suggest that once you have a liberal Republican in the white house, it is difficult to ever have a conservative again.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Regent University Commencement...
Mitt Romney is to speak at Regent University's commencement. Apparently, this has ruffled a few feathers.
The following from Matt Green:
"I hate to be a conspiracy theorist, but could it be that Romney's appearance at Regent is the result of two converging political dynamics? The first is that Romney must allay the concerns of the evangelical voting public by downplaying Mormon distinctives and aligning the religion as merely another "denomination" within the broad landscape of American Christianity. Giving the commencement address at a prominent evangelical university definitely helps accomplish this objective. The second is that Pat Robertson may see Romney as the only candidate capable of effectively challenging the democratic juggernauts of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Therefore, he may be willing to overlook the conflict of Romney's faith and Regent's mission for the purpose of enhancing Romney's reputation among evangelicals."
I certainly hope that the Faculty, Staff, and Students of Regent will show their power of our faith by their kindness and respect. Evangelicals for Mitt should be required reading at their University.
The following from Matt Green:
"I hate to be a conspiracy theorist, but could it be that Romney's appearance at Regent is the result of two converging political dynamics? The first is that Romney must allay the concerns of the evangelical voting public by downplaying Mormon distinctives and aligning the religion as merely another "denomination" within the broad landscape of American Christianity. Giving the commencement address at a prominent evangelical university definitely helps accomplish this objective. The second is that Pat Robertson may see Romney as the only candidate capable of effectively challenging the democratic juggernauts of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Therefore, he may be willing to overlook the conflict of Romney's faith and Regent's mission for the purpose of enhancing Romney's reputation among evangelicals."
I certainly hope that the Faculty, Staff, and Students of Regent will show their power of our faith by their kindness and respect. Evangelicals for Mitt should be required reading at their University.
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