Sunday, October 21, 2007

Luntz: Romney Sledgehammers Clinton

This is the reason Romney is man to beat the Clinton machine. He is the only Republican running that can talk about his accomplishments when it comes to health care reform. He has extremely high credibility on the issue, the others treat it like the fourth rail and don't want to touch it.

Also, the bar hit the 90's when he talked about free market reforms - especially among the moderate voters. He has the message that Americans want and need.

Gov. Romney: Hillary Not Prepared To Lead

Mitt works the crowd and wins the debate in Florida. He scored big points in the Gator state during tonights debate.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Mitt Romney on FOX Business Network

Great Interview- Mitt explains why he signed the "NO TAX PLEDGE" and does a great job explaining conservative principles and economics. Actually, he explains it like no one else could.



Monday, October 15, 2007

Sen. McCain Endorses Mitt Romney (sort of)

I couldnt' have said it better myself.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Romney Right on Taxes





I had an interesting conversation with a friend at work the other day, let's call him Adam. Adam said if his taxes were lower he might be able to afford to pay his tithing (a 10%) to his church. I thought about this in relation to a study I remembered hearing about earlier this year about the most generous Americans being those who made less than 100,000.00 per year. Since, I am in that category I thought about myself, and sure enough I DO in fact give 10% of my income in tithing to my church, I do also often make contributions to various charitable organizations such as the USO, the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and the Red Cross. Now, I'm not saying this just to pat myself on the back, but it got me thinking about how much more Americans would donate to charity (especially the middle-class) if they got to keep more of their own money.

I looked at my own income and taxes, and frankly I can't believe I give away as much as I do considering how much Uncle Sam takes away:

18.2% Federal Income Tax
9.3% State Income Tax
8.9% State Sales Tax

Those 3 alone would equal out to me already paying 36.4% of my income in taxes.
If only America's taxes were so low. The politicians spread them out and hide them in many different places, for the very reason that you can't figure out how much you are REALLY paying.

Property Tax (over 5000 per year)
Gasoline Tax (In California 46 cents per gallon)
Recycling Tax (in California 5 cents per bottle or can)
Cel Phone Tax (10.24 per month on my bill)
Sewer Fees
Water Tax
Vehicle Registration Fee (Tax)
Driver's License Fee (tax)
Alcohol and Cigarette taxes
Utility Tax
Cable TV Tax
Phone line taxes
Computer Recycling Tax (if you buy a computer)
Recycling Tax (if you buy new tires)


Sad part is I'm sure I left a bunch of them out that I don't know about. In the end though I may be paying closer to 50% of my income to taxes to the government. Add in the 12-15% that I give to charity and my family is scraping by on the 35% of my income we get to keep. Then out of that 35% if I put any of that into savings, I then have to pay taxes on any interest it earns. Then, if I die and leave any money I may have saved to my family. They have to pay taxes on it again after I'm dead. It needs to stop and needs to stop right now.

Now Mitt Romney has it exactly right when he says, "raising taxes hurts working people and scares away jobs. I also said no to more borrowing; borrowing just shifts our problems to the backs of our kids . . . Instead, I went after waste, inefficiency, duplication, and patronage."

Mitt Romney has a 7 point plan for reducing the tax burden on his website the outline goes as follows:

1. Make the Bush Tax Cuts Permanent
2. Roll back tax rates for all Americans
3. Eliminating Taxes on Middle Class Savings
4. Eliminating the Death Tax
5. Cutting the Corporate Tax Rate
6. Opposing Social Security Tax Increases
7. Making Medical Expenses Tax Deductible


All of these points are effective and far reaching in the battle to let Americans control their hard earned money. And, I support all of them. They demonstrate Mitt Romney's brilliance, and ability to analyze and see things where others do not and come up with new ideas.

If I may however, and being that I am a part of the middle class I believe I just might know what could help the middle class the most. Allow me to suggest point number eight.

8. Eliminate the Marriage Penalty



The Marriage Penalty may be the worst idea in the history of taxes. America has already seen how the Government can shape social behavior when it started giving more money to unmarried welfare moms. What happened there after? The number of unmarried welfare moms skyrocketed. The Marriage Penalty was introduced in 1969,anyone want to guess by what percentage single parent homes increased? Try from 11% to 27%. And that's just from 1969-1999. It's probably even higher today, and it is proven to be much higher among African-American and Latinos.

If Romney is pro-family he couldn't hardly do the American family a greater service than eliminating this heinous tax. Why should people be penalized for being married? When the government makes punitive tax codes for marriage it sends the wrong message, and it makes it especially hard on those of us who are trying to raise a family on single income so that our children might have the benefit of a mother in the home. If anything couples should get some sort of tax break for being married. If the nation is made up of states, and the states are made up of counties, and the counties are made up of cities, and the cities are made up of neighborhoods, and the neighborhoods are made up of families - strong families means a strong nation. Therefore, shouldn't the federal government do everything in it's power to support the American family?

Governor Romney we are counting on you.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Romney Rules Debate in Michigan!

CNBC's Maria Bartiromo: "I think that Mitt Romney did very well." (CNBC, "Your Money Your Vote," 10/9/07)

CBN's David Brody: "Fred Thompson gave a somewhat generic answer to the first question about what he will do to 'ensure economy vibrancy in this country'. But then Romney followed with statistics, solutions, and a forward looking agenda. I mean, my goodness, he hit it out of the park." (David Brody, "The Republicans Debate In Dearborn: Reaction," CBN's The Brody File, www.cbn.com, Posted 10/9/07)

- Brody: "It was Mitt Romney's night." (David Brody, "The Republicans Debate In Dearborn: Reaction," CBN's The Brody File, www.cbn.com, Posted 10/9/07)

- Brody: "Mitt Romney was as sharp as he's ever been tonight." (David Brody, "The Republicans Debate In Dearborn: Reaction," CBN's The Brody File, www.cbn.com, Posted 10/9/07)

- Brody: "Now, as for Romney, man he's a good debater." (David Brody, "The Republicans Debate In Dearborn: Reaction," CBN's The Brody File, www.cbn.com, Posted 10/9/07)

- Brody: "[Romney] had it going. Very impressive indeed." (David Brody, "The Republicans Debate In Dearborn: Reaction," CBN's The Brody File, www.cbn.com, Posted 10/9/07)

- Brody: "I must say Mitt Romney is truly a human power point presentation... And I say that in a very positive way." (David Brody, "The Republicans Debate In Dearborn: Reaction," CBN's The Brody File, www.cbn.com, Posted 10/9/07)

Detroit Free Press' Kathleen Gray And Joe Guy Collier: "Romney captured the early attention of the crowd, speaking to the woes of the auto industry and the recent taxes passed in Michigan to avoid a budget crisis. Romney, whose father was Michigan governor, said the president should have an 'open door' to the automakers." (Kathleen Gray and Joe Guy Collier, "Candidates Avoid Each Other, Turn On Sen. Clinton During Debate," Detroit Free Press Blog, http://www.freep.com/apps/, Posted 10/9/07)

The New Republic's John Judis: "Of the frontrunners, Romney had the clearest and most forthright answers." (John Judis, "GOP Debate," The Plank On The New Republic, http://www.tnr.com, Posted 10/9/07)

The American Spectator's John Tabin: "On the first question, Thompson seemed like he was winging it, especially in contrast to Romney's answer immediately afterwards. Romney has obviously done the homework on Michigan-specific issues that Thompson hasn't. This is pretty much exactly what we've come to expect." (John Tabin, "Notes On The Debate, One Quarter In," The American Spectator Blog, http://www.spectator.org/, Posted 10/9/07)

Townhall's Hugh Hewitt: "Romney's Michigan-specific references underscore the roll-out of his campaign. The former Massachusetts' governor drilled into the woeful state of the Wolverine State's economy, its crushing tax burden, and his roots as a son of Michigan. That's a shrewd dual use of the debate format --advancing his national image while supporting his plans to win in Michigan after the Iowa and New Hampshire contests." (Hugh Hewitt, "The Debate," Townhall, http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/, Posted 10/9/07)

MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell: "Mitt Romney was very strong on fiscal issues..." (MSNBC's "Hardball," 10/9/07)

Right Wing News's John Hawkins: "Mitt slices Rudy on the line item veto... Mitt always sounds so smooth when he talks and he emotes well... Mitt sounds good smacking around Ahmadinejad." (John Hawkins, "Liveblogging The Debate," Right Wing News Blog, http://www.rightwingnews.com/, Posted 10/9/07)

- Hawkins: "Mitt sounds optimistic -- which is the right way to approach it." (John Hawkins, "Liveblogging The Debate," Right Wing News Blog, http://www.rightwingnews.com/, Posted 10/9/07)

- Hawkins: "Mitt should be talking health care all the time. It's a hot issue, he has done something with it before, and nobody else is addressing it very effectively." (John Hawkins, "Liveblogging The Debate," Right Wing News Blog, http://www.rightwingnews.com/, Posted 10/9/07)

Wlady At AmSpec Blog: "Good for Romney to chide others for focusing on gloom and doom. Double good for looking forward to debating Hillary on the economy, given his career spent inside it." (Wlady Pleszczynski, "American Dream," The American Spectator Blog, http://www.spectator.org/, Posted 10/9/07)

CNBC's Morris Reid: "I thought if anyone stood out it is probably Romney because he is the strongest on this." (CNBC, "Your Money Your Vote," 10/9/07)

RedState's Erick Erickson: "Great on Romney taking on Michigan's government! Well freakin' done!" (Erick Erickson, "The Michigan Debate," Redstate Blog, http://www.redstate.com/, Posted 10/9/07)

Real Clear Politics' Tom Bevan: "[Romney] appeared relaxed, confident, and in his element, probably as a result of being more less on his home turf in a forum that played to his strength as a business exec." (Tom Bevan, "Snap Impressions From The Debate," Real Clear Politics Blog, http://time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/, Posted 10/9/07)

- Bevan: "[Romney] got off to a fast start with a good line about it being unacceptable that Michigan in undergoing a 'one-state recession' and had a sharp exchange [sic] with Rudy over the line item veto." (Tom Bevan, "Snap Impressions From The Debate," Real Clear Politics Blog, http://time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/, Posted 10/9/07)

What They're Really Saying About Governor Mitt Romney At The Dearborn, MI GOP Debate
Tuesday, Oct 09, 2007 07:07 PM EDT

Townhall's Matt Lewis: "Romney makes a good point about the line item veto. He used it 844 times, he says. Romney also points out that Rudy fought against it all the way to the Supreme Court. This is what he sees as a clear contrast..." (I strongly agree with Romney about this)." (Matt Lewis, "Live Blogging The Debate," Towhall, http://townhall.com/blog, Posted 10/9/07)

* - Lewis: "Matthews asks all the candidates how Republicans can win back the voters. ... Romney, perhaps answering Huckabee and McCain, says we need to be confident and optimistic. Amen!" (Matt Lewis, "Live Blogging the Debate," Townhall, 10/9/07)

The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza: "For our money, Mitt Romney gave the best answer. 'There are some good ones and some not so good,' Romney said, before naming the Carpenters as one of the 'good' unions. As for the bad ones, Romney joked he wasn't planning to name them. It seemed like a real joke – Romney himself seemed somewhat surprised that he had made it – and a nice moment for a candidate." (Chris Cillizza, "Union Yes," Washington Post's The Fix Blog, blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/, Posted 10/9/07)

- Cillizza: "The three frontrunners used a question about how to convince voters that Republicans can be trusted with the economy to offer their larger philosophical visions. Romney, not surprisingly, was the most upbeat of the trio." (Chris Cillizza, "A Contrast In Visions," The Washington Post's The Fix, http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/, Posted 10/9/07)

MSNBC's Chuck Todd: "[Romney's] coming across, so far, as the most prepared for this debate. He appears to be the least nervous; this topic, of course, is in Romney's wheelhouse." (Chuck Todd, "Romney Strong So Far, Avoiding Bush Comparisons," MSNBC'S First Read Blog, firstread.msnbc.msn.com/, Posted 10/9/07)

The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder: "[Gov. Romney] let off a great line about the tax-raising Democratic Governor, Jennifer Granholm." (Marc Ambinder, "Romney Sounds Like A Gubernatorial Candidate Here," The Atlantic, marcambinder.theatlantic.com/, Posted 10/9/07)

- Ambinder: "Romney sounds like a gubernatorial candidate here. (That's a compliment). He let off a great line about the tax-raising Democratic governor, Jennifer Granholm. 'I figured she was going to put a tax on the debate before it was finished.'" (Marc Ambinder, Atlantic Online Blog, http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com, 10/9/07)

- Ambinder: "Props to ... Romney: knowing the ins and outs of the Michigan economy; for landing a punch about the line item veto; he got a full minute and a half to explain his health care plan." (Marc Ambinder, Atlantic Online Blog, http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com, 10/9/07)

MSNBC's Domenico Montanaro: "There was a clear difference seeing Fred Thompson versus Romney in style. Romney was much more direct, clearer and had a handle on the issues." (Domenico Montanaro, "On Style," MSNBC's First Read, http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/, Posted 10/9/07)

The Politico's Jonathan Martin: "A nice moment for Mitt, comparing his record in the private sector to that of Hillary. 'I've done it, she's just talked about it,' he hit home at the end of his answer." (Jonathan Martin, "Mitt: I Can Take A Piece Out Of Hillary, Too," Politico, http://dyn.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/, 10/9/07)

- Martin: "In his first answer, Mitt Romney scored nice points with the Wolverine State audience by taking a shot at Granholm – and citing the biggest news here locally." (Jonathan Martin, "Mitt Gets Easy Applause," The Politico, http://www.politico.com/, Posted 10/9/07)

Wlady At AmSpec Blog: "Romney, speaking second, was much smoother and fluent – and smart enough to focus on Michigan's problem and blast Gov. Granholm's tax hikes." (Wlady, "Top of the Order," AmSpec Blog, 10/9/07)

- Wlady At AmSpec Blog: "Who else on that stage will be so unabashedly supply-side? Romney's response? He's for the line-item veto." (Wlady, "Clubbing for Growth," AmSpec Blog, 10/9/07)

- Wlady At AmSpec Blog: "Mitt Scores Against Mahmoud [Ahmadinejad]." (Wlady, "Mitt Scores Against Mahmoud," AmSpec Blog, 10/9/07)

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Romney Battle Plan 2008



Knock on wood, things are looking good. I recently received in the mail, the Romney for President Battle Plan 2008 which outlines the upcoming caucuses and their respective dates. Some of these are tentative, but it shows that Romney's strategy is working. Isn't it amazing that the entreprener successful business man would also happen to be the most competent candidate at marketing, branding, raising money and following a campaign strategy through to success.

This is all even more remarkable when you consider that just a few short months ago, John McCain was considered a lock for the nomination, and the only threat to his candidacy was Mayor Giuliani. Romney has gone from unknown to... well, let's take a look at the primaries:

IOWA STRAW POLL: 31.5% Romney won with a larger percentage than Gov. George W. Bush in 2000.

IOWA CAUCUSES: January 2 or 3 -
Latest poll: Mitt Romney 29%, Fred Thompson 18%, Mike Huckabee 12%, Rudy Giuliani 11%, John McCain 7% - Des Moines Register 10/01-10/03

WYOMING: January 5th- While there is no polling date from Wyoming yet, at last report Mitt Romney was in 1st place in dollars raised in that state coming in at over 800,000 with the next closest candidate behind him at about roughly half that amount.

NEW HAMPSHIRE: January 8th- (tenative)
Latest poll: Mitt Romney 28%, Rudy Giuliani 20%, McCain 17%, Thompson 8% - Insider Advantage Poll 10/2

MICHIGAN: There are 3 polls for Michigan here are the averages of those from Realclearpolitics.com - Mitt Romney 26.7%, Giuliani 18.3%, Thompson 14%, McCain 13%

It should also be noted that Mitt Romney won the Mackinac Straw Poll in Michigan by wide margin: Romney 39%, McCain 26%, Paul 11%, Giuliani 10.5%, Thompson 7%

NEVADA & SOUTH CAROLINA: January 19th- Latest Nevada Poll: Romney 28%, Thompson 18%, Giuliani 18%, McCain 8% - Research 2000 8/16

Latest South Carolina Poll: Mitt Romney 26%, 23% Rudy Giuliani, McCain 15%, Thompson 10%

FLORIDA January 29th- Latest Poll: Giuliani 29%, Thompson 19%, Romney 16%, McCain 10%. One thing that should be noticed is that Romney has trended upward in Florida for several months now, and this poll could change dramatically after October's Florida debate, not to mention the publicity a candidate may be given after winning some of the early primaries.

SUPER-DUPER TUESDAY:

5th: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado (Dem caucuses), Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico (Dem caucuses), New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah

- While there is not really any polling data for Super-Duper Tuesday it should be noted that Mitt Romney leads all candidates in fundraising in the states of Arizona, Missouri, and of course Utah.

Should be intersting, and given that Mitt has a shot at winning the first 5 primaries, he will be given a huge boost going into Florida and Super-Duper Tuesday. Things seem to be going according to plan almost like there was an extremely smart executive in charge of the whole thing.

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Viva 1994!

There has been a lot said on the blogs and by various news articles about Mitt Romney's change of heart on abortion. Some are trying to call him a flip-flopper, and claiming that his change of position is only for political expediency. Many bloggers even go as far as to say that Mitt went from Massuchussetts liberal to heartland conservative. Given Mitt's track record as Governor - I can't imagine what they are talking about. So, they say he ran as a liberal when he ran against Ted Kennedy in the 1994 Senate race. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Check out this campaign flyer from 1994 can anyone tell me what is liberal on Mitt's record?



Didn't think so. I guess it's all in how you look at it. For many republicans they see a candidate coming from a blue state like Massuchessetts and view that as a negative. Where I see almost nothing but positive from it here's why:

1) He can win blue states. Having MItt as the nominee puts New Hampshire and Michigan in play. Forcing the democrats to spend money where they other wise would not. And, that is just so far, after he gets the nomination and there is no telling how many more traditionally democrat areas could be for him, but certainly Michigan is huge.

2) Mitt Romney is a heck of a campaigner as he gave Kennedy a run for his money - literally. Teddy boy had to take out another mortage on his home to pay for his campaign against Romney. In 36 years in the Senate 1994 was the ONLY time that Ted Kennedy has had to actually campaign for office, normally he just gets voted in automatically because he has the right last name. If I remember correctly he lost by a margin of 51-49% of the vote, and gave Ted the scare of his life.

3) He knows how to defeat Democrats in a Democrat state, and how to do battle with Democrats. Who saved Mass. when they had a 3 billion dollar budget deficit without raising taxes? Mitt Romney. Who vetoed countless bills that came from the Mass. legislature. Mitt Romney. Who fought for traditional marriage and family? Mitt Romney. Gov. Romney has been on the front lines of the culture war and knows the dark intentions of the liberal left, therefore he is more suited to defeat them.

4) Republican governors who come from Blue states, tend to be more conservative than ones who come from Red states. Think about it, Reagan was a blue state governor and very conservative in the White House, he has been fighting liberals in California and kept up the good fight in Washington. W. Bush was a Texas conservative who reached across the aisle and worked with Democrats. He tried to do the same thing in Washington only problem is Washington Democrats and not like Texas Democrats.

5) Winning a successful capitalist Republican in Massuchussetts shows that Mitt can win anywhere. I mean is it seriously impressive that John McCain gets elected senator in a conservative state like Arizona? Or Fred Thompson in Tennesse? Winning as a conservative Republican in those areas is a cake walk. Is it any wonder Mitt Romney is 1st in fund raising? How is the least known of the four main Republican candidates in 1st place in fund raising (not even counting his own money)? It's because he knows how to get things done and how to win.

Let's just hope the Republican party gives it's self the best chance at defeating Hillzilla by nominating someone with a track record of big successes and overcoming impossible odds. Someone like Mitt Romney.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Mitt's Money


This from realclearpolitics.com


-- Other fundraising hints and murmurs: John Edwards will report about $7 million, according to a senior adviser. Senator John McCain, meanwhile, says fundraising is improving, though he offers no details. Mitt Romney said himself he raised about $10 million and gave another $6 to $7 million of his own money. Karen Tumulty, of Time Magazine, says Romney opponents fear he will simply write himself a massive check shortly after the end to the 4th quarter, a check which opponents wouldn't know about until late February, when the contest will be all but decided. More fundraising news coming as the day rolls on.



In my opinion this is just another reason why Mitt Romney is the candidate I'd like to see secure the nomination. The logic goes as follows:

1) He is the only candidate currently running to have ever made that much money, that conveys a certain amount of competence in business. He has a record of success in private business, while a lot of the other candidates have not only never ran a business - some of them have never even been employed in the private sector. It's not like he got 100's of millions of dollars from suing hospitals or marrying an heiress. He got the old fashioned way - he earned it.

2) In 90% of campaigns the candidate who spends the most money wins. The Hillary machine is out fundraising the Republicans by a two-to-one margin. For the Republicans having a candidate who can write himself a check for 50 million dollars at the last minute could very well be the best chance conservatives have.

3) I like a guy who can put his money where his mouth is. There have been a lot of candidates with cash, I believe John Edwards is worth over 50 million dollars, yet yesterday he agreed to accept matching funds. He says that he would make the best president, and that he is running to help America. Yet, he doesn't want to spend a dime of his own money to do so, and now he's taking your money (the tax payers) to buy TV ads for his campaign. If he really believed it was about public service and helping his country surely he could contribute as he is forcing all of us to do.

4) Mitt Romney is not beholden to special interests. Hillary is bought and paid for. Her forceful fundraising leaves her open to questions about who she owes favors to. And how many criminals have contributed to her campaign? How many foreign companies? Or foreign governments? Mitt Romney will stand out as the independent who is able to put America first.

5) The other candidates might not like that Mitt is able to contribute so much to his campaign, but Americans don't have any problem with it (despite the media's best attempts to convince them otherwise). After all, it's Mitt's money and he can do whatever he wants with it. Besides, some Americans would be a little resentful of someone worth 200 million who is asking for them to contribute to his campaign unless he was doing likewise.


In the end, Mitt Romney's money is just another reason why he's a superior candidate to all the GOP right now. The ability to raise money is another of Mitt's strengths. He is already in 1st place in fundraising, but the ability to contribute his own cash just puts a little more wind in his sails. He is first in fundraising in New Hampshire, Iowa, Michigan, Arizona, Missouri and Wyoming. I expect if it is necessary the other candidates worst fears will come true, Mitt will throw in the extra cash and wins the early primaries and eventually the presidency.