The national health care reform debate is far from settled, but one of the casualties is already clear: former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
Three years ago, Romney was heralded for his innovative effort to institute near-universal health care in his state. But now that the issue has emerged as a partisan fault line and the Massachusetts plan has provided some guidance for Democratic reform efforts, Romney finds himself bruised and on the defensive as the GOP rallies around opposition to President Barack Obama’s plans.
When Romney came to Washington last week to speak to social conservative activists at the annual Value Voters Summit, his potential 2012 GOP rivals chewed him up in front of the same audience over his Massachusetts legacy.
Before he took the stage to criticize the president’s approach to foreign policy and the economy, the former governor was dinged by one of his opponents for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.
“It’s going to bankrupt their entire budget,” former Arkansas GOP Gov. Mike Huckabee said of Romney’s health care program in his address to the summit. “The only thing inexpensive about the Massachusetts health care bill is that there you can get a $50 abortion.”
Huckabee went on to win the event’s straw poll, a contest Romney topped during February’s Conservative Political Action Conference.The national health care reform debate is far from settled, but one of the casualties... more
Evidence has now surfaced that Romney told the $1,761 lie at least once before the summit began, in this interview with Human Events on Friday the 18th. Note the difficultly with which Romney struggles to explain not only how this is supposedly a 15% tax, but also the exact purpose of cap and trade legislation.Evidence has now surfaced that Romney told the $1,761 lie at least once before the... more
ABC News' Teddy Davis reports: The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) has chosen former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as the winner of the first Republican straw poll of the 2012 campaign.
With 20 percent of the vote, Romney finished ahead of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who received 14 percent, as well as Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, who each had 13 percent.
"For the hat trick, Mitt Romney takes his third straight straw poll," said Tony Fabrizio, the Republican pollster who tabulates CPAC's annual straw poll results.
Rounding out the rest of the results: former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., received 10 percent, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee received 7 percent, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford received 4 percent, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani received 3 percent, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty received 2 percent and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist received 1 percent. Nine percent indicated that they are undecided. The rest of the straw poll participants wrote in someone else's name.ABC News' Teddy Davis reports: The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) has... more
As the experts begin their postmortem of the McCain-Palin campaign, a whole slew of nasty stories have come out about Alaska's Governor Sarah Palin, including...
- She didn't know that Africa was a continent and not a country.
- She didn't know any of the countries that make up the North American Free Trade Agreement.
- That the total amount of money spent on clothes for herself and her family was far more than initially reported, and that the details of her spending spree were kept away from Senator McCain because he would have burst a blood vessel if he knew.
- And of course the scandalous "Dear Fantasy Forum" story reported in Newsweek which alleged that Palin greeted McCain advisers at the GOP convention wearing nothing but a towel.
According to Adam Fogle for "The Palmetto Scoop" and repeated in Wonkette, many of these stories, if not all of them, could be attributed to the people who previously worked for former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's failed campaign.
Writes Fogle:
"FOX News Channel reported Wednesday that some staffers intentionally leaked negative information to the media about Palin in the final hours of the campaign that painted the Alaska governor as naive, incompetent, and needy. And my sources said that all of those leaks came from the Romney faction of the McCain campaign.
But why would they want to bury the person for whom they were working?
Because they reportedly realized that, regardless of a McCain win or loss, Palin would be a serious contender for the Republican nomination in 2012 or 2016. And that made her a threat to a possible second run by Romney. You do the math."
Whether or not these stories are true, they certainly reinforce the belief that not only did someone in the McCain camp make a serious mistake about Palin, but that the American people thankfully made the right choice this past Tuesday.As the experts begin their postmortem of the McCain-Palin campaign, a whole slew of... more
New England's lone House Republican appears to have publicly broken with his party's standard-bearer, saying John McCain has not run a clean campaign and is likely to lose his bid for the presidency.
"I just don't see how [McCain] can win," Connecticut Rep. Chris Shays told the Yale Daily News earlier this week. "He has lost his brand as a maverick; he did not live up to his pledge to fight a clean campaign." Shays, who in 2006 became the only Republican congressman from New England, perennially finds himself in a heated re-election race.
The comments are the latest in a string of Republicans who have publicly criticized the Arizona senator's handling of the presidential race and predicted his defeat next week is all but certain. (Other Republicans joining the chorus include Former Maryland Sen. Charles Mathias, former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, and former Secretary of State Colin Powell.)
Fellow Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl and former GOP presidential Candidate Mitt Romney also have reportedly said they think McCain is likely to lose. Jon Kyl denied making the comments, though the Arizona Daily Star later produced audio indicating he did.
In his Yaale Daily News interview, Shays did not endorse Barack Obama, and said he remained skeptical the Illinois senator will govern from the center if he is elected president.
“It’s what all presidents should do, but [Obama] has never been there,” he said of Obama's ideological orientation.
Shays is a co-chairman of McCain's campaign efforts in Connecticut.New England's lone House Republican appears to have publicly broken with his party's... more
Republican John McCain said Wednesday he is directing his staff to work with Democrat Barack Obama's campaign and the presidential debate commission to delay Friday's debate because of the economic crisis.
In a statement, McCain said he will stop campaigning after addressing former President Clinton's Global Initiative session on Thursday and return to Washington to focus on the nation's financial problems.
McCain said he wants President Bush to convene a leadership meeting in Washington that would include him and Obama...
Read The Rest at Link... Republican John McCain said Wednesday he is directing his staff to work with Democrat... more
Washington DC - Activists at a conservative political forum Saturday were snapping up boxes of waffle mix depicting Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama as a racial stereotype on its front and wearing Arab-like headdress on its top flap.
The product, Obama Waffles, was meant as political satire, said Mark Whitlock and Bob DeMoss, two writers from Franklin, Tenn., who created the mix. They sold it for $10 a box from a rented booth at the Values Voter Summit sponsored by the lobbying arm of the Family Research Council.
Republican Party stalwarts Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney were among speakers at the forum, which officials said drew 2,100 activists from 44 states.
While Obama Waffles takes aim at Obama's...
(Read the Rest at Link...)
THIS IS BLATANT RACIST B.S. !
Washington DC - Activists at a conservative political forum Saturday were snapping up... more
Sure, the Republican National Convention was shortened by a day, but three days is still a lot to handle. Here's the whole thing in a minute to help you catch up if you missed it.
USA!! USA!! USA!!Sure, the Republican National Convention was shortened by a day, but three days is... more
Searing, at times sarcastic, but always smiling, Palin used her speech Wednesday night to cast the White House as the logical place for a man of McCain's character. The 72-year-old began his national service as a 17-year-old Navy midshipman, before spending 5{ years as a Vietnam prisoner of war and the past 26 years as a member of Congress.Searing, at times sarcastic, but always smiling, Palin used her speech Wednesday night... more
Former Gov. of Massachusetts Mitt Romney addresses the Republican National Convention in St Paul, Minnesota.Former Gov. of Massachusetts Mitt Romney addresses the Republican National Convention... more
Three former GOP Presidential hopefuls will take the stage tonight in St. Paul.
Mitt Romney blasted "liberal Washington", saying John McCain is a "prescription for every American who wants change in Washington."
Huckabee will expand on the convention's theme of Country First and as well as talking up McCain's "love of America, vision for the future and long record of service and sacrifice on our behalf."
Giuliani, according to early reports of his speech, will tout Palin as "one of the most successful governors in America" who has worked to cut taxes and government spending.Three former GOP Presidential hopefuls will take the stage tonight in St. Paul.... more
Who else was John McCain considering for vice president? SuperNews brings you exclusive footage of John McCain calling the rejects and giving them the bad news...Who else was John McCain considering for vice president? SuperNews brings you... more
Pepe Escobar and Paul Jay react to Lieberman's speech to the RNC.
Pepe Escobar, born in Brazil is the roving correspondent for Asia Times and an analyst for The Real News Network. He's been a foreign correspondent since 1985, based in London, Milan, Los Angeles, Paris, Singapore, and Bangkok. Since the late 1990s, he has specialized in covering the arc from the Middle East to Central Asia, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He has made frequent visits to Iran and is the author of Globalistan and also Red Zone Blues: A Snapshot of Baghdad During the Surge both published by Nimble Books in 2007.Pepe Escobar and Paul Jay react to Lieberman's speech to the RNC.
Pepe Escobar,... more
ABC News' Teddy Davis Reports: Mitt Romney suggested Tuesday that criticisms he leveled at John McCain during the GOP primaries would not block him from becoming the Republican nominee for vice president, arguing that he never questioned his one-time rival's readiness to be president the way the Democratic nominee for vice president questioned Barack Obama.
"The clips that they have of Joe Biden," said Romney, referring to a McCain attack ad, "are ones in which he questioned Obama's readiness to be president."
"I didn't say that he was not qualified to become president," said Romney, referring to his criticism of McCain. "Republicans in our debates pointed out differences on issues and relative capacity. That's very different from saying that he is not qualified to be president."
The former Massachusetts governor downplayed the significance of his primary clashes with McCain following a Christian Science Monitor lunch with reporters. Romney was in Denver, Colo., as part of a broader Republican effort to frame Obama as "A Mile High and an Inch Deep."
Romney is scheduled to campaign for McCain on Wednesday in Henderson, Nev. His office has not, however, released details on where he will be on Friday when McCain is expected to announce the identity of his running mate at a large rally in Dayton, Ohio.ABC News' Teddy Davis Reports: Mitt Romney suggested Tuesday that criticisms he... more
Mark Halperin set off tremors in the political world last night by reporting via two Republicans that John McCain had settled on Mitt Romney to be his running mate.
Top sources in McCainworld, though, say this morning that no final decision has been made.
There are mixed signals at this point as to whether Romney has emerged as the favorite.
That seems to be the "body language" from the small group of aides who McCain is consulting on the decision, a GOP source says.
And that interpretation was reinforced when word spread among Romney loyalists last night that the vice presidential rollout tour included Michigan.
But Michigan is a battleground, and the tour also includes a stop in the swing state of Ohio a week from today.
Making matters more confusing, Politico has learned that McCain will visit suburban St. Louis for a major rally with Romney and his still-bitter primary nemesis Mike Huckabee on Sunday, Aug. 31, the day before the start of the GOP convention.
Top Missouri Republicans yesterday received the invitation for a rally featuring McCain and his two top primary challengers. They'll be joined by country star John Rich at a minor league baseball stadium in O'Fallon, Mo., about 35 miles west of St. Louis.
Missouri was hard-fought territory on Super Tuesday, with each of the three Republicans faring well. So the event would seem to represent a pre-convention unity rally in a swing state where each has a strong following. But Huckabee and Romney can hardly stand one another, and Huckabee has warned twice this month against selecting his once and perhaps future rival.
It would take a considerable act of pride-swallowing for Huckabee to stand before thousands of fans and watch as McCain touts Romney as his running mate.
But then it would take the same amount of magnamity for Romney to join such a rally the day before the convention if McCain were to tap somebody else as his veep choice and then laud that person in Missouri. Mark Halperin set off tremors in the political world last night by reporting via two... more
It was not so long ago that the idea that John McCain would even entertain tapping Mitt Romney, his bitterest primary rival, as running mate would have seemed preposterous.
The McCain-Romney feud was the juiciest of the Republican presidential primary season, featuring two men who generally just did not seem to like each other.
Romney said McCain would set a "liberal Democrat course as president." He said one of McCain's proudest accomplishments, his campaign finance bill, took "a whack at the First Amendment" and told voters grappling with money woes that McCain "has said time and again that he doesn't understand the economy."
McCain, for his part, witheringly cast Romney as a flip-flopper.
But that was then.
These days Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, is serving as a wingman extraordinaire for McCain.
He is ubiquitous on U.S. cable television, where he talked up McCain's economic proposals on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC on Wednesday alone. He has dutifully raised money for McCain. And Romney has developed a reputation as a campaign surrogate who can talk fluently about the economy and who has roots in Michigan, an important swing state where his father was governor.
Now Romney is attracting perhaps more buzz than anyone else as a potential running mate for the man he once derided.
And if the initial rapprochement between the two seemed a tad forced after Romney pulled out of the race last winter, something approaching warmth now seems to be entering their relationship. At a fund-raiser in New Mexico in the past week, McCain even aimed a gentle jibe at Romney - raising eyebrows among veteran McCain watchers, who know that his irreverent teasing and sarcasm are often his way of showing affection.It was not so long ago that the idea that John McCain would even entertain tapping... more
i do like Mitt Romney. i believe he can fix the US economy...he is not in on global warming like McCain too. and he is young too.i do like Mitt Romney. i believe he can fix the US economy...he is not in on global... more
Is the real 'Mitt' factor in 2008 merely that he is a contenstant for Vice President or is there something more to this man who shelled out millions to bow out way too soon. With a plethora of interviews, worship from conservative talking heads and an agenda that is still unclear in the post-mortum Republican race, what is the real ace up his sleeve? Perhaps the Mitt agenda is more reflective of his Republican pals and may just outweigh the age and sour of old John McCain.Is the real 'Mitt' factor in 2008 merely that he is a contenstant for Vice President... more
Three months after suspending his Republican presidential bid, Mitt Romney returned to the scene of his political Waterloo and delivered a scoop to the Capitol Hill reporters gathered at an annual awards dinner two nights ago: The real reasons he dropped out.
The former Massachusetts governor, not particularly known for his sense of humor, made a surprise appearance at the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association dinner and delivered a Top Ten list poking fun at himself and his image -- and threw a few barbs at Hillary Clinton and Al Gore in the bargain.Three months after suspending his Republican presidential bid, Mitt Romney returned to... more
