Mitt Romney Central remembers a great American on what would have been his 99th birthday.

Happy birthday to our 40th United States President,
Ronald Wilson Reagan
(February 6, 1911– June 5, 2004)

Two-term president Ronald Reagan (1980-1984 and1984-1989) is remembered for unleashing a series of powerful economic and political initiatives that came to be characterized as the Reagan Revolution. While challenging Soviet Union separatism, he invested in massive strengthening of the U.S. military. In the midst of recession, he called for tax cuts and advocated less government. Credited for ending the Cold War, Reagan’s conservative values helped him craft policies which renewed America’s self confidence and capitalistic beliefs. He is also remembered for his affability, quick wit, and devotion to his wife, Nancy.

The Reagan Library will host a LIVE stream webcast Saturday morning (2/6/10) on the Reagan Foundation’s website at 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM Pacific Standard Time.

President Reagan’s birthday celebration will feature speaker Elizabeth Dole:

To honor President Ronald Reagan on the anniversary of his birthday, the President of the United States has designated that a program be held at President Reagan’s Memorial Site at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library each year. On this birthday, President Reagan’s 99th, special keynote speaker Elizabeth Dole will reflect on President Reagan from her perspective having served in the White House and the President’s Cabinet. The event also includes a full military band, a 21-gun salute, and an official wreath laying on behalf of the President of the United States.

President Reagan’s tribute shown at the 2008 Republican convention:

“Whatever else history may say about me when I’m gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears, to your confidence rather than your doubts. My dream is that you will travel the road ahead with liberty’s lamp guiding your steps and opportunity’s arm steadying your way. My fondest hope for each one of you—and especially for the young people here—is that you will love your country, not for her power or wealth, but for her selflessness and her idealism. May each of you have the heart to conceive, the understanding to direct, and the hand to execute works that will make the world a little better for your having been here. May all of you as Americans never forget your heroic origins, never fail to seek divine guidance and never lose your natural, God-given optimism. And finally, my fellow Americans, may every dawn be a great new beginning for America and every evening bring us closer to that shining city upon a hill.”
~ Ronald Reagan (1992)

President Reagan’s impact on the world and American life is a legacy that will long be remembered.

(Note: This is this my own analysis of things as I see it. I do not represent Romney’s PAC in any way, nor have any connection to them. But I am available for hire should they ever call on me. No, I kid.)

With the last bit of fundraising data in (the total number of donors to Romney’s PAC), we can now make a proper evaluation of the fundraising abilities of the 4 most-likely-to-run GOP candidates and their respective PAC’s. One major problem is that there are so many uncommon denominators in the results that there is no easy indication of a clear winner, nor of a clear loser.

First let’s look at the raw numbers. Before anyone gets too excited about it, you should recall that T-Paw’s PAC was only in operation in the fourth quarter, plus other variables that I will explain.

(*** Disbursed=expenditures COH= Cash on hand $ to Cand.= money given to GOP campaigns for office)

Review of performance:

Mitt Romney Mitt Romney’s Free and Strong America PAC, is the most cut and dry scenario we have of the four. His PAC was intact for the entire year. He didn’t have distraction or obligations that others did. The numbers here tell the most of the story. He raised money very well, and he notably spent more also. The story here that is not told in the numbers is even though most of the would-be GOP nominees gave about 2% to other GOP candidates for office, Romney’s impact on behalf of other GOP candidates can arguably claim to be the highest as he has had time and means to hold many fundraisers for them. A fundraiser bringing $200,000 (as some did) is of lot more value than the max $5000 his PAC can contribute directly to them. A few of the unseen benefits of Romney expenditures include items of great reward: freedom to travel as necessary to endorse, raise funds, do media appearances and speeches, and otherwise keep his name and face out there. Plus he is able to maintain he excellent campaign team through to the next election cycle, which is virtually the same team that helped propel Senator Scott Brown to victory.
Mitt Romney’s Grade: a (solid) B+ Romney raised the most (from the highest number of donors) and has the most cash on hand, but with his network and relative freedom that would be expected. Expectations are the only reason I don’t score him higher.

Sarah Palin SarahPAC didn’t quite pull in as much as the FSA-PAC, or from as many donors, be she certainly didn’t focus on it much because of a number of factors: SarahPAC didn’t form until a couple months into year (she was still Governor of AK at the beginning of ‘09), she focused some fundraising efforts on her legal funds rather than her PAC, and much focus of the year went to writing and touring for her new book. Even so she has a healthy amount of cash on hand that she’ll be able to disperse of more liberally (to conservatives) as we go throughout 2010. Also her star power is a huge asset at this time. She may not have raised as much, but it won’t matter as she can use some of her own new found wealth to more than compensate for a relatively small difference in total number of dollars raised.
Sarah Palin’s Grade: B- With a little more focus on her PAC she should be able rival Romney’s numbers. The decision to focus on that is hers to make. With her new contract with FOX News, I’m not sure if that will happen. But then again the net benefit of being on FOX may be more than any funds she can raise… unless her contract brings her to the point of over exposure. I believe there is some risk in that.

Tim Pawlenty T-Paw and his Freedom First PAC got a much later start than the rest but it has impressed with his good-sized catch. The high average dollars per donor shows that he does have at least some ties and connections that will be vital should he decide to run (I’m sure he has already decided.) Even so, one should not make that mistake of thinking that since he only had 1 quarter to raise funds that $1.3 Million x 4 = $5.2 Million for the year. Certainly as some donors begin to max out ($5000 max contribution) that rate cannot be continue to be sustained. One way to be certain is to see where we are at the end of June 2010, where it will be easier to compare apples to apples. One other item that limits his current freedom is that he is still a sitting Governor whereas the others are merely former Governors and are free to move about.
Tim Pawlenty’s Grade: A- Sometimes it’s not how much you’ve raised, but how you did compared to expectations. I expected some, but not that much, especially given his lower name recognition.

Mike Huckabee HuckPAC is a little harder to grade than the others for the reason that- yes, he’s got some boots on the ground, but does that make up for the relatively low fundraising? Huckabee also has a distraction with his show on FOX. That kind of weekly exposure should be a boon to name recognition, which it is as evidenced by him being right at the top of most polls, but it all needs to transfer into some increased ability to raise funds. Huckabee did great on meager funds in the 2008 election, and it may turn out similar for him in the 2010 primary, but such a plan would not work in the general election. Raising more funds will be a must for him at some point in the future.
Mike Huckabee’s Grade C+ In comparison to the amount that T-Paw raised in one quarter, and to Romney’s 3 times average dollars per donor, the fundraising is unimpressive. BUT… 16,000 donors is a very good number. I would think to give a lower grade otherwise.

Newt Gingrich: Newt? Hey, he doesn’t have a PAC. Yes, but many are quick to point out that his 527 (American Solutions for Winning the Future) raised $6.4 Million. That’s more than the others put together! … Yes, but a 527 group is a totally different animal. It does not have the $5000 donation limit that PAC’s have. They are also limited in that they cannot directly support (or oppose) candidates for office …. just for clarification.
Newt’s Gingrich’s grade N/A Apples to apples… Besides my guess is that he will only tease and hint at running, but will not enter the fray.

Result: Yes, in my opinion the winner by a slight degree is T-Paw, mostly because of the ever present “expectations”. Time will tell if his fundraising is sustainable. If it is, welcome to the top-tier.

~Nate Gunderson

One other note: we should see the low percentages of money given to other campaigns go up as we get closer to the 2010 elections. The year 2009 was more of a ‘fill up the treasure chest’ type of a year.

FEC filings (for you data geeks): Free and Strong America PAC, SarahPAC, Freedom First PAC, HuckPAC

“If the Senator-elect will now present himself to the desk, the chair will administer the oath of office,” intoned Vice President Joe Biden yesterday (2/4/10) at Scott Brown’s swearing-in ceremony. Brown, accompanied by Senator John Kerry (D-MA) and Senator Paul Kirk (D-MA), strode across the senate floor where Biden was waiting to administer the constitutionally required oath of office:

I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

Within moments, the Senator-elect became United States Senator Scott Brown.

Senate Chamber swearing-in ceremony. (Biden begins at 3:45):

A private swearing-in ceremony which included the 41st Senator’s wife, reporter Gail Huff, was later conducted in the Old Senate Chamber where press photos are allowed. Although the Brown daughters were unable to attend, Senator Brown carried his daughters’ bibles at both ceremonies. Daughter Ayla was committed to play a basketball game with Duke that evening and youngest daughter, pre-med student Arianna, was taking tests at Syracuse University:

After being sworn in, Senator Brown immediately held a press conference where he endorsed across-the-board JFK-style tax cuts and mentioned job creation and terrorism among his top priorities. He also deftly handled ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ queries by stating his desire to talk to generals in the field before forming an opinion on the polemic issue:

Washington D.C. is expecting a ‘snowmageddon’ snow storm this weekend. Depending on Mother Nature’s proclivities, Brown’s first vote may come as early as Tuesday of next week. Obama’s controversial choice of SEIU union attorney, Craig Becker, to be seated on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will be first on the senate agenda to vote on next week. Fearing that Becker will use his post to create more union-friendly labor laws sans congressional approval, Republicans have stalled Becker’s confirmation for months.

Even if D.C. is up to the Capitol Dome in snow next Tuesday, I have no doubt  Senator Brown’s trusty truck will get him were he needs to be to cast his first vote.

Additional reading:
Patrick Kennedy: Scott Brown’s candidacy ‘a joke’
Biden on Brown: “Im not worried about anything.”

Our newest team member Dave P. has been busy helping us fill our static pages with excellent content. These pages are located permanently in the drop-down menus at the top of the page. Here are some of the pages he has completed:

On the Issues >> America’s Culture and Values
On the Issues >> Immigration
Resources >> Books by Mitt Romney >> Turnaround

As we continue to complete these pages we hope you will use them as a reference for friends and family who’d like to learn more about Mitt Romney and why he should be our next President. Thanks Dave – keep it up!

~Nate G.

Reminder: We also have a page with all the info on Romney’s new book – review, introduction, and tour dates. http://bit.ly/RomneyBook

Houston, TX

Update: Whoops from the Lone Star State have been squelched. Why? Reports published yesterday (2/3/10) that Houston, TX was a finalist for the 2012 Republican Convention are not true. The city of Houston didn’t even apply to host the convention.  

City officials said Houston underwent a change of administration and missed the deadline to apply for the convention, but it isn’t clear if they intended to apply or want to now. Rumors abound. Will Houston officials request an extension from the RNC and submit a bid? Is there a 4^th city still to be announced as a finalist for the GOP 2012 convention? Are Salt Lake City, Tampa Bay, and Phoenix the complete shortlist?

Holly Hughes RNC Site Selection Committee Chair

Clarification from Holly Hughes (RNC Convention Site Selection Committee Chair) or RNC chairman Michael Steele would be welcome right now. 

Houston Not a Finalist for GOP 2012 Convention (updated today -video report incl):

HOUSTON — Houston is not a finalist for the 2012 Republican National Convention, at least not yet.

Rumors started flying Wednesday after published reports stated Houston was one of four finalists.

Late in the evening, the head of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau said the rumors aren’t true.

“I really wish all of our convention bids we could get to the finals without ever having submitted a piece of paper,” said Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO Greg Ortale.

Ortale confirmed the city of Houston has yet to sign up for a shot. In fact, the city missed the deadline to apply. Ortega says that’s because of the transition into a new administration.

However, if the RNC gives Houston an extension, the city could throw its name into the hat. The city would bid not only for the GOP Convention, but also the Democratic National Convention.

“You have to go for both and the reason for that is it has to take a full commitment of the community, particularly on the fundraising, and you cannot do that without republicans and democrats in the city working together,” said Ortega.

The 2008 GOP convention was held in St. Paul, MN. Ortale says the community had to raise $80 million, and it got about $150 million back. Still, according to Ortale, there could be a significant cost to the city.

“If you’ve got infrastructure issues, like streets, if you have some security costs that are not going to be recoverable, and it is probably millions of dollars, “he said.

Is it a long shot for Houston? Some say it is, but it’s a chance the city could be willing to take.

“It’s a major undertaking and if we do go forward with it, you’ll be chasing down rumors every week,” said Ortale.

UPDATE Houston Chronicle:

THE REPUBLICANS ARE NOT COMING! THE REPUBLICANS ARE NOT COMING!

Bloggers around the country pounced on the story. Elected officials, Republican and Democrat, got excited; folks from the mayor’s office and old-timers who remember the extensive planning — not to mention the extensive amount of money — that went into the ‘92 convention were something less than excited.

They’ll be happy to hear there’s nothing to worry about. A Republican official who didn’t want to be named confirmed a few minutes ago that when the RNC releases its list in a couple of weeks Houston will NOT be on it.

(emphasis mine) Who are these Republican officials reportedly releasing information? The RNC HAS released a list – with three cities listed. It was announced that four city finalists would be named. ???

 National Journal.com reported this yesterday:

The RNC has narrowed its search for a ‘12 convention location to 4 cities, several party sources tell Hotline OnCall.

In a vote at the Winter meetings in Honolulu late last week, the party narrowed its search to Salt Lake City, Tampa, Phoenix and Houston.

The RNC’s site selection committee, headed by MI committeewoman Holly Hughes, will visit each of the 4 cities later this year to go over logistics, examine hotel and conference capacity and the facility for the convention itself. An RNC spokesperson declined to comment for this story.

Dems have begun accepting bids for their own convention, but they have yet to take even preliminary steps in picking through those cities. DNC chair Tim Kaine has not even set up a site selection committee yet.

All 4 cities GOPers will consider bring upsides. Tampa and Phoenix sit in swing states, while TX has an exploding Hispanic population — a demographic GOPers are keen to attract after they appear to be slipping toward Dems.

And Salt Lake City would be the first inner-mountain West city for a GOP convention. Pres. Obama won NV, CO and NM in ‘08, 3 states the GOP must win to reclaim the WH.

 

Michael Steele RNC Chairman

So far it’s Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and Tampa Bay. Who knows what’s next?

Earlier today, Senator-elect Brown sent a letter to the governor of Massachusetts Democrat Deval Patrick and MA’s Secretary of State asking for the results of the January 19^th election to be certified by 11 AM on Thursday morning (2/4/10). The certification would then be forwarded to Senate official for immediate action. FOX News has confirmed that Senator-elect Scott Brown will be sworn in tomorrow (2/4/10). A specific time hasn’t been announced but reports say the swearing in ceremony will be completed by 5:00 PM Eastern tomorrow.

Along with anticipating important legislation on the docket for votes, perhaps the continued voting of now-defunct Senator Kirk (D-MA), who was appointed to fill the late Senator Edward Kennedy’s seat, has spurred Brown to expedite the seating process. Senate rules and precedent state that Kirk’s term expired on the day Scott Brown was elected, but that didn’t stop Kirk from voting on raising the debt ceiling to $14.3 trillion and Ben Bernanke’s confirmation.

“While Senator-elect Brown had tentatively planned to be sworn into office on February 11, he has been advised that there are a number of votes scheduled prior to that date,” the letter reads. “For that reason, he wants certification to occur immediately.

“As he is the duly elected United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, he is entitled to be seated now.”

The issue of when Brown would be seated took on added significance following the Jan. 19 special election because, at the time, President Obama’s health care legislation was still pending in the Senate. Brown will give Republicans the 41 votes they need to block controversial bills.

But while the health care legislation has stalled, the Senate has been taking other key votes. For instance, the Senate voted last week to raise the nation’s debt ceiling and is expecting several confirmation votes later this week.

Senator-elect Brown has been busily engaged the last few days taking a ‘Citizens Thank You Tour’ around Massachusetts. Note the enthusiastic 1,000 plus crowd waiting to greet Brown in Dracut, MA (Jan 30, 2010) and the spontaneous singing of God Bless America @ 3:27. A family takes photos by Brown’s truck near the end of video:

Meanwhile, Brown has hired Romney Campaign veteran, Gail Gitcho, to be his Communications Director:

Senator-elect Scott Brown has tapped a Romney campaign veteran to be his new communications director.

Gail Gitcho has been working most recently as national press secretary for the Republican National Committee.

Brown, a Republican from Wrentham who represents much of the Attleboro area, says Gitcho is “well known to the national and Washington press corps and has a reputation for being fair and responsive to reporters.”

Before joining the RNC last May, Gitcho was a regional press secretary for Mitt Romney’s 2008 presidential campaign. She also worked for John McCain’s 2008 Republican presidential campaign as mid-Atlantic communications director.

The new job reunites her with Beth Myers, Eric Fehrnstrom and Peter Flaherty, the three Romney campaign veterans who led Brown’s upset Senate campaign over Democrat Martha Coakley.

Check back for updates on Brown’s swearing-in ceremony tomorrow.

UPDATE 2/4/10: MA Gov Patrick signed Senator-elect Scott Brown’s certification around 9:30 a.m. ET today (which he says he was planning to do anyway on Thursday… really?) Brown will be sworn in today by Vice President Biden in a mock ceremony for the cameras at 5 p.m. ET. http://bit.ly/9p6GKR 

The Senate is expected to hold some potentially important votes before next Thursday, something Brown’s attorney wrote in a letter to Patrick and Secretary of State William Galvin.

Among those votes are approvals of two of President Obama’s nominees — one to the National Labor Relations Board and another to the General Services Administration.

The vote of Craig Becker to the NLRB has raised objections from Republicans, who say they want to filibuster the man who reportedly does not believe employers should have a say in whether employees unionize.

Having Brown in the Senate potentially could allow Republicans to block the nomination.

Brown has already indicated he also wants to stop the president’s health care reform agenda, which may be a vote that never is taken because Democrats seem adrift on how to proceed.

Brown’s election — built in large part on his vow to block health care — has been received as a warning by some Democrats who view the vote as a public affirmation of opposition.

Other administration priorities, like climate change, energy policy and judicial appointments, could all be impacted by Brown, though he has repeatedly said he will not be a rubber stamp to GOP efforts to stop Democratic priorities.

Brown is filling the seat held by the late Sen. Ted Kennedy for 47 years but he won’t get the desk Kennedy used. Sen. John Kerry, the senior senator from Massachusetts, has called dibs on Desk 83, which was also used by John Kennedy. However, Brown will get the desk once used by another Kennedy — Robert, who was briefly a senator from New York.

Great news! Hot off the press from National Journal: Romney will head to South Dakota this month to raise funds for Senator John Thune, who is up for reelection later this year. It’s great to see Mitt uniting with other respected conservatives in an effort to win our country back from the mindless Democrats.

Mitt Romney to Fundraise for John Thune

By Erin McPike
Get out the long lenses in South Dakota: Ex-MA Gov. Mitt Romney (R) is making one of his first high-profile fundraising stops of the 2010 midterm cycle later this month for none other than Sen. John Thune (R-SD), chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee.

Romney will join Thune for a fundraiser to benefit the senator’s re-election bid at the Holiday Inn City Centre in Sioux Falls, SD, on Feb. 19, according to a copy of the invitation obtained by National Journal. The suggested contribution is just $100.

Romney and Thune met several years ago in the Capitol and have seen each other at a couple of social functions since then, but they have never made a joint appearance. Sioux Falls and Sioux City, Iowa, a conservative bastion in the first-in-the-nation pres. caucus state, share a media market, so photos of the once and likely future pres. hopeful and a possible rival — or ticket-mate — will hit voters in the caucus state.

“This has 2012 written all over it. Two high-profile Republicans in the same place — one who has already run for president and one who is being encouraged to do so — to have them together makes for quite a photo-op,” said one veteran GOP strategist.

The rest of Romney’s itinerary has yet to be determined, but an IA GOP strategist said he doubted Romney would drop down to the Hawkeye State since he is scheduled to be there for his book tour in March.
“But to have two superstars like that together, people will pay attention. It wouldn’t be unheard of for the two of them to do a media avail,” the operative said, since the media market reaches a wide swath of northern Iowa.

As for Thune, with $6M in his war chest and no Dem challengers on the horizon ahead of the Mar. 30 filing deadline, why the early, splashy fundraiser? As Thune campaign manager Justin Brasell put it, “Sen. Thune has been through 2 grueling and very expensive Senate races, and if there is one lesson he took away from those contests it’s that you can never be too prepared.”

Click to Purchase Tickets to This Event!

The Hinckley Institute of Politics

is proud to announce that it will host a lecture

by Mitt Romney

Former President and CEO of the Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee, Governor of Massachusetts, GOP Presidential candidate, and author of Turnaround: Crisis, Leadership, and the Olympic Games, in conjunction with the March release of his newest book

No Apology: The Case for American Greatness

Governor Romney’s address is set for
Saturday, March 13, 2010 at 7:00 pm, at the
Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City.

This event will be the only opportunity in Utah to hear from Governor Romney as part of the No Apology book tour.

All ticket prices include a signed first edition hard cover book.
(retail price $25.99)

For more info on ticket pricing and seating, go to MittRomneyUtah.com

Tour dates and reviews on Mitt Romney’s new book, No Apology: The Case for American Greatness are continually updated at this link: http://bit.ly/RomneyBook

Click here to see where you can buy the book and for updated info on the book tour.

Transcript of Mitt Romney’s audio introduction of the book:

Running for President of the United States is an extraordinary experience. New profound friendships are unquestionably the greatest reward. They will last a lifetime. And there were moments of laughter, such as when Ann got up from a collapsed stage in Dubuque Iowa, dusted herself off and later ad-libbed, “Well, I fell on dubutt in Dubuque.” There were times of exhilaration. Winning the Michigan primary, the state where I was raised and where my dad had served three terms as Governor was one of them. Then there were the inevitable ‘lessons learned’. My dad, George Romney, use to say of his 1968 presidential campaign that it was like a mini-skirt: short and revealing. Mine was a little longer, but just as revealing.

I’ve run for office three times, losing twice and winning once. Each time when the campaign was over I felt I hadn’t done an adequate job communicating all that I intended to say. Some of that is because debate answers are limited to 60 seconds, ads are 30 seconds, and lengthy position papers are rarely read at all. This book gives me a chance to say more than I did during my campaign.

That being said, my interest in writing the book goes back well before my political life. My career in the private sector exposed me to developments abroad, and conditions at home, that were deeply troubling. At the same time, I saw that most of us were not aware of the consequences of blithely continuing along our current course. We’ve become so accustom to the benefits of America’s greatness that we cannot imagine any significant disruption of what we have known.

I was reminded of a book I had read when I was in France during the late 1960’s. Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber was a journalist and a business person, and from his perspective he became convinced that France and Europe were in danger of falling far and irretrievably behind the United States. His book, The American Challenge, stirred his countrymen to action and helped to galvanize Pan-European economic and political collaboration. While I am sufficiently realistic to recognize that this volume is highly unlikely to have as great an impact as did his, it is my hope is that it will affect the thinking and perspectives of those who read it.
Thus, this is not a collection of my positions on all the important issues of the day. In fact, a number of issues that I care about are not included. This is not a policy book that explores issues in greater depth than do scholars and think-tanks. I treat topics in a single chapter that others have made the subject of entire volumes. Nor is this an attack piece on all the policies of the Obama administration. Criticism is unavoidable, however, with policies which I believe are the most harmful to the future generations of America.

This is a book about what I believe should be our primary national objective: to keep America strong, and to preserve its place as the world’s leading nation. It describes the course I believe we must take to strengthen the nation in order to remain prosperous, secure and free. There are some who may question the national objective I propose. I make no apology for my conviction that America’s economic and military leadership is not only good for America, but also critical for freedom and peace across the world. Accordingly, as I consider the various issues before the nation, I evaluate our options largely by whether they would make America stronger or weaker.

In my first chapters I consider geo-political threats and lessons from the history of great nations of the past. In subsequent chapters I describe domestic challenges to our national strength and propose actions to overcome them. My final chapter is intended to provide a means for future Americans to gauge whether we have been successful in setting a course that will preserve America’s greatness throughout the 21st century. It describes, as well, the source of my optimism for America’s future.

These are difficult times. Homes have lost value, nest eggs have been eroded, retirees have become anxious about their future, and millions upon millions of Americans are out of work. Inexcusable mistakes and failures precipitated the descent that has hurt so many people, but even as we endure the current shocks we know that this will not go on forever. We know that because America is a strong and prosperous nation the economic cycle will eventually right itself, and the future will be brighter than the present. While I will touch upon today’s difficulties my focus is on the growing challenges to the foundations of our national strength. How we confront these challenges will determine what kind of America, and world, we will bequeath to our children and grand-children. This is a book about securing that future of freedom, peace, and prosperity in the only way possible: by strengthening America. A strong America is our only assurance that prosperity will follow hardship, and that our lives and liberty will always be secure.

The strength of the nation has been challenged before: at its birth, during the civil war, in the peril of world wars. It is challenged again today. In our past Americans have risen to the occasion by confronting the challenge honestly, and by laying their sacrifice upon the altar of freedom. We must do so again.

Romney’s Free and Strong America PAC month-in-review for January 2010:

Scott Brown Wins Massachusetts Senate Race:

For the first time in decades, a Republican has been elected to a Senate seat in Massachusetts. Senator Scott Brown ran a grassroots campaign based on cutting wasteful spending, lowering taxes and getting tough on terrorists. The election sent shockwaves around the political world.

As supporters of the PAC, you deserve a thank you. Your support made it possible for Governor Romney to get behind Senator Brown from the very beginning, when polls showed him a 30-point underdog and everyone assumed the outcome was pre-ordained in favor of the Democrats.

Governor Romney asked his entire political team to help the then-unknown Brown, and he raised early money for him at a time when very few people would give him a second look.

At his January 19 victory speech at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel, Senator Brown told the entire country: “I’m grateful to all those from across Massachusetts who came through for me even when I was a long shot. I especially thank a friend who was there with encouragement from the very beginning, and helped show us the way to victory — former Governor Mitt Romney.”

Exclusive Audio: Governor Romney Reads from “No Apology”

We wanted you to be the first to hear this clip of Governor Romney reading a selection from his new book “No Apology: The Case for American Greatness” courtesy of the book’s publisher, St. Martin’s Press.

Click here to listen to the clip.

The paper version of the book hits shelves on March 2nd, but you can pre-order a copy today. In the book, Governor Romney outlines his views on how to create a stronger economy, military, and families, and his vision on jobs, education, health care, energy, and citizenship.

Free and Strong America PAC Raises Nearly $3 million in 2009

The PAC’s contributions included $9,000 in early “seed money” to U.S. Senator-Elect Scott Brown, who went on to win a special election in Massachusetts to become the state’s first Republican Senator in decades. The PAC also gave $5,000 each to Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Republican Whip Eric Cantor (VA-07), Missouri Representative Roy Blunt who is running for U.S. Senate, Jim Tedisco who ran in a special election in New York’s 20th congressional district, and David Harmer who ran in a special election to represent California’s 10th congressional district.

CNN: Romney’s PAC Raises Nearly $3 Million in 2009
AP: Mass. Health Model, Not Obama’s, Pleases Voters
WASH POST: How Massachusetts Was Won
BOSTON GLOBE: Romney Will Hit Key Primary States on Book Tour
BOSTON GLOBE (1/1/10): Romney Says Brown Can “Make History“

 

 

(emphasis mine)