Rick Perry & Newt Gingrich Battling at the Bottom

By Victor Lundquist | December 31, 2011 - 7:07 PM | 2012 Election, GOP, Iowa, Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, New Hampshire, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, South Carolina, States, Texas 1 views

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With two and a half days left until the caucus process in Iowa begins, the wheels on the Perry bus may be about to spin off. Four days ago, I made the predictions that Gingrich would finish “4th, maybe 3rd” and that Perry would finish 5th.

Governor Perry

After seeing a lot more news since the 27th, I believe Gingrich and Perry are wrangling for 5th place, with the loser to receive 6th place, both possibly being surpassed by the flailing Bachmann (my hope is Gingrich gets number 6 trophy, a tad above Huntsman who said “no” to Iowa). BTW, Romney is at 77.2% in Intrade to become the GOP nominee and at 50.0% to win the Iowa caucuses.

Today’s Martin & Haberman article in Politico seems to provide outstanding insight into the pre-game infighting within the Perry team. Getting ready for the Perry moonwalk:

But even as they hold out hope that Perry can find a way back into contention, some of his advisers have begun laying the groundwork to explain how the Texas governor bombed so dramatically in a race that he seemed to control for a brief period upon his entry in August.

Their explanations for the nosedive come against the backdrop of a campaign riven by an intense, behind-the-scenes power struggle . . .
[...]
“There has never been a more ineptly orchestrated, just unbelievably subpar campaign for president of the United States than this one,” said a senior Perry adviser.
[...]
The failure to get on the Virginia ballot earlier this month, a plight shared with Newt Gingrich, has been a fresh a source of embarrassment for some of the Perry strategists.
[...]
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” said a strategist. “At least not at this level for this serious of a candidate. You see a campaign like this for Herman Cain, you say, ‘Well, that’s what you’d expect. But for a governor from one of the biggest states in the country and someone who can raise a ton of money? It’s mind-boggling. I’m more offended by that than losing.”

(emphasis added) — [the entire article is very insightful into presidential campaigning]

Remember all the hyperbole when Perry joined the race — about how he had never lost an election? The first thought I had when I heard that statement was that he might not know what he was getting into when running for President.

“Confidence is preparation. Everything else is beyond your control.” — Richard Kline

Here’s to a Better Year Ahead… Happy New Year! from Mitt Romney Central

By Jayde Wyatt | December 31, 2011 - 6:17 PM | 2012 Election, Ann Romney, Family Values, Holidays, Mitt Romney, Special Occasions, Videos 1 views

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Out with the old… In with the new!

Looking back on months gone by
as a new year starts and an old one ends,
We contemplate what brought us joy
and think of loved ones and friends.

May each day of the coming year
be vibrant and meaningful,
Bringing along
imagination,
courage,
beauty,
truth,
trust
and
hope
for better days to come.

Sincere thanks to all of you for supporting Governor Mitt Romney and Mitt Romney Central!

To you and the Romney family,

from Team MRC

Happy New Year!

Mitt Romney 2012!

► Jayde Wyatt

Virginia: Gingrich/Perry Fail, Romney Full Steam Ahead – Names More Leadership Team

By Jayde Wyatt | December 31, 2011 - 1:59 PM | 2012 Election, Barack Obama, Debt, Economy, Family Values, Jobs, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, Virginia 1 views

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Mitt Romney is pictured with his Virginia Campaign Chair, VA Lt Gov Bill. Bolling

While Newt Gingrich considers joining Rick Perry’s lawsuit against the Virginia GOP to be allowed on the VA ballot or to be allowed write-ins (because they failed to qualify), Mitt Romney’s attention to details and organization allows him to move full steam ahead in the Old Dominion State:

Mitt Romney Announces Virginia Leadership Team
Dec 29, 2011

Boston, MA – Mitt Romney today announced additional members of his Virginia leadership team. The additional members join Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, Delegate Chris Peace, and Delegate Barbara Comstock as members of Mitt Romney’s leadership team.

“Virginia is one of the most business friendly states in America and these Virginia leaders understand we have to make jobs our number one domestic policy priority,” said Mitt Romney. “The Virginia Founding Fathers understood the principles of free enterprise, hard work, and innovation and I am pleased these Virginia leaders are standing with me to bring the common sense of our Founders back to the nation’s Capital. I am committed to getting our economy moving again and creating jobs across the country. With the help of my hardworking leadership team, Virginia can be a leader in our nation’s economic recovery.”

Click on VA map to enlarge.
Announcing additional members of Mitt Romney’s Virginia leadership team, Romney for President Virginia Chairman and Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling said, “The team Mitt Romney has assembled in Virginia has been working hard to spread his pro-growth message, reaching out to voters and laying the groundwork for victory in November. These additional members of our team will strengthen our efforts in the state. Virginians expect our next president to reverse the failed policies of Barack Obama and enact policies that will get our economy growing again. Mitt Romney has demonstrated throughout this campaign that he understands how the real economy works, and he has put forth a detailed plan to create jobs. That’s the kind of leadership our nation desperately needs, and we are proud to support him.”

(emphasis added)

Romney’s Virginia Campaign Chairs:

State Chairman Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling
State Co-Chair Delegate Chris Peace
State Co-Chair Delegate Barbara Comstock
State Co-Chair Delegate Tag Greason
State Co-Chair Delegate Dave Albo
State Co-Chair Delegate Jackson Miller
State Co-Chair Delegate John Cosgrove
State Co-Chair Delegate-elect Mark Dudenhefer

Romney’s Virginia Steering Committee:

Tom Foley – 1st Congressional District Chairman
Jack Wilson – 4th Congressional District Chairman
Linwood Cobb – 7th Congressional District Chairman
Mike Ginsberg – 8th Congressional District Chairman
David O’Kelley – 2nd Congressional District State Central Committee Representative
Jane Ladd – 3rd Congressional District State Central Committee Representative
Bill Flanagan – 4th Congressional District State Central Committee Representative
Wayne Ozmore – 4th Congressional District State Central Committee Representative
Dolores Switzer – 5th Congressional District State Central Committee Representative
Fred Anderson – 6th Congressional District State Central Committee Representative
Marie Quinn – 7th Congressional District State Central Committee Representative
Adam Tolbert – 9th Congressional District State Central Committee Representative
Brian Plum – Republican Party of Virginia Treasurer
Brandy Dyke – State Central Committee Representative
Anna Lee – State Central Committee Representative

Now, that’s organization!

After putting this article together yesterday, I learned that Atty Gen Ken Cuccinelli intends to introduce emergency legislation in Virginia that would allow Gingrich and Perry to get their names on the VA ballot.

It’s very revealing that two men who are running for the highest office in the land, who bloviate about their ‘supposed’ excellent qualifications, couldn’t get their acts together to follow the rules to qualify for the ballot in Virginia. In Gingrich’s case – this is the state he resides in, for Pete’s sake! And, the Gingrich campaign likened Newt’s failure to qualify to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, no less:

Newt Gingrich’s campaign director said the presidential candidate is viewing the setback in Virginia, in which he failed to collect enough signatures to qualify for the state’s primary, as an “unexpected setback” similar to the attack on Pearl Harbor. .

“Newt and I agreed that the analogy is December 1941,” campaign director Michael Krull wrote on the Gingrich Facebook page

Now, that’s zany.

These are telling clues voters should pay attention to. A candidate who uses soaring rhetoric or knows historical facts doesn’t mean they have the knowledge, organization, and discipline to implement results.

The 2012 presidential election is too important to take a chance on a candidate who is unorganized, misses important details, and is unable to follow through.

Mitt Romney has the right vision for America and the knowledge, experience, organization, and follow through to move our nation away from Obamafail toward ‘shining-city-on-the-hill’ success.

At least for now…

Cartoon by Bob Gorrell, Dec 27, 2011.

► Jayde Wyatt

MRC’s Year in Review: A Look Back at the Top 10 Mitt Romney Articles of 2011

By Jared A. | December 31, 2011 - 7:46 AM | Mitt Romney 1 views

3 Comments

Last year, we did our first annual year in review in which we looked at the top 10 Mitt Romney Central articles of 2010. It was a great way to look at where we started and how far we’ve come. It was also a way to highlight some of the best work that our excellent MRC staff has written over that year.

We are happy to present our second annual year in review in which we will show you our top 10 Mitt Romney Central articles for 2011.

10. As the United States Supreme Court prepares itself to hear arguments for ObamaCare, its worth going back to read my article, Why RomneyCare is Constitutional While Obamacare is Not. Its a good way to understand the Constitutional differences between ObamaCare and RomneyCare and why Obama’s health care plan is unacceptable under the Constitution. If you want a more in depth look at why ObamaCare is unconstitutional, I recommend you read this blog article.

9. Doug NY GOP wrote a good article about the Top 10 things you may not have known about Mitt Romney. Even strong and long time supporters of Mitt Romney here at MRC were surprised at some of the facts about him.

8. Bosman’s article, Mitt Romney: A Bigger Man Than I, is a great reminder and tribute to Mitt Romney’s impressive character. It is its worth reading again because the two most important things about a candidate are his values and his character and Romney shines on both accounts. This is the kind of man America needs in the White House.

7. I wrote an article reporting on a column from the Onion that was too funny not to share with our MRC fans. If you haven’t read the article before, you should read it because it will definitely make you laugh or at least put a smile on your face.

6. Jayde Wyatt consistently writes great articles for MRC. She is also one of the hardest and most dedicated staff members here at MRC. One of my personal favorites is her coverage of South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley’s endorsement of Mitt Romney. Getting her endorsement was a big win for Mitt Romney since earlier this year, she declined to give her endorsement until she got to know each of the candidates better.

5. Rebel Ross‘ article, The Obama Misery Index and the Rise of Obamavilles, is worth rereading again because the economy has not recovered under the entire term of Obama’s first administration and people are still suffering from his economic policies. Given that 2012 Republican primaries are less than a few weeks away, this is a good reminder of why we need Mitt Romney as the 2012 Republican nominee so that we can boot Barack Obama out of office.

4. All of us here at MRC enjoyed Jeff Fuller’s article for the anybody but Mitt crowd in which he points out that they consistently run from supporting one candidate to another in attempt to forestall the inevitable in which conservatives, independents, moderate and some liberal democrats will eventually coalesce around Romney because the American people desperately want to get Obama out of office. Even though the anybody but Romney crowd knows this, they just can’t bring themselves to get on board yet.

3. Another MRC article that we all enjoyed was Rebel Ross‘ blistering article against Red State and Free Republic for blatant and false information that they have written about Mitt Romney. They seem to recycle the same old trash originally propagated by supporters of President Obama and, in some cases, even by President Obama himself.

2. Jayde Wyatt did a excellent job of covering Newt Gingrich’s attack on Mitt Romney’s Bain & Company for destroying jobs only to find out that not only is Bain & Company a great company that helps create additional jobs for other people, its was also named the Best Employer of America.

1. The best article of 2012 goes to bcollin’s article Fact-Checkers Blast Bret Baier and Democrats – The Charge of Romney’s “Flip-Flopping” is Greatly Exaggerated. Fox News got a lot of press over Bret Baier’s interview with Mitt Romney because Romney got upset with some of Bret Baier’s questions. Bret Baier attempted to defended himself but the people who fact checked him found out he was using incorrect information when interviewing Mitt Romney.

With all of our new bloggers and recent guest posts, I know and apologize for the inevitability that I’m missing a plethora of great pieces. With our growing team and exploding readership, all of us here at MRC are more energized than ever to make sure next New Year will have all of us looking forward to the inauguration of Mitt Romney as the next President of the United States of America!

Noonan Compares 2012 to 1980 Reagan v. Carter

By Victor Lundquist | December 31, 2011 - 3:19 AM | 2012 Election, Barack Obama, Conservatives, Democrats, Economy, GOP, Iowa, Mitt Romney, New Hampshire, Newt Gingrich, Op-eds, South Carolina, States 1 views

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Peggy Noonan

In yesterday’s edition of The Wall Street Journal, Peggy Noonan, an Op/Ed contributor describes well the obvious comparisons of next year’s election to that of 1980 in which Reagan entered the White House with a mandate:

. . . There’s a lot of 1980 in the 2012 presidential election, which doesn’t mean it will end the same way, but still. The incumbent looks smaller than previous sitting presidents, as did Jimmy Carter. His efforts in the Oval Office have not been generally understood as successful. There’s a broad sense it hasn’t worked. And Democrats don’t like him, as they didn’t Jimmy Carter.

This continues as one of the most amazing and underappreciated facts of 2012—the sitting president’s own party doesn’t like him. The party’s constituent pieces will stick with him, having no choice, but with a feeling of dissatisfaction. It is not only the Republicans who have been unhappy this year. All this will have some bearing on the coming year.

I strongly disagree with Noonan’s opinion that somehow the presence of Gingrich onstage makes Romney better (article). Stating so makes for good copy, but I don’t buy it. Sure, Gingrich is a “serious political figure” as she describes him, but not much more in my opinion. As just another hand-on-deck in Lucy’s assembly line, he is obviously disorganized and was never serious about the run to become President. With complete respect, she is wrong. Gingrich doesn’t compare to Romney in any meaningful way as an executive leader — we certainly do not want to replace a non-leader with a zany one that tells America and the world every two weeks, “Well, that was a mistake; I was wrong.” That said, Noonan otherwise makes some interesting observations that I think are spot-on. An example is this one in reference to Romney’s off-the-cuff Lucy visual:

The put-down underscored Romney’s polite little zinger of a week before, that Mr. Gingrich was “zany.” And it was a multi-generationally effective: People who are 70-years-old remember “I Love Lucy,” but so do people who are 30 and grew up with its reruns. Mr. Romney’s known for being organized but not for being deft. This was deft. It’s an old commonplace in politics that if you’re explaining you’re losing, but it’s also true that if they’re laughing you’re losing. The campaign trail has been pretty much a wit-free zone. It’s odd that people who care so much about politics rarely use one of politics’ biggest tools, humor. Mr. Romney did and scored. More please, from everyone.

I disagree also with some of what she says below, but I do agree with her assessment of the impact of Gingrich’s feeble attempt at presidential campaigning — that it really scared Americans:

Newt Gingrich in the end will likely prove to be a gift to Mitt Romney. He was a heavyweight. This isn’t Herman Cain, this is a guy everyone on the ground in every primary state knows and has seen on TV and remembers from the past. But his emergence scared a lot of people—”Not him!’—and made some of them think, ‘OK, I guess I better get off the sidelines and make a decision. Compared to Newt, Romney looks pretty reasonable.”

For me, the two best words she used above are “heavyweight” (true and current) and “was” as in has-been.

THE ABSOLUTE BEST QUOTE OF 2011 by Mr. Gingrich (now that is a gift!)
(be sure to watch the condescending head fakes)

“Romney comes closer to Ronald Reagan in his speeches than any other candidate”

By Victor Lundquist | December 31, 2011 - 2:10 AM | 2012 Election, Capitalism, Conservatives, Economy, GOP, Iowa, Jon Huntsman Jr., Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, New Hampshire, Newt Gingrich, Obama Isn't Working, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, South Carolina, States, Unemployment 1 views

3 Comments

Reagan Speech, The Fall of the Berlin Wall

Roger Simon of Politico is the first writer I have seen to compare Governor Romney’s rhetoric to that of President Reagan, though I have always thought Romney’s optimistic, visionary style of speaking was Reaganesque. Simon describes Romney’s warm reception yesterday at an Iowa gathering to hear him speak, leading up to his comparison to President Reagan:

“I love this country,” Romney goes on. “If president, I will do everything to keep America strong and be the hope of the earth.”

He takes questions, and the first one comes from a man who says he has voted for Republicans for 40 years, but once they get to the White House, they always give in on conservative principles. He wants to know if Romney, too, will give in.

“This is not the next step on my political career,” Romney replies. “I don’t have a political career. The reason I am in this race is because of the lessons I have learned: I’ll use all my energy and passion to get America right again.”

Which does not exactly answer the question, but the crowd likes it anyway. Although some conservatives feel Romney is not conservative enough, Romney comes closer to Ronald Reagan in his speeches than any other candidate.

As Reagan did when running his 1980 campaign, Romney talks about American goodness and decency and exceptionalism and how it can all disappear if Republicans choose the wrong nominee or the country chooses the wrong president.
[...]
“Being president is about judgment, sobriety of character and the wisdom to make decisions we can’t even contemplate today,” Romney says.

[emphasis added]

Quotes by Ronald Reagan:

“Recession is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his.”

“The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”

Mitt Romney for President of the United States of America

By Victor Lundquist | December 31, 2011 - 12:38 AM | 2012 Election, Abortion, Ann Romney, Barack Obama, Capitalism, Chris Christie, Conservatives, Debate, Debt, Deficit Spending, Democrats, Economy, Endorsements, Family Values, Foreign Policy, GOP, Health Care, Immigration, Iowa, Issues, Jon Huntsman Jr., MassCare, Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, National Security, Nevada, New Hampshire, Newt Gingrich, Nikki Haley, Obama Isn't Working, Obamacare, Olympics, Religion, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, RomneyCare, Ron Paul, South Carolina, Spending, States, Taxes, Unemployment 1 views

1 Comment

Which of these do you think is the most informative and helpful?

Today during a business luncheon, a colleague asked me for details behind one of Governor Romney’s policies and what motivated him, etc. As I did a little research to provide the answers he sought, I discovered that all the answers were contained here at MittRomneyCentral.

Some of you may be arriving to this website for the first time to explore, “What makes this guy with the weird name ‘Mitt’ tick?” Or you may be a relatively new, but regular visitor that is still absorbing the depth of the man we at MRC esteem as the finest leader in decades to run for President of the United States. You may even be a supporter of another Republican candidate just dropping in to take a look under the hood.

THIS POST IS FOR YOU. In this one stop, you can explore one or all of the following articles to learn a tremendous amount of truth about the most principled, value based leader seeking to lead this nation back to “American Optimism.”

Each one of the following articles contains content that will both enlighten and inform you and is among the finest (based on number of reader views and recommendations) of the year 2011 ["FB"= Facebook Recommends]:

THE RISE OF OBAMAVILLES — BEST BUSINESSMAN VIDEO
Views: 4,800 / FB: 208 / Comments: Dozens

BAIN & COMPANY NAMED BEST EMPLOYER IN AMERICA
Views: 1,218 / FB: 602 / Comments: 14 (still open)

THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT ROMNEY
Views: 965 / FB: 168 / Comments: 4

ROMNEYCARE MYTHS EXPOSED IN DETAIL (MD EXPERT)
Views: 853 / FB: 237 / Comments: Truncated

FACT CHECKERS SHOW “FLIP-FLOP” CHARGE EXAGGERATED
Views: 2,554 / FB: 754 / Comments: Dozens (still open)

EXPOSING ANTI-ROMNEY PROPAGANDA
Views: 2,110 / FB: 227 / Comments: Dozens

ARGUMENTS FOR EVANGELICAL SUPPORT OF ROMNEY
Views: 1,289 / FB: 114 / Comments: Dozens (still open)

SEE HOW MITT ROMNEY “MARRIED UP”
Views: 1,154 / FB: 72 / Comments: 20 (still open)

REVEALING GLIMPSE AS TO HOW ROMNEY IS LIKELY TO GOVERN AS PRESIDENT
Work Ethic, Drive, Determination, Intelligence, Intensity, Problem Solver…..
The New York Times — December 24, 2011

Mitt Romney for President of the United States of America Your Favorite?

“For without belittling the courage with which men have died, we should not forget those acts of courage with which men have lived.” — President John F. Kennedy

Romney Sons Stump for Dad, Mitt, in New Hampshire

By Jayde Wyatt | December 30, 2011 - 10:46 PM | 2012 Election, Barack Obama, Chris Christie, Conservatives, Economy, Family Values, Jobs, Mitt Romney, New Hampshire, Newt Gingrich, Obama Isn't Working, Spending, Twitter, Values 1 views

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Matt, Craig, Tagg, and Josh Romney campaign for their dad, Mitt Romney, at Windham Junction in Windham, NH. Dec 29, 2011. (Photo/Michael Ryan)

While Mitt and Ann Romney were campaigning today in Iowa with Gov Chris Christie, four of their five sons were stumping for their Dad in New Hampshire (Tagg also brought his eldest son, Joe, along.):

(Reuters) – Square-jawed and clean-cut, four of Mitt Romney’s five sons made a campaign swing through New Hampshire on Thursday to push their father’s presidential bid and try to boost his credentials as a family man.

While the elder Romney stumped in Iowa ahead of the January 3 caucuses there, Tagg, Josh, Matt and Craig Romney met voters at a coffee shop and ate lunch with local Republicans in New Hampshire, which holds its primary in the Republican race to nominate a presidential candidate on January 10.

The Romney sons planned to swing by the candidate’s state headquarters in Manchester, where a nightly phone-a-thon is taking place as part of a get-out-the-vote effort. A fifth brother, Ben, is doing his medical residency in radiology in Utah.
[...]
Some of Romney’s television spots have highlighted family strength and consistency: a 42-year marriage, quintet of clean-cut sons and 16 grandchildren.

One has been airing in Iowa and New Hampshire this month, creating an unspoken contrast to recent frontrunner, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is on his third wife after well-publicized marital infidelities.

Josh Romney, 36, has campaigned actively this year from his home base in Salt Lake City. “My dad is my hero,” he said. “He’s taught me everything I need to know about being a father and about loving my country.”
[...]
Betsy Miller of Bow, New Hampshire said meeting Romney’s sons helped round out her picture of the candidate. “It gives a down-deep impression of their father’s personality and values,” she said. “They are very down to earth.“

The Romney sons mentioned Governor Romney’s thriftiness (a characteristic all too scarce in D.C.). Do continue reading here.

After meeting with folks having lunch at the Barley House in Concord, Tagg, Josh, Matt, and Craig visited with senior citizens at Havenwood-Heritage Heights:

Continue reading below the fold.

(more…)

Mitt Releases Ad Titled “American Optimism” and Writes About Returning America to Greatness

By Rebel Ross | December 30, 2011 - 7:45 PM | 2012 Election, Op-eds 1 views

1 Comment

Also, Mitt wrote an op-ed titled “Return America to Its Greatness”.

I am running for president to help restore the greatness of America, with prosperity and good jobs at home and respect for our country abroad.

President Obama says that he wants to “fundamentally transform” America. He has endeavored to do so, by making us more like Europe, with government playing a larger and more intrusive role in our lives and in our enterprises. But Europe doesn’t work in Europe, and it is not working here.

The president’s breathtaking deficits, 34 months of 8 percent or higher unemployment, depressed home values, the rising cost of food and health care and the high price of gas are ample evidence that his plan to transform America has hurt America.

I don’t want to transform America; I want to return America to the principles that have made us the greatest nation on earth. In the vision of the Founders, the Creator endowed each of us with unalienable rights, among them life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. America would be the nation where citizens would be free to pursue their lives as they wished, not as the government directed. America would be the land of liberty and the land of opportunity.

And for more than two centuries, we have been a land where individuals, through education, hard work, risk taking and good fortune, can achieve their dreams. Free people pursuing happiness have made America the most prosperous nation on earth.

President Obama wants to change America from an opportunity society to an entitlement society, in which government takes from some to redistribute to others. His aim to create equality of outcomes rather than equality of opportunity requires a massive and assertive government that regulates an ever-increasing dimension of our economy and our lives.

To restore our economic vitality, to restore the strength and superiority of our military and to rebuild our free opportunity society, I will as president take the following actions:

Read the rest op the op-ed here.

IOWA: Cold Weather Crowds Give Warm Welcome to Romney & Gov Chris Christie

By Jayde Wyatt | December 30, 2011 - 2:49 PM | 2012 Election, Ann Romney, Barack Obama, Chris Christie, Conservatives, Economy, Endorsements, Family Values, Iowa, Jobs, Mitt Romney, Obama Isn't Working 1 views

1 Comment

Romney and NJ Gov Chris Christie rally a stalwart crowd in windy, rainy weather at Hy-Vee Grocery in Des Moines, IA this morning.

Romney buzz is building in Iowa…

Neither wind, nor rain, nor a wind chill of 26 degrees could stop a very large crowd of excited Iowans from greeting Mitt Romney, wife Ann, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie this morning in west Des Moines. The rally was was supposed to be held inside a Hy-Vee grocery, but due to the large numbers, the event was moved outside to the parking lot.

The Washington Times

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Standing on a stage in a chilly, wet field in Iowa, Mitt Romney on Friday mocked President Obama for being on vacation in Hawaii.

“We’re out in the cold and the rain and the wind because we care about America. He just finished his 90th round of golf,” Mr. Romney told the crowd of hundreds that came despite the temperature which, with the windchill factored in, felt like 24 degrees.

Even as the rest of the Republican presidential field takes aim at each other, Mr. Romney, a former one-term governor of Massachusetts, has been mostly focused on the president …

● Governor Christie stumped for Mitt:

“President Barack Obama came out to Iowa three years ago and he talked to you about hope and change. Well, let me tell ya. After three years of Obama, we are hopeless and changeless and we need Mitt Romney to bring us back, to bring America back.”

● C-Span livestreamed this morning’s rally. View the entire event here.

● Attendee observations:

Des Moines Register

Urbandale retiree Norman Hjelmeland, who attended the rally, said he is among the Iowa Republicans deciding to back Romney at the last minute because Romney appears to have the best chance at beating Obama.

Hjelmeland said Romney probably is less conservative than many Iowa Republicans, but he has good leadership skills, business experience and character. Hjelmeland also likes rival candidate Newt Gingrich, but he said Gingrich’s personal and political baggage could be a target for Democrats if he became the nominee.

“I want the election to be about Obama’s record, not about our candidate,” Hjelmeland said.

Hjelmeland said he was untroubled by critics’ contention that Romney is a flip-flopper for changing his stances on abortion and other issues. “He’s been on both sides of some issues, but so have I,” he said, adding that President Ronald Reagan also switched his abortion stance.

Lakewoodlocal.com

Herman Blau and his daughters, Savannah, 15, and Laney, 17, drove eight hours from their Missouri home to see Romney in West Des Moines.

Wearing what he called a “vintage” stocking cap from the 2008 election, Herman Blau said he supported Romney because of his business sense.

“I own a couple small businesses and we need help,” he said. “We need someone who knows what they’re doing, so that’s why I’m supporting Mitt Romney.”

WaukeePatch.com

John Dutcher of Johnston is a longtime Romney supporter. He brought his daughter, Charlotte, 20, along to this morning’s rally. It’s her first year voting and caucusing.

“This is really exciting,” she said. “I saw Mitt in 2007 and it’s nice to see he has the lead in Iowa. I think he has a really good chance at being our next president.”

Frances Kelly of Waukee already had her mind made up. She came out in the freezing temps to get her first glimpse of the former governor of Massachusetts.

“I hadn’t seen him in person ever,” Kelly said. “I’m going to caucus for him on Tuesday. I’ve got my mind made up.”

(emphasis added)

Romney’s IA bus tour kicked off in Davenport on Tuesday evening with a stop at the Hotel Blackhawk, a coffee shop in Muscatine, and a plastic molding manufacturer in North Liberty. The tour continued to Music Man Square in Mason City, a construction company in Ames, and this morning’s grocery store rally in Des Moines.

After this morning’s rally, Governor Romney hustled back to New Hampshire to host a spaghetti supper this evening in Merrimack, then, a breakfast event on Saturday morning for supporters in Hampton. He’ll be back in the Hawkeye State in about 30 hours time to continue barnstorming. Governor Christie will continue to rally voters for Romney in Iowa today.

For schedule details and more photos, continue reading after the fold.

(more…)