On March 16th, Gov. Romney endorsed Representative Nikki Haley for Governor of South Carolina.
Ann and I got to know Nikki Haley during my campaign for president and came away enormously impressed with her as a person of character and as the spokesperson for a new generation of leadership for South Carolina. She has a proven conservative record of fighting wasteful spending and advocating for smaller, more efficient government. I’m honored to call her my friend and prouder still to endorse her campaign for governor,” said Governor Romney.
The Free and Strong America PAC also announced it will send Representative Haley’s campaign a maximum $3,500 primary election contribution. Governor Romney will also participate in a campaign event with Representative Haley in South Carolina on April 1st. Nikki Haley has also been endorsed by Jenny Sanford and is a favorite among the Campaign for Liberty and Tea Party crowd in South Carolina.
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Considering the fact that President Obama couldn’t be any more well known and Mitt Romney is well known by much fewer Americans, Mitt is in a great position this early on in the PPP 2012 Presidential Survey. Look at the trends shown from past PPP polls in that link as well.
President Barack Obama is delaying his trip to Indonesia and Australia by three days in hopes of finalizing a health care deal — and will scrap plans to take along first lady Michelle Obama and his two daughters, according to senior administration officials.
On Thursday, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs brushed aside suggestions that the president planned to postpone or cancel the long-planned trip to his childhood home in Indonesia, even as Hill Democrats groused that the excursion came at the precise time he demanded they finalize a deal.
Instead of leaving next Thursday, March 18 — the deadline he imposed on Congress — Obama will take off on Sunday, March 21, officials said, shortening his itinerary to omit all sidetrips not deemed official business.
On Thursday, both Gibbs and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House was close to finalizing a strategy for pushing a previously passed Senate bill through the lower chamber, but that the deal might require a few extra days. By postponing his trip, Obama effectively gives the House some breathing room, preserving the hope that members will be able to depart the Capitol for their Easter break two weeks from today with a deal in their pockets.
Pick up your phones and start calling the following swing Congressman . Let your opposition be known! If the line is busy, keep trying. Don’t give up! Print out extra copies of these numbers and enlist family members and friends to help. Whenever you have a spare moment, CALL.
PLEASE CALL!………DC OFFICE……….LOCAL OFFICE
Harry Mitchell………….(202) 225-2190….(480) 946-2411
Gabrielle Giffords……..(202) 225-2542….(520) 881-3588
Ann Kirkpatrick………..(202) 225-2315….(928) 226-6914
Jerry McNerney………..(202) 225-1947….(925) 833-0643
John Salazar……………..(202) 225-4761….(970) 245-7107
Jim Himes………………….(202) 225-5541….(866) 453-0028
Alan Grayson……………(202) 225-2176….(407) 841-1757
Bill Foster………………..(202) 225-2976….(630) 406-1145
Baron Hill…………………(202) 225 5315….(812) 288 3999
Mark Schauer………….(202) 225-6276….(517) 780-9075
Gary Peters……………..(202) 225-5802….(248) 273-4227
Dina Titus………………..(202) 225-3252….(702) 256-DINA (3462)
Carol Shea-Porter…..(202) 225-5456….(603) 743-4813
Tim Bishop……………….(202) 225-3826….(631) 696-6500
John Hall………………….(202) 225-5441….(845) 225-3641 x49371
Bill Owens……………….(202) 225-4611….(315) 782-3150
Mike Arcuri……………….(202) 225-3665….(315) 793-8146
Dan Maffei……………….(202) 225-3701….(315) 423-5657
Earl Pomeroy…………..(202) 225-2611….(701) 224-0355
Steven Driehaus……..(202) 225-2216….(513) 684-2723
Mary Jo Kilroy…………..(202) 225-2015….(614) 294-2196
Zach Space………………(202) 225-6265….(330) 364-4300
Kathy Dahlkemper…..(202) 225-5406….(814) 456-2038
Patrick Murphy…………(202) 225-4276….(215) 826-1963
Christopher Carney…(202) 225-3731….(570) 585-9988
Paul Kanjorski………….(202) 225-6511….(570) 825-2200
John Spratt………………(202) 225-5501….(803) 327-1114
Tom Perriello…………….(202) 225-4711….(276) 656-2291
Alan Mollohan…………..(202) 225-4172….(304) 623-4422
Nick Rahall………………..(202) 225-3452….(304) 252-5000
Steve Kagen…………….(202) 225-5665….(920) 437-1954
They also know this is their last hand at the table. They know they will likely be swept out in the 2010 elections. They need to do it now. And they will stop at nothing to do so. The more ludicrous it sounds, the more likely it is that they will attempt it. Remember, this is their end game; they know they’ve over-played their hand. They are now left with one last bet. They *know* they are in deep trouble in 2010, regardless.
Pelosi has been bluffing all week about having the votes. Perhaps that is a way to create plausible deniability when they pull a sneaky move; they can then try to deflect it by saying “we had the votes anyway”. We cannot fall for their bluffs. And we must make sure that no one else does either.
Melt the phones. Call the Democrats in red districts who may care more about their personal re-elections than the ideological pot. Call Republicans and force them to realize that the Democrats are “all in” and to stop with the dangerous “bi-partisanship” and being polite stuff.
The time for polite is over. We must be on guard for any possibility and the GOP must have the fortitude and the spine to stop each one.
Governor Mitt Romney and Republican gubernatorial candidate, Meg Whitman, highlighted yesterday’s first day of California’s Republican Party 2010 Spring Convention in Santa Clara, CA. Romney has endorsed Ms. Whitman and was honored to introduce her at last night’s dinner banquet. Also attending were: Andrew Breitbart (publisher and media star) Steve Poizner (CA Insurance Commissioner and gubernatorial candidate) Tom Campbell, Carly Fiorina, and Chuck DeVore (CA U.S. Senate candidates). The convention will be in session until Sunday afternoon.
At an impromptu ‘fireside chat’ after the banquet, Gov Romney was asked to join Meg Whitman on stage. They took questions and discussed how their business experience affects their outlook on political problem solving:
Traditional, non-former actor Republicans having a decent shot at the state’s highest office? Republicans tearing each other to shreds? Jerry Brown back as governor? Welcome to the 2010 California gubernatorial race! 2010 may well come to be known as the campaign year in which anything was possible.
Jerry “Governor MoonBeam” Brown, a former California governor, is jockeying for a return to the office which he left decades ago, but this time, he is joined by a number of strong Republican contenders. This is unusual for California. And yet, 2010 presents the perfect storm of opportunity for Republicans, and candidates on the red side have been quick to seize on the potential for real change on the West Coast.
Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner are the two top Republican contenders for the Governor’s Mansion. If a Daily Kos poll is to be believed, Whitman is well ahead of Poizner, though still slightly behind Brown. In a February Rassmussen Poll (typically better known and more widely trusted than Daily Kos), Whitman and Brown were running in a dead heat, both at 43%. This followed a January poll which found Brown ahead 43% to Whitman’s 39%. Within one month, Whitman caught up with Brown.
In a recent email to supporters, Whitman acknowledged her main Democratic rival, who had only recently “officially entered the race of Governor,” and noted that it will be her goal to “frequently point out our clear differences and though he was quick to criticize my candidacy, I look forward to an important conversation with Californians.”
And an important conversation that must be: with a state budget deficit of over $20 billion, someone needs to start taking action, but more importantly, someone needs to start taking responsibility.
Whitman, the billionaire and former eBay head honcho, has been gaining steam in recent months, racking up endorsement after endorsement. On March 5, Whitman wrote that she had recently been endorsed by former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice: “I was honored when Secretary Rice said I’m the only person running for Governor ‘who can lead the way toward rebuilding our state.’” Rice should be familiar with California and its politics: the former high-ranking cabinet member left a post at prestigious Stanford University when called on by George W. Bush to be a top ranking adviser to his 2000 cabinet.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman came out swinging on the first night of the California Republican Party convention as she fought a two-front war against both her primary rival Steve Poizner and Democratic opponent Jerry Brown.
Whitman, the billionaire former CEO of online auction firm eBay, also went into greater detail than before on her policy proposals in an impromptu news conference Friday afternoon.
She laid out how she would change state employee pensions and said she would consider cutting personnel in the state corrections and higher education systems while seeking a 40,000-person reduction in the state work force.
Appearing with former presidential candidate Mitt Romney at a Friday night banquet, Whitman slammed Brown’s first two gubernatorial terms, which began in 1975. Brown is the only major candidate in the Democratic primary.
“You tell me: What has Jerry Brown accomplished in those four decades of political life that should give Californians a single reason to let him get a second shot?” Whitman asked.
“Nothing,” she answered.[...]
Whitman said she “would not be in favor of the children of illegal immigrants or illegal immigrants themselves getting admission to the University of California system or higher education that is publicly funded.” […]
She proposed raising from 55 to 65 the age at which state workers – except public safety employees – could retire with full pensions. She also would increase the length of pension vesting periods for most new employees and increase pension contributions from 5 percent to up to 10 percent of salaries.
During her banquet speech, Whitman drove home her targeting of state employees, sparking enthusiastic applause.
California’s Republican Party video on Jerry Brown:
Jerry Brown, presumptive Democratic nominee, known as ‘Governor MoonBeam Brown’ was the object of a smile-inducing one-liner during Whitman’s speech: “Moonbeams are, after all, fleeting things, and disappear before they can be pinned down.”
Romney is in Sacramento today and has already completed one of the stops on his book tour. It seems he will appear at the GOP convention as well. Hotline has the scoop:
Romney will give a five minute introduction of ex-eBay CEO Meg Whitman (R) before she gives an approximately 15 minute speech to convention delegates gathered in Santa Clara, according to Romney spokesperson Eric Fehrnstrom. Romney, who is supporting Whitman in the GOV race, is attending the convention at the request of Whitman, Fehrnstrom added.
Even though the CA GOP didn’t do the inviting, they’re quite pleased to have the potential ‘WH’12 candidate in their midst.
“Mitt Romney is a major leader in our party,” CA GOP chair Ron Nehring told Hotline OnCall. “We typically have past presidential candidates, potential presidential candidates and national Republican lay leaders at our state party convention.”
Whitman has a long history with Romney, and she has credited Romney with sparking her interest in politics.
Americans are riveted on Obamacare. With just seven days until the March 18th White House deadline for a vote on the Senate health care bill arrives, eyes are glued on Blue Dog Democrats. We are witnessing nearly hourly positioning on Capitol Hill and can almost hear the chest-poking, arm-twisting, and head thumping going on behind locked doors as Obama, Pelosi, and Reid shove and kick to pass their 2700 page health care confiscation scheme.
Hold on to your hospital gowns! We’ll slog through what’s happened in the last three days…
As of yesterday, the latest left-jab to the American people is aptly dubbed the “Slaughter Solution.”
The Slaughter Solution is a plan by Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), the Democratic chair of the powerful House Rules Committee and a key ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), to get the health care legislation through the House without an actual vote on the Senate-passed health care bill. You see, Democratic leaders currently lack the votes needed to pass the Senate health care bill through the House. Under Slaughter’s scheme, Democratic leaders will overcome this problem by simply “deeming” the Senate bill passed in the House -- without an actual vote by members of the House.
(emphasis mine)
Two days ago (March 9th), Nancy Pelosi tipped her neck-wringing hand: “But we have to pass the [health care] bill so that you can find out what is in it.”
Taking his health care punches on the road, President Obama traveled to suburban St. Louis, Missouri yesterday. Assured of muscling high schoolers (ticketed with closed doors) at St. Charles High into cheering for his socialized plan as cameras rolled (how hard is that?) he was met outside by 2300 fired-up Tea Party protestors:
The Show Me State temporarily became the No-Show State on Wednesday as some prominent Missouri Democrats decided they’d rather be somewhere else when President Obama came to push his massive health care overhaul plan. […]
The same conspicuous absences occurred Monday [March 8th] in Pennsylvania, a state Mr. Obama won by 10 percentage points in 2008. While the president was accompanied by embattled Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter, Sen. Bob Casey and Rep. Chaka Fattah aboard Air Force One, several other Pennsylvania Democrats didn’t elect to join him there, including Reps. Patrick J. Murphy, Christopher Carney and Tim Holden, three incumbents facing tough re-election battles.
Speculation is volatile on whether Representative Bart Stupak and supposed 11 other reps who oppose abortion funding in the Senate bill will succumb to threats of non-cooperation black eyes:
News broke early yesterday morning [March 9th] announcing that Representative Bart Stupak thinks a “compromise” can be reached on the issue of abortion funding in the Democrats’ Senate version of the health care bill. “I’m more optimistic than I was a week ago,” Stupak said in an interview between meetings with constituents in his northern Michigan district.[...]
Stupak had an interview with The Weekly Standard yesterday, where he clarified what was really going on. “Obviously they don’t know me,” Stupak said in his interview. “If I didn’t cave in November, why would I do it now after all the crap I’ve been through? Everyone’s going around saying there’s a compromise — there’s no such thing,” Stupak said. What’s changed between this week and last, Stupak went on, is that he had his first real conversation with Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Congressman Henry Waxman about fixing the bill.
As if there isn’t enough padding in health care boxing gloves, we learned today that Democrat leadership is considering stuffing a student loan overhaul into the Obamacare bill:
Democratic leaders met for a second day Wednesday with administration officials, including White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, in the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), but reached no decision on the student loan measure. One participant said a consensus appeared to be emerging that it would be unwise to risk the health-care bill by including the education measure.
The projected cost of Obama’s plan to expand Pell Grants and diminish the role of the private sector in the student loan program has exploded over the past year as more people seek college loans in the weak economy. Meanwhile, the potential savings from knocking private lenders out of the system has diminished as one in five colleges has already turned to government lending.
Rather than saving $50 billion over the next decade, the student loan initiative is now projected to increase deficits by about $5 billion, according to preliminary estimates provided to Democratic lawmakers. Including it in the health-care package could wreck efforts to meet the deficit-reduction goals required under reconciliation, aides said.
Eyes glazed over yet? There’s more…
Meanwhile, Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) is staying in the ring by declaring yesterday that he’s going to change filibuster laws:
“The filibuster has been abused,” Sen. Harry Reid said at a reporter’s briefing this afternoon. “But next Congress, we are going to take a look at it. And we’re going to make some changes in it.”
For now, the process seems to be proceeding from the premise that Senate Democrats are fed up with the filibuster. “In baseball,” Reid said in a clipped tone, “they used to have the spitball. It originally was used with discretion. But then the ball got wetter and wetter and wetter. So soon, they outlawed the spitball.” The same, he said, had happened to the four-corner offense in basketball. “And just the way the spitball was abused in baseball and the four-corner offense was abused in basketball,” Reid said, “Republicans have abused the filibuster.”
Republicans will meet the Democrat’s reconciliation onslaught with a combat strategy of their own. Greta Van Susteren and Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) ‘On The Record’ (FOX News) last night:
Senator Kyl: “If you [Dems] are going to use the reconciliation process, we’re going to hold you to the strict limits of reconciliation. And, if you go outside the lines and are not technically correct under reconciliation, we’re going to toss it out on a point of order. And, we have the votes to do that.”
“While the President is visiting America’s heartland today, I hope he will take the opportunity to finally listen to the American people, who are shouting, “stop” at the top of their lungs. They just don’t want out-of-touch Washington Democrats’ job-killing government takeover of health care. They don’t want more than $500 billion in tax hikes. They don’t want nearly $500 billion in Medicare cuts. They don’t want these outrageous kickbacks, payoffs, and sweetheart backroom deals.
The Tea Party Coalition is sounding the trumpet nationwide to take the battle to Washington D.C. this month. Here is video announcing the Take the Town Halls to Washington project. Michele Bachmann @ 1:49 :
We’ve got SEVEN days to put the squeeze on Blue Dog Democrats. Let’s not get trapped into the ‘knocked-out’ way of thinking that we can lounge around while someone else does our work for us. How much effort have you made to contact BDDs in the past week? Each of us must take personal responsibility to get a headlock on Obamacare NOW. For information on who to contact, click here.
Last week, I launched the national tour for my new book, No Apology: The Case for American Greatness, and I must admit — it feels good to be on the road again.
The tour has already taken me to cities in New York, Massachusetts, Georgia, Florida, and Michigan, as well as to Washington, DC. And by the time it’s over, I’ll have visited dozens of cities in 19 states.
It’s been great reconnecting with old friends and making new ones as I travel across the country talking about our shared conservative values — that a competitive America is one where taxes are low and government is small, that our military superiority must never be compromised, that our cultural values need to be cherished and that unleashing the power of the free market is key to our economic future.
I hope to see you at one of my upcoming book events so that you can join this important dialogue, but even if you can’t be there in person, I hope you will stand with me in helping to make our conservative message heard.
As you know, this is a crucial midterm election year. All 435 Congressional seats, one third of the U.S. Senate, 37 Governorships, and control of numerous state legislatures are at stake. With your generous financial support of $25, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000, $2,500, or even the maximum $5,000, to my PAC, we’ll have the resources to spread our message and elect conservative candidates throughout the country.
And, for a limited time, if you contribute at least $50, we’ll send you the official No Apology 2010 Book Tour t-shirt as a token of our appreciation (select your size below) . This much sought after, limited edition item is the same t-shirt worn by my staff and volunteers at our book events, and I’d be honored to have you wear it too as a key member of my team. And as an added bonus, the first 100 people who contribute at least $100 will receive their t-shirt signed.
I hope you will stand with me in these critical months ahead. With you by my side, I am sure that America will continue to be — as it always has been — a force for good like no other in this world. And for that, I make no apology.
Recent presidential candidate Mitt Romney charts a dramatic new course to confront the most critical issues of our nation’s time. With clear vision and a bold call to action, Governor Romney examines the roads that have led us to this critical moment in our history and incisively charts a course toward a better future.
Times are economically challenging for many of us, but now, more than ever, it’s critical that we do all we can to support Gov Romney’s hard work for conservative principles. He’s depending on US. GIVE to his Free and Strong America PAC and receive a No Apology t-shirt. Wear it proudly and you’ll be a walking billboard for a must-read book and a great American, Mitt Romney!
Recent polling from Magellan Strategies indicates that both Governor Mitt Romney and Meg Whitman , former CEO of eBay.com, are in early pole position for their relative offices, or potential office I should say in the case of Governor Romney. California has a closed primary, meaning only registered Republicans can vote in the primary. As such the Magellan poll only included those who are registered GOP.
California is rich with GOP delegates with approx. 170 that get to vote in the RNC convention. Of those McCain received 158 delegates in the 2008 primary, while Romney earned 12, with 42% of the vote and 35%, respectively.
The results for Magellan’s early 2012 Presidential preference poll:
31% Romney
18% Palin
13% Huckabee
12% Gingrich
08% Paul
03% Other
03% Pawlenty
12% Undecided
That is a very healthy margin for Romney, and there could very well be similar results in February 2012, bringing a vast majority of those 170 delegates into Romney’s camp. Interesting enough the results included cross-tabs which showed the results among social conservatives to be very similar to those of the state-wide poll: 30% Romney ; 20% Palin ; 17% Huckabee. This disputes claims that Romney can’t do well among SoCons, and being a strong SoCon myself I find great satisfaction in that.
Now for the 2010 GOP Gubernatorial nominee poll results:
63% Meg Whitman !!!
12% Steve Poizner
04% Other
21% Undecided
Much could happen before the June 8 primary elections, but I think Whitman is almost a definite winner with nearly 2/3 of the entire vote. Meg Whitman as Governor would be an extraordinary benefit to the State of California with her extensive economic expertise as a business leader, but I can’t overlook the fact that it will also be a huge boon to Romney with Whitman in the Governorship.
In an unusual foray into politics since leaving office, former 66th Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice endorsed Republican CA gubernatorial hopeful, Meg Whitman, today:
“California is my home and there is only one person running for Governor who can lead the way toward rebuilding our state.
“In my experiences in and out of government, I find the most effective leaders to be those who maintain a clear vision, mobilize diverse groups, and inspire them to work together in confronting the most pressing challenges. That is why I am supporting Meg Whitman.
“Meg will do what is needed to get California back on track.”
Rice has resisted efforts by voters to persuade her to run for offices ranging from governor to U.S. senator to president of the United States.
The primary election is June 8. The winner in the GOP primary will probably face Democrat Jerry Brown in November.
Brown, 71, previously served as governor of California, 1975-83, and waged three unsuccessful campaigns for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Meg Whitman: A Different Kind of Leader
“I will tell you there is a profound hunger for change, for leadership, and for authenticity.”
~ Meg Whitman
MittRomney is also supporting Meg Whitman. If we help elect Whitman, we can change California. A new California is vital for America! For information on how to help, go here.
24 hours have passed since news was released of Mitt Romney’s endorsement of John McCain for re-election to the United States Senate. Opinions vary as to why this decision was made. Looking at a broader view for America’s future, Romney weighed the potential outcome of the Arizona senatorial election. There were many considerations pro and con, but in the end, Romney chose strength for the United States military and a strong national security. The need for McCain’s gravitas and experienced, respected, powerful influence on national security matters point to Romney’s core belief that keeping Americans safe trumps all.
PHOENIX, AZ – U.S. Senator John McCain’s re-election campaign today announced that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has endorsed Senator John McCain for re-election to the United States Senate.
Governor Romney today issued the following statement:
“For years, I’ve been an admirer of John McCain. Then we became competitors. Today, I’m proud to call him my friend.
“In my view, it’s hard to imagine the United States Senate without John McCain, especially in the critical times we find ourselves in, with double-digit unemployment, a mountain of debt imperiling future generations and a global terrorist threat from jihadists bent on destroying our very way of life.
“It is times like these that we look to leaders of character. Senator McCain’s record of service and sacrifice for America is honored by all. But I believe that it is his core values of courage, faith and honor – forged in battle and confirmed by a lifetime of service to America – that make Senator McCain’s leadership in the United States Senate so necessary in these perilous times. Not only am I proud to call him a friend, but as an American I am constantly reassured by Senator McCain’s continued involvement in the affairs of our nation, and I am honored to support him.”
“Governor Romney is among the brightest and most dynamic leaders in our Party, and I am proud to have his support,” said Senator John McCain. “I look forward to working with him to advance our shared vision for a stronger, safer and more prosperous America.”
After gracefully exiting the presidential campaign, Romney became a cheerful warrior for McCain. He logged countless hours fundraising for his onetime opponent and appeared on the senator’s behalf almost anywhere the campaign asked, including at the Democratic National Convention. His competence and dedication won him begrudging fans among McCain’s senior staff, who later freely admitted they’d misjudged him. McCain himself was deeply appreciative of Romney’s work, and was won over personally after spending time with Romney and his gracious wife, Ann, at the senator’s Sedona ranch. Romney ended up in serious contention for McCain’s VP slot, and as the financial crisis took over the agenda, he became one of McCain’s valued go-to sources of advice and perspective on economic issues.
So perhaps the news of Romney’s endorsement isn’t all that surprising. It’s good for McCain to have someone with Romney’s financial expertise and centrist appeal come out in his favor. It also helps McCain to appear connected with someone considered part the GOP’s future. The question for Romney, who’s emerging as the GOP’s most serious contender for 2012, is, what’s in it for him? For starters, a friendship with McCain has lots of benefits. McCain is still an excellent drawing card for fundraisers, and although Romney has vast personal wealth, having a name like McCain on board makes a big difference. McCain could also lend a Romney candidacy some foreign-policy and national-security credibility, particularly with Republican voters. Romney lacks it; McCain has it in spades. And McCain has always been popular in New Hampshire, a critical early state.
The move fits nicely with Romney’s apparent strategy. My Gaggle pal Andrew Romano calls it the “adult in the room” approach. Unlike some of his potential opponents, Romney is incredibly strategic about his public appearances. He doesn’t weigh in on every news cycle. He gives selective interviews to drive home messages on the key issues facing the Obama administration: the economy, national security, the auto bailout, and health care. But we don’t see his perfect coif on TV every day, and he’s not racking up a litany of quotes he’ll later wish he never said. Instead, he’s using the George Costanza approach: end on a high note and leave them wanting more. Next week he begins a national tour for his new book, which is touted as a “blueprint for maintaining America’s global leadership.” Advisers say he’ll offer a serious, intellectual analysis of America’s place in the world.
I bet John McCain thought, when he won the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, he was playing the most pivotal role he would ever play in the party. Apparently that was not the case. He now has an even more pivotal role. McCain has become a walking conservative litmus test.
The conservative base at the moment is on a mission to rid the party of so-called RINOs, and McCain is the poster boy for their ire. This is not without some justification. McCain’s past support for free-speech-restricting campaign finance reform, his opposition to the Bush tax cuts and his blocking of a Republican attempt to end Senate filibusters against Bush judicial nominees deserved the criticism they received.
But if you’re a philosophical conservative, and your goal is to get policies enacted that are most crucial to the nation from the conservative point of view, it doesn’t necessarily stand to reason that the best way to do it is to toss out every RINO in a primary and replace him with a so-called “true conservative.”
Relax, ‘true conservatives’: There’s a good case to be made for Romney and Palin (and you) backing McCain:
On national security, McCain has always backed, and proposed during his presidential campaign, the very strategy most conservatives believe Obama has erred by not pursuing. If McCain were president, we would still be putting a missile shield in Eastern Europe. We would be taking a hard line on Iran. We would not be bending over to let the Taliban back into the political process in Afghanistan.
On health care, McCain has been a consistent and effective voice against Obama’s proposals throughout the past year, and his own proposals in 2008 would have moved the nation toward the sort of consumer-directed system we need, not the sort of top-down system we already have, and that Obama would make worse.
- Because of his seniority and standing with the media, McCain can be an effective voice for the conservative positions on the above-mentioned issues. Many conservatives have criticized McCain for making too nice with the media over the years, and not without some justification, but at this particular point in time his having done so can come in very handy. It’s precisely because they do regard him as something other than a blustering partisan that his criticisms of Obama carry weight and get air time.
- J.D. Hayworth shows signs of not being a serious person. His big-spending, earmarking track record, we’ve already covered. His past ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff should give any one concerned about ideological principle serious pause.
Surely there are plenty of reasons for conservatives to be upset with McCain about his past track record. But no election held in 2010 is for the purpose of repeating the past. It’s to put the best people in place to make the best decisions for the nation going forward.
Whatever his faults on other issues, McCain is for the right things on spending, health care and national security. His seniority and bipartisan credibility put him in a good position to advocate effectively for these things. And it just might be that, while Hayworth could make the case that he is the “true conservative,” Palin and Romney recognize the results for the nation – from a conservative point of view – might very well be better if McCain is the guy Arizona sends back to the Senate to get them done.
What good does it do to elect a “true conservative” if he can’t achieve what conservatives think is important?
The definition of “RINO” is not “any politician who deviates in any material respect from conservative principles.” A RINO is someone who deviates in virtually every material respect. In fact, when it comes to national security, most social issues, most economic issues, judges, and many other areas, McCain is one of us. I’m not sure that our goal as a conservative community is to simply support the most conservative candidate in any given primary. There’s a lot more to effective leadership than ideology, and such a mindset encourages the rather unpleasant ideological puritans in our midst.
Described as ‘Mardi Gras for the Right’, CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) opened this morning at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington D.C. Excited GOP power players, power player makers, and everyday citizens concerned about the abuse of political power are streaming through the doors. The three-day conference will be filled with speeches, exhibits, forums, panel discussions, book signings, networking, hospitality suites, banquets, and entertainment.
Among official bloggers attending is our own Nate Gunderson. He will be posting blog updates and sending live tweets. We’ve already received several tweets today from Nate, including one received this morning: “Governor Romney just dropped by to tell some jokes.” Tonight, Nate will be tying on his bowling shoes as he joins Romney’s ‘bowling for bucks’ to support Romney’s PAC. We eagerly anticipate more of Nate’s coverage of CPAC goings-on and especially, Mitt Romney!
As CPAC director, De Pasquale spends all year planning and organizing the annual three-day conference that is the largest gathering of its kind in the country. The event has become so huge that it was moved this year from its longtime home at the Omni Shoreham Hotel to the larger Marriott Wardman Park, just off Connecticut Avenue near the Woodley Park Metro station.
“We’re at a larger facility this year, but it looks like we’re already going to be bursting at the seams,” said De Pasquale. “Right now, we’re about 20 percent above pre-registration for last year. So we’re expecting between 9,000 and 10,000, if on-site registration is on pace with last year.”
Not only will this be the biggest CPAC ever, but it is likely to be the most energized conference in several years. This year’s conference will bring the added enthusiasm of hundreds of new attendees who have been active in the Tea Party movement. In fact, one of the movement’s first events took place during last year’s conference, when about 200 CPAC attendees gathered for a rally in front of the White House that featured Michelle Malkin.
That February 2009 LaFayette Park rally was mocked by liberal bloggers — “puny,” sniffed the Village Voice — but the grassroots movement swelled into a force that made a real political impact. Tea Party activism helped conservatives score big wins in last fall’s Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial elections, as well as Republican Scott Brown’s stunning victory in Massachusetts, capturing the Senate seat held for nearly four decades by Ted Kennedy.
The Tea Party movement will be represented by speakers and panelists on this year’s CPAC agenda, including Jenny Beth Martin of the Tea Party Patriots and Dana Loesch of the St. Louis Tea Party. And the final keynote speech on Saturday will be given by Glenn Beck, who helped spur on the movement with his 9-12 Project.
“I think he’s someone who’s going to energize the conference,” De Pasquale said of Beck. “I expect him to give a call to action that will help our attendees take the energy from CPAC into the 2010 mid-term election.”
This will be the first-ever CPAC appearance for Beck. Also making their CPAC speaking debuts at this year’s event will be Allen West, an Iraq war hero and congressional candidate, and Marco Rubio, whose Florida Senate campaign has ignited a grassroots uprising against the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which backed Gov. Charlie Crist in the GOP primary.
Liz Cheney and Michigan Rep. Thaddeus McCotter will make their first CPAC speaking appearances this year, said De Pasquale, while Internet news entrepreneur Andrew Breitbart (who has previously participated in panel discusses at the conference) will give a main-stage speech Saturday. Breitbart will be introduced by Hannah Giles, who became famous in a series of videos exposing the community organizing group ACORN. Giles will also be a participant in XPAC, a series of events for younger conference attendees — and there will be lots of them.
“As in years past, we’re expecting that more than 50 percent of our attendance will be college students,” De Pasquale said. “It bodes well for the movement that there are so many young people who are energized about attending CPAC.”
Attendees young and old will hear from a stellar list of conservative speakers, including South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, House members Steve King, Mike Pence, Jason Chaffetz, Darrell Issa, Scott Garrett, Eric Cantor, Dan Lungren and Ron Paul, and numerous commentators including Andrew Napolitano, John Fund, George F. Will and Ann Coulter.
Beyond the speeches and panel discussions, the conference features numerous book signings, receptions and an enormous exhibition hall.
“The official schedule is just one part of the CPAC experience,” De Pasquale said, adding that the chance to meet with fellow conservatives is a major attraction of the annual conference.
Governor Romney will fire up the crowd tomorrow (2/18/10) when he speaks at 1:30 PM Eastern Standard Time in the Marriott Ballroom. Dr. Jay Sekulow, (American Center for Law and Justice) will introduce him.
Romney, who has won the last 3 CPAC straw polls, has a crucial leg up on other contenders, according to many who think he will win a fourth. His team’s ability to organize around the event in previous years is likely to give him some residual good will among attendees.
“Everyone knows how good his organization was in the lead-up to the 08 primaries, but not everyone realizes how sneaky-good that organization remains,” said one respondent. Added another: “Mitt bears the high expectations of having won CPAC three years in a row. While this establishes him as the clear favorite of mainstream conservatives, it also keeps the pressure on for him to win every time he shows up.”
I have a hunch this new ad from Senate Republicans will be shown at CPAC:
CPAC runs today through Saturday when it will adjourn at 6:45 PM EST. We’ll keep you informed on the latest from CPAC and news from Nate Gunderson.
Update: CPAC coverage for 2/18/10:
Townhall.com -- UStream live stream click here.
C-Span online stream click here.
C-Span network TV coverage of CPAC begins at 9:45 – 4:30 PM EST. TV schedule here.
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