South Carolina, Remember

By Paul Johnson | January 19, 2012 - 3:15 AM | Barack Obama, Capitalism, Congress, Conservatives, Debate, Democrats, Economy, Family Values, Foreign Policy, GOP, Mitt Romney, Political Ads, Rudy Giuliani, Sarah Palin, South Carolina, Supreme Court, Vice President 1 views

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South Carolina

I spent a good part of the day today hungry for news about how things are going in South Carolina. Like many, I’m ardently hopeful that Mitt Romney can knock out his competition on Saturday in the GOP primary so we can move on to replacing Barack Obama without all the Republicans emptying their war chests fighting each other. I agree with Michele Bachmann that President Obama is taking the country down a path of no return. Once the government begins providing medical care for its citizens, for example, there’s no turning back, and I believe our system was never intended to have a Federal government that large. Such a strong Federal government, with power to both give you everything and take everything away, is a threat to your liberty, and the related cost will be a threat to our country’s sovereignty. That’s the way I feel.

Since Newt seems to be Mitt’s closest competition in South Carolina, I thought I’d provide a few headlines for you to peruse:

Newt Can Hardly Contain Himself

Today Newt must have felt emboldened since he made a few more outlandish statements to add to his growing list. For example, on the stump he espoused a first amendment-violating religious litmus test for people joining his administration, saying any muslims need not apply unless they are willing to take an oath rejecting Sharia law. While I agree religious law has no place in the law of the United States, such an oath to disavow your personal beliefs to be able to serve your country violates my sense of religious freedom, and to call all Muslims religious extremists is offensive, of questionable judgment and very likely to get Newt in trouble, again.

GOP faithful will also remember that while Sarah Palin has become somewhat of an icon in the Tea Party movement, her selection by McCain as his running mate in 2008 was widely panned and, again, largely rejected by independents. Nevertheless, Newt, seemingly feeling good about his chances, stated Palin would have some role in his administration, with speculation that may mean as Vice President. Finally, in apparent outreach to the very far right on economic issues, he today advocated a commission to study going back to the gold standard.

While Newt may have had a couple good lines in the debate, we need to remember this is the same old guy that spiked then crashed earlier this season. He may pick up a few points, but with continued statements like this he’ll crash again. You know it. I know it. Rick Perry said in the debate it’s important that we vett our candidate today, and not find out in September he’s unelectable. Well, we know today what the answer is about Newt.

Why Mitt

Meanwhile, unlike Newt, Mitt continues to show he’s the best situated to defeat Obama. This is proven by a recent series of polls showing Mitt leading President Obama in six key swing states. It’s also proven by poll after poll showing Mitt ahead of Newt nationwide. Numbers show Mitt anywhere from 3% to 17% ahead of Newt and in a dead heat vs. Obama, while Newt trails Obama by 11%. The polling doesn’t lie: while Newt has on occasion been able to deliver a more visceral punch, Mitt is seen as more “presidential,” better able to rise above the fray and more likely to truly be able to take on Obama, who will, by virtue of his current job, appear presidential. And Mitt’s no slouch at debating, either. If your goal is to replace Obama, there’s really only one choice, on the electability meter and all other measures: Mitt Romney. (more…)

BREAKING: It's Official, Sarah Palin Not Running for President

By Luke Gunderson | October 5, 2011 - 5:08 PM | Sarah Palin 1 views

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This must be hard news for the many passionate Sarah Palin fans out there. We’ve always respected Gov. Palin here at MRC and our best wishes go to her & her family in their future endeavors. No doubt, she’ll continue to be a great force in our party.

We encourage her supporters to (first take a few days to soak in the news, then) consider lining up behind a fiscal conservative, accomplished businessman, honorable father (Papa Grizzly, if you will), and proven leader: Mitt Romney. Any and all are welcome here at MRC to chat with other grassroots supporters and join in our effort to make Barrack Obama a one-term President.

For those wondering, Gov. Palin broke the news to her supporters in an email earlier today. Here’s what she said:

After much prayer and serious consideration, I have decided that I will not be seeking the 2012 GOP nomination for President of the United States. As always, my family comes first and obviously Todd and I put great consideration into family life before making this decision. When we serve, we devote ourselves to God, family and country. My decision maintains this order.

My decision is based upon a review of what common sense Conservatives and Independents have accomplished, especially over the last year. I believe that at this time I can be more effective in a decisive role to help elect other true public servants to office – from the nation’s governors to Congressional seats and the Presidency. We need to continue to actively and aggressively help those who will stop the “fundamental transformation” of our nation and instead seek the restoration of our greatness, our goodness and our constitutional republic based on the rule of law.

From the bottom of my heart I thank those who have supported me and defended my record throughout the years, and encouraged me to run for President. Know that by working together we can bring this country back – and as I’ve always said, one doesn’t need a title to help do it.

I will continue driving the discussion for freedom and free markets, including in the race for President where our candidates must embrace immediate action toward energy independence through domestic resource developments of conventional energy sources, along with renewables. We must reduce tax burdens and onerous regulations that kill American industry, and our candidates must always push to minimize government to strengthen the economy and allow the private sector to create jobs.

Those will be our priorities so Americans can be confident that a smaller, smarter government that is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people can better serve this most exceptional nation.

In the coming weeks I will help coordinate strategies to assist in replacing the President, re-taking the Senate, and maintaining the House.
Thank you again for all your support. Let’s unite to restore this country!

God bless America.

– Sarah Palin

-Luke G.

Virginia Poll: Romney 45%, Obama 37%

By Jayde Wyatt | September 27, 2011 - 3:02 PM | 2012 Election, Barack Obama, Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, Polls, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Sarah Palin 1 views

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Polling from Republican Governor Bob McDonnell’s state – Virginia…

Good news for Mitt Romney. Bad news for Barack Obama:

RICHMOND, Va. – Sept 26, 2011
Yet another poll shows President Barack Obama imperiled in Virginia heading toward the 2012 presidential election.

Republican candidate Mitt Romney leads the president 45 percent to 37 percent, according to a new Roanoke College poll of likely Virginia voters. Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Obama are in a statistical dead heat with Perry at 42 percent to Obama’s 40 percent, the poll shows.
[...]
“President Obama’s campaign has to be concerned about the possibility of losing Virginia in 2012 after putting the state in the Democratic column in 2008,” said Harry Wilson, the director of the Institute for Policy and Opinion Research at Roanoke College. “He not only trails the generic Republican candidate, but he is also currently behind the two front-runners for the Republican nomination.”

Obama is ahead of other Republican candidates like Michele Bachmann (46 percent to 35 percent), Ron Paul(43 percent to 33 percent), and Sarah Palin (50 percent to 31 percent).

A Quinnipiac University poll released last week showed 54 percent of registered voters here disapprove of Obama’s job performance, while 40 percent approve. More than half of those polled felt he did not deserve another four years in office.

The Roanoke College poll matched that, showing a 54 percent disapproval rating and a 39 percent approval.

(emphasis added )

► Jayde Wyatt

Public Policy Polling: Romney Preferred Over Perry in South Carolina

By Jayde Wyatt | September 1, 2011 - 3:43 PM | 2012 Election, Barack Obama, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Polls, Rick Perry, Sarah Palin 1 views

3 Comments

We’ve got results from another poll today – Public Policy Polling.

We like it!

Romney outperforms Perry in South Carolina

As long as the Republicans nominate one of their co-front runners, Mitt Romney or Rick Perry, they’re likely to keep South Carolina in their column pretty easily next year. That’s no surprise. What makes the Presidential numbers in the Palmetto State more interesting though is that despite Perry being the overwhelming favorite of Republican primary voters in the state, Romney actually does 7 points better than him against Barack Obama.

Romney leads Obama by 15 points, 53-38, while Perry’s lead is only 8 points, at 49-41. They win Republicans by almost identical margins- 91-4 for Romney and 89-4 for Perry. And they lose Democrats by pretty identical margins too- an 88-9 deficit for Perry, an 86-10 one for Romney. But the real disparity is with independent voters. Romney leads Obama by 16 points with them, 44-28. Perry wins them only narrowly by 3 points at 37-34. This has been a theme in our recent polling. GOP voters like Perry better than Romney. But independents are a lot more willing to vote for Romney than Perry. In a state like South Carolina the 7 point difference between how Perry and Romney fare in the general doesn’t matter that much. In the Floridas and Ohios and Virginias of the world it matters a lot. It’s going to be interesting to see whether the gap continues and whether Romney has any luck making an electability argument with Republicans voters if it does.

Obama’s actually pretty competitive with the other three Republicans we tested head to head with him in South Carolina. He ties Sarah Palin at 45% and ties Michele Bachmann at 44% as well, while trailing Newt Gingrich by only a single point at 45-44. He leads all 3 of them by double digits with independent voters.

(emphasis added)

Check out how Romney fares against Obama… SWEET!

H/t Karen

► Jayde Wyatt

The Political Soda Can: Will Mitt Romney Fizz or Fizzle?

By Jayde Wyatt | August 31, 2011 - 8:55 AM | 2012 Election, Conservatives, Debate, GOP, Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, New Hampshire, Rick Perry, Sarah Palin, Tea Party 1 views

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Almost overnight the political soda can has been shaken and the top has popped off. The question talking heads are asking is: Will Mitt Romney fizz or fizzle?

● Inside the political soda can…

Governor Mitt Romney re-worked his schedule so he could participate in Senator Jim Demint’s Palmetto Freedom Forum, likewise on taking part in a Labor Day Tea Party Express Rally. Then, Governor Sarah Palin announced she will also be at the same Tea Party rally (glad to hear she’ll be there) and *Freedom Works has decided to protest Romney’s appearance at the Tea Party. In the meantime, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) told the Tea Party folks where to go and unvetted Rick Perry remains in the spotlight.

Romney said he’d shift gears when August became a summer memory. That’s exactly what he’s doing. There’s a whole lot of speculation going on out there on how he adapts to the present GOP carbonation:

Rick Perry’s surge in the polls is prompting some high-profile Mitt Romney backers to urge the former Massachusetts governor to step up his efforts before it’s too late.

Romney’s high command said that was always the plan – and that they expect to engage Perry during next month’s debates, which will usher in the stretch run of the GOP presidential campaign.

The former Massachusetts governor will also accelerate his pace starting this Labor Day weekend, say campaign officials.

Romney will attend a Tea Party rally in Concord, New Hampshire, on Sunday, a Monday morning pancake breakfast in Manchester and then fly to South Carolina to attend a candidate forum put on by Sen. Jim DeMint.

Romney had originally indicated he would not attend the DeMint event, but he changed his mind after having a conversation with the influential conservative.

“He’s a good friend and we wanted to do what we could to make it work,” said senior Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom of their change of heart. DeMint was a key Romney backer in 2008, but is holding out this election cycle. Romney’s reconsideration suggests that the South Carolinian hasn’t ruled out endorsing the former governor again.

Fehrnstrom said Romney will also conduct a more aggressive media strategy beginning next month, appearing more frequently on cable TV news and conducting local TV interviews in early primary states.

“You’ll see him take it up a notch,” said the adviser.

Further, Romney aides said the campaign plans to roll out more endorsements, and work internally to bolster their grassroots effort, identifying more committed voters and building coalitions.

September will also likely mark the first open skirmishing between Romney and Perry, as they prepare to face off, along with the rest of the GOP field, for the first time at three debates.

“A lot of the comparing and contrasting will take place on stage at the debates,” said Fehrnstrom, adding that Romney’s primary focus will still be “President Obama and his failures.”

But Romney officials believe it’s inevitable that they’ll clash with Perry – in part because the brash Texan will give them an opportunity.

“Perry will throw the first punch,” predicted a top Romney aide. “He can’t help himself.”

● Others weigh in…

“Perry has certainly changed the mix of the race,” said former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, a Romney supporter and fundraiser. “I do think [Romney] needs to step it up several notches. The low-key campaign has served well him well to this point, but coming out of Labor Day he needs to be a lot more aggressive. The low-profile strategy is not going to work this fall.”
[...]
“The world has changed in the primary,” said veteran GOP consultant Mike Murphy, who worked for Romney in his 2002 gubernatorial race. “They have to decide how and where they beat Perry. The passive strategy – where they have name ID and none of their opponents do – is not working anymore.”

● Playing it by ear…

But Romney’s gurus point to three important but as yet unknown factors to explain why they’re not ready to reach for their rifle.

As long as the final field remains uncertain, the caucus and primary calendar unset and Perry’s ability to hold up over a series of debates and heightened media scrutiny unknown, they say they’re reluctant to make any hard and fast strategic decisions.

In state-by-state terms, this means they’re going to keep playing wait-and-see in Iowa and South Carolina, where they’ve limited Romney’s presence this year, until it becomes more clear who will be in the mix.

Should Sarah Palin decide to run and Bachmann and Rick Santorum hang in the fight, for example, Iowa could be more appealing to Romney since the GOP’s social conservative bloc would be splintered among several candidates.

“It’s all a parlor game until you know who’s in,” said a senior Romney aide of Iowa.

● Romney is ready…

[...] Romney used an appearance at the national VFW convention in San Antonio, Perry’s backyard, to say: “Career politicians got us into this mess and they simply don’t know how to get us out.”

That’s the message his campaign will carry against Perry: the Texas governor is a government lifer who lived high on the public tab and doesn’t have the private-sector experience necessary to run the country.

“What career politician has done well with the Tea Party?” asked one Romney official.

The danger for Romney, however, is that if they don’t move soon it may be too late to dissuade conservatives from backing Perry.

“In general, most tea party activists are focused on big things, like the country heading in the wrong direction, the debt, or leaving behind a weaker nation than we inherited,” said unaligned GOP strategist Todd Harris. “That’s what matters to them most, and if a candidate is right on those things, activists can be awfully forgiving of everything else. The kinds of attacks that might sink another candidate are written off as just politics as usual and virtually ignored. Once tea party activists line up behind someone, they can be awfully hard to peel off.”

(emphasis added) Continue reading here.

● Mitt Romney is in solid alignment with Tea Party fundamentals. It’s up to us to ‘pop some tops’ because Romney is ready to ‘fizz’.

Contact Tea Party Express to let them know in a friendly way that you’re happy Governor Romney will be part of their ‘Reclaiming America’ bus tour and why he is worth listening to:

Website – http://www.teapartyexpress.org/

Contact – http://www.teapartyexpress.org/contact/

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/ourcountrypac

Twitter – http://twitter.com/#!/ourcountrypac

*Drop a line to Freedom Works, while you’re at it.

Contact – http://www.freedomworks.org/contact

Tweet from Tea Party Express:

All POTUS candidates have open invitation to TPX rallies. We have Bachmann, Romney, Gary Johnson…where is Paul, Cain, Perry, Gingrich etc?less than a minute ago via TweetDeck Favorite Retweet ReplyLR
TPXPress

► Jayde Wyatt

Reason-Rupe Natl Poll: Romney Tops Perry

By Jayde Wyatt | August 25, 2011 - 12:22 PM | 2012 Election, Chris Christie, Jon Huntsman Jr., Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Polls, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, Sarah Palin, Videos 1 views

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Governor Mitt Romney has the edge over Rick Perry in new Reason-Rupe Poll. Aug 25, 2011

We’re posting data today from a new poll today called the Reason-Rupe Poll. The poll is part of a project from the Reason Foundation to measure attitudes toward government.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney holds a 20 percent to 18 percent edge over Texas Gov. Rick Perry among Republicans and Republican-leaning voters in the latest Reason-Rupe Public Opinion Survey.

Two potential candidates not currently in the race, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (12%) and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (8%), placed third and fourth among Republicans asked to name whom they would favor if the GOP primary were held today. They were followed by Rep. Michele Bachmann (8%), Rep. Ron Paul (7%), Herman Cain (4%), Newt Gingrich (3%), former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (2%, but no longer in the race), former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (1%), former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum (<1%), and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson (<1%). Approximately 16% of Republican voters are undecided.

Emily Ekins, Reason Foundation polling director, discusses findings of the poll:

Responses to “If you were voting today in the 2012 Republican presidential primary, which one of the following candidates would you favor?”

Mitt Romney 20%
Rick Perry 18%
Sarah Palin 12%
Rudy Giuliani 8%
Michelle Bachmann 8%
Ron Paul 7%
Herman Cain 4%
Newt Gingrich 3%
Tim Pawlenty 2%
Jon Huntsman 1%
Rick Santorum <1%
Gary Johnson <1%
Undecided 16%

(emphasis added) Additional info here.

► Jayde Wyatt

Check out Mitt handle a tough question in the video posted below the fold (more…)

And the Winner of the 2011 Ames Straw Poll is… Michele Bachmann

By Rebel Ross | August 13, 2011 - 4:15 PM | 2012 Election, Herman Cain, Iowa, Jon Huntsman Jr., Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Polls, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty 1 views

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Michele Bachmann is the winner of the Ames Straw Poll.

On a day when Gov. Perry announced he’s running for President in South Carolina, Michele Bachmann has taken the top prize. Congratulations to Bachmann and her supporters, a hard-earned and well-deserved victory.

May the best candidate win when the actual votes are cast in 2012.

2011 Straw Poll Results (Note, this is the first time write-ins were ever accepted at Ames.):

1. Michele Bachmann – 4, 823 (28.55%)
2. Ron Paul – 4,671 (27.65%)
3. Tim Pawlenty – 2,293 (13.57%)
4. Rick Santorum – 1,657 (9.81%)
5. Herman Cain – 1,456 (8.62%)
6. Rick Perry – 718 (4.25%)
7. Mitt Romney – 567 (3.36%)
8. Newt Gingrich – 385 (2.28%)
9. Jon Huntsman – 69 (0.41%)
10. Thaddeus Mccotter – 35 (0.21%)

162 votes were ‘scattered’ (0.96%).

Tweet from Governor Romney:

Congratulations to Michele Bachmann for winning the Iowa GOP’s straw poll. Look forward to crossing paths on the campaign trailless than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet ReplyMitt Romney
MittRomney

2007 Ames Straw Poll results:

1 Mitt Romney 4,516 votes or 31.6%
2 Mike Huckabee 2,587 votes or 18.1%
3 Sam Brownback 2,192 votes or 15.3%
4 Tom Tancredo 1,961 votes or 13.7%
5 Ron Paul 1,305 votes or 9.1%
6 Tommy Thompson 1,039 votes or 7.3%
7 Fred Thompson 203 votes or 1.4%
8 Rudy Giuliani 183 votes or 1.3%
9 Duncan Hunter 174 votes or 1.2%
10 John McCain 101 votes or 0.7%
11 John H. Cox 41 votes or 0.3%

Since Mitt didn’t pay for any tickets for his supporters this year, I think it’s very telling that he still garnered more votes than Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani, and John McCain did combined when they didn’t compete in the 2007 Ames straw poll.

UPDATE: A married couple, who supported Mitt during the 2007 Ames Straw Poll, showed up to vote today wearing the yellow t-shirts he handed out four years ago:

Jacqui Norman and her husband were both sporting yellow Romney t-shirts left over from a different time four years ago, when Romney was focused like a laser on winning the Ames straw poll.

“We’ve had lots of people come up and ask us where we got our t-shirts, because they wanted to find them,” said Norman, a 40-year-old from Ames who volunteered for Romney’s previous campaign. “We had a couple dozen stickers left over, so we gave those to some people.”

'Iowans for Romney' 2007

Team Romney at Ames, Iowa Aug 11, 2007

Some Predictions and an Opportunity to Make Your Voice Heard

By Rebel Ross | August 10, 2011 - 10:41 AM | 2012 Election, Herman Cain, Iowa, Jon Huntsman Jr., Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, Sarah Palin, Social Media, Tim Pawlenty 1 views

7 Comments

Romney Wins Ames 2007

Gov. Romney is taking part in at least three events in Iowa today leading up to the Fox News/Iowa GOP debate tomorrow. Mitt is attending a house party hosted by Nick Van Patten and Tommy and Jessica Ghrist in Des Moines. He is also hosting a business roundtable at Vermeer Corporation at 1210 East Vermeer Road, Pella, Iowa at noon, and Mitt is speaking at a Polk County Republicans Fundraiser at 6020 SW McKinley Ave., Des Moines, Iowa at 5:30 tonight. Tomorrow, Mitt will stop in at the Iowa State Fair before attending a nationally televised debate at the campus of Iowa State University.

However, Mitt will be in New Hampshire on Saturday during the Ames straw poll which is consistent with his pledge not to compete in any straw polls. He is focusing all of his resources on highlighting the failures of President Obama and not on fighting fellow republicans. Knowing that no resources have been devoted to the Ames straw poll and that the Ames straw poll is widely recognized as being a fundraiser for the Iowa GOP (Mitt’s F&SA PAC and campaigns have donated generously to the Iowa GOP the last several years) in which the most amount of money/organization almost always wins the day, here are my predictions for the Ames straw poll:

1. Bachmann (My guess is undecideds will break her way to try to make sure Ron Paul doesn’t win)
2. Paul (his supporters have literally been organizing for this for years and a lot of resources are being devoted)
3. Pawlenty (Easily spending the most amount of money, but the enthusiasm gap should put Paul and Bachmann over the top)
4. Santorum (nobody has done more events in Iowa this year)
5. Cain (Usually does spectacular in straw polls he speaks at, but lack of resources and manpower will hurt him)
6. Perry (will be penalized for upstaging the poll by his announcement of intentions in South Carolina during the Ames poll)
7. Romney (7th is perhaps a bit optimistic all things considered, but his debate performance and 2008 campaign should help a bit. Not paying for any supporters tickets will hurt a ton.)
8. Gingrich (will this be the final nail in his campaign coffin?)
9. Palin (write in ballots only)
10. Johnson (maybe the end of his campaign as well)
11. McCotter (not in the debate)
12. Roemer
13. Huntsman (has completely written off Iowa and has virtually no base in Iowa)
14. others

Who will win Thursday’s debate (based on media and social network buzz)?

1. Romney
2. Bachmann
3. Pawlenty
4. Paul

What will Rick Perry Announce on Saturday?
That he’s running for President

Who will drop out within a week or two of the Ames straw poll?

Herman Cain and Gary Johnson

Out of everyone who hasn’t announced yet, who actually will?

Rick Perry only

Make your predictions about this or anything else you can think of in the comment section. Hopefully we get enough comments to put together results before the end of the debate tomorrow. Stop by during the debate (8 PM EST- 10) for a live chat tomorrow.

UPDATE Sarah Palin is reportedly bringing her bus tour to Ames in time for the straw poll. How much will that affect her straw poll results?

Watch an impressive new video showcasing how President Obama has failed America below the fold (more…)

Debt Ceiling Dog Pile on Romney Misguided

By Jayde Wyatt | August 4, 2011 - 6:46 PM | 2012 Election, Barack Obama, Debt, Deficit Spending, Economy, GOP, Jon Huntsman Jr., Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin, Videos 1 views

11 Comments

As we head into the dog days of summer, talking heads and a few Romney rivals jumped on the chance to drive headlines. They decided it was time to dog pile on The Gov:

Romney Silent on Debt Ceiling ● Romney’s Debt Ceiling Absence ● Where was Romney?

Opinionators on the left and right yipped about Romney. Low-in-the-polls presidential opponents created a bone to pick: Jon Huntsman accused Romney of “zero leadership” and Ron Paul, via his son Rand, also jumped in. Sarah Palin (who isn’t a presidential candidate) wagged her finger at Romney last night on FOX News’ Hannity (see video):

“Bless his heart, I have respect for Mitt Romney, but I do not have respect for what he has done through this debt increase debate,” she said. “He waited until it was a done deal that we would increase the debt ceiling and more money would be spent, more money would be borrowed and spent on bigger government, and then he came out and made a statement that he didn’t like the deal after all. You can’t defer an issue and assume that the problem is then going to be avoided.”

▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬

Critics barking up the debt-ceiling tree regarding Romney are wrong… He DID speak out:

June 29, 2011 – The Hill:
Mitt Romney will sign DeMint’s ‘Cut, Cap and Balance’ pledge

Romney indicated on Capitol Hill that he’s a supporter of the new “Cut, Cap and Balance” pledge, and his campaign confirmed Wednesday that he intends to sign it.

Romney’s name means that Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) is the only announced presidential candidate not to have signed it aside from former Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman (R), who has sworn off all pledges.
[...]
DeMint has said he wouldn’t endorse any figure who doesn’t sign the pledge, and he’s already ruled out backing Huntsman.

June 30, 2011 NPR.org – Romney signs Cut, Cap, and Balance Bill

Mitt Romney, frontrunner for the Republican 2011 presidential nomination, just signed the newest of the Republican fiscal pledges, the “Cut, Cap and Balance” vow supported by a coalition of conservative groups.

The pledge calls for its signers to oppose raising the debt ceiling unless legislation passes that requires deep spending cuts, enforceable spending caps and a balanced-budget amendment.

With Romney signing the pledge, at least six of the presidential candidates have now agreed to sign the pact. As of this writing, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Jon Huntsman Jr., the former Utah governor, have yet to sign. The former said she was reviewing it, the latter deciding against it.

July 14, 2011 The Washington Post – Romney elaborates:

Calling the debt-ceiling deadline in Washington an “emergency,” Republican Mitt Romney said Thursday he would raise the nation’s debt limit if spending is cut and capped and if a balanced budget amendment is passed.

“The answer for the country is for the president to agree to cut fed spending, to cap fed spending and to put in place a balanced budget amendment,” Romney said in a question and answer session at a meeting Thursday of the Portsmouth Rotary. “For me, that’s the line in the sand. Come on, Mr. President.”
[...]
He said Thursday he would make cuts to discretionary spending. “I’d divide that between those things we have to do and those things we don’t have to do. And those things we don’t have to do, I’d cut pretty dramatically,” he said.

As Romney began his remarks, he took at jab at President Obama.

“Did you see I got a big plate of peas? I ate all my peas,” he said, referring to Obama’s comment that it was time to “eat our peas” on the debt. “Now it’s the president’s turn to cut federal spending.”

After all the President’s posturing, the congressional chaos, the Democrat dithering, the Republican revisions, the House hammering, the Senate stipulations, the back and forth stick-chasing – all compressed into an eleventh hour crunch – a final bill was presented.

August 1, 2011 MittRomney.com:
MITT ROMNEY ISSUES STATEMENT ON DEBT CEILING DEAL

Mitt Romney today issued the following statement on the deal to raise the debt ceiling:

“As president, my plan would have produced a budget that was cut, capped and balanced – not one that opens the door to higher taxes and puts defense cuts on the table. President Obama’s leadership failure has pushed the economy to the brink at the eleventh hour and 59th minute. While I appreciate the extraordinarily difficult situation President Obama’s lack of leadership has placed Republican Members of Congress in, I personally cannot support this deal.”

(emphasis added)

▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬

Republican strategist Ron Bonjean said Romney “played the issue just right.”

“Washington, D.C., right now is like political quicksand for 2012 political candidates.”

Romney’s position on the debt ceiling issue is consistent with previous positions. His 2008 presidential campaign theme was ‘Washington is Broken’ which was so spot-on it startled politicos. He repeatedly called for fiscal responsibility. Do you remember Romney’s oft-repeated warning of ‘the rising Chinese tiger’?

Gov Romney has written extensively about U.S. economics and debt in his book ‘No Apology’ (authored by himself). Entire chapters cover: The Pursuit of the Difficult, Why Nations Decline, Pathways of American Power, A Free and Productive Economy, The Worst Generation – which includes The Political Shell Game, and The Entitlement Nightmare wherein he discusses Medicare, Medicaid, social security, and our mountain of debt. His book also includes a chapter on resolving America’s energy issues.

Romney clearly stated his position on the debt-ceiling debate. What he didn’t do is grandstand the issue. He didn’t foolishly comment on rapidly changing negotiations in which he had no part.

He let elected officials do what they were elected to do – work out a solution. Once they stopped chasing their tails, Romney couldn’t support the compromise because it did not meet the standards he had clearly stated. He is committed to bringing economic sanity and JOBS back to America. In light of the disastrous stock market news today, Romney’s message couldn’t be more timely.

Nevertheless, dog-eat-dog season has begun.

► Jayde Wyatt

PPP: GOP’s Best Bet to Defeat Obama is Mitt Romney

By Jayde Wyatt | August 3, 2011 - 2:41 PM | 2012 Election, Barack Obama, Herman Cain, Jon Huntsman Jr., Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, Nevada, New Hampshire, Newt Gingrich, Pennsylvania, Ron Paul, Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty 1 views

3 Comments

Public Policy Polling asks “Does the GOP need Romney to win?”

PPP research in Nevada, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Virginia, Michigan, and North Carolina reveals the answer…

A broad theme has been emerging in our state by state Presidential polling over the last couple months: if the Republicans nominate Mitt Romney it’s a toss up. And if they nominate anyone else it’s 2008 all over again. Our newest Nevada numbers very much reinforce that trend.

Barack Obama took the Silver State by 12 points in his first run. But if he had to stand for reelection today he’d be in a very competitive race against Romney, leading only 47-46 in the state. Pit him against any of the other Republicans there though and the numbers look pretty similar to last time- 9 point advantages over Herman Cain and Rick Perry at 48-39 and 49-40 respectively, a 10 point lead over Michele Bachmann at 50-40, and a 12 point advantage over Sarah Palin at 51-39.

Over the last month we’ve had similar findings in:

-Pennsylvania, where Obama is tied with Romney but leads all other Republicans by at least 7 points.

-New Hampshire, where Romney leads Obama by 2 points but all other Republicans trails Obama by at least 7.

-Virginia, where Obama leads Romney by 4 but has at least a 9 point advantage over all the rest of the GOP hopefuls.

-Michigan, where Obama has a 5 point advantage over Romney but at least a 15 point lead over everyone else.

-North Carolina, where the disparity between Romney and the rest of the Republicans isn’t quite as great. Obama and Romney are tied while Obama leads all the others by at least 3 points.

Taken all together it makes you ask the question: do Republicans have to nominate Romney to defeat Obama next year?
[...]
Obama’s holding his ground against everyone but Romney in Nevada because voters there find the whole GOP field even more unpalatable than him. Romney comes close to breaking even on favorability at 38/43 but the rest of the Republicans are quite unpopular- a -9 spread for Cain at 24/33, a -12 for Perry at 24/36, a -21 for Bachmann at 30/51, and a -28 for Palin at 32/60.

(emphasis added)

Read complete details here.

Considering ALL the media exposure Obama receives and that Romney, as the presumptive front runner, is taking hits from all sides, and that The Gov is just now shifting his presidential campaign into higher gear, our man Mitt is doing pretty darn well against our bully pulpit President.

H/t Lori
► Jayde Wyatt