Following this past Christmas, reports surfaced of a meeting by prominent national evangelical leaders to be held in Texas sometime in January. You will recall this meeting involved over 150 people at a ranch outside Houston, January 15th. The ostensible purpose of the meeting was to caucus and select one of the presidential candidates behind which all voters could unite — in effect, to choose the one “non-Romney” candidate that they thought could best defeat Romney. Fascinating!

As with any caucus, some were prepared to stand and persuade others to vote for the candidate they believed to be the best to select as the Republican nominee for President.

One of those leaders present that day, at the ranch outside Houston, was nationally known and highly respected Mark DeMoss, a prominent Evangelical. Mr. DeMoss stood for Governor Mitt Romney.

Though I have never met Mr. DeMoss and therefore do not know him, I can only imagine that his remarks to this body required a tremendous amount of courage, especially with the understanding that the vast majority of those present were intent on selecting a candidate they believed could best oppose, and therefore defeat Governor Romney! For this one act alone, I have tremendous admiration and respect for Mark DeMoss. I strongly believe that Mitt Romney will be the next President of the United States — if so, I believe that history will hold Mark DeMoss out as a true American patriot in the stature of any this nation’s finest patriots of the past and present.

I am most grateful that Mr. DeMoss granted MittRomneyCentral.com the privilege of publishing his remarks to the group of 150+ Evangelicals exactly one week ago today. When I requested “an editorial” from Mr. DeMoss through our friend, John Schroeder of Article VI Blog, I never dreamed I would receive his remarks to the other evangelical leaders at the ranch that day.

Mark DeMoss’s speech that day is published below in its entirety — unedited.

[Almost exactly one year ago, Nate Gunderson published this outstanding article by Mark DeMoss that received over 2,300 views and 33 comments]

Mark DeMoss founded The DeMoss Group in 1991, and since then he has served some of the world’s most prominent and effective Christian ministries and enterprises. Mark has been involved in shaping some of the largest Christian events and campaigns over the past decade while simultaneously overseeing the growth of his firm. He has extensive media relations experience with both religious and mainstream media and provides particular expertise to clients in crisis/issues management and communications. Mark provides primary public relations counsel and strategic planning for The DeMoss Group. His first book, The Little Red Book of Wisdom, was published in 2007.

Favorite DeMoss Group Core Value > We demonstrate uncommon integrity.

REMARKS to HOUSTON EVENT January 13-14, 2012

By Mark DeMoss

In the summer of 2006 I began a search for the perfect presidential candidate. I’m here to tell you: I still haven’t found him—or her.

But I would suggest, neither have you—because there simply is no such thing. Just as there’s no such thing as the perfect employee, teacher, or pastor. None of us can find another person—including a spouse—with whom we agree on everything.

However, I’ll tell you what I did find that summer of ‘06. I found one of the most remarkable men and families I have ever met or known in Mitt Romney, his wife Ann, and their five sons. Governor Romney was my choice for president in ’08, and he remains my choice today. I didn’t arrive at this decision lightly.

So how did I, as a conservative and an evangelical, land on Mitt Romney? After reading all I could find and talking to people who knew him, I went to see him and told him I’d like to help him. I also told him he couldn’t pay me—ever.

I have a three-part litmus test for choosing a presidential candidate:

1. He/she must share my values (not necessarily my faith or theology)

2. He/she must be competent to lead and govern should they actually get elected.

3. He/she must be capable of getting elected.

So let me talk for a few minutes about values, competence and electability.

VALUES

• First, while I am not interested in (nor worried about) giving platform to Mormon theology, I think this country would benefit from a good dose of Mormon values. Their overwhelming commitment to marriage, family, hard work, honesty, integrity, morality and character is something to be admired and modeled. Frankly, this church’s record in this area often outperforms ours in many ways. (I was reminded about this again just last weekend while watching one of our fallen evangelical leaders starring in ABC’s reality show Wife Swap.)

  I’ve been in the Romney home numerous times. I’ve been with Mitt in offices, holding rooms, hotel rooms, restaurants, cars and planes all across this country and everything about him is real. I’ve gotten to know dozens of his friends, colleagues and advisors. I’ve even attended his church.

  His marriage of 42 years is rock solid, and I’ll tell you this: I don’t worry about waking up one day to a headline about Mitt Romney like we have been saddened to hear about leaders among our own ranks like Gov. Mark Sanford, Sen. John Ensign, Sen. David Vitter, and countless pastors.

• Gov. Romney has fought hard for values we care deeply about. For example, he immediately condemned the November 2003 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage in his state, and then lobbied hard for a constitutional amendment protecting traditional marriage.
• Keep in mind; Mitt had an 85% Democratic legislature in Massachusetts. This is an important point, which I think is either unknown or lost on many conservative critics. An 85% opposition legislature means bills and measures the governor proposed could be changed at will. It also means measures he vetoed could be overridden at will.

  (By the way, Mitt cast 800 vetoes as governor of Massachusetts—that’s one veto every day-and-a-half for four years.)

  Finally, it means he had to know how to work constructively with people on
  the other side, which is something we could use more of today.

  So when you hear Mitt Romney did something as governor you don’t like, take a minute to find out if he did it, or an 85% Democratic majority did it over his best efforts and objections. A fair and honest assessment of his record requires this.

• Under his leadership, Massachusetts’ public schools began offering middle school classroom programs on abstinence from a faith-based organization.
• As governor, Mitt Romney vetoed bills providing access to the “morning¬after pill” and for expansive, embryo-destroying stem cell research.
• He staunchly defended the right of the Catholic Charities of Boston to refuse to allow homosexual couples to adopt children in its care, and filed a bill to protect such religious liberty.
• National Review political reporter John Miller wrote that, “a good case can be made that Romney has fought harder for social conservatives than any other governor in America, and it is difficult to imagine his doing so in a more daunting environment.”
• Listen to what one notable Republican had to say about Mitt Romney.

  “In a few short days, Republicans from across this country will decide more than their party’s nominee. They will decide the very future of our party and the conservative coalition that Ronald Reagan built. Conservatives can no longer afford to stand on the sidelines in this election, and Governor Romney is the candidate who will stand up for the conservative principles that we hold dear. Governor Romney has a deep understanding of the important issues confronting our country today, and he is the clear conservative candidate that can go into the general election with a united Republican party.”

  Who said this? Rick Santorum did when he endorsed and campaigned for Mitt just four years ago. Nothing in Mitt Romney’s record, speech, or life has changed since Sen. Santorum offered that endorsement, which, knowing the senator, I believe was offered seriously, genuinely, and as a matter of real conviction.

• I have concluded that Mitt Romney’s values more closely resemble my own than any president in my lifetime.

Read more…

Thanks to John Schroeder of Article VI Blog for connecting Mitt Romney Central with Timothy Dalrymple. The following open letter is another outstanding endorsement of Governor Romney as the candidate best suited to represent conservative values as our President of the United States. Tim’s three main arguments below are compelling, especially regarding Governor Romney’s moral leadership.

Timothy Dalrymple is the Director of Content for Patheos.com, the largest religion website in the country, and the managing editor of its Evangelical Portal. He earned his Ph.D. in modern western religious thought at Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and contributes to Evangelicals for Mitt. Raised in non-denominational evangelical churches in California, Dalrymple has ministry experience in youth ministry, college ministry, prison chaplaincy, teaching apologetics, and leading overseas missions. Formerly of Boston, he is now a member of Perimeter Church in Johns Creek, Georgia. You can follow him at Philosophical Fragments or Facebook.

See the just-released ebook from Evangelicals for Mitt for a comprehensive explanation of why Romney is the best positioned to represent evangelicals’ values in the White House.

By Timothy Dalrymple

Dear Mitt Romney skeptics, and especially my fellow evangelicals,

Do you remember how it felt when the economy began to implode in those anxious, waning months of 2008? We were coming down to the wire in the election contest, and the candidates we had to choose between were Barack Obama and John McCain. Given the choices, of course, I supported McCain. I still think he would have made a far better President than Obama has proven to be.

But as the very foundations of the American economy were shaking and falling away beneath our feet, and we faced the very real possibility of a Second Great Depression, how desperately I wished that Mitt Romney had emerged from the primary as the champion of the GOP. The presiding President and his party took the heat for the financial crisis, and McCain worsened the situation when his actions and statements inspired no confidence in his stability and expertise on economic matters. The election turned in Obama’s favor when he gave the impression of solidity and strength in the economic crisis.

Romney, however, had something Obama couldn’t even begin to claim: a brilliantly successful career in the private sector, and a world of experience specifically in the financial sector, where our most intractable problems lay. Between McCain and Romney, Romney was touted by the conservative commentariat as the conservative option, and I remember feeling as though the liberal media, independents and even some Democrats who were able to vote in primaries had shoehorned John McCain onto the GOP ticket. If Romney had been at the top of the ticket instead, I still believe we would have avoided the lamentable Obama Presidency; compared to a business titan, Obama would have looked like the inexperienced pretender that he was, and he could not have stood up to Romney’s economic expertise in the debates.

Well, we’re still in the midst of an incredible mess as a country. Our financial house is in shambles. Tax reform, regulatory reform, streamlining government, changes to our energy and immigration policies, will all help. But the character of the American people, the moral substructure that provides the necessary, nurturing environment for our democratic free market, has also disintegrated. Our problem is not merely political; it is also cultural. I am convinced of this with every bone in my body: We need to rediscover the virtues of the free market, and we also need to rediscover the economic virtues. On the one hand, we need a President who understands how companies grow and flourish, who understands how the economy works and what provides the predictability and clarity and the space for innovation that the market demands; Romney’s experience in venture capital, properly understood, is one of his truest strengths, because the venture capitalist learns a great deal about what kinds of ventures succeed and what kinds of capital they need. On the other hand, we need someone whose personal integrity and whose socio-political principles will strengthen the family, enrich the workforce, and restore our collective commitment to responsibility and initiative, stewardship and thrift, diligence and creativity.

I’ve written responses to some common misconceptions about Romney and his candidacy – and a long, specifically evangelical case for Mitt can be found in this ebook. The purpose of this letter is simply to set forth, in broad outlines, why I think Romney’s the right guy at the right time for this country. The Presidency is a position of enormously important economic, global and moral leadership. In all three of those areas, I firmly believe that Mitt Romney is the leader we need. He also, not coincidentally, stands the best chance of defeating Barack Obama — and if there’s one thing conservatives agree upon right now, it’s the profound importance of installing new leadership. As the country staggers toward decline, we need someone who can pick us up, rally the American people behind a positive and hopeful vision, and deploy all of his intelligence and experience and skill to move us toward a better future. That’s Mitt.

Economic and Global Leadership

Those who know him personally attest, without exception, that Romney is an extraordinarily intelligent, boundlessly competent, and thoroughly hard-working man. He built a towering reputation in the business world, accomplished a near-miraculous turnaround of the Salt Lake City Olympics (which was mired in scandal and red ink and on the verge of collapsing), and took an extremely liberal state (Massachusetts) that was deeply in debt and restored it to fiscal health and a budget surplus in the course of four years.

In the business world, Romney specialized in turning around failing companies, and he did so with great success. Sometimes, yes, that means eliminating jobs — but in most cases you’re eliminating jobs in order to avoid eliminating a company in its entirety. You make companies more profitable, more competitive, and thus more sustainable. You eliminate jobs now so that you can keep paying the salaries of those who remain, and ideally add more jobs again later. In other words, sometimes the most pro-jobs thing you can do is cut one job and save the company that employs ninety-nine more.

Read more…

There is a lot of talk these days about how Mitt Romney is a so-called “Massachusetts moderate” and how other candidates are trying to be the “conservative alternative” to Gov. Romney. Some even compare Mitt Romney to John McCain’s candidacy of 2008.

One very conservative and influential magazine called ‘The Weekly Standard,’ whose editor (Bill Krystol) is a regular panelist on Fox News Sunday, looked into the issue. The conclusion that they found is that Romney is “no moderate,” in fact:

“Romney is at least as conservative as his GOP rivals on jettisoning Obamacare and more conservative than some on entitlements, national security, and immigration. He’s no match for Gingrich on taxes, but that’s about it. Overall, he’s to the right of Gingrich.”

The article goes on to say that in regard to the top four most pressing issues of the day (namely Immigration, Tax Reform, Health Care, and Military Defense spending), Romney is “anything but moderate.”

“On four of the biggest issues in 2012, Romney is anything but moderate—or timid. He gets no special credit for advocating repeal of Obamacare. That’s Republican dogma. But he’s been the most specific among the GOP presidential candidates in backing the Ryan budget in all its parts, including its remake of Medicare. It was House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan’s plan that Gingrich zinged as “right wing social engineering” before reversing himself under duress.

When Romney announced in November his own proposal for cutting spending and reforming Medicare and Social Security, Paul Ryan was thrilled. “Look at what he put out!” he told Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post. “This is a great development.” Ryan said Romney’s package of spending cuts “tracks perfectly with the House budget,” which Ryan had drafted.”

Further Evidence

Further evidence of Romney’s conservative credentials is the fact that Romney made history in New Hampshire’s vote last week. Not only was he the first non-incumbent Republican to win both Iowa and New Hampshire, but in New Hamphire Romney got more votes from self-identified Republican voters than any other Republican candidate in history. Here is a brief summary on how New Hampshire Republicans voted:

“Mitt picked up 49% of GOP voters. Romney’s 49 percent is the highest mark among self-identified Republicans for any presidential candidate since New Hampshire moved its primary forward in the calendar.

Contrast that with John McCain, with whom he’s often compared as a squishy moderate with problems with Republicans.

McCain is the only candidate since 1980 to win New Hampshire even as he lost among self-identified Republicans.

That means McCain was essentially the worst winner with Republicans in New Hampshire over the past 30 years, while Romney was the best.”

As the Weekly Standard and polls from New Hampshire show, Romney is no moderate. He is a solid conservative. Strikingly, Romney is getting equal support from both conservatives and moderates among the voters and also from among congressmen and Governors who have endorsed Romney. Part of Romney’s strength is that he is a conservative that also appeals strongly to independents. That sounds like the kind of candidate we need running for the White House. 

Read more…

Recently, I extended the invitation to a fellow Californian who will again vote for President Obama. Her name is Pauline Kejmar and she lives in Redlands — she is a Democrat. Her grandson Drew is my son-in-law.

There are still ardent supporters of President Obama and Pauline is one. Through Drew, I asked her if she would give me a TOP 10 list of reasons she believes President Obama is superior to Governor Romney as POTUS and why she plans to support Obama again.

You may ask why I would post subject matter of this type in a grassroots forum such as MittRomneyCentral. My reasoning is that it provides a simple glimpse into the mind of one Democrat and if we are successful here at MRC, we should be able to appeal to the Blue Dog Democrat as well as to the Independent voter (Americans all). To do so, we need to understand their motivations and expectations. I presume that Pauline is far from being a disaffected Democrat as her views below seem to align well with the more liberal wing of the Democrat party.

Governor Huntsman’s likely endorsement of Governor Romney today is the first of four hopefully, which will shift the focus of the campaign away from the Republican competitors to President Obama. WELCOME to any and all supporters of Governor Huntsman and to any of the supporters of Gingrich, Santorum, and Perry who are hoping to join a winning, organized, strong movement to restore America’s standing! Welcome to you!

It is too early to predict of course, but Romney could be on course to beat Reagan’s 1980 win over Carter — impressive indeed. In that race, Reagan won 44 states and 489 electoral votes to Carter’s six states (plus DC) and 49 electoral votes, and America is in far worse shape today. I remember those days. Reagan entered office with a mandate, in part because of Democrats that crossed over to vote for him. By the way, are any of you as sick and tired as I am of hearing Mr. Gingrich invoke the name of Ronald Reagan at every turn? I wish I could ask President Reagan his candid opinion of Gingrich!

REQUEST: For any of our readers that voted for Obama who became disillusioned with the direction his lack of leadership has taken America, and who is seriously considering a vote for Governor Romney this time (should he be the Republican nominee), please leave a comment as to why. I may contact you later to invite you to elaborate in a guest post — if you would like.

Following is one Democrat’s opinion as to why President Obama is the superior candidate for POTUS.

By Pauline Kejmar

Ten Reasons why I would vote for Obama over Romney

I. He is better able to bridge the increasing gap between the rich and the poor in this country.

2. He has been very successful in fighting terrorism with the killing of Bin Laden and many other top Al Qaeda leaders and operatives.

3. He fights for consumer financial protection such as regulating credit card fees.

4. He would be less likely to lead us into a armed conflict with Iran using sanctions and cooperation with other allies.

5. He was able to help get Gaddafi out of Libya without using U.S. ground troops.

6. He would be tougher on environmental protection because he believes in global warming.

7. Has a sensible approach to immigration. Illegal immigration numbers have decreased under Obama and deportation of illegal criminals has increased. He has a concern for those young people brought here at an early age to receive a path to legalization.

8. He has brought an end to the nine years of war in Iraq and sent our troops home. He is drawing down in Afghanistan after ten years.

2ND REQUEST: Please leave a comment to this post if you voted for Barack Obama in 2008 but are seriously considering a completely opposite approach by voting for Governor Romney, should he win the nomination. Also, let me know if you would be interested in expounding upon your views and opinions in a guest post to help other readers that have similar concerns. If so, I will contact you via email.

The Palmetto State is pulsing with political electricity and Governor Mitt Romney keeps generating sparks. He had a great day on the campaign trail today at the University of South Carolina in Aiken. Also, a group of SC veterans announced their support for The Gov. *He held a fantastic event for them on Hilton Head:

“I am proud to receive the endorsement of these South Carolina veterans who have selflessly and bravely fought to keep our nation safe and defend our American way of life,” said Mitt Romney. “We must continue to support all of those who have served our nation as we work to preserve those very freedoms that our veterans and troops have fought to defend.”

“Mitt Romney has been a strong advocate for veterans and will work to ensure that those who have heroically sacrificed for our country receive the care that they deserve,” said Lt. General Bud Watts, former President of the Citadel. “We need a Commander-in-Chief who will support our veterans and troops, strengthen our military, and strengthen our national defense. Mitt Romney believes in America and in the founding principles that make our country great, and he is the kind of steadfast leader we need during these challenging times.”

(emphasis added)

South Carolina veterans supporting Mitt Romney for President:

General Alfred Hansen, U.S. Air Force, Ret.
Lieutenant General Claudius “Bud” Watts, U.S. Air Force, Ret.
Major General Darwin Simpson, U.S. Army National Guard, Ret.
Major General Stan Spears, U.S. Army National Guard, Ret., Former Adjutant General of South Carolina
Colonel Fareed Betros, U.S. Army, Ret.
Lieutenant Colonel Larry McKay, U.S. Army, Ret.
Senior Chief Petty Officer Sidney Busch, U.S. Navy, Ret.
Petty Officer Mark Nadobny, U.S. Navy, Ret.

Endorsers are retired or not on active duty. Use of military rank and job titles does not imply endorsement by the Department of Defense or any department thereof.

*Three outstanding Romney supporters, SC Gov Nikki Haley, Sen. John McCain, and former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, also spoke at Gov Romney’s veteran event at Hilton Head. See video here.

What are things looking like in SC? Here’s the latest from Rasmussen polling:

Yesterday, 750 likely Republican primary voters in South Carolina were asked:

If the 2012 Republican Primary for president were held today, would you vote for Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, Jon Huntsman or Rick Perry?

Results:
Mitt Romney – 28%
Newt Gingrich – 21%
Rick Santorum -16%
Ron Paul -16%
Rick Perry – 6%
Jon Huntsman – 5%

There’s a bit of buzz that some Huntsman staff wish he had dropped out after New Hampshire.

Other polling shows Gingrich’s attack ads are having some effect on Gov Romney. I have no doubt he and his team are executing his counter message very effectively. I did like Charles Krauthammer’s advice today to Governor Romney on Bill O’Reilly’s TV program. He offered words of wisdom on how to frame the Bain brouhaha for the upcoming FOX debate on Jan 16th at Myrtle Beach, SC. (I couldn’t find a video of Krauthammer – hope Team Romney recorded it.)

► Jayde Wyatt

While Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry have their hands super-glued on the aspects-of-free-enterprise-are-frightful gong, we’ve got another Romney endorsement roll out…

FORMER U.N. AMBASSADOR

We learned tonight that Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton has endorsed Mitt Romney and will be an adviser on his top foreign policy team. (Music to my ears…)

Wall Street Journal:

… The move is a blow to Newt Gingrich, who is close to Mr. Bolton and said recently that he would nominate the former ambassador as his secretary of state were he to become president.
[...]

SOUTH CAROLINA

Elected officials and leaders from the Palmetto State have decided Mitt Romney is their choice:

“Mitt Romney has demonstrated throughout his life that he has the values South Carolinians are looking for in our next Commander-in-Chief,” said Senator Ronnie Cromer. “Whether it has been in business, the Olympics, leading a state, or in his family life, Mitt Romney has displayed the virtues and leadership quality that we want in our President. His economic plan to revitalize the economy and bring fiscal sanity to Washington stand head-and-shoulders above the rest of the field and stand in stark contrast to President Obama’s failure to create jobs and get spending under control. If conservatives are looking for a candidate who will not only share their values, but put them into action, they need to look no further than Mitt Romney.”

“Mitt Romney is the kind of strong conservative leader our country needs right now,” said Speaker Pro Tempore Jay Lucas. “Having spent his life in the private sector, Mitt Romney knows exactly what it takes to grow the economy and create jobs. He will put in place the kind of limited government principles that will help get our nation back on the right track and is the best candidate to win in November.”

“Mitt Romney has put forth a pro-growth jobs plan that will help turn around our economy and get America working again,” said Greenville Mayor Knox White. “Mitt Romney believes in America and will work to restore the founding principles that have made our country great by returning to a ‘smaller, simpler, and smarter’ federal government.”

“These leaders share my vision that free people, not government, are what makes this country great,” said Mitt Romney. “With their continued hard work, we can turn this country around and ensure that it continues to be the greatest nation on Earth.”

South Carolina Elected Officials and Leaders Endorsing Mitt Romney:

Businessman and Former Prosecutor Robert Bolchoz
Former Congressman Henry Brown
RNC National Committeewoman Cindy Costa
Senator Ronnie Cromer
Speaker Pro Tempore Jay Lucas
Greenville Mayor Knox White
Kershaw County Council Chairman Gene Wise

TENNESSEE

The Governor from The Volunteer State, Bill Haslam, is also supporting Romney:

“Governor Haslam’s focus on balancing the budget and providing state services efficiently and effectively to taxpayers should be an example to politicians in Washington,” said Mitt Romney. “His priorities to cut spending, reduce regulatory burdens, and strengthen a business-friendly climate are key steps to put our country on the right path once again. I look forward to working with Governor Haslam to help spread my pro-growth message and defeat President Obama.”

TN Gov Bill Haslam

“I am proud to announce my support for Mitt Romney. He’s been a governor and had the responsibility of leading as an executive by cutting spending, keeping taxes low and creating a strong environment for job creation,” Governor Haslam said. “He also has private sector experience and understands the importance of balancing revenues and expenses. Mitt is a problem solver, and what we really need in this country right now is someone that can tackle tough issues. With Mitt Romney in the White House, Tennesseans can be confident in a leader that is focused on creating jobs and encouraging prosperity for Americans.”

Background on Governor Bill Haslam:

Bill Haslam Was Elected The 49th Governor Of Tennessee With The Largest Margin Of Victory In Any Open Governor’s Race In The State’s History. His top priorities are to make Tennessee the No.1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs by fostering a business-friendly environment for recruitment and expansion; to continue the state’s momentum in education reform with the focus on doing what’s best for Tennessee children in the classroom; and to ensure the state budget is managed conservatively and state government is run as efficiently and effectively as possible while delivering quality service to the citizens of Tennessee.

Prior to serving as Governor, he was the Mayor of Knoxville for eight years, and before entering public service, he managed his family’s business, driving all over the country to find good locations for new truck-stops and helping it expand to a nationwide business.

KANSAS

Kris Kobach, Secretary of State for Kansas, gives Romney the thumbs-up:

“

Kris Kobach, Kansas Secty of State

We need a president who will finally put a stop to a problem that has plagued our country for a generation: millions of illegal aliens coming into the country and taking jobs from United States citizens and legal aliens, while consuming hundreds of billions of dollars in public benefits at taxpayer expense,” said Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach. “Illegal immigration is a nightmare for America’s economy and America’s national security. Mitt Romney is the candidate who will finally secure the borders and put a stop to the magnets, like in-state tuition, that encourage illegal aliens to remain in our country unlawfully. He is also the candidate who will stand shoulder to shoulder with the states that are fighting to restore the rule of law. I am pleased to stand with this true conservative.”

“I’m so proud to earn Kris’s support,” said Mitt Romney. “Kris has been a true leader on securing our borders and stopping the flow of illegal immigration into this country. We need more conservative leaders like Kris willing to stand up for the rule of law. With Kris on the team, I look forward to working with him to take forceful steps to curtail illegal immigration and to support states like South Carolina and Arizona that are stepping forward to address this problem.”

Background On Kris Kobach:

Kris Kobach Is The Secretary Of State Of Kansas. He was formerly the chairman of the Kansas Republican Party and a professor of constitutional law. Kobach has been a longtime advocate for immigration reform. He is the co-author of the Arizona and Alabama laws against illegal immigration, and he served as Attorney General John Ashcroft’s chief adviser on immigration and border security while at the U.S. Department of Justice. He has degrees from Harvard, Yale, and Oxford Universities. He lives in Piper, Kansas, with his wife Heather and daughters Lilly, Reagan, Molly, and Charlotte.

(emphasis added to endorsements)

► Jayde Wyatt

Jack Welch is the former Chairman and CEO of General Electric. The 77 year old businessman gave what I think is the single best endorsement of Governor Romney that I have ever seen. This interview, given to Piers Morgan Monday night, is extraordinary on all counts. This clip is only 2:22 minutes in length, but look at the expressions, enthusiasm, and excitement! Rarely do you ever see a man pushing 80 this excited about anything. Literally every phrase and sentence ends with an exclamation point. The best part is at 1:50.

Following are just a few quotes by Mr. Welch from the interview. This video is extraordinary. Watch this short video clip ————————————>

“In this case, [Mitt Romney] really is perfect as a candidate for President of the United States, in these tough economic times!”

“As a presidential candidate, Mitt Romney is the best I have ever seen in the last 50 years!”

“Piers, you pick one person who is better than Romney!”

“You really can’t challenge my statement and pick a better candidate!”

“Look at his background!”

- – - – - SEE WHAT OBAMA IS UP TO BELOW THE FOLD – - – - -

Gingrich has completely lost it I think. Seriously! Quoting incessantly from The New York Times during the debate and in his townhall meetings? Gingrich and Perry are so desperate they are morphing before our eyes into the perfect Obama lemmings. Shills both. Maybe Perry and Gingrich are planning to co-author a new book titled, THE AUDACITY OF CAPITALISM. What do you think? I heard they have reached out to Obama’s publisher for ideas. Brilliant! Perry took the lead with the idea but Gingrich thinks himself smarter and told Perry he was his junior.

In all seriousness, I honestly believe that Gingrich has cast the dye for himself in history this week. As I have said many times in this forum, Gingrich’s peak as a presidential candidate was December 13th, his lucky day. Had he stopped speaking at that moment, he might still be in the hunt. I believe that Gingrich is allowing his wife and others to temper his temper while he expresses anger in the form of vengeance by spending millions in petty immaturity. In days to come, he will probably tell us again that he has matured since he now has grandchildren. Whatever goodwill he developed as Speaker of the House will soon be completely diminished by his base emotions in pursuit of revenge. The irony is that his rhetoric and actions will likely help Governor Romney’s candidacy as Americans are offended by Gingrich’s frontal attack of capitalism. It would not surprise me at all if we witness a backlash in the voting.

Consider that yesterday alone, at least 18 major news sources reported capitalism under attack by Gingrich or Perry or both. Extraordinary no matter how you cut it (see Jayde’s article below for greater detail of these). All 18 are listed here as follows:

Club For Growth’s Chris Chocola: “Newt Gingrich’s attacks on Mitt Romney’s record at Bain Capital are disgusting. … Attacking Governor Romney for participating in free-market capitalism is just beyond the pale for any purported ‘Reagan Conservative.’ Newt Gingrich should stop his attacks on free markets and apologize to Governor Romney for them.” (Club For Growth, Press Release, 1/9/12)

Read more…

Note: See my short debate analysis at the end of this post (below the fold). Hint: One word in the title above says it all for me.

Voters in New Hampshire will make their mark in two and half days. If you have been following the news in the mainstream media (MSM) and in the “new media”, much of it is positive for Governor Romney.

Please don’t allow yourself and others to be lulled by any positive news about Governor Romney.

This site, MittRomneyCentral.com is a grassroots website promoting the candidacy of Mitt Romney for President of the United States. Those of us that write for MRC, and many of our readers, are working very hard behind the scenes to help Governor Romney succeed in every caucus and primary state until he garners at least 1,150 delegates. We cannot let up until that is accomplished.

In recent days, including this morning, and throughout the day, Governor Romney has been asking volunteers and voters who wish to help out, to not let up. He specifically referred to survey results and polls that have emerged showing him leading in NH, SC, or nationally. The one audio clip I actually heard today from Governor Romney was his almost pleading not to let up. He asked his supporters to more or less ignore the polls and do whatever they can to help him get voters to the booths in New Hampshire next Tuesday. He said he has seen polls change dramatically, even the day of the vote. We have all witnessed voting results that disappointed because voters had presumed their candidate had a comfortable lead. We simply cannot let that happen in any primary state, including New Hampshire.

Please do whatever you can to encourage and motivate all volunteers and voters — within your influence — in New Hampshire to get as many people out Tuesday to vote for Governor Romney. I guarantee that Ron Paul supporters will never let up and they are determined to win. We must outperform them and all other candidates’ supporters by a factor of 10! Governor Romney is not taking anything for granted and we must follow his lead with even greater intensity.

Now, to my second favorite subject at MRC: Mr. Newt Gingrich. How can I say it best? At the risk of sounding entirely cliche, Gingrich is the gift that just keeps on giving! I can honestly say here publicly that I sincerely hope Gingrich never drops out of the race. He is a truly amazing human being. I don’t think he is a short man, but he seems to exhibit the Napoleon Syndrome. He continues to say things that simply defy all logic and he cannot see it. It is fascinating how he so easily allows his intelligence to be completely overridden by his ego. Fascinating!

You may wonder why I keep focus on Mr. Gingrich. The reason is that I think he is dangerous (much like a cornered Doberman Pinscher), though he seems quite determined to marginalize himself at warp speed. Bar none, the very best candidate declaration of the 2011 political year was this one by Mr. Gingrich. Does it get any better than that? In the same breath he says he doesn’t mind if people attack him and then he spends the next several weeks throwing tantrums about the attacks by several candidates, but blaming them all on Governor Romney.

Here’s great analysis in this note for example from HotAir:

Read more…

This caught my eye for two reasons:

1. More Tea Party support for Mitt Romney (thoughtful, strong endorsement)

2. It’s published in the New Hampshire Union Leader (newspaper that endorsed Gingrich and by the way, are co-sponsors of Sunday’s presidential debate in Concord, NH).

Tweet from Team Mitt:

MT @NHJennifer Why this conservative teaparty grassroots activist chose @MittRomney: http://t.co/6uGfGTIa #FITN #Mitt2012

“Mitt Romney Is A Man Of Conservative Character”
By Jennifer Horn
Union Leader
January 7, 2012

The next President of the United States is going to face the enormous challenge of reversing four years of the most economically devastating policies our nation has seen in my lifetime. Contrary to his own declaration of being one of the four greatest Presidents in our nation’s history, Barack Obama has been a measurable failure and must be replaced.

As a lifelong conservative who came to politics after first owning a small business, raising a family and being very involved in my community, I am less concerned about party and politics and much more concerned about what kind of world my children will raise their families in. Above all else, this election is about preserving freedom in America; it is about preserving an America of limited government and unlimited opportunity.

That is why, as a conservative, as an activist, and as a mother I am voting for Mitt Romney for President.

Romney’s combination of private sector and public sector experience makes him uniquely qualified to confront the economic woes of our time. After 34 months of unemployment in excess of 8 percent, we need a President who understands how jobs grow. During his years in the private sector, Mitt Romney had a hand in growing over 100,000 American jobs. Mitt Romney understands the nuts and bolts of business; with 13.3 million Americans looking for work we need a President who understands how intrusive government regulations crush opportunity.

Mitt Romney has offered a detailed, step by step plan to restore economic stability to America. It may not be sexy and it may not come with a catchy tag line but it is a sound, comprehensive approach that will put America back to work. His plan includes all the common sense initiatives that conservatives have always fought for. It is based on free markets, individual rights and limited government intervention.
[...]

The following paragraph from Ms. Horn is another refutation of the lie Newt Gingrich continues to trumpet – that Governor Romney raised taxes in Massachusetts (Newt’s calling Mitt a liar is abhorent and flat-out wrong, while Newt IS one. Wait! That’s exactly what Newt did when he publicly denounced Bill Clinton’s philandering with Monica Lewinsky while he, himself, was engaged in worse.):

As a Republican governor in a painfully liberal state, Mitt Romney made a conservative mark. He issued hundreds of line-item vetoes in bills passed by the Democrat-controlled legislature. He cut taxes, eliminated a $3 billion budget deficit and left behind a $2 billion rainy day fund. Mitt Romney was able to apply the common sense knowledge we all have that you cannot continually spend more than you take in, and a state economy that had been mired in recession once again began to create jobs.

Ms. Horn continues:

More important than a candidate’s position on any one policy, however, is his ability to lead. We understand as conservatives, as business owners and as parents, that integrity is measured by how you behave when no one is paying attention. No one will ever accuse Mitt Romney of cheating – on his taxes, in his business or on his family. There has never been a hint of scandal associated with him, in business or politics. When it comes to choosing the next leader of the free world, character matters.
[...]
Mitt Romney’s grassroots campaign has proven his respect for the role of that each citizen plays in our democratic process. He has answered thousands of unedited questions from thousands of voters. He eloquently and passionately expresses his love of God, country and family. When asked at the We The People town hall what core principle would guide him as President, he answered “The oath of office, where I place my hand on the Bible and swear to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America.”

Mitt Romney is a man of conservative values with a successful record of growing jobs, leading under difficult circumstances and making tough decisions when called upon to do so. He is a man of great personal integrity and possesses the character and strength to lead.

(emphasis, image added)

DO read the entire endorsement here.

Spread this far and wide.

Note: Ms. Horn is founder of We the People: A First in the Nation Freedom Forum.

► Jayde Wyatt

The patriotic Independence Hall Tea Party, who on Aug 28, 2010, sent 28 bulging buses to Glenn Beck’s Restoring Honor Rally in Washington D.C., has announced they are BACKING MITT ROMNEY.

And, what an endorsement it is!

Independence Hall Tea Party PAC Becomes First Tea Party To Endorse Mitt Romney; Predicts Romney Will Become 45th President of the United States

Philadelphia, PA (January 2, 2012) — The Independence Hall Tea Party PAC, a tri-state (DE, NJ, PA) regional group, announced today that its 27-member Board of Delegates has voted overwhelmingly to endorse Mitt Romney for President.

The Independence Hall Tea Party PAC is the first Tea Party group in the nation to formally endorse Mitt Romney.

“Over the past several weeks, a consensus has been building among our Board of Delegates that Mr. Romney is the most electable Republican candidate,” said PAC President, Don Adams. “We, as a Tea Party PAC, have set winning the White House as our number one priority in 2012. We believe Mr. Romney is the one candidate who can win the Republican nomination and defeat President Barack Obama in November.

“Mr. Romney is the only Republican candidate who has consistently polled even or ahead of President Obama in national surveys. He puts a number of 2008 blue states in play, including Michigan and New Hampshire. He also appeals to large numbers of independent voters.”

“Mr. Romney, a devoted family man, is an incredibly talented, well-rounded individual with in-depth knowledge and experience in both the private and public sectors of the economy,” said PAC New Jersey Vice President, Bill Green. “Ultimately, we believe Mr. Romney is a man of principle who, once elected, will lead our nation back to prosperity.”

PAC Delaware Vice President, Kevin Street, said, “His vision of a strong America, one built on the foundations of free enterprise and meritocracy, is most compatible with the principles of the Tea Party movement.

“Mr. Romney has stated time and again that he believes in a limited role for the Federal government–emphasizing that the 10th Amendment of the United States Constitution delineates between the powers of the national government and that of the states.”

“Mr. Romney will pursue a policy of energy independence, lower taxes, and less government spending. He has promised to secure our borders and redirect our foreign policy,” added PAC Pennsylvania Vice President, Sean Carpenter. “Under his presidency, the United States will no longer prostrate itself before other nations. We believe in a strong America–an America that is respected for its economic vibrancy, its military strength, and its constitutional values.”

PAC Co-Founder, Teri Adams, said, “We realize that a number of fellow Tea Partiers are not yet where we are in supporting Mitt Romney for President–and we respect their varied positions.

“However, we felt compelled to make an endorsement in light of a counter-productive effort to stop Mitt Romney among some disparate elements on the right–often based on a religious intolerance of Mr. Romney’s Mormon faith.

“We also think the notion that the Tea Party will support a 3rd party candidate after Mitt Romney becomes the Republican nominee, a notion most often advanced by the mainstream media, must be discredited,” Ms. Adams said.

“It discounts the good sense of millions of Tea Party folks nationwide who have come to realize, or will eventually realize, that the only way to defeat President Obama, whose policies are an anathema to conservatism and the Tea Party Movement, is to rally around his strongest opponent–Mitt Romney–the man who, we believe, will become the next president of the United States.”

(emphasis added) Note: No other group sent more attendees to Beck’s rally.

THANK YOU, Independence Hall Tea Party PAC! This is a great lead-in to the Iowa caucuses tomorrow.

FYI: CNN is now tracking the # of tweets for each GOP candidate (include word ‘Romney’) and reporting results on a large interactive map throughout their IA caucus coverage. Also, polling shows 41% of Iowans are still undecided. Let’s spread this Tea Party endorsement, plus all positive Romney news, throughout Twitterverse, FB, email, comments on articles, and any other way you can think of. Go Mitt! Go Mittheads!

We all know Romney is ‘Mr. Fix-It’. Here’s further proof from (Housewife Info Junkie blog):
Today, in Iowa, the air vents needed repair on the Romney campaign bus. Mitt found the duct tape and fixed it.

Let’s get this guy in the White House!

Read more…