CONGRATULATIONS to Governor Romney and team! And THANK YOU to the voters of Illinois and all the volunteers that made such a difference yesterday! Team MRC salutes you!
THANK YOU to my friend Jim for the humor of this night. (“The secret to humor is surprise.” ~ Aristotle)
What is it about the Brits and Monty Python? There is something about this short video that seemed oddly familiar to me and I just could not resist sharing it with you.
“All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.” ~ Sun Tzu
“Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid, one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.” ~ Douglas MacArthur
“A good athlete always mentally replays a competition over and over, even in victory, to see what might be done to improve the performance the next time.” ~ Frank Shorter
And what about Lloyd? I feel sorry for him:
[THANK YOU to "Dave in Colorado" (a frequent visitor to MRC) for the Dumb and Dumber clip!]
Good news from The First State… 24 elected officials and leaders in Delaware have endorsed Mitt Romney today.
Governor Romney also filed primary campaign paperwork to be on the ballot in Delaware.
“I am happy to have the support of so many in Delaware,” said Mitt Romney. “In order to win in November 2012, I will need their help as I spread my pro-growth message and reach out to voters in Delaware and across the country.”
Announcing his support, House Republican Leader Greg Lavelle said, “After three years of failed attempts to restart our economy, it is clear that the liberal policies of President Obama are not working. We need a president who has displayed conservative leadership and understands how our economy actually functions. Mitt Romney displayed this leadership as both a governor and successful businessman. With his economic know-how, we will be able to get our economy working again.”
“Mitt Romney has emerged as the only candidate with the experience and plan to take on President Obama,” said RNC National Committeeman Laird Stabler. “He is a conservative businessman who was able to use those principles as governor to cut taxes and spending. I look forward to working with these other leaders from Delaware to help Mitt Romney defeat President Obama and reverse the economic stagnation of the last three years.” (emphasis added )
Delaware Elected Officials And Leaders Endorsing Mitt Romney:
• House Republican Leader Greg Lavelle
• State Senator Liane Sorenson
• Dale Wolf; Former Governor and Lieutenant Governor
• Janet Rzewnicki; Former State Treasurer
• Bob Weiner; New Castle County Councilman
• Laird Stabler; RNC National Committeeman
• Everett Moore; Former Delaware Republican Party Chairman
• Cathy Murray; Former Delaware Republican Party Vice Chairwoman
• Steve Engebretson; Newark Region Republican Chairman
• Hans Reigle; Kent County Republican Chairman
• John Rollins; New Castle County Republican Chairman
• Michael Fleming; Former New Castle County Republican Chairman
• Rick Carroll; Former Wilmington Region Republican Chairman
• Ted Cover; Wilmington Region Republican Vice Chairman
• Jerry Martin; Former Brandywine Region Republican Chairman
• Dave Burris; Former Sussex County Republican Chairman
• Dave Jones; Former Newark Region Republican Chairman
• Ron Sams; Former Sussex County Republican Chairman
• Jim Ursomarso; Former Candidate for Lieutenant Gov, Wilmington City Republican Chairman
• Michele Rollins; Former Congressional Candidate
• Judy Travis; Former Candidate for State Senate
• Louis Saindon; Former Candidate for State Representative
• Josh Hoveln; University of Delaware College Republican Vice Chairman
• Tom Schrandt
► Jayde Wyatt
UPDATE from Ross
Georgia Elected Officials And Leaders Endorsing Mitt Romney:
· Fran Millar, State Senator
· B.J. Pak, State Representative
· Nancy Coverdell
· Kelley O’Bryan Gary, Chairman, Jackson County GOP
· Robert J. Walker, Former Mayor, Dublin
· Jon Jones, Chairman, Tift County GOP
· James P. Golden, Former Chairman, Tift County GOP and Former 2nd District Director, Young Republicans
· Myron Faircloth, Chairman, South Georgia Young Republicans
· Ruth Malhotra, Former Executive Director, Georgia Association of College Republicans
· Orit Sklar, Former Executive Director, Fulton County GOP
· Jaime F. Aguilera, Former Director of Hispanic Outreach, Cobb County GOP
· Ron Johnson, Former Chairman, Jackson GOP
Georgia Elected Officials And Leaders Already Supporting Mitt Romney below the fold (more…)
Mitt Romney shared some southern sweetness today from Georgia. Seven state legislators in Georgia are endorsing him for President of the United States:
“I am pleased to receive the endorsements of so many great leaders in Georgia,” said Mitt Romney. “I look forward to working with these leaders to reverse the failed policies of the Obama administration, put Americans back to work, and get the economy turned around.”
“Georgians are suffering under the leadership of President Obama. Mitt Romney is the candidate with the vision and experience to turn around the failing economy,” said House Majority Whip Edward Lindsey. “As governor, he balanced the budget without raising taxes and created jobs. He has the experience in both the private and public sectors to get Americans back to work.”
[...]
Georgia Elected Officials Endorsing Mitt Romney:
• Former House Speaker Mark Burkhalter
• State Senator Bill Hamrick, Chairman of Senate Judiciary Committee
• State Representative Calvin Hill, Vice Chairman of House Appropriations Committee
• State Representative & House Majority Whip Edward Lindsey
• State Representative Wendell Willard, Chairman of House Judiciary Committee
• State Representative Bruce Williamson
• Public Service Commissioner Doug Everett
(emphasis added)
GA Attorney General Sam Olens gave Gov Romney the nod a couple of months ago (6/17/11).
Georgians are suffering under a 10.1 % unemployment rate.
Romney supported their governor, Nathan Deal, who was elected last fall and took office just eight months ago, on January 10, 2011.
► Jayde Wyatt
Video of some of President Obama’s top Wall Street donors switching to Mitt for 2012 after the fold (more…)
Mitt Romney takes a bite of Key Lime pie while listening to Kenny Burts, owner of Kenny's Great Pies, in Smyrna, GA. 6/16/11
On to Georgia…
After three full days of campaigning and fundraising in Florida, Mitt Romney made his way to Georgia yesterday.
A listening tour of small business Kenny’s Great Pies, in Smyrna, afforded The Gov the opportunity to meet hard-working Georgians and sample their tasty wares. Then, it was on to Atlanta for an evening fundraiser.
The front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination worked to cook-up support in Georgia Thursday.
Mitt Romney toured Kenny’s Great Pies, a dessert manufacturer in Smyrna.
The owner wants to expand but said it’s been a challenge to even stay afloat with the poor economy.
“People are out of work; the deficit’s unbelievable. People have lost their jobs,” said Kenny Burts, the owner.
After touring the plant, Romney ate Key Lime Pie and attended a round-table discussion with Burts and other business leaders. It also included Sam Olens, Georgia Attorney General.
Romney said the first step to improving the economy is making it easier for banks to loan money.
“You don’t so overburden the financial sector that it can’t do the job it’s intended to do, which is to make loans to small business and put people back to work,” said Romney.
Romney said his number one priority is putting people back to work.
(emphasis added)
Cooking up support in Georgia:
UPDATE: Photo of Mitt speaking to supporters at private home-based fundraiser in Atlanta, GA. (Photo from Georgia for Mitt)
Romney’s stop in The Peach State put him on turf that Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain claim (Gingrich has opened campaign headquarters in Atlanta and GA is Cain’s home state). No matter how you slice it, Georgia supporters help keep Romney rollin’ in the dough.
Governor Mitt Romney’s non-stop September boost-a-thon for conservatives ended with a wallop while opening October with a wowser…
September 30th:
Endorsements ● Romney’s Free and Strong America PAC revealed a robust roll-out of southern endorsements in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee.
Georgia ● Romney had a full day of rallying for Georgia’s statewide GOP candidates in Atlanta. After breakfasting at the OK Café with Attorney General candidate Sam Olens and a few Republican strategists, he mingled with patrons. Later in the day, he endorsed Republican gubernatorial hopeful Nathan Deal and when the sun began to set, Romney raised cash and roused the crowd for U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson.
Sam was honored today with a breakfast with Gov. Mitt Romney. In a press conference following, Romney told the crowd that he was in Georgia today to support Sam and he knows Sam will be a “pro-business Attorney General who will create a climate that will attract business to Georgia.” Thank you Gov. Romney for your support!
“He is a respected Republican leader and an expert on business issues. Those who know the most about getting Georgia’s economy going again are expressing their faith and support in Nathan Deal,” Robinson said.
September 30, 2010 - Mitt Romney talks with would-be voters at OK Cafe in Marietta, GA on a day of campaign stops for state-wide candidates in Georgia.
October 1st:
Endorsements ● A blaze of 38 enthusiastic endorsements for Iowa GOP candidates running in state and federal elections were released from Romney’s Free and Strong America PAC. Candidates’ campaigns also received a total of $41,500.
Romney’s endorsements include five-term Sen. Chuck Grassley and all of the Republicans running in the state’s five congressional districts. Romney endorsed former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, the GOP gubernatorial nominee, prior to the June primary, and has contributed $10,000 to Branstad’s campaign.
Florida, Rick Scott ●
October 1, 2010 - Mitt Romney addresses big crowd on behalf of GOP Governor candidate Rick Scott at The Villages in Florida.
Romney was heartily welcomed at Republican gubernatorial hopeful Rick Scott’s ‘Leadership for Florida’ rally at The Villages (a well-worn presidential campaign stop and huge retirement community) in Florida:
Scott, who will face Democrat Alex Sink in the Nov. 2 election, told the crowd of several hundred people that he plans to create jobs in Florida and keep them here.
“This state will get back to work,” Scott said, echoing his campaign slogan.
The visit by Scott and Romney was a treat for friends Susan Prince and Margo Haught.
“I like his agenda and what he stands for,” Prince, 70, said of Scott.
Haught, 72, said she admires Romney’s experience in government — and “he’s a good businessman,” she said.
(emphasis mine)
Marco Rubio ● Romney attended a fundraiser for U.S. Senate GOP candidate Marco at the Palma Ceia Country Club in Tampa. Then, Romney rocked a ‘Reclaim America’ rally with Marco Rubio at Benedetto’s Italian restaurant in Land O’Lakes, Florida.
Oct 1, 2010 - Gov Romney speaks at 'Reclaim America' rally with Marco Rubio in Benedettos's Restaurant in Land O' Lakes, Fl.
See another video report on Romney and Rubio here.
Officially, the event – a Reclaim America Rally tour stop – was about boosting Republican nominee Marco Rubio’s U.S. senatorial chances. And he brought along Weatherford, GOP congressional hopeful Rich Nugent and U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, who, seeking the job of Florida’s top farmer, got off the line of the afternoon: “Many of you don’t realize it, but there are other races besides the commissioner of agriculture this year.”
Nonetheless, the guy in the Sinatra/Clooney role was, plainly, Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, savior of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, coast-to-coast booster of Republican candidates and early favorite for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.
Re-evaluating Mitt
And here at last, the Benedetto’s renowned intimacy worked to someone’s favor.[...] This is also one long Mitt Romney Second-Glance Tour.
In Benedetto’s cozy confines, Romney was warm, engaging, spontaneous and witty…[…]
[...] Jeb Bush says the key to Florida is Pasco County. If, come the next chilly inauguration day, a guy named Romney is taking the oath, we’ll know which intimate Italian eatery trips the pivotal Pasco lock.
(links added, my emphasis)
Keep your cursor here at MRC; there’s more to come from Romney!
It’s primary election night, and that means the chat room is up! The big race many will be watching is the runoff between Karen Handel (Romney and Palin endorsed) versus Nathan Deal (Huckabee and Gingrich endorsed). We’ll post updates in the chat throughout the evening. ENJOY!
The chatbox has been moved back to the sidebar. Thanks to all who participated last night. We will most likely do it again on August 24th for the primary elections in FL, AZ, AK, and VT.
Selected results from last night:
Georgia Governor Runoff (GOP): Nathan Deal 50.2% – Karen Handel 49.8%
Colorado Senate (GOP): Ken Buck 51.6% – Jane Norton 48.4%
Colorado Governor (GOP): Dan Maes 50.7% – Scott McInnis 49.3%
Connecticut Governor (GOP): Tom Foley 42.3% – Michael Fedele 39.0% – Oz Griebel 18.6%
Recently Romney’s PAC has dropped a lot of money, along with endorsements, in Texas and Georgia. Enough so to validly refute the notion that if Romney runs in 2012 that he will just skip the south. Details below:
Texas:
[table "13" not found /]
Georgia:
[table "14" not found /]
For those of you keeping tabs that is a total of $32,500 for the Texas endorsements, and $38,000 for Georgia, and a combined total of $70,500 – all within about a week (not even including the $10,000 he gave to Terry Branstad this week too). To put that in perspective Romney’s PAC gave roughly $52,000 in the first 3 months of this year, while T-Paw’s PAC gave $26,800, HuckPAC gave $21,500, and SarahPAC gave $9,500.
I don’t know what’s gotten into the Atlanta Journal Constitution (perhaps some strong-arming from all the recent Georgian leaders who endorsed Romney?!), but all of the sudden their editorial board is sounding sane. Jim Wooten, for the editorial board, calmly lays out the case for Mitt Romney:
The qualities needed now in the Oval Office are business knowledge and experience, an understanding of economies and the imperatives of those who manage them around the world, an ability to problem-solve and to assess talent and to assemble the right team to accomplish a mission. What’s needed, too, is a strong grounding in principle and steadfastness in the face of pressure and panic, but with the adaptability and flexibility to adjust to changing circumstances.
But McCain does not have management experience nor wide-ranging expertise in business and economics. The Republican who best exemplifies all the qualities needed in a president is former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a successful CEO and the target of Huckabee’s populist broadlines.
In all respects, Romney looks, sounds and acts presidential, projecting competence and the intelligence to deal comfortably with policy nuance and complexity. In a perilous world, whether the peril is terrorism, global competition or a tanking economy, Mitt Romney is the Republican who inspires confidence in his ability to lead.
Serving on Governor Romney’s statewide team will be House Speaker Pro Tempore Mark Burkhalter, Congressman John Linder, Congressman Phil Gingrey, Congressman Tom Price, Eric J. Tanenblatt, Cobb County Commissioner Sam Olens, Oscar N. Persons, Fred Cooper and Nancy Coverdell.
3 Congressmen, a leader in the GA House and the wife of a beloved fmr. Senator, Paul Coverdell, who died in office. Impressive team.
