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« Silver Flowers | Main | A Coalition to Oust Wilder? » December 17, 2006Romney in TennesseeMassachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney made a stop in Tennessee Sunday at a gathering of Republicans at the Brentwood home of newly elected state Sen. Jack Johnson.
Tennessee isn't an early primary state, but Romney was here because Tennessee favorite-son U.S. Sen. Bill Frist has dropped out of the GOP presidential nomination race, so Tennessee is now in play in the primaries - for both fundraising and votes. Sunday's event wasn't a fund-raiser, just a chance for those there to get to know Gov. Romney. Gov. Romney didn't speak for very long, but Romney, running for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, talked very effectively about health care and also touched on education and other issues, including the threat America faces from Islamist extremists. Romney, who at times seems to be channeling some of the speaking mannerisms of Ronald Reagan, stressed the need for Republicans to project optimism in the face of challenges, and also urged Republicans not to cede such issues as health care, education and the environment to Democrats. He noted that Democrats are captive to special interests on those issues, so they can't solve those problems - for example, Democrats are too in the pocket of the teachers' unions to lead any effort at meaningful education reform. Romney also explained why he doesn't go on the national Sunday political talk shows, saying he doesn't want voters to get tired of seeing him talking about all the same issues all the time, before the primary campaign really heats up. He said he has worked over the last two years to build a financial network to support his presidential campaign, and that is now in place. Romney and U.S. John McCain are both considered to be ahead of the rest of the potential GOP field in terms of fundraising in what some call the "invisible primary" - the race to raise tens and then hundreds of millions of dollars to fund a campaign. For more on Romney, there's a Mitt Romney for President blog, and an Americans for Mitt Romney website in addition to Romney's Commonwealth PAC website that I linked to above. The first primary ballots will be cast in Iowa in fewer than 14 months. Also posted at ElephantBiz.com... Posted in Campaign Season
Comments
Thanks for the post, and thanks also for the link to my blog. Ann Marie Curling Posted by: Ann Marie Curling at December 17, 2006 7:12 PMWhat did he specifically say about healthcare relative to Tennesseans? Oddly enough, my invitation got lost in the mail. ;) Posted by: Sharon Cobb at December 17, 2006 7:26 PMHow in the world does Jack Johnson know Mitt Romney? Posted by: Paul at December 17, 2006 7:53 PMHaving heard both Mitt and his father George speak, he is not channeling Reagan but his Dad. Posted by: Ed Paul at December 17, 2006 10:29 PMBill - Take a look at Romney's record in MA (particularly campaigning as a pro-choice, pro-homosexual, anti-Second Amendment candidate) and tell me how it jives with his current campaign. I have also had the chance to listen to Mitt speak in person, and I also saw the similarities to Reagan's mannerisms. However, upon further reflection, I have to believe that I was more in the presence of Bill Clinton and not Ronald Reagan. Cheers, Rob Paul, Jack probably knows a Republican consultant who knows Mitt. Posted by: Fred at December 18, 2006 7:35 AMRob, Take it from someone who lives in Massachusetts: Romney said what he had to in order to get elected. I'm glad he did, because he delayed the state's return to an all-Democrat playpen. It doesn't matter what Romney thinks of abortion or gay marriage. What matters is that any SCOTUS nominees he makes would be more likely to leave these issues to the states than to turn the Constitution into a grab bag for the ACLU. There has to be an understanding that there's a difference between policies made by the legislatures and the people and constitutional requirements. Most of our current divisions are the result of using the courts to achieve political goals. Great another RINO. Remember Bush was supposed to be a "business" man. He's managed to double most government spending, signing us up for trillions in new unfunded liabilities. Must mean "business man" as it relates to Worlcom and Enron. Can't wait to have more of the same. Posted by: Rick Forman at December 18, 2006 10:22 PMThere is absolutely no excuse to ever make a comment or statement supporting homosexual marriage. If a candidate wants to be "coy" on issues like abortion or stem-cell research, that is one thing. But to give even an inch on the issue of homosexual marriage is inexcusable. Posted by: Grizzly at December 19, 2006 3:48 PMSwami - "Romney said what he had to in order to get elected." Yep, and that's why I will stay home - and encourage my fellow conservatives to do the same - if the GOP chooses a phony like Romney or McCain as the nominee. Heck, I would have more respect for Guiliani than those two fakes if he ran on his actual record - even if I don't agree with that record when it comes to social issues. Give me someone in the light of J.C. Watts or perhaps (as my right honorable collegue Bill Hobbs wrote, Mike Huckabee), RNC, or prepare to see your rivals return to power. Cheers, Rob I live in Massachusetts, and will not be supporting this candidate for president for the following reasons: 1. Romney spent 212 days out of state, mostly on campaign business associated with his run for President. While Massachusetts residents were paying his salary to cope with a myriad of issues confronting our state (including the Big Dig fiasco, budgetary shortfalls, and trying to find a way to implement a shortsighted health care policy without bankrupting the commonwealth), Mitt was running around the country with his State Police bodyguards to working on his own self-interests. 2. When the Big Dig collapse occurred on his watch, his first piece of business was to fire Matt Amarillo (the head of the Turnpike Authority). Instead of dealing with the public safety, or engineering aspects of the accident, Romney took immediate advantage of the unfortunate incident to take revenge, and to flex his political muscle. He even failed to eliminate the Turnpike Authority (which was promised years and years ago when the Turnpike first opened), which continues to be a patronage machine that churns out "good jobs at good wages" for the political faithful. 3. Instead of grooming his second in command during his tenure as governor so that she could make a credible showing during this past year's electoral effort, Romney kept her hidden in the background, and did practically nothing to help her to defeat her Democratic challenger. Thanks to Romney, we now have a liberal, big-spending, Democrat leading our state who vows to support illegal immigrants, high taxes, and policies that exacerbate income redistribution from the productive to the unproductive. 4. Romney got elected in Massachusetts vowing to support human rights for gay people. Since he's now catering to a national audience that's more conservative, he squandered the remaining time in office by trying to overturn the gay marriage legislation, and pandering to the religious right. How can he be trusted if he changes his opinions depending on the direction of the political wind? I realize that electing ANY sort of Republican in Massachusetts is beneficial, regardless of his value as a candidate. Never-the-less, I think that the Republican party can do better by choosing someone who isn't so self-centered. Posted by: Rod Smith at December 31, 2006 5:25 AMGeorge ran a business that his dad gave him. He did get an MBA, which is cool, but Romney was the CEO of a Business Stratagy Company. Romney's company came in and fixed companies, and did conslulting work for major countries, not just companies. This is a very good read for those conserned about Romney's position on Gay Marriage. Short summary, he did not flip flop. First, lets get the words right. A flip is a change. A flop is a change back. The only flip is from being pro-life, but respecting state's rights, the rule of law, and the views of Massachusetts citizens, and declairing a truce in Massachusetts, to being firmly pro-life now that he has a possibility of REPRESENTING people that agree with him. It is not pandering its representing. Elected officials have a responsibility to do what they think is right, but Romney was not going to win in Massachusetts as a pro-lifer. That is why he declared a truce on the issue. What should we as republicans do? Should we leave states that have democrats in them, or should we fight for what we believe? I'm kind of going on a rant here, sorry. I'm also kind of jumping topics... re: "There is absolutely no excuse to ever make a comment or statement supporting homosexual marriage. If a candidate wants to be "coy" on issues like abortion or stem-cell research, that is one thing. But to give even an inch on the issue of homosexual marriage is inexcusable." Does that mean we have to hate gays? Romney said, “This is a subject about which people have tender emotions in part because it touches individual lives. It also has been misused by some as a means to promote intolerance and prejudice. This is a time when we must fight hate and bigotry, when we must root out prejudice, when we must learn to accept people who are different from one another. Like me, the great majority of Americans wish both to preserve the traditional definition of marriage and to oppose bias and intolerance directed towards gays and lesbians.” I have a whole bunch of Romney quotes here: http://myclob.pbwiki.com/Marriage but people should read this also. re: "Yep, and that's why I will stay home - and encourage my fellow conservatives to do the same - if the GOP chooses a phony like Romney or McCain as the nominee." You have got to read this. Romney is not a phony. He did not give any "red-meat" to the press. He understood how they felt, but still stood up for the rights of children to have both a mother and father... I think that is what we should all do. Love and accept gays, but stand up for the rights of children to have a mother and father... Posted by: Mike at December 31, 2006 9:57 AMPost a comment
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