Mitt Romney has launched a new campaign strategy in which he is positioning himself as the true conservative outsider of the pack of Republican presidential nominee hopefuls. This is not all that much different than the way Reagan campaigned in 1976 and 1980 and, to a lesser extent, Ross Perot in 1992. According to the Washington Times, Romney has stated: "Washington is failing us...The blame doesn't all belong to the Democrats. We Republicans have to put our own house in order."
If there was one person who could stymie this particular strategy of Romney's it would be Fred Thompson. What Ronald Reagan had working in his favor was that there really was no other Republican running against Reagan in the primaries who has a staunch conservative than him. Thompson, however, is perceived by the public as being more conservative than Romney.
What hurts Romney (and Rudy Giuliani as well) is the fact that Romney has "flip-flopped" on a number of conservative issues such as abortion. There is a certain unfairness of this criticism towards Romney mainly because he was a Republican governor in a very liberal state (Massachusetts) and this would require significantly more compromise with voters and the legislature than Thompson would be required as a senator from Tennessee.
Currently, Romney is trailing behind Giuliani and Thompson and his move sharply to the right is a decent strategy although it may endear him more as a potential vice presidential candidate than the party nominee.
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 2)
1. Mitt Romney is the only conservative GOP candidate.Nobody can claim that than Governor Romney.Fred Thomson, Giuliani and McCain all married more than once and that's not a conservative idea.The real truth is Mitt Romney is the GOP nominee for the general election.There is no way Giuliani,Thomson or McCain can win over Hilliary.Thats what the democrats wish is for one of these three Stooges will run against her so she can make fun of them.Mitt Romney is a differrent story he is the only GOP candidate can win over her and keep the White House.
Kava at 1:45AM on Sep 24th 2007
2. In an age of diversity and change, American citizens are faced with several major challenges that will influence our decision at the polls during the next presidential election, three critical issues that I believe will decide the 2008 Presidential election are;
•The War In Iraq and The War On Terror
The polls showed strong support for the war in Iraq during its early stages, one hundred and eighty six billion dollars later support is waning. Although we have not experienced a direct terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11, experts agree another attack is imminent.
•Health Care
There are seventy-seven million baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964 who are concerned about retirement and rising health care costs. With forty-eight million Americans (and twelve to twenty million illegal immigrants), without health insurance, we face a pending disaster with huge financial consequences.
•Illegal Immigration
The astronomical rate of twelve to twenty million illegal immigrants living in the United States has created alarming social and economic instabilities, not to mention the ability of terrorists to cross our borders unchecked with the sole objective of inflicting harm upon American citizens.
We are in a conundrum of social, economic and foreign affairs issues. We must elect a President who provides us with a proven track record of leadership and accomplishment.
The media has become biased, film makers like Michael Moore scream for the truth, clothed in partisan wool and refusing to offer counterpoints to his clear bias.
In a brave new world of technology, which at times can create a sensory overload, how do we define our direction?
American values are being challenged like never before. Undeniably, the way our forefathers built and governed not only worked well for America, but profoundly impacted the stability of the world around us. This encouraged Democracies that do not go to war against each other, but learn to rely upon each other for economic trade and stability.
Rob at 12:20AM on Sep 23rd 2007
3. #1 Continued...
The issues we face in 2008 are not new, and we have learned as a nation that indecision breeds the germs of complacency.
We have seen the price of hesitation with the attacks on 9/11. We can no longer afford to place our future in the misguided or the illogical dreams of those who have not proven their effectiveness as leaders.
We all want freedom. We all want equality. We all want prosperity. This is the ideology of the American dream and Democracy, an ideology which our men and women in uniform have sacrificed to protect, including my father who served in the US Air Force for twenty years of his life.
These concepts have never been nor ever will be successfully employed by a leader of reaction, but of pro-action.
The success of the American way of life requires a leader who understands the difference between ideas, implementation and success.
So, allow me to reiterate this point, "How do we as Americans define our direction"?
If we weigh the issues, process the ideas, and conclude the effectiveness and track record of each candidate’s leadership qualitative, one name stands unique and strong;
“Governor Mitt Romney”
Mitt Romney supports conservative American values. He is solutions oriented and a proven leader. Governor Romney has a proven and demonstrable track record of success in business and political leadership.
Governor Romney is opposed to abortion, except in the cases of rape, incest, and the life of the mother. Like President Ronald Reagan, Henry Hyde and others before him, he has acknowledged that in the past he had this issue wrong. How can you not respect a leader who acknowledges a mistake and is willing to take corrective action?
As Governor of Massachusetts, when Governor Romney was presented with legislation on life issues, he has sided with life:
• Governor Romney vetoed legislation that would have provided for the "Morning After Pill" without a prescription.
• Governor Romney fought to promote abstinence education in the classroom.
• Governor Romney vetoed legislation that would have redefined in Massachusetts the longstanding definition of the beginning of human life from fertilization to implantation.
• Governor Romney has supported parental notification laws and opposed efforts to weaken parental involvement.
• Governor Romney supports adult stem cell research but has opposed efforts to advance embryo-destructive research in Massachusetts, and he has not supported public funding for embryo-destructive research.
Governor Romney believes America must secure its borders and at the same time, ensure that hard-working, law-abiding immigrants can become American citizens. Immigration has been an important part of our nation's success. The current system, however, puts up a concrete wall to the best and brightest, yet those without skill or education are able to walk across the border. Governor Romney believes in reforming the current immigration laws so we can secure our borders, implement a mandatory biometrically enabled, tamper proof documentation and employment verification system, and increase legal immigration into America.
Strengthening our military and winning the war against Jihadists. Governor Romney proposes increasing the size of our military by 100,000 troops. He will also dedicate at least four percent of our gross domestic product to defense. We must defend Democracy and prevent rogue regimes like Iran from securing nuclear weapons and threatening the total destruction of Israel. We cannot be held hostage as a nation because we choose to sit on the sidelines and ignore a renegade regime in Iran.
Governor Romney passed affordable health care legislation in the State of Massachusetts. Governor Romney provided health care insurance for all residents by working with insurance companies, hospitals, corporations and legislators to cut the cost of health care premiums in half. As a result, every resident of the State of Massachusetts receives affordable health coverage, and in the poorest of families, subsidized health care insurance.
Governor Romney believes that Americans should retain more of their income, not pay more taxes. Governor Romney believes the 2002 tax cuts should become permanent and not expire in 2011, potentially creating the largest tax increase in the history of the United States.
I have vetted all the top tier Presidential candidates, Republicans and Democrats, I believe very strongly that Mitt Romney is not only the best candidate for the future of our country, but for the legacy we will pass on to our children and generations that follow.
I have changed my party affiliation from “Independent” to “Republican” and intend to become as actively engaged in the 2008 Presidential Election. Governor Romney may be the best Presidential Candidate to run for office in my lifetime.
Rob at 12:23AM on Sep 23rd 2007
4. I hope your not defending Romney's flip-flopping, Sean:
"There is a certain unfairness of this criticism towards Romney mainly because he was a Republican governor in a very liberal state (Massachusetts) and this would require significantly more compromise with voters and the legislature than Thompson would be required as a Senator from Tennessee."
The reason Mitt Romney flip-flopped was to get elected in Massachusetts. Now he's turned all conservative to win the Republican primary. In no way is it defendable for a candidate to change his positions just because of what type of election he is running. I am not a conservative, nor would I vote Republican, but from what I can see, the most conservative candidate is probably Mike Huckabee, at least he's the only one who has a shot in hell of winning.....and trust me its a long shot.
for political commentary, visit:
http://www.politidose.com/
Patrick at 9:27AM on Sep 23rd 2007
5. I am an independant voter and was therefore open to voting for the best candidate, so I vetted each candidate as much as possible;
-Rob at 8:35AM on Sep 20th 2007
I have changed my party affiliation from “Independent” to “Republican” and intend to become as actively engaged in the 2008 Presidential Election. Governor Romney may be the best Presidential Candidate to run for office in my lifetime.
-Rob at 12:23AM on Sep 23rd 2007
Gotta hand it to you Rob. I would have marvelled at the effort it took to engage in such a monumental flip flop in only 64 short hours....were I to engage in the willing suspension of disbelief.
Rather than responding point by point to your unpaid campaign ad (and they say that MoveOn.org got a great deal, I would merely ask you how your rather long outline of Romney's pandering to the anti-abortion crowd in any way addresses your three talking points above or even how those same talking points, save for the dystopian differ greatly from any other supplicant to the Republican nomination...
Ventrue at 10:23AM on Sep 23rd 2007
6. Somehow, my post above, nearly identical to this one, lost something critical in the translation. Here is how it was intended to read...
I am an independant voter and was therefore open to voting for the best candidate, so I vetted each candidate as much as possible;
-Rob at 8:35AM on Sep 20th 2007
I have changed my party affiliation from “Independent” to “Republican” and intend to become as actively engaged in the 2008 Presidential Election. Governor Romney may be the best Presidential Candidate to run for office in my lifetime.
-Rob at 12:23AM on Sep 23rd 2007
Gotta hand it to you Rob. I would have marvelled at the effort it took to engage in such a monumental flip flop in only 64 short hours....were I to engage in the willing suspension of disbelief.
Rather than responding point by point to your unpaid campaign ad (and they say that MoveOn.org got a great deal), I would merely ask you how your rather long outline of Romney's pandering to the anti-abortion crowd in any way addresses your three talking points above or even how those same talking points, save for the dystopian "implement a mandatory biometrically enabled, tamper proof documentation and employment verification system" differ greatly from any other supplicant to the Republican nomination...
Ventrue at 10:26AM on Sep 23rd 2007
7. Well, outside of Ventrue and Patrick, I get the impression this is the official "Elect Mitt Romney" web site!! Geez.
David S. at 2:35PM on Sep 24th 2007
8. I think Mitt Romney will be the Republican nominee to face the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton also do anyone think that Romney could beat Hillary Clinton yes or no?
JayJay5111 at 4:11PM on Sep 24th 2007
9. As a wandabe businessman I look at Mitt Romney as having the most business judgement of all of the presidential candidates and feel someone with a business head is needed to finally balance the budget.
I think Romney "initially" should be considered as a potential vice-president candidate and with Fred Thompson / Mitt Romney ticket the party can get back to where it should be.
Edward Parker at 6:43PM on Sep 24th 2007
10. You know I remember President Bush saying he was the CEO for the United States, and Mitt wants more war. He backs President Bush and his lie. I took a look at what he has to say about Health care and there will be 20 million more uninsured on his plan.
I have a question to all Rep/conservatives--Name 3 things Rep's have done for the AMERICAN PEOPLE BESIDES LIE TO THEM ABOUT THE WAR IN IRAQ?
Dancerpl2 at 10:00PM on Sep 24th 2007
11. 1. Medicare Reform
2. Education Reform ("No Child Left Behind")
3. Tax Cuts
4. Investigated and Prosecuted Corporate Fraud
5. Guided this country out of an inherited recession
4. Encourage lower interest rates to spark economic growth
5. Lowered unemployed to 4.6% (considered full employment).
6. Reduced Capital Gains Tax from 30% to 15% sparking investment.
Just to name a few accomplishments.
Rob at 9:35AM on Sep 25th 2007
12. Gov Romney, the businessman, is our "best choice" to get a top notch manager running the country??? First thing I want to know is what happened to the employees (no senior guys/gals) of the 150 +/- buyout deals Gov Romney was involved in? We know he and his partners made money - lot's of it. But how did the rank and file make out? Do we really want to measure our Country's success at delivering the dreams of our Founders by how much money someone makes buying and selling companies?? If Gov Romney can prove to me (with figures, not spin language) that the thousands of employees of the buyout deals he managed are better off today than they were the day his team showed up at the "factory" - he can have my vote! Oh by the way, we'd better know whether Gov Romney is a borrow-and-spend businessman (as in the private-equity model) or a raise revenue businessman when it comes to paying bills.
JimB at 3:09PM on Sep 25th 2007
13. As a former Perot supporter, I remember when he asked "Who would you trust alone with your wife, daughter or wallet?" Mitt Romney
ChrisW at 4:58PM on Sep 25th 2007
14. "The folks who gave us the Willie Horton ads, the Swift boat campaign, the purges of black voters in Florida and endless other dirty electoral tricks are at it again. Like crack addicts confronting the irresistible vial, the evil geniuses of the G.O.P. can't seem to help themselves. This time -- with an eye toward seizing the White House again next year, even if they lose the popular vote -- they're trying to rewrite the rules for the distribution of electoral votes in California…
"Under current law, all of California's 55 electoral votes go to the presidential candidate who wins the popular vote statewide. This ''winner take all'' system is the norm in the U.S. It's in place in all but two states, Maine and Nebraska, which have just four and five electoral votes, respectively. Now comes a move, from lawyers with close ties to the Republican Party, to scrap the current system in California and replace it with one that would divide up the electoral votes in a way that would likely give 20 or more of them to the candidate who loses the popular vote in the state…Under this new proposal, the 20 or more electoral votes that would be denied the winner of the statewide vote in California could well be enough to hand the White House to a Republican candidate who loses the popular vote nationally…
"…The effort to change the way Californians vote for president has been cloaked in the typically deceptive garb that the G.O.P. pulls out for its underhanded maneuvering. The proposal has been dubbed the ''Presidential Election Reform Act.'' It is being led by Thomas Hiltachk of Bell, McAndrews and Hiltachk, a law firm that has represented both the state Republican Party and G.O.P. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Associated Press, the firm was also linked to a political committee, largely funded by Bob Perry, that targeted Democratic candidates in 2006. Mr. Perry, a longtime supporter of George W. Bush, contributed millions of dollars to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, whose intense and deceptive campaign in 2004 was so damaging to the candidacy of John Kerry. This crowd is no more interested in genuine electoral reform than Britney Spears is."
rn at 2:06AM on Sep 26th 2007
15. Governor Romney is our next President it's simple Hilliary is done.
KaM at 5:02PM on Sep 27th 2007