President Mitt Romney

[Peter]

Adam wrote:

Ask Peter, he is the Goody Two Shoes supporter who will tie himself into a moral and ethical pretzel to somehow justify Romney the Massachusetts big government moderate squish Republican establishment candidate as the mandated choice.

end quote.

How unkind.

Adam, I am not in a moral and ethical pretzel. Like Ba’al, I callz em az I seez em. My original quest was to convince a family member to switch from supporting Mitt to Nott. Go realclearpolitics on the issue. Weigh ALL the old evidence from before 2008 like I did. Weigh the new evidence. Look at his old website Free and Strong America. When the evidence changes Mitt’s opinions reflect the evidence.

If you watch the sound bites from interviews from years apart where he seems to be contradicting himself you come away with a false impression. If you listen to what he said before and after the sound bites in each interview, you see he is not doing a total flip flop. His switch FROM “pro constitutional amendment guaranteeing a women’s right to an abortion,” TO pro-life, is very understandable. It was my own journey from Rand’s abortion stance to Roger Bissell’s.

Semper cogitans fidele,

Peter Taylor

[Selene]

Peter:

First of all, we are discussing the Republican selection process to pick a candidate to oppose the marxist in the White House.

You have come to a position that Mitt Romney should be declared the nominee.

I am opposed to that premature decision.

Second, I am completely suspicious of the Republican establishment, which is completely anti-Tea Party, being behind the anoint Mitt now as the nominee movement.

Finally, I am extremely terrified that Mitt will not have the will to repeal the "Affordable Health Care Law," which will not be affordable and will not provide health care.

Adam

[James Heaps-Nelson]

Peter:

First of all, we are discussing the Republican selection process to pick a candidate to oppose the marxist in the White House.

You have come to a position that Mitt Romney should be declared the nominee.

I am opposed to that premature decision.

Second, I am completely suspicious of the Republican establishment, which is completely anti-Tea Party, being behind the anoint Mitt now as the nominee movement.

Finally, I am extremely terrified that Mitt will not have the will to repeal the "Affordable Health Care Law," which will not be affordable and will not provide health care.

Adam

I agree with Adam. The race in South Carolina is tightening. I want to see a long drawn out 3 way race between Romney, Gingrich and Paul with brokered convention.

Jim

[Selene]

Peter:

First of all, we are discussing the Republican selection process to pick a candidate to oppose the marxist in the White House.

You have come to a position that Mitt Romney should be declared the nominee.

I am opposed to that premature decision.

Second, I am completely suspicious of the Republican establishment, which is completely anti-Tea Party, being behind the anoint Mitt now as the nominee movement.

Finally, I am extremely terrified that Mitt will not have the will to repeal the "Affordable Health Care Law," which will not be affordable and will not provide health care.

Adam

I agree with Adam. The race in South Carolina is tightening. I want to see a long drawn out 3 way race between Romney, Gingrich and Paul with brokered convention.

Jim

From the Drudge Report now...

Marianne Gingrich has said she could end her ex-husband's career with a single interview.

Earlier this week, she sat before ABCNEWS cameras, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned... MORE... Developing...

NEWT EX UNLOADS ON CAMERA; NET DEBATES 'ETHICS' OF AIRING BEFORE PRIMARY

[Selene]

This is from an Esquire interview with Marianne Gingrich, apparently from August 2010...

We met in a parking lot. Her hair was windblown. She wore jeans and no makeup. She was driving one of those hybrid cars that has a pickup bed in the back, the kind we used to call a "cowboy Cadillac" back when I lived in New Mexico. She smiled, she hugged me, she told me to follow her. We ended up talking for nine hours that day and ten the next.

Marianne was a trip. She was goofy and fun and almost completely unguarded, reeling off the stories and digressions with a wry sense of the human comedy that was very appealing. She was not bitter about the divorce or angry at Gingrich, but it was clear that she'd been brooding about what happened for years, that the divorce introduced a note of unreality that permanently shook her life — she'd been going along thinking everything was one way for eighteen years and then suddenly it wasn't that way. "Good became bad and bad became good," she said repeatedly. She talked a lot about faith and acceptance and forgiveness but, frankly, the doubt seemed to be buried pretty deep. It was all so human and touching.

And confusing. How could this woman have been married to Newt Gingrich for eighteen years? How could such a free spirit live with such a calculated, almost Machiavellian strategist? Clearly, I was going to have to rethink Newt Gingrich.

My skeleton key turned out to be one of Marianne's hard-won insights: We mislead ourselves with glib remarks about politicians all being corrupt, she said, when the real question is when did they become corrupt, and why. Here's the whole quote:

Newt grew up poor, always wanted to be somebody, make a difference, prove himself. That was his vulnerability, do you understand? Being treated important. Which means he was gonna associate with people who would stroke him, and were important themselves. And in that vulnerability, once you go down that path and it goes unchecked, you add to it. Like, 'Oh, I'm drinking, who cares?' Then I start being a little whore, 'cause that comes with drinking. That's what corruption is: when you're too exhausted, you're gonna go with your weakness. So when you see corruption, you don't wanna say 'They're all corrupt.' You wanna say, 'At what point did you decide that? And why? Why were you vulnerable?'

You can see how it all played out in the new issue of Esquire, and all week here on The Politics Blog.

Read more: http://www.esquire.c...0#ixzz1jrNTIvGd

[Selene]

Interesting "push back" by Mr. Newt's campaign...both of his daughters from his first marriage, who accompany him on the campaign trail explained in a letter released tonight...:

"The push-back on ABC from the Gingrich campaign was in the form of a letter signed by Mr. Gingrich’s two daughters from his first marriage, Kathy Lubbers and Jackie Cushman, who regularly accompany him on the stump.

“ABC News or other campaigns may want to talk about the past, just days before an important primary election,’’ they wrote, adding that their father’s campaign would concentrate on issues important to voters.

“The failure of a marriage is a terrible and emotional experience for everyone involved. Anyone who has had that experience understands it is a personal tragedy filled with regrets, and sometimes differing memories of events.”

'We will not say anything negative about our father’s ex-wife,' the statement continued. 'He has said before, privately and publicly, that he regrets any pain he may have caused in the past to people he loves.'"

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/18/gingrich-camp-responds-to-ex-wifes-interview/

So, since Clinton's behavior was just sex and should have nothing to do with his candidacy, or his Presidency, this interview should be dismissed by the media the same way...

right?

Adam

[Peter]

Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected. - Steve Jobs

Adam wrote:

Second, I am completely suspicious of the Republican establishment, which is completely anti-Tea Party, being behind the anoint Mitt now as the nominee movement.

end quote

James Heaps-Nelson echoed that sentiment:

I agree with Adam. The race in South Carolina is tightening. I want to see a long drawn out 3 way race between Romney, Gingrich and Paul with brokered convention.

end quote

I do not disagree. I closely watched the Rino’s sabotage Christine O’Donnell’s Senatorial bid in Delaware. I am not a supporter of The Republican Party.

First the bad news. Newt’s ex-wife said in an ABC news interview in 2010 at the beginning of the marriage he wanted them to be swingers. So, from her account we can say Speaker Newt Gingrich believes marriage is between a man and a woman and another man and a woman and another man and a woman. Crocodile Gingrich thinks with his pecker.

My thought of the day day at the top of the page, surely describes Speaker Newt Gingrich’s advice to Rick Perry. The timing was impeccable. Governor Perry has been talking with Newt Gingrich for two weeks about dropping out and throwing his support towards Newt. The Speaker is surging in the polls after his spectacular performance in the last debate and endorsement by Sarah Palin, and now with Perry’s timely support there will be another surge until Newt is virtually tied with Governor Romney in South Carolina, per Fox News. Plus, after the recount in Iowa, Santorum was ahead of Romney by about thirty-four votes BUT a chunk of votes have been lost. The last I heard Iowa was going to call its caucus a virtual tie between Santorum and Romney.

Everyone will view that as a Santorum win. Therefore Romney now only has one sure win, in New Hampshire going into tonight’s debate. I home Mitt is well rested. And Newt is as honest and blunt as Ron Paul.

Semper cogitans fidele,

Peter Taylor

[Selene]

Newt’s ex-wife said in an ABC news interview in 2010 at the beginning of the marriage he wanted them to be swingers.

Peter:

I have a few questions for you.

What is the probative value of the testimony of Mr. Newt's second wife, who, upon information and belief, was carrying on an affair with Mr. Newt while he was still married to his first wife? The first wife was seriously ill and they had two young daughters, but she had no problem "swinging" with Mr. Newt then?

Additionally, both his daughters are standing behind Mr. Newt publicly.

Don't you find it peculiar that the same that media jumped up and shouted that it is only sex with William Jefferson Clinton, (remember he was the first "black" President according to the media, he has made approximately eighty-two million ($82,000,000) dollars in speaker's fees in the last eight (8) years and he is the first President who was impeached since the first Johnson, not for sex, but for lying under oath before a Federal Judge), but now that it is Mr. Newt, it is THE issue?

This "straw man" ex-wife episode is, frankly, irrelevant. We all know that Mr. Newt is a slut. It takes a slut to run this federal village back to a decentralized local square. Additionally, he has done his mea culpa and frankly I do not believe this will hurt him, but it will hurt the main stream media.

Read some Allan Drury. The fourth estate has become the Crony Information branch of the Democratic Progressive Party and needs to be relegated to its proper place of a propaganda mill, not a news source.

Finally, as you note, it appears that Santorum won the Iowa Cauci by about 136 votes, however, there are four 94) or six (6) cauci precincts that may not actually be counted at all.

Adam

[Selene]

RASMUSSEN SC POLL SET FOR RELEASE... DEVELOPING...

Gingrich 33%

Romney 31 %

Paul 15%

Santorum 11%

[blackhorse]

I bet Gingrich wins South Carolina.

[Selene]

I bet Gingrich wins South Carolina.

Roark:

This race is far from over. I will be putting up a thread for any OLer's precise predictions on the South Carolina primary results tomorrow.

One of the stark aspects of last night's debate which is the first one I made time to watch from beginning to end was how well prepared Mr. Newt was and how ill prepared Goody Two-Shoes always seems to be.

How the hell could you possibly flub the answer on your tax returns? First and foremost, he was correct about not releasing them in drips and drabs, but how inartfully did he explain it? Very inartfully. He has absolutely nothing to hide and yet his answer sounded like he did! His answer sounded weaselly.

His dad broke new ground, some four decades ago, by voluntarily being one of the first Presidential candidates in history to release his returns. He released, if my memory serves me, twelve (12) years of his returns.

As I watched the debate last night, it finally hit me why Goody Two-shoes' personality grates on me.

He laughs at his own attempted jokes! It is one of the most irritating personality quirks that grates on me and I finally identified it last night about Romney.

This race is getting real interesting and the possibility of a brokered convention just went up to about thirty to thirty-five percent [30-35%] in my judgment.

Adam

[Peter]

Blackhorse wrote:

I bet Gingrich wins South Carolina.

end quote

As Adam noted Gingrich has a 2 point lead at Friday 12:43, with voting tomorrow in SC, but the fallout from wife number two may not have completed its affects. I am not a social conservative so his philandering bothers me personally but won’t bother me politically unless he drops his trousers as Prez in the White House, like Clinton, (or her panties like Ayn Rand.) Is letdown inevitable?

Article II

Section 4. The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

I read that as two unlinked things: “high Crimes,” and “Misdemeanors.” Since high crimes are not misdemeanors and misdemeanors are not high crimes I am thinking misdemeanors stands alone, and are usually punished less severely than felonies. Considering his age, I would guess Gingrich will be prosecuted for the same misdemeanor as Bill Clinton, and may get away with it. Can we, the voters, take the risk?

A rich Mormon would be sorely tempted to go fundamentalist. With Mitt Romney we need only worry about his yet to be discovered sister wives and another twelve kids. Big Love in the White House. Whoee!

The only serious thing will be settled by the people of South Carolina tomorrow.

Peter

[Selene]

I am not a proponent of Gallop polls because of some of their serious baseline selection decisions and some other methodological issues that I have with them.

However, they do a fine job, when you view there overall trend lines, for example...

PRINCETON, NJ -- Mitt Romney is a considerably weaker front-runner among Republican registered voters nationally than he was at the beginning of the week. Romney now leads Newt Gingrich by 30% to 20%, with Rick Santorum and Ron Paul tied at 13%. At the beginning of the week, Romney had a 23-percentage-point lead over Gingrich and Santorum.

See all election 2012 data >

The latest results, based on Gallup Daily tracking interviews conducted Jan. 15-19, only partially reflect the potential impact of the dramatic events that have roiled the GOP presidential race this week. These include the withdrawal of two candidates (Jon Huntsman and Rick Perry) from the race, a televised interview given by Gingrich's second wife in which she discussed her former husband's extramarital affair, the continued focus on Romney's tax returns, the announcement that Santorum rather than Romney apparently won the Iowa caucuses, and a lively debate in South Carolina Thursday night in which Gingrich lashed out at the news media, and the CNN moderator in particular.

Polls in South Carolina suggest that Gingrich has a good chance of winning that state, and if so, the race could tighten further in the coming days.

The Republican race has been marked so far by unprecedented volatility. The latest chapter appears to be the remarkable ups and downs in support for former Speaker of the House Gingrich, who went from a solid front-runner status in early December to a badly trailing second-place position, to now perhaps another upward swing in momentum.

[caroljane]

I am not a proponent of Gallop polls because of some of their serious baseline selection decisions and some other methodological issues that I have with them.

However, they do a fine job, when you view there overall trend lines, for example...

PRINCETON, NJ -- Mitt Romney is a considerably weaker front-runner among Republican registered voters nationally than he was at the beginning of the week. Romney now leads Newt Gingrich by 30% to 20%, with Rick Santorum and Ron Paul tied at 13%. At the beginning of the week, Romney had a 23-percentage-point lead over Gingrich and Santorum.

See all election 2012 data >

The latest results, based on Gallup Daily tracking interviews conducted Jan. 15-19, only partially reflect the potential impact of the dramatic events that have roiled the GOP presidential race this week. These include the withdrawal of two candidates (Jon Huntsman and Rick Perry) from the race, a televised interview given by Gingrich's second wife in which she discussed her former husband's extramarital affair, the continued focus on Romney's tax returns, the announcement that Santorum rather than Romney apparently won the Iowa caucuses, and a lively debate in South Carolina Thursday night in which Gingrich lashed out at the news media, and the CNN moderator in particular.

Polls in South Carolina suggest that Gingrich has a good chance of winning that state, and if so, the race could tighten further in the coming days.

The Republican race has been marked so far by unprecedented volatility. The latest chapter appears to be the remarkable ups and downs in support for former Speaker of the House Gingrich, who went from a solid front-runner status in early December to a badly trailing second-place position, to now perhaps another upward swing in momentum.

The polls will Gallop this way and that way until Gallup sues Gallop for trademark infringement and Gallop gallops to the Gallupagos Islands.

[Selene]

Wow...that actually made me saddle sick...

[caroljane]

Wow...that actually made me saddle sick...

Sorry Adam. Sometimes my goshdurn fedupness with real life stuff makes me bolt out and lasso some pore critters who are just lyin there on the page, not doin anybody any harm.

[Selene]

Wow...that actually made me saddle sick...

Sorry Adam. Sometimes my goshdurn fedupness with real life stuff makes me bolt out and lasso some pore critters who are just lyin there on the page, not doin anybody any harm.

Lol. No apology expected or necessary, you know that I love word play - that one was quite a ride.

[Selene]

Hi, I'm Mitt "Goody Two-Shoes" Romney, and I come from the "REAL STREETS OF AMERICA," ....really....?

Mitt: “I’m From The Real Streets”

Friday, January 20, 2012

Oh, yes, when I think “the real streets,” the first person I think of...is Willard Mitt Romney.

And here’s what it looks like on the real (as in “actual”) streets where Mitt lives:

Belmont, MA...

La Jolla, CA...

Wolfeboro, NH...

...and Park City, UT.

Yeah, those are Mitt’s mean streets....not counting when he was growing up in the affluent suburbs of Detroit, the son of a major auto industry executive, governor and former POTUS candidate.

(h/t Buzzfeed.com)

[Selene]

SHOCK POLL ------ Romney does much better with virgins!!!!

[Selene]

[Peter]

My support for Mitt Romney in the current Primaries was through my own research and not because I listen to the Republican National Committee headed by Chairman Reince Priebus. Quite the contrary. On the RNC site it says Reince is “committed to uniting the Republican Party to reach our common goal – electing Republicans. With sound fiscal stewardship, a dedication to conservative principles, and a message of freedom and prosperity, Reince continues to lead the party toward victory in 2012.” Oddly, when I clicked on issues they had none, just a couple of American flags and a shield. I was not inspired to contribute to them.

During the debates three issues bubbled to the top, as they always do when someone new, or should I say someone newt, is at the top. It is Newt’s turn. Influence peddling. Ethics charges. Personal life.

Florida is a winner take all state.

I like to listen to the more honest democrat analysts when they discuss candidates. Who do they praise? (so I can do the opposite.) Democrat Joe Trippe was just saying on Fox that Mitt is great when he is the underdog, but plays it too safe when he is on top. He thought Mitt was still playing it too conservatively during the Florida debate, so in Mitt’s mind he is still on top. Newt is the candidate the Dems want to go toe to toe with Obama. They will shred him. Karl Rove came on next and agreed it will be a brutal general campaign if Newt is not examined under a microscope now.

Romney earned 42 million and paid 6 million in taxes, a rate of 15 percent from capital gains and dividends vs the 12.5 percent American average. He gave 3 million to charity mostly to The Jesus Christ Church of Latter Day Saints. Uh, oh. Mitts in trouble. That’s not the expected ten percent tithe! So THAT is what he was embarrassed about. A trivial issue to US, but important to his church, community image. His reticence may have cost him South Carolina.

The State of the Union is tonight. Townhall online had an interesting article that called Obama the “Hoover President.” Get the public’s attention shifted to Solar energy or a big public works project like the Hoover Dam. Unfortunately, the Great Depression comes next because Obama is doing everything possible to prolong the Great Recession.

Peter

[Selene]

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/24/gingrich-says-he-will-skip-debates-if-audiences-cant-participate/?smid=tw-thecaucus&seid=auto

My, my...Mr. Mitt owns Freddie and Fannie stock...oops! Does that mean he paid Mr. Newt?

In an interview with the morning show “Fox and Friends,” Mr. Gingrich said NBC’s rules amounted to stifling free speech. In what has become a standard line of attack for his anti-establishment campaign, Mr. Gingrich blamed the media for trying to silence a dissenting point of view.

“I wish in retrospect I’d protested when Brian Williams took them out of it because I think it’s wrong,” Mr. Gingrich said. “And I think he took them out of it because the media is terrified that the audience is going to side with the candidates against the media, which is what they’ve done in every debate.”

I thought it was quite surprising to discover that Mitt's campaign consultants were the same as ex-Governor Crist's.

Mitt's actual problem that may not be fixable is that viewers subconsciously are uncomfortable watching him. It is not even what he says.

He is a good man. He is an accomplished man. He might make a good President, but he does not "connect" with voters.

Frankly, when you put him side by side with O'biwan, the kinesics just do not work in his favor.

Sadly, as an analyst of communications, my conclusion is that he creates a "dissonance" in the observer which may not be "curable" by consultants.

Adam

[Peter]

From Rasmussen today,Tuesday, January 24, 2012.

Congress’ Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is in limbo in the face of strong opposition from Internet giants like Google and Wikipedia fearful of government censorship. Most voters agree that online piracy of films is theft, but they, too, are more concerned about Internet censorship.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 67% of Likely U.S. Voters agree that someone who downloads a movie online without paying for it is stealing from the company that made the film. Eighteen percent (18%) do not view this free downloading as theft. Fifteen percent (15%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording,

59% Say Creating New Jobs More Important Than Protecting Environment. Despite President Obama’s decision last week to delay the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to Texas for environmental reasons, most voters think creating jobs trumps the environment.

Americans believe overwhelmingly in the importance of marriage, and a sizable number continue to feel it’s too easy to get a divorce in this country. Seventy-eight percent (78%) of American Adults rate the institution of marriage as at least somewhat important to U.S. society, and that includes 60% who consider it Very Important.

Former Speaker Dick Armey says that the major Lame Stream Media outlets are headlining, “Tea Party Dead.” He says that is wishful thinker on the Progressive’s part. The Tea Party, a grass roots organization, is stronger than ever. The Republican Party apparatus is in debt or on the edge. Former Republicans are now looking for The Tea Party for inspiration, and a place to stash their cash. Still, a majority of Americans now say they are closer to the Republicans than the Democrats in ideology.

Wouldn’t Newt make a great Veep for Mitt? He would outdo Sarah Palin in whipping up the crowds with his Boston Tea Party speeches. As a Veep, his baggage would just be Old Baggage. Now if Newt is nominated, I could see several Veep possibilities like Rubio, Palin, Demint, Ryan, and even Rand Paul, but none of them Mitt Romney. You never know though. A regional strategy would show Newt as a Southern Potus, career politician, former rep and speaker and a Massachusetts’s VPotus with Governorship, executive training, large enterprise (Olympics) and free market experience.

Dick Armey also said the door is open for one more candidate to enter the race at a deadlocked convention. Mitch Daniels is most often mentioned. Let us see how he does tonight in the rebuttal to the State of The Union Address.

Adam wrote about Mitt’s TV personae:

Sadly, as an analyst of communications, my conclusion is that he creates a "dissonance" in the observer which may not be "curable" by consultants . . . I thought it was quite surprising to discover that Mitt's campaign consultants were the same as ex-Governor Crist’s, but he does not "connect" with voters.

that is a quote but I cobbled it together.

Of all the candidates, Mitt has the potential to be most like Reagan in ads and on the stump. He is tall, thin and not unpleasing to look at, slight baggage from flipflops but nothing too current. He needs a “do-over,” an inspirational slogan and ad, a and a campaign run by, or at least his speeches written by Newt Gingrich.

Peter

[Selene]

I thought it was quite surprising to discover that Mitt's campaign consultants were the same as ex-Governor Crist's.

I thought that this rang awkwardly when Mr. Newt stated this.

Marco Rubio: Mitt Romney is no Charlie Crist

Newt Gingrich's decision today to bash Mitt Romney for hiring former Charlie Crist loyalists and employees doesn't seem to be sitting well with Sen. Marco Rubio, who drove Crist out of the Republican Party before beating him at the polls in 2010.

Said Rubio: "Mitt Romney is no Charlie Crist. Romney is a conservative. and he was one of the first national Republican leaders to endorse me. He came to Florida, campaigned hard for me, and made a real difference in my race."

Marc Caputo

[Peter]

Mitt’s tax returns mystery is being elucidated with more thoroughness. The original reports saying he did not tithe one tenth to the Mormon Church were incorrect. He did, donate a tenth of his income averaged over two years.

Mitt has a commercial going in each major Florida TV market every half hour and may have already spent five million dollars there. In contrast Newt has had no commercials there. The gap is narrowing yet Newt still has a five point lead.

Will it hold? I think it will. Newt is demanding Pelosi release whatever evidence she has on him, but HE SHOULD RELEASE whatever documentation he has and tell us what happened without “spin.” Newt, all by his lonesome is holding his own. A Florida news station showed a pauper-ish Newt arriving in a van and hauling his two bags to his room. I think those wanting a spokesman for the Tea Party will still vote for a fully disclosed Newt. I will.

Rush has an operating hypothesis about the Republican Establishment. No matter who the candidate is, we may still lose the Presidency. However, a losing Mitt Romney candidacy will allow a Republican majority to be elected in the Senate and House because he will lose by a few points. A Newt Gingrich losing candidacy will lose by ten points costing the Republicans the Senate and House. Or so "they" think.

Marc Rubio is not committing to backing a candidate. He is there for Mitt, Newt, or Rick as a running mate. Ron Paul’s nouveau claim to fame could be as a broker at a deadlocked convention.

Peter