Friday, December 28, 2007
|
|
"Romney Spoke In Glowing Terms That Evoked The Sunny Optimism Of Former President Reagan"
|
|
Posted by:
Hugh Hewitt at
10:08 AM
|
From the AP's Glen Johnson, on Mitt Romney's campaigning in New Hampshire yesterday, before leaving for Iowa through the end of the caucuses:
Romney spoke in glowing terms that evoked the sunny optimism of former President Reagan, to whom Romney referred several times. At the end of the day, Romney departed for Iowa, where he will remain through its Jan. 3 caucuses. After that, he will campaign around-the-clock in New Hampshire before its Jan. 8 primary.
"No one votes for yesterday; they vote for tomorrow," Romney said at one point. "Elections are about the future, the future of our families, the future of our country."
It is a rare thing to get an AP reporter to bless any campaign moment with a comparison to Ronald Reagan's sunny optimism. Romney's not the only candidate on the trail that brings enthusiasm and energy to the race day in and day out, but Senator Obama is on the other team, and Rudy is struggling because the mayor relied on a strategy that keeps him on the bench until Florida. GOP voters in Iowa and New Hampshire who care about winning in November should keep in mind that Reagan won massive victories in November 1980 and 1984 because he encouraged the country to believe it could beat the Soviet Union, could spread prosperity, and could defend freedoms at home while exporting them abroad and he did so with a smile and a joke backed by incredibly delivered rhetoric. It is about the right vision married to the right skills set.
 |
| Republican presidential hopeful, former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney, left, shares a light moment with his wife Ann, right, as she addresses a crowd during a campaign stop in Manchester, N.H., Thursday, Dec. 27, 2007. Romney answered questions concerning Pakistan during the stop. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) | |
Romney's new ad, "Future," keeps the focus on the election and the years ahead while reminding voters of Senator McCain's opposition to the Bush tax cuts and the McCain-Kennedy immigration "reform" attempted jam down. (More on Senator McCain's record of putting his finger in republican eyes here.)
Mike Huckabee is in deep trouble, and not just for gaffe upon gaffe. The new revelations about accepting money from stem-cell research groups may disturb even his most dedicated evangelical supporters. From Politico.com:
Mike Huckabee last year accepted $52,000 in speaking fees from a bio-tech giant that wants to research human embryonic stem cells, a non-profit working to expand access to the morning after pill and a group pushing to study whether tightening gun control laws will reduce violence.
The deflation of the Huckabee campaign frees up voters to go to either Romney, Thompson or McCain though any evangelical leaving Huckabee is unlikely to look past Senator McCain's opposition to a federal Marriage Amendment or the Gang of 14. Romney and Thompson are both pushing conservative agendas, but the momentum is with the former governor as the home stretch opens in Iowa.
UPDATE: Another Huckabee gaffe! The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder reports that the former Arkansas governor puts Afghanistan on Pakistan's eastern border in comments defending his foreign policy credentials.
This sort of a misstep isn't serious in the summer or even the fall, but coming six days before voting after yesterday's gaffe and in the course of remarks meant to rebut criticism of your grasp of foreign policy, a geography gaffe causes a collective shudder among undecideds even as Huckabee's base absorbs the news about his speaking fees from stem cell research advocates.
Even if Huck hangs on in Iowa, it will be tough to take his Huckmentum west to New Hampshire, south to Michigan and north to South Carolina.
|
|
If you support Huckabee you've been saved from sin.
Perfect...saved from sin...one of them knows where Pakistan is. |
|
If you dont vote for Huckabee you are...
1. not a Christian
2. not from around these parts
3. probably taking hunter's safety
4. not doing what the Pastors colalition is telling you to do
5. Anti American
6. Terrorist
7. Catholic
8. Mormon
9. Going to hell
|
|
"How much does he pay you? Seriously, I know he's dished out a lot of cash to spread his phony words."
_NY Times_-- google it:
Last December, a foundation controlled by Mr. Romney made contributions of $10,000 to $15,000 to each of three Massachusetts organizations associated with major national conservative groups: the antiabortion Massachusetts Citizens for Life, Massachusetts Citizens for Limited Taxation and the Christian conservative Massachusetts Family Institute.
Mr. Romney and a group of his supporters also contributed a total of about $10,000 to a nonprofit group affiliated with National Review. Over the past two years, he contributed $35,000 to the Federalist Society, an influential network of conservative lawyers. And in December 2005, he contributed $25,000 to the Heritage Foundation, a leading conservative research organization.
The recipients of Mr. Romney’s donations said the money had no influence on them. But some of the groups, notably Citizens for Life and the Family Institute, have turned supportive of Mr. Romney after criticizing him in the past.
Coming on the eve of his presidential campaign, Mr. Romney’s contributions could create the appearance of a conflict of interest for groups often asked to evaluate him. All the groups said he had never contributed before, and his foundation’s public tax filings show no previous gifts to similar groups.
==
Massachusetts Citizens for Life was critical of Mr. Romney, who was then a supporter of abortion rights, during most of his tenure as governor. But over the past few months, its officials have issued favorable statements about his record on abortion issues that have become an integral element of his appeal to social conservatives.
|
|
Hugh,
Great closing paragraph to an excellent article. Your misdirection pun on Huckmentum going the wrong directions towards NH, MI, and SC was classic! |
|
You posted this to me earlier today:
"Stay on your narrow message, there is nothing wrong with Mitt Romney, Anyone who says otherwise is a liberal or anti Mormon, etc., etc. Trust me that is not the case. Many of us just think there are better candidates out there than Mitt."
I don't know what you're talking about, Joe. I've NEVER called anyone an anti-Mormon for not supporting Romney. I've only called them that when they have posted falsehoods about my religion, or said that he is unfit for office simply because of his religion. And I've never said anyone is a liberal who does not support him, either. I also would never think or say that there is nothing wrong with Romney. He's not perfect, and I've never claimed he was.
So, DON'T CREDIT ME WITH WORDS I NEVER POSTED.
I keep hearing that Mormons on TH call anyone who does not support Romney a bigot. But it's not true, and I doubt it's ever happened. I read most of what is posted here, and I've certainly never seen that happen. |
|
|
Seriously. Hugh, come back down, you've crawled way too far up Romney's crack. How much does he pay you? Seriously, I know he's dished out a lot of cash to spread his phony words. |
|
|
Seriously. Hugh, come back down, you've crawled way too far up Romney's bum. How much does he pay you? Seriously, I know he's dished out a lot of cash to spread his phony words. |
|
Mitt just farted and it smelled wonderful!
Seriously. I'm not a Huckabee fan by any stretch but Hugh... You've seriously lost your credibility. You make Baghdad Bob sound like Edward R Murrow.
|
|
|
|
[DeerJerkyDave on 28 December 2007 4:53 PM]"Bruce, you're not telling the whole truth."
Do you see anything incorrect below?
9 December 2005. "Romney Changes Hospital Contraception Rules" AP,
at
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/12/09/ap/health/mainD8E CCSCO1.shtml
Gov. Mitt Romney abandoned plans Thursday to
exempt Roman Catholic and other private hospitals
from a new law requiring them to dispense
emergency contraception to rape victims.
Romney had initially backed regulations proposed
earlier this week by his public health commissioner,
Paul Cote Jr., who said the new law conflicted with
an older law barring the state from forcing private
hospitals to dispense contraceptive devices or
information.
The Republican governor, who is considering a run
for president in 2008, said he asked his legal
advisers to review the matter after members of both
parties criticized the regulations. He said the
lawyers determined that the new law superseded
the old law and that all hospitals should be required
to offer the so-called "morning-after pill."
"On that basis I have instructed the Department of
Public Health to follow the conclusion of my own
legal counsel and to adopt that sounder view,"
Romney said.
"In my personal view, it's the right thing for hospitals
to provide information and access to emergency
contraception to anyone who is a victim of rape," he
added.
|
|
[DeerJerkyDave on 28 December 2007 3:51 PM]"He promises to continue to govern as a conservative if elected President."
Romney's promises are worth toilet paper. Just ask MA homosexual, environmental, and abortion activists.
"This is why Romney has the endorsements of many prominent conservatives and publications"
You left out one key factor in some endorsements of Romney: money.
Lewis, Raphael and Janette Neuwahl. 1 February 2005. "PAC backing Romney pumps cash in key states" _The Boston Globe_
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/02/01/pac_ba cking_romney_pumps_cash_in_key_states/
http://www.thecommonwealthpac.com/
During the 2006 election cycle, the Commonwealth
PACs made over 1,048 donations to numerous
Republican organizations and candidates across
the country. In total, the PACs contributed more
than $1.4 million dollars.
|
|
Bruce, you're not telling the whole truth. The truth is that Romney vetoed the emergency contraception bill. The liberal legislature OVERTURNED his veto. He was forced by law to enforce it.
Yes, Romney supports emergency contraception, BUT ONLY WHEN IT CAN PREVENT FERTILIZATION. This is a crucial distinction left out by those who wish to falsify Romney's record.
Check out Romney's own description of the matter which he describes quite eloquently here:
http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/women/articles/2005/0 7/26/why_i_vetoed_contraception_bill/ |
|
bruce,
ah, agree with you about Mitt, thanks for your support, but Hillary...she's the one. Please no more conservatives, at least for a while. They are the very worst.. |
|
bruce,
ah, agree with you about Mitt, thanks for your support, but Hillary...she's the one. Please no more conservatives, at least for a while. They are the very worst.. |
|
Mooney, Brian C., Stephanie Ebbert, and Scott Helman. 30 June 2007. "The Making of Mitt Romney
Ambitious goals; shifting stances" _The Boston Globe_
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/specials/romney/ar ticles/part7_main?mode=PF
A spokesman said Romney each year met an average of about 50 chief executives who were considering expanding or locating in the state. A persistent complaint in the business sector, however, is that Romney never fulfilled his promise to be a Massachusetts cheerleader around the country and that he spent too much time lampooning the Bay State's liberal political culture while selling himself to national Republican activists.
''Instead of serving as the Commonwealth's number one salesperson to encourage firms to locate in the state, he tended to poke fun at the state,'' said Brian R. Gilmore, executive vice president of Associated Industries of Massachusetts, which represents 7,600 businesses.
==
Romney did cultivate at least one Democrat, Representative James E. Vallee, a legislative leader who fought for high-profile bills backed by the governor.
''The first couple of years, he'd call me on my cellphone and we met maybe a dozen times,'' Vallee recalled. ''He supported me when I was going against the grain of my own colleagues.''
A few days before he left office, Romney thanked Vallee and asked whether there was anything he could do for him, Vallee recalled.
The Legislature had passed a home-rule petition for an additional liquor license in his home town of Franklin. Vallee asked Romney to sign it.
''I'll take care of it before I leave,'' Vallee quoted Romney as saying.
The Franklin petition was in a stack of last-minute bills left unsigned on Romney's desk.
Romney said he did not recall the conversation with Vallee.
|
|
As hard as Hugh tries he can't get people to believe Romney has any core convictions. This is why the social conservatives cannot support him. Romney has made a 180 turn on virtually all important issues. Why on earth would we believe he wouldn't do the same in the White House.
Romney is just like Hillary the only core conviction he has is "What do I need to say to get elected". He must attack all his opponents because he can't defend his record. ANYBODY BUT MITT.
Gov. Mitt Romney abandoned plans Thursday to
exempt Roman Catholic and other private hospitals
from a new law requiring them to dispense
emergency contraception to rape victims.
Romney had initially backed regulations proposed
earlier this week by his public health commissioner,
Paul Cote Jr., who said the new law conflicted with
an older law barring the state from forcing private
hospitals to dispense contraceptive devices or
information.
The Republican governor, who is considering a run
for president in 2008, said he asked his legal
advisers to review the matter after members of both
parties criticized the regulations. He said the
lawyers determined that the new law superseded
the old law and that all hospitals should be required
to offer the so-called "morning-after pill."
"On that basis I have instructed the Department of
Public Health to follow the conclusion of my own
legal counsel and to adopt that sounder view,"
Romney said.
"In my personal view, it's the right thing for hospitals
to provide information and access to emergency
contraception to anyone who is a victim of rape," he
added. |
|
|
|
Brob said, "Let's expand on this. Not only is Massachusetts a "Dark Blue" State, but it is a wealthy, well educated state, with good public schools, low crime, and low teen pregnancy rates. It is simply not as difficult to manage a Massachusetts as it is to manage an Arkansas or a Texas for that matter. So to cheerlead for Romney based on the fact that he was no worse than Paul Cellucci or Bill Weld (his moderate Republican predecessors) is not saying all that much. And Romney, based on that experience, being more qualified than McCain, as Hugh argues? Please!"
All politicians talk fast, but it's their record that really defines them. For the most part Romney governed as a conservative. He promises to continue to govern as a conservative if elected President. This is why Romney has the endorsements of many prominent conservatives and publications including: National Review, Paul Weyrich co-founder of The Moral Majority, David Keene President of The American Conservative Union, Judge Robert Bork, and last I looked he has more political endorsements than any other Republican candidate. |
|
Who also happens to be running as the "Christian Leader".
Judicial Watch Announces List of Washington’s “Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians” for 2007
6. Governor Mike Huckabee (R-AR): Governor Huckabee enjoyed a meteoric rise in the polls in December 2007, which prompted a more thorough review of his ethics record. According to The Associated Press: “[Huckabee’s] career has also been colored by 14 ethics complaints and a volley of questions about his integrity, ranging from his management of campaign cash to his use of a nonprofit organization to subsidize his income to his destruction of state computer files on his way out of the governor’s office.” And what was Governor Huckabee’s response to these ethics allegations? Rather than cooperating with investigators, Huckabee sued the state ethics commission twice and attempted to shut the ethics process down.
http://www.judicialwatch.org/judicial-watch-announces-list- washington-s-ten-most-wanted-corrupt-politicians-2007 |
|
Helman, Scott. 8 November 2005. "Romney favors pact by states on emissions" The Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/11/08/romney _favors_pact_by_states_on_emissions/
In opening remarks to a clean-energy conference in Boston, Romney said the first-of-its-kind agreement, under which Massachusetts and eight other states could be required to cut power plant emissions by 2020, will not hurt the economy, as some have charged. He argued that it would spur businesses to develop clean- and renewable-energy technology to market worldwide.
''This is a great thing for the Commonwealth," Romney said, his strongest endorsement of the pact to date. ''We can effectively create incentives to help stimulate a sector of the economy and at the same time not kill jobs."
....Romney's overall support for the initiative could add another wrinkle to his checkered relationship with the corporate community.
==
Romney said yesterday that he had some concerns about the agreement, known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, but he endorsed this and other clean-energy initiatives by saying they would stimulate the development of technology that Massachusetts companies could sell to other states and countries, as the emphasis on climate change grows.
''I'm convinced it is good business," Romney said. He cited analyses showing that the agreement would boost energy prices by just 1 or 2 percent.
==
Romney won office in 2002 by casting himself as a successful businessman who would draw on his background to turn around the Massachusetts economy and infuse efficiency into state government. But while Romney has launched probusiness policies, he has also drawn criticism from the business community for his closing of corporate tax loopholes and his support for a measure allowing cities and towns to shift more of the property tax burden onto the commercial sector.
|
|
I absolutely don't mind. I haven't yet decided which candidate to support. I don't have a dog in the fight. Evidently that isn't the case with you. My point is that you can't have it both ways.
The way the race stands now I could support Thompson, Romney of Hunter. I could also support Guliani with some reservations. I could close my eyes and hold my nose and vote for McCain. I could stand by, not vote for Paul but remain an active GOP supporter. I Hucksterbee is the nominee I would leave the GOP, never come back and possibly vote to send a Dem to Washington for the first time in my life. Huckster is a deal breaker for me. |
|
Honest men by taking away their tax exempt status?
John Shaull, who belongs to Huckabee’s pastors coalition, said he is sending out e-mails and distributing voter guides from the Iowa Christian Alliance at his church.
‘‘I don’t wear my Huckabee sticker on my coat at church; we’re just kind of under the radar,’’ said Shaull, who is director of missions for the Baptist Convention of Iowa. ‘‘I don’t like the terminology, because I know it’s a negative connotation, but it’s just kind of the pyramid mentality — somebody here shares 10 references with somebody here, who then shares 10 references.’’
http://www.timesrepublican.com/page/content.detail/id/50076 2.html |
|
of 2007, Who also happens to be running as the "Christian Leader".
6. Governor Mike Huckabee (R-AR): Governor Huckabee enjoyed a meteoric rise in the polls in December 2007, which prompted a more thorough review of his ethics record. According to The Associated Press: “[Huckabee’s] career has also been colored by 14 ethics complaints and a volley of questions about his integrity, ranging from his management of campaign cash to his use of a nonprofit organization to subsidize his income to his destruction of state computer files on his way out of the governor’s office.” And what was Governor Huckabee’s response to these ethics allegations? Rather than cooperating with investigators, Huckabee sued the state ethics commission twice and attempted to shut the ethics process down.
http://www.judicialwatch.org/judicial-watch-announces-list- washington-s-ten-most-wanted-corrupt-politicians-2007
|
|
Judicial Watch
http://www.judicialwatch.org/judicial-watch-announces-list- washington-s-ten-most-wanted-corrupt-politicians-2007
7. I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby: Libby, former Chief of Staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and fined $250,000 for lying and obstructing the Valerie Plame CIA leak investigation. Libby was found guilty of four felonies -- two counts of perjury, one count of making false statements to the FBI and one count of obstructing justice – all serious crimes. Unfortunately, Libby was largely let off the hook. In an appalling lack of judgment, President Bush issued “Executive Clemency” to Libby and commuted the sentence.
|
|
Mishra, Raja. 14 June 2002. "Romney endorses stem cell research, is silent on cloning" Boston Globe
http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/news/Jun2002/USRomneyEndorses StemCellResearch.html
Romney spoke at a Brandeis University-hosted
forum on biomedical research. He endorsed
embryonic stem cell research, saying the
controversial science might one day help treat his
wife's multiple sclerosis in addition to numerous
other degenerative diseases.
==
Romney spoke extensively about his position on
stem cell research, which also involves embryo
destruction.
''I am in favor of stem cell research. I will work and
fight for stem cell research,'' he said, adding, ''I'd be
happy to talk to [President Bush] about this, though
I don't know if I could budge him an inch.''
Last summer, Bush set tight limits on taxpayer-
funded embryonic stem cell research, and the field
has since grown sluggishly.
|
|
Research 2000. 12/26-12/27, 500 Likely Republican Caucus Goers, margin of error +/- 4.5%:
"Notably, Huckabee's numbers have risen despite weeks of relentless attacks from Romney and other opponents. However Romney has narrowed the gap from the previous poll from 9 points to 7 points."
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/12/28/news/la test_news/37d0c625226b8b8a862573bf005d9dff.txt
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/ia/ iowa_republican_caucus-207.html
What was that about Mitt winning the two front war?
|
|
Here I was deciding not to vote for Huckabee because of his tax and spend record, his softness on crime and illegal immigration, his ethics scandals, etc.. etc...
But this quote from an LA Times article is really all I need to know about Huck's judgment and know that I could never vote for this guy:
In fact, Huckabee said, not only had he hunted varmints himself -- in addition to deer, ducks, antelopes and, now, pheasants -- but he also was an experienced varmint-eater, having downed his share of fried squirrel, biscuits and Coke as a college student.
"I figured out you could put grease in a popcorn popper and heat that thing up, and you could cook anything," he said in an interview. "So we fried squirrel."
Seriously? This is the guy the evangelicals want to be our president? I'm speechless.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-iowa27 dec27,1,5040847.story?coll=la-headlines-nation |
|
At one point, Huckabee’s party turned toward a cluster of reporters and cameramen and, when they kicked up a pheasant, fired shotgun blasts over the group’s heads.
This, friends, is dangerously bad hunting form.
...if any of our hunting mates had pulled a stunt like Huckabee’s yesterday, we never would have invited them back. It’s the sort of behavior that drives safety-conscious hunters up the wall, because it reinforces a reckless, gun-totin’ stereotype.
My colleague James Oliphant reports that Huckabee’s party was about 75 yards away from the press corps Wednesday when a pheasant jumped up and flew toward the reporters, drawing several shots. “That was too close,” he reports a cameraman saying.
Perhaps Huckabee missed hunter’s safety classes – Arkansas only requires them for hunters born after 1968 – but the etiquette on this point is clear.
http://weblogs.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/blog/2007/1 2/huckabees_muzzle_control_probl.html
|
|
6. Governor Mike Huckabee (R-AR): Governor Huckabee enjoyed a meteoric rise in the polls in December 2007, which prompted a more thorough review of his ethics record. According to The Associated Press: “[Huckabee’s] career has also been colored by 14 ethics complaints and a volley of questions about his integrity, ranging from his management of campaign cash to his use of a nonprofit organization to subsidize his income to his destruction of state computer files on his way out of the governor’s office.” And what was Governor Huckabee’s response to these ethics allegations? Rather than cooperating with investigators, Huckabee sued the state ethics commission twice and attempted to shut the ethics process down.
http://www.judicialwatch.org/judicial-watch-announces-list- washington-s-ten-most-wanted-corrupt-politicians-2007 |
|
Does Romney have any "core beliefs"?
If so, what are they?
Club for Growth. 21 August 2007. "Mitt Romney's Record on Economic Issues"
http://www.clubforgrowth.org/2007/08/mitt_romneys_record_on _economi.php
Governor Romney's history on tax policy is scattered with inconsistencies. As a candidate for governor, Romney refused to sign an anti-tax pledge distributed by the local Citizens for Limited Taxation. He opposed Ballot Question 1 to eliminate the state income tax and proposed an auto excise tax on SUVs and a greenfields tax on the development of ocean space.[13] In 2003, the Governor refused to endorse the Bush tax cuts, earning the praise of Massachusetts liberal congressman Barney Frank[14], and was even open to a federal gas tax hike[15]. His strident opposition to the flat tax is most curious and difficult to explain since Romney wasn't a political candidate at the time. In 1996, he ran a series of newspaper ads in Boston, New Hampshire, and Iowa denouncing the 17% flat tax proposed by then presidential candidate Steve Forbes as a "tax cut for fat cats".[16] Even today, Romney continues to oppose the flat tax with harsh language, calling the tax "unfair."[17]
Overall, Romney's record on tax policy is mixed. His record is marred by questionable statements and positions, and his fee hikes and "loophole" closures are troubling. However, his support for broad-based tax cuts in liberal Massachusetts together with his enthusiastic embrace of the Bush tax cuts on the campaign trail offers hope that Governor Romney's previous ambivalence on tax policy is more a function of Massachusetts politics than his core beliefs.
|
|
At one point, Huckabee’s party turned toward a cluster of reporters and cameramen and, when they kicked up a pheasant, fired shotgun blasts over the group’s heads.
This, friends, is dangerously bad hunting form.
...if any of our hunting mates had pulled a stunt like Huckabee’s yesterday, we never would have invited them back. It’s the sort of behavior that drives safety-conscious hunters up the wall, because it reinforces a reckless, gun-totin’ stereotype.
http://weblogs.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/blog/2007/1 2/huckabees_muzzle_control_probl.html |
|
6. Governor Mike Huckabee (R-AR): Governor Huckabee enjoyed a meteoric rise in the polls in December 2007, which prompted a more thorough review of his ethics record. According to The Associated Press: “[Huckabee’s] career has also been colored by 14 ethics complaints and a volley of questions about his integrity, ranging from his management of campaign cash to his use of a nonprofit organization to subsidize his income to his destruction of state computer files on his way out of the governor’s office.” And what was Governor Huckabee’s response to these ethics allegations? Rather than cooperating with investigators, Huckabee sued the state ethics commission twice and attempted to shut the ethics process down.
http://www.judicialwatch.org/judicial-watch-announces-list- washington-s-ten-most-wanted-corrupt-politicians-2007
|
|
Do you understand the concept of blind trust?
Apparently not. |
|
|
Imagine a candidate for president who will say anything to win the primaries in his party, and is using his personal bottomless pit of money to pay for it. Disquieting.. |
|
'Meet the Press' transcript for Dec. 16, 2007
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22273924
GOV. ROMNEY: I, I have the same position--let me describe it, because there are two parts to it.
==
And from a legal standpoint, I would outlaw cloning to create new stem cells and I would outlaw embryo farming. I would allow, on a private basis, the use of surplus embryos, so-called surplus embryos from in vitro fertilization, and likewise the existing lines. So from a legal--and I faced that in Massachusetts. I, in the bill there, I said I would continue to allow the use of surplus embryos from IVF.
==
MR. RUSSERT: But to be clear, the embryos that are so-called surplus in vitro clinics are destroyed...
GOV. ROMNEY: Yes.
MR. RUSSERT: ...for research, and you support that.
GOV. ROMNEY: The term support is perhaps not the exact word I'd choose.
MR. RUSSERT: You wouldn't outlaw it.
GOV. ROMNEY: I would, I would not outlaw it. I would allow, I would allow private laboratories and private institutions--as we currently do, and as the president does as well--to use these so-called surplus or embryos to be discarded.
Let me note as well, Tim, in that regard, that, that I think before we, we move too far down that road that we establish a provision for parents to have authority over their own embryos and to have adoption procedures so that they might be able to provide these embryos, as some call them, snowflake babies to allow them to be adopted by others and to be implanted and become human beings. That's the, that's the course I'd prefer. But I would not outlaw the use of these, of these surplus embryos if the parents so directed. And, at the same time, for federal dollars I would focus it on the, the alternative methods.
MR. RUSSERT: Let me turn to gun control.
|
|
Vogel, Kenneth P. 28 December 2007. "Stem cell, contraception groups paid Huck"
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1207/7589.html
Huckabee opposes embryonic stem cell research,
emergency contraception and stricter gun laws – all
of which rank high on the list of deal-breakers for
many of the religious conservatives whose support
he's ridden to the top of the Republican presidential
field.
==
The California-based Public Health Institute, a non-
profit that paid Huckabee $13,000 for a January
speech, works on a range of public health issues.
They include expanding access to emergency
contraception – also known as the morning-after pill
– in the U.S. and abroad.
Romney flips, & backs forcing Catholic hospitals to dispense morning-after abortion pill
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=3e6675e4-6f6e-4c84-b1a 1-5d3a743d140e%4021g2000hsj.googlegroups.com
|
|
|
You shouldn't ever speak to people you don't completely agree with? |
|
Did you know Romney has upwards of $100,000 in stock from the same company that Huckabee spoke to?
You shouldn't ever speak to people you don't completely agree with.
Hugh Hewitt as the wicked witch in The Wizard of Oz "I'm melting, I'm melting. . . I'm melting." |
|
It is easy to forget that Romney was Governor in one of the bluest states in the nation. That he was able to push many of his conservative agendas through is a miracle.
If Romney goes to Washington I feel confident that his leadership will get the conservative job done that many Republicans only talk about. Who will defeat the Democrats on issues like the Bush tax cuts expiring in 2 years? Who will actually fix social security with a viable alternative? Who will actually stop illegal immigration? Who will break the back of the islamic extremists? Romney has a record of getting it done the conservative way. |
|
25 July 2003. "Ten Northeastern States Set Up Trading Market
A regional approach to global warming
Romney joins group; environmentalists laud effort after US inaction"
The Boston Globe
http://www.heatisonline.org/contentserver/objecthandlers/in dex.cfm?ID=4356&Method=Full&PageCall=&Title=Ten%20Northeast ern%20States%20Set%20Up%20Trading%20Market&Cache=False
Also at
http://www.casmgs.colostate.edu/insider/vigview.asp?action= 2&field=9&titleid=333
Governor Mitt Romney and five other Republican
governors this week joined forces to tackle an issue
that environmentalists say their fellow Republican,
President Bush, has ducked: Curbing carbon
dioxide emissions to control global warming. A total
of 10 eastern states, convened by New York
Governor George E. Pataki, plan to spend two
years developing a regional market-based system
to limit carbon emissions, in an acknowledgment
that global warming is a current problem.
''Climate change is beginning to affect our natural
resources and . . . now is the time to take action
towards climate protection,'' Romney wrote in a
letter to Pataki, sent Monday.
==
Joining New York and Massachusetts were
Republican governors from Connecticut, Rhode
Island, New Hampshire, and Vermont, and the
Democratic governors of Delaware, Maine, New
Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
==
Increasingly, states are taking global policy into their
own hands. Last month, Massachusetts, Maine, and
Connecticut sued the federal Environmental
Protection Agency for failing to regulate carbon
dioxide, arguing that inaction will lead to increased
hardship for states grappling with the effects of
climate change.
|
|
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1207/7589.html |
|
Klein, Rick and Jake Tapper. 14 June 2007. "Romney's Pro-Life Conversion: Myth or Reality?
After 'Epiphany' on Abortion, He Named a Pro-Choice Judge and Supported Stem Cell Research" ABC News
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Story?id=3279653&page=2
In May 2005, Romney also declared his support for
a House bill lifting President Bush's ban on federal
funding of embryonic stem cell research -- a bill he
now said he opposes.
==
But while drawing attention to that veto, the Romney
campaign also showed another issue that Romney
has changed positions on -- his support for the
federal bill lifting the ban on funding embryonic stem
cell research.
"The United States House of Representatives voted
for a bill that was identical to what I proposed,"
Romney said at a statehouse press conference in
May 2005. "They voted to provide for surplus
embryos from in vitro fertilization processes to be
used for research and experimentation. That's what
I have said I support. That's what they have just
supported."
Romney then explained that he issued his veto
because the state bill went farther than the federal
bill since it allowed human cloning and the creation
of embryos for the purpose of research, as opposed
to using discarded embryos from in vitro fertilization.
"What is done in Washington is consistent with what
I have said I support which is using surplus embryos
from fertilization processes," he said then. "So it
would be helpful if people pointed out that in fact
what the U.S. House of Representatives is doing is
exactly what Gov. Romney proposed."
27 May 2005 Romney on Stem Cell Veto
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gP3kJLFh7s
|
|
I'm tired of all these negative facts about our Mike Huckabee.
Let's just elect him and get it over with.
Things will work out somehow. |
|
on abortion:
http://dealwhudson.typepad.com/deal_w_hudson/2007/12/the-pr oblem-wit.html
It does not ring true.
As Mitt said to Katie Couric: Yes, those embryos are commonly referred to as surplus embryos from in-vitro fertilization. Those embryos, I hope, could be available for adoption for people who would like to adopt embryos. But if a parent decides they would want to donate one of those embryos for purposes of research, in my view, that's acceptable. It should not be made against the law.
If McCain were the nominee, he would likely beat Hillary and even a Hillary-Obama ticket. Unfortunately Mitt may not be able to do it in the general. The GOP really has some problems right now. Many of the base like Huckabee and are being alienated by Hugh & Co.'s 24/7 attacks of their guy. Mitt, McCain and Giuliani cannot seem to rally the conservative side. And Fred has been a lazy candidate. This is going to be a very close election with the Democrats having an advantage going into this thing. It has me worried.
I will give you that Romney probably had the advantage to getting the nomination, but a Hillary Obama ticket will likely prevail against him.
|
|
Well, I have a problem with campaign finance reform and Fred was as much a part of that as McCain. What I hold against Fred is that he had the arrogance to assume that people would flock to him on his personality alone, and did not want to make an effort to campaign. That's not the kind of president I want. He is lazy, and he proved it.
What I don't get, Joe, is how you don't see that McCain is unelectable for conservatives. The MSM love him, but he is unpopular with the GOP base. So the match-up polls are meaningless. |
|
While I believe pardons should be sparingly done and certainly not because they benefit you politically, can you recognize that Mitt Romney completely screwed up in the case of Lt. Circosta?
Did Mitt Romney act in the best interest of Anthony Circosta or in the best interest of Mitt Romney? If you're gonna be elected to the job you need to be elected to do the job that's best for the citizens, not for your own political future. http://forums.hannity.com/showthread.php?t=452951
This is a good example of some of my problems with Mitt Romney. He plays it safe politically and does not have the common sense to grant a pardon to Lt. Circosta, yet in the case of Scooter Libby (when he sees a chance to increase his bonofides with the base) then he comes out and says it is a "special" situation that justifies a pardon.
Do not misunderstand me, Huckabee's foolishness in granting pardons is far far worse (and ended in tragedy). I also support a pardon for Scooter Libby (because I believe he was railroaded). But I definitely absolutely support a pardon in the case of Lt. Circosta and I expect a president I support to have the common sense to recognize that too (especially when it involves a war hero).
Stay on your narrow message, there is nothing wrong with Mitt Romney, Anyone who says otherwise is a liberal or anti Mormon, etc., etc. Trust me that is not the case. Many of us just think there are better candidates out there than Mitt. |
|
|
If the only criteria you need to select a candidate is the level of criticism he/she draws, why not vote for Edwards? Does the nature of the criticism matter to you? Does it matter to you that Huck is a fraud whose only basis for short-term popularity is that he is a bass-playing corrupt politician who says "Jesus" a lot? |
|
|
|
|
|
[Hewitt]"The new revelations about accepting money from stem-cell research groups may disturb even his most dedicated evangelical supporters."
From
http://www.mikehuckabeepresident2008.blogspot.com/
Mike Huckabee and Novo Nordisk
You are going to hear some stuff from the likes of Mitt Romney and the GOP establishment trying to make a big deal out of Mike Huckabee "taking blood money from stem cell researcher Novo Nordisk."
Fortunately, we are here to set the record straight. Novo Nordisk's main line of business is diabetes research and treatment products...they are, in fact, among the largest diabetes treatment companies in the world.
[URL: http://www.novonordisk.com/
Gov. Huckabee was diagnosed with adult-onset diabetes as a result of obesity, before he completely changed his lifestyle and diet to lose 100 pounds. In the process, he completely reversed his diabetes -- it just amazingly went away. As a result, Huckabee has become a national spokesperson for diabetes prevention.
[URL: http://www.sugarshockblog.com/2006/07/from_fat_to_fit.html
THAT is why he was invited to speak by Novo Nordisk, and why they made copies of his book "Stop Digging Your Grave With a Knife and Fork" available in foreign language translations.
[URL: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446578061/sr=1-1/qid=114 6317474/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-3043040-3208114?%5Fencoding=UTF8&s =books
So, you don't have to believe the ridiculous and desperate lies of Huckabee's opponents. Because you have us.
BSR |
|
He said this yesterday:
"Quite frankly the politics of commutations are simple: don’t ever do one. But if you’re acting in what’s best for your own politics, you don’t ever give one. If you’re acting because you honestly take those cases and you look at them and you try to do justice to them, you will do some. You may even make some mistakes, in fact you probably will ... I’d put my record up against his (Romney) any day in the world and let that record, the true record go out there before the people of Iowa and they’ll see some mistakes but I’ll tell you, most of the time what they will see is that I would have treated their own son and daughter in a way that they would have wanted their son and daughter to be treated.”
So, if you come to Jesus in prison, Huck will let you go. Never mind the courts, juries, prosecutors, victims, families of victims or the rule of law itself.
Yes, let the records of Romney and Huck be compared. I'll take Romneys, "any day in the world".
|
|
The DNC fears Mitt because Hillary's main focus will be the economy.
There's no way Hillary can compete with Mitt on economic issues.
This is why the DNC has sent out more negative press releases on Mitt than any other candidate.
They put out 99 on Mitt and 4 on Huckabee.
Hillary will try to push her health care plan but Mitt will say, I already did it through the private sector. This will be HUGE!! This blocks Hillary'plan and she wants to be able to accuse the republican of not having a plan and not caring about health care.
McCain and Rudy will have to scare everyone to death in order to get elected because their main focus will be foreign policy.
Mitt will offer a brighter future in economics, foreign policy and for the family if we return to a conservative agenda.
Mitt in 2008!!
Go Mitt!! |
|
You get away with a lot of baloney that no one ever calls you on.
First, Fred does not instill fear in anyone, not the MSM, the DNC, or any of the other candidates. He can't even unify a campaign, let alone an entire electorate. Romney is the only viable one running on all 3 legs of the stool, so he has the best chance at unification. this is the conclusion of more and more big name conservatives. They are simply reading the writing on the wall.
I agree that Guiliani has enough of his own problems, but I can only see one problem with Romney - his flip-flops. I dont' agree that they are as real as many do, but even if they are, they are easily overcome. Hillary has about a million so she can't use it. Obama's not getting the nomination, but if he did Romney is the best match-up. Heavy substance against no substance. I would love to see that match-up.
If McCain is who is feared, then why doesn't the DNC or MSM go after him? It doesn't make sense, does it? McCain is unelectable. And he has a huge temperament problem.
You are basically anybody but Romney. At least be honest about it. |
|
Under Hugh's logic:
The MSM publishes a positive story about McCain = bad news for MCCain, because the liberal MSM would only ever publish positive things about BAD Republican candidates.
The MSM publishes a positive story about Romney = glorious, epic, stunning, heroic triumph for Romney; more evidence that he is the strongest candidate for November.
Hugh, intellectually, you are an absolute mess. |
|
|
|
|
This is apparently the mentality of Huck voters. Heaven help us. |
|
Club for Growth. 21 August 2007. "Mitt Romney's Record on Economic Issues"
http://www.clubforgrowth.org/2007/08/mitt_romneys_record_on _economi.php
During his 2002 campaign for governor, Mitt Romney pledged to balance the budget without raising taxes and touted his fulfillment of that pledge throughout his term. While it is true that Governor Romney did not impose any broad-based tax hikes despite pressure from liberal special interests and an inherited budget deficit, he imposed a slew of fee hikes and tax "loophole" closures, together with spending cuts, in order to eliminate the budget gap.
The largest of these was $259 million worth of fee hikes in FY 2004, the bulk of which came from higher Registry of Deeds fees[1]. Smaller fee hikes, including higher charges for boaters and golfers, were imposed in FY 2003[2] and FY 2005[3]. Romney also sought $128 million worth of so-called tax loophole closures for FY 2004[4]; $70 million for FY 2005[5]; and $170 million for FY 2006, which were later reduced to $85 million due to backlash from business leaders[6].
==
Footnotes
[1] Massachusetts Executive Office of Administration and Finance, internal documents
[2] Boston Herald, 01/30/03
[3] Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, 01/29/04
[4] Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, 02/27/03
[5] Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, 01/29/04
[6] Boston Globe, 03/26/05
|
|
|
Seeing how Mike Huckabee is directionaly challenged, I have to question which direction is this "Huckmentum" going? Does Mike even know which direction he is headed? I am sure he thinks he is headed right, but to me it looks like he is moving left. |
|
|
GIVE IT A REST. WE READ YOU THE FIRST TIME. AND BELIEVE ME, THAT WAS ENOUGH. |
|
[Hewitt]"Romney's new ad, 'Future,' keeps the focus on the election and the years ahead while reminding voters of Senator McCain's opposition to the Bush tax cuts"
11 April 2003 Boston Globe. Cited in
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=YWQxZTZmZjRlMTRiOW U4OTAxZjZlM2I0YWJiNzU2MDM=
Governor Mitt Romney refused yesterday to
endorse tax cuts at the heart of President Bush's
economic program, but he told members of the
state's congressional delegation during a private
meeting he also would not oppose the cuts because
he has to maintain "a solid relationship" with the
White House.
==
"I was very pleased," Frank said afterward. "Here
you have a freshman governor refusing to endorse
a tax cut presented by a Republican president at the
height of his wartime popularity."
According to the observer, who spoke on condition
of anonymity, Romney told the delegation that he
"won't be a cheerleader" for proposals he doesn't
agree with, "but I have to keep a solid relationship
with the White House."
|
|
I'm fed up with the hype surrounding YET ANOTHER guy who was too good for the US Military. I'd rather be waterboarded than vote for another squishy RINO.
Hunter 2008 or Bust! |
|
I'm dizzy and nauseous after reading Hugh's latest.
Mitt Romney as Ronald Reagan? C'mon. Romney couldn't hold Reagan's joke.
Romney says he was an independent during those bad days of "Reagan/Bush."
Romney is a snake oil salesman -- pure and simple.
Maybe spending ridiculous amounts of his own money will buy him a victory in Iowa -- but, it's amazing that he'll have spent about $10 million in Iowa and may not be able to win the caucuses. |
|
I am still undecided who to vote for in the primary, but Hugh you are helping tilt me in a direction. I have been leaning in the direction of Romney, but also considering Huck, McCain, and Thompson.
With your incessant and often silly attacks on Huck, I begin to think that he is perhaps a serious candidate if he has to be attacked constantly. Furthermore, the fact that Romney is your golden boy who can do not wrong makes me really suspicious of him.
So after reading your articles and blogs, I have now started leaning in Huck's direction and have also come to the conclusion that I cannot trust anything you say until after the 2008 election.
Yes, you and the other Romney supports have really helped him a lot with the undecided voters like me. |
|
While I agree Huckabee would be weaker in the general than Romney, Romney would be weaker in the general than John McCain or Rudy Giuliani. Romney now has negatives as high as Hillary's.
The dems fear McCain the most because he would draw independents that Hillary needs to win. McCain's war experience would also contrast Obama nicely if Obama gets the nomination. Rudy and Romney have enough of their own problems to make the general election a toss up if they were matched against Hillary or Obama.
I suspect Fred Thompson is also feared (even if he has not caught fire yet) if only because he could potentially unify the conservative base in a way McCain, Giuliani or Romney never could. Unfortunately, unless there is some change I do not see that happening. |
|
|
Romney just can't win. A gov from Mass who just a few years ago wanted to get away from REAGAN/BUSH will not carry 270 + electoral votes. He would be too easily tied in with Kerry flip flopper from Mass. Hugh's constant advertising of Romney does not bother me however I wish Hugh would explain to us how Romney could win a general. |
|
|
|
He is far from my choice. However, if he is the GOP nominee I shall support him for what he says NOT for what I believe he believes and hope I'm wrong. That perhaps his conversion is real...........I personally do not buy it and I doubt the general election will buy him. A flip flopper is a flip flopper........A Mass. Gov. is well Mass.
Kerry had ZERO credibility. He had a large amount of blind democrats..........but no free thinking independents could take him at his word for obvious reasons. Romney is no different. Notwithstandig
my favorite magazine's endorsement of the National Review.........the difference being I JUST DON'T BELIEVE HIM......He is as liberal as his Father who was left of FDR. |
|
|
|
nothing like a good belly laugh to start out the day ..
one more word for any conservative still wondering whom to support ..
give it a "B" .. an "O" .. an "R" .. a "K" |
|
Then I assume you do not mind if Romney's varied and "evolving" position points are pointed out?
Because we all know Mitt Romney said: "I was an independent during the time of Reagan-Bush. I'm not trying to return to Reagan-Bush."
Or when Romney said: "The gay community needs more support from the Republican Party,'' Romney said in an interview that year. And in a letter to the Log Cabin Republicans, Romney looked forward to the day when gays and lesbians could serve "openly and honestly in our nation's military."
Or when Romney said he wanted abortion to remain "safe and legal" and supported Roe v. Wade?
The trouble with Mitt Romney's "attack ads" is the hypocrisy of Mitt Romney in challenging other candidates on their records and ignoring the blatant flip flops in positions Mitt has made.
|
|
Thought I’d throw this out for discussion, as there seems to be a (Hewitt) belief that every time Huckabee exposes another weakness on world affairs this automatically makes Romney, in particular, look good.
What if the net effect of a governor’s ignorance of foreign affairs is to tar by association governors in general, making experienced national pols such as McCain look preferable to those like Romney and Huckabee whose experiences are far narrower? |
|
Romney is top notch...
It is no wonder why Democrats are trying to defeat him in NH.
|
|
good to have a belly laugh so early in the morning ..
and just one more word for any conservative who wonders about the most important issues .. one who knows them personally .. a very careful man .. you might say even thoughtful .. and and one who knows about Romney ..
B
O
R
K |
|
Pardons
Paroles
Speaking fees as governor including for embryonic research group
religion-baiting
lying about role in DuMond case
lying about not knowing anything about Mormonism
lying about floating cross
stealing $70,000 worth of furniture
gift registries
no tax he is not profoundly grateful for
foreign policy ignorance/blunders/leftist views
ethics violations
evidence of corruption in more than a few instances
killed investigation of son's dog killing
class warfare
amnesty amnesty amnesty
regulate CEO pay
no fundamental understanding of economics
And for the finale: fires his gun over reporters heads today - you gotta love the way the Huckster is imploding right before your very eyes.
Why, oh why, would we want him? We don't, except for a few hear-no-evil,see-no-evil evangelicals. I hope they grow a brain before next Thurs.
|
|
...that for some reason Hugh failed to mention.
http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/12/rumor_ patrol_mccain_and_matchi.php
Rumor: McCain has formally accepted federal financing for his primary campaign and thus is subject to its limits...
Fact: McCain has secured a loan using his campaign's assets as collateral...but not future funds from the federal match... and has not opted in to the nomination funding system. The FEC has approved million of dollars worth of matching funds, but McCain can't spend them until March and hasn't decided whether he'll need to.
McCain advisers believe that a victory in New Hampshire will ease his money woes considerably....
|
|
|
Joe - They are only negative attacks if they are untrue. People's records matter. If their records being pointed out constitute an attack then the last paragraph of your screed should also be considered a negative attack. Therefore, nobody should pay attention to it or factor it into their decision, right? |
|
|
I agree with you on "speaking fees" or "honorarium" for sitting politicians. They should speak as part of their jobs until out of office. Heck, most pols welcome the chance to speak to Rotary clubs, VFWs, conventions, etc. if only to get a chance to woo some voters. The federal government and most states specifically ban it, but apparently either Arkansas does not (imagine that) or does not enforce its rules. |
|
On the credit crisis (Kudlow & Co.) - he was remarkably prepped and knowlegeable. I was very impressed (for the first time).
On the Pakistan crisis (Fox H&C) - mushy; but no mistakes; probably prudent at this point.
On his stint as Gov. of Mass (several conservative Mass residences call-ins B.Bennett Show) - they all suggested he has no 'core' values that guide him or transcend the slippery navigation of most politicians 'to win'.
Remember, Reagan had a core belief and value system that guided him through tough times that challenged his ideology personally. Remember how much doubt about his tax cuts the fall of 1982, before morning in America broke? And the deployment of Pershings in Germany (remember the idiot rock stars et al who were out haunting the airwaves)?
W.Bush is Reaganesque (unlike his Dad) in that he's had core, conservative beliefs guiding him consistently. I'm still very pro-Bush (and Reagan).
Can Romney be our guy in the Reagan-W.Bush mold? The question is whether his brilliant, analytical mind can guide him as a decisive leader in times where there are NO GOOD OPTIONS - such as today with Pakistan.
Hugh, I'll support him if he's our guy, but I have VERY mix emotions about his bonifides.
|
|
It's called spin, and Hugh's head is spinning so badly now that he can't see straight. I think when Mitt puts his tie on straight, Hugh has a blog entry praising him, doesn't he?
What will he say when Romney wins only one of the first five primaries and has absolutely no momentum? Maybe we have a "what will Hugh write" contest?
Is Hugh really Mitt's long lost brother? |
|
followed with strings of negative attack ads against his GOP opponents.
Of course, in evoking "the sunny optimism" of President Reagan, Romney avoided the time when he denounced Reagan-Bush and said he was an independent. ``I was an independent during the time of Reagan-Bush. I'm not trying to return to Reagan-Bush.''
Romney spent years in the state registered as ''unenrolled,'' or unaffiliated with a political party, and in 1992 he voted for former Sen. Paul Tsongas, a liberal Democrat, in the Massachusetts Democratic presidential primary.
http://www.miamiherald.com/campaign08/story/356161.html |
|
|
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hmzEtCHP0Y |
|
|
Apparently that was an issue with Huckleberry when he was governor. Why does a sitting politician accept fees to speak in public? Speaking to citizens is his job! How is that not graft? And he is doing it as he campaigns? |
|
• McCain endorsement from any newspaper: bad, as all media are presumed to be trying to hurt the good GOP candidates and help the bad ones.
• AP reporter comparison of Romney to Reagan: a stunning triumph for Romney.
• Any kind word on Huckabee from the MSM: terrible – the media love Huck because he’s good for the Dems.
Glad we’ve got all that straight. |
|
|
|