Mitt Romney's Mormon Religion Hurting Him?

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Mitt Romney's Mormon Religion Hurting Him?

A funny thing happened to Mitt Romney, one of the most conservative candidates in the GOP field, on the way to the Republican nomination for President. What? The fact that he is a Mormon is hurting Mitt Romney with some hardcore conservative evangelical Christian voters and even after months of trying to change there minds, Mitt Romney is still having a tough time moving his poll numbers up to the area of Rudy Giuliani and the yet to announce Fred Thompson.

What Mitt Romney is going though with a certain segment of the GOP is something other mainstream Christian Republicans have learned the hard way too and that is many social evangelical Christian voters are just as stubborn in their extreme conservative political views as the liberal kooks with crazy ideas in Hollywood are in the democratic party. However, with Mitt Romney there is another added problem and that is his Mormon religion has been criticized in some churches for years as being more akin to a cult than a real religion.

If Mitt Romney was not a Mormon, I believe he would be leading Rudy Giuliani is the race for the GOP nomination. However, Mitt Romney is a Mormon and in a small way he might be a winner even if he does not win the GOP nomination next year. How? He is paving the way for future Mormon candidates for high political office in the future. John Kennedy made it possible for Catholics to seek the presidency and win, just like Jesse Jackson is helping Barack Obama this year because he first tired and failed to win the job of President of the United States in the past.

I have met many Mormons in my life and I have yet to meet a person that has been raised a Mormon that was not kind to me and also every single person I have met that follows strict Mormon teachings have very high levels of personal moral values and integrity.

Read more about Religion:

Church State Issues
Religion Gone Wrong
War About Religion
Following Blind Faith
So Much Extremism

Posted by Mark Hutcherson at 10:35 AM

People bored at a Barack Obama event...

IMG_1862, originally uploaded by Barack Obama.

He actually put this on his flickr account. Click the picture to see more people being bored!

"Fred Thompson Does Not Support A Constitutional Amendment To Ban Gay Marriage."

Posted by: Hugh Hewitt  at 8:56 AM That's from the Thompson Campaign, as reported by K-Lo at The Corner.

Which makes Romney the only top tier candidate who does support the Federal Marriage Amendment.  (Romney's very public campaign on behalf of the Amendment is detailed in A Mormon In The White House.)

Thompson leaves the door open to supporting the amendment in the future, but proponents of the amendment have long pointed to the threat of sudden, judge-imposed changes in the law that would see DOMA struck down without warning.

This is a huge issue in the GOP primaries with a crucial segment of the electorate --the segment that hates court-imposed social engineering.  Fred Thompson's lassitude on this issue will undercut the enthusiasm some in the evangelical community have expressed for his possible candidacy. 

If the defense of traditional marriage is one of your key issues, Fred Thompson can't be your candidate.

Fred Thompson Acts Lazy and Wears Gucci Loafers at Iowa Fair (Sez Fox Video)

Lazy Gucci-Wearing Fred Thompson Goes To The Iowa Fair

With friends like Fox News, Fred Thompson doesn't need Democrats. Fox reports that Fred Thompson played like he's a real candidate by motoring around the Iowa State Fair in a golf cart and taking lots of breaks in the VIP tent, all the while wearing his Gucci loafers at the country fair. Says Fox News in another video (48 sec) clip: "He's been motoring around in a golf cart, something that no other presidential candidate has done throughout the entire two weeks of the state fair." (Video clip below is 4 minutes.)

What was it that Jim Cooper said about Fred Thompson back in the 1990s? Oh, yeah, Fred Thompson is a "Gucci-wearing, Lincoln-driving, Perrier-drinking, Grey Poupon–spreading millionaire Washington special-interest lobbyist."

Fred Thompson Tries To Get It Right - Again

Fred Thompson Tries To Get It Right - Again

by bigjolly | 08/08/2007 11:38 am | Alert moderator

Good ol' boy, regular American guy Fred just can't seem to figure out who he wants to run his non-campaign campaign. Maybe the third time's a charm .

Fred Thompson on Wednesday tapped the man he credits with saving his 1994 Senate campaign to take over his likely presidential bid.

Bill Lacy, a former strategist for Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole and Republican National Committee, will run day-to-day operations of Thompson's committee to "test the waters" for a presidential run.

"He turned around my campaign for Senate in 1994

Someone better turn this ship around. Lately it's been more like one of those subs in the Hunt for Red October, sinking fast.

The all-but-declared candidate collected about $1.5 million less than the $5 million backers had hoped to bring in during June, his first fundraising month. In July, Thompson sidelined his campaign-manager-in-waiting, Tom Collamore, and watched a few other aides follow him out the door amid consternation inside the operation about the active role of Thompson's wife, Jeri.

Perhaps Mr. Lacy will fare a bit better than he did in his last stint as a presidential campaign manager.

A White House political director in the Reagan administration, Lacy was Dole's political strategist for 10 years, including during the Kansas senator's failed 1996 presidential run. Lacy resigned shortly after Dole lost the New Hampshire and Delaware primaries.

I'll say this for Mr. Lacy, he sure nailed the reason for ol' Fred's turnaround in his Senate race.

"Fred isn't Superman. His style has some similarities to President Reagan, but he hasn't been around as long and proven himself as much," Lacy wrote. "But he has been tested: In the darkest hours of his political career, when the wheels were about to come off his first campaign, he figured out how to scoop them up, put them on a red truck and drive off into the sunset."

You could write a book from that statement. Certainly, his style is similar to Reagan's, give him that much. But even though his Senate career wasn't exactly stellar, you have to give him credit where credit is due. He did manage to get McCain/Feingold passed, even got a loving note from Russ for his efforts.

But I like that last one best, about scooping up the wheels, renting a little red truck and driving into the sunset. What little red truck ?

Although some of his campaign staff protested the move as cheesy, they leased Thompson a red Chevy pickup and he hit the road. Cooper attempted to paint Thompson as phony, calling him a "Gucci-wearing, Lincoln-driving, Perrier-drinking, Grey Poupon–spreading millionaire Washington special-interest lobbyist." But voters loved the truck. They didn't seem to mind that the candidate often switched from a sedan to the truck just miles from his appearances. "We couldn't believe anyone was buying it ," says Kopp.

There are a lot of good, hard working conservatives running for the Republican nomination in 2008. Hunter, Romney, Tommy Thompson, Giuliani and others. Why settle for style over substance?

New Gallup Poll

August 17, 2007

New Gallup Poll: Romney Posts Modest Gains

Majority of Republicans unaware of his Iowa victory, however

by Frank Newport

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has posted modest gains over the last two weeks, both in his favorable rating and in his positioning in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. One presumption is that Romney's gains reflect the visibility that followed his win in the Iowa Republican Party straw poll last weekend, although data in the new Gallup Poll show that only a third of Republicans nationwide are directly aware that Romney won this unofficial contest.

Republican Horse Race

Romney now receives 14% of Republicans' votes when they are asked whom they would like as their party's presidential nominee, up from 8% in each of the two previous Gallup Polls conducted in July and early August. Romney's current positioning puts him slightly behind front-runner Rudy Giuliani and unannounced candidate Fred Thompson, but slightly ahead of John McCain, who slips to 11% in this poll.

Which of these candidates would you be most likely to support for the Republican nomination? among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents
	2007 Jun 11-14	2007 Jul 6-8	2007 Jul 12-15	2007 Aug 3-5	2007 Aug 13-16
Giuliani	29	32	33	33	32
F. Thompson	21	21	21	21	19
Romney	8	9	8	8	14
McCain	20	16	16	16	11
Huckabee	3	2	2	2	4
Paul	2	*	3	2	3
Hunter	2	3	1	1	2
Hagel	1	1	*	1	1
Brownback	2	1	2	1	1
Tancredo	1	2	*	1	1
T. Thompson	2	2	1	2	n/a
Gilmore	1	*	*	n/a	n/a
Pataki	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Other	*	*	1	2	1
None/No opinion	8	10	11	10	11
* Less than 0.5%

Romney's positioning is not a new high point for the former Massachusetts governor; he was at 14% in a Gallup Poll in early June. At that time, however, McCain had a clear claim on second place, while Romney was roughly tied with Thompson for third. The accompanying graph shows the relative positioning of the four leading candidates since February.

These data are based on the Republican ballot and do not include preferences for former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. When the ballot is further re-calculated to reflect only the currently declared candidates (thus excluding not only Gingrich but also Thompson and Chuck Hagel), Giuliani is supported by 39% of Republicans, Romney by 17%, McCain by 15%, and Mike Huckabee -- who finished second in the Iowa straw poll -- by 7%. Giuliani and McCain did not participate in the straw poll.

Favorable Rating

Romney's favorable rating has jumped from 22% to 33% over the past two weeks, while his unfavorable rating has fallen from 31% to 24%.

Romney's favorable rating had been in the 22% to 23% range over the previous three polls conducted in July and August, with a higher unfavorable than favorable rating in each of these polls. Although his favorable rating had been as high as 27% in May, the current 33% is his highest to date.

Forty-nine percent of Republicans now have a favorable opinion of Romney, compared with 36% in the prior poll. At the same time, Romney's unfavorable rating among Republicans dropped from 20% to 16%. All in all, Romney's name identification among Republicans -- the percentage who have an opinion of him -- jumped by nine points over the last two weeks.

Still, despite these gains for Romney, his favorable rating among Republicans remains below Giuliani's and McCain's, and although he shares similar favorable ratings with Thompson, his unfavorable rating is more than twice as high. Romney is, however, better known than Thompson (despite the latter's film and TV exposure), and much better known than Huckabee or Sam Brownback.

Opinion Ratings Among Republicans of Six Republican Current or Potential Presidential Candidates Aug. 13-16, 2007
	Favorable	Unfavorable	Don't know/ No opinion
	%	%	%
Rudy Giuliani	77	14	9
John McCain	59	28	13
Fred Thompson	50	7	43
Mitt Romney	49	16	35
Mike Huckabee	30	8	62
Sam Brownback	14	13	73

Awareness of the Iowa Straw Poll Victory

Romney won the Iowa straw poll a week ago with 32% of the vote of Republicans who cast their straw-poll ballots, followed by Huckabee with 18%. One could assume that Romney's image and vote gains in the Aug. 13-16 Gallup Poll reflect in part the positive visibility he received as a result of that victory. That may be the case, but a separate question asked at the end of the poll shows that only a third of Republicans could name Romney as the winner in Iowa.

The change in Romney's positioning in the current poll could in theory have occurred only among Republicans who were aware of his victory in Iowa, but there is no way to know that for sure because there is no way to trend this group to the pre-straw poll survey.  

The sample size of Republicans who were aware that Romney had won the Iowa straw poll is quite small (n=178), but it is of interest to look at the vote preferences among this group. The data show that Thompson has a slight lead over Romney among this group, with Giuliani slightly further behind. This finding may reflect the pre-existing characteristics of the group most likely to follow GOP politics closely, or it may be a result of the characteristics of those who were paying attention to the Iowa straw poll specifically. But it is true that Romney (and Thompson) does better among Republicans who were aware of Romney's victory in Iowa than among those who were not.

Summary

All in all, the general finding is that Romney has enjoyed a modest improvement in his standing among Republicans, and that this improvement coincides with the time of his victory in the Iowa straw poll.

Survey Methods

Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,019 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Aug. 13-16, 2007. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

From Michael Tam's Blog

Michael Tams is a great guy and has a great blog. Go check it out!

Michael Tams

View my complete profile  

Friday, August 17, 2007

The Illinois Straw Poll and the Paulaholics

So I went to the State Fair on Thursday - took a valuable personal day to make my first trip to Springfield. The Fair itself was an experience, and something I will do again. To my great shame, again I acknowledge this was my first trip to Springfield, and I'll be sure to soon visit again and check out some fun things I'd like to do there. Like this, for example. Who's with me??

At the straw poll, I had a couple of encounters with the young people I've taken to calling the Paulaholics. Ron's kids, in other words. His literature claims that he's had 4,000 babies (or maybe he just delivered them?). Anyway, although Mom always said if you don't have anything nice to say...

I've never seen a more unwashed and angry group of people in my life. Honest to God, I had to keep reminding myself that these weren't liberals. It appears that Paul draws heavy support from the "legalize marijuana" wing of the Libertarian Party; some of the older folks at the fair remarked that it felt "like the 60s" all over again. I saw more long hair, beards, Birkenstocks, tattoos and piercings than I have seen in a long time. And they regularly were shouting to drown out other speakers. At one point - I am not making this up - organizers at the fair had to ask Paul's supporters to move away from the stage where IL GOP officials were making speeches: they were holding up signs to get on camera and they were the only ones so etiquette-inept to fail to realize that this was in poor taste. I attended my last heavy-metal concert with my younger brother in 2000, and the Paulaholics could have learned some manners from your average concert-goer. It was that bad.

And then it got worse. I talked a little bit to one Paulaholic and posed an interesting question to him. Suppose Romney got the nomination, I inquired, would you support him? No, came the answer. Why not, I asked. Because that's a vote that would send me to hell, came the reply. This person then informed me of the fact that Mormonism is a false religion, and when I mentioned that I wasn't Mormon but Catholic, tried to engage me in a debate about "faith" vs. "faith and works." As politely as I could, I told him that we could sit there all day and quote Scripture to each other, but it wasn't going to make a difference in anything other than what time we went to bed.

It's easy to get swept up in something you're passionate about, I get that. But the general rabidity that came from the Paul campaign was unlike anything I witnessed from the Guiliani, Thompson or Romney people.

Oh, and one of the Paulaholics - he wasn't a day over 18 - told me that Paul is for the Constitution. By sheer force of will alone I resisted the urge to ask if he had plans for it other than to roll it up and smoke it.

Posted by Michael Tams at 9:47 PM 1 comments  

Blog Archive

• ▼ 2007 (6)
  • ▼ August (2)
    • The Illinois Straw Poll and the Paulaholics
    • Iowa's Straw Poll and Romney Analysis
  • ► July (4)
    • Vindication
    • New Technology
    • Another Independence Day Post
    • Getting Started... Again

 

The Big Show

• The American Federalist Blog

Latest Victim Of Racial Bias: John Edwards

Latest Victim Of Racial Bias: John Edwards

By LARRY ELDER | Posted Friday, August 17, 2007 4:30 PM PT

Elizabeth Edwards, Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards' wife, wants affirmative action — for white males. OK, she didn't put it exactly that way. Here's what happened.

In explaining why her husband relies so heavily on the Internet — as opposed to traditional media — to get his message out, Mrs. Edwards said:

"In some ways, it's the way we have to go. We can't make John black, we can't make him a woman. Those things get you a lot of press, worth a certain amount of fundraising dollars. Now it's nice to get on the news, but not the be-all and end-all."

So the strong campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., reflects nothing more than her gender. And the competitive campaign of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., rests primarily on his race. Hey, any black guy could pull this off — whether Barack Obama, rapper Snoop Dogg or television personality Mr. T. What's the diff?

If, according to Edwards, gender plays such an important role, what happened to the 2000 presidential candidacy of now Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina? Or what about Carol Moseley Braun, the former senator from Illinois whose 2004 presidential campaign went nowhere? She represented a two-fer, both black and a woman.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who ran for president in 2004, complained that because of his race, the media ignored him. "I think when you look at the lack of diversity in the newsrooms," said Sharpton, "when you look at the lack of diversity from the editors and those in power, then you see them as automatically dismissive of anything that is not like them, which is white males. I think we've seen some very blatant racial insensitivity in the coverage of this race so far."

Tell that to Mrs. Edwards.

What about Democratic New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, with his Hispanic heritage? He served as President Clinton's secretary of energy and ambassador to the United Nations. Richardson also helped turn around the economy of New Mexico with tax cuts.

In that state, he enjoys a popularity rating of 65%. Yet as a Democratic presidential candidate, he finds himself mired in single digits in the polls. What happened to his benefit?

How many Democrats know that their hero, their very own John Wayne — President Kennedy — opposed preferences? According to a 1963 U.S. News & World Report story, JFK:

"I don't think we can undo the past. In fact, the past is going to be with us for a good many years in uneducated men and women who lost their chance for a decent education. We have to do the best we can now. That is what we are trying to do. I don't think quotas are a good idea. I think it is a mistake to begin to assign quotas on the basis of religion or race — color — nationality. . . . On the other hand, I do think that we ought to make an effort to give a fair chance to everyone who is qualified — not through a quota, but just look over our employment rolls, look over our areas where we are hiring people and at least make sure we are giving everyone a fair chance. But not hard and fast quotas. . . . We are too mixed, this society of ours, to begin to divide ourselves on the basis of race or color."

Ward Connerly, the man who pioneered California's Proposition 209 — the successful effort to abolish state-sponsored race- and gender-based preferences — makes an interesting point. Defenders of affirmative action say we need it because "the playing field remains unlevel."

Mrs. Edwards' husband supports affirmative action — that is, preferences for the "disadvantaged." Yet according to her, the playing field no longer tilts against disadvantaged minorities. It now tilts against people like her white male husband.

She may be on to something. An examination of a select group of 28 colleges and universities shows that when a black applicant scored 1,250 to 1,300 out of 1,600 on the SAT, the student stood a three-in-four chance of getting admitted.

When a white student scored 1,250 to 1,300, he or she stood a one-in-four chance.

And in "Civil Rights," economist Thomas Sowell writes: "Black college-educated couples with husband and wife working had by 1980 achieved incomes higher than white couples of the same description."

The Supreme Court in 2003, in a 5-4 decision, upheld the use of race as a criterion in college admissions. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, writing the decision for the majority, said society needs racial preferences for another 25 years to right past wrongs.

Mrs. Edwards apparently thinks society paid the mortgage off early.

Governor Mitt Romney On India's Independence Day

"On the 60th anniversary of India's independence, we celebrate the contributions of Indian-Americans to the United States. Throughout my career, I have seen first-hand how the Indian-American community has enriched our nation with its values and culture. Many Indian-Americans are also at the forefront of building our nation's vibrant economy in various sectors including health care, business, education, science and technology.

"As the world's two largest democracies and as partners in fighting terror, India and the United States have a historic opportunity to forge a more powerful partnership based on our shared values and strategic interests. Together, India and the United States can serve as twin beacons of freedom against those who preach intolerance and extremism. We should strengthen our nations' ability to advance our mutual interests internationally in the United Nations and elsewhere, while working closely to build security and prosperity for our peoples and the world."

Mitt Romney wins Illinois straw poll

August 16, 2007

Mitt Romney wins Illinois straw poll

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney

(CNN)–Mitt Romney added another straw poll victory to his resume Thursday.

Illinois state Republican party chairman, Andy McKenna, said Romney won the Illinois Straw poll at the Illinois State Fair. "Congratulations to Mitt Romney, whose strong showing today indicates he has begun to put together a strong statewide organization," McKenna said. "There's no question that Illinois' demographics closely match those of the United States and this could be an indication as to whom Illinois voters are leaning toward this coming February."

Romney secured an overwhelming victory with 40.35 percent of the vote. Former Senator Fred Thompson, who is expected to formally enter the race for the GOP nomination next month, came in second with 19.96 percent of the vote.

The Illinois Republican party sponsored the straw poll during its Republican Day festivities at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield.

To be included, participate candidates were required to have participated in one of the previously held debates with other Republican candidates, or have polled above 5 percent in a national, independent poll.

Final results of Thursday's Illinois straw poll:

1. Mitt Romney – 40.35%

2. Fred Thompson – 19.96%

The Big Win At Ames

August 14, 2007 07:27am

The Big Win At Ames

A lot of people have written their stories about the straw poll victory we enjoyed at Ames. Having seen the effort and the triumph from the inside, I thought I'd share a few of my own thoughts and photos.

1. Why do you think that Governor Romney won?

He won for two reasons. First, my Dad is the best candidate in the race. But the fact is that as the people in Iowa have gotten to know my Dad, they have liked him and his message. He has traveled extensively across Iowa (over 200 events total) and answered hundreds of questions in dozens and dozens of townhalls open to the public and the media. And he has risen from about 5% in Iowa to 28% and first place in the polls in only a few months.

The second reason he did so well was the fantastic campaign organization that was built in Iowa. Some journalists have called it the deepest, most organized campaign team ever assembled in Iowa. Matt Lewis from Townhall.com wrote a piece today that touches on the organization on the day of the straw poll. In addition to that the campaign staff did an extraordinary job of organizing and motivating voters to come out to a straw poll that many were saying had already been won. Which leads to question number 2.

2. Without some of the other top tier candidates there, does this qualify as a win?

Yes. As my Dad has said, if the other guys thought they could have won or even done well, they would have been there. Which makes the win all that more extraordinary. Do you know how hard it is to motivate voters to hop on a bus on a Saturday morning and drive several hours each way so they can wait around for hours more in 100 degree sticky heat, all for the privilege of voting for a candidate who has everyone says is a shoe-in to win?

We offered barbeque sandwiches to folks there, which was the least we could do for our supporters who braved temperatures reaching 100 degrees. And do you think that holds a candle to what they could have had a few miles down the road at the state fair? Fried twinkies, fried snicker bars, pork chops on a stick, fried Oreos... Yes, I tried them all and heavenly doesn't begin to describe them. And you think offering them a bus ride and a pulled pork sandwich is what got them to Ames?

This was an extremely dedicated bunch and some of the most conservative voters in the country. We had to overcome several obstacles to win but the win shows that my Dad's message is resonating with conservative voters.

3. How does this help?

This will help with my Dad's name ID. He was the number one blogged about muggle the last few days, beaten only by Harry Potter. The straw poll also helps us get ready for the critical Iowa caucus in January. We put our campaign organization in Iowa through a full-body workout. We identified thousands of voters as Mitt Romney supporters. And we showed commitment to the political process and to the people of Iowa.

With a win in Ames, the race is far from over. Our strategy is to do well in the early primary states and to build momentum nationally as a result. The Straw Poll victory is the first step on our road to the GOP nomination and eventually the presidency. It's great to have you all on board with us! See Craig's post below on signing up 48,000 new Team Mitt supporters in 48 hours - please pass the word along.

My Mom and Dad and all 5 boys on the stage at Ames

Even our campaign manager, Beth Myers, was working hard at that day

Me with Gentry Collins, the mastermind behind the Iowa organization (don't ask about my wrist brace, it's a long and embarrassing story)

In the Mitt Mobile escaping the heat for a few minutes with Peter Flaherty and Beth Myers. Ben and Ande are in the background.

 

Posted at 2007-08-14 07:27:50 by Tagg Romney

From a Mitt Romney fan...

The Romney campaign had a great weekend, and I want to be sure to share the news with you.  First, on Saturday, we won the Ames, Iowa Straw Poll with 31.5% of the vote, a greater percentage than George W. Bush received in 1999.

Also, this just in … the American Research Group released their latest nationwide poll this afternoon. 16% support Governor Romney, up 6 points from 10% last month. Here are the full results:

	Jul.	Aug.	Jul./Aug. Change
Giuliani	30%	27%	-3
Gov. Romney	10%	16%	+6
F. Thompson	17%	16%	-1
McCain	14%	13%	-1
Other	16%	15%	-1
Undecided	11%	14%	+3

 

Wow - a 6 point pick up in 30 days nationally.  

 

  Best Regards, david

 

P.S. By the way, the Giuliani camp has tried to diminish Mitt's victory in Iowa by saying Rudy chose to not participate.  Three quick points:

 

1. Giuliani was on the ballot, people could have voted for him

 

2. If Rudy would have had any shot of beating Mitt in Iowa, believe me, he would have shown up.

 

3. As Winston Churchill said:

 

"Wars are not won by evacuation .  .  ."

 

Gov. Romney Tours San Ysidro Border

Matthews on Romney: "Everything about him is perfect ... the tie always tied"

On the August 13 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, during an interview with Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, host Chris Matthews said: "Let me ask you about [Republican presidential candidate] Mitt Romney. You know, I watched him on the [NBC] Today show this morning. He looks like a million bucks. Everything is perfect. Everything about him is perfect." As examples, Matthews cited Romney's "look," his "manner," and his "shirt," with "never rolled-up sleeves" and "the tie always tied," and asked: "That perfection -- is that the Republican Party of the 21st century? Is that what we're looking for, the perfect efficiency expert?" Huckabee responded: "Well, if it is, I'm not going to get the nomination, because I'm far from perfect. ... I've got a bald spot on the back of my head. My life has been one of nothing but struggle in many ways."

Matthews frequently fawns over Romney's appearance, as Media Matters for America has documented. On the January 19 edition of Hardball, Matthews said of Romney: "He has the perfect chin, the perfect hair, he looks right." On the February 13 edition of the show, Matthews said Romney has "got a great chin, I've noticed."

From the August 13 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews:

MATTHEWS: Let me ask you about Mitt Romney. You know, I watched him on the Today show this morning. He looks like a million bucks. Everything is perfect. Everything about him is perfect -- his look, his manner, everything, the shirt, never rolled-up sleeves, the tie always tied. That perfection -- is that the Republican Party of the 21st century? Is that what we're looking for, the perfect efficiency expert?

HUCKABEE: Well, if it is, I'm not going to get the nomination, because I'm far from perfect. I'm the guy that -- you know, I've got a bald spot on the back of my head. My life has been one of nothing but struggle in many ways. But I think that's why I'll end up being the nominee. There a lot more people that can relate to people like me.

 

http://mediamatters.org/items/200708140005

Obama's comments on Afghanistan draw sharp rebuke from Romney campaign

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama came under fire Tuesday for saying that U.S. troops in Afghanistan are "just air-raiding villages and killing civilians." The junior senator from Illinois made the comment Monday at a campaign stop in Nashua, New Hampshire.

"We've got to get the job done there," he said of Afghanistan. "And that requires us to have enough troops so that we're not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there."

The comment drew a rebuke Tuesday from the campaign of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

"That is a very troubling remark on so many levels," said Romney spokesman Kevin Madden. "Most importantly, it's emblematic of Senator Obama's lack of experience for the job of commander-in-chief. But it's also an entirely inaccurate condemnation of the efforts of the men and women of the United States military who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan."

A spokesman for Obama, who will speak at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Missouri next week, did not immediately respond to Madden's criticism.

The flap comes three weeks after Obama promised that if elected president, he would meet without pre-conditions with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea. That pledge was called "irresponsible and frankly naive" by rival Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Eight days later, eager to rebut Clinton's charge, Obama said that as president, he might send U.S. troops into Pakistan to fight terrorists not targeted by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

"If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will," he vowed.

Critics called this overly hawkish, prompting Obama to modulate again the next day by ruling out the use of nuclear weapons to fight terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"I think it would be a profound mistake for us to use nuclear weapons in any circumstance," he told the AP before pausing.

"Involving civilians," he added. "Let me scratch that. There's been no discussion of nuclear weapons. That's not on the table."

The gaffe was criticized by Clinton, who said: "I don't believe that any president should make any blanket statements with respect to the use or non-use of nuclear weapons."

Clinton has been criticized for a statement about Iran last year in which she said "I would certainly take nuclear weapons off the table."

On Tuesday, Clinton's campaign declined to comment on Obama's remark about U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

bsammon@dcexaminer.com

Download the video of Obama's controversial comments on Afghanistan while on the campaign trail in Nashua, New Hampshire.

Allen, Alter and Cillizza on Romney

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Allen, Alter and Cillizza on Romney and Rove

Posted by: Hugh Hewitt  at 7:50 AM

Politico's Mike Allen on Romney:

Governor Romney looks so strong at this point. I think there was a time, tell me if you disagree, I think there was a time that if you'd put a gun to the head of most Republicans, insiders, they would have said Rudy Giuliani somehow, by hook or by crook, is going to wind up as the nominee. I think pressed now, today, those same Republicans would say Governor Romney, it's his to lose.

Allen on Fred Thompson:

Just to give you a quick little insight into the Fred strategy? They plan a little bit of a low impact campaign. They're pointing to Governor Bush's schedule in 2000, where his pattern was two events and a fundraiser a day. I think that that is the sort of schedule Senator Thompson's going to stick to....[H]e's not going to do the diner to diner, church to church, break your back sort of campaigning that at least in the primaries has come to be sort of customary.

Chris Cillizza on Fred Thompson's projected pace:

HH: But Mike Allen just said to me that he's heard that Thompson's going to run a two-event, one fundraiser a day campaign. And I wonder, and it's more of a feel issue, and you've been on the road a lot more than I have in the last three months, can a Snuffy Smith, you know, lying in my hammock, getting up off the back porch for some lemonade campaign work in 2007 and 2008, Chris Cillizza?

CC: I don't think so, and I think it would be a mistake if that was the campaign Thompson was running. Now he has, throughout his political career, faced questions about his political metabolism, you know, does he have the heart to do it. I mean, Hugh, you've seen this, and I've seen it up close, running for office is not a cakewalk. You've got to be tireless, going to event after event. When I was in Iowa one day last week, Mitt Romney did six town halls in one day. You know, the problem for Fred Thompson is he's up against a guy like Romney who seems tireless, who whether he is enjoying it or not makes it look like he's enjoying it. And when you've got a guy out there going to six events, and you're doing two at the most, well, I'm no mathematician, but he's probably meeting three times as many people as you are.

Jonathan Alter on Romney:

HH: Jonathan, 30 seconds, if you're Hillary Clinton, who don't you want to run against as the Republican nominee?

JA: I think you don't want to run against Romney. I think that she could take Giuliani more easily than she could take Mitt Romney in a general election.

Governor Romney Files Public Financial Disclosure With The Federal Election Commission

Monday, Aug 13, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Romney Press Shop (857) 288-6390

Boston, MA – Today, Romney for President released Governor Romney's Public Financial Disclosure Report. According to the report, Governor and Mrs. Romney's assets are valued between $95 and $287 million. The 45-page report (SF 278) was submitted after several meetings and discussions with the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), conducted over a period of several months, to ensure that the report is complete, accurate, and in full compliance with the financial disclosure requirements. The report, required for all candidates for President, lists income, assets and liabilities for Governor and Mrs. Romney.

Aside from some cash and cash equivalents, all of the Romneys' assets are held in blind trusts and an IRA which is managed on a blind basis. The management of these assets has been deemed blind in an opinion issued by the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission. These blind investment entities were established when Mitt Romney became Governor in 2003. All three blind entities are administered by the Trustee, Brad Malt, Chairman of Ropes & Gray, LLP. The investment advisor to the entities is Jim Donovan a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs. The Romneys have not made any investment decisions since the establishment of the entities and do not have actual knowledge of their holdings.

"The aim," said Malt, "was to invest Governor and Mrs. Romney's assets prudently. The assets were invested, to the best of our ability, in a diversified portfolio that we felt reflected a risk and return profile appropriate for Governor and Mrs. Romney's financial circumstances, and was consistent with other investment trusts of similar scope and nature."

After discussions with OGE, OGE decided that, under its precedents, a state blind trust, such as the Governor's, could not qualify as a federal blind trust. For that reason, the Romneys will obtain legal knowledge of their holdings today when Governor Romney's Financial Disclosure Report is made public. Up through today's filing, the Romneys have retained the practices established when he was Governor and they do not have actual knowledge of their holdings. All decisions will continue to be made by the Trustee as they have been since establishment of the blind trusts.

From 1978 to 1984, Romney was a Vice President at Bain & Company, Inc., a leading management consulting firm. In 1984, he founded Bain Capital, one of the nation's most successful venture capital and investment firms. Several years later, he was asked to return to Bain & Company as CEO to lead a financial restructuring of the organization. Governor Romney later returned to Bain Capital, and retired on Feb. 11, 1999 to lead the Salt Lake Olympics. He has not had any active role at any Bain Capital entity since that date.

As part of his retirement from Bain Capital, he entered into a non-compete, non-hire agreement running through February 11, 2009 which provides him with a passive, declining profit share that is fixed by contract in certain Bain Capital entities, and the right to make passive investments in certain Bain Capital investments. With respect to these profit shares and investments, since January 1, 2003, "neither Mr. Romney nor Mrs. Romney has had any control over the assets acquired or disposed of, neither Mr. Romney nor Mrs. Romney has received any reports identifying specific assets held, and the management of the assets has been deemed blind by the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission," according to a footnote in the report filed today.

Other Items Of Note: 

- The Public Financial Disclosure Report (SF 278) Requires Filers To List Assets Within Ranges. While the disclosure shows that the Romney's assets are valued between $95 and $287 million, a more accurate range is between $190 and $250 million. 

- Investment In Market Securities Are Spread Over Most Sectors Of The Economy: Including consumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financial, health care, industrial, information technology, materials, telecommunications and utility securities. 

- Roughly 40% Of All Assets In The Romney Trusts Are Invested In Bonds. 

- Roughly 11% Of All Assets Are Invested In International Securities.  

- The Romneys Established A Trust For Their Children Valued At $100 Million. The campaign is not filing a disclosure report for this trust and is not required to because neither Governor nor Mrs. Romney is a beneficiary and Governor Romney is not the trustee.

Clinton a drag? Dems fear her negatives

Clinton a drag? Dems fear her negatives

By RON FOURNIER, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 59 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Looking past the presidential nomination fight, Democratic leaders quietly fret that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton at the top of their 2008 ticket could hurt candidates at the bottom.

 

They say the former first lady may be too polarizing for much of the country. She could jeopardize the party's standing with independent voters and give Republicans who otherwise might stay home on Election Day a reason to vote, they worry.

In more than 40 interviews, Democratic candidates, consultants and party chairs from every region pointed to internal polls that give Clinton strikingly high unfavorable ratings in places with key congressional and state races.

"I'm not sure it would be fatal in Indiana, but she would be a drag" on many candidates, said Democratic state Rep. Dave Crooks of Washington, Ind.

Unlike Crooks, most Democratic leaders agreed to talk frankly about Clinton's political coattails only if they remained anonymous, fearing reprisals from the New York senator's campaign. They all expressed admiration for Clinton, and some said they would publicly support her fierce fight for the nomination — despite privately held fears.

The chairman of a Midwest state party called Clinton a nightmare for congressional and state legislative candidates.

A Democratic congressman from the West, locked in a close re-election fight, said Clinton is the Democratic candidate most likely to cost him his seat.

A strategist with close ties to leaders in Congress said Democratic Senate candidates in competitive races would be strongly urged to distance themselves from Clinton.

"The argument with Hillary right now in some of these red states is she's so damn unpopular," said Andy Arnold, chairman of the Greenville, S.C., Democratic Party. "I think Hillary is someone who could drive folks on the other side out to vote who otherwise wouldn't."

"Republicans are upset with their candidates," Arnold added, "but she will make up for that by essentially scaring folks to the polls."

In national surveys, Clinton's lead over chief rival Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois has widened. Her advantage is much narrower where it counts most — in early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire. In matchups against potential GOP presidential candidates, Clinton leads or is tied.

The Clinton campaign points to those figures to make a case for her electability in a constant stream of e-mails, letters and phone calls to jittery Democrats across the country. A key to their strategy is to give Clinton's candidacy a sense of inevitability despite her negative ratings, which aides insist will go down.

"All the negatives on her are out," said Clinton's pollster and strategist Mark Penn. "There is a phenomena with Hillary, because she is the front-runner and because she's been battling Republicans for so long, her unfavorability (rating) looks higher than what they will eventually be after the nomination and through the general election."

What the Clinton campaign doesn't say is that her edge over potential Republican candidates is much smaller than it should be, given the wide lead the Democratic Party holds over the GOP in generic polling.

The problem is her political baggage: A whopping 49 percent of the public says they have an unfavorable view of Clinton compared to 47 percent who say they hold her in high regard, according to a Gallup Poll survey Aug. 3-5.

Her negative ratings are higher than those of her husband, former President Clinton, former President George H.W. Bush and 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry at the end of their campaigns.

A candidate's unfavorability scores almost always climb during campaigns. If the pattern holds, Clinton has a historically high hurdle to overcome.

"For Hillary, who has been on the scene for so long and has had perception of her so ground in ... there's no question it will be really hard for her to change perceptions," said Democratic pollster David Eichenbaum, who represents moderate Democrats in GOP-leaning states.

Her baggage is heaviest in those states. Private polling conducted in Colorado, for example, shows that Clinton's negative rating is 16 percentage points higher than her favorability score.

Colorado is a state Democrats hope to win in the 2008 presidential race. It also has an open Senate seat, with the Republican incumbent opting not to seek another term and Democrats targeting it.

Obama has much lower unfavorability ratings than Clinton, though Democrats say he may have his own problem — that of race. It's hard to measure the impact of being the first party to put a black at the top of the ticket, Democratic leaders said.

Some Democrats hold out hope that Clinton can turn things around.

"She's got a tough road to hoe because people have formed opinions of her," said Rep. Tim Mahoney, a freshman Democrat from Florida. "But I can and will tell you that when I see Hillary get out there with the public, she changes people's minds. She's not the stereotype that people know her to be."

In Indiana, where three freshman Democratic congressmen are fighting to retain their seats, Crooks said Clinton would be a burden in districts like his full of "gun-toting, bible-carrying, God-loving, church-attending" voters.

"She is just so polarizing," the state lawmaker said. Clinton would drag any candidate down 3 or 4 percentage points, he said.

"I'm one of these Democrats who has some legitimate reservations, because the Clintons have in the past invigorated the Republican base," said Carrie Webster, a leader in the West Virginia state House who served as executive director of the state party when Bill Clinton won the 1992 West Virginia primary.

"But the fact that so many prominent Democratic males are getting behind her at this early point makes me a little more confident that she could overcome some of the more obvious hurdles," she said.

Nebraska party chairman Matt Connealy said he believes Democratic candidates will be able to avoid a Clinton backlash.

"I probably would have given you a different answer a month ago," he said, "and maybe will give you a different answer a month from now."

___

Associated Press writers Kathy Barks Hoffman in Michigan, Marc Levy in Pennsylvania, Lawrence Messina in West Virginia, Steven K. Paulson in Colorado, Kelley Shannon in Texas and Mike A. Smith in Indiana contributed to this report.

"The Brownback campaign has been a vile little thing..."

Monday, August 13, 2007

Grasping at Straws

Posted by: Dean Barnett  at 11:43 AM

So how much did this weekend's little event in Ames, Iowa matter? On the one hand, you had some guy at the Beauchamp Gazette gushing that "it's hard to overstate the significance of Huckabee's performance here" before predicting that Huckabee-mania would swamp the nation like a global-warming induced tsunami. On the other hand, you had analysts like John Podhoretz bluntly opining, "I hate to be nasty, but anybody who takes the Ames Straw Poll results seriously is an idiot. A bunch of people spent ludicrous amounts of money to bus-and-truck 14,000 people to a big picnic, and the guy who spent the most bought the win with a mammoth 4516 votes. Goshers! 4,516 votes."

Yes, unduly nasty, but his comments hit close to the mark. When all the frontrunners bailed on Ames except for Mitt Romney, the straw poll instantly became a freak show for fried-Twinkee craving political obsessives. Mitt Romney did what he had to do. He won and continued to show his commitment to Iowa. After McCain, Rudy and Fred decided not to attend, I bet the Romney campaign wouldn't have minded if the Ames people called the whole thing off. Would have saved a few bucks, and it's not like he needed the boost.

For those who say Romney's looking less juggernaut-ish than he did before Ames because of Huckabee's second place finish, I'd ask when precisely did the Romney campaign turn into a juggernaut. He's still a relatively obscure figure with roughly half the name recognition of Rudy Giuliani or Hillary Clinton. As Hugh pointed out over the weekend, the Romney campaign has met every goal he has set. But the will goals get harder to reach to as the calendar progresses. Winning in Iowa once looked like a long shot for Romney. Not anymore. Winning in South Carolina and Florida still look tough. He's got to keep moving forward. I'm sure the campaign knows this. Mitt ain't exactly the presumptive nominee just yet.

ONCE AGAIN, GENERALLY SPEAKING, J-POD IS RIGHT. Since the Ames event wasn't competitive, it became a non-event. Does anyone who knows anything about Republican politics think Mike Huckabee has a chance to win this race? Republicans don't nominate inexperienced people; our least qualified nominee of the past 60 years was George W. Bush, and he had been Governor of a large state for 6 years and he had the proper bloodlines.

Huckabee seems like a great guy, and he's run a nice campaign, but his resume is too slight to get a seat at the top-tier table. Yes, he's been Governor of Arkansas; Republicans don't think the last experiment of electing someone with that background worked out particularly well. By the way, the resume-thing is the reason Duncan Hunter hasn't been able to break through, even though he's very impressive. In the eyes of the Republican electorate, he's just a congressman, and I can't remember someone with a background like that even seriously contending for the Republican nomination.

As far as the other candidates are concerned, the Ames results are also a non-event. You could say the results prove that Ron Paul isn't a serious candidate for the Republican nomination. But you know what? If Paul had won the straw poll with 80% of the vote on Saturday, his Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs campaign would still be a non-starter. Republicans aren't going to nominate Ron Paul for the presidency. We're not even going to consider it.

Some people say the fact that Brownback came in third means he can't get any traction. Really now - don't the facts that he hasn't raised any money or budged at all in any polls more strongly suggest what a failure his campaign has been? I know Patrick says the Brownback campaign has "rock stars like Leon Wolf and Billy Valentine running their e-efforts." Perhaps that shows the value of having "e-effort" rock stars. Campaigns are big things, and "e-efforts" remain a small part of the big picture. Even the best e-efforts can't overcome a terminally lame candidate.

The Brownback campaign has been a vile little thing, attacking other candidates from way back in the pack, violating the 11^th Commandment constantly. Sam Brownback appears to be a deluded man, laboring under the impression that he actually has a chance in this race and that the ends therefore justify the means. Yes, the same Sam Brownback who switched his vote on McCain/Kennedy in a span of minutes to be on the winning side, an act caught for posterity on C-SPAN, actually thinks he has a chance to be the next President of the United States. It's nice that T. Thompson and Gilmoar dropped out, but Brownback has been the least distinguished member of the field. The race will benefit from his absence.

One could say that we should be thankful for Ames because it clarified some things. But for the last time, J-Pod is right. It was a non-event, and the campaign looks exactly the way it did on Friday. Rudy's the frontrunner, Romney's the strong second and Thompson's the wildcard. There's probably room in the top tier for another candidate, but none of the existing lower-tier candidates have the stuff to capitalize on the opportunity.

Compliments? Complaints? Contact me at Soxblog@aol.com

NPR on Romney... or not...

Listening to NPR this morning and they mentioned T Thompson is out, but did not mention who won...

 

Interesting... perhaps they found out who cut the most Government jobs while in office (Mitt Romney) and are scared of him getting into office...

 

I think that is a great measure of who would be a good president... Who NPR least wants... I listen to NPR, but hate about 1/4 of what they do, and the way they do it...

 

I would be sad to see them go, but see no reason for Government support, and they pathetic attempts at sounding like a needed charity is very presumptuous...

 

What really galls me is the self righteous way they say they don't run commercials (they do) and so they don't have any bias. Well, yes, they get their money from somewhere, and so follow the money for NPR bias. PRO BIG GOVERNMENT BIAS!

 

Patrick Ruffini (no Romney fan) on Brownback

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Brownbackfired

Posted by: Patrick Ruffini  at 5:24 PM

Of all the second tier campaigns, Sam Brownback's was the best at the blocking and tackling of grassroots campaigning. They moved impressive numbers of people to Ames, spending $600,000. They placed an improbable third at CPAC. They have rock stars like Leon Wolf and Billy Valentine running their e-efforts.

And yet…

This aggressiveness also led them into running the most overtly mean-spirited campaign of the cycle. They haven't been shy about trashing Romney, and unlike McCain, always having their name plastered all over the attack. They paid for robocalls trashing Romney and Tom Tancredo, whose pro-life credentials have never been in question so far as I can tell. They even questioned Baptist minister Mike Huckabee's Christian bona-fides.

At Ames, all of Brownback's targets either won (Romney) or performed far better than expected (Huckabee and Tancredo). Brownback's third place finish would have been respectable had it not been at the hands of Huckabee, who spent a quarter of what Brownback did at Ames.

That's leading to some pretty harsh assessments of what's next for the Kansan:

After putting in the effort he did today and in the weeks leading up to Ames, Brownback's third place finish will prompt questions about his ability to carry on in the race. - The Politico's Jonathan Martin

* Brownback invested a lot into the straw poll and got little return. Finishing third behind Huckabee makes it tough for the Kansas Senator to make the argument that he is the most viable social conservative candidate in the field. This is a major setback for Brownback and could well lead to his departure from the race in the near future. - WashingtonPost.com's Chris Cillizza

That's rough. But it's what happens when what should be insurgent campaigns take on the airs of political machines (see McCain, John).

What They're Really Saying About Governor Mitt Romney Winning The Iowa Republican Straw Poll, Vol. 2

Sunday, Aug 12, 2007

ABC's George Stephanopoulos: "A solid win for Mitt Romney. Is this a sign of things to come?" (ABC's "This Week," 8/12/07)

U.S. News & World Report 's Michael Barone: "It's a plus for Mitt Romney." (Fox's "Fox News Sunday," 8/12/07)

Mason City Globe Gazette's Todd Dorman: "Republican Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney strengthened his front-runner status in Iowa by winning the Ames straw poll Saturday - capping a super-sized event that mixed caucus politics with heaping plates of barbecue, inflated carnival rides and sticky summer heat." (Todd Dorman, "Romney's The Big Ames Straw Poll Winner," Mason City [IA] Globe Gazette, 8/12/07)

The Boston Globe's Lisa Wangsness: "Mitt Romney won the Republican straw poll here decisively last night, delivering 31.5 percent of votes cast and solidifying his position as the man to beat in Iowa, the state that holds the critical first-in-the- nation caucuses." (Lisa Wangsness, "Romney Trounces GOP Field In Iowa Straw Poll," The Boston Globe, 8/12/07)

The Associated Press' Mike Glover: "And [Governor Romney] needed to win. He needed to win substantially, and he did. And for the moment, I think the political community is giving him his due for the day. He needed to win. He won." (Fox's "Fox News Sunday," 8/12/07)

New York Post's Tom Liddy: "Looks like Mitt has caught fire in Iowa." (Tom Liddy, "Mitt Is Iowa's GOP Straw Man," New York Post , 8/12/07)

- Liddy: "Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney threw down the gauntlet in front of his fellow Republicans yesterday with a victory in a high-profile 2008 White House straw poll." (Tom Liddy, "Mitt Is Iowa's GOP Straw Man," New York Post, 8/12/07)

Des Moines Register's Thomas Beaumont and Jonathan Roos: "Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney emerged on top at the Iowa Republican Party's straw poll Saturday in Ames..." (Thomas Beaumont and Jonathan Roos, "Romney's Straw Poll Drive Pays Off," Des Moines Register, 8/12/07)

- Beaumont and Roos: "Ken Mehlman, the former White House political director who oversaw George W. Bush's winning straw poll performance in 1999, said Romney's margin exceeded Bush's winning margin eight years ago." (Thomas Beaumont and Jonathan Roos, "Romney's Straw Poll Drive Pays Off," Des Moines Register, 8/12/07)

Cedar Rapids Gazette's Rod Boshart and James Lynch: "Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney used a well-funded, well-oiled organization to score a hard-fought victory in Saturday's GOP straw poll that drew an estimated 33,000 revved-up Republicans to the Iowa State University campus." (Rod Boshart and James Q. Lynch, "Mitt Romney Wins Iowa Straw Poll," Cedar Rapids [IA] Gazette, 8/12/07)

- Boshart and Lynch: "Romney skated to victory with 4,516 votes, which was 31.5 percent of the 14,302 Iowans who cast ballots." (Rod Boshart and James Q. Lynch, "Mitt Romney Wins Iowa Straw Poll," Cedar Rapids [IA] Gazette, 8/12/07)

Los Angeles Times' Michael Finnegan: "Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney handily won a Republican presidential straw poll here on Saturday ..." (Michael Finnegan, "Romney Wins Big In Iowa's GOP Straw Poll," Los Angeles Times, 8/12/07)

- Finnegan: "Still, the straw poll marked an important benchmark in the GOP race, underscoring Romney's strength in the state that will launch the party's 2008 nomination race with its precinct caucuses, now slated for early January." (Michael Finnegan, "Romney Wins Big In Iowa's GOP Straw Poll," Los Angeles Times, 8/12/07)

- Finnegan: "For Romney, the straw poll at minimum demonstrated organizational might that could serve him well in the caucuses." (Michael Finnegan, "Romney Wins Big In Iowa's GOP Straw Poll," Los Angeles Times, 8/12/07)

Reuters' John Whitesides: "Romney matched the 31 percent of the vote won by then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush in his 1999 straw poll victory on the road to the White House." (John Whitesides, "Romney Wins Iowa Republican Straw Poll," Reuters, 8/12/07)

The Politico's Jonathan Martin: "For Romney's camp, however, the victory represented the clearing of the first bar in the nominating contest. Powered by a multimillion-dollar investment in this kickoff caucus state, the former Massachusetts governor's 13 percentage point margin of victory bested the 10 percentage point win then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush enjoyed over Steve Forbes in the 1999 straw poll." (Jonathan Martin, "Romney Wins Big, Huckabee Second," The Politico, 8/12/07)

Real Clear Politics' Tom Bevan: "Romney's win yesterday solidifies his standing as the front runner in Iowa heading into the final five and half month stretch." (Tom Bevan, "The Ames Aftermath: Lots of Excitement, Little Change," Real Clear Politics, http://time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/, 8/12/07)

The Dallas Morning News' Todd Gillman: "A win in 1999 helped clear the field for President Bush. This time around, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was the favorite. He coasted to a win with 31.5 percent..." (Todd J. Gillman, "Iowa Straw Poll: A Carnival With Big Political Consequences," The Dallas Morning News, 8/12/07)

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Katherine Skiba: "Grabbing a commanding win in a watched-around-the-world Republican straw poll, Mitt Romney was rewarded by Iowans with an early victory Saturday in his run for the White House." (Katherine M. Skiba, "Romney Notches 1st Win In Iowa," Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 8/12/07)

McClatchy's Steven Thomma: "The event appeared to confirm the status of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as a leader for his party's nomination ..." (Steven Thomma, "Romney Takes Top Spot In Straw Poll," McClatchy Newspapers, 8/12/07)