ROMNEY AT THE ST. PETERSBURG, FL GOP DEBATE – VOL II

National Review's Kate O'Beirne: "Romney's performance is his
strongest in the series." (National Review's "The Corner,"
corner.nationalreview.com, Accessed 11/28/07)

Michelle Malkin: "So, who won? Quick and dirty reaction: Romney looked
strong and energetic …" (Michelle Malkin, "Liveblogging The
CNN/Youtube," http://michellemalkin.com/, Posted 11/28/07)

Townhall's Mary Katherine Ham: "[Romney] came across serious and
conservative." (Mary Katharine Ham, "Who Won?,"
http://www.townhall.com/blog, 11/28/07)

The American Spectator's Philip Klein: "… I thought Romney got the
better of that [immigration] exchange. It's one thing to use Romney's
illegal immigrant lawn care workers in a joke, but it's another thing
to try and base a serious criticism on that." (Philip Klein,
"Sanctuary Mansion," The American Spectator Online, 11/28/07)

CBS' Vaughn Ververs: "In the opening minutes, Romney and Rudy Giuliani
sparred over illegal immigration… Romney appeared to get the upper
hand in the exchange, challenging Giuliani on his charge and the
sometimes vocal audience sounded a note of apparent disapproval at the
mayor's line of attack." (Vaughn Ververs, "Romney Battles, Huckabee
Shines In GOP Debate," CBS'S Horserace '08 Blog,
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs, Posted 11/28/07)

Captain's Quarters' Ed Morrissey: "Romney gets the edge here,
especially for beating Rudy Giuliani like a bongo drum on
immigration." (Ed Morrissey, "CNN/YouTube Debate – CNN Wins,"
Captain's Quarters Blog, www.captainsquartersblog.com, Posted
11/28/07)

· Morrissey: "Romney has this issue [of interrogations] exactly
correct. We should not start defining these techniques on national
debates for the reasons Romney said." ("Heading Right,"
www.headingright.com, Accessed 11/28/07)

Power Line's Scott Johnson: "Best performance: Mitt Romney." (Scott
Johnson, "Best And Worst Of The Debate," Power Line,
http://www.powerlineblog.com/, Posted 11/28/07)

· Johnson: "Best line of the night: Mitt Romney, on abortion
('I was wrong')." (Scott Johnson, "Best And Worst Of The Debate,"
Power Line Blog, http://www.powerlineblog.com/, Posted 11/28/07)

National Review's Kathryn Jean Lopez: "Romney played it straight and
didn't over explain the abortion change. Seemed a wise and effective
approach, especially in this format." (National Review's "The Corner,"
http://corner.nationalreview.com, Accessed 11/28/07)

Heading Right's Macranger: "Good answer [on life]. People do change."
("Heading Right," www.headingright.com, Accessed11/28/07)

The American Spectator's Philip Klein: "[Gov. Romney] showed more
humility by saying several times he was wrong, that he isn't perfect,
that he hasn't always made the right decisions. It worked a lot better
for him." (Philip Klein, "Romney's Abortion Flip-Flop Answer," The
American Spectator Online, 11/28/07)

Townhall's Hugh Hewitt: "I agree with most of the posters at The
Corner that Mitt is doing very, very well." (Townhall,
www.townhall.com Accessed 11/28/07)

Former Secretary Of Education Bill Bennett: "Mitt Romney talked about
education as the next civil right…Liberals have failed inner city
blacks overwhelmingly in the last 30 years. That's why the question
from the father and son was so pertinent and I thought Romney did a
good job on it." (CNN's, "Post Debate Coverage," 11/28/07)

Townhall's Mary Katharine Ham: "… I grew up in the inner city, in
public schools. The plight of those who live there is real, sad, and
cannot often be solved by the Nanny State. Romney focuses on
families, empowerment, police protection in solving black-on-black
crime, and invokes Bill Cosby. Well done. It addressed the question
directly and treated the questioners' concerns with respect. It was a
serious answer with real application, not a flippant appeal to the
family values crowd that would have made him look disconnected, which
it easily could have been." (Mary Katharine Ham, "Romney's Winner
Answer on Black-on-Black Crime," Townhall.com, www.townhall.com,
11/28/07)

The American Spectator's John Tabin: "Romney's answer is pretty good;
family's important, of course it is" (James G. Poulos, "Black On Black
Crime," The American Spectator Online, 11/28/07)

MITT ROMNEY AT THE ST. PETERSBURG, FL GOP DEBATE

The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder: "Romney had a strong night, seemed
raring to go, seemed to be willing to take on everybody, anybody, all
comers, seemed to want to pick every fight possible." (Marc Ambinder,
"The Debate In Review," The Atlantic Online Blog,
http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/, 11/28/07)

National Review's Seth Leibsohn: "This Is Mitt's Night." (Seth
Leibsohn, "This Is Mitt's Night," National Review's The Corner,
http://corner.nationalreview.com, Posted 11/28/07)

Bill Bennett: "I think that Romney stood out tonight. I think he was
loud and clear. Conservative. He was 'all-in' as you'd say in Texas
Hold 'Em." (CNN's Post-Debate Coverage, 11/28/07)

Bill Bennett: "I thought he came across very strong. I think you guys
are absolutely right. That opening debate between Romney and Giuliani
was, I think, the pivotal point of the evening. And I think points to
Romney. Giuliani came across badly." (CNN's Post-Debate Coverage,
11/28/07)

ABC News Live Blog: "Romney is engaging very, very directly -- and
dare I say he's getting the better of Giuliani in this exchange, funny
accents and all." ("Live-Blogging During GOP Debate," ABC News'
Political Radar, http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar, Posted
11/28/07)

· ABC News Live Blog: "And Romney gets the first applause by
noting that illegal immigrants already broke the law." ("Live-Blogging
During GOP Debate," ABC News' Political Radar,
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar, Posted 11/28/07)

National Review's Kathryn Jean Lopez: "[T]his is Romney's best debate
performance yet. He reminds us he has experience and outside of
Washington, he's tackled difficult issues, and does not let his temper
get the best of him with a New York bully (something that will come in
handy)." (Kathryn Jean Lopez, "So Far," National Review's The Corner,
http://corner.nationalreview.com, Posted 11/28/07)

CNN's Bill Schneider: "A clever answer from former Massachusetts Gov.
Mitt Romney on farming. He says we need food independence like we need
energy independence — keep the farmers on the farm. His reasoning: We
need to be able to compete with other countries that support their
farmers." (Bill Schneider, "Schneider: Romney Scores Points On Farming
Answer," CNN's Political Ticker, http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com,
Posted 11/28/07)

MSNBC's Domenico Montanaro: "While the sanctuary mansion line got good
laughs, Romney's explanation and questions left Giuliani without an
answer." (Domenico Montanaro, "Giuliani Flustered?" MSNBC's First
Read, http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com, Posted 11/28/07)

National Review's Rich Lowry: "Rudy let his temper get the best of
him—clear winner of the exchange: Romney." (Rich Lowry, "Mitt V.
Rudy," National Review's The Corner, http://corner.nationalreview.com,
Posted 11/28/07)

National Review's Seth Leibsohn: "I'd be surprised after this debate
if Mitt doesn't see national numbers looking more like his Iowa or NH
numbers after tonight's performance. Brilliant response to the black
on black crime questions." (Seth Leibsohn, "Changing Times," National
Review's The Corner, http://corner.nationalreview.com, Posted
11/28/07)

The New York Times' Katharine Q. Seelye: "But finally, a father-son
team, from Atlanta, want the candidates to talk about black-on-black
crime, and while Mr. Romney gets in a nice line about mothers and
fathers and family values, none of the candidates really address the
issue that the young son raised." (Katharine Q. Seelye, "Live-Blogging
the YouTube Debate," The New York Times' The Caucus Blog,
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/, Posted 11/28/07)

National Review's Ramesh Ponnuru: "So Romney did pretty well in the
debate, and won the immigration exchange." (Ramesh Ponnuru, "A Good
Day for Giuliani," The Corner Blog, corner.nationalreview.com, Posted
11/28/07)

Townhall's Mary Katharine Ham: "Mitt makes a good point that
homeowners should not be required to check papers of workers hired for
their and connects it to regular Americans by suggesting that that's
what Rudy wants them to do." (Townhall, www.townhall.com, Accessed,
11/28/07)

The Plank's Isaac Chotiner: "Romney definitely got the best of
Giuliani on their early immigration skirmish (which actually got
rather heated). Rudy's line about Romney's mansion was cheap and
silly. And Romney is more appealing when going negative than any of
the other candidates." (The New Republic's "The Plank,"
http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/default.aspx, Accessed,
11/28/07)

National Review's Kate O'Beirne: "Romney's reference point about how
MA liberals reason is effective. Reminds us that he gets them and
fought them." (National Review's "The Corner,"
http://corner.nationalreview.com, Accessed 11/28/07)

Captain's Quarters' Ed Morrissey: Romney and Huckabee had a good spar
over giving better benefits to illegals for school than to citizens.
Romney is absolutely 100% right on this issue. I hope Iowans realize
that Huckabee may very well be worse than Bush on illegal
immigration." (Heading Right," www.headingright.com, Accessed
11/28/07)

YouTube Debate Statement: Sen. Jim DeMint

Transcript Of Senator Jim DeMint's Statement:

"Earlier this month, I started a campaign to get 100,000 signatures on an earmark reform petition that would demand that Congress stop all this wasteful spending. I'm also proud to be a leader of another campaign to stop the wasteful spending in Washington and that's the campaign to elect Governor Mitt Romney as the next President of the United States. Tonight, we saw again in the debate, that Governor Romney has the commitment and the experience to manage our government in a way that would make it smaller, allow us to reduce taxes and keep our economy strong. I encourage you to join me in the next campaign to make sure Governor Romney becomes the next President of the United States."

- Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC)
November 28, 2007

YouTube Debate Statement: Sen. Judd Gregg

"I thought this was a really good debate tonight, and I think it showed once again why Mitt Romney is such a strong candidate. He is a person who brings problem-solving to very complicated issues. He understands we need a strong America, we need strong families, we need a commitment to those values which have made our nation great, which is the understanding of entrepreneurship and a belief in the value that America is a special place and holds a special role in this world of defending liberty. Most importantly, he's a problem-solver. This is a guy who gets things done and that's what we need in Washington. We're not getting things done in Washington. He's somebody special. He solved the Olympics problem. He solved the Massachusetts problem, and he's created jobs as an entrepreneur. What else can you ask for and he is a leader and he showed it tonight."

- Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH)
November 28, 2007

It's an election like no other

Tonight, at the CNN/YouTube Republican Debate, Romney for President launched its newest television ad, "Historic Choice." 
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ4Asjxujss
 
The ad highlights the challenges confronting our country and the importance of electing a leader who has the experience, vision and values to move America forward.  Throughout his career, Governor Romney has had an exceptional record of turning around numerous companies, the 2002 Winter Olympic Games and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  As President, he will tackle the big problems by defending America from foreign threats, making our country more globally competitive, securing our borders and defending our most traditional values.   
 
The ad will be airing as part of the campaign's rotation in Iowa and New Hampshire. 
 
 
Script For "Historic Choice" (TV:30):
 
ANNOUNCER:  "It's an election like no other.
 
"An enemy lurks waiting to strike.
 
"Our main street economy is competing with mainland China.
 
"Legal vs. illegal doesn't seem to matter.
 
"Basic values like marriage are suddenly open to debate.
 
"For these challenges, ordinary isn't good enough.  We need the leader who gets the big stuff done. Take charge, demand results, no excuses.  Mitt Romney – the right experience, the right values, the right time."
 
GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY:  "I'm Mitt Romney and I approve this message."

"The Most Successful" Sanctuary City

"The Most Successful" Sanctuary City

Wednesday, Nov 28, 2007 08:09 PM EDT

Mayor Giuliani Praises His Policies Of Protecting Illegal Immigrants

Mayor Giuliani Ran New York City With A Sanctuary State Of Mind:

As Mayor, Giuliani Actually Invited More Illegal Immigrants To Come To New York In 1994. "Mr. Giuliani said, 'If you come here and you work hard and you happen to be in an undocumented status, you're one of the people who we want in this city. You're somebody that we want to protect, and we want you to get out from under what is often a life of being like a fugitive, which is really unfair.'" (Deborah Sontag, "New York Officials Welcome Immigrants, Legal Or Illegal," The New York Times, 6/10/94)

- ABC News: "Giuliani Inherited The [Sanctuary] Policy, He Reissued It And Seemed To Embrace It." "New York became a sanctuary city, where illegal immigrants enjoy some measure of protection, through an executive order signed by Mayor Ed Koch in 1989, five years before Giuliani became mayor in January 1994. But if Giuliani inherited the policy, he reissued it and seemed to embrace it." (Jake Tapper and Ron Claiborne, "Romney: Giuliani's NYC 'Sanctuary' For Illegal Immigrants," ABC News, 8/8/07)

A 1997 New York Daily News Editorial Blasted Mayor Giuliani For Not Supporting Federal Immigration Laws. "Mayor Giuliani is actually suing the federal government to be relieved of the requirement that city workers turn over information about illegal immigrants to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. At City University, undocumented aliens qualify for the low resident tuition if they've lived here for a year. And just last week, the mayor announced that immigrants applying for marriage licenses couldn't be turned away even if their visas had expired." (Editorial, "Not All Immigrants Are Equal," [New York] Daily News, 3/23/97)

- Daily News: Under Mayor Giuliani, "Illegal" Didn't Have Any Meaning. "But at the same time, federal immigration laws must be enforced strictly. For no nation can allow its borders to be violated with impunity. And state and local governments must help. In New York, that means making the adjective 'illegal' mean something when it appears before the word 'immigrant.' ? In other words, legal or illegal, the law makes no distinction. Then what's the law for? " (Editorial, "Not All Immigrants Are Equal," [New York] Daily News, 3/23/97)

Mayor Giuliani Refused To Do His Part To Stem The Tide Of Illegal Immigration:

Mayor Giuliani Has Defended His City's Sanctuary Policy, Saying, "The Choice Becomes For A City What Do You Do?" "'The reality is that they are here, and they're going to remain here,' Mr. Giuliani said of the children. 'The choice becomes for a city what do you do? Allow them to stay on the streets or allow them to be educated? The preferred choice from the point of view of New York City is to be educated.'" (Eric Schmitt, "Giuliani Criticizes G.O.P. And Dole On Immigration," The New York Times, 6/7/96)

- Mayor Giuliani's Attitude Was That Nothing Could Be Done About Illegals, So You Might As Well Give Sanctuary. "'The reality is that they are here, and they're going to remain here,' Mr. Giuliani said of the children. 'The choice becomes for a city what do you do? Allow them to stay on the streets or allow them to be educated? The preferred choice from the point of view of New York City is to be educated.'" (Eric Schmitt, "Giuliani Criticizes G.O.P. And Dole On Immigration," The New York Times, 6/7/96)

- Mayor Giuliani: Nobody But The Federal Government Should Take Responsibility For Illegal Immigration. "Responsibility for stopping illegal immigration belongs to the federal government and not to cities, states or businesses, Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani said Tuesday. Giuliani told small-business owners he would not punish them for unwittingly hiring illegal immigrants. Federal officials are 'trying to put the responsibility for this on employers, on city government, on state government,' the former New York mayor said during a conference call arranged by the National Federation of Independent Businesses. 'The simple fact is, nobody but the federal government can stop people from coming into this country illegally, and the federal government does a very bad job of that,' Giuliani said." (Libby Quaid, "Giuliani: Illegals Are A Federal Problem, The Associated Press, 10/31/07)

Mayor Giuliani Still Supports Amnesty For Illegal Immigrants Today:

Mayor Giuliani, To Illegal Immigrants In 2007: "If You Want To Work, Pay Your Fair Share And We'll Sign You Up." "In response to a question by Richard Pope, 75, about the 12 million illegal immigrants already here, Giuliani said, 'I would say come forward, get your ... tamper-proof ID card, get photographed and fingerprinted, and we will check you out.' He added, 'If you want to work, pay your fair share and we'll sign you up.'" (Tom Brune, "Giuliani Vows To End Illegal Immigration," [New York] Newsday, 8/15/07)

- Mayor Giuliani: Give A Path To Citizenship To Illegal Aliens Who Have Not Committed Other Crimes. " Mr. Giuliani said the rest of the 12 million to 20 million illegal aliens already here can gain a path to citizenship after a waiting period if they register and learn English . Those key elements generally track President Bush's immigration bill, which was defeated in the Senate earlier this year." (Stephen Dinan, "Giuliani Eyes Citizenship Path For Illegals," The Washington Times , 8/15/07)

- "Rudy Giuliani Would Allow Most Of The Estimated 12 Million Illegal Immigrants In This Country To Stay, Work And Even Become Citizens – Provisions That GOP Hardliners Blast As 'Amnesty.'" (Tom Brune, "Giuliani Vows To End Illegal Immigration," [New York] Newsday, 8/15/07)

You Tube debate information

Go here, for updates from Romney... It is crazy, they have videos almost live...

 

http://www.mittromney.com/News/Debates/YouTube/index

Interview with Romney Press Secretary Kevin Madden

Pre-Debate Warmup: Turkey Bowl

Gov. Romney Prepares For Youtube Debate

Mitt Romney on education

Romney answers the question: What would you do to help prepare students in Iowa and around the country compete in the global economy? (more)
Added: November 27, 2007
Romney answers the question: What would you do to help prepare students in Iowa and around the country compete in the global economy?

Mitt Romney on ethanol

Mitt Romney on the worker shortage

Huckabee Tries to Gloss Over Ark. Record

Huckabee Tries to Gloss Over Ark. Record

Nov 28 12:00 PM US/Eastern By ANDREW DeMILLO Associated Press Writer

 

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Mike Huckabee's presidential rivals are pointing to chinks in his record as Arkansas' governor—from ethics complaints to tax increases to illegal immigration and his support for releasing a rapist who was later convicted of killing a Missouri woman.

...his record has rough edges, and Huckabee has a habit of playing fast and loose with it.

"People are starting to contact us and they're saying we want everything on Mike Huckabee," says Graham Sloan, director of the state's Ethics Commission.

What they'll find is 436 pages of documents chronicling Huckabee's various tangles with a commission he's derided as a political tool of Democrats. It's a panel that has held proceedings 20 times on the former governor and lieutenant governor.

But the Ethics Commission files don't cover everything, and this year—anticipating criticism—Huckabee's campaign set up a "truth squad" to push his side of various stories. It often offers, at best, an incomplete account of his record.

On major issues:

_The truth squad says the only finding by the Arkansas Ethics Commission that Huckabee accepted a gift improperly was tossed out by a state court. In fact, the panel investigated 16 complaints against Huckabee and found five violations. Only one, for accepting a $500 canoe from Coca-Cola, was tossed out.

Two of the complaints against Huckabee pertain to unreported gifts—the canoe and a $200 stadium blanket received by his wife, Janet. Two stem from cash the governor or his wife received but did not initially report. The panel also ruled in 2003 that Huckabee's campaign violated state law when it used its funds to pay for an event during the summer of 2002 called Gospel Fest

During his tenure, Huckabee accepted 314 gifts valued overall at more than $150,000, according to documents filed with the Arkansas secretary of state's office. (He accepted 187 gifts in his first three years as governor but was not required to report their value.)

_Huckabee has consistently understated his role in the parole of rapist Wayne DuMond, who had been convicted in the 1984 rape of a distant cousin of former President Clinton.

Two months after taking office, Huckabee stunned the state by saying he questioned DuMond's guilt and that it was his intention to free the rapist, who had been castrated by masked men while awaiting trial. Huckabee said then he had "serious questions as to the legitimacy of his guilt" and acknowledged later that he had met with DuMond's wife about the case while he was lieutenant governor. Two months after ascending to the governor's office, Huckabee met with the woman again.

The ex-governor now blames his predecessor for making DuMond parole eligible—Jim Guy Tucker commuted a life-plus-20 years sentence to 39 1/2 years—but distances himself from his role in DuMond's release. Huckabee met privately with the state parole board, and two members have said he pressured them for a vote.

"He made it obvious that he thought DuMond had gotten a raw deal and wanted us to take another look at it," former board member Charles Chastain said in 2001. "Some board members who were usually very tough about letting people out ... (later) voted in favor of him, and seemed eager to."

On his campaign Web site, Huckabee says the parole board was made up entirely of Democrats appointed by Clinton and Tucker. It doesn't mention that Huckabee reappointed board member Railey Steele days before he voted with three other members to set DuMond free. DuMond was later convicted of killing a woman in Missouri and died in 2005.

_Huckabee likes to say he was tough on taxes in Arkansas, noting a $100 million tax cut in 1997 that until this year was Arkansas' largest. When asked about a fuel tax increase he backed in 1999, Huckabee says incorrectly that he joined 80 percent of Arkansas voters in approving it.

Huckabee in 1999 supported a $1 billion highway bond program, including costs for interest and lawyers' fees, but the question on the ballot was only whether the state could take on the debt, not how Arkansas would pay for it. Huckabee had signed the fuel tax increase two months earlier.

Shortly after taking office, Huckabee took a four-day trip by bass boat along the Arkansas River to tout a 1/8th-cent sales tax increase for outdoor programs. (Two nature centers now carry the names of Huckabee and his wife.) Taxes went up $40 million in the months before the $100 million tax cut Huckabee touts.

Other taxes went up as Arkansas changed its property tax system and made improvements to its school system.

_Huckabee's recent strong stand on immigration, including an intolerance toward companies that employ illegal immigrants, runs counter to the image he crafted in his final years in office. He was battling conservatives within his own party who were pushing for stricter state-level immigration measures.

Huckabee opposed a Republican lawmaker's efforts in 2005 to require proof of legal status when applying for state services that aren't federally mandated and proof of citizenship when registering to vote. Huckabee derided the bill as un-American and un-Christian and said the bill's sponsor drank a different "Jesus juice."

That same year, Huckabee failed in his effort to make children of illegal immigrants eligible for state-funded scholarships and in-state tuition to Arkansas colleges. At the time, Huckabee said he didn't understand the opposition to it.

...

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