Future

Today, Romney for President launched its newest television ad, "Future." 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E0G4xwDGCI

 

The ad highlights the choice Republicans will have to make when it comes to strengthening our country.  Senator McCain opposed strengthening our economy through lower taxes.  He has pushed legislation allowing every illegal immigrant to stay in the United States.  Governor Romney took a different course.  He cut taxes and spending in Massachusetts.  He has consistently opposed amnesty for illegal immigrants.  On election day, Republicans will have a choice between two very different records and visions for our future.

 

The ad will begin airing today as part of the campaign's rotation in New Hampshire.  The script and ad facts follow.

 

Script For "Future" (TV:30):

 

GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY: "I'm Mitt Romney and I approved this message."

 

ANNOUNCER: "John McCain, an honorable man.  But is he the right Republican for the future?

 

"McCain opposes repeal of the death tax, and voted against the Bush tax cuts twice.

 

"McCain pushed to let every illegal immigrant stay here permanently.

 

"Even voted to allow illegals to collect Social Security.

 

"And Mitt Romney?  Mitt Romney cut taxes and spending as Governor.

 

"He opposes amnesty for illegals.

 

"Mitt Romney.  John McCain.  There is a difference."

 

AD FACTS: Script For "Future" (TV:30):

 

GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY: "I'm Mitt Romney and I approved this message."  ANNOUNCER: "John McCain, an honorable man.  But is he the right Republican for the future?  McCain opposes repeal of the death tax, and voted against the Bush tax cuts twice."

 

• In 2002, Senator McCain Was One Of Only Two Republicans To Twice Vote Against Permanent Repeal Of The Death Tax. (S. 1731, CQ Vote #28: Adopted 56-42: R 45-2; D 11-39; I 0-1, 2/13/02, McCain Voted Nay, H.R. 8, CQ Vote #151: Motion Rejected 54-44: R 45-2; D 9-41; I 0-1, 6/12/02, McCain Voted Nay)

 

• In 2001, Senator McCain Was One Of Only Two Republicans To Vote Against The $1.35 Trillion Tax Cut. The bill lowered marginal rates, eliminated the marriage penalty, and doubled the child tax credit. (H.R. 1836, CQ Vote #170: Adopted 58-33: R 46-2; D 12-31; I 0-0, 5/26/01, McCain Voted Nay)

 

• In 2003, Senator McCain Was One Of Only Three Republicans To Vote Against The $350 Billion Tax Cut. The comprehensive bill lowered taxes by $350 billion over 11 years – including increasing the child tax credit and eliminated the marriage penalty. (H.R. 2, CQ Vote #179: Passed 51-49: R 48-3; D 3-45; I 0-1, 5/15/03, McCain Voted Nay; H.R. 2, CQ Vote #196: Adopted 50-50: R 48-3; D 2-46; I 0-1, 5/23/03, McCain Voted Nay)

 

ANNOUNCER:  "McCain pushed to let every illegal immigrant stay here permanently.  Even voted to allow illegals to collect Social Security."

 

• Senator McCain's 2006 Immigration Plan Would Allow 11 Million Illegals To Remain In The U.S. "The McCain plan – which is being put forward in the U.S. House by Arizona GOP Congressmen Jeff Flake and Jim Kolbe – allows the 11 million illegal immigrants already in the U.S. to stay in the country if they apply for legal status and pay a $2,000 fine." (Mike Sunnucks, "Napolitano, Hayworth Criticize Bush On Illegal Immigration," The Phoenix Business Journal, 2/1/06)

 

• Senator McCain Voted To Allow Illegals To Collect Retroactive Social Security Benefits.  "Specter, R-Pa., motion to table (kill) the Ensign, R-Nev., amendment no. 3985 that would bar illegal immigrants currently in the country from claiming Social Security credits for work done in years before they are assigned a valid Social Security number." (S. 2611, CQ Vote #130: Motion Agreed To 50-49: R 11-44; D 38-5; I 1-0, 5/18/06, Clinton, Kennedy, And McCain Voted Yea)

 

• "The Senate Voted Yesterday To Allow Illegal Aliens To Collect Social Security Benefits Based On Past Illegal Employment - Even If The Job Was Obtained Through Forged Or Stolen Documents." (Charles Hurt, "Illegals Granted Social Security," The Washington Times, 5/19/06)

 

• The Washington Times Editorial: Senator McCain Moved Social Security Closer To Insolvency By Offering Benefits To Illegals. "On its way to bankruptcy, Social Security will get there a bit sooner if President Bush, Republican senators (and prospective presidential candidates) John McCain, Chuck Hagel and Sam Brownback and the overwhelming majority of Democratic senators get their way. … During the Senate debate on immigration reform in May, Mr. Ensign proposed that no illegal alien whose status would be adjusted by the Senate bill be permitted to receive Social Security benefits as a result of unlawful activity. … In addition to Messrs. McCain, Hagel and Brownback, other still-serving Republicans who opposed the Ensign amendment, which lost by a 50-49 vote, included Sens. Lindsey Graham, Richard Lugar, Mel Martinez, Arlen Specter, Ted Stevens and George Voinovich." (Editorial, "Social Security Siphon," The Washington Times, 1/5/07)

 

ANNOUNCER:  "And Mitt Romney?  Mitt Romney cut taxes and spending as Governor."

 

• Governor Romney Turned The Legislature's Proposed Capital Gains Tax Hike Into A Tax Refund Instead. "Romney was more successful when he took on the State Legislature for imposing a retroactive tax on capital gains earnings. After a bloody fight, Romney succeeded in passing a bill preventing the capital gains tax from being applied retroactively, resulting in a rebate of $275 million for capital gains taxes collected in 2002. Governor Romney also signed legislation that provided property tax relief to seniors and legislation establishing a two-day tax-free shopping holiday in 2005." (The Club For Growth, "Mitt Romney's Record On Economic Issues," Press Release, 8/21/07)

 

• Club For Growth: Governor Romney "Imposed Some Much-Needed Fiscal Discipline On A Very Liberal Massachusetts Legislature." "[O]n balance, he imposed some much-needed fiscal discipline on a very liberal Massachusetts Legislature." (The Club For Growth, "Mitt Romney's Record On Economic Issues," Press Release, 8/21/07) 

 

• Governor Romney "Attempted To Cut Down On Government Spending By Streamlining Many Duplicative And Wasteful Elements On Beacon Hill." "To his credit, Romney attempted to cut down on government spending by streamlining many duplicative and wasteful elements of Beacon Hill. ... Governor Romney successfully consolidated the social service and public health bureaucracy and restructured the Metropolitan District Commission. Romney even eliminated half of the executive branch's press positions, saving $1.2 million." (The Club For Growth, "Mitt Romney's Record On Economic Issues," Press Release, 8/21/07)

 

ANNOUNCER:  "He opposes amnesty for illegals.  Mitt Romney.  John McCain.  There is a difference."

 

·        Governor Romney's Strategy For A Stronger America Calls For Ending Illegal Immigration Without Amnesty. "Reject Amnesty. Do not give amnesty or any special pathway to those who have come to this country illegally." (Romney For President, "Strategy For A Stronger America," www.mittromney.com, Posted 9/18/07)

 

·        Read Governor Romney's Immigration Plan Here:  http://mittromney.com/News/Press-Releases/Romney_Agenda_12.14.07

Ready

This afternoon, Romney for President launched another new television ad, "Ready." 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpoPRA3pFjg

 

The ad highlights the very important choice voters will have to make when it comes to electing a candidate ready to make tough decisions.  In Arkansas, Governor Mike Huckabee increased state spending, backed in-state tuition benefits for illegal immigrants and granted over 1,000 pardons and commutations.  Governor Huckabee's attacks on the Bush administration's foreign policy has been called "ludicrous."  In Massachusetts, Governor Romney took a different course.  He held spending down and granted zero pardons.  There is a clear difference in leadership.    

 

The ad will begin airing today as part of the campaign's rotation in Iowa. 

 

Script For "Ready" (TV:30):

 

GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY:  "I'm Mitt Romney and I approved this message."

 

ANNOUNCER:  "Two good men.

 

"But who is ready to make tough decisions?

 

"Mike Huckabee?  Soft on government spending.  He grew a $6 billion government into a $16 billion government.

 

"Backed in-state tuition benefits for illegals, and granted 1,033 pardons and commutations, including 12 murderers.

 

"His foreign policy?  'Ludicrous,' says Condoleezza Rice.

 

"Mitt Romney held spending down below inflation.  Cut taxes.  Zero pardons.

 

"The difference? Strong leadership."

 

 

AD FACTS: Script For "Ready" (TV:30):

 

GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY:  "I'm Mitt Romney and I approved this message."  ANNOUNCER:  "Two good men.  But who is ready to make tough decisions?  Mike Huckabee?  Soft on government spending.  He grew a $6 billion government into a $16 billion government."

 

·        Under Governor Huckabee, State Spending More Than Doubled From $6.6 Billion To $16.1 Billion. "During Huckabee's 10 years as governor, state spending more than doubled, from $6.6 billion to $16.1 billion in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006. Higher education and public schools got big increases, as did social services." (Daniel Nasaw, "Home Turf Not Rock Solid For Huckabee," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 10/4/07)

 

ANNOUNCER:  "Backed in-state tuition benefits for illegals, and granted 1,033 pardons and commutations, including 12 murderers."

 

·        Governor Huckabee Fought For A Bill Which Granted In-State Tuition Breaks For Illegals. "Other than the highway plan, the only bill in the governor's 21-bill legislative package that failed to win legislative approval was a proposal to make the children of illegal immigrants eligible for state-funded scholarships and in-state tuition to Arkansas colleges. After passing the House relatively early in the session, the bill faltered in the Senate where it was amended to remove the scholarship provision but fell just short of passage Tuesday and Wednesday. Huckabee said his office worked throughout the day Wednesday for the two Senate votes needed to pass the bill. 'I don't understand the opposition to it, I just honestly don't,' Huckabee said. 'It hurts me on a personal as well as a policy level to think that we are still debating issues that I kind of hoped we had put aside in the 1960s, maybe at the latest the 70s, and yet I understand people have deep passions about things usually they don't fully understand.'" (Melissa Nelson, "Governor Touts Successful End To Legislative Session," The Associated Press, 4/13/05)

 

·        Governor Huckabee Granted 1,033 Pardons And Commutations, More Than Twice As Many As His Three Predecessors COMBINED. "As governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee had a hand in twice as many pardons and commutations as his three predecessors combined. … Huckabee granted 1,033 pardons and commutations in his 10 1/2 years as governor of Arkansas. The acts of clemency benefited the stepson of a staff member, murderers who worked at the governor's mansion, a rock star and inmates who received good words from their pastors. … During his years as governor, Huckabee granted clemency an average of about once every four days. Huckabee's successor, Mike Beebe, has issued 40 so far this year, fewer than one a week. Bill Clinton, Frank White and Tucker granted 507 clemencies in the 17 1/2 years they served as governor." (Andrew DeMillo, "Huckabee Pardons Under Scrutiny," The Associated Press, 12/10/07)

 

·        Governor Huckabee Commuted 12 Sentences For Murderers. "During his tenure, Huckabee has been criticized for his use of the clemency powers. Through April, the total sentence commutations issued by Huckabee were 146, including 12 for murderers, according to records at the secretary of state's office. A clemency can be either a sentence commutation or a pardon for someone who has already discharged his sentence, such as in Richards' situation." (Seth Blomeley, "It's A Gas, Gas, Gas: Rocker Seeks Pardon For '75 Fordyce Arrest," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 7/19/06)

 

ANNOUNCER: "His foreign policy?  'Ludicrous,' says Condoleezza Rice."

 

·        Secretary Of State Condoleezza Rice Said Huckabee's Criticism Of Bush Foreign Policy Was "Ludicrous." "After first saying 'I don't have time to comment on other people's comments', Rice took on Huckabee, head-on during an end-of-year State Department press briefing. 'The idea that this is a go-it-alone policy is just simply ludicrous.  And one would only have to be not observing the facts, let me say that, to say that this is now a go-it-alone foreign policy,' Rice said." ("Rice: Huckabee Foreign Policy Criticism 'Ludicrous'," ABC News' Political Radar Blog, http://blogs.abcnews.com, Posted 12/21/07)

 

ANNOUNCER: "Mitt Romney held spending down below inflation.  Cut taxes.  Zero pardons.  The difference? Strong leadership."

 

·                    Club For Growth: Governor Romney "Imposed Some Much-Needed Fiscal Discipline On A Very Liberal Massachusetts Legislature." "[O]n balance, he imposed some much-needed fiscal discipline on a very liberal Massachusetts Legislature." (The Club For Growth, "Mitt Romney's Record On Economic Issues," Press Release, 8/21/07) 

 

·                    Governor Romney "Attempted To Cut Down On Government Spending By Streamlining Many Duplicative And Wasteful Elements On Beacon Hill." "To his credit, Romney attempted to cut down on government spending by streamlining many duplicative and wasteful elements of Beacon Hill. ... Governor Romney successfully consolidated the social service and public health bureaucracy and restructured the Metropolitan District Commission. Romney even eliminated half of the executive branch's press positions, saving $1.2 million." (The Club For Growth, "Mitt Romney's Record On Economic Issues," Press Release, 8/21/07)

 

·                    Governor Romney Turned The Legislature's Proposed Capital Gains Tax Hike Into A Tax Refund Instead. "Romney was more successful when he took on the State Legislature for imposing a retroactive tax on capital gains earnings. After a bloody fight, Romney succeeded in passing a bill preventing the capital gains tax from being applied retroactively, resulting in a rebate of $275 million for capital gains taxes collected in 2002. Governor Romney also signed legislation that provided property tax relief to seniors and legislation establishing a two-day tax-free shopping holiday in 2005." (The Club For Growth, "Mitt Romney's Record On Economic Issues," Press Release, 8/21/07)

 

·                    As Governor, Romney Denied All Requests For Pardon And Commutation. "During the four years Romney was in office, 100 requests for commutations and 172 requests for pardons were filed in the state. All were denied. 'Governor Romney's view is that it would take a compelling set of circumstances to set aside the punishment and guilt resulting from a criminal trial,' said Romney aide Eric Fehrnstrom, who added he was not familiar with Circosta's case. 'The power to pardon should only be used in extraordinary circumstances.'" ("Romney Touts Record Of Never Granting Pardons," The Associated Press, 6/12/07)

today's tragic events in Pakistan

Today, Governor Mitt Romney issued the following statement on today's tragic events in Pakistan:
 
http://www.mittromney.com/News/Press-Releases/Pakistan_Statement_12.27
 
"We are still learning the details of today's tragic events in Pakistan, but this is a stark reminder that America must not only stay on high alert, but remain actively engaged across the globe.  Pakistan has long been a key part in the war against extremism and radical jihadists.  For those who think Iraq is the sole front in the War on Terror, one must look no further than what has happened today.  America must show its commitment to stand with all moderate forces across the Islamic world and together face the defining challenge of our generation – the struggle against violent, radical jihadists.
 
"At this difficult time, our thoughts and prayers go to the family of Benazir Bhutto, and to all the people of Pakistan who are fighting against extremist forces that would commit such heinous acts as the whole world has witnessed today." 
 
And here is a video and transcript of Governor Romney's comments a short time ago at a media availability in Nashua, NH:
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6eqT1UNsOE
 
Governor Mitt Romney:  "This points out again the extraordinary reality of global, violent, radical Jihadism.  We don't know who is responsible for this attack, but there's no question but that the violence that we see throughout the world is violence which is not limited to Iraq and Afghanistan, but is more global in nature.  And this type of loss of life points out again the need for our nation and other civilized nations of the West and of the Muslim world to come together to support moderate Islamic leaders and moderate Islamic people and to help them in their effort to reject the violent and the extreme. The world is very much at risk by virtue of these radical, violent extremists, and we must come together in an effort, in great haste and with great earnestness to help overcome the threat of the spread of radical, violent jihad."
 
Reporter:  "Governor, is there any possibility that General Musharraf might have been involved…"
 
Governor Romney:  "At this stage, we don't know the nature of this particular attack, and in time we'll find out.  And so at this stage, we can only speculate as to what might have been the source of this particular attack.  Of course, attacks have been occurring over the past several weeks in Pakistan, and the turbulence there certainly flows from the instability associated with northwestern Pakistan and the Taliban and Al Qaeda forces in that part of the country.
 
Reporter:  "Given that instability there, does it make you reconsider General Musharraf's decision to declare martial law and to understand better why he did that perhaps?"
 
Governor Romney:  "I believe it was a mistake.  I believe as well that martial law was principally imposed by him to protect himself from a political challenge and a challenge from the Supreme Court and others and believed that it was not a productive course for his nation."
 
Reporter:  "Have the United States put too much trust in General Musharraf?"
 
Governor Romney:  "I don't know that we can assess the political process that has been under way in Pakistan to determine exactly where we put our greatest support.  Obviously, we have also encouraged a political process which included Madame Bhutto and Mr. Sharif.  We have had interest in seeing a progression toward more democratic leadership and governance in Pakistan.  Our nation was disappointed with the declaration of martial law, as has been pronounced by the President.  So I don't know that we could make that assessment at this stage."

How is the "attack" false?

Jabs Sharpen in Final Week Before Voting
  Email this Story

Dec 26, 6:11 PM (ET)

By DAVID ESPO

(AP) Republican presidential hopeful, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, 2nd from right, at Robie's... Full Image

MT. PLEASANT, Iowa (AP) - The most wide-open presidential race in a half century pushed unpredictably into a decisive new phase Wednesday, the rhetoric a bit more pointed and the appeals a tad more urgent in the final run-up to the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary.

"This is crunch time," said former Democratic Sen. John Edwards, and he spoke for all.

In a race without front-runners, a brief Christmas lull yielded quickly in both early-voting states to a new round of subtle digs, outright criticism, fresh TV ads and stepped-up efforts by independent organizations.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, surprise leader in the Republican pre-caucus polls, bagged an Iowa pheasant with a .12-gauge shotgun and said caucus-goers on Jan. 3 should take notice.

(AP) Former president Bill Clinton, Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.,... Full Image

"Maybe it will show that I certainly understand the culture of being outdoors," he said. It was a not-so-subtle jab at his leading rival in the state, Mitt Romney. The former Massachusetts governor once proclaimed himself a lifelong hunter, but later conceded he had shot only "small varmints" and did not have a gun or a hunting license.

Romney's political quarry for the day was Arizona Sen. John McCain, seemingly staging a comeback in New Hampshire. Romney accused his rival of flip-flops on immigration and tax cuts.

"The point is that under his bill, that he fought for, everybody who came here illegally could stay forever. And does he still believe that or does he not believe that?" Romney said on a radio program from New Hampshire.

"And likewise on taxation. He said, well now he's for making the Bush tax cuts permanent. Well, does he admit he was wrong in voting against them before?

McCain responded quickly.

(AP) Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill., sporting a 'Vote For Me" name tag talks... Full Image

"I know something about tailspins, and it's pretty clear Mitt Romney is in one," said the former front-runner. "It's disappointing that he would launch desperate, flailing and false attacks in an attempt to maintain relevance."

How is the "attack" false? McCain has been both for and against amnesty. McCain has been for and against the bush tax cuts. McCain has been for and against the death tax. Which is it McCain? But because McCain is in bed with the media, they will never question him or call him names...

Republican presidential hopeful, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, 2nd from right, at Robie's General Store in Hooksett, N.H. Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2007. (AP Photo/Cheryl Senter)

From a Fred Thompson website

Here is a link to a Fred Thompson website, with a great image... I just wish it was a little bigger...

+=

Alright, who has photo shop?

From Jeff

Do we want to choose a nominee that has the media plugging and defending them?  If they're in need of it now to rise in the polls do you think they'll get it during the general election?   NO!  The Media, will support the Dem. The same media that is pumping McCain in NH and elsewhere is going to drop him if he's the nominee.

 

Rather, how about having a candidate that's been routinely savaged by the media with personal character attacks, gross distortions of his record, and misleading propaganda.  Which do you think will have a better chance in the general election . . . the one who's a frontrunner DESPITE the MSM coverage or the one(s) that are challengers BECAUSE of the MSM coverage? McCain always said that the media is his base..., NH is just the latest proof. NH is just a microcosm of this phenomenon.

Red State post #1 recommended

Date: Dec 26, 2007 12:15 PM
Subject: Red State post #1 recommended

ANd that's without alerting folks here.

 

http://www.redstate.com/blogs/joe_johnson/2007/dec/25/re_mitt_romney_health_care_and_jeff_emanuels_redhot_posting

 

Thomas Sowell

   

December 26, 2007, 0:00 a.m. Unpromising Times Primary elections and secondary candidates. By Thomas Sowell ... His talk about poor children going to bed hungry may rouse the far left in his party but in fact the lowest-income people are even more obese than the rest of us, not that the facts make the slightest difference to Senator Edwards. As an attorney, Edwards conned millions of dollars out of gullible juries, using junk science to create the impression that it was the fault of doctors when babies were born with birth defects. Republicans, as usual, seem to have more people who would make good presidents than people who would make good presidential candidates. Unfortunately for them, we have elections instead of coronations. ... The only candidate of either party who truly looks presidential is Mitt Romney. It was unfortunate that Mike Huckabee and others have tried to make his religion an issue. John F. Kennedy was supposed to have taken that issue out of politics — and Huckabee's bringing it back in ought to disqualify him for a shot at the White House, even aside from Governor Huckabee's wholesale pardons of criminals and his raising taxes. Romney and Giuliani are both articulate Republicans — and it is rare for the Republicans to have two at one time. Some presidential election years they haven't even had one. If Romney's and Giuliani's track records in office matched their ability to talk, either of them could unite and lead their party to victory. But that is no small "if." When it comes to articulation, no one can beat Barack Obama. He can even convince people that he has new ideas, when in fact they are old 1960s ideas that have failed repeatedly, ever since that irresponsible decade. John McCain seems to be having a little resurgence but it is hard to believe that Republicans are so desperate as to support a man who joined with far left Democrat Russ Feingold to restrict free speech in the name of "campaign finance reform" and with Ted Kennedy to sponsor a bill giving amnesty to illegal immigrants. Then there is Hillary Clinton, formerly known as "front-runner" Hillary Clinton or the "inevitable" candidate Hillary Clinton. It is painful to watch her trying to act human and it would be even more painful to see the Clintons back in the White House that they disgraced in so many ways. She might even be shameless enough to put him on the Supreme Court, where he could ruin the law of the land, as many of his own judicial appointees are already doing in the federal courts. As for the other candidates in both parties, the big question is why anyone takes them seriously as candidates to lead the nation at a time of huge dangers that terrorists will end up with nuclear weapons, whether from Iran or Pakistan. This nation has come back from unpromising times before. Let's hope that we have not already used up all our luck. © 2007 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC. — COPYRIGHT 2007 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.

---

National Review Online - http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MDllMTU2YmMxNjg2YzM4ZDQ3MDk5ZTNlNTcyMmE1MTU=

A case of clemency that's easy to explain

It hasn't been apparent to me why Mike Huckabee favored the release from prison of Wayne Dumond, a patently dangerous rapist who, once released, committed murder. By contrast, it's easy to see why Mike Huckabee wanted to help Eugene Fields after he was convicted in 2003 for driving while intoxicated for the fourth time in less than five years. Fields, after all, was a wealthy developer and major donor to the Arkansas Republican Party. Moreover, according to the New York Times, Fields had Richard Bearden, a former executive director of the state's Republican Party with close ties to the Huckabee administration, backing his bid for clemency.

Huckabee obliged in early 2004, when he announced his intention to grant clemency to Fields. The announcement meant that the public had the right to comment. Naturally, MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) urged Huckabee not to give Fields, a serial offender, yet another chance. Teresa Belew, MADD's local executive director, made her comments public. This was her right and, given the political "juice" behind Fields, it was also the sensible move.

Huckabee responded to Belew with the harsh petulance (and arguably the "arrogant bunker mentality") to which the political world has recently become accustomed. According to the Times, Huckabee sharply criticized Belew for going public with her criticism of Huckabee's notice of intention to free Fields. In addition, he questioned MADD's motives, stating the organization was simply trying to fan "the flames of controversy that have been stirred in this case by the unusual curiosity of certain media members."

For full story:

http://www.powerlineblog.com/

GWR & MLK

55 February 1967

Article George Romney: Holy and hopeful William Vincent Shannon PDF IMAGES See also: Career as governor of Michigan ; Career As Presidential Hopeful ; Romney, George W.; 1963-1969; N1968; The Republican Party . . . than in any comparable period in Michigan's history," Romney asserts. When the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King marched in Detroit three years ago, Romney marched with him. He is proud that he helped . . . George Romney: Holy and hopeful by William Vincent Shannon 55 William v . . .

From Jeff

http://www.harpers.org/media/pages/1967/02/pdf/HarpersMagazine-1967-02-0...

"When the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King marched in Detroit three years ago, Romney marched with him. He is proud that he helped write a state constitution that has the most comprehensive civil-rights guarantees in the nation, including open occupancy in housing."

This was written in 1967 . . . this is hardly something that Mitt ROmney made up.  Chris Matthews owes Romney an apology big time.

From David

A very favorable Op-Ed piece at NewsBlaze compared Romney to Reagan.  Don't let the title of the piece worry you; John Lillpop has nothing but good things to say about Romney:

"Fact of the matter is that Mitt Romney is the most conservative candidate running for the White House. He is also the most experienced and qualified, a fact attested to by his service as the governor of liberal-infested Massachusetts, and by his enormously successful personal finances."

"No other candidate comes close to matching his qualifications for taking over the Oval Office'

"Best of all, Romney is intelligent, articulate, and an eternal optimist. He is a contemporary clone of Ronald Reagan, but in sacred underwear."

Here's the link: http://newsblaze.com/story/20071223154749lill.nb/newsblaze/OPINIONS/Opinions.html.

 

RFC: Request for Cartoon

What happened to that cartoon guy...

 

Can we make a political cartoon similar to this one, with Huckabee, the populist swallowing the republican party?

 

Bryan as Populist swallowing the Democratic party; 1896 cartoon from the Republican magazine Judge.

Drawing The Line Between Church And State

A Closer Look At The Long History Behind Politics and Religion In America

Dec. 23, 2007

 

(CBS) "In God We Trust" is right there on all our coins and currency. To find the phrase "Wall of Separation," however, you must go not to the Constitution or the Bill of Rights, but to a letter President Thomas Jefferson wrote to Connecticut Baptists in 1802. His words have guided us ever since, but what, in practical terms, do they mean? Our Cover Story is reported now by Martha Teichner:

Eleven days and counting before their state nominating caucuses, it's understandable that some Iowa Republicans may be having trouble separating politics and religion.

The battle between Mitt Romney, the Mormon, and Mike Huckabee, the Baptist preacher, has defined the race.

 

But even the possibility that a candidate's brand of faith could become a kind of presidential litmus test worries as many, if not more, Americans than it reassures - among them, Jon Meacham, editor of Newsweek.

"We are veering very close to violating the article in the Constitution that says, there should be no religious test for federal office," Meacham told Teichner.

Meacham is the author of " American Gospel," an attempt to put the tension between God and politics in historical perspective.

 

American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation

"You have 46% of Evangelicals, in a poll that Newsweek did in Iowa, saying that Romney's Mormonism makes them less likely to vote for him," said Meacham. "That, in and of itself, is a very dangerous battle to have because it pushes religious affiliation to the center of debate in a country that has done very well when it has kept that kind of religious debate to the sides, or off the table altogether."

The living embodiment of that notion of separation is the neighborhood of Flushing, in the New York City borough of Queens.

Here you'll find every nationality imaginable - every religion. Within a few blocks, there are churches, a Quaker meeting house, Buddhist temples, synagogues, a mosque. As a sign of how mixed-up everything is, in front of the Queens public library, the Christmas tree and the Menorah were sponsored by the Chinese Businessmen's Association."

(CBS)

All of which makes what's inside that much more remarkable. It's called the Flushing Remonstrance (pictured, left) , on loan from the New York State Archives, signed December 27, 1657 - 350 years ago this week. It is a bold, historic declaration of religious freedom.

Professor Kenneth Jackson, who teaches New York history at Columbia University, described the significance of the remonstrance:

"This is one of the really great documents of American history that's preserved by the archives. It's the first thing that we have in writing in the United States where a group of citizens attests on paper and over their signature the right of the people to follow their own conscience with regard to God - and the inability of government, or the illegality of government, to interfere with that."

In 1657, Flushing was a farm village, and like Manhattan, part of New Netherland, a Dutch colony governed by Peter Stuyvesant. Stuyvesant persecuted followers of religions other than his own Dutch Reformed Church. When he barred Quakers from Flushing, thirty local citizens, none of them Quakers themselves, petitioned Stuyvesant, claiming the ban violated Dutch custom.

"It's just elegantly and eloquently written," Jackson said. "They say, 'We desire, therefore, in this case, not to be judged, least we be judged. Neither to condemn, lest we be condemned, but rather let every man stand and fall to his master.'"

 

Peter Stuyvesant, no man to be trifled with, fined the petitioners and threw them in prison until they recanted - but there's more.

An important part of this story is the role played by a man named John Bowne, who lived here. Bowne allowed the Quakers to meet in his home. He was arrested, jailed, and sent to Holland for trial. The outcome was not what Peter Stuyvesant expected - Bowne was exhonerated.

 

And the principles set forth in the Flushing Remonstrance - essentially, freedom of worship and the separation of church and state - became practice.

"It didn't just come out of thin air, the First Amendment to the Constitution. We believed this already, in 1791, so it could become the cornerstone of the Bill of Rights," Jackson said.

Remember, most of the original 13 colonies had established churches and actually taxed citizens to support them. The end of that led to an explosion of religious fervor.

"In other words," Teichner asked Jon Meacham, "the separation of church and state enables the tolerance of someone else's religion?"

"Absolutely," Meacham agreed. "The separation of church and state is like oxygen to the fire of religious liberty."

So if you thought the tug-of-war between religion and politics is something new, think again.

"Religion has always been a weapon in the political arena," Meacham explained. "In 1800, there were advertisements that said you could have Jefferson and no God … or Adams and God." (

Meacham cited another example: "In the Civil War, President Lincoln was presented with a proposed amendment to the Constitution to declare our allegiance to independence and Jesus … and in a brilliant parliamentary move, he referred it to a Congressional committee from whence it never emerged."

And another example, "Theodore Roosevelt, in 1908, was defending William Howard Taft, who was a Unitarian being attacked by William Jennings Bryan's supporters who were evangelicals who believed that Unitarians were not Christian."

And of course, lately, Teichner observed, we've been reminded of John F. Kennedy's famous speech.

On September 12, 1960, Kennedy said, "I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute. Where no Catholic prelate would tell the President, should he be Catholic, how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote."

Kennedy's self-defense to Houston ministers was that year's chapter in a long history ... Mitt Romney's speech was this year's.

In his speech , Romney said, "the founders proscribed the establishment of a state religion, but they did not countenance the elimination of religion from the public square. We are a nation under God, and in God, we do indeed trust."

The two speeches, 47 years apart, show how the conversation about what Jefferson called the "wall of separation" has evolved.

"Americans have tested that wall in every possible way," Meacham told Teichner. "We've run trucks up against it, we've thrown firecrackers at it, and the wall has stood pretty strongly. And it requires, I think, constant vigilance."

Because, as history and the First Amendment tell us, the relationship between government and religion is as fragile as it is strong.

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/12/22/sunday/main3641753.shtml

Conservative Icons Speak out Against Huckabee . . . please add to this LIST!

It might be useful to list out those important conservative stalwarts that have spoken out against Huckabee lately (those that haven't endorsed another candidate at least):

Please

Rush Limbaugh:

Bob Novak:

Condileeza Rice

Peggy Noonan

Charles Kruthammer

Michelle Malkin

Fred Barnes

George Will-- ( these comments too on a TV news show)

Laura Ingraham:

David Limbaugh

Kim Strassell :

Pat Buchanan

Mitt Romney :)

Sean Hannity (kind of)

Michael Reagan

Glenn Beck   (semi "reconciliation" ---- but then he's still not too impressed )

Matt Drudge:
 . . . it's obvious that he has a bone to pick with Huckabee. 

Jim Geraghty

Tony Blankley

Ann Coulter:

Rich Lowry:

Dean Barnett:

Mark Hemningway

Austin Hill

Tom Bevan

Kathryn Jean Lopez

Frank Gaffney

Peter Wehner

Hugh Hewitt

The Editors of National Review  (Oh yeah, this one too)

Larry Kudlow On Mike Huckabee

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Larry Kudlow On Mike Huckabee

Posted by: Hugh Hewitt  at 9:52 AM

I closed my interview with CNBC's Larry Kudlow yesterday (transcript here ) with a question about Mike Huckabee's economic populism.  Larry's response:

[W]hen I had Governor Huckabee on, what was it, last week or the week before, I had a bout with him. I went at it. He wants to, if need be, have government regulate salaries. I think he's crazy. I don't think he understands the free market business system. He's not good on taxing, he's not good on spending, he's not good on free trade. In other words, all the prosperity factors seem to be Mr. Huckabee's weakness. I don't think he understands it. He's just out of tune with all measures of free market, supply side economics. You know, it isn't his religion, and I admire his religion. I personally am a man of faith. I regard myself as an Evangelical, the fact is. But it's not his religion, it's his positions. Condi Rice came out of the State Department. Hell, I haven't seen her in about a month or two. She came out and attacked him because of his navet on dealing in international affairs with Iran and others. He doesn't seem to understand power politics, and that we are in a jihadist global war.  

Was it all planed?

I don't believe in conspiracy theories, but it is working out well...

 

Maybe too well?

 

http://fwcon.wordpress.com/

Mitt Romney: Simply Brilliant

Imagine Mitt Romney sitting with a bunch of reporters. He says, "You know, I have always been for civil rights, even back in the 60's. I saw my father march with Martin Luther King, Jr."

What would happen? Do you think the old media would trumpet this across the front pages?

Of course not. If the old media ran with that story, not only would it help Mitt, but it would help the Republican Party by demonstrating that in the 60's, only the republicans were united behind the civil rights movement. The democrats were split. So since it would help republicans, the story was tanked, if it was ever started.

So what does Mitt do? He gives a speech on national TV, a speech that was supposed to be about his religion. (Note how every time Mitt came out and said it wasn't about his religion that the media drummed it up even more.) In the speech he declares that he saw his father march with Dr. King. It was a minor statement, but an important one. It was a statement that everyone heard. But otherwise, it was a forgettable statement.

But it gets better. See, someone in the media uncovers that maybe this isn't true. After all, the historical records don't show that Dr. King ever marched in that area. When confronted, Mitt shows weakness, and starts to backpedal. "Aha!" the old media thinks. "We got him cornered–let's go in for the kill." The old media runs with the story, blaring it across the headlines: "Mitt is a liar. He didn't see dad march with King."

And then it gets better. See, Mitt did see his dad march with Dr. King. So did a whole lot of other people, people who marched as well. One by one, the real story comes out, piece by piece the lead story in the old media is thoroughly trashed.

Most importantly, the big issue that was supposed to take Mitt down–gets the message he wanted out in the first place. Now, when people think Mitt, they will think: "Wasn't he the guy that claimed to see his dad march with Dr. King?" and then, "Oh yeah, and they thought he didn't but he really did!"

Folks, Mitt is slick, and he is slicker than der Schlickmeister himself. He just used the old media to trumpet something he wanted to get out and publish far and wide. He just changed the discussion from "Didn't mormons prohibit the blacks from getting the priesthood?" to "Didn't Mitt march with Dr. King?"

This reminds me of how both Reagan and Bush would regularly make fools out of the media. It is so subtle you can easily miss it, but it is obviously there. It reminds me of Governor Romney telling a reporter, "No, I represent the people; you represent your newspaper." He is that kind of guy, witty, smart, and brilliant.

This is why I support Mitt over Thompson. I have yet to see Thompson do anything like this. This is what you need beyond the issues and the principles: you need someone that can deliver.

• Mike Allen (Politico.com)
• Hugh Hewitt

What do you think?

From Jeff

From John King on a bus in Iowa.  Sure he cut some taxes (raised far more), but how does he get away with claiming that he cut spending?

$6.7 Billion to $16 AR state budget over his tenure . . . OVER THREE TIMES THE RATE OF INFLATION.  So me the "cut spending" record Huck!

Just another Huckabee lie (I can't see any other explanation, can you?)

Jeff

PS  Bonus material:  Huck said that he's not sure if he actually wrote the words "arrogant bunker mentality", but he "owns them now." - - - a wimpy attempt to blame a speech writer for that gaffe.  However he also said nearly those same words over two months ago. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQitn77AXvo&eurl=http://www.mymanmitt.com/mitt-romney/

Also, Huck complained on that bus that he's pretty sure that Rice didn't read his whole essay, because if she did, she wouldn't be criticizing it (the same thing he said about Romney's critiques).

I loved Charles Krauthammer's response to that.  "So essentially Huckabee's saying: 'I wish she would have read that article that I didn't write'" . . . Man that's an instant classic!

Here's the laundry list of country clubs where Huckabee is a member

Chenal Valley Country Club
Little Rock Club
Pleasant Valley Country Club
Country Club of Little Rock
Maumelle Bass Club
Old Fishing Club.

"Governor Graft"

http://caucuscooler.blogspot.com/2007/12/cooler-exclusive-governor-graft.html
 
COOLER EXCLUSIVE- "Governor Graft"

The Cooler has obtained documents that show Mike Huckabee received $378,000 in consulting fees during 2006, while he was still governor of Arkansas.
 
Most noteworthy, $17,500 came from Novo Nordisk, one of the world's largest embryonic stem cell researchers. It seems that when money is at stake Huckabee may be able to look past his supposedly fervent opposition to this procedure

He also received speaking fees and honoraria from churches while Governor.

It is certainly calls into question whether or not it is appropriate for a Governor to be taking a consulting fee from interest groups, as Huckabee did, when issues surrounding that interest group could come across his desk.

The consulting money was funneled through an organization called 12 stops, a group created in 2004 to handle Gov. Huckabee's book deals. With all the attention Senator Obama received for running a separate PAC and potentially funnelling money from maxed out donors through that PAC, it calls into question whether Huckabee may have done the same.

You can view a full list of Huckabee "donors" here.

Developing...

Rice rejects Huckabee criticism

ASSOCIATED PRESS

http://www.star-telegram.com/464/story/373403.html

WASHINGTON -- In a brief foray into politics, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday denounced comments by a leading Republican presidential candidate that the Bush administration's foreign policy is arrogant and unilateral.

 

"The idea that somehow this is a go-it-alone policy is just simply ludicrous," she said at a State Department news conference. "One would only have to be not observing the facts, let me say that, to say that this is now a go-it-alone foreign policy."

 

Her remarks came in response to a question about criticism from former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who has surged in the polls to become a front-runner in the upcoming Iowa caucuses for the GOP presidential nomination. Huckabee recently said the administration's foreign policy was characterized by a "bunker mentality."

 

Rice did not mention Huckabee by name in her response and at first declined to respond, saying dismissively: "Look, I don't comment on other people's comments. I don't have time, all right. I really don't have time to worry about this."

 

But she then launched into a vigorous defense of the administration's multilateral diplomatic efforts on Afghanistan, North Korea and Iran, and pointed to improving ties with traditional allies in Europe, some of which were strained by the Iraq war.

 

"We have right now probably the strongest trans-Atlantic relations ... I would say in a very long time," Rice said, noting in particular Britain, France and Germany.

 

"We're working with allies in Europe, Russia and China on Iran. The (NATO) alliance is mobilized together in Afghanistan," she said. "We had 50-plus countries at Annapolis to launch the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians. We're working together with allies in Lebanon.

 

"I can go on and on and on and on," Rice concluded. "And so, I would just say to people, look at the facts.

 

Condi would make such a great president/ vise president...

 

I wish she would have ran... It is probably too late for her to be president, but she would make a great vise president... but who knows if she wants it?

Coulter on Huckabee: Stupid and easily led

American Pastoral

American Pastoral
Mike Huckabee preaches to the choir, but not everyone's singing along.

Friday, December 21, 2007 12:01 a.m. EST

I didn't see the famous floating cross. What I saw when I watched Mike Huckabee's Christmas commercial was a nice man in a sweater sitting next to a brightly lit tree. He had easy warmth and big brown puppy-dog eyes, and he talked about taking a break from politics to remember the peace and joy of the season. Sounds good to me.

Only on second look did I see the white lines of the warmly lit bookcase, which formed a glowing cross. Someone had bothered to remove the books from that bookcase, or bothered not to put them in. Maybe they would have dulled the lines.

Is there a word for "This is nice" and "This is creepy"? For that is what I felt. This is so sweet-appalling.

I love the cross. The sight of it, the fact of it, saves me, literally and figuratively. But there is a kind of democratic politesse in America, and it has served us well, in which we are happy to profess our faith but don't really hit people over the head with its symbols in an explicitly political setting, such as a campaign commercial, which is what Mr. Huckabee's ad was.

I wound up thinking this: That guy is using the cross so I'll like him. That doesn't tell me what he thinks of Jesus, but it does tell me what he thinks of me. He thinks I'm dim. He thinks I will associate my savior with his candidacy. Bleh.

The ad was shrewd. The caucus is coming, the TV is on, people are home putting up the tree, and the other candidates are all over the tube advancing themselves and attacking someone else. Mr. Huckabee thinks, I'll break through the clutter by being the guy who reminds us of the reason for the season, in a way that helps underscore that I'm the Christian candidate and those other fellas aren't. As a break from the nattering argument, as a message that highlights something bigger than politics, it was refreshing.

Was the cross an accident? Please. It was as accidental as Mr. Huckabee's witty response, when he accused those of questioning the ad of paranoia, was spontaneous. "Actually I will confess this, if you play this spot backwards it says 'Paul is dead, Paul is dead, Paul is dead,' " he said. As Bill Safire used to say of clever moves, "That's good stuff!"

Ken Mehlman, the former Republican chairman, once bragged in my presence that in every ad he did he put in something wrong--something that went too far, something debatable. TV producers, ever hungry for new controversy, would play the commercial over and over as pundits on the panel deliberated over its meaning. This got the commercial played free all over the news.

The cross is the reason you saw the commercial. The cross made it break through.

Mr. Huckabee is a telegenic presence, fluid and unself-conscious. The camera is his friend. It is not the potential exposer of his flaws but the conduit by which his warmth and intelligence can be more broadly known. This gift, and seeing the camera this way is a gift, carries greater implications in American politics than, say, in British politics. In Britain, public persona is important, as Tony Blair showed, but there you rise up in the parliamentary system. You have to learn to play well with the other children. You have to form alliances, handle a portfolio, create coalitions, lead within the party and then the country.

In American politics you don't have to go through that grueling process. You can be born on TV. Some candidates for president have a closer relationship with the makeup woman at "Hannity" and the guy who mics you up on "Meet" than they do with state party chiefs and union leaders. Experience, background and positions can be trumped by killer spots or a dominating debate performance.

This is some of Mr. Huckabee's power. There's the fact that he's new, and the fact that Americans are in a funny historic moment: The lives they lead are good, and comfortable, but they sense deep down that the infrastructure of our good fortune is in many ways frail, that Citi may fall and Korea go crazy and some nut go kaboom. In such circumstances some would think a leader radically different--an outsider, a minister, a self proclaimed non-establishment type--might be an answer.

Mr. Huckabee reminds me of two governors who became president, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Like Mr. Clinton, he is a natural, charming, bright and friendly. Yet one senses something unsavory there, something not so nice. Like Mr. Bush, his approach to politics seems, at bottom, highly emotional, marked by great spurts of feeling and mighty declarations as to what the Lord wants. The problem with this, and with Bushian compassionate conservatism, which seems to have an echo in Mr. Huckabee's Christianism, is that to the extent it is a philosophy, it is not a philosophy that allows debate. Because it comes down to "This is what God wants." This is not an opener of discussion but a squelcher of it. It doesn't expand the process, it frustrates it.

Mr. Huckabee is clever. He puts forth his policies, such as they are, based on a faith-based understanding of public policy, and if you disagree with his policies, or take a hard shot at them, or at him, he suggests the reason is that you look down on evangelicals. This creates a new fissure in a party already riven by fissures. He has been accused by some in the conservative press of tearing the party apart, but it was being torn apart before he got on the scene. His rise is not a cause of collapse but an expression of it.

He plays the victim well. Others want to "trip him up," but he'll "get my message out there." His foes are "Wall Street-Washington" insiders, elitists. On the "Today" show he said his critics are the type who never liked evangelical Christians. When one of them runs, these establishment types say " 'Oh my gosh, now they're serious, they don't want to just show up and vote, they actually would want to be part of the discussion and really talk about issues that include hunger and poverty and things.' "

This is a form of populist manipulation. Evangelical Christians have been strong in the Republican Party since the 1970s. President Bush and Karl Rove helped them become more important. The suggestion that they are a small and abused group within the GOP is strange. It is as if the Reagan Democrats, largely Catholic and suburban, who buoyed the Republican Party from the late '70s through 2004, and who were very much part of the GOP coalition, decided to announce that Catholics have been abused within the party, and it's time for Christmas commercials with floating Miraculous Medals.

Does Mr. Huckabee understand that his approach is making people uncomfortable? Does he see himself as divisive? He's a bright man, so it's hard to believe he doesn't. But it's working for him. It's getting him his 30 points in Iowa in a crowded field.

Could he win the nomination? Who knows? It's all a bubbling stew on the Republican side, and no one knows who'll float to the top. In an interview this week with David Brody of CBN, Mr. Huckabee said people everywhere were coming to him and saying, "We are claiming Isaiah 54 for you, that the weapons formed against you will not prosper."

Prayer is powerful. But Huckabee's critics say he's a manipulator with a mean streak and little knowledge of the world. And Isaiah 54 doesn't say anything about self-inflicted wounds.

Ms. Noonan is a contributing editor of The Wall Street Journal and author of "John Paul the Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father" (Penguin, 2005), which you can order from the OpinionJournal bookstore. Her column appears Fridays on OpinionJournal.com.