Mitt's Millstone Dilemma

By Stephen Stone, President, RenewAmerica

In our previous installment on Mitt Romney and Mormonism, we looked at three of the most significant aspects of Mitt's record: his troubling pro-choice history, his singlehanded establishment of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, and his hand in the creation of Obamacare — a plan modeled, with Mitt's active encouragement, upon "Romneycare," with its un-American mandate requiring citizens to buy health insurance against their will.

Assuming that Romney supporters see these millstone-sized "negatives" as inconsequential, let's give these three issues a closer look, then assess the character of the man around whose neck these disturbing negatives weigh more heavily than anything else that could be said about the man.

As we do so, we'll hold Mitt's record up against the standards of God's Word — standards all voters should value more highly than the image-minded message of Mitt's campaign, or the specious arguments of his defenders.

Poll Shows the More People Know About Romney, the Less They Like Him

Here's a telling poll about the GOP Establishment's candidate, Mitt Romney.  The more people know about him, the less they like him.  What a tragedy it will be if this man becomes the GOP nominee, particularly when a president's reelection is usually a referendum on the incumbent, and the incumbent makes Jimmy Carter's presidency look successful by comparison.

Record Number See Romney Negatively; Obama Outpaces Him in Popularity

Mitt Romney trails Barack Obama by 19 points in basic popularity as the 2012 presidential contest inches closer to the main event, with a record 50 percent of Americans in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll now rating Romney unfavorably overall.

Thirty-four percent hold a favorable opinion of Romney, the lowest for any leading presidential candidate in ABC/Post polls in primary seasons since 1984. His unfavorable score is higher than Obama ever has received; it’s been exceeded by just one other Republican candidate this year, Newt Gingrich, and by only one top candidate in 28 years, Hillary Clinton in 2008.

Read the rest of this entry at ABC News >>

Romney and the White Horse Prophecy

A close look at the roots of Romney's -- and the Mormon church's -- political ambitions

The White Horse Prophecy foresaw Mormons in politics.  (Credit: iStockphoto/66North/Reuters)

From Salon

By Sally Denton

When Mitt Romney received his patriarchal blessing as a Michigan teenager, he was told that the Lord expected great things from him. All young Mormon men — the “worthy males” of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as it is officially known — receive such a blessing as they embark on their requisite journeys as religious missionaries. But at 19 years of age, the youngest son of the most prominent Mormon in American politics — a seventh-generation direct descendant of one of the faith’s founding 12 apostles—Mitt Romney had been singled out as a destined leader.

Mormon 'Manifest Destiny'

By Stephen Stone

President, Renew America

One of the curious things about Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential bid is the near-unanimous support he enjoys among fellow Mormons.

He won the Nevada, Idaho, Arizona, Wyoming, and Hawaii primaries in large part because Mormons form influential voting blocs in those states.

Among Mormons in Utah — headquarters of the LDS church — he's expected to draw somewhere near 90 percent of the Mormon vote in Utah's June primary, as he did earlier in neighboring Nevada and Arizona.

Mormons have been the core base of Mitt's campaign from the outset, backing him not just with their enthusiastic votes, but their activism — as avid donors, volunteers, grassroots organizers, and online defenders. It's a rare Mormon who doesn't want to see Mitt elected president.

Santorum Easily Defeats Romney in Louisiana

(CBS News) Rick Santorum easily won the Republican presidential primary in Louisiana on Saturday, garnering close to twice as many votes as his next closest competitor. Santorum's victory is fresh evidence of the weakness of front-runner Mitt Romney, who is nonetheless increasingly likely to be the Republican who takes on President Obama in November.

Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator and social conservative, did well among evangelicals, Catholics and those who identify themselves as "very conservative," according to CBS News exit polls. The win marks the 11th victory for Santorum, who has done well in the Deep South, including victories earlier this month in Alabama and Mississippi.

With all 4,267 precincts reporting, Santorum had about 49 percent of the vote, or 91,305 votes, while second place Romney had 27 percent, or 49,749 votes. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was a distant third with 16 percent and Texas Rep. Ron Paul had just 6 percent of the counted vote.

Complete Louisiana GOP results
Louisiana primary results by county
Full Louisiana exit poll

Jim DeMint Sells Out

Jim Demint boards the Titanic

We just left a message for Senator Jim DeMint at his Washington Office (202-224-6121) expressing our bitter disappointment that he has joined establishment party figures in supporting Mitt Romney and urging Senator Santorum to get out of the race.  It is not the first time that DeMint has favored Governor Romney; he endorsed him in 2008.

The establishment chorus knows that Senator Santorum is likely to win the Louisiana Primary. Indeed, the establishment would not be rallying if they didn't believe their regional candidate is likely to crawl, weak and bleeding, to the finish line, if he can make it at all.  In every state, save perhaps his own, the majority of primary voters supported a candidate other than Governor Romney.  According to a study done by The Daily Beast, the former Massachusetts Governor has "the worst primary-season favorable-unfavorable split of any major-party nominee of the last 36 years [at least].”

His candidacy will be disastrous and GOP rank-and-file voters should hold John McCain, the Bush family, Lindsay Graham, Nikki Haley and yes, even Senator Jim DeMint responsible for the debacle that is about to unfold in the Republican Party.

The best thing that could happen would be for the convention to draft a candidate with broad, national support, who can truly unite the GOP against the worst, most unpopular president in American history -- not nominate an echo who at one time or another has espoused Obama's policies.

We grudgingly went along with the establishment's argument that we should hold our nose and vote for McCain, Bush, Dole, etc.  -- because the alternative was so much worse.  Let the record show that we will not do that again.  The lesser of two evils is still evil, and we would rather have bad policy associated with the Democrat brand than to compromise the Republican brand any further.

Here in South Carolina the only demographic supporting Governor Romney in the South Carolina Primary were those making more than $200,000 per year.  We hope that when the worst fears of concerned Republicans are realized on November 6, that elected leaders here - Governor Haley, Treasurer Loftis, Senators Graham and DeMint - and the high priests of the GOP Establishment throughout America who are foisting this very flawed and noxious candidate on us -- will stand up and take full responsibility. 

Etch A Sketch Gaffe Shakes Up Romney Campaign

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Mitt Romney - The Etch A Sketch Candidate

Here's Mitt Romney's senior campaign adviser confirming what so many of us have said about the hollow man all along. He has no core. As soon as the troublesome primaries are out of the way, he will simply hit a "RESET" button and revert to whatever the audience of the day wants to hear. Previous statements mean nothing, "we just shake it up and start all over again."

This should cause a serious re-think about this phony. He's no conservative, just pure opportunism and his nomination would be a disaster for the GOP and the nation.

Santorum or Romney? Culture War or Class War?

From The Center for Vision and Values, Grove City College

By Paul G. Kengor

The question for Republicans right now seems obvious: Would you prefer Rick Santorum or Mitt Romney to run against Barack Obama?

Well, it depends on whether you prefer to engage President Obama on cultural grounds or on terms of class warfare. Obama and his chief political strategist, David Axelrod, are going to give us one or the other. Thus, maybe the better question is: Can Santorum articulate and defend social conservatism better than Romney can defend free markets? Which of the two is a more forceful, eloquent spokesperson for the area that Obama and Axelrod will use to define and malign him?

Not only has President Obama been employing class rhetoric unceasingly for three years now, but David Axelrod has been planning precisely such an assault against Mitt Romney. “Obama officials intend to frame Romney as the very picture of greed in the great recession—a sort of political Gordon Gekko,” reported an August 2011 Politico piece titled, “Obama plan: Destroy Romney.” The piece quoted Axelrod: “He [Romney] was very, very good at making a profit for himself and his partners but not nearly as good [at] saving jobs for communities. He is very much the profile of what we’ve seen in the last decade on Wall Street.”

This was the plan even before the Occupy Wall Street movement exploded. Axelrod and Obama view Mitt Romney as red meat for the Occupy movement, the poster-boy for Wall Street greed.

“[Romney] says he represents business,” Axelrod told MSNBC in October, “but he really represents the Wall Street side of business.”

Axelrod told George Stephanopoulos that Romney is “not a job creator” but a “corporate raider” who outsourced “tens of thousands of jobs,” “closed down more than 1,000 plants, stores, and offices,” and joined “his partners” in making “hundreds of millions of dollars” at the expense of the poor. Axelrod calls this the “Bain mentality.”

This caustic, class-warfare rhetoric is just a taste of what will come if Romney gets the GOP nomination. The class envy will get far worse. And no one will do it better than a smiling Obama.

Perhaps the only thing that might energize the president and his team more is a battle with the Catholic Church over his HHS mandate on “contraception.” And that’s where Rick Santorum comes in.

I’m increasingly convinced that President Obama wants this fight with the Catholic Church. I think this is a fight not only close to Obama’s ideological heart, but one he perversely feels can help him politically. If he can frame this debate as not about taxpayer support of abortion drugs, or about religious liberty, or freedom of conscience, or the First Amendment and Constitution—all of which it is—but about “women’s rights” vs. the stodgy old men who run the Catholic Church, he will make headway with certain voters. Don’t underestimate Obama’s ability to do just that.

If Rick Santorum becomes the 2012 GOP nominee, he’ll be an automatic spokesman for the Catholic Church’s position. He’s a living, breathing testimony to the Church’s teaching, from his own personal life to his well-informed intellect on Church teachings. Rick Santorum is the rarest candidate who has actually read Church encyclicals like Humanae Vitae and Evangelium Vitae.

That’s just fine for President Obama and David Axelrod. They’ll take that guy any day. Hey, buddy, you want a culture war based on Catholic Church teachings? You got it!

Never mind, of course, that President Obama started this fight with his heavy-handed decree to the Catholic Church. The president’s protective media will behave as if Rick Santorum is the intrusive one, rudely and righteously thrusting his faith into the “public square.” The media will not portray Santorum as simply reacting to Obama’s totally unnecessary decree and intrusion—which is what really happened—but as a sexist Neanderthal who just can’t pull his nose out of your bedroom.

So, that brings us back to my original question for Republicans: Which of the two—Romney or Santorum—is a more forceful, eloquent spokesperson for the issues that Obama and Axelrod will use to define and malign him? I think the answer is Santorum, which is less a vote for Santorum than a vote of no confidence in Romney’s persuasive abilities. Or does that bring us back to Newt, assuming Newt remains politically viable?

One thing is certain: Neither of these Obama-Axelrod tactics will unify Americans; it will divide them, pitting them against each other by class or religion, by income or faith, by money or conscience. And that isn’t a good thing, especially from a president who promised to be a unifier and symbol of “hope.”

Dr. Paul Kengor is professor of political science at Grove City College, executive director of The Center for Vision & Values, and author of the newly released Dupes: How America’s Adversaries Have Manipulated Progressives for a Century. His other books include The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism and God and Ronald Reagan.

YES! SANTORUM SWEEPS ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI

Rick Santorum's wins tonight in Alabama and Mississippi, on the heels of wins in so many other battleground states in the American heartland, pose a serious dilemma to an establishment hellbent on foisting a weak and bleeding candidate on the Republican Party.  Do they really want to take responsibility for the debacle that would be a Romney candidacy?  Does it really help to have a candidate who would lose, but by respectable margins in New York, Massachusetts and California, or do they want to beat Barack Hussein Obama where it matters, in the heartland battleground states?

David has confronted Goliath and keeps on winning. Outspent 10 and 12 to 1, Rick Santorum keeps connecting with average Americans who desperately want to save America from a hellish nightmare of debt, dependency, depression and ruin.  It's time -- long past time -- for Gingrich and Romney supporters to recognize there is one conservative candidate, untainted by scandal, whose principled and consistent record offers a stark contrast to the thug regime.  For the sake of America and a free and prosperous future, it is time for Republicans to rally around the candidate who is clearly the people's choice.

Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney Neck and Neck in Ohio

From The Boston Globe

By Shira Schoenberg

 

Rick Santorum is narrowly leading Romney in the crucial Super Tuesday state of Ohio, according to a Suffolk University poll out this afternoon.

The poll found Santorum with 37 percent support among likely Republican primary voters in Ohio, followed by Romney with 33 percent. Former House speaker Newt Gingrich came in a distant third at 16 percent trailed by Texas Representative Ron Paul with 8 percent. Santorum’s lead was just within the poll’s 4.4 percent margin of error.

The former Pennsylvania senator was ahead of Romney by a large margin (17 points) among voters who cast early ballots, but his margin shrank to three points among those who have not yet voted.

Ohio, with its 66 delegates, is considered a top prize among the 10 states voting on Tuesday. Romney and Santorum have been hotly contesting the race. Santorum surged in the polls, overtaking the former Massachusetts governor, after his Feb. 7 victories in Colorado, Missouri, and Minnesota. But Romney has been going after Santorum aggressively in advertising and on the campaign trail and has been closing the gap.

According to the Suffolk poll, Santorum’s strength is in his ability to relate to voters. Thirty three percent said Santorum’s political beliefs were the closest to their own, compared to all the GOP candidates.

 But Romney, as he has been throughout the race, remains the strongest when it comes to electability. A full 44 percent of voters ranked Romney as the candidate with the best chance of beating Democratic President Obama. If Santorum becomes the nominee, 15 percent of Republican voters said they would either vote for Obama or a third party candidate. If Romney were the nominee, that number would drop to 10 percent.

Overall, the Suffolk poll found that voters are not happy with the Republican race. Half of respondents said they are not happy with the current crop of candidates, and 47 percent would like to see a new candidate enter the race.

The survey of 500 likely Ohio Republican primary voters was conducted March 3-4.

 

 

An Audacious Hypocrite Exposed: In ’02 Romney Touted D.C. Connections, Federal Funds

In a long-forgotten tape from the 2002 Massachusetts governor’s race obtained by ABC News, Mitt Romney is seen touting his Washington connections and his ability to get millions of taxpayer dollars from the federal government.

“I am big believer in getting money where the money is,” Romney says on the video, “The money is in Washington.”

The video, which was surreptitiously shot by Democratic opponents of Romney on Oct. 16, 2002, shows him addressing a group called the New Bedford Industrial Foundation. The Power Point presentation he uses lists ways to improve economic development in Massachusetts, including “boost federal involvement.”

“I want to go after every grant, every project, every department in Washington to assure that we are taking advantage of economic development opportunities,” Romney tells the group.

 

 Read the rest of this entry at ABC News >>

 

 

Romney Admits ‘It’s Very Easy to Excite the Base With Incendiary Comments’

Sometimes when he's really tired the truth comes out and one can glimpse this cynical manipulator's hollow core.  Do you think this is an admission about smearing his opponents, or a promise to treat Obama the way McCain did, with kid gloves?

Michigan is Santorum Country, but Congrats to Mitt for Winning Detroit

Mitt Romney's razor thin margin in his home state over Rick Santorum will yield him the same number of delegates as those won by Senator Santorum.

The latest, unofficial reports indicate that Romney and Santorum will each gain 15 delegates from Michigan.  That Romney with unlimited funding barely managed to defeat an underfunded challenger in his home state is not a victory.  It is a disaster for the Romney campaign and another red flag warning that Romney is a seriously unpopular and weak candidate.

If GOP conservatives  want to avoid nominating another "Less of the Same" establishment RINO, Super Tuesday may be their last chance.  A win for Santorum in Georgia and Ohio on Super Tuesday will mean that today's Rockefeller Republicans have finally lost their lock on the GOP.  Wins for Romney in Ohio and Gingrich in Georgia may ensure a joyless convention and a replay of 1976, 1992, 1996 and 2008.  

Newt has lost any possibility of being the Republican nominee.  It's time to rally to the last conservative standing.  Georgia, please don't waste your votes.

Poll: Santorum Best Against Obama in Swing States

From The Hill

By Christian Heinze

Here's a "Wow" poll that will simulate caffeine for your morning.

A new USA Today/Gallup poll of swing states shows Rick Santorum running strongest against Obama in swing states.

So strong that he leads Obama, 50%-45%. Mitt Romney also bests Obama by a slightly smaller 48%-46%.

Capitol Steps - "Help Me Fake It To The Right"

Moderate Mitt of Massachusetts reaches out to "severely conservative" voters.

Rev. Graham: Obama Seen as 'Son of Islam'

From US News on MSNBC.com

Rev. Franklin Graham, the son of evangelist Billy Graham and a prominent evangelical leader in his own right, waded into contentious waters Tuesday when asked for his views on the religious beliefs of President Obama and the GOP hopefuls.

Graham, the CEO and president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, told a Morning Joe panel he couldn't say for certain that Obama is a Christian.

“You have to ask him. I cannot answer that question for anybody. All I know is I’m a sinner, and that God has forgiven me of my sins," Graham said. "You have to ask every person. He has said he’s a Christian, so I just have to assume that he is.”

But Graham also said he couldn't "categorically" say Obama wasn't a Muslim, in part, because Islam has gotten a "free pass" under Obama. Graham also said the Muslim world sees Obama as a "son of Islam," because the president's father and grandfather were Muslim.

Santorum Overtakes Romney in Ohio

Rick Santorum: Proving that in the heartland character counts more than money.

A Quinnipiac University poll published Wednesday shows that Rick Santorum has now taken the lead in the Buckeye State.

According to Quinnipiac, Senator Santorum now leads Romney 36% to 29%, with the imploding campaign of Newt Gingrich trailing a distant third with 20%. 

It must be hard to leave the field after all the money Mitt has spent marketing a carefully manufactured image.  Perhaps he and Newt can work together developing space colonies, because as Margaret Thatcher once observed, "you can't make a souffle rise twice.  Truth is the daughter of time and the GOP electorate in the heartland can't be bought and has sorted out the principled, consistent conservative from the phonies. 

Santorum Airs New Ad Anticipating Desperate Romney Smears

Because he doesn't have a record he can run on, at least not in a Republican primary, Mitt Romney and his Super PACs have spent over $20 million attacking and smearing his opponents.  Now that he is trailing in his home state of Michigan, the mud is flying again.  But Rick Santorum anticipated "moderate" Mitt's desperate tactics with this ad:

Santorum Moves Ahead in Michigan

This is the best and most astonishing news yet in the GOP presidential primary season.  Our friends who insist that the liberal Massachusetts Governor is "inevitable" and "electable" will get quite a shock when the chameleon candidate is defeated in one of his home states, a state in which his father served as Governor.  This demonstrates once again, that Republicans and Americans as a whole want a "choice, not an echo."  Nominating an Obama-Lite, yet another in the long string of losing "moderates" - Wilkie, Dewey, Ford, Dole and McCain - is not an answer; it is a proven prescription for defeat.

Our country is in grave crisis and the words of Ronald Reagan are as true as when he uttered them in 1975:

"Our people look for a cause to believe in. Is it a third party we need, or is it a new and revitalized second party, raising a banner of no pale pastels, but bold colors, which make it unmistakably clear where we stand on all of the issues troubling the people?"

From Public Policy Polling

Rick Santorum's taken a large lead in Michigan's upcoming Republican primary. He's at 39% to 24% for Mitt Romney, 12% for Ron Paul, and 11% for Newt Gingrich.

Santorum's rise is attributable to two major factors: his own personal popularity (a stellar 67/23 favorability) and GOP voters increasingly souring on Gingrich. Santorum's becoming something closer and closer to a consensus conservative candidate as Gingrich bleeds support.