IowaPolitics.com BlogWatch

What an amazing campaign that Mitt Romney put together! He went from a widely-unknown candidate in January 2007 to a frontrunner! He also became the one candidate that the conservative republican base rallied to. In a way, I feel that it is partially their fault that McCain is leading at this point. The conservative media and pundits have had Mitt Romney in front of them for over a year now, and they kept hoping for something "better" to come along before they endorsed. Suddenly McCain was leading and they all feared a liberal Republican nominee, and rallied to Mitt's side. Unfortunately it was too late. But not for us here in Iowa.

Labels: Mitt_Romney

The Iowa Caucuses were more than a month ago. And, no, I still haven't
recovered. But I found two Iowans this week who don't see to want to
move on yet either. Tim Albrecht served as Mitt Romney's Iowa
Communications Director. He's one of the favorites of Iowa reporters,
much like he was during his time in a similar role for then-House
Majority Leader and, later, Speaker of the House Christopher Rants. I
forgot to ask Tim his title these days, but he's traveling the country
with Romney. I talked to him right before he jumped on a plane for a
late add to the schedule. He (and Romney) had already started their
day at the Pancake Pantry (my kind of place) in Nashville in the a.m.
and then moved on to Atlanta.

Labels: caucus, Mitt_Romney

TRS watched and compared John McCain's "Face the Nation" appearance
this morning with Mike Huckabee's on the Canis Lupus' "Late Edition".
It certainly appears that we are watching the birth of the 2008
ticketAs expected, both candidates subjected the suggestion that Huck
drop out of the race to complete derision. Both Huck and Mac delivered
hard and rather personal attacks on Mitt; both Huck and Mac emphasized
the inconsistency in Mitt's positions. In a very powerful attack, Huck
built off Mitt's Peterine denial of the Reagan/Bush legacy back in
Mitt's '94 Senate Campaign against Edward Kennedy...

Labels: John_McCain, Mike_Huckabee, Mitt_Romney

Duncan Hunter endorsed Mike Huckabee today. Some pundits treat the endorsement as de minimis because Duncan doesn't bring a ton of his own voters to the table. However, there is a hidden value-Hunter's incredible value as a surrogate. Most Republicans felt that Hunter's foreign policy and geostrategic vision are spot on but never seriously considered his candidacy because of name ID or political electability. Hunter helps Huck complete a blank in the resume.

Labels: Duncan_Hunter, Mike_Huckabee, Mitt_Romney

Mitt Romney headed toward the Iowa caucuses with some of the most
respected Iowa political advisers on his team, the best turn-out
operation of all the candidates, and unlimited money. He lost to Mike
Huckabee. Earlier this week, Mitt Romney scored an impressive victory
in Michigan. The long, unpredictable fight for the GOP nomination is a
positive process for the eventual GOP nominee. In Iowa, Romney simply
wasn't the right fit for the electorate that turned out for the GOP
caucuses. 60% of the attendees identified themselves as evangelical;
they voted for a fellow evangelical. In Michigan, where economic
issues rule, Romney was credible and persuasive.

Labels: Mitt_Romney

Governor Romney won quite handily today in the state of Michigan with
McCain finishing second and Huckabee a respectable third. Mitt finally
got his first "real" gold medal. Nothing against Wyoming, it's a good
red state and my uncle and aunt live there, but that wasn't even a
real contest. Mitt finally found his voice and he ran the campaign he
should have run in Iowa. Mitt's the economics/business guy and the
downtrodden economic situations in Michigan coupled with Mitt's home
state and name I.D. advantage ended up being the perfect storm for
him. Mitt's focus appeared to be much more about changing the culture
and business of Washington and helping the economy which plays into
his playbook of being a reformer and a business "legend" as he likes
to call himself.

Labels: Mitt_Romney

Cleaning out the desk area on caucus materials, this should have been put up sooner, since the focus has moved to New Hampshire tomorrow, so my apologies. Of the 14 Northwest Iowa counties we cover, 10 went for Mike Huckabee and four for Mitt Romney. Romney's four are adjacent to each other: Monona, Woodbury, Ida and Plymouth counties. But two of the counties only narrowly went for Romney - Ida by two votes and Monona by 22 (117 Romney, 95 Huckabee). Factor in that three counties went very heavily for Huckabee, and it's clear Romney never really caught hold outside Sioux City. Romney supporter Christopher Rants said he felt good about the backing in his "little corner of the world," but it was a pretty small corner.

Labels: Mike_Huckabee, Mitt_Romney

Here at the Principal Financial Group in Des Moines. I'm sitting next to Townhall's Amanda Carpenter and embedded with the media group following Romney around today... IT'S CAUCUS DAY! Many of the media was put into an overflow room due to an oversized crowd of Principal Financial Group's employees. He's got three sitting US Senators in tow: Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT), and Sen. Wayne Allard (R-CO). Romney states this is his 236th public event here in Iowa.

Labels: Mitt_Romney

It has been a difficult process but with the Iowa Caucuses two days
away, I have decided that I will support Mitt Romney for president. I
have met every candidate in person all including John Cox, Duncan
Hunter and even Alan Keyes. As I have stated on these pages, my
choices have narrowed down to Huckabee and Romney and possibly
Thompson. I ruled Thompson out because I do not believe that he can
win. Yes he is conservative enough on the issues but I do not see him
as a leader. He served an undistinguished term as a US Senator.

Labels: Mitt_Romney

Here at the TRS we've been chasing a theory about polls-polls are a
lagging indicator. Sentiment begins to change before it's reflected in
the polls. Last summer we saw a ton of evidence that Mitt was climbing
into a lead in Iowa nearly a month before that was reflected in the
polls. Same with Huckabee this fall. (A guy's gotta crow a little when
he's right does he not?). Iowans are a well informed group of voters.
Those faces in attendance at the candidate forums are usually the
opinion leaders in their own social unit (e.g. family, friends and,
for our Democrat friends, troop).

Labels: Fred Thompson, Mitt_Romney

Before I am headed off to Le Mars this morning to hang out with Chris Dodd, I popped open my laptop, fully expecting to see the Des Moines Register unleash a new Iowa Poll this morning. In 2004, the Register released new numbers about the race on the Sunday before the voting transpired. Apparently not so this year. These next two new polls confirm that Romney has successfully brought Mike Huckabee down a few notches, but yet, Huckabee still remains in a strong enough position to pull out a win yet.

Labels: Mike_Huckabee, Mitt_Romney

This has been a very interesting race to watch. Within the last few
weeks two GOP candidates (Mike Huckabee and John McCain) have come
from relative obscurity and into contention for the nomination. They
had both spent months on end out of the media limelight (cross-hairs)
that usually accompanies the GOP front-runner(s). It's like they've
been drafting at the back of the pack of cyclists, without ever taking
their turn up front where the pedaling is more difficult. Having
evaded the negative headlines for months has proven beneficial for
both.

Labels: John_McCain, Mike_Huckabee, Mitt_Romney

On the eleventh day following this post Iowans will caucus and, for
the first time, cast actual votes for our Presidential nominee. As we
enter the stretch run the Iowa race looks close and fluid. Based on
our view from the ground handicaps the final lap as follows: 1st
Place. Mike Huckabee/Mitt Romney (tie). Huck has surged hard in the
polls. Every poll but one that has canvassed Iowa in the last twenty
days has shown Huck in the lead. However, all show that lead narrowing
as well. Now Huck and Mitt are in what the talking heads describe as a
"statistical dead heat".

Labels: Fred Thompson, Mike_Huckabee, Mitt_Romney

U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo announced today he's ending his long-shot bid
for the White House. The Colorado Republican made his exit from the
race official at a press conference this afternoon in downtown Des
Moines. He'll throw his support behind GOP candidate Mitt Romney, he
said. Tancredo's name was most associated with his fight against
illegal immigration, one of the presidential election's most
controversial issues. But his hard-line approach to curbing the
unlawful migration of millions across the United States' southern
border wasn't enough to vault him from the back of the GOP field.

Labels: Mitt_Romney, Tom_Tancredo

As I have said many times on this site, I have a great deal of respect
for Tom Tancredo. He has made immigration a key issue in both the
Republican and Democratic presidential race. Because of his dogged
pursuit of the issue, every candidate has had to take a position. But
from the start, I knew and I am certain that the congressman knew that
he would never be president. I had a conversation with the congressman
earlier in the year. As I recall he said: "... I know that I am a long
shot, but my hope is that come November of 2008, you will have a
candidate that you can vote for ..."

Labels: Mitt_Romney, Tom_Tancredo

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, long the leader in the Iowa
polls and now in something of a dogfight with former Arkansas Gov.
Mike Huckabee, sat down for an interview with Iowa Independent and the
Carroll Daily Times Herald after his recent campaign appearance at the
Carroll Country Club. Romney stressed his business credentials, tough
stances on illegal immigration and took issue with Huckabee for
attacking Romney's faith. The former Massachusetts governor also had
some interesting observations on Democratic presidential candidate and
U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's admissions of past illegal drug use.

Labels: Mitt_Romney

I received an e-mail today from a reader that included a link to Mr.
Huckabee's new Christmas advertisement. The link said to pay close
attention to the background as it appears the bookshelf makes a white
cross. It appears that Drudge was the origination of it. Sure enough,
it definitely is there. That kind of advertising work is brilliant.
It's like those old time movie producers that used to infuse a frame
of popcorn once in every 50 frames in order to get people thinking
about popcorn (and then hopefully going to the concession stand to buy
it). For not having a whole lot of money, I've been impressed with
Huckabee's ads.

Labels: Mike_Huckabee, Mitt_Romney

The weather in Des Moines hasn't reached frightful, but it is not what
you would call delightful at present if you have to be outside.
There's been some ice, some snow. It's cold. It's a day to wear
snowboots, thick jeans, your parka and a baseball cap. That was my
uniform as I stood along the Des Moines skywalk over the noon hour
today, a few feet from a hub which features several establishments
offering food for the folks who work in downtown Des Moines insurance
companies, banks and such. Republican presidential candidate Mitt
Romney arrived, to be quickly surrounded by a throng of media toting
cameras, microphones, notepads and recorders (like me).

Labels: Mitt_Romney

The Democratic Strategist summarizes some of the post-speech
commentary, with a particular nod to Ezra Klein at the American
Prospect, who opined: For those keeping track: Believers in "religious
freedom" are now "people who have knelt in prayer to the Almighty." In
other words, "religious freedom" is the "freedom to be religious."
Those who are not religious, who do not want to see religion in the
public square, do not have a friend in Mitt Romney. "They are intent
on establishing a new religion in America - the religion of
secularism," he says. "They are wrong."

Labels: Mitt_Romney

Mike Huckabee might convince me to go to the Republican caucuses. His big government "conservatism" is appalling. In many ways, I sympathize with the Republican Party, but people like Huckabee could put me solidly in the Democratic Party. ... The difficulty would be to decide who I would vote for if I went to the Republican caucuses. Giuliani probably has the views closest to mine, but his resume does not make him a fan of civil liberties. I am tempted to support Mitt Romney. He has the best chance of beating Huckabee in Iowa - which may be sufficient reason to vote for him.

Labels: Mike_Huckabee, Mitt_Romney

Neither Romney nor Thompson are willing to concede the conservative
vote to Huckabee. A Romney mailer goes after four rivals--but for the
first time, goes after Huckabee by name. The mailer targets Huckabee's
support for the so-called "dream act", a proposal (which has been made
in Iowa as well) to give state-supported college scholarships to
children of illegal aliens. This idea is not popular.

Labels: Fred Thompson, Mitt_Romney

A group calling themselves "Republican Majority for Choice" unleashed
a very well done ad today that highlights the varying abortion
positions of Mitt Romney over time. This is the second time Mitt
Romney has been attacked by a socially liberal GOP group. Earlier in
the fall, the Log Cabin Republicans unleashed their ad about Romney.
In a way, this ad is both a blessing and a curse for Romney. Mitt can
go around saying that a pro-choice group is trying to attack him
because he is pro-life and that is a threat to them.

Labels: Mitt_Romney

New Iowa poll from ABC/WaPo: Numbers in parentheses are from the same firms' last Iowa poll from nearly 4 months ago: Mitt Romney 28% (26%) +2; Mike Huckabee 24% (8%) +16; Fred Thompson 15% (13%) +2; Rudy Giuliani 13% (14%) -1; John McCain 6% (8%) -2; Ron Paul 6% (2%) +4. Big move up for Huckabee, small move up for Paul. Everyone else fairly flat since 4 months ago. Huckabee must be picking up many of the undecideds and Brownbackers (who had 5% last time). There is no denying Huckabee's surge... but until someone shows me that Romney's numbers are falling due to Huckabee's rise then I'm not going to be too concerned.

Labels: Mike_Huckabee, Mitt_Romney

An Iowa debate among the Republican presidential candidates was
canceled Thursday, the second major debate in Iowa to be scrapped
because of a lack of participation. Of the GOP field, only Mike
Huckabee confirmed he would attend the Dec. 4 forum sponsored by Fox
News and the Republican Party of Iowa at Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines.
Mary Tiffany, spokeswoman for the Republican Party of Iowa, said she
was disappointed only one candidate agreed to participate. "I was
really surprised about this," Tiffany said. Mitt Romney, the GOP
frontrunner in Iowa polls, said Wednesday he wouldn't attend.

Labels: Mike_Huckabee, Mitt_Romney

The American Research Group let loose their new numbers today and the
poll once again reinforces what we've been seeing in other polls: Iowa
is giving the former Arkansas Governor a lot of "Huckmentum" and yet
also showing that many Iowa Republicans are staying "CoMITTed" to
Governor Romney. Right now, it looks like a strong race between
Huckabee and Romney for first in Iowa and it looks like a race between
Thompson, McCain, and Giuliani for 3rd place. This begs the question,
is Huckabee's rise going to continue or is he going to be peaking too
early? Also, have Romney's numbers hit a plateau or is there a chance
that he can push them back upward?

Labels: Mike_Huckabee, Mitt_Romney, polling

Ah, push polling. Bane of the politician's existence. I have been the
target of it in every campaign I've conducted. Now, Iowa front-runner
Mitt Romney is the target in both Iowa and New Hampshire. These calls
raise the Mormon issue and Vietnam-era deferments received by Mitt
when he was a missionary. The calls all follow the same format. The
pollster asks the caller to identify who they are supporting in an
upcoming race. A few more questions may be asked to make the push poll
seem like a "real" poll. Then things get ugly. The "pollster" acts the
recipient a series of questions framed as such…

Labels: Mitt_Romney, polling

Earlier this week, prior to release of the most recent American
Research Group ("ARG") poll TRS did a brief coverage of the anecdotal
evidence of the Republican Presidential candidates' respective
standing in Iowa. This opinion was formed after some pretty candid
conversations with Iowa Republican leaders from the precinct to the
state wide level. It was the TRS perspective that Huck and FDT were
surging and Mitt was holding firm at the 25-30 percent range, which
probably means first place in the Caucuses. The Rasmussen Report is
among the most reliable of polling providers. A Rasmussen poll from
earlier in the month (10/10-10/14) showed Mitt outside the margin of
error at 25, FDT at 19, Huck in a statistical near tie at 18, with
Rudy at 13 percent of likely caucus goers.

Labels: Mike_Huckabee, Mitt_Romney

A poll released Monday by the University of Iowa shows Republican Mitt
Romney growing his sizable lead among the Republican presidential
field and a close competition between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama
on the Democratic side. The poll shows Romney with support of 36.2
percent of likely GOP caucus-goers, followed by Rudy Giuliani at a
distant second place with 13.1 percent. Mike Huckabee is in third
place at 12.8 percent, a jump from August when he registered under 2
percent. Fred Thompson takes fourth place with 11.4 percent, followed
by John McCain at 6 percent. Romney spokesman Tim Albrecht attributed
the high poll numbers to Romney's visits to the state, saying his
message is resonating. But the campaign expects the race to tighten
before the caucuses.

Labels: Barack_Obama, Hillary_Clinton, Mitt_Romney, polling

Yesterday, the Des Moines Register and the Ann Selzer Co. unleashed
its new "Iowa Poll" of Republicans and Democrats. Some have been
skeptical of the "Iowa Poll" in the past, but as it pertained to the
2006 Gubernatorial race in Iowa, it was unfortunately very accurate.
So, it is fair to assume that there might be one more Iowa Poll before
the 2007 caucus date so with that being said, it is fair to assume
that we're still going to see a fluid race. I think the numbers
suggest that we're in for an excited fall here in Iowa because there
is still plenty of fluidity and movement yet to be seen, in my
opinion. Republicans: Obviously, from the pure numbers of all this, we
can see that Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, and Mike Huckabee are the big
winners.

Labels: Fred Thompson, Mike_Huckabee, Mitt_Romney

I have expressed my concern about gay marriage in Iowa in a couple of
recent posts (8/30/07 & 8/31/07). There fore, when I received an
e-mail inviting me to the inaugural meeting of the Iowa Defense of
Marriage Task Force, I was interested. The e-mail started like this:
"Friends: Never in our state's history has the institution of marriage
been attacked with such veracity(sic)..." It certainly looked promising.
Then I looked closer. Hmm... The e-mail came from Joe Earle, Joe was
Director of Outreach for the Iowa Christian Alliance. He is now a
Romney Staffer. A further Google search shows that Hoekstra, Gallagher
and Flaherty are all prominent Romney supporters.

Labels: Mitt_Romney

Senator Sam Brownback's Campaign has unleashed a pair of press
releases following last night's "Values Voter Presidential Debate"
suggesting that Mike Huckabee does not have a sufficient grasp on an
important issue pertaining to the pro-life movement and suggesting
that Mitt Romney's absence is indicative of the fact that he has a
less than steller record for which to stand upon. Here's Brownback's
beef with Huckabee: "While Senator Sam Brownback has lead the fight in
the Senate to protect a key pro-life federal policy, former Governor
Mike Huckabee revealed an alarming ignorance of the issue when asked
about it at today's Values Voters Presidential Debate…" As it pertains
to Romney, Brownback noted a laundry list of concerns that
conservatives and 'values voters' should have with the former
Massachusetts Governor.

Labels: Mike_Huckabee, Mitt_Romney, Sam_Brownback

Last night Fox News held a Republican Presidential Debate in New
Hampshire. All in all it was a solid debate that should help voters
make a decision on who they will support next year or maybe this year... The most apparent problem with this debate was the krowded stage. Some
kandidates like Mitt Romney got to answer two questions before Tom
Tancredo and Sam Brownback were even asked one question or exchanged a
pleasantry. If I was a Tancredo or Brownback supporter I would be
pissed, mostly because Ron Paul and Duncan Hunter received far more
attention than I got. The solution is to limit who can participate in
these debates. It's a difficult call to make but until these debates
focus on the real kontenders we are not going to learn much.

Labels: Fred Thompson, Mitt_Romney

America, apple pie, fighting for the family. All in a day's work for
ex-Republican Senator Larry Craig (R-Idaho). Oh yeah, don't forget
that you can get anonymous sex in bathroom stalls all over the country
but tapping your foot in a bathroom stall. Unfortunately for Craig, he
was arrested for soliciting an undercover officer for sex and plead
guilty to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge. Senator Craig, who
was also a representative to the Senate for Mitt Romney's campaign,
resigned from that role. Romney's campaign "accepted his decision."
His voting record in the Senate, which includes support for a
constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages, and support for
the Defense of Marriage Act, earned him a high rating from groups such
as American Family Association, Concerned Women for America and the
Family Research Council.

Labels: Mitt_Romney

Given the advantage he had in organization and finance, Mitt Romney's first place finish at Ames was anything but impressive. That his organization (and bankroll) would render the straw poll non-competitive has been obvious for many months ... Huckabee- not Romney- is the big winner at Ames. From here on out, he has to be taken seriously, just like Romney and Giuliani and McCain and Thompson are taken seriously. Those four- plus Mike Huckabee- constitute the viable field for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. In fact, that Romney- with all his organization and all his money- was not able to dominate the poll more completely- that Huckabee's showing, rather than Romney's, should be the story- raises some serious questions. ... it'll be hard for the Romney crowd to argue that yesterday's result demonstrates anything resembling a decisive preference on the part of Iowa Republicans for their man.

Labels: Mike_Huckabee, Mitt_Romney

Iowa and the other three states set to lead the 2008 presidential
nomination process are not represented on a list of national finance
chairs and co-chairs recently announced by former Gov. Mitt Romney's
campaign. The men and women on the list represent 21 states -- New
York, Tennessee, Illinois, Massachusetts, Florida, Kansas, Utah,
Washington, Michigan, California, Colorado, Missouri, Texas, Virginia,
Arizona, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Connecticut, Georgia and Idaho.
According to a press release on Wednesday, the individuals will "offer
valuable support and counsel to Gov. Romney as he travels the country
communicating his vision of bringing conservative change to
Washington. The individuals have been leading efforts over the past
few months to build the resources for Romney's campaign. The chairs
serve as regional leaders of the committee while co-chairs are
primarily responsible for raising funds in their respective states.

Labels: Mitt_Romney

A lede that might be repeated in two weekends: Romney wins straw poll.
The Plymouth County Republican Party held an unofficial straw poll at
the county fair in Le Mars, Iowa, through yesterday, and 757 people
took time to name their preferred candidates, as well as answering
"which issue is the most important factor in determining who is your
favorite candidate?" Plymouth County GOP chairman Don Kass explained
the straw poll wasn't confined to Plymouth County residents, so a few
out-of-county and non-Iowans took part. Romney got 226 votes, Rudy
Giuliani 118, Fred Thompson 80, John McCain 72 and Mike Huckabee 43,
although it's worth noting that 94 people, 12.5 percent, were
undecided. (Fred Thompson isn't even a declared candidate). Kass said
Romney's win reflects the focus he has placed on succeeding in Iowa
and due to the quality of his campaign organization. So, will the former
Massachusetts governor win the Aug. 11 Iowa Republican Party straw poll?

Labels: Mitt_Romney

For those who have said repeatedly ......"I will worry about the Straw
Poll when it gets closer to August"…I say to you "It is almost
August!!!". The Straw Poll is one month away, and there is a huge buzz
in the air. The outcome of this straw poll in Ames will undoubtedly
affect the outcome of the Iowa Caucus, as well as the national
front-runners. There is still a twist: McCain and Giuliani aren't
going. McCain is legitimately too broke to fund a run at the Straw
poll, however Giuliani has a ton of money and yet he still doesn't
want to participate. Three observations: 1. McCain is struggling
financially, and thus is not going to attend the straw poll.
Rightfully so. He should not bother attending any other caucuses
either because the money isn't there. And as much as we try to ignore
the money factor, it is still one of the biggest indicators of
popularity. If people like you, they donate to your election campaign.
Simply put. And I think after August 11th, we may see McCain consider
to pay off the rest of his campaign debts and walk away.

Labels: Mitt_Romney

Politico takes an in depth look at the Republican field in Iowa and
concludes Mitt Romney has a commanding lead in the state. They discuss
McCain cutting back staff, ask if Rudy is taking Iowa seriously, and
they take a look at the dark horse campaigns of Brownback, Huckabee,
and Tommy Thompson. Politico does point out a possible winning
strategy for Giuliani... 'For Giuliani, his best caucus hopes may lie
in the politics of pluralities. Should Thompson play in Iowa,
conservatives may split their vote between the actor/politician and
Romney, with some second-tier candidates also picking up support.'
Romney has put together a good organization in Iowa, has raised the
money, and was the first one airing TV ads in the state. That has
obviously helped him gain support. However, one reason Romney looks so
strong in Iowa is because the other candidates look so weak. Romney's
lead is as much from his work as it is because of the other candidates
lack of support. The second tier candidates haven't been able to spark
much enthusiasm. I don't see the excitement on the Republican side in
Iowa that I do on the Democratic side.

Labels: Mitt_Romney

The internets are ablaze with righteous indignation that libertarian slash GOP longshot Ron Paul has been excluded from Saturday's Iowans for Tax Relief/Iowa Christian Alliance debate. The conspiracy minded even note that Iowans for Tax Relief's Ed Failor Jr. is a major McCain backer. But McCain's not even showing up. And the Daily Iowan, while also objecting to Paul's exclusion, makes the point no one else has bothered to mention: "Romney, the debate's "front-runner," has the support of a whopping 12 percent of GOP voters, according to a June 20 poll conducted by Newsweek. Huckabee, Thompson, Brownback, Tancredo, and Hunter and are polling at an abysmal 4, 2, 2, 1, and 0 percent respectively." ... by joining a forum of second and third tier candidates, Romney runs the risk of reducing himself to their level. Meanwhile, Paul is playing the classic card of the uninvited, holding a counter-debate event immediately following. Such events usually rally a candidate's own die-hards, but are rarely if ever persuasive. Paul's protestation of exclusion from this bush-league event reeks of the paranoid.

Labels: Duncan_Hunter, John_McCain, Mike_Huckabee, Mitt_Romney, Ron Paul, Sam_Brownback, Tom_Tancredo, Tommy_Thompson

...Inner city schools "the civil right issue of our era." Health care and portability and preexisting. "The Democrats have their answer: Socialized medicine Hillary care is not the answer." Big applause. Cites Mass. program and private sector. Immigration. "I want to stop illegal" gets interrupted with "yes"s...Praise for troops gets usual applause. Need 100,000 more in military...Should we give people in Gitmo due process? Mitt: "I've been there, it's a fine prison facility." "We don't want them having the kinds of legal rights associated with being on US soil." It depends on the circumstances what their rights should be. We didn't give German POWs in WW2 lawyers.

Labels: Mitt_Romney

Six Iowans have been tapped to serve on former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt
Romney's National Faith and Values Steering Committee. Of the six,
only one is female and none of the Iowans will serve as chairs of the
committee. The members are: Kathy Oltmans, Christian activist of
Council Bluffs, Tom Coats, vice president of Truth about Gambling, Joe
Earle, former director of Church and Community Development, Keith
Hunter, member of the board of directors for Iowa Christian Alliance,
State Sen. Dave Johnson, R-Osceola. Of the 50 members of the steering
committee, the campaign has tapped 11 to serve as chairpersons. The 11
leaders hail from Arizona, Indiana, Georgia, New Hampshire, Delaware,
Texas, California, Virginia (two seats) and the District of Columbia
(two seats). Of those key members only one -- former Department of
Justice spokeswoman Barbara Comstock of Virginia -- is female. When
considering the whole list, females hold seven seats or 14 percent.
Besides Comstock and Oltmans, the other women are: Prominent South
Carolina Christian activist Dee Benedict, Author Nancy French of
Tennessee ("Red State of Mind"), Wendy Long of New York, chief counsel
of the Judicial Confirmation Network.

Labels: Mitt_Romney

• iPol: Romney Campaign Chair Rips Iowa GOP Rank and File
• Price of Politics: Minus 2 Straws
  
• Price of Politics: More Straw
• Iowans for Romney: Giuliani/McCain Campaigns on Life Support . . . They Flip-Flop on Ames Straw Poll
  
• Iowa Voice: McCain, Giuliani To Skip Iowa Straw Poll
  
• John Deeth Blog: Rudy, McCain Bail On Ames Buy A Vote Straw Poll
  
• On The Campaign Trail: We're outta here
  
• The Real Sporer: Rudy and John and Fred! Oh my!
  
• Iowans for Romney: Rudy Giuliani will skip Iowa, no show at the Straw Poll
  
• Iowa Independent: Giuliani to skip Iowa GOP Straw Poll
• Iowa Independent: McCain Follows Giuliani's Lead
  
• Essential Estrogen: McCain, Giuliani Disparage Straw Poll
  
• State 29: I've Seen The Future, And It Isn't A Bald-Headed Drag Queen From New York
  
• Iowa Insider: Giuliani, McCain back out of Iowa straw poll
  
• Back roads to the White House: The straw men
  
• Radio Iowa blog: Republican Party of Iowa reacts
  
• Radio Iowa blog: "Ringmaster" Romney reaps reward
  
• Radio Iowa blog: Giuliani will not participate in Straw Poll
  
• Politically Speaking: Giuliani gripes, and McCain misses too
  

Labels: John_McCain, Mitt_Romney, RPI, Rudy_Giuliani, straw_poll

... getting down to the nitty gritty ... who won? I don't think there was a real winner, here -- at least not in the traditional sense. If anything, I'd say that Romney won because he didn't do anything to shoot himself in the foot and damage his standings in the polls. Which, when you're the frontrunner, is goal #1. He did that last night. Who was the loser? Again, it was so evenly matched that I'm hard-pressed to say who lost this round. I even have to (grudgingly) concede that Ron Paul did ok. He kept his conspiracy theories and whackiness mostly to himself last night and avoided a repeat of the last debate (here), and that's only going to help him. McCain spoke very well about Iraq, but he's totally screwed when it comes to this immigration bill. Rudy had some very good points about health care, but his abortion stand is only going to hurt him among hard-core conservatives. You get the picture. So for me, it was a Romney win…but only because he didn't do anything to hurt his chances. The rest, I'd have to say, all finished tied for second.

Labels: John_McCain, Mike_Huckabee, Mitt_Romney, Ron Paul

... Mitt was also on rhetorical target tonight, the best performance I've witnessed live from him. Mitt's stage and room presence are increasingly impressive. The two strong Romney performances show that more than his poll numbers have felt a bounce in the last week. Tonight he made two themes very central, I thought. The first was the need to apply more of the results driven principles of business management to government to produce the changes necessary for the very different world we now occupy. This position is persuasive because it recognizes the fundamental changes in the world and our imploding society and it contains a solution to at least the governmental part of the fix. The second argument is American exceptionalism-without using the words. Mitt consistently returns to the theme that America is truly an exceptional place, that our problems are just that, problems, not crises, and that every problem can be overcome with ingenuity and effort. Romney was sharp in his answers, although, in all fairness, the questions somehow didn't seem all that surprising to him.

Labels: Mitt_Romney

This new poll at Strategic Vision shows Mitt Romney leading in Iowa with 20%. Everyone who reads this site knows I'm very skeptical when it comes to polls, but I have said, time and time again, that when you get a bunch of polls showing you the same thing, then you can start to plot a trend. I think we've established the trend. The question is, though, what is his real margin? We've seen a poll with him at 30%, one showing him at 19%, and now this one showing him at 20%. Real Clear Politics has Romney leading Iowa at 21.3% (that's his average across several polls). But Giuliani still leads across the nation, with an average of 27.4% across seven different polls. So clearly, Romney leading in Iowa isn't helping him in other places. I have to admit, and I've said so in a couple of other posts, that I have been leaning slightly towards Romney*. He's been explaining his "flip-flops" mostly to my satisfaction, and that will go a long way for most conservative voters. Whether or not it will be enough, I'm not sure.

Labels: Mitt_Romney, polling, Rudy_Giuliani

The Des Moines Register has a new poll out showing Mitt Romney with a double-digit lead over McCain and Giuliani. Romney has 30%, McCain has 18%, and Rudy has 17%. The recent Zogby poll, I must point out, shows the race a lot closer. Which goes back to what I always say: take every poll you look at with a grain of salt. ... On a side note, take a look (on both polls) at Ron Paul. Notice anything? Yeah, he's not even registering. Even Kucinich, the biggest nutjob on the left in the race, is posting some numbers, so that really says a lot about how much real support Ron Paul has in the real world. ... The only people that are paying attention to Ron Paul are the people on the left…which Sullivan clearly is these days. They think he's the REAL face of conservatism in America when he's not even close. He's nothing but a parody, and a rather bad one at that, of what the left thinks conservatives are and what they believe.

Labels: Dennis_Kucinich, John_McCain, Mitt_Romney, Ron Paul, Rudy_Giuliani

Since I've been spending some time back here on the homestead taking care of the farm while my parents are busy traveling, I've been obviously answering their phone. Tonight, their phone rang to the voice of Governor Romney inviting them to participate in a live Tele-Townhall meeting. So I did. I must say, this was perhaps one of the coolest political ideas that I have seen come down the pipe in a long time. From one telephone, Romney can speak directly to literally thousands (and yes, there were thousands of people in on the call) of Iowans all across the state, who can stay in the comfort of their own home. They didn't have to get dressed up (I was in an old t-shirt and jeans from doing my farm chores) or use up expensive gas to go hear him. And, they could hang up at any point and end their participation in the event, if they chose to do so. He took maybe 10 or 15 questions (atleast while I listened) and after every 3 or 4, would ask people on the line to press #1 on the phone if they were interested in supporting him/attending the straw poll in Ames on August 11.

Labels: Mitt_Romney

... Fox asked much harder questions and allowed the candidates to go at it. We, the Republican voters, are adults and we should demand far more of this and far less of the commercials, the stump speeches etc…. Nothing instructs like dialogue. It also makes the Democrats look like the intellectual cowards that they have become. ... we're going to rate each debater on a scale of 1-30.
Sam Brownback ... 1st debate/25 2nd debate/21;
Jim Gilmore ... 1st debate/24 2nd debate/21;
Rudy Giuliani ... 1st debate/21 2nd debate/27;
Mike Huckabee ... 1st debate/25 2nd debate/27;
Duncan Hunter ... 1st debate/23 2nd debate/24;
John McCain ... 1st debate/23 2nd debate/24;
Ron Paul ... 1st debate/21 2nd debate/20;
Mitt Romney ... 1st debate/25 2nd debate/24;
Tom Tancredo ... 1st debate/21 2nd debate/22;
Tommy Thompson ... 1st debate/21 2nd debate/21.

Labels: Duncan_Hunter, Jim_Gilmore, John_McCain, Mike_Huckabee, Mitt_Romney, Ron Paul, Rudy_Giuliani, Sam_Brownback, Tom_Tancredo, Tommy_Thompson

Tonights Republican debate was a lot better than the last one. The questions were better and the crowd was more involved. Here are some thoughts I jotted down during the debate...
* Everytime I see Mike Huckabee, I wonder why he isn't gaining any traction. His counter to Rudy on abortion was clear and a lot better than Brownback's simplistic attempt.
* I think Rudy Giuliani won because of him interjecting on Paul's comment, even though I think Paul had an important point.
* Tancredo did pretty well. His line about people should have conversions on the road to Damascus and not on the road to Des Moines got a loud ovation and was a clear shot at McCain, Rudy, and multiple choice Mitt.
* I think Gilmore, Brownback, Tommy Thompson, and Hunter should drop out. Hunter might have some credibility on immigration, but is overshadowed by Tancredo.

Labels: Duncan_Hunter, Jim_Gilmore, John_McCain, Mike_Huckabee, Mitt_Romney, Rudy_Giuliani, Sam_Brownback, Tom_Tancredo, Tommy_Thompson

It was the best of days. It was the worst of days. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney faced highs and lows today while stumping down the Interstate 35 corridor in central Iowa. He won political converts in Clear Lake. He drew a standing-room-only, elbow-to-elbow crowd in Ames. There, an enthusiastic young staffer pulled aside reporters afterwards, asking, excitedly, whether they had ever seen such a large crowd for a presidential contender. ... Still, in between these events he got involved in a public spat with the Rev. Al Sharpton, who had made controversial comments about Romney's Mormon faith. And he had to answer reporters' questions about his wife's small, long-ago contribution to an abortion-rights group. Both those issues drew immediate, online headlines about two issues that continue to dog Romney -- questions about whether voters are ready to elect the first Mormon president, and questions over his famous change-of-heart on abortion, which he vehemently opposes these days.

Labels: Mitt_Romney

If it's not bad enough to front load the nomination kalendar, the media outlets are just adding fuel to the fire by having these early debates. I'm afraid to think how many debate threads I'll have to post between now and the Iowa Caucus. Here is the problem with early debates; none of the kandidates and especially the frontrunners will say anything of any substance this early, unless they're getting their butt kicked already. Frontrunners tend to avoid konfrontation, give politically korrect answers, and avoid nailing down their policy on most any topic. On to the debate, I thought Chris Matthews did a great job, much better than Brian Williams did with the Democrats last week. Maybe Matthews and MSNBC used the days between the two events to improve on the first debate. I'd like to do winners and losers but I don't think anyone walked away with a victory last night. So here is a list of disappointments. Sam Brownback: Someone wake me up when he is done speaking. The guy just lacks energy. He could give the best answers of the night but it will not register with me because I was probably getting popcorn, checking my email or taking a nap while he talks.

Labels: John_McCain, Mitt_Romney, Rudy_Giuliani, Sam_Brownback

Here is a run down of our conversations with candidates in the month of April so far: Senator Dodd at a Forum on International Relations hosted by U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy: Question: Our country needs solid leadership and a candidate that is willing to commitment to changing our direction of foreign policy. Eisenhower warned in 1953 to be aware of the military industrial complex and the weakness it would create in our country and around the world. Over 50 years later, our country spends more on its military than the rest of the world combined yet social needs remain unmet. If elected, would you support making our country stronger by eliminating $60 billion in Pentagon waste and investing that money in domestic priorities? Response: He agreed that the current budget is not preparing to our country to fight what we need here at home. The Senator di d mention Cold War era weapons and the need to use of diplomacy. He mentioned that it is not about line item rather it's about a sense of balance. It's not about the $60 billion figure but about what makes sense. He further stated that our country needs leadership that is positive and to lead by example in order to strengthen our foreign relations.

Labels: Bill_Richardson, Chris_Dodd, John_Edwards, Mitt_Romney

... I'd have to say that Romney was the clear winner at this event. He had a strong message, a great speech, and he delivered it like a pro. John McCain showed himself to be a one-issue candidate, in my opinion. Yes, Iraq is important, but by the time we hold elections in 2008, Iraq very well may be off the table. What will he campaign on then? Rudy…well, as I said, this wasn't a great speech, and it wasn't delivered all that well. Just seemed like he was taking a "yeah, I'll serve if you elect me, but I could really care less" approach. We don't need a person running whose sole ambition in life is to be President, of course, but we do want someone running who clearly wants the job…and Rudy just