Canadians for Mitt

Cain's 999 is Starting to Sound Like Canada's GST

2011-10-14T13:06:00.003-05:00

Herman Cain’s 999 tax idea is starting to sound like the GST (Goods and Services Tax) that was added by the federal government added here back in 1991. The GST replaced a hidden 13.5% Manufacturers' Sales Tax (MST); Mulroney claimed the GST was implemented because the MST was hindering the manufacturing sector's ability to export competitively. The introduction of the GST was very controversial. The GST rate is 5%, effective January 1, 2008.
At the time I worked for a large retailer here and the public was told that the prices the consumer would see will look weird as the Manufacture’s tax was removed. So, where I worked a $99.99 product became $86.49 plus now 8%PST (Provincial Sales Tax) and 7% GST, still cheaper. Cheaper for a while, gradually in the following months that product price crept its way back up to $99.99 and still plus the additional 7%GST.

Then, in 1997 some provinces and now here in Ontario, they combined the taxes to the new HST (Harmonized Sales Tax). The problem there is that many items that may have been exempt from one or the other of those taxes were now being charged both! An example would be my hydro bill that jumped 8% as the before exempt PST was now applied in the combined HST.

While I am not claiming that there is a direct similarity between the 999 tax and the GST and now its ugly cousin the HST, you may want to consider what happened here and how it was and is still hated. Also, back in 1993 the Liberals promised if elected that they would scrap the GST but, when they won, they soon realized they couldn't scrap the tax, it was yet again another promise not fulfilled.

Again, I don’t know enough about Mr. Cain’s 999 tax plan and I am sure there are many attractive aspects to it but, you may want to approach it with your eyes wide open before your economy gets saddled with the STD of taxes like we did here.

I’m only saying...

Great CPAC Speech

2011-02-11T11:31:00.003-05:00

Read Mitt's CPAC speech below!

Governor Romney delivered the following remarks to CPAC:
I’ve been in Ann’s shadow ever since our first date in high school. Over our years together, she’s waged some pretty impressive battles. Among her many accomplishments, none is more important or rewarding—to us and to our country—than her accomplishment as a successful mother of 5 and grandmother of 16.
Thank you, Ann.

The other night, from opposite coasts of the country, Ann and I watched President Obama’s State of the Union address. Ann figured out pretty fast what was going on. She sent me an email saying that it sounded like he was reading my CPAC speech from last year.
What we were hearing was not just a new and improved Barack Obama; it was an entirely different Barack Obama.

Saul Alinsky was out; Jeffrey Immelt was in.
The President went from “Change you can believe in” to “Can you believe this change?”
He sounded like he was going to dig up the First Lady’s organic garden to put in a Bob’s Big Boy.
But as the speech went on, it was clear that this was just the appearance of change: His answer for Americans out of work was more government spending and $50 billion for high speed rail.
He replaced his Chicago politician chief of staff with a fresh face from Chicago, named Daley.
Make no mistake: What we are watching is not Brave New World; what we’re watching is Groundhog Day!

Two years ago, this new President faced an economic crisis and an increasingly uncertain world.
An uncertain world has been made more dangerous by the lack of clear direction from a weak President. The President who touted his personal experience as giving him special insight into foreign affairs was caught unprepared when Iranian citizens rose up against oppression. His proposed policy of engagement with Iran and North Korea won him the Nobel Peace Prize. How’s that worked out? Iran armed Hezbollah and Hamas and is rushing toward nuclear weapons. North Korea fired missiles, tested nukes, sunk a South Korean ship and shelled a South Korean island. And his “reset program” with Russia? That consisted of our President abandoning our missile defense in Poland and signing a one-sided nuclear treaty. The cause of liberty cannot endure much more of his “they get, we give” diplomacy!
The world – and our valiant troops – watched in confusion as the President announced that he intended to win the war in Afghanistan….as long as it didn’t go much beyond August of 2011. And while the Taliban may not have an air force or sophisticated drones, it’s safe to say… they do have calendars.

I surely hope that at some point in the near future, the President will finally be able to construct a foreign policy, any foreign policy.
Here at home, the President’s response to the economic crisis was the most expensive failed social experiment in modern history.
He guaranteed that unemployment wouldn’t go beyond 8%. As he watched millions and millions of Americans lose their jobs, lose their homes and lose their hope, his response was this: It could be worse.
It could be worse? This is the leader of the Free World’s answer to the greatest job loss since the Great Depression? What’s next? Let them eat cake? Oh, excuse me. Organic cake.
It’s often said that the Presidency of the United States is the toughest job in the world. Fair enough. Undoubtedly true.
But how difficult is it to take office in the middle of a raging economic crisis and understand that the economy should be your number one priority?
The President who took office on January 20th, 2009 should have had one central mission – put Americans back to work! Fight for every job! Because every job is a paycheck and paychecks fuel Americans dreams.
Without a paycheck, you can’t take care of your family. Without a paycheck you can’t buy school books for your kids, keep a car on the road or help an aging parent make ends meet.
President Barack Obama has stood watch over the greatest job loss in modern American history. And that, my friends, is one inconvenient truth that will haunt this President throughout history.
Today there are more men and women out of work in America than there are people working in Canada. And in the month of January, Canada created more new jobs than we did.
When Ronald Reagan ran for President, he hung the Misery Index around Jimmy Carter’s neck. Today’s misery is real unemployment, home foreclosures and bankruptcies. This is the Obama Misery Index—and it’s at a record high. It’s going to take more than new rhetoric to put Americans back to work—it’s going to take a new president. Let me make this very clear. If I decide to run for President, it won’t take me two years to wake up to the job crisis threatening America. And I won’t be asking Tim Geithner how the economy works—or Larry Summers how to start a business.
Fifteen million Americans are out of work. And millions and millions more can’t find the good paying jobs they long for and deserve. You’ve seen the heartbreaking photos and videos of the jobs fairs around the country, where thousands show up to stand in line all day just to have a chance to compete for a few job openings that probably aren’t as good as the job they held two years ago. These job fairs and unemployment lines are President Obama’s Hoovervilles.
Make no mistake. This is a moral tragedy—a moral tragedy of epic proportion.
Unemployment is not just a statistic. Fifteen million unemployed is not just a number. Unemployment means kids can’t go to college; that marriages break up under the financial strain; that young people can’t find work and start their lives; and men and women in their 50s, in the prime of their lives, fear they will never find a job again. Liberals should be ashamed that they and their policies have failed these good and decent Americans! The President is trying to show that he finally gets it—that he really isn’t a liberal after all. But his idea of conservative economic policy is to invite some corporate CEO’s to the White House for an evening of table-talk.

I’m sorry Mr. President, but that’s not a policy, it’s a dinner party.
We’ve seen the failure of liberal answers before. Liberal welfare policies condemned generations to dependency and poverty. Liberal education policies fail our children today, because they put pensions and privilege for union bosses above the reading scores of our kids. Liberal social policies have failed to protect the unborn. And now, the hollow promises of liberal economic policies have failed to provide millions of Americans with the dignity of work.
Under the pressure of a crisis, people turn to what they really believe. With our economy in crisis, the President and his fellow liberals turned to Europe for their answers. Like the Europeans, they grew the government, they racked up bigger deficits, they took over healthcare, they pushed cap and trade, they stalled production of our oil and gas and coal, they fought to impose unions on America’s workers, and they created over a hundred new agencies and commissions and hundreds of thousands of pages of new regulations. Theirs is a European-style solution to an American problem. It does not work there and it will never work here!
The right answer is not to believe in European solutions. The right answer is to believe in America—to believe in free enterprise, capitalism, limited government, federalism—and to believe in the constitution, as it was written and intended by the founders. My father never graduated from college. He apprenticed as a lath and plaster carpenter, and he was darn good at it. He learned how to put a handful of nails in his mouth and spit them out, point forward. On his honeymoon, he and Mom drove across the country. Dad sold aluminum paint along the way, to pay for gas and hotels.
Dad always believed in America; and in that America, a lath and plaster man could work his way up to running a little car company called American Motors and end up Governor of a state where he had once sold aluminum paint.
For my Dad, America was the land of opportunity, where free enterprise, small business and entrepreneurs were encouraged and respected. The spirit of enterprise propelled America’s economy and our standard of living past every other nation on earth.
I refuse to believe that America is just another place on the map with a flag. I believe that America is an exceptional nation, of freedom and opportunity and hope. The America I believe in has goodness and a greatness that creates a unique American genius. That genius has blessed the world, led the world and yes, even saved the world from unimaginable darkness.
We didn’t originate the concept of liberty but our Founding Fathers redefined it and shared it with the world. From the brilliant sands of Omaha beach to the dark valleys of the Hindu Kush, we have fought with an unmatched courage and determination, not to conquer territory, but to give others the chance to experience the liberty that is humanity’s destiny.
Given all that America has done to lift others from poverty, given the millions of afflicted we have helped to heal and comfort, and given the hundreds of thousands of lives of America’s sons and daughters that have been, and are today, sacrificed to defend freedom, I will not apologize for America!
I don’t apologize for America because I believe in America! We believe in freedom, in opportunity. We believe in free enterprise and capitalism. We believe in the American dream. And we believe that the principles that made America the leader of the world today are the very principles that will keep America the leader of the world tomorrow. These last two years have not been the best of times. But while we’ve lost a couple of years, we have not lost our way.
This is fundamentally what conservatism is all about. We sing for God to bless America. He already has, he does now and thanks to the greatness of the American people and the principles that guide us, he will do so for generations to come.

Believe in America. Freedom depends on it.

Thank you.

See you all soon as things start to heat up for 2012

Go Mitt

My Analysis

2008-02-07T15:03:00.000-05:00

So Mitt has decided to suspend his bid for GOP nominee. This comes as a huge disappointment to his supporters and to McCain opposers alike, but all the same, after Super Tuesday played out we all kind of saw it coming.

Super Tuesday was a beast in its own though. From West Virginia shenanagens to California yada yada, it was a serious shock that this is the system you guys trust to choose your leaders.

In retrospect, I think it's beneficial to take a look at what went wrong. Romney missed a few key opportunities to capitalize, sure, but I don't think anyone will honestly argue that America really wasn't ready for a Mormon president, and they have no idea why not. CNN did a poll after Florida that found that 12% of those who voted for McCain felt that he represented them on the issues.... 12% For crying out loud, if I represent 12% of those who voted for me I wouldn't be a very good representative now would I, so why then did people flock to McCain? To use an old term, the people "went away backwards" They knew they didn't want Romney, not sure why, and didn't care who else, just as long as it wasn't Romney. See West Virginia, anyone who can just see an opponent doing well and can tell their supporters to go team up with another OPPONENT to defeat this other guy, that says something. No regard for representation, how well he can lead the country, and on and on, that's not the issue. The issue, for you, the ignorant voting public was who was more charismatic, who's religion they were more familiar with, and who seemed less polished (great criteria). I cannot believe it still.

Unfortunately the other big factor is that Romney isn't a motivational speaker, you'll never see him with a headset mic and a bottle of water as he runs side to side on the stage. This played against him because McCain was a POW, (which somehow translates to qualified to lead a country) which gives you great and inspiring moments in speeches, whereas Romney really was more powerpoint esque, with all the right info, the right approaches, the entire vision, but no quaint anecdotes or stories of survival in an unforgiving prison. So you were blinded by chicken soup for the soul and a nice run of standup comedy. Whoop-de freakin do. If we were as blind as you, you could expect to see Mike Meyers voted into parliament, he's just so much like us and so funny.

Here is what I wish for you now America, you proud arrogant nation, I hope you get a McCain Huckabee ticket, and I hope it goes all the way, I want you to taste the ramifications of your decisions. This may be a surprise to you, but this isn't a highschool popularity contest, well at least it should not have been, but you treated it as though it was, voting McCain most likely to succeed, Huckabee the most spiritual, and Romney got best eyes and hair. Well guess what, you are choosing a president of your country, actually you were supposed to, instead what you've found is a puppet. Either McCain, Obama, or Clinton will all be figureheads with a whole administrations agenda running their actions.

McCain of all people, with 25 years of experience in the branch of government designed to move slow, take its time, and argue it out with a hundred other people to find a majority, he will be the one to take your 'executive' office, the office designed for an executive, someone who makes rapid decisions, moves quickly and decisively, and is right most of the time, but kept in check by the other more deliberate branches. Can anyone say square peg round hole?

I do though, I hope you get a McCain Huckabee ticket and taste the soup you have made America. I hope they both wear flannel shirts from wal-mart and you feel like they are just like you. I hope your constitution gets a reworking from God through Huckabee, and I hope you look back in four years as your mired in war, bad healthcare, and the exact same immigration problems your facing right now, I hope you look back and think WTF, we really chose grits and eggs over caviar? Here's to you America, land of the free (for now) and home of the brave (except when you're voting)

Good Morning GOP Super Tuesday Voters. Get Up, We Have Work To Do

2008-02-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

So did you have a good sleep? I sure hope so. Well, you better get up, today is a big day. You've gotta eat breakfast, go to work, oh ya, and most importantly vote for Mitt Romney. You see, there have been some "developments" over the past while that you may or may not be aware of. It seems that a Democrat Spy has infiltrated the Republican party and actually managed to get on the ballot. We don't know much about him except that he has a bad temper and shares political views that closely resemble those of Hillary Clinton. Witnesses describe him as old, maybe around 100 years old, balding, with a laugh that has been described as a mix between a witch cackle, caveman grunt, and a prepubescent hyena. Apparently his mission is to take enough of the GOP vote as to destroy Reagan's proven winning conservative coalition. Once he has completed his mission, he will then perform the will of his fellow liberals. You can detect him from his compulsive lying and chronic flip-flopping, even though he'll tell you that he is a "straight talker". If by "straight" he means "full" and by "talker" he means "of crap", then I guess he's not lying for once. Beware of the man, because he is armed with liberal ideas and dangerous. And kids, remember, if he offers you liberal candy DO NOT take it, it's poisonous. They say the best way to combat this treacherous nuisance is by voting for a true conservative, Mitt Romney. According to the most savvy conservative pundits, this Romney character has the ability to unite all three legs of the conservative coalition; namely economic, social and foreign policy/defense conservatives. You will know Romney when you see him. He has near perfect hair, a gorgeous wife, and stands with conservatives on all the issues. When asked about an issue, he will explain his view and plans, unlike the spy we just mentioned, who will evade the issue of change the subject. Most conservatives have already backed him up and now it's up to you to seal the deal. Oh, this just in from Georgia ... here he is:

While you were sleeping the calm sea began to stir and has became very active. According to Redstate the trend is real: Conservatives are rallying for Romney, and a wave has started and is quickly picking up momentum as you read this. Go out and make it bigger.

Erik from RedState said "By the way, I’m thinking Romney wins California tomorrow and I suspect he’ll win more states, if not more delegates, than McCain. I don’t think McCain’s team has reacted with serious aggression to the trend of conservatives rallying to Romney."

The trend is real — conservatives are rallying for Mitt. Make sure you take your place in saving the Republican party from the tyrannical plague that is John McCain. Say no tomorrow to a so-called "Republican" who is actually liberal, and say yes to a true conservative who can maintain the strong house that Reagan built. Remember, every journey starts with a single step, just as every president starts with a single vote.

Romney Hottness..... mmmm daddy

2008-02-05T00:43:00.000-05:00

The latest Reuters/CSPAN polls put Romney 8 points up in California. This race keeps getting better, as the Reuters/CSpan is one of the more respected polls out there. This means that things may be much closer than anticipated and conservatives may be coming to their senses.

To be honest, after Florida Romney was hurt. The Romney strategy feeds on momentum and winning one here or there wasn't doing it. By shifting his strategy to a more longevity focus, he has adjusted to the times and has renewed his campaigns momentum by allowing conservatives to get a taste of John McCain as the front runner, surprise surprise he is not what America thought they were getting. The longer McCain sits in the spotlight the higher Romney will climb in the polls. So Florida may be a blessing in disguise.

If Romney takes California, which is cooking up to be as close a call as Florida was the night before their primary, the momentum may shift. It is recognized that Romney will storm a few conservative states as well as his home stomping grounds of Mass, so even without California he's staying in the competition, but with California, a message is sent to America to wake and smell the fresh maple.

For now though, let America examine home slice McCain and recognize the mistake that is his campaign, then when the dust settles, Romney can rise up like a phoenix on an old trans am.... ahhh booyah baybee!

Okay, so I got a little carried away with that last part, but you get the picture, Romney's got the ball with 2:34 on the clock in the 4th quarter of the superbowl and McCain is playing the clock, not the game. Well, the rest is as they say, history. Or in our case, potential history.

This Just In ... McCain and Hillary's Policies Were Identical Twins Separated at Birth

2008-02-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

It's scary how much these two think alike. However, it's a lot scarier for Republicans as McCain claims that he's a conservative, and unfortunately there are quite a few confused Republicans that haven't come out of the political closet yet to actually admit that they are Democrats (why else would they vote McCain?).

The Great Rush Limbaugh Endorses Mitt Romney?

2008-02-04T21:20:00.000-05:00

On the final day before voters hit the polls for Super Tuesday, Rush Limbaugh said the following:

"Now, I think now, based on the way the campaign has shaken out, that there probably is a candidate on our side who does embody all three legs of the conservative stool, and that's Romney. The three stools or the three legs of the stool are national security/foreign policy, the social conservatives, and the fiscal conservatives. The social conservatives are the cultural people. The fiscal conservatives are the economic crowd: low taxes, smaller government, get out of the way."

Now I've been following Rush for a while now and he hasn't really endorsed anyone. It was obvious for a while that he liked Fred Thompson, but he's obviously out of the picture. Today, however, he made the closest thing to an official endorsement that he has in a long time. In the past he just said not to vote for McCain or Huckabee because they would destroy the Republican party (by deduction leaving Mitt to choose), but now he is actually coming out and saying that a vote for Romney is a good choice.

"I think that's pretty wise. I think right now Romney probably -- as the campaign has coalesced and as the campaign has progressing on down the highway -- I think the one candidate of the three still out there on our side matter (and actually it's just two, because Huckabee doesn't, in terms of a chance to win) in saying who more closely embodies all three legs of this conservative stool, you'd have to say that it's Mitt Romney. There's actually no choice in the matter. It certainly isn't Senator McCain."

Tomorrow should be interesting if nothing else. Hopefully the endorsements for Romney of so many conservative pundits during the past week won't be considered too little too late.

GOP Voters Can Learn a Lesson From These Animals

2008-02-04T18:56:00.001-05:00

This is one of the coolest wildlife videos I have seen, and the best part is that it represents what I hope will happen tomorrow on Super Tuesday. Take a look and keep in mind the roles that each of the animals in the video play.

Lions - John McCain
Crocodile - Mike Huckabee
Baby Wildebeest - The Conservative Coalition
Heard of Wildebeest - Conservative voters lead by Mitt Romney

You see, the Wildebeests represent conservative voters. They are walking around minding their own business when suddenly a ravenous Lion, John McCain (could have also been played effectively by a rhino), takes hold of the vulnerable baby wildebeest (the conservative coalition). The lions care nothing about the fate of the wildebeest. They only want a quick meal to satisfy their own personal hunger. This is like McCain, who cares nothing for conservatives, Republicans or the Reagan coalition, but rather uses them to fulfill his own selfish desire to be president. As the lions approach the water, the crocodile makes his appearance and grabs hold of the young wildebeest. This is Mike Huckabee (his presence is short, but painful). The two predators proceed to tug at the beast, just as McCain and Huckabee are in collusion, and tearing apart the conservative coalition. It seems inevitable that the little wildebeest is doomed, but when all seems lost, hope arrives. A large wildebeest comes forward and not only scares off the crocodile, but launches a lion into the air, off one of his own. This is Mitt Romney, the only conservative candidate who actually cares about the health of the coalition. He leads the other faithful conservatives (herd of wildebeests) against the lions. Not only do the get the young wildebeest back (the Reagan Coalition), but they chase of the liberal lions. This is the part that I hope will happen tomorrow; the conservatives rallying behind Romney on Super Tuesday.

Moral of the story/video: conservatives, we can't let liberals rip apart the Reagan Coalition. It is time to stand up and be counted ... counted for Romney, the only conservative left and an amazing man who will not only defeat the Democrats, but fix Washington. Let's take this battle on past Tuesday and into November.

The Words of a Desperate Huckabee

2008-02-04T10:35:00.000-05:00

Just a few weeks ago Mike Huckabee was calling Romney's campaign desperate, among other things. Now the tables are turned and Huckabee's popularity is waning rapidly. Even though he should have the decency to drop out of the race, he won't. He continues to campaign against logic and common sense. The only theory that anyone can come up with is that he is trying to stop Mitt Romney, either because he doesn't like Mormons, or because he wants something from McCain later. In any case, he is still up to his old antics and is as slimy as ever, only now his tone of confidence has been replaced with one of desperation and weakness.

The following video shows what I am talking about. Unfortunately I cannot embed so you'll have to follow the link, or copy and paste it into a separate window. I don't know where this interview takes place, but it could quite possibly be in the basement of one of his hardcore followers.

http://embeds.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/02/02/huckabee-a-vote-for-romney-is-a-vote-for-hillary/

You see how he uses the classic line about Mitt Romney spending so much money, yadda, yadda,
yadda. YOU KNOW WHAT FOLKS, I am sick and tired of this ludicrous argument against Romney. Romney lived the American dream and became remarkably successful. Sue the guy! He is a model for conservatives. Why are McCain and Huck bashing him for this? Oh ya, I forgot, because they are liberals! Well, I don't know if they noticed, but the Democrats have raised and are spending a truck load of money on their campaigns. Do you think Mike Huckabee's 20 bucks is going to go far against them? You bet it's not. So I think the fact that both McCain and Huck have ran weak fundraising campaigns only gives them the right to shut their dirty traps about Mitt's success. Not to mention that John McCain married into an extremely rich family, so he doesn't exactly have the best leg to stand on. At least Mitt made his money and didn't McMarry-rich.

He also mentions how Mitt Romney tore apart businesses at Bain Capital and in effect cut much needed jobs (this is very John Edwards of him). Does Huck really believe that we are THAT stupid? I mean take Staples or Domino's for example. He took control of both these companies when they were failing. Yes, INITIALLY he made some cuts, but this was only necessary to save the business. Then he expanded them, creating even more jobs than were taken away. Now both companies are gigantic and employ thousands. Sometimes you need to prune a tree so that it will grow properly. Evidently Mike thinks that bankrupt companies are better for American than healthy ones. Good point Mike. Not.

Hugh Hewitt also had the following to say about the Huckster's pitiful antics.

"Mike Huckabee probably didn't do his effort to hang on to his voters with his attack on Sean Hannity, widely regarded as one of the nicest guys in talk radio, and a hero to the military and their families for his many concerts and rallies on behalf of the troops. Like many other talkers, Hannity is urging conservatives to rally to Romney to keep the party of Reagan the party of Reagan. Huckabee's disappointment in Rush for declaring "a vote for Huckabee is a vote for McCain," and now Hannity for endorsing Romney probably extends to Laura Ingraham, Glenn Beck, Mark Levin and the other talkers who day in and day out have been advancing conservative principles for the past decade and who rightly see the GOP contest now as a clear choice between McCain and Romney. Huck's salvo at Sean would have been ill-advised under any circumstances, but to accuse the very popular conservative leader of being motivated by anything other than his own convictions was deeply offensive to people who know Sean and admire his generous, always upbeat spirit and his commitment to conservative principles."

If the Giants Can Do It, So Can Mitt Romney!

2008-02-03T21:58:00.000-05:00

Tonight watching the Super Bowl, as I usually do, I was routing for the underdog. The New England Patriots went into the Bowl with a perfect 18-0 record. They were the clear favourite going into the final against the New York Giants. Almost everyone predicted a Patriot win, and until the final minutes that's what it looked like it would be.

But with less than a minute left, Eli Manning threw a pass, that I'm sure will become legendary and will be played countless times tomorrow on television and on the internet, and hit Plaxico Burress for the touchdown to win the game 17-14.

What happened tonight was spectacular and reminds of what I believe can and will happen to Mitt Romney, not at the Super Bowl but Super Tuesday. Until recently, John McCain was the clear favourite in the polls. It appeared as if Romney couldn't touch him. But much like what happened tonight, the tide is turning, and with less than 4 days left (like a minute left in a football game) Romney will catch the game winning pass from conservatives all over America, producing a huge upset and glorious victory.

A lesson was learned tonight ... In the words of the great Winston Churchill, "Never give in, never, never, never, never." Mitt won't give in, and neither will we. In America everything is possible.

Ok Republicans, Enough Joking Around ... Let's Get Serious.

2008-02-03T18:37:00.000-05:00

Well, the Republican party has had a few weeks to mess around, but now it's time to get down to business and elect both a conservative and someone who will hold the Republican party together.

John McCain is NOT this person. He is a living, walking, talking joke (and liar) if he really thinks that he is a Republican. That is like saying that Rosie O'Donnell is lady-like ... or William Hung is a good singer... or that Roland Martin of CNN makes good points, doesn't have a weird head shape and isn't going bald ... man I hate that guy. The point is that McCain cares nothing for the Republican Party, and even less for the conservatives that make up the majority of its base. He is just using the party as a vehicle to prove to America that he isn't a failure (having lost past elections). He is like one of the those aliens species in a Sci-Fi flick that takes over a planet, uses all its resources and then leaves it destroyed to go on to the next one. If he gets the nomination, he will leave the Republican Party in shambles and won't care one bit. No wonder the liberal media loves this guy ... he is their number one hitman! This video further explains what I'm talking about. (BTW, all the videos used in this post were discovered by NY For Mitt - one of my favourite Mitt sites).

Anyone with half a brain can clearly see that McCain is just a Democrat in Republican's clothing. The one thing that is Republican about him is his stance on the war on terror, but it is not a stance exclusive to him by any means (Romney also believes strongly in keeping America safe from terrorists). In fact there isn't much difference between John McCain and Hilary Clinton.

And how could anyone still vote Huckabee. You know, in all honesty, I think Huckabee is a captivating speaker and a fairly likable guy. But he has no chance of winning the race and only stays in to help McCain stop Romney by taking away key states/votes. Evangelical conservatives must realize that a vote for Huck = a vote for a liberal, McCain. Does this man have any honour. The only thing that he may be trying to do is secure himself a position as McCain's running mate. Maybe that's because they're not all that different. Check out the video "Birds of a Feather".

So Republicans, this is no joke anymore. You can either elect a true conservative who will have a great shot at beating the Democrats, and more importantly is just what American needs at this pivotal point in its history (economically, socially, and militarily) ... OR ... you can have an angry, bitter, hypocritical old liberal who calls himself not only a Republican, but a conservative. I think the choice is clear. You vote matters. Make if for Mitt.

Romney Wins Maine - Race and Delegate Update

2008-02-03T00:32:00.000-05:00

Romney won in Maine on Saturday by a landslide (he got 52% of the vote). Of course the media won't make a big deal of it because Romney won (it's only a big deal when someone they support wins). Apparently they had great voter turnout, and in some areas the biggest since Ronald Reagan was running in the 80's. The best part is that McCain got two huge (or at least he thinks they are) endorsements from two Maine Senators and is still getting slain by Romney. Heck, Ron Paul is in a close race with McCain for second (good job Ron)! Well done Maine ... you are an example for the rest of us and vote like true conservatives should ... you know ... for conservatives (not male versions of Hilary Clinton)! Maine has 21 delegates up for grabs (but 3 are unpledged). So Romney took all 18 available delegates from Maine. Here is the updated map (I will update the delegate scoreboard and medal count when all the polls have reported.

Delegate Count/Score board: (as per CNN)

McCain - 97
Romney - 92
Huckabee - 29
Paul - 6

Medal Count:

1) Romney - 4 golds, 3 silvers
2) McCain - 3 golds, 2 silvers, 1 bronze
3) Huckabee - 1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronzes
4) Paul - 1 silver, 1 bronze

The site Vote Mitt For President has these wise words to say:

This "is a delicious victory, because it shows that when the media stays out of the way and lets the people just vote, they overwhelming vote in favor of Romney. Romney has done extremely well in three contests so far, and won a fourth by a fair margin. The three he did amazingly well in were Wyoming, Nevada, and now Maine. In all three where he won by LARGE margins, the media didn’t focus on the race much, and the people were not inundated with news reports done by the “We Love McCain” media (also known as the mainstream media.) Left to their own devices, and their own investigations of Romney and McCain online, voters overwhelming chose Mitt.

The media will most likely disparage this caucus too, in an attempt to downplay Romney yet again. Never mind that this will mean that Romney will have won more states than McCain, and will have roughly the same amount of delegates. No, if the media brought that up, no doubt they’d get kicked off the air for giving such “biased” coverage of the race.

Whether the MSM wants to admit it or not, Romney is not out, not by a long shot. It’s time to Rally to Romney, FredHeads, Rudyiacs, and MittHeads alike!!! We know who the conservative is! And to the Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee supporters: Whether you want to admit it or not, it’s time to face the facts - this has quickly become a two-man race. Do you want a conservative nominee or a moderate (on a good day - liberal 89% of the time) nominee? There is no other plausible scenario. Choose, and please do so wisely. The future of our great country is in your hands.

America, it’s time to decide. For me, the choice has been made: RALLY TO ROMNEY!!!!!!"

There May Never Be Another Reagan, But Romney Is The Conservative Choice This Time Around

2008-02-02T19:26:00.000-05:00

This an article written by a guest Contributor, Joshua Lawson, who is a fellow Canadian supporting Mitt. He is from Toronto and is an Evangelical Protestant.

"The Second Death of Ronald Reagan- Part 1"

Jeffery: You fool! As if it matters how a man falls down.

Richard: When the fall is all that is left, it matters a great deal.

-- The Lion in Winter

Mitt Romney is no Ronald Wilson Reagan.

In fact, I think that conservatives will probably never see the likes of such a sublime, warm, and inspiring politician ever again.

Reagan's electoral history is the stuff of magic. In the 1980 and 1984 campaigns he had Democrats cutting ads for him! Ted Kennedy was up there supporting Reagan for goodness sake. He literally painted the entire map red.

His 1984 victory is the most impressive electoral feat in U.S. history, with Reagan winning 49 out of 50 states and the popular vote by more then 18%. He came 3,000 votes from sweeping the entire country, but Mondale squeaked out a victory in Minnesota (his home state nonetheless).

Man I could just stare at this map all day...*sigh*

Mitt Romney would have had a much tougher time against Hillary. Right now, polls show him losing by about 10%.

These polls are early, and don't mean TOO much, but still...quite the uphill battle.

McCain obviously does better then Romney. Polls show him beating Obama and Hillary. The most up-to-date polling has McCain beating Hilary 48%-40%. He beats Obama 47%-41%! They have McCain ahead in Maryland (?!?!). His crossover appeal and moderate stances can woo independents left, right and centre.

But he is one nomination away from killing the Republican Party of Ronald Reagan.

I still can't get around the fact that the party of Reagan is apparently coalescing around John McCain. A candidate who is liberal on so many issues its painful. His worst sins being his sponsering of the FAILED Amnesty Bill and support for campaign finance reform...among other things.

And Florida voters right now have a LOT of explaining to do.

For instance, exit polls show Mitt won among conservatives, and pleasantly and surprisingly: evangelicals. But McCain won among voters who rated the economy their cheif concern. He won them by 6%.

This is not sour grapes. This is absurd.

Mitt Romney
- 25+ years experience in private sector
- rated North America's best businessman multiple times
- staged the greatest Olympic Games turnaround in history
- successfull Governor of Massachusetts

John McCain
- POW for 6 years in Asia
- U.S. Senator for 20 years
- stated multiple times on the record that he doesn't know much about the economy

ummm...

It doesn't take a brain surgeon who you'd rather have run an economy in crisis.

Choosing McCain over Romney on the economy is like choosing former Yankee Joe Torre to coach your hockey team over Scotty Bowman because Joe Torre looks tougher.

What is it with Flordia voters? Is there a way we somehow make it simpler for them other then "check the box next to the candidate you prefer"?

Perhaps the Republican Party of Reagan is actually dead. Perhaps we're witnessing the return of the Rockefeller, Ford, Nixon GOP.

I certainly hope not.

But here's the big question of the day:

Is it better to support McCain and keep the White House, and in the process move the Republican Party to the left?

...or to lose, and wonder in the wilderness for 8 years, waiting for the new heir to Reagan?

It worked before. Barry Goldwater was one of the best conservative candidates in the last 50 years. Then he got trounced by LBJ. [Apparently, people didn't like his "somewhat hawkish" stance on the Soviets and lines like: "Let's lob one into the men's room at the Kremlin."]

Oh that Barry.

But what happened? The GOP picked up its socks...wandered around for a bit, and got The Gipper. Since 1980, the GOP has been in the White House for 20 of the last 28 years.

Ironically by the way, the man who succeeded Goldwater in his senate seat in Arizona? You guessed it: John F*ing McCain.

Hopefully true conservatives and Big R Republicans will stand up against McCain, and realize Romney is the last, best hope to keep social conservatives, economic conservatives and national security conservatives intact. You can see here that the revolt has already begun. Hopefully McCain's lack of funds will hurt him on Feb. 5th and Romney endless money will actually help him for once (it hasn't so far...hear that Huckabust?).

It's not all over. But the coffin is already lined up. A resounding McCain victory on Super Tuesday will simply be the final nails...slowly hammered into the coffin of a party that once stood for something.

And The War Begins ... Conservative Pundits vs. the MSM

2008-02-01T01:46:00.000-05:00

It seems these days that John McCain has been getting all the juicy endorsements, or at least all the ones from moderate conservatives like Schwarzenegger and Giuliani. He also is heavily endorsed by the liberal mainstream media, including the NY Times. Due to his new found popularity, many consider him a shoe-in for the nomination. I'm sorry folks. This race is over. Nothing to see here. Just go home.....

HEY! Just wait a minute though ... if all these people are endorsing Johnny boy, who is endorsing Romney? Well the answer is not as obvious, because unlike Arnold, they didn't star in movies with huge explosions and poor acting. Unbeknownst to many Americans is the huge conservative movement, made up of conservative radio talk shows, extremely popular bloggers, and even a few major TV spots. The vast majority of these are endorsing Romney and ripping on McCain. Even those that don't officially endorse Romney still vehemently oppose McCain.

Seemingly overnight, a battle has begun between the MSM and the Conservative talk shows/columnists/bloggers. It seems like every few hours a major conservative name jumps on board for Romney. I believe that this battle is just part of the war that will go on well past Super Tuesday.

Here are some of the key players (feel free to leave a comment and link to any others I did not list).

Hugh Hewitt - Wholeheartedly endorses Romney at his huge blog Townall.com

Mark Levin - National Review Online Writer - Supports Romney, despises McCain. He recently wrote an article entitled "Rally For Romney", and it's one of the best articles I've read in a while.

Rick Santorum - Former Republican senator in Pennsylvania, considered a very strong social and fiscal conservative, and a contributor on Fox News. Endorsed Romney today on Laura Ingraham's show.

Ann Coulter - is an American attorney, conservative columnist, political commentator and best-selling author, known for her irony and sarcasm, who said:

"I’ve been casually taking swipes at Mitt Romney for the past year based on the assumption that, in the end, Republicans would choose him as our nominee. My thinking was that Romney would be our nominee because he is manifestly the best candidate.

I had no idea that Republican voters in Iowa and New Hampshire planned to do absolutely zero research on the candidates and vote on the basis of random impulses.

Dear Republicans: Please do one-tenth as much research before casting a vote in a presidential election as you do before buying a new car…

The candidate Republicans should be clamoring for is the one liberals are feverishly denouncing. That is Mitt Romney by a landslide…

At worst, Romney will turn out to be a moderate Republican – a high-IQ, articulate, moral, wildly successful, moderate Republican. Of the top five Republican candidates for president, Romney is the only one who hasn’t dumped his first wife (as well as the second, in the case of Giuliani) – except Huckabee. And unlike Huckabee, Romney doesn’t have a son who hanged a dog at summer camp.

Sean Hannity - Host of talk radio's The Sean Hannity Show

"I'll tell you right now, and I've not announced this, but I will be voting for Mitt Romney in this campaign. It's the first time I've stated it publicly. I'll state it now." ("Sean Hannity Radio Show," 1/31/08

Glenn Beck - Runs CNN's the Glenn Beck Program, doesn't think that McCain is a Rebublican

Michael Reagan - Ronald Reagan's son. Hasn't officially endorsed Romneys, but despises McCain

Rush Limbaugh - Again hasn't officially endorsed Romney, but rips McCain every day!

Dan Riehl - Hugely popular blogger know for his humour and wit

"Romney has realized the base sees him as the consensus candidate, flaws and all. He spoke as an outsider crashing the gate. That's precisely what the Republican Party needs in the Fall, especially given a decade or two of dissembling conservatism and corrupt DC pols. Romney has proved to be the most analytical, yet nimble campaigner in a bizarre primary year.

"His campaign has displayed a competence unmatched by any other, despite how various state-wide votes, often counting on moderates and all but Northeastern liberals, turned out. Such competence was not the case with McCain. He bankrupted his campaign early. Why should we trust him to not do the same with the nation?

"More than any other candidate, Romney has displayed a determination to win while playing politics; yet, stopping short of slinging mud, or outright lies. After Florida, John McCain cannot say the same. Does character no longer matter to conservatives? Have we come to that? If so, I'll pass."

Mark Tapscott - Editorial Page Editor for the Washington Examiner

An exerpt from article "Is Romney the 'real' Florida GOP primary winner?":

"PREDICTION: McCain is now established as the clear front runner and that means he will soon experience a depth of analysis and critique from the mainstream media and the Right side of the Blogosphere that he has never before had to endure.

Two things will follow: First, the more typical Republican voters know about McCain's views, the less likely they will be to vote for him, and, second, as this process become more evident, McCain's legendary temper will manifest itself in ways that are extremely damaging to him.

Result? It is quite conceivable that McCain will self-destruct and Romney will win the GOP presidential nomination."

Ronald Reagan's Son On John McCain

2008-02-01T01:29:00.000-05:00

I saw this article on Elect Romney in 2008 and had to share it:

Michael Reagan, the eldest son of Ronald Reagan, is heard daily by over 5 million listeners via his nationally syndicated talk radio program, “The Michael Reagan Show.”

This is some pretty powerful language. Michael Reagan is one of many conservatives who sees Republicans making a huge mistake by supporting John McCain. Governor Romney is buying ads in key states and is fighting to the finish. Let’s continue to fight for him.

This is what he said about McCain:

"Until last night, when I watched the Republican debate, I had no idea how much John McCain dislikes me and just about everybody else but Rudy Giuliani, who if you believe The New York Times is a pretty good hater himself.

As I watched McCain and Governor Romney go at it during the debate at the Reagan Library I was struck by the huge gap that separates McCain — whose contempt for his fellow humans is patently obvious — and my dad, Ronald Reagan, who had nothing but the deepest affection and respect for the American people.

The feeling is mutual between McCain and me. I don’t like the way he treats people. You get the impression that he thinks everybody is beneath him. He seems to be saying, “I was a war hero, and you had damn well better treat me as your superior.”

He has contempt for conservatives who he thinks can be duped into thinking he’s one of them, despite such blatantly anti-conservative actions as his support for amnesty for illegal immigrants, his opposition to the Bush tax cuts which got the economy rolling again, and his campaign finance bill which skewed the political process and attacked free speech.

I am appalled by his contempt for the intelligence of his listeners when he flat-out lies and expects them to believe what he says even when the truth is staring them in the face.

A prime example cited by columnist Robert Novak was McCain’s denial that he had privately suggested that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was too conservative, insisting that he recalled saying no such thing, adding that Alito was a “magnificent” choice.

“In fact,” wrote Novak, “multiple sources confirm that the senator made negative comments about Alito nine months ago.”

In last night’s debate, McCain stubbornly defended his charge, false on the face of it, that Romney wanted a deadline for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq.

“I have never, ever supported a specific timetable” for withdrawing troops, Romney said, adding that McCain’s accusation on the eve of Tuesday’s primary “sort of falls into the dirty tricks that I think Ronald Reagan would have found reprehensible.”

What Romney said last April, was merely that U.S. and Iraqi leaders “have to have a series of timetables and milestones that they speak about” in private, which in no way suggests he was in any sense talking about troop withdrawals.

Despite the evidence, McCain charged that “of course he said he wanted a timetable” for a withdrawal, even though he had never said any such thing. It was McCain daring to ask us if we wanted to believe our lying eyes or his demonstrably false allegation.

McCain must think conservatives are dumb enough to allow him to get away with claiming he’s one of them. This is from a man who opposed drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska and who twice voted against President Bush’s tax cuts and sponsored the campaign-finance reform legislation that Romney claimed “took a whack at the First Amendment.”

In John McCain’s eyes, conservatives are the Viet Cong of this generation and he treats us as such. It’s either his way or no way.

I despise his habit of talking down to us, like a wise father to an idiot son. He’s just at a loss to understand why everybody doesn’t grovel at his feet and accept his every word as wisdom handed down from his lofty perch atop Mt. Olympus.

I can’t help it. I know in my heart he hates me, and every conservative. If he gets the nomination the only way he could win against Hillary or Barack Obama would be to be part of a McCain-Limbaugh ticket."

The Dems Debate Reaffirmed Why I support Romney and Conservatism

2008-01-31T21:25:00.000-05:00

Watching the Democratic debate tonight, I realized three things:

First, I realized how much I disagree with some of the Democratic views expressed (it was more of a reaffirmation than a revelation). Conservatism, even though it doesn't seem so at first, is about hope. It is about lifting people up and giving them confidence and self-respect. To those who truly understand, it is far more merciful to people that liberalism.

Second, I was impressed with Barrack Obama's ability to not only listen to his opponent, but give her respect (at least at this particular debate). This is the polar opposite to McCain who only showed pure hatred, immaturity, lack of humility and inability to talk about the issues, instead evading tough questions by taking shots at Romney or stating who endorsed him. If Romney had an opponent like Obama (not Clinton, because she is much like McCain), imagine the debate. For once the issues would be discussed and voters would simply choose which stance they prefer. It would be an incredible discussion. As much as I disagree with Obama on a lot issues, at least he sticks to talking about them. Every time McCain is confronted with a tough question he never actually answers it. Like when he was asked about whether he would be good for the economy his answer was something like "well if I wasn't good why would Jack Kemp, Phil Graham, yadda, yadda endorse me". No John, we asked why YOU would be good for the economy, not who your friends are. Why the heck can't McCain answer a friggin' question? Evading the issue is a Huckabee technique, and it's definitely not straight talk by any standard. I think last night Republicans saw the real McCain, full of hate, pride and contempt, and were left with a bad taste in their mouths. He's like that delicious bubble gum that has a burst of flavour for about 10 seconds, then becomes tasteless, and eventually (after about a minute) just tastes nasty and hurts your teeth.

Third, and I know I've said this many times but, Romney is the only Republican with a shot at taking down Clinton or Obama. Common, does anyone really think that liberals will choose McCain (a half liberal) over a full out liberal like Obama or Clinton. No way! And since he doesn't appeal to the conservative base, this group might not show up for McCain at all. Who's he left with? A few moderates and independents. He'll get the support of a Ross Perot or a Nader. It may not seem like this is the case while looking at the polls right now, but the polls change drastically every week and aren't always very accurate anyway. Take away McCain's support from the media when they turn on him to endorse the Democrat nominee and who is left to fight for him. It certainly is not going to be the conservative radio hosts or grassroots groups that led Bush to victory, many of which currently support Romney. He will be like the child superstar who grew up and suddenly wasn't cute anymore, used to being a star, but sadly has been terribly forgotten. Make no mistake, Romney is the only hope for a conservative to become president. I really hope that Evangelicals will realize this, and also that a vote for Huckabee is a vote for McCain. They will help make or break Mitt's chances at a nomination.

Romney/McCain Strategies Revealed in Post-Florida Speeches

2008-01-30T09:55:00.000-05:00

Needless to say, I was disappointed by John McCain's victory last night in Florida. But what disappoints me even more is John McCain's character and integrity, or at least the lack thereof. Back in 2000 when McCain lost to Bush in South Carolina, despite his heralded victory in New Hampshire, many attributed his loss to last minute lies and gossip about him. He was so angry about how unfairly his opposition was fighting that he made a speech that offended many social conservatives, implying that his loss was partly because of them and their bias against him. A few years later was a key player in passing the bill McCain-Feingold, which put major restrictions on how candidates could raise money and limited their ads to the issues, among other things. Many social conservatives felt and still strongly feel that it encroaches upon their free speech. So you think after all this, McCain, being the victim of last minute slandering, would have the integrity and honour to abstain from the very practice that he hates so much. Of course not, he too started slandering (lying actually) against Romney at the last minute, but because of McCain-Feingold, Mitt can't call him out on his lies through ads. I'm not going to delve further into the issue, but after all the stuff McCain said about running a "positive" campaign, yadda, yadda, yadda, I have lost all respect for this man. Unfortunately the truth gets buried by the media and only people who follow the story closely ever know.

That rant was longer than I wanted it to be, but here is what I originally intended to write about.

After Florida was over, both Romney and McCain gave speeches and, to me, revealed their strategy going into Super Tuesday.

Romney's speech reiterated his message about how Washington is broken and how by putting the same people in different chairs wouldn't solve anything. The parts that stuck out to me were the following:

"And to build strong families, we'll teach our kids that, before they have babies, they should get married."

"And let's point out, to all those who criticized President Bush, that it's thanks to him that we've been safe these last six years."

Talking about who will be the ones to change America he said that big government wouldn't, but "hard-working, innovative, risk-taking, family-oriented, God- fearing, freedom-loving American people have always been the source of America's greatness, and they always will be."

To me it seems that Romney is trying to reach social conservative voters. Huckabee is as good as done as far as the nomination is concerned (although he may not drop out just to steal votes away from Mitt in hopes of becoming a running mate to McCain), so many social conservative voters are looking at who to vote for. With this group on his side, Romney would be unstoppable. Obviously though, many will not vote for him because he is a Mormon, and as unfair and stupid as it is, it's true nonetheless. But if he can get enough of this group to support him, he will have the numbers to beat McCain.

McCain's speech was also interesting. I was shocked when he didn't gloat about his victory, saying how much he won even though Romney outspent him (even though the media outspent Romney 1000 to 1 in supporting McCain). He was actually humble and "nice" in his speech. At first I thought "oh, isn't that sweet", but upon closer examination, seeing that it was obvious that he was reading off a teleprompter I knew that his speech was manufactured to cover up the fact that he had broken his own moral code the few days leading up to Florida. He had lied, been extremely negative, and claimed he was an expert on things he isn't - all things he said he wouldn't do. His speech tried to leave a good taste in the mouth of voters and attempt to make them forget about his fresh, unprecedented hypocrisy and crooked talk. He also tried extremely hard to appeal to conservatives in his speech. He mentioned Ronald Reagan several times in his speech.

"I intend to do that by making it clear what I stand for. I stand for the principles and policies that first attracted me to the Republican Party when I heard, in whispered conversations and tap codes, about the then Governor of California, who stood by me and my comrades, and who was making quite a reputation for standing by his convictions no matter the changing winds of political thought and popular culture. When I left the Navy and entered public life, I enlisted as a foot soldier in the political revolution he began. And I am as proud to be a Reagan conservative today, as I was then. I trust in the courage, good sense, resourcefulness and decency of the American people, who deserve a government that trusts in their qualities as well, and doesn't abrogate to its elf the responsibilities to do for the people what the people can and want to do for themselves."

He also kept saying "we Republicans" as if he has been a hardcore Republican his whole life. This is the same guy that almost ran as a Democrat! Funny that he calls Romney a flip-flopper! Nevertheless, he knows that without the conservative base of the GOP he can't do anything, even if he gets the nomination, and that is who he is trying to reach.

The question remains, who will be able to reach their target base better. If Mitt Romney can successfully reach out to social conservatives, he will win. If McCain can reach out to conservatives in general he will win. Only time will tell which strategy will prevail.

Race Update - The Battle of the GOP Continues - Delegate Count

2008-01-30T00:04:00.000-05:00

Delegate Count/Score board: (as per CNN)

McCain - 97
Romney - 74
Huckabee - 29
Paul - 6
Giuliani – 2

Medal Count:

1) Romney - 3 golds, 3 silvers
2) McCain - 3 golds, 1 silver, 1 bronze
3) Huckabee - 1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronzes
4) Thompson - 1 silver, 2 bronzes
5) Paul - 1 silver
6) Giuliani - 1 bronze

Florida, What Were You Thinking?!

2008-01-29T23:52:00.000-05:00

Unbelievably, more of the people in Florida that said the economy is their number one issue voted for McCain (38%) than Romney (32%). The question is WHY??? Dirty last minute politics can be the only logical answer. McCain not only admitted himself that he doesn’t know much about how the economy, but it becomes even more blatantly apparent in his past record (voting against the Bush tax cuts) and in his responses at debates and in interviews. On You Tube and countless blogs there is a myriad of evidence that irrefutably displays his weakness on economic issues. His position on this important issue to voters was so bad that he (the honest, positive, “straight talker”) had to lie about it during the last debate. Yet somehow in Florida his incompetence, hypocrisy and dirty tricks went unnoticed to many. It would be laughable if it weren’t so sad.

I can’t even begin to fathom how people say the economy is so important to them in one breath and vote for a guy with arguably the poorest economic resume of all the GOP candidates in the next. At least we can take some solace in the fact that McCain probably won’t win in the general election (if he gets the nomination). He is a person that will say and do anything to win votes. Were it not for the Mainstream Media running interference for him, he probably would have been outed for the shameless deceiver that he is. Ironically, the media who is propping him up at the moment (the NY Times for example) is the very same group that will turn on him come the general election. Make no mistake about it, they are preparing the sacrificial lamb for the slaughter.

If he happened to win the nomination and then squeak out a miraculous victory in the general election, heaven help us all. I hate to point out that McCain’s vision of a stronger military (a decent aspiration), stricter immigration practices (that’s what he calls it, but the undeceived call it amnesty), and other objectives rely primarily on a strong American economy. Without a vibrant economy, these things just become a fanciful dream; a dream big enough to win votes however unrealistic it might be without the foundation of a strong economy. And McCain’s half truths and dirty last minute politics won’t make a lick of difference when it comes time for real action. By putting another Washington politician in power, America is guaranteeing that the same old problems will come back to bite her in the butt.

Alright, enough venting about McCain … Now that I have gotten my disappointment out in the open, I can look forward with hope to the future. Mitt Romney is far from out of this race. He may not be leading in delegates right now, but he has been for almost the whole race so far. He is a man of strategy who has demonstrated persistence time and time again. Now that this has basically turned into a two man race things should start to get interesting. I still have a strong conviction that Romney is the best candidate running for either party and still feel that we have a long road ahead of us before any conclusions, for better or for worse, can be made. Let’s pick ourselves up and get to work.

McCain Doesn't "Straight Talk", He "Talks Straight" Out Of His ... (use your imagination)

2008-01-28T15:31:00.000-05:00

Does anyone remember John McCain saying any of this? Most of it was said only a few weeks ago.

"Tonight we sure showed them what a comeback looks like," McCain said. "When the pundits declared us finished, I told them, 'I'm going to New Hampshire, where the voters don't let you make their decision for them.' And when they asked, 'How are you going to do it? You're down in the polls. You don't have the money,' I answered, 'I'm going to New Hampshire, and I'm going to tell people the truth.'" (Boston Globe)

McCain said, he was proof that "negative campaigns don't work"--a clear shot at Mitt Romney (Newsweek)

I think Senator McCain has said it best, "we are going to continue to run a positive campaign." (Newsweek)

These are just a few McCain quotes from MANY that show that McCain is suffering from the common political disease "Iamfullofcrapitis". The guy calls Mitt Romney a flip-flopper, but I don't think he's ever looked in the mirror to see the flip-flopped (reversed) image of a professional flip-flopper. Hopefully that makes sense!

It sure seems like the Straight Talk Express has derailed. McCain has consistently told us that he ALWAYS tells the truth, that he runs a squeaky clean positive campaign, and admitted that he has his weak points such as the economy. Now (only a couple weeks later) he is straight up lying about Mitt's record to elicit support for himself in Florida, saying all kinds of dirty negative things about Romney, and saying that he never told anybody that he was weak on the economy (another blatant lie). McCain built his comeback in New Hampshire on the premise that he was a straight talkin’ good guy. It is a mystery to everyone as to why he is currently deviating from his high-minded maxims while campaigning in Florida.

National Review Online (NRO) wrote about what might viewed in the future as McCain’s downfall, where he abandoned the very principles that helped him to re-surge in the polls and become the apple in the media’s eye. Some notable excerpts from the article McCain's Dishonest Attack:

The writer, Rich Lowry, starts by giving McCain credit for his part in lobbying for the surge in Iraq.

As I've said before, McCain deserves a large part of the credit for the surge—he pushed to have it implemented both in his public advocacy and his behind-the-scenes lobbying of the Bush administration, and he has been its foremost defender. Romney wasn't as enthusiastic about it and in his body language, if nothing else seemed ready to distance himself from it if it failed. This is a perfectly legitimate issue for McCain to raise, and he has, by saying things like Romney was "looking at his shoes" while he was putting it all on the line for the surge.

Giving credit where credit is due, he then goes on to criticize McCain, who is practically a self proclaimed saint, for his recent unwarranted and dishonest attacks on Romney.

But that doesn't justify the rank dishonesty of his attack on Romney over the weekend. It's so shamelessly unfair, it's the kind of thing you'd expect of Bill Clinton attacking Barack Obama. Clearly, McCain wants to change the topic from the economy. And since he's suffering from his "straight-talk" about his relative lack of knowledge of and interest in the economy, he's trying to compensate with the opposite of straight talk—blatant distortions—about Romney's record. As Ramesh notes (citing Paul Mirengoff), McCain may feel entitled to this cheap shot given his own courage on the surge. He also might think that his press coverage is so adoring that he can get away with anything, and Romney is so firmly branded as a "flip-flopper" that any charge will stick. But I think something else is going on. McCain has always given the impression of reserving his true scorn for his enemies within his own party. I have a hard time imagining McCain making this kind of dishonest accusation against a Democrat—it would be uncivil and dishonorable. But making it against a fellow Republican running to his right? No problem. On top of this, there's the personal animosity McCain feels toward Romney. Indeed, in one of those debates in New Hampshire, McCain spoke warmly of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama at the same time he was giving off waves of hatred toward Romney.

The author then gives his analysis on how McCain's negativity, lying and hypocrisy might affect his campaign for the GOP nomination.

I wouldn't be surprised if it back-fires on McCain. The attack succeeded in the sense that it tipped the conversation back toward Iraq, but at a potential cost to McCain. His most important political asset is his political character, his reputation for truth-telling and honorable politics. This dishonest low-blow—if it continues to get attention in the closing hours—could chip away at that asset.

Latest Rasmussen Poll Looks Promising For Romney

2008-01-27T16:15:00.001-05:00

Not only does the latest poll conducted by Rasmussen show Mitt Romney leading Florida with 33% over McCain with 27%, but it gets even better when only conservative voters are polled, with Romney at 42%, almost doubling the next candidate, McCain, at only 22%. This is an integral stat, since only Republicans are allowed to vote in the Florida caucuses, unlike some of the other open primaries.

Looking at the issues specifically, here are the polling results:

Those concerned with the economy most - Romney 37%, McCain 33%
Those concerned with national security/war in Iraq most - Romney 31%, McCain 31%
Those who are concerned with immigration most - Romney 63%, McCain 7%

The poll also revealed Romney as the candidate that voters thought to be the most electable, with 76% saying they believe him to be somewhat likely to win the White House if nominated. McCain was next in line with 68%. Interestingly, last week both were at 69%, so public approval of McCain has dropped and has risen for Romney.

So a bit of my own analysis here. Why oh why is John McCain dropping the polls? Hmmmm.... let's see ... I would guess that the number one reason is because ... hmmm, what could it be ... oh yes, because he's a filthy liar. Even CNN, who absolutely adores John McCain (and they will until he's got the nomination and then they'll turn on him as planned and help the Dems crush him) admitted that he's been lying this past week. Here's a clip:

McCain does anything but "straight talk". He lies, he flip-flops, he flips out, and he makes himself look like a complete tool in interviews and during public debates. He is a bitter individual that wants to win the White House to fulfill his own selfish ambitions and prove to himself that he's not an absolute failure (having lost in presidential races so many times).

Good thing that more and more people in Florida, and all over America, are seeing him for what he really is: a fraud, and not a genuine conservative. Romney is the only serious shot the Republicans have at winning the presidency and the only candidate who can mae the changes needed in America today.

John McCain - The Democrat's Favorite Republican

2008-01-27T01:24:00.000-05:00

Check 0ut these videos to see why Democrats and the Mainstream Media LOVE John McCain:

Romney - McCain Race In Florida May Not Be a Close As We Think

2008-01-27T00:01:00.000-05:00

As we saw in New Hampshire with Hillary Clinton's surprise victory over Barack Obama (who was supposed to win by a 10% margin), polls aren't always the most accurate. Admittedly, though, they are fairly "on" most of the time. However, according to the ACT Blog article "A Problem in the RCP Average", Romney may actually have a bigger lead in Florida than the major polls are telling us. I have updated the numbers since the above mentioned article was written. This is the average of all the latest polls (taken from the site realclearpolitics.com), which is far more accurate than any of the polls on their own. On average you can see that Romney and McCain are virtually tied for the lead. I have updated the numbers since the above mentioned article was written.

	Rudy Giuliani	Mike Huckabee	John McCain	Mitt Romney
InsiderAdvantage*	16	15	24	26
SurveyUSA	18	14	30	28
Reuters C-Span/Zogby	15	10	31	28
Rasmussen	20	15	23	27
Mason-Dixon	18	15	26	30
Strategic Vision (R)	22	18	25	20
Herald/SPT/Bay9	15	15	25	23
RCP Average	*17.7*	*14.6*	*26.3*	26

However, polls are sometimes a bit misleading. Remember that many of these polls were not exclusive to Republicans only (so the Dems and Independents have their say in them too). The thing to remember is that Florida is not an open primary, so only Republicans can vote (not Democrats and Independents like in New Hampshire and Michigan). Unfortunately, most of the polls do not include polling results for JUST Republicans. However, a few of them did. The ones highlighted in blue below had separate results for GOP voters only. Observe how the average at the bottom changes in light of the new found results.

	Rudy Giuliani	Mike Huckabee	John McCain	Mitt Romney
InsiderAdvantage*	*15.7*	*14.9*	*24.7*	*27.8*
SurveyUSA	18	18	24	33
Reuters C-Span/Zogby	15	10	31	28
Rasmussen	20	15	23	27
Mason-Dixon	18	15	26	30
Strategic Vision (R)	22	18	25	20
Herald/SPT/Bay9	15	15	25	23
RCP Average	*17.7*	*15.1*	*25.5*	*27.0*

Obviously Mitt is winning according to these results, albeit only by a little bit, but keep in mind two things. One, the polls for McCain coming out of South Carolina with victory momentum were much higher, and have been eroding at a rapid pace with more people hopping off the Boldface Lie, uh, I mean supposed "Straight Talk Expess". Two, the results sway in favour of Romney when only two of the seven polls above are modified to include Republicans only. Imagine the difference if all of them were changed (evidently an even greater lead for him).

The funniest part about this little exercise is McCain's boldface lie, oh crap, I mean "straight talk" (I always do that) during the debate on Thursday. He told everyone, in response to a question about whether he was conservative enough to get the Republican support he needed, that Republicans have supported him more than Mitt Romney. BS! Evidently McCain isn't smart enough (or too old to use the internet) to look up the results from New Hampshire (where he won) that show Romney beating him by 5% (if I recall correctly, it could be 7%) among Republicans only, or Michigan where Romney had a significant lead over him (not just with conservatives but overall). Let's not forget Iowa, Wyoming and Nevada. Time after time Romney has beaten McCain if you remove Dems and Independents from the vote. But McCain has the audacity to full-out lie to us by saying that he has won more support from Republicans. Can anyone tell me if McCain is honestly on crack? I think he might need to change dealers. Like how does he get away unscathed by the media for saying the unprecedented amount of garbage that he does. Or how about him saying at the debate, when asked about his earlier comments on how he didn't think he was strong on the economy, something to the effect of "I never said I was weak on the economic issues". COMMON, PLEASE, DO YOU TAKE US FOR IDIOT JOHNNY BOY! This guy has been hanging out with Bill Clinton and Pinocchio a little too much. Just a couple weeks ago he said these comments (click here for a plethora of quotes to show that John was lying to the American public).

Well enough about McCainian ... Florida is looking good for Mitt. He's rising in the polls, he's got a good ground team there, and most of all, he actually has substance, class, and an action plan behind his ideas (unlike other people in the race). On to victory in the Sunshine State.

You’d Have To Be a McCainiac To Vote For John McCain, Or Just Really Drunk

2008-01-25T20:47:00.000-05:00

John McCain isn’t putting the “hip” back in “hypocrite”. This cranky, ill-tempered geezer is out showing the world that he is everything BUT a straight talker. Remember when McCain and his boyfriend Huckabee were tag teaming Mitt Romney saying that he was being too negative on the campaign trail, when all he was doing was showing everyone their dismal/liberal records (something important to know)? Well, now Saint McCain is out their doing the exact same thing to Mitt. Today he bashed Mitt publicly saying that he’s a manager, not a leader (obviously implying that he is). This hypocrisy has been going on for quite a while now. It’s convenient that McCain can be the nice guy who doesn’t attack (and criticizes others for attacking) when it makes him look good, but quickly turns from Jekyll to Hyde when it doesn’t matter. McCain’s supposed straight talk is about as straight as a question mark. Clearly Mitt wouldn’t let him get away with his empty accusations and hit him back.

Romney said McCain thinks “being on the Commerce Committee in the Senate, that’s what gives you the expertise you need to know about how the economy works.” He added sarcastically, “Yeah, oh yeah,” before citing several of McCain’s quotes in the last several years in which the Arizona senator acknowledges his weakness in economic matters comparative to his knowledge of foreign and military issues.

“Now I think that’s straight talk, all right?” Romney went on, “Washington talk says that somehow because you’ve been in Washington and you’ve been on a committee that you somehow know about how the jobs of this country are created.”

Did anybody else notice how poorly McCain answered questions at the Florida debate last night (see video below)? When Ron Paul asked him about the economy, he’s mumbled out some verbal diarrhea about how he “knows people” in Washington who can advise him on economic stuff. WOW, I mean WOW! The economy is only THE MOST IMPORTANT issue in American right now and he’s gonna ask his buddies what to do! Gee, John, I though you said you were a leader? Mitt, the real leader, has a stimulus plan and is ready to take action. McCain is the manager, simply wanting to sit on his pedestal and supervise those under him making all the crucial decisions. And he’s not even a good manager – he’s like the manager of a sleazy fried chicken joint. The guy has almost no substance, and the only bit of it that he does have is liberal! He calls Romney a flip-flopper, but he has flip-flopped on way more issues. Mitt’s record shows that once he has changed his view on a position, he has stuck with it. McCain can’t say the same.

The only reason McCain is getting so much attention is because the media views him as the best guy to stop Romney, the only true conservative left in the race capable of defeating the Dems. Notice how they don’t prop up Huckabee much anymore? Why? Because he’s a lost cause…they need to get the biggest bang for their critical, manipulative, biased buck, and that is by electing McCain. And the media says, “well McCain will appeal to Democratic voters in the national election if he gets the nomination because of his moderate position”. Two red flags to be had here. First off, why would Republicans vote for a guy the Democrats would like (due to his liberal positions)? Second, one of the most important issues to Democrats is pulling out of Iraq. Why would they take McCain, who would happily build his vacation home on shores of the Persian Gulf, over one of their own candidates, just because he has “some” moderate views? The answer is simple. If Republicans vote McCain, they might as well be Democrats, or … they might as well hand over the election to Clinton or Obama on a silver platter (with girls beside their throne that fan them with giant leaves and feed them grapes). McCain, like Huckabee, will ruin the conservative coalition and cause a devastating blow to the Republican Party and their voters’ moral. But hey, if any Democrats out there are reading this, I just gave you a great strategy to win the national election: support “Republican” John McCain. After all, to logically support this guy you’d either have to be a Democrat or a McCainiac.

Here is a video made by the Ron Paul guys that pretty much sums up John McCain's knowledge about the most important issue to Americans: the economy. Super funny, from the debate last night, take a look.

Romney Enjoys Four Point Lead In Florida before Tonight's MSNBC Debate

2008-01-24T18:50:00.001-05:00

Going into tonight's Florida debate (which airs live on MSNBC at 9pm eastern and streams live at MSNBC.com), Mitt Romney leads in the Florida GOP polls. According to the most recent poll by Mason-Dixon, he is leading the pack at 30%, followed by McCain (26%), Giuliani (18%) and the Huckster (13%). This lead comes in spite of the media, not surprisingly, shooting most of its coverage John McCain's way.

Check out the article "Romney, Obama lead in upcoming primaries" at MSNBC.com for more details.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18312727/

Can One Voter Really Make a Difference?

2008-01-23T23:42:00.000-05:00

If I came up to you and offered you to pick between the following two choices, which would you take?

Option #1 - I will give you a million dollars cash right now, on the spot, no strings attached.

Option #2 - I will give you a penny today, which you can bring back to me tomorrow to trade me for two pennies (double). The next day you could bring me the two pennies, at which time I would give you four. This doubling would continue for 31 days. For example, this is what the first 10 days would look like.

Day 1 - 1 cent
Day 2 - 2 cents
Day 3 - 4 cents
Day 4 - 8 cents
Day 5 - 16 cents
Day 6 - 32 cents
Day 7 - 64 cents
Day 8 - 1.28 dollars
Day 9 - 2.56 dollars
Day10- 5.12 dollars
Continued for another 21 days

You may have seen something like this before, but it is not surprising that many people would take the first option of one millions dollars now instead of the second doubling option. Well, the truth is that by taking the second option you would end up with $10,747,418.24, almost 11 times more than the first.

So what am I getting at here? Yes, yes, I actually have a point! The point is that the power of doubling is huge. You may think, "I like Mitt Romney, but what difference is my one vote going to make?". First of all, this is a dangerous way to think, because if everyone thought this way the person who gets into power to govern many would be decided by very few. But imagine if you could convince two of your friends or family who were not going to vote for Romney to do so; and what if they did the same thing. In 31 days, almost 11 million new voters would come out for Mitt. It all starts with one though, just as the old proverb says, "every journey begins with a single step".

There are still almost two weeks until Super Tuesday and even less until Florida. What can you do to support Mitt in his battle for the nomination?

Visit this link to see what you can do to:

Elect Romney in 2008 - Florida and Super Tuesday: What You Can Do

And just like that

2008-01-23T14:22:00.000-05:00

John McCain is less of a person.

Lets not have him run america.... mmmkay?

thompson exits stage left

2008-01-22T20:14:00.000-05:00

So Thompson bows out this morning and for captain Mitt, this is great news. Remember, McCain is losing among pure bred republicans which make up the majority of Thompson voters so one could logically conclude that the Thompson following will be divvied up among Huckster and Romney. Huckabee is only a contender in the southern states, which leaves the new found free votes out west up for grabs. Making Romney's close second in the polls all of the sudden become a dangerous second chasing McCain with a new found vigour, and with legitimate money and not just hopes of money.

Thompson was one of the last to join the race and one of the first to drop out. Look out folks, the party just got interesting.

Glenn Beck Calls Out Media Bias Against Romney

2008-01-22T19:34:00.001-05:00

CNN's Glenn Beck has made his opinion of the mainstream media's obvious bias against Mitt Romney open to the public. Elect Romney in 2008 (a site that posts a steady stream of good quality, interesting articles - I can't praise these guys enough) was informed of this article from one of their readers.

Here are some key points made by Beck:

"It’s, especially around election time. It’s very, very interesting. For example, how do they know which primaries are important? Glad to know that. Seems to me that some are extraordinarily important and others, even when it’s a close race, barely even worth a mention. Why is that? Apparently we do have some sort of a rule developing here that I just don’t understand. The truly important primaries are the ones that Romney doesn’t win. Iowa’s important, Wyoming isn’t. New Hampshire is important, despite the fact that Wyoming has more delegates than New Hampshire. New Hampshire is also more important than Michigan, which also has more delegates and where more people voted than all of the other primaries combined. South Carolina is important but Nevada isn’t, even though Nevada once again has more delegates and the fact that Nevada is apparently important to the Democrats. Are you following me so far? This is the new rule. It’s very hard, but once they put it up in a chart with just a slogan, if Romney wins, it’s not important. You mark my words. Florida is suddenly not going to be important."

Imagine if McCain had won these states ... the media would have made a huge story out of it, or i it was Huckabee, they would have called it a miracle. But because it was Romney, no big deal ... in fact they make us believe that it was no accomplishment at all.

"Story line goes that Michigan just rewarded Romney because he’s their state’s favorite son, although he left the state when he was a kid, something that McCain pointed out before the vote. This guy has no ties here, he left before he was a kid. Then during his concession speech McCain said that it was nice of Michigan to reward their favorite son, something that he said before the election wasn’t true. And that line of thinking because John McCain said it, immediately adopted by the media. Nevada, however, is a different story. I mean, it’s obvious now. This is what they’re reporting. It is obvious that Romney was going to win, wildly expected, spent so much money. Romney was the man to win, wildly expected. Really? It was? That’s weird. Six days, six days before the caucus in Nevada, it was a 4-point lead for John McCain. By the way, that lead was not over Romney. That lead was over Giuliani. Romney was not only behind McCain at 22%, Giuliani at 18%. He was also behind Huckabee at 16%. Romney in Nevada, six days before the election at 15%. Some polls had him with a lead but nothing like the 51/14 win he wound up pulling off, Ron Paul coming in second. Now, does this give him any momentum? Of course not. People today are saying if he doesn’t win Florida, he should drop out. Of course not. Why? Because the Nevada win was all about Mormons. Did you know that the state has 9% Mormons is this so 0 that 9% gave him the 51% lead, that 9% did. All the Mormons that came out to vote for Romney, of the Mormons, he won the Mormons. He made the Mormon vote. It’s absolutely true. The problem is Romney also won every other religion. All the Catholics that came out, he won all the Catholics. All the Presbyterians, he won all the Presbyterians. All the Baptists, he won all the Baptists. In fact, Romney won every single demographic category of the 67 exit polls measured except for three and most of them by a very wide margin."

Despite Mitt doing better than any other candidate in terms of delegates, number of states won, and overall total votes, the media always thinks that Mitt should quit the race if he doesn't win the next state.

"But let’s put things into perspective here. Romney shouldn’t be dropping out of Florida. Even if he loses Florida. Which, by the way, a new Rasmussen report, a new poll out just today, you’ll find it on the front page, shows Romney now ahead in Florida. It was a three-way tie. McCain, Giuliani, all about 18%. It now shows Romney. Everybody else still at 16 and 18% and Romney at 25% in Florida. So he should definitely drop out of Florida. This guy has momentum despite what the media is doing to him. This guy has momentum despite all of the candidates ganging up on him. He’s run the most consistent campaign against the early states with his worst finish in a close race for 3rd with Fred Thompson in South Carolina. His worst finish was third place. And yet the messenger of change is John McCain and Hillary Clinton. My goodness, I just, I just don’t understand that."

To anyone who has eyes and half a brain it is clear to see that the liberal media hates Mitt Romney because they view him as the biggest threat to take out one of their Democrat favourites. The more they hate on him, the more you know he's doing well.

Hell Just Froze Over and Pig Flew Past It - A Mediaman Tells the Truth!

2008-01-22T01:30:00.000-05:00

This, ladies and gentlemen, is truth at it's best. Spread this video to whomever you can. And thank you to Elect Romney in 2008 for showing it to me.

I can't believe I actually saw a representative of the mainstream media say this! Wow, there truly is a first for everything. The Media tells the truth! I am actually shocked...my mouth has dropped in awe...seriously. I never thought I'd say this about a media guy, but I couldn't have said it better myself. Take a look.

Pre-polls Look Good For Mitt in the Sunshine State

2008-01-22T00:47:00.000-05:00

Mitt Romney won Nevada by a handsome margin and then left immediately for Florida, instead of spending the night in South Carolina waiting for results from their caucus. Some criticized this choice, arguing that South Carolina would be the gateway to the south, but now it's looking like old Mitt was right after all. According to the latest Rasmussen Poll, Romney is leading in Florida by 5% with 25% of in the pre-polls, followed by McCain with 20% and Giuliani with 19%. In the next Republican debate I can guarantee that both McCain and Giuliani will go after Romney; especially Giuliani, since Florida will probably make or break him. Hopefully, though, Rudy won't make the same mistake that Fred Thompson did and only go after Romney, just as Fred only really went after Huckabee, leaving McCain unscathed despite deserving much criticism for his liberal past. A strong showing for Mitt in Florida (gold or silver could really set him up for great voter support on super Tuesday).

While I still have your attention, one thing that I really wanted to mention is something that Mitt said in an interview after he won Nevada, but only came fourth (although a very close fourth) in South Carolina. When asked whether he thought voters in the south would support him, he gave an astute reply. He basically said that voters in the south will support whatever good conservative wins the nomination for the GOP, but that he has proved that he can win the "swing states" like Michigan and Nevada. This is an excellent point. To defeat the Democrats, the GOP doesn't need a candidate that will only win the south (because they will most likely vote Republican anyway). They need someone who will win the states that are sitting on the fence, deciding whether to vote Democrat or Republican. This shows that Mitt is not just thinking about winning the nomination, but actually the white house, and demonstrates his contagious confidence and optimism. Plus during the past few days he has been talking a lot about why Clinton and Obama aren't what American needs. In my opinion, Mitt has just stepped it up a level and has his head in the right place - winning the presidency so that he can represent conservatives and change Washington for the better. This race just keeps on getting better and better everyday!

World Markets Take a Huge Hit

2008-01-21T17:16:00.001-05:00

Today, with growing fear of the US economy going into recession and lack of confidence in President Bush's economic stimulus plan, markets all around the world really took a huge beating. Here in Canada the TSX (Toronto Stock Exchange) lost more than 600 points, or approximately 5% in one day. This is in addition to the substantial decline it, and other world markets, experienced last week. I personally have seen my investment portfolio drop thousands of dollars in the past few trading days and, let me tell you, it's a scary situation to be in. Hopefully Ben Bernanke, the head of the US Federal Reserve, will announce a major cut in interest rates in the next few days, or the markets will lose even more. Unfortunately, doing this may erode the US dollar even further. It is a sickening feeling to log on to the internet and see that the market has dropped that much in one day, on top of the accumulated decline from last week. It really takes that smirk of the faces of the people suffering from insane inflationary mentality, that believe that the market will go up forever.

The point is this: THIS IS NO TIME TO SCREW AROUND! It just goes to show that we need someone with experience, who can stimulate the economy while in power. No offense to Barack Obama, but he has a track record about as long as a match stick, and this is no time to take a chance on severe inexperience. Furthermore, any democrat who wants to RAISE taxes, clearly doesn't understand how this will worsen the economy. On the republican side, many want a strong military and tighter border controls, but these things cost money, and ride on the coat tails of a strong economy. What happened today just confirms even stronger that we need a Mitt Romney in the Oval office; someone who has spent the majority of his life taking failing businesses and operations and turning them around. We have to stop messing being wooed by political rhetoric, fancy and stirring speeches, and smooth talking one-liner politicians. We need someone who can assess what's going on, create an appropriate strategy, and then act. We need Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney Performs Excellently on Tonight Show With Jay Leno

2008-01-21T00:55:00.000-05:00

The night before the Nevada and South Carolina primaries, Romney appeared on Jay Leno's Tonight Show and did a great job not only showing his sense of humour, but also talking about the issues. The video wasn't up on You Tube until recently, but it is now, so here it is:

an underground network for mitt?

2008-01-20T13:31:00.000-05:00

So here's a question I'd love an answer to. Watching the news yesterday as results came in, the media was consistent to point out that Romney would have wanted to campaign in Nevada rather than South Carolina because there is a strong Mormon population in Nevada, and therefore Mitt's got an in, a sure fire population that "no one had taken into consideration." Well at maybe 4% of the US population, I want to know how they think this underground movement is working? The Mormon card seems to be played way too much by the media to be realistic. We know it wasn't the reason for a strong showing in Iowa, nor New Hampshire, Wyoming, and Nevada for that matter. If the Jews aren't making Giuliani magically win states, and the blacks don't give the election to Obama, I really don't understand how the media thinks a few Mormons stand a chance at throwing their 'weight' in an election.

No, it's not those who affiliate with the same religion that are making Mitt Romney America's choice, it's what happens when the race comes down to the issues. You see, the more of the candidates we get to enjoy, the more fragile every other candidates platform becomes with slip ups and semantics as well as voting preferences and their true stance on issues comes forth. But with Romney, who may have started out a bit fragile with accusations of flip flopping and being a "pretty boy," he is becoming more and more solid as the campaigns wear on. His stance on issues continually supports what he's been saying all along, no one is surprised as they find out his stance on the war, his vision for the economy, or his actual, real, plans to change Washington (as opposed to rhetoric on top of rhetoric reminiscent of deep fried froth).

No CNN - Fox News - Network media, as much fun as it would be to have a secret underground movement of Mormons electing the next president, the numbers aren't there, which means eventually you're going to have to take a look at the bigger issue... Romney brought an A game sweethearts.

Update on the Race for GOP, Delegate Count, Medal Standings

2008-01-19T22:00:00.001-05:00

Today Romney won gold in the Silver State, Nevada, and John McCain took a gold in the Palmetto State, South Carolina. Next up, Florida. Here are the latest stats to look at:

Delegate Count/Score board: (as per CNN)

Romney - 72
McCain - 38
Huckabee - 29
Thompson - 8
Paul - 6
Giuliani – 2
Hunter - 1

Medal Count:

1) Romney - 3 golds, 2 silvers
2) McCain - 2 golds, 1 silver, 1 bronze
3) Huckabee - 1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronzes
4) Thompson - 1 silver, 2 bronzes
5) Paul - 1 silver
6) Hunter - 1 bronze

Mitt Places Gold in the Silver State

2008-01-19T14:40:00.000-05:00

Mitt Romney wins another Gold medal in Nevada with more than 50% of the vote, absoulutely overshadowing the next closest candidate. We shall see what happens tonight in South Carolina, but this is a major win for Mitt in the Silver State. With more delegates at stake there (34, 3 of which are unpledged), and only 24 in South Carolina, many think that Mitt's strategy could pay off. I recently read an article from the Boston Globe entitled "Lower Profile, But More Delegates", touching upon why Romney concentrating on Nevada instead of S.C could pay off. Here is an exerpt.

"While his main rivals slugged it out yesterday across South Carolina, fighting for an edge in today's hotly contested primary, Mitt Romney hopscotched around Nevada, angling to win a lower-profile contest today that could bring a bigger reward.

Focusing on Nevada and downplaying South Carolina is a gamble, but one that appeared more savvy yesterday with the publication of a new poll indicating that Romney has a 15-percentage-point lead.

Romney says he is focused not on the glory of winning a major battle in the first Southern primary, but on the less glamorous task of collecting the delegates needed to win the nomination at the Republican National Convention in September. South Carolina, he frequently points out, awards just 24 delegates to Nevada's 31.

"I want the nomination," Romney, who has been in Nevada since Thursday, said during a campaign stop at the Claim Jumper restaurant in Henderson. "I'm not just looking for a gold star on the forehead."

On to Florida!

Romney Finds Himself in an Excellent Tactical Position

2008-01-19T01:06:00.000-05:00

Despite the media making it sound as if Mitt Romney is destined for sure failure, and that McCain and Huckabee are God's gift to America (besides the Democrats of course), he is in a great position right now. He is like the guy on the Risk board who has huge armies built up in Australia, just waiting for everyone else to kill each other off so he can make his move to sweep the board in one fell swoop. For those who are unaware, the current delegate count (what really matters) is as follows (according to CNN). Notice that Romney has more than double the next guy (ya, the media is really smart alright, saying that Romney is doing poorly - what a bunch of biased morons they are, with an obvious goal in mind to prop up the weakest, most liberal Republican candidates).

Romney - 48
Huckabee - 19
McCain - 15
Thompson - 6
Paul - 2
Hunter - 1
Giuliani – 1

With Romney polling well in Nevada, he should win there, taking a good portion of the 34 delegates up for grab there (10 more delegates than even South Carolina). Although it is doubtful that he'll win South Carolina, hopefully he'll have a good showing there, that will help him as he moves onto Florida on January 29th.

The following article entitled "Place Your Money On Romney", written by Noam Sheiber of New Republic, does a superb job at showing the excellent strategic position that Mitt sits in right now. With, Noam's words in mind, let's all start doing everything we can to help Mitt win Florida, which will propel him to victory on Super Tuesday. Here is the article.

You hear a lot these days about the chaotic state of the GOP race, which is obviously true insofar as lots of candidates still have a shot at winning. But I don't think it's true in the sense that several candidates have an equal shot of winning.

My sense is that Mitt Romney emerges from Michigan with some pretty clear advantages. For one thing, the first kind of chaos ("type 1") makes it pretty tough for Romney's rivals to raise money, which will, perhaps more than anything else, influence the outcome of the 21 February 5th contests. As this Politico piece notes, the GOP's general fundraising environment was already tough. Type 1 chaos doesn't make it any easier--both because people are reluctant to bet on a potential loser, and because the bettors end up splitting their money among several candidates. Romney's personal fortune is obviously a huge help here.

Second, Romney doesn't need enough money/momentum to win the nomination outright. He just needs enough money & mo' to survive a winnowing of the field down to two candidates. Should he make it into a one-on-one scenario with any of his four plausible rivals (I don't consider Fred Thompson plausible at this point, though he could prove me wrong Saturday), I suspect the GOP establishment will rally around him with lots of money and support.

The reason is that each of these rivals inspires much discomfort in some significant corner of the party establishment. There is deep suspicion of McCain among lobbyists (hard feelings over Jack Abramoff), anti-tax people (particularly Abramoff pal Grover Norquist), and the various interest groups (gun-rights, anti-abortion, etc.) whose lives McCain made more difficult with campaign-finance reform. And that's before you get to the evangelical leadership, which hasn't forgotten his "agents of intolerance" diss in 2000. (See this recent Washington Post piece for a complete list of establishment McCain-haters.)

Meanwhile, Huckabee provokes all sorts of fear and loathing among security hawks and supply-siders (whom he derides as part of the Wall Street-Washington axis), while Giuliani obviously has his share of problems with the social-conservative industrial complex.

Romney has no such problems. While grassroots evangelicals may have their doubts about him, the elite portion of the movement likes him just fine. Supply-siders seem swayed by his businessman cred while the hawks take comfort in his obsession with doubling Guantanomo and jihadist caliphates.

Now run through the practical scenarios:

If McCain wins South Carolina, Huckabee and Fred Thompson are finished. (Thompson for obvious reasons, Huckabee because the state is about as ideal demographically as it's going to get for him. If he can't win there, where can he win?) I suspect Rudy is done, too, since he and McCain appeal to similar voters--security hawks, social moderates--and McCain will have all the momentum. That means a Romney-McCain playoff.

If Huckabee wins South Carolina, Thompson is done and McCain is damaged goods, while Giuliani and (obviously) Huckabee are still alive. With his war chest, Romney should be able to sneak into the top two in Florida, and the person who falls to third--Giuliani or Huckabee--is probably done, too. That means a Romney-Huckabee/Giuliani playoff.

If Thompson somehow wins South Carolina, Huckabee is done, McCain is seriously damaged, and Romney has a great shot at first or second in Florida, since Thompson will have a steep hill to climb there.

The biggest risk to Romney is a fourth-place finish in South Carolina, which raises questions about his viability and sends him limping into Florida. That's probably why you see Romney continuing to run ads there even though he's ostensibly conceded the state.

Short of that, I'd say his prospects look pretty good--or as good as they can in a race this wide open.

All that being said, let's not get too over confident. Mitt has an excellent ground team in so many states, supported by volunteers, internet bloggers, generous donation givers, and many pundits endorsing him. This is all great, but we can always do more. Let's get too it.

Romney Owns Unprofessional Journalist Glenn Johnson

2008-01-18T00:24:00.001-05:00

South Carolinians For Romney did an excellent article and posted a link to this video, showing an ignorant journalist, Glenn Johnson, accusing Mitt Romney of having Washington lobbyists. Mitt shows us yet another reason why he is the best person to be the next president. He handles the media extremely well, even though they have an unhealthy, unfair, and un-called-for biased against him (and all true conservatives). To read the rest of the article, visit Carolinians For Romney.

Ross Perot Endorses Romney ... and Slams McCain!

2008-01-17T23:36:00.000-05:00

Some poignant excerpts from the article "When Ross Perot Calls…" from Newsweek.

The author starts, "The phone rang and it was , who hasn't given an interview in years. Perot, who won 19 percent of the vote in the 1992 presidential election, making him one of the strongest third-party candidates in American history, got straight to the point."Remember what you wrote about in the March 13, 2000, NEWSWEEK?" 'Sure,' I lied."

He then goes on to talk about his days back in 'Nam' with McCain.
The Texas billionaire, now 77, still has some scores to settle from the Vietnam era, and his timing is exquisite. Just days before the South Carolina GOP primary, he wants me to know that McCain "is the classic opportunist--he's always reaching for attention and glory. Other POWs won't even sit at the same table with him."

"Perot's real problem with McCain is that he believes the senator hushed up evidence that live POWs were left behind in Vietnam and even transferred to the Soviet Union for human experimentation, a charge Perot says he heard from a senior Vietnamese official in the 1980s. "There's evidence, evidence, evidence," Perot claims. "McCain was adamant about shutting down anything to do with recovering POWs."

After rippin' on McCain, he then goes on to praise Mitt Romney:

"Perot says he intends to vote for Mitt Romney in the Texas Republican primary on March 4, citing Romney's experience in business and his family values. "When I went to the Naval Academy and met my first Mormons I asked why so many were excellent officers," Perot recalls. "I learned it was because of their strong family unit."

Even though I don't share the same view with Perot on every issue, I totally think he nailed this idea right on the head:

The founder of a data-processing empire is still sharp in diagnosing what ails the United States. "The situation in 1992 was not nearly as bad as it is now," he says. "If ever there was a time when it was necessary to put our house in order, it's now." And he believes that the best person to do that is Mitt Romney.

It Looks Like McCain’s Straight Talk Express Made A Surprise Stop in BSville

2008-01-16T13:29:00.000-05:00

How much more double talk, lies and deceit are we supposed to take from John McCain before we stop hearing how much of an honest “straight talker” he is (about as straight as a question mark … and no, not in that way)? When will we start hearing the truth that he claims to ALWAYS tell? McCain, like Huckabee, keeps getting a free pass whenever something negative comes up about him, mostly due to the left-wing media loving him (aka – setting either him or Huck up to get demolished by the Dems in the nationals).

The media, for the most part, simply ignores these stories and talks about what a great candidate he is. They say just a few negative things about him, enough to convince the public that they are not biased (which is a bold-face lie).

Yesterday the straight talker McCain who, according to…..hmmmm, let’s see….oh ya, HIMSELF (the guy who ripped Mitt up for making ‘negative’ ads), send out negatives mailers in South Carolina accusing Mitt Romney of not supporting president Bush’s tax cuts early enough (even though he himself VOTED AGAINST those same tax cuts and even told Tim Russert last week that he was proud of his vote). As Joe Scarborough said “this smells of DIRTY POLITICS and DIRTY CAMPAIGNING!” Not to mention that the mailer contains several misleading claims (click here to see them). So much for straight talk “my friends” ("my friends" is something McCain say about every 3 seconds in his speeches).

The other thing I don’t understand is why McCain would attack Romney, who is actually polling fourth in SC? Why would you attack a competitor running fourth? I thought the media said that Mitt Romney was done after Iowa and then again New Hampshire (note -they were just kidding about Iowa). Well the answer is that his attacks wouldn’t make sense, unless … he is an angry, ill-tempered, cranky old man who is seriously hating on someone. I mean, wouldn’t it make more sense to target the other frontrunners (like Huckabee for example – oh wait – I forgot, he’s practically your boyfriend)? I guess the city of Common Senseville is one place the straight talk express didn’t visit.

So what are we to make of his changes and repeated lies on immigration and taxes? John the way you describe the immigration thing still sounds like amnesty to most people. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.

I guess it all boils down to this: If one of the BIG reasons people are supporting John McCain is that he is “honest” and is a “straight talker”, they really need to do their homework because, to the non-ignorant, McCain is being less than honest with people and to believe otherwise, well, your only fooling yourself and you must be an absolute McCainiac.

McCain - A Sore Loser

2008-01-16T00:51:00.000-05:00

Can I speak bluntly with you guys? Thanks. John McCain is REALLY starting to get on my nerves. He is SUCH a sore loser, SUCH a big baby, SUCH a friggin' angry man, and can't graciously accept defeat.

In his speech tonight after losing Michigan to Mitt Romney, McCain congratulated him on his victory, just as Mitt humbly did for McCain in New Hampshire. However, his congrats didn't come without a negative a negative jab attached, as he attributed Romney's success to being the "native son" of Michigan. That is complete B.S if I've ever heard it, and ironic, because John McCain's success can only be attributed to democrats and independents pulling for him in N.H. The real reason that Romney won is because he cares about what Michigan (and America for that matter) needs and wants and is basing his platform around it (when you listen to the people John, that called de-moc-rac-y .... do you need me to talk slower for you?) Mitt focused on the economy (currently the number one issue in America) and other important issues and his message simply resonated with voters...End of story...none of this "native son" crapola. Hugh Hewitt reported these numbers from tonight and more on his website:

Romney won conservatives 41-23%, with 20% for Huckabee. ALMOST DOUBLE

Romney won Republicans 41-27%. AGAIN ALMOST DOUBLE

Romney won Evangelicals 34-29% for Huckabee. McCain took just 23%. WOW, EVEN AFTER HUCK ASKED EVERY PASTOR IN MICHIGAN TO GET THEIR CONGREGATIONS TO VOTE FOR HIM.

It looks to me like Romney won with Republican voters again, just as he did in New Hampshire (remember who voted in McCain - that's right, the independents)

So who voted for the other guys tonight?

McCain won Democrats 41-33%. WELL DONE. GEE, WHO DO DEMOCRATS WANT TO SLAUGHTER IN THE ELECTION?
McCain won pro-choice voters 39-35%. CAUSE HE'S BASICALLY HALF LIBERAL
He won among those who never attend church by 11 points — 39-28. HE DOESN'T FAIR WELL WITH THE RELIGIOUS VOTE
The “architect of the surge” won with Iraq war disapprovers 36-29. BECAUSE HE'S A FLIP-FLOPPER ON THE ISSUES

Hugh said "Cue the fat lady for Huck and McCain. The former can’t get above 15% with a huge effort, and McCain can’t win in an open primary state, one crucial to the fall, even when the Dems take a bye?"

It looks like McCain and Huckabee's love affair might have to end, as their tag-team effort against Romney just ended up making them look like complete fools (they remind me of the two burglars on Home Alone that get absolutely smoked by the kid). Plus, South Carolina is a key state for both of them and they are both in each other's way. They will be two hungry dogs fighting over the same bowl. Although I'd hate to see them break up, as it's just getting entertaining, it's inevitable. They are probably on the phone right now "Mikey, baby, this just isn't working out"..."Ya, Johnny, you've change, you're not the influential man you used to be".

Bottom line, Mitt won tonight, fair and square, and McCain has the right to shut his jealous yapper until he can actually pull out some real Republicans and Conservatives to vote for him on a consistent basis. Remember Johnny boy, this is the REPUBLICAN NOMINATION you are going for. One positive thing about McCain and Huck though is that they will make a great villains for Mitt's "How I became president" story.

ADDED:
Great article Dave! I just wanted to add that in leading up to the election McCain was down playing Romney’s connection to Michigan as if he (McCain) had a bigger connection. He said during an interview on his bus that he was on an automotive industry committee and so on and added that Mitt hasn’t lived in Michigan since he was a kid years ago. Now he credits that shallow connection as being the main reason Mitt won. You can’t have it both ways Johnny boy if you want to ride the straight talk express.-Ken

Race Update - Mitt Romney Wins Michigan by a Hefty Margin

2008-01-15T21:04:00.000-05:00

Mitt Romney did an awesome job in Michigan convincing voters that he is the best man to fix the economy, secure the border, fight the war on terror, and strengthen families. I'm am extremely proud that Mitt is finally getting the recognition that he deserves. Even though Mitt had the most delegates, more pure votes than any other candidate, and was WINNING the race, the liberal media made it look like he was doomed to lose, while lovin' up Mike Huckabee and John McCain (who were actually losing). I think it absolutely crazy how negatively they can spin things against Mitt even as he is ACTUALLY WINNING. You watch the commentary after Mitt's win and I'm sure you will pick up on some of the negative things they say. For example they just let a caller say tell her perspective on the race, and she said that she was sad that Huckabee didn't win, and that Mitt won only because he was a Michigan native (John McCain also said that in his post-speech). This lady must be pretty ignorant, since almost ALL of Huckabee's supporters only vote for him because of his religion, ignoring his obvious slimy demeanor (he should be a used car salesman). They will probably say that Mitt only won because of democrats and independents voting for him, even though they didn't say that for John McCain in New Hampshire (no, no, for him it was because he's great - even though Mitt kicked his butt if you only count the Republican vote). They'll probably say that it was because of his money, even though both Obama and Clinton both have more (and they love those guys). You look at the stats after though, and you will see that Mitt not only won Michigan, but would have also won if it was just Republicans voting (actually, it just came on CNN, Romney won 2 to 1 against McCain for only conservatives). Mitt Romney is going to win Nevada and then has a really good chance at the nomination since he is one of the only ones who has enough money to continue. Oh, and by the way Mike Huckabee, John McCain and Mainstream media, why don't you just shut your dirty mouths about Mitt Romney having money. Republicans should be glad that SOMEONE has enough money to compete with the Democrats. Mitt now has two gold medals and two silvers.

Here is the Medal Count

1) Romney - 2 golds, 2 silvers
2) McCain - 1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze
3) Huckabee - 1 gold, 2 bronzes
4) Thompson - 1 silver, 1 bronze
5) Hunter - 1 bronze

PS - The way I knew that Mitt would win, even before the polls started coming in, I saw that CNN was sent Dana Bash to cover the story at Romney headquarters and she always covers the candidate that wins (or at least so far).

McCain Booed By Michigan Crowd While Talking About Illegal Immigration

2008-01-14T23:44:00.000-05:00

I agree with Mitt Romney that "immigration" is necessary to strengthen America, but "illegal immigration" brings America down. As sad as it is to deport people illegally living in the US, it is equally sad that thousands of others who are legally trying to immigrate are denied because of those who basically budded in line by breaking the law. John McCain, no matter what he tells you, basically will give amnesty to illegal immigrants if they pay enough money ($5000) and meet a few other conditions. Considering that it costs money to legally immigrate anyway, that's like telling someone "if you steal, you better watch out because we'll make you pay for the stuff you took", without any other action or punishment taken. Obviously if this happened, theft would be far more rampant. Evangelicals for Mitt pointed out that in the video McCain "uses his tired old line about how he's not going to deport the mother of a soldier serving in Iraq. Seriously -- how many soldiers have moms that are here illegally? Come on, Senator. Let's deal with the issue without trying to manipulate the patriotic feelings of Michiganders." Mitt Romney is the strongest on this issue. He understands that making exceptions to the rule only sends a message that it is okay to try to sneak into the country and if you happen to get caught you'll get a slap on the wrist. John McCain, despite his claims, is weak on this issue so important to many Americans. Here is McCain getting booed by Michiganders who understand how much of a true hypocrite he is. At the end there are a few cheers, probably from his democratic supporters!

Romney - Fixing the Economy is the Name of the Game

2008-01-14T01:10:00.000-05:00

According to the most recent poll conducted by CNN, the state of the US Economy has surpassed the war in Iraq as the top issue in America. This might be attributed to the US is doing better in Iraq than they were a year ago, coupled with the fact that many Americans feel that the US is either in or soon heading into recession. If you think about it, the economy is an integral issue, as so many other issues are directly related. Take the war on terror for example. How is the US going to support billions upon billions of dollars of spending on the military if the economy is weak? As it is, the US is getting deeper and deeper into debt at an alarming pace to fund it now. What about better education, tighter border controls, and other important and much needed improvements and upgrades? These things are far from free, although the Democrats will make it seem like paying for them is not a big deal. All these things are directly impacted either positively or negatively by the strength or weakness of the economy.

Mitt Romney is by far the strongest candidate, Republican or Democrat, when it comes the economy. Why you ask? Well to answer that we must ask another question? How do we get out of a recession or at least prevent one? Without getting too deep into economic theory, the most obvious way is to bolster consumer confidence and spending. We know that one dollar spent in the economy turns into about six through what is called the 'multiplier effect'. It works like this ... you make 100 dollars running your restaurant and go and spend it on a new watch. The watchmaker spends the profit he makes from the watch on landscaping. The landscapers take her profit and spends it on lunch at your restaurant. Now you have not only purchased things you needed and wanted, but also have a portion of what you originally spent returned to you to go spend again (plus others have made money as well). The cycles starts over again. When hundreds of millions of consumers spend money, it stimulates growth and creates prosperity in the economy. What is the surest way to crush consumers' desire to spend? Taxes! Enter Mike Huckabee and all of the Democrats, who either have an irrefutable record of raising taxes or have expressed desire to do so if elected. Mitt Romney is the polar opposite of these guys.

Mitt's strengths regarding the economy are many, but I will focus on the three points that I feel are the most important and expand on each:

1) He wants to cut taxes. This will put more money in the pockets of consumers who will then spend it in the free market. This is far better than the government taxing them and then spending it themselves, as the government is spends money WAY less efficiently than consumers, and much of our hard earned money that is taxed ends up in their own corrupted pockets through scandals and such (see Mike Huckabee to find out more). However, the thing that separates Mitt from the rest is that he still wants some of the things that Democrats hold dear, like universal health care, better education, and other social programs, but plans to accomplish them without raising taxes. How can he do this? The answer is that he, unlike many of the other Washington politicians in the race, is an extremely successful and savvy businessman and executive. If businesses ran themselves like the government they'd be bankrupt multiple times over (they don't have the luxury of raising taxes whenever they want to save themselves). Businesses are masters of cutting out inefficiencies, unneeded spending and superfluous departments to maximize profits for shareholders. Romney would do the same in Washington, but in this case the shareholders are the American people who pay taxes and expect the best possible return on investment. We all know that there are much needed cuts in the government who is notorious for having eight departments that all do the same thing. The government is running an embarrassingly large trade deficit and debt. Less taxes and better quality social programs, sounds pretty good to me.

2) Mitt wants to invest in technology and innovation. Wait a minute ... that's government spending money ... isn't that a Democratic thing to do? Well, one thing Mitt knows how to do is get a good return on his investment. The US and most other wealthy nations can not compete with other countries when it comes to labour costs and other expenses related to production. That is why many things are "Made in China". But they don't have to compete with these countries if they can make innovative products that lead the marketplace. Take Blackberry for example (I'll use it since it's a Canadian company and I'm Canadian). Research in Motion (RIM, the maker of Blackberry) is the world's leader in producing innovative, high-quality devices. They don't have much major competition around the world yet because they have the best technology, and their growth in stock price reflects this. The US needs to create more products (even though they already have a lot) like this, that are impervious to competition due to their superior technology, quality, and uniqueness. Mitt has said time and time again that if he were President, he would invest in technology and innovation, especially for the automakers in Michigan who are struggling against foreign competition. This will cost a lot of money, but will produce a healthy return and help American in the long-run.

3) Mitt wants to eliminate the tax on interest, dividends and capital gains for Americans who make $200,000 or less (which obviously include the middle-class). Currently, when you invest money and make any kind of return, it will fall into one of the three categories mentioned above and will be taxed accordingly. Tax on investments does two things. First, it discourages people to save and invest money, as they will have to give a hefty chunk of their return to the government. Two, it creates class inequality, as rich people have money to access high level accountants and financial planners who know every trick in the book to help them pay little to no tax on their investments. So who ends up paying the tax? That's right the little guys - the middle class. Romney's strategy would benefit the little guys and offer no special treatment to the ultra-rich. This would help the economy in several ways. It would encourage people to save more money for retirement or for a rainy day, putting less stress on the government to provide social security and welfare programs in times of recession. It would also stimulate more investment in the stock market, which would put more money into the hands of American companies who would expand and create more jobs, which would create more income, which would increase both consumer spending and investment and further fuel the upward cycle of prosperity.

It is obvious that the economy is not only a hot topic these days, but a genuinely important one. It affects so many other issues that voters are concerned about. Mitt Romney is the best man for the economy by a long shot. Choosing who to vote for shouldn't be a difficult decision. Although, on second thought, you could vote for John McCain who said "the issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should" and "I'm going to be honest: I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated."

Here are a few links that show why Mitt and a strong economy mix:
Staples founder tells us why Huckabee would be bad for economy and Mitt good
Romney talks about the economy and about Michigan
McCain and economy not a good match

A video of Mitt talking to Michigan voters, about the economy and other issues.

Movie 'The Princess Bride' Endorses Romney!

2008-01-13T23:40:00.000-05:00

Evangelicals For Mitt just posted this video and I think it's hilarious. I loved this movie. Check it out!

Oh, and While I'm at It, Here's the Real McCoy...I Mean McCain

2008-01-13T01:40:00.000-05:00

The liberal media loves John McCain and makes it seem like he can do no wrong, only to butter him up to be slain by the Democrats if he wins the GOP nomination (tricky, eh?). According to pundit, Rush Limbaugh, the media and even McCain supporters hate talking about his record (gee, I wonder why?). In his article, "Rush Recaps the GOP Debate" he speaks of "the media's unwillingness to actually report, for example, on Senator McCain's record". It's is an excellent article and I recommend it to anyone who wants to know what is actually going on in this race (and to explore his website in general). Here is a video that does something no one else will....talk about John McCain's record.

No One-Liner Can Hide Huckabee's Record of Corruption and Liberalism

2008-01-13T01:09:00.000-05:00

Since Mike Huckabee will A) NEVER admit he's wrong, even in the face of irrefutable evidence, B) duck any issue he's confronted with using a lame joke or one-liner, and C) almost never actually talk about his policies (or at least in any kind of detail, no one really knows what he's actually all about. One thing I will give the Huckster is that he is a good speaker who can be captivating to listen to at times, although the more you know about him the faster his charm wears off and eventual just starts to make you sick.

This video is just a friendly reminder that Huckabee is NOT a conservative. As Fred Thompson said, "He believes we have an arrogant foreign policy in the tradition of blame-America first. He believes that Guantanamo should be closed down and those enemy combatants brought here to the United States to find their way into the court system eventually. He believes in taxpayer funded programs for illegals, as he did in Arkansas. He has the endorsement of the National Education Association, and the NEA said it was because of his opposition to vouchers. He said he would sign a bill that banned smoking nationwide. So much for federalism, so much for state's rights, so much for individual rights. That's not the model of the Reagan coalition. That's the model of the Democratic Party."

Democrats Encouraged to Vote for Mitt Romney in Michigan

2008-01-11T17:58:00.000-05:00

Hmmmmm.....sounds kind of fishy, but it is true none the less. The popular left-wing blog "Daily KOS" is encouraging Democrats in Michigan to vote for Mitt Romney. Why you may ask? Well, it turns out that the democratic party stripped Michigan of its delegates after it violated party rules. In turn, Hilliary Clinton is the only candidate on the ballot. However, since Michigan is an open primary, anyone can vote for the Republicans who are contending there, even Democrats.

This is the basis for Daily KOS' idea to encourage its Michigan Democratic readers to vote Romney. The rational behind the idea is to help Mitt win Michigan and stay in the race. Why would they want to do this you ask? Well, since many believe that Romney needs to win Michigan to stay in the race, and Huckabee and McCain are lined up in first and second in the national polls, Daily KOS feels that Mitt staying in the race would be the best thing that could happen to the Democrats. This way the Republican vote will continue to be fragmented and the candidates will continue to battle each other fiercely for votes causing the GOP to lose unity.

Sounds like a pretty good idea to me! Although, I only support it because I genuinely feel that Mitt is not only the best candidate on either side, but because he can defeat the Democrats (which would be funny if this blog helped him stay in). They even feel that this plan will hurt Romney too, as his win will look unearned and humourous. They say "How 'legitimate' will the Mittster's victory look if liberals provide the margin of victory? Think of the hilarity that will ensue." A fair enough statement, but it will only put him on the same level as McCain and Huckabee, who were propelled to victory in New Hampshire and Iowa, on the wings of Democrats and Independents. We already know that Mitt would have won New Hampshire if only Republicans picked up the ballot, and would have done so by a margin of 7%. So who really cares if the media spins it that Mitt won because of Democrats voting him. It's a heck of a lot better than him losing because democrats vote Huckabee. Then with Mitt back in the race with more of a shot than ever, the states that actually have a majority of Republicans will vote for the real conservatives and the men will be separated from the boys.

When asked about this blog's strategy to vote for him, Mitt said that his only goal is to convince Republican voters to choose him. When Mike Huckabee was told about it, he said to tell the Democrats to vote for him. Ironically, he could probably actually run for the Democrats considering his liberal record on many issues.

Independents and Democrats Decide Early GOP Primaries

2008-01-11T13:44:00.000-05:00

The funniest, yet disturbing thing about the race for the GOP nomination is that it might be decided by Democrats and Independents. Now I’m not talking about the effect that the liberal Mainstream Media has on the public, propping up the Republican candidates that they want and criticizing the ones they don’t (for their own benefits of course). I’m not talking about influence from these groups, but actually cold hard votes from them in open Republican caucuses. Interestingly, the first few “major” state primaries in the race are actually made up of decisively less Republican voters than most.
Rush Limbaugh said about this very topic, “Now, this is really fascinating, and it also illustrates how the little people actually knew before all these primaries began. All this hype about who has to win where and who has to win what, is meaningless -- except for what I said. You have Iowa, New Hampshire, two states that do not feature conservatives. The caucuses are a weird setup in Iowa, and, of course, New Hampshire anybody can cross the state line and vote, and among conservatives Romney beat McCain by seven points! It was with independents he won. Now, we're Republicans, and theoretically we're out there trying to nominate a conservative to run as president here, as close to one as we can get, and yet the guy who wins New Hampshire is going all over the board, and the guy who wins Iowa getting votes from independents, who by definition are not conservatives! This is why, folks -- this is precisely why -- McCain and Huckabee are feverishly trying to get Romney out now, as soon as they can, and this is why they are being vicious in their attacks on Romney.”

If it wasn’t for independents, Mitt would have actually taken New Hampshire by a comfortable margin. If only Republicans were voting for their Republican candidate, the results would have changed. Now Mitt goes into Michigan where the voting dynamics are completely unique. Here’s what is going on there (again, taken from Rush Limbaugh). “Michigan is the same. Now, the Democrats in Michigan, they got a little bit different problem because Michigan violated party rules and is running ahead of when the party wanted to, so Michigan's getting no delegates. The Republican Party is penalizing Michigan a little but not totally, so there are delegates at stake for the Republicans in Michigan. So Hillary is the only person on the ballot in Michigan. Nobody else is competing there. The Democrat Party in Michigan is urging people on the Democrat side to vote nobody. They don't want them crossing the aisle. They want nobody, because they're trying to get even with the party and make amends at the same time to try to get some delegates that can vote and count at the convention.” Despite this, if democrats see Mitt as a threat, they could go vote as Republicans for Huckabee or McCain, just to stop him. In a way, that’s why it’s good that, at the moment, Huckabee is looking so good in the media’s eyes ( because Michigan voters might perceive Romney as the weaker candidate and vote for him instead, just as they may have done for McCain in New Hampshire).

The key for Mitt Romney is to hold strong and do well until Super Tuesday when actual conservatives get to vote and represent the majority. This is why Limbaugh points out “that the states that allow independents and even Democrats to vote in their Republican primaries are not indicative of the Republican Party, which is why McCain and Huckabee have shots in them. McCain and Huckabee are winning these early states, where Republicans are outnumbered. It's not Republicans; it's not conservatives in majority who were electing Huckabee or McCain, so far, voting for them.”

If you look at Romney’s success with actual Republicans, an interesting trend can be seen. “Rich Lowry posted something interesting yesterday at National Review Online. He entitled it "The McCain Weakness." This is what he wrote: "This is it: Conservatives were 54% of the electorate [in New Hampshire] and McCain lost to Romney among them by seven points. When the race moves south, conservatives will probably be 75-80% of the electorate, and they will presumably dominate in closed primaries. But this is the thing: At the outset, it looked like the way the early states were stacked up would help Romney. But once Romney lost Iowa, they were stacked up to help McCain.”

The media keeps saying that Romney will be out with each in every state that he doesn’t win. It’s an absolutely ludicrous view. They’re saying this about Michigan, but they just finished saying the same thing about New Hampshire. The Mainstream Media might as well just come out and officially endorse one of the Democrats because that is exactly what they do, despite claiming to be “news” or “unbiased”. It is sad, however, that if these early states prove to take Mitt out, that he would go before ever getting to the states where as Limbaugh says, “a majority of Republicans, conservative Republicans are going to vote” and if this turns out to be the case “by Super Tuesday, Republicans might have as their two choices people that are not conservatives, I should say, and have their leads based on votes from Democrats and independents. Can you say "screwed?”

Now I don’t think this will be the case, and neither does Rush, but it is hilarious that the RNC allows the first few states to be ones ruled by independents and democrats. Even though in this race, no candidate currently has true momentum, this setup has the potential to create momentum for non-conservative candidates who don’t represent Republicans and destroy it for those that do! Mitt Romney will truck on, but unfortunately he has a much harder battle than the other less conservative candidates who benefit from these first few unusual, backward primaries. Fortunately, I believe that this battle is one that both Mitt and his supporters are both willing and able to fight.

A Good Night For Mitt Romney

2008-01-11T02:11:00.001-05:00

I was especially excited for tonight’s Fox News South Carolina debate in Myrtle Beach as I was very curious how it would play out. It was evident in the last two debates that McCain, Huckabee and Thompson all ganged up on Mitt, even with personal attacks (which made them huge hypocrites by the way). But with the South Carolina primary approaching and Huckabee and McCain doing well in the pre-polls and Thompson badly needing a victory there, I wondered if their alliance would have to be broken and if they would turn on each other. Would they leave Mitt alone because, in their view, he is no longer a threat, or would they try to finish him off once and for all. Well it turns out that Fred Thompson went hard against both Huckabee and McCain and performed very well. I am glad for this because if he gains popularity, it will really split the vote up, and I have a feeling that it will increase Romney’s chances of a strong showing in South Carolina, an integral primary.

As for a post-debate evaluation, I was thoroughly impressed with Mitt Romney’s performance. Despite getting much less camera time than he usually does, I thought that the answers and comments that he gave were clear, concise, and powerful. Instead of focusing on others weaknesses, he purely convinced voters why he is needed in Washington. He did not deviate from his message that “Washington is broken” and it’s not going to get fixed by putting the same people there, only in different chairs. He made an extremely powerful case for himself in his closing remarks. He talked about how he has been an agent of change his whole life, whether it be in business, in the Olympics, or in government office. He is constantly criticized for the amount of money he has and how much he is spending on his campaign. This is jealousy at its best. Why should we penalize a man for being successful and showing that he has the money to back up his national campaign against the democrats if he is elected the Republican nominee? Isn’t this a good thing? Heck, he didn’t even take a salary as Governor of Massachusetts. I guess anything can be negatively spun by both the liberal media or the other candidates. Clearly he is doing this because he wants to make America stronger for future generations and is a fine example of patriotism. One thing I think Mitt should stress even more is his superiority in both talent and experience in economics over any other candidate both Republican or Democrat. I say this not only because it is a hot topic for Michigan voters (a state he needs to win), but because many other issues hinge upon the economy. For example, many of the candidates, including McCain and Huckabee say that they want to spend more on the military (up to 6% of the GDP in Huck’s case). So where will these magic funds come from? The US already has a 9 trillion dollar debt owned partly by the Chinese. It’s nice to deliver that kind of lip service but if you don’t have the goods to back it up, it’s useless. Tonight Mike Huckabee said in response to a question, that he HAD to raise taxes in his state, but that the fruits of the increases were things like better education. No one will argue that better education is a bad thing, but the fact is that Mitt Romney could have done it without raising taxes. He did it in Massachusetts with health care. How is Huck going to increase the military? I’ll give you a clue. It rhymes with axes and starts with a ‘T’ (oh ya, and true conservatives hate them). The best candidate to fight recession with a strong economy is Mitt. A stronger economy and smarter spending are the only things that can support a bigger military without levying extra taxes. Neither McCain or Huckabee have great skills or ideas to strengthen the economy. With Huck it’s just obvious (no one-liner can hide that blunt truth) and McCain even recently told voters in Michigan that he didn’t know much about the economy when he said “I'm going to be honest: I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated”. Strong military, strong education, and strong families with good jobs are all based on the foundation of a strong and vibrant economy, which only Romney can effectively produce. The further we get into the race, the more we have a chance to examine not only the other candidates, but also what is a stake, and the more apparent it becomes that America NEEDS Mitt Romney at this fragile stage of its history.

To see what some of the pundits said about Mitt’s performance click here.

A Closer, More Personal Look at Mitt Romney and His Family

2008-01-10T00:03:00.001-05:00

Undoubtedly, Mitt Romney is strong on the issues and would be an excellent president. However, it is obvious that many voters in the election don't necessarily care about the issues, but rather about who the funniest candidate is or who gives the most stirring speeches. Frankly, many Americans want to see more in a candidate than just their accomplishments and plans for America. It is unfortunate that many put these trivial things before the issues (as a President's personality and likability fleets in the face of poor decisions and failure) , but none the less it is true. I thought this video that I found on YouTube would help us see more of the man Mitt Romney. He is, evidently, a family man who loves to have fun and deserves it because he works so hard. It portrays Mitt and his family having a blast at their cottage on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - Tearing Apart the Conservative Coalition

2008-01-09T22:52:00.001-05:00

Ronald Reagan created a conservative coalition that he claimed could beat the democrats in every single election. He realized that conservatives would win united or fall divided. Even though individuals are conservatives for various reasons, Reagan categorized conservatives into three major groups: Social Conservatives (concerned with morality issues such as abortion and gay marriage), Economic Conservatives (desiring prudent and minimal government spending, less taxes, and a thriving free market), and Foreign Policy / Defense Conservatives (concerned with border control, strong military, strong foreign policies to help the US). These groups still exist today and still have the potential to take on the democrats if they can be united under the banner of one candidate. The liberal media is aware of this and will use its power and influence to try and tear apart the coalition and strip it of its strength. But the Mainstream Media is only one of the four horsemen of the proverbial Conservative Coalition Apocalypse. There are three more: Mike Huckabee, John McCain, and Rudy Giuliani.

Today, my friend that knows I support for Mitt, said "hey, you're guy Romney is losing pretty bad isn't he?" Wow, that is so far from the truth it's crazy. Now I don't blame her for thinking that. Anyone who turns on CNN without reading the truth first would think the same. It's all doom and gloom reported for any candidate they see as a threat to the democrats. First they said Mitt Romney would be out of the race if he lost New Hampshire. He came second. Now they are saying he's out if he loses Michigan. They are so biased that it's hard to even call it news. The reality is that Mitt Romney is actually winning. He has the most delegates and the most votes. Here is the pure vote count:

Romney - 97,287 (29.8%)

McCain - 94,320 (28.9%)

Huckabee - 64,397 (19.7%)

Paul - 28,014 (8.6%)

Giuliani - 22,383 (6.9%)

Thompson - 18,464 (5.7%)

Hunter - 1,607 (0.5%)

Clearly the media is just trying to discourage Romney voters. But why would they do this to poor old Mitt? Rush Limbaugh (link) had some good insight when he said:

"The Drive-By Media would love to destroy the conservative coalition. They would love to destroy the conservative base to the Republican Party. That's why they are promoting Huckabee; it is why they are promoting McCain.

The Drive-By Media, ladies and gentlemen, will tell us each and every day who the true conservatives in the Republican primary are, and they will tell us by virtue of who they attack and also by virtue of who they prop up. They are propping up McCain; they are propping up Huckabee. The Drive-By Media hate conservatives. They want to destroy conservatism. It is the bulwark standing in their way of power and monopolistic control of all the apparatus of the country, government, media, and everything else. It's one of the best indicators I can offer you. If you're asking who is the genuine conservative out there or who is most conservative, who is most liberal on the Republican side, just take a look at who the Drive-Bys are enamored of and you will be able to answer the question yourself without me having to tell you. Why do you think that Senator McCain is making his big stand in New Hampshire? Because he did well there in 2000 and because he knows he runs really well with independents. He knows that New Hampshire is not a big conservative state.

This is based on truth, and it is in fact truth: the media are out to break up conservatives. I was instant messaging with F. Lee last night, and to me, there is no question. I spent this weekend in intense study of what's going on up there. I watched more political TV this weekend than I have watched probably in the last six months. My instincts were confirmed: Media are out to break up conservatives, dispirit us, destroy us, destroy the Republican coalition of the evangelicals; the social and fiscal conservatives; they're out to destroy that."

The Media would love for Mike Huckabee to win, because he would hand an easy win over the democrats in the general election and the Evangelical voters would finally lose their power. Huckabee breaks up the coalition as he does not represent the fiscal and defense conservatives. McCain and Giuliani don't appeal to social conservatives and McCain is also weak on immigration. These are the ones (especially Huck and McCain) that the democrats can't praise enough. It makes you wonder, why would they praise Republicans? Gee, that's sort of strange, but proves that Rush is on the money with his views.

The problem is that many Americans rely on the news as their sole source of information regarding the election, so unfortunately it has a much greater influence on their decisions than it should. But if Mitt continues to show a strong first or second in each state, through the vote of informed conservatives, he will win the nomination and go on to be the strongest Republican candidate to face the either Obama or Clinton.

What Can Mitt Do for Michigan?

2008-01-09T12:50:00.000-05:00

The next state to hold Republican primaries is Michigan. It is Mitt's home state and the state in which his father, George Romney, was governor. As far as strategy goes, it is an important state for Romney to win, holding 30 Republican delegates. All this being said, these reasons are not in any shape or form valid reasons to vote for Mitt (just as the fact that Huckabee is Evangelical is no reason for other Evangelicals to vote for him, ignoring merit and the issues). But there are plenty of really important reasons for Michigan to support Mitt.

Michigan is in dire need of someone who can turn it around economically. Michigan was largely built on the backs of the "big-three" auto makers and many other companies which manufacture parts for or are directly related to the auto industry. You don't need me to tell you that the "big-three" aren't exactly doing the greatest as of late, and thus the auto industry in Michigan (again, an overwhelming portion of the state's economy) is pretty beaten up. Enter Romney, a shrewd businessman who has turned many a company completely 180 degrees, from being destitute to profitable. Frankly, Michigan needs Mitt Romney. He would be the best candidate to stimulate the economy, among all the other positive effects he will have. Hopefully Michigan voters will stick to the issues, rather than less important things as was done in Iowa and somewhat in New Hampshire.

Jason Bonham of Race 4 2008 wrote a pertinent article on the matter, entitle "Why Romney Speaks to Michigan Voters". I highly recommend taking a look.

Here is the Romney Michigan ad "It's personal to Me"

Republican Race Update - Mitt Leads On Delegate Scoreboard

2008-01-08T23:57:00.000-05:00

John McCain won the New Hampshire Republican primary tonight with 37% of the vote. Mitt Romney came in a strong second with 32%, followed by Huckabee with 11%. Some view Romney's second place as a disappointment, but he is still far from out of the race. Actually, quite the opposite. He has won two silver medals and one gold. No other candidate ranks higher as of yet. Here is the current deligate count (what really matters):

Romney - 30
Huckabee - 21
McCain - 10
Thompson - 6
Paul - 2
Hunter - 1
Giuliani – 1

The left wing media acts as if Mitt Romney has already lost, but this is only because they fear he can beat the democrats. This is what Rush Limbaugh, political guru, said about the matter (provided by Michiganders for Mitt).

"Conservative talk show host, Rush Limbaugh, addressed a misguided notion coming out of the Beltway/Manhattan Media Elite:

Now they’re saying if Romney finishes second, he’s finished. How can that be? How can coming in second in the first two states finish somebody? If he comes in second, it may disappoint some people, but it also means that in these two states he’s the only Republican to win high spots in both. The idea that anybody’s finished after New Hampshire and Iowa is absurd. It’s Drive-By Media spin designed to dispirit and depress people. They’re out there saying, “Where does Romney go after New Hampshire?” Where do any of them go? It’s wide open! They go on to the next primary! South Carolina and Michigan. That’s where they go. For the Beltway crowd — not just the media, but for people that live and work inside the Beltway — to make conclusive statements about who’s going to win and who won’t based on all this — two states — is nuts, at least as far as the Republicans are concerned. There is no one candidate that has any front-runner momentum right now at all on the Republican side.

It is now onto South Carolina and Michigan, where Mitt will continue to make headway. He has the message, vision, experience, and finances to run a national campaign. For most of Mitt’s colleagues, they have a message that only resonates to a narrow part of selective state voters, and their ideas do not reflect the conservative outside-the-beltway change that Mitt Romney embodies."

Mitt Romney is not only still in this race, but he is winning. Michigan, his home state will be key for him, with 30 delegates at stake, but we here at Canadians for Mitt believe that he will prevail.

McCain Quit Whining!

2008-01-08T11:42:00.000-05:00

(Isn’t that a Canadian Mapleleaf on the sign McCain is holding? Just wondering.)

I was watching CNN and they showed McCain at an appearance yesterday whining that same old tired statement “New Hampshire can’t be bought”. Isn’t it funny how broke campaigns like to use that to garner votes? Like they should punish organized campaigns for raising more money by not voting for them. Also how come McCain and Huckabee spend SO MUCH TIME whining about the “attack ads” but they never really seam too eager to answer as to their record that the ad simply points out. How dare Romney point out where they are different and in his opinion where they are wrong.

McCain like Huckabee talks less about his record and platform and more about the typical politician double talk. You know things like McCain/Feingold, McCain/Kennedy, being against repealing the death tax… are hard things to hide try as he might. Whenever McCain and Huckabee are confronted about things governor Romney has merely pointed out they both say things like Romney is running a desperate and dishonest campaign or that his campaign is in a tailspin. How about responding to the issue. You can’t can you.

Both McCain and Huckabee have limited appeal to the true conservative base. Huckabee relies heavily on social conservative Evangelicals and McCain is being propped up by independents not so much by Republicans. How far with this take either of them remains to be seen but, they are damaging the Republican flavour with their less than conservative records and platforms.

And speaking of whining I just saw the clip of Chuck Norris whining on FOX about that Huckabee gets called minister yet Romney of whom was a bishop doesn’t get called bishop Romney. Well Chuck I might be wrong but, I think Romney was a Stake president as well and that aclually makes him president Romney! I got to admit, I like how that sounds.

Thanks Chuck!

McCain no... stop it, no John, JOHN... NO MEANS NO!

2008-01-08T10:48:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you gotta wonder, what are people thinking. First we face a big contender in a bumbling elmer fudd in Iowa, and now it's ross perot, but angrier and less predictable found in John McCain.

New Hampshire is responding well to McCain, and we must ask why. Why are we seriously considering McCain. Why are we seriously considering a guy who just earlier this year found his anger uncontrollable when questioned by a colleague on the senate floor (please google McCain Cornyn) So when confronted a guy finds his emotions uncontrollable and the absolute best way to address someone with whom he disagrees is to yell and swear. This isn't an isolated incident mind you, look at his campaign trail, the angry McCain, the reacting like a three year old, he's still there (see debates with Romney where McCain thinks he's on a third graders playground instead of a presidential debate.... zing!) What happens when we're talking to Iran and things don't go the way we thought, does our president flip out, jump up and yell F-you! and walk out, or do we prefer petty "yer mom" esque jokes in order to be the wittier one in the room. Anyone who runs from the issues in order to get a cheap barb demands us to look at what is going to happen when the debate or negotiation is for real?

I mean we are talking about a guy who has been on a hunt for the whitehouse since before 2000 and is not getting the hint. He wants to make a difference but has been very obama esque in that everything is done to set himself up for better candidacy. This guy doesn't care about America or its people, he cares about saving face and that's why he won't go away when America says it doesn't want him to be their president. McCain doesn't represent America, McCain doesn't respectably represent Arizona, McCain is an embarrassment over and over again, and to you McCain supporters out there, do we really need another embarrassment leading the free world? How about we go with someone who can handle pressure without cracking, someone who can conduct himself responsibly, and has been in a negotiation that matters before, not to mention have been successful in them.

I can't believe this guy is even here still. McCain, Perot got the hint when America told him no, why can't you? You probably remember this from your dating days, but McCain.... No means no. It's not us, it's you.

Who is the real conservative?

2008-01-07T13:47:00.000-05:00

Elect Romney in 2008 just released an article entitled "Who is the Real Conservative? Here’s an Easy Test." It sums up Rush Limbaugh's recent words on his popular radio show about how Republicans can conduct a simple test to see who the real conservative in the race is. The article:

Human Events just named Rush Limbaugh the “Man of the Year.” They proclaim that

“His voice defined the conservative movement in 2007.”

But on his radio program today, Rush offered all conservatives a simple test anyone can use to determine the best conservative candidate in the 2008 Presidential Race. The test is this: Look at who the Mainstream Media attacks repeatedly and then look at who they “prop up.” The conservatives are the ones who will reap the most attacks. The phony conservatives will be “propped up” by the Mainstream Media in an effort to “break up the conservative coalition.”

Huckabee and McCain are conservative cut-outs that have been propped up by the MSM. There is little or no conservative substance to their messages. Any wins for these two are not definitive of the conservative movement.

Instead, look at who the MSM is trying to bring down. Look at whose doom is consistently prophesied. If one were to believe all the predictions of Romney’s imminent downfall, it would be amazing that he is still enough of a threat that they must still tout his coming destruction.

Even though Rush claims not to endorse any candidate, he sure spells out pretty clearly who he doesn't like and makes it easy to see who he does.

The Man With a Plan Dominates Team McThompsabee in New Hampshire Debate

2008-01-07T01:08:00.001-05:00

It was clear that Mitt Romney dominated the ABC and Fox New Hampshire debates on Saturday and Sunday. He stuck to the issues while team McThompsabee and, to an extent, Giuliani teamed up on him, attacking him at every opportunity (like a pack of ravenous hyenas on a three-legged dog). It's pretty laughable that these guys who are whining about Romney's negative attacks on them, calling them "desperate", are now the ones on the offensive. But as Mitt said in the debate, he is not attacking them personally through his ads, but showing the public FACTS about their records, important for voters to know in order to make wise and informed decisions. At first I found it unfair that everyone (except Ron Paul) was teaming up against Mitt, but soon realized that all the attention puts him in an excellent position. As voters watched that debate, they must have really thought that Mitt was big news as he was the object of so much attention. By all joining against Romney, they made him look totally unique, and gave up key opportunities to show why they differed from each other. For the most part the majority of their comments were fairly generic and relatively unimpressive. Heck, I thought Thompson was going to drop dead half way through one of his comments....that guy could put a kid to bed that just finished drinking a couple cans of Coke (McCain too, but not because he's boring, but just extremely old, bitter and likely suffers from extremely high blood pressure).

What also made Mitt unique, besides the fact that he focused on the issues instead of attacking others' character, was that he is the 'man with a plan'. He is one of the only candidates, Republican or Democrat, who actually says he wants to do something and then talks about HOW he plans to accomplish it. This is where the businessman in him really shines. In contrast, take Huckabee for example. He is notorious for quoting Abraham Lincoln, the Bible, or spouting off some other inspirational words for five minutes, and then talking about what he actually wants to DO for one minute, but almost NEVER tells us how he actually plans to make it happen. Take the ABC debate where he said that he wants America to become totally non-dependent on foreign oil in 10 years ("anything is possible in America", he says), but gives absolutely no strategy on how to do it. That's like saying, "I'd like to have all the children of the world join hands in a spirit of harmony and peace, but don't ask me how to do it, I'd just said it because it looks good." Conversely, when you hear Romney's ideas, he is clear, concise, to-the-point, and wastes less time with a semi-inspiration preamble and more time in Realityville, telling us how it's gonna go down. The last thing Washington needs is another talker. Talk is cheap. Mitt Romney does what he says and does it well.

The other major thing that impressed me about Romney were his words about leadership. Paraphrasing, he said that America doesn't need an expert in a specific field, it needs a leader. For example, John McCain makes about 100 (times pi) references to his military experience every time he opens his mouth. No disrespect to McCain for his service (it's very honourable), but half the time it's not exactly pertinent to the discussion at hand. There is nothing wrong with his experience, but it doesn't necessarily make him the right man to sit in the Oval Office. I mean, maybe with his military expertise he should apply for some national position in the military. What Mitt Romney said is that we need a leader in power, someone who can make executive decisions, listen to others, perform well under pressure, and inspire others. McCain is not that guy (especially with that nasty temper of his and excessive winking). Romney has these traits. He has the skills needed to be a great leader and will be able to gain any experience he lacks quickly.

Romney demonstrated in the New Hampshire debates that he has the goods, and made many of the other candidates look foolish in the process. After the debate was over Fox News showed how voters in New Hampshire reacted to the debate. In a room full of New Hampshire residents the question was asked "how many of you were planning to vote Mitt Romney before the debate?" A few hands went up. Then they were asked (after the debate was over) "how any of you want to vote for him now?" Almost every single hand shot up, and several individuals were interviewed explaining why they thought Mitt was the best choice. At this pace, Mitt is well on his way to victory.

Video - Glenn Beck of CNN Says About Huckabee What the Liberal Media Won't

2008-01-06T15:47:00.001-05:00

Glenn Beck of CNN, who is sick at home, rips on Mike Huckabee after seeing the results in Iowa. He says the things the left-wing media won't. This is the kind of truth that they need to show on the news more often. However, as Rush Limbaugh has said, they choose not to. The liberal media would love to see Huckabee take the Republican nomination as he would be a lamb to the slaughter against a Clinton or Obama. The Democrats are fearful of the Evangelical right and want to take away their political power once and for all by absolutely crushing Huckabee in the nationals. Ed Rollins, Huckabee's campaign manager says that Reagan's coalition of conservatives is a thing of the past. He couldn't be more wrong. The conservative coalition is the only thing that can defeat the democrats time and time again. Huckabee is trying to tear it apart and the Democrats couldn't be happier with him. A vote for Huckabee is a vote for the democrats.

Huckabee Unstoppable In Iowa with Religious Bigots On His Side

2008-01-06T15:26:00.000-05:00

To Mitt Romney supporters, Jan 3^rd was a disappointing day. It was not only obvious, but also deeply saddening that a good portion of Iowans discriminated because of religion (see previous post by Al). On the positive side, whether your support Obama or not, history was made when Iowans helped the first African-American candidate to win such an important state primary. Although it is apparent that to most of

America

, including Iowa, that race is no longer an issue, it is obvious that there are still a lot of Evangelicals who would rather choose one of their own than someone far more qualified. I don’t want to broad-brush Evangelicals, because there are so many who are politically responsible, including even those who voted Huckabee, not because of his faith, but because they actually liked his policies. However, it sickens me to see that bigotry is still commonplace in some states and the many vote not because their guy is good, but because the other guy is Mormon or _____ (insert any other factor that shouldn’t matter). This quote taken from Mitt Rocks explains what happened in Iowa best:

"As I watched the Iowa caucus results rolling in, I couldn't help but wonder how Pastor Mike pulled this off. How on earth could a guy with the stench of an Amway salesman beat a candidate of Romney's caliber. But then CNN ran a shockingly telling graphic. Here are the numbers:

60% of Iowa caucus voters were evangelicals

82% of evangelicals said religious affiliation was a very important or important qualification

Mike Huckabee is an evangelical pastor

Mitt Romney is a Mormon

DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS"

Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, onto more positive discourse. Despite the proverbial low-blow that Iowa gave Mitt Romney, he did still finish strongly in second and the race for the republican nomination is FAR from over. In fact it is shaping up to be a real nail-biter, and it may still not even be clear who will win the nomination until Super Tuesday when most of the states have their primaries.

Despite Mitt’s loss to the Huckster in Iowa, he actually has the most delegates so far, and the candidate with the most delegates at the National Republican Convention in the summer will take the nomination. Yesterday, he overwhelmingly won Wyoming (67% of the vote), plus, of the Republican runners, he has the most “super delegates” with six (Huckabee has three). These are the results thus far:

Total Delegate Allocation

Romney - 26
Huckabee - 20
Thompson - 6
McCain - 3
Paul - 2
Hunter - 1
Giuliani – 1

This is going to be an extremely close race, and I think that it might even stay close right until the last states. Even though Iowa was a blow to Mitt’s campaign, the positive side is that it may wake up Republican pundits, who think Huckabee and McCain are unsuited for the nomination, to step up and be heard.

Iowa, you cowards.

2008-01-06T01:51:00.001-05:00

So no surprise, Iowa caucused on Thursday. What was a surprise was that Romney lost Iowa. It was a close race, why should it have come as much of a surprise? Well I was on the ground in Des Moines for the days leading up to the caucus, and genuinely felt the result would be very different.

You see, Mike Huckabee isn't fooling anyone, even after winning Iowa, no one thinks this guy is gonna be the next president, Mike Huckabee is no one's real candidate of choice, he was an alternative.

In unofficial exit polling after Thursday's caucuses, it was suggested that when asked who would make a better president, voters consented 6-1 that Romney was a better candidate for president than any other. Why the heck didn't they vote their conscience?

If you had the chance to attend any of the precincts caucus events, chances are you got a good taste of religious bigotry. Mike Huckabee and his supporters turned this into a religious popularity race, with many speeches turning into blatant, unveiled anti-mormon rants as opposed to political arguing. Unfortunately, many of the Romney stump speeches were merely pleas to vote according to your conscience and the issues and leave religion out of it. Why didn't Iowans vote their conscience, cause this race wasn't about politics at all, it was about a population who didn't want to think beyond the generalizations and has made midwesterners look like fools because of it.

You take it to the western states and you'll never hear masses exiting the polls saying "well I voted for a douche bag, but at least it wasn't for the mormon" you go to the eastern states, northern states, any states but the midwest, and such an exclamation would be absurd and certainly frowned on. Shame on you Mike Huckabee for incubating such sentiments and shame on you Iowa for being blind enough to run into his open, blubbering arms.

Comments were made from Huckabee supporters, when asked why they voted for him their responses included "because he's like one of us, he doesn't seem shiny and polished" Why, dear Iowa would it ever seem appropriate to want a president in a flannel shirt. I don't want someone like Huck, or in the words of his supporters, 'like me,' running the country, I want someone with experience, a professional who can handle the pressures of the office. Not a buffoon who would make Bush's depth of political understanding look like Lincoln. How's about you rise up from the ignorant guy who hangs out at yer casey's gas station and come into the age of CEO and executive and actually become respectable again.

Of course 6 to 1 think Romney's a better president, it's an elmer fudd vs Clark Kent, but Iowa wouldn't vote what they know they should have.

Iowa, you cowards.

Iowa, Can We Talk?

2008-01-03T13:11:00.000-05:00

Iowa, can we talk?

What happens there on January 3rd has huge ramifications on the Republican party, the nomination, the election. New Hampshire is watching, the country is watching, and the world is watching.

This is WAY too important to vote based on anything less than “Who is the best candidate to do the job, taking into consideration his qualifications, experience, and record”

The choice you make tomorrow could start a chain of events that could lead America (and ultimately the world) down two very different paths; one towards positive change and a promising future and one with very negative implications.

The Republican party has stood for life, traditional marriage and strong families. These are among many important values that hangs in the balance.

If Huckabee cons enough voters and wins, or even pulls off a close second, his victory could seal the deal for a Giuliani nomination, which means that the morality issues that mean so much to Republicans will be forgotten and a pro-choice candidate will represent the GOP!

To the point … Am I the only one who has had just about enough of Huckabee’s crap! (*Note - The following rant is in no particular order and does not include all the points I had wished to make).

I am sick of Huckabee whining about the money Romney has spent in Iowa. MIKE, call it what you want, but the rest of us call it a strategy, spreading the good news, and just plain common sense. This is an election, and a candidate’s ability to raise money shows, in part, how well he will do in the nationals. He was pretty much unknown and needed to get his message out. Just because you can throw out the “Christian leader” image and expect every Evangelical to line up and support you regardless of your actual performance and political ability, doesn’t mean that others have such luxuries. Because of much religious bigotry, Mitt has to work many times harder than the rest and spend more money to help others see past his religion (which should never be an issue in the first place) and view him for the quality leader his is.

I am tired of hearing people say that Huckabee is so likeable. His likeability is in the eye of the beholder. It seems that every single day we are introduced to some other controversy that involved him in his service Arkansas governor. It seems as if there is going to be more skeletons found in his closet than were found in the Cambodian Killing Fields. Questionable state appointments, pardons/clemency based on donations, cover-ups while his son was investigated for brutally murdering an innocent dog, receiving lavish gifts by taking advantage of his title and authority, and destroying hard drives when leaving office that documented his incompetence are just a few of the stunts that Huckabee has pulled.

Governor Huckabee claims to be a unifier but, he is quite the opposite. He states openly that Evangelicals should support him whether or not he is the best candidate. His “Don’t Mormons believe that Jesus and Satan are brothers” stunt with a reporter while claiming to know nothing about Mormonism is pure garbage! What does this say about his character if he expects us to believe that he knows nothing about Mormonism, yet he was the keynote speaker at a Baptist Convention in Salt Lake City back in 1998. Who is he fooling, the American voter now, or all the Baptists that attended the convention then? Was he just making stuff up or did he indeed know? Either way Mike, it doesn’t come off as honest. He claims that he is the victim of negative ad campaigns, which Romney states are accurate (not trying to hide what he’s doing), yet he’s been trying so hard to take negative shots at Romney but still look like he’s the good guy. Was his comment in the ad he decided not to run about Mitt’s dishonesty really just describing himself?! Dividing the party along religious lines is dangerous.

And about that press conference, he must feel that voters severely lack intelligence. I find it insulting that he thinks people are stupid enough not to see that the whole thing was a sad attempt to get the media to do his dirty work, while he looks like the nice guy. If Huck gains the world and loses his soul, he profiteth not voters and the respect of intelligent people everywhere. It’s one thing to pull a stunt like that, but it’s another to do it and then act as God’s political protégé. I bet God is shaking his head at Huck’s desperate antics.

Huck’s apparent grasp of foreign policy is a complete façade. His constant charade demonstrates his mastery of the art that the Iranian government perfected, namely fanning the fire behind the scenes and yet claiming to the world that they are trying to help.

Perhaps next time an opponent states a difference in policy or practice, or Huck is asked a searching question about an important issue, maybe he should actually state his stance and plans for action, instead of a semi-funny one-liners or stupid comments. It might help for people understand his positions, not just that he is capable of evading them through humour. Maybe he should change his name to Duckabee (as in ‘duck’ the issues).

It seems fitting that Huck is going on Jay Leno tonight so he can joke around and have a few laughs. His rise in the polls is anything but laughable though.

I just saw him talking to a crowd in Iowa saying something to the effect “if you will vote for me and I win, it will go down in history as a huge shock”. In other words, vote for him because, well, wouldn’t it be cool to make history. Ironically, his words are, in a way, an ad against him. Why would it be such a shock if Huck won - BECAUSE HE SHOULDN’T EVEN BE CLOSE TO THE TOP! Even he seems shocked. Hello!!! If the candidate is shocked that he won, shouldn’t that tell you something right there.

Iowa, you know who the real conservative is. The candidate who should come away from Iowa with the win is the same and only runner in the race that can take the fight to the Democrats in the general election. He is the only one who can unite all types of conservatives together. Face it, the Mitt fits.

on the ground, romneying like we do

2008-01-03T02:32:00.000-05:00

So we got together and decided that what good was a canadian supporting mitt romney site if we didn't win the Iowa caucus, the proverbial catalyst for the Romney strategy. So we pooled our resources and had enough to buy me hitchhikers pass all the way to Iowa. I sit here in my plush condo (ummm) after a day of working out of Romney HQ Iowa, making phone calls, knocking doors, eating lunch, making more phone calls, etc. Let me tell you, it doesn't get any better than this.

The great thing about being here is the urgency in the air. Working side by side with some of these people who have been here for weeks and knowing that the big dance is in less than 24 hours, it's pretty exciting.

So I phone called and worked the beat, seeking out all republicans worth their american flag patch that should be sewn on a backpack to try and convince them of the joys that are Mitt Romney. His wife Ann came in about midway through the day to buoy up the supporters which had grown about 250 strong.

But then things got good, when we hit the jackpot, a Romney Rally right here in Des Moines. We got the hoopla from all the intro folks, some guy talked about how he changed his life, delivered his baby, and cured cancer, or something along those lines, and then the big boy himself, the genesis of hope this side of the border, the breast milk of politics, Mitt Romney comes out. It was pretty great, I mean politics and speeches mixing normally makes for mediocre fun, or in the case of Huckabee, hilarity ensues, but dang diggity, this guy secured every vote in the room all over again. Made us all proud to be supporting a candidate that we can trust to actually fix some washington blunders and put ole USA back on track.

All was not well however, we found some trouble in the crowd, but he was quickly dealt with.

Can you blame him though, I mean someone had to keep an eye on things while Huckabee was playing hollywood wannabe (see leno?)

Anyway, that's the update for now, 2am, Des Moines, working straight through till the Iowa Caucus tomorrow at 7. Next post will be during the victory party tomorrow night. Ahhh yeah.

because I'm a big man I won't, but cause you'd wonder, I will, but still won't?

2008-01-02T03:05:00.000-05:00

sometimes life throws you fast balls, and then sometimes it throws you a curve ball, but then there are times when you get a nice slow pitch softball lob, a pitch that just hangs there and doesn't seem to go anywhere and begs you to hit it. Enter Mike Huckabee.

So we've bagged on the guy and frankly the horse is dead, so why beat it? Well cause the moment is priceless.

Yesterday Mike calls a press conference to address both an ad he'd made and the general disgust with mud slinging politics. So it begins, Huckabee brings in all the reporters, talks about taking the noble approach to politics with all the inuendo of a banana stand advertising their banana that WON'T poison and kill you, of course implying that their competitors banana will. Huckabee notes that he has taken a hit from Romney's direct attacks in his advertising campaign and lets us all in on the fact that he almost went that route... he EVEN went so far as to make an ad against Romney, but because he is so full of integrity and so full of....it (whatever it may be), he has chosen not to air it. Pausing for cheers and realizing he was being received like the Dixie Chicks in the Bush family home, he quickly proceeds and then tells us that even though he's not going to show it, he will show the press gathered because... well since he told them they would be curious and demand to see it anyway. At which point the room erupts in laughter, laughing at him, loudly at him, and over him as he tried to regain control. He never really does.

So the moral of the story, the high road only works when you stay on it.

You shouldn't be surprised though, it isn't easy to play the two faced with a face like that. I mean, the fox news guy was even making fun of him.

As a professional journalist though, I did do some investigating and you will all be happy to know his mother still loves him. Not only that, his mom thinks he'd be a dandy president, though she wished he had clinton's foreign 'expertise'.

Huckabee, we were hoping for a supernova, but a fizzle of a campaign is equally entertaining. Thanks for the fish big fella.

Video of the event in question after the jump -

The Calm Before the Storm

2008-01-02T00:21:00.000-05:00

With the Iowa primary tomorrow there will be a storm of last minute decisions regarding who to vote for. Voters will come by the thousands to choose their favourite candidates. Many voters will change their minds at the last second and the pre-polls will likely be proven to be 7-10% off on average. Delegates will be sent to conventions and ultimately one candidate will prevail. Unlike the Democrats' complex primary voting system, the Republican primary is very straight forward and performed by a secret ballot. When it comes to Republicans, the winner of the most votes in a state receives all the Republican party's delegates for that state to represent him in the national convention.

The result in Iowa is probably the most important of all the states for Mitt Romney. If he wins, he will almost surely go on to take New Hampshire and possibly South Carolina. If he loses, he will have a much tougher road ahead of him. The bottom line is that Mitt Romney needs every vote possible in Iowa.

Fortunately, Mitt Romney has a disciplined campaign strategy and an efficient and large ground team in Iowa. Even his son Josh and his family visited all 99 Iowa counties (an impressive feat). Still, Mitt needs as much help as he can get. So if you are from Iowa, or know someone to whom your can e-mail or send this link in Iowa, consider this:

Mitt Romney is the ONLY candidate who represents the three types of conservatives, namely social, economic, and defense conservatives. Furthermore, not only does he represent these three groups, but he is the best man for the job in each of these three areas.

Economic - Mitt has turned many companies around including Staples. He saved the Salt Lake Olympics and left them with an impressive surplus. He turned debt-ridden Massachusetts into a state with a multi-billion dollar surplus and provided more social programs without raising taxes. He supported the Bush tax cuts. Furthermore, the US economy is in massive debt and is experiencing its first major rival in years (China). What other candidate out there has even half the economic experience that Mitt does? Not one.

Defense - Mitt Romney wants to spend more on military (around 4% of the GDP). He wants to do this without raising taxes. He wants to finish what was started in Iraq and believes strongly in the war against terror. He wants to make safer borders and beef up security against illegal immigration. He wants to keep a close eye on Iran and other threats to peace in the world.

Social - Mitt is against abortion and gay-marriage. Some say that he flip-flopped on these issues but they need to get their facts straight. For example, Mitt was for gay-rights, but not gay-marriage (two TOTALLY different issues). Mitt is for strong families and is a living example of what he believes. He boasts a large family with a beautiful wife (never divorced), five upstanding sons and daughters-in-law, and a troop of grandchildren. Mitt's family is a shining example of strong families and Mitt wishes the same family ties that he enjoys for all Americans.

Make your vote count. Remember, the Iowa Republican primary is a secret ballot. If you vote for one of the candidates who has little support (Thompson, McCain, Giuliani), you are basically wasting your vote, as the winner of Iowa takes ALL its delegates. If you vote Huckabee, you are only doing one of two things. You are either handing the nomination over to Rudy Giuliani, or you are ensuring a democratic victory (as Huckabee would lose big in the national election). If either of these things happen, the issues that Republicans hold dear will not be represented. Mitt is the only candidate who provides the full-package and who has the broad appeal and funding to beat the Democrats.

Vote Mitt Romney for a better America (and in my case, a better Canada, as we are greatly affected by what goes on south of the border).

God Loves Romney More than He Does Huckabee

2008-01-01T12:39:00.000-05:00

Yes, the title is a pretty bold statement. You might be thinking to yourself "well gee, that's a pretty strong/quasi-sac religious statement....who would be POMPOUS enough to say that?" Well actually, Mike Huckabee would be 'that guy'.

During this election, Huck has eluded many times to the fact that he is God's "chosen" candidate and attributes his recent surge in Iowa and in other states to God's pure love for him and dislike for the other candidates who aren't worthy enough to unloose the latchet of Huck's shoes (Luke 3:16). Here are just a FEW quotes chosen from MANY that Huck has said:

When Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. introduced Republican presidential candidate Gov. Mike Huckabee at Wednesday’s convocation, he said Huckabee told university leaders during a visit here last year that “if this candidacy really took off it would have to be a God thing.”

In a brief question-and-answer period after his talk, one student asked Huckabee what he can attribute the surge in success to. Huckabee replied: “There’s only one explanation for it and it’s not a human one. It’s the same power that felt that … two fish and five loaves could feed a crowd of 5,000 people. … There literally are thousands of people across this country who are praying that little would become much and it has.” Here is the video after the jump:

So now that Romney has vaulted past Huck in the polls, by Huck's own logic, God must love the Mormon Mitt more than him. I wonder what Mikey did to lose all his Luckabee? The point is that Mike Huckabee never gives us a reason to vote for him. The crux of his whole campaign is that he is God's candidate, supported by arguably funny one-liners, meaningless ads with no substance (just jokes), and dodging the discussion of almost any important issue that he's asked about. Mike Huckabee is NOT God's candidate. God does not bow to the will of the Great Huck. If this guy hasn't yet scared off the majority of genuine God fearing and loving people, there is a disturbing level of religious bias and bigotry in America and the constitution and very foundation of why America was created is being completely mocked. The site Red State put it best when they said:

"If God is helping and has chosen Huckabee, does that mean by supporting another candidate I am fighting against God? And what if Huckabee loses to Romney, does that mean God changed his mind and now supports Mormon candidates over Baptist ones? Or does it mean that whoever outperforms Huckabee is actually stronger than God?"

Honestly, I don't believe that God loves any one candidate more than the other. We are all his children and he loves us all. It just never ceases to amaze me that Mike Huckabee will say ANYTHING to get a vote.

Huckabee, time to pull out the checkbook and pay gramma for the rubdown

2007-12-31T11:16:00.000-05:00

Marketwatch did a write up this morning entitled "Romney vaults Huckabee in Iowa polls" which made me chuckle a bit. The reason this is so fantastic is not only because Mitt is finally getting his moment in the sun (well snow if I know Iowa) but it's more Huckabee's reaction that I love.

What would you do if the person you'd been leading all of the sudden is in front of you? Do you step up your campaigning, do you try to highlight the topics that you feel are your strong points and his weak points, do you out smart your opponent with cunning strategies of the likes Iowa ain't nevah seen? Nope, not if your Huckabee, you just call your opponent dumb and tell him he can't read good. Well, so to speak.

Huckabee has blamed his falling on Romney being "dishonest" and "desperate", also popular is the if I was rich as you, then this would be different plea that we all know and love from the days of poor hockey performance being blamed on the rental skates and not the fact that the guy doesn't have a wristshot.

So "Huckabee, who claims Romney is outspending him 20-1 in Iowa, is relying on an informal network of evangelicals, home-schoolers, hunters and economic conservatives who, like him, want to replace the income tax with a national sales tax." Now a few things stand out to me. First, there's an underground network of home-schoolers!? That's amazing in its own right but the idea that they, along with the underground hunter scene will sway the election is something I hadn't anticipated.

Pretty much, if Huckabee's reaction to the poll changes doesn't save him, his only chance is to signal the Chuck Norris..../cue the bat-esque sign Ed, it's time for a roundhouse kick in the 8th dimension. Huckabee's is probably ahead in that dimension.

Quotes from -
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/politics/bal-te.iowa31dec31,0,5847918.story
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/romney-too-rich-for-me-huckabee-wails/2007/12/31/1198949742016.html
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-campaign31dec31,1,5301685.story?coll=la-politics-campaign

Mitt Romney - The Comeback Kid

2007-12-30T23:42:00.000-05:00

Just a few short weeks ago, Mike Huckabee came out of nowhere and rocketed to the top of the polls in Iowa. He implied on many occasions that the reason for his success is that God wanted him to win. He kept this lead for a while, until now, when the latest polls are showing Mitt Romney with as much as a 9 point lead in Iowa (but an overall average of a 0.6% lead).

Poll	Date	Romney	Huckabee	McCain	Thompson	Giuliani	Paul	Spread
RCP Average	12/26 - 12/29	28.2	27.6	11.4	11.0	6.2	6.2	Romney +0.6
Zogby	12/26 - 12/29	28	29	11	8	8	8	Huckabee +1.0
American Res. Group	12/26 - 12/28	32	23	11	7	6	6	Romney +9.0
Mason-Dixon	12/26 - 12/28	27	23	13	14	5	5	Romney +4.0
Strategic Vision (R)	12/26 - 12/27	27	29	14	15	4	4	Huckabee +2.0
Quad City Times	12/26 - 12/27	27	34	8	11	8	8	Huckabee +7.0

Well Mikey boy, as the Lord giveth He taketh away thy lead (not that God would ever support a religious bigot who has a tainted past full of deceit anyway). Mitt has not only closed up the gap, but has even surpassed Huckabee (I guess by Huckabee's logic that means that God loves Romney more. It's about time that people realized that voting for Huckabee is the surest and fastest way to give Rudolph Giuliani the nomination. Listen to the following quotes from Huck's campaign manager regarding the fact that Huck and his team think that Reagan's conservative coalition is dead (taken from an article written by Elect Romney in 2008) after the jump:

Campaign Chairman Says Reagan Legacy “Doesn’t Mean A Whole Lot” “All along, Mitt Romney has wisely run as the only candidate who represents all three legs of the ‘three legged stool’ that is the Republican coalition. For those of us who believe it is imperative to preserve the Reagan coalition, Rollins’ pronouncement is almost an argument to vote for Mitt Romney.” – Townhall’s Matt Lewis (Matt Lewis, “Rollins: Reagan Coalition Is Done,” Townhall, Posted 12/29/07)

Gov. Huckabee’s Campaign Chairman Declared The Reagan Coalition Dead: Gov. Huckabee’s Campaign Chair Ed Rollins: The Reagan Coalition Of Social, Fiscal, And Defense Conservatives “Doesn’t Mean A Whole Lot To People Anymore.” Huckabee Campaign Chairman Ed Rollins: “The breakup of what was the Reagan coalition — social conservatives, defense conservatives, anti-tax conservatives — it doesn’t mean a whole lot to people anymore.” (David Kirkpatrick, “Shake, Rattle And Roil The Grand Ol’ Coalition,” The New York Times, 12/30/07)

Rollins On The Reagan Coalition: “It’s Gone.” “[Huckabee’s] success is setting off a debate in his party over whether his success marks the fading of the old Reaganite conservative coalition — social conservatives, anti-tax activists and advocates of a muscular defense — or, rather, offers a chance for its rejuvenation. ‘It’s gone,’ said Ed Rollins, who once worked as President Reagan’s political director and recently became Mr. Huckabee’s national campaign chairman.” (David Kirkpatrick, “Shake, Rattle And Roil The Grand Ol’ Coalition,” The New York Times, 12/30/07)

Rollins: Some Parts Of Reagan Coalition May “Go By The Wayside.” “‘It is a time for a whole new coalition — that is the key,’ he said, adding that some part of the original triad might ‘go by the wayside.’” (David Kirkpatrick, “Shake, Rattle And Roil The Grand Ol’ Coalition,” The New York Times, 12/30/07)

Huckabee is trying to destroy the most powerful coalition created by Republicans, which Ronald Reagan himself claimed would win time and time again against the Democrats. Notice the the democrats basically leave Huckabee alone, instead targeting Mitt Romney in their criticism? Hmmmmm....could they be trying to leave themselves low hanging fruit (Huck) to pick during the national election? They know as well as the rest of us that the conservative coalition is the only thing that can beat them and that Mitt Romney not only has the potential to unite it (because of his policies) but also has the desire to do so. The following quotes from the same site mentioned above support the fact that Mitt Romney not only believes in, but is trying to unite the three legged conservative stool together:

Gov. Romney Aims To Keep The Reagan Coalition United:
Townhall’s Matt Lewis: “Rollins’ Pronouncement Is Almost An Argument To Vote For Mitt Romney.” “All along, Mitt Romney has wisely run as the only candidate who represents all three legs of the ‘three legged stool’ that is the Republican coalition. For those of us who believe it is imperative to preserve the Reagan coalition, Rollins’ pronouncement is almost an argument to vote for Mitt Romney.” (Matt Lewis, “Rollins: Reagan Coalition Is Done,” Townhall, Posted 12/29/07)

National Review:
“Romney Is A Full-Spectrum Conservative.” “Our guiding principle has always been to select the most conservative viable candidate. In our judgment, that candidate is Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts. Unlike some other candidates in the race, Romney is a full-spectrum conservative: a supporter of free-market economics and limited government, moral causes such as the right to life and the preservation of marriage, and a foreign policy based on the national interest.” (Editorial, “Romney For President,” National Review, 12/11/07)

Gov. Mitt Romney:
We Need To Unite “Social Conservatives, Economic Conservatives And Defense Conservatives.”

GOV. ROMNEY: “I believe that to win the White House that our candidate has to be somebody who can represent and speak for all three legs of the conservative stool or conservative coalition that Ronald Reagan put together – social conservatives, economic conservatives and defense conservatives.” (Gov. Mitt Romney, Press Availability, Grand Rapids, MI, 10/13/07)

As the Iowa primary rapidly approaches, many are realizing that Mitt is the only man who can win for the Republicans and save us all from higher taxes, inefficiency of government programs, weak border control and military against the war on terror, and an economy slipping into recession. Vote Mitt in 2008!

McCain the flip-flopper accuses Romney of flip-flopping!

2007-12-28T20:22:00.000-05:00

McCain's supporters are going hard trying to convince New Hampshire that Mitt Romney is a flip-flopper. Obviously this dead horse has not only been beaten multiple times, but has started to decompose! The funny part about it is that McCain is just as much, if not more of a flip-flopper as Romney. The man wants to be president so bad that he just jumps on whatever bandwagon is going by, only to hop onto a bigger one a mile down the road that is going the other way. His views have changed so much that at one point the democrats encouraged him to run for them. Granted, Mitt has changed his opinion on some issues, but his ACTIONS, not WORDS, have demonstrated the sincerity of his change. In any case, whether you believe Mitt is sincere or not, McCain's record of flip-flopping puts neither him nor his supporters in any position to criticize Romney.

The National Review Online released a powerful article in rebuttal to the wave of attacks on Mitt from McCain disciples. The article is called Misled in New Hampshire.

Here is a poignant quote from the article:

There is a lot to like about Senator McCain, and we do not fault the Union Leader for endorsing him. We do fault its double standards. The newspaper counts it as a damnable “flip-flop” every time Romney has changed his position or even his emphasis. McCain can switch his views on the very same issues without a disparaging word from the Union Leader.

mccain, yer that guy, we hate that guy.

2007-12-28T17:39:00.000-05:00

So as the proverbial poop hits the proverbial fan with Iowa just around the corner, I need to address the eyesore that is Senator McCain. Like I said in an earlier writeup John-o is a strong candidate but nobody wants him. He keeps coming around thinking that even though no one chose him before, either he's changed or the candidates are weaker and perhaps he stands a chance. He doesn't. Why not? Well, let’s talk.

McCain is a strong candidate because he packs a powerful personal story, POW for 5 years, bombing missions galore in "nam" and voted as one of the most influential people by Time magazine. He bucks the system, fights the status quo, and is really brave, and stuff, lots of stuff. Why then can the guy not buy his way into people hearts? Well, first there's the issues. Johnny has had a political career determined by his vision of the Whitehouse. The man wants in there so bad, but its just not to be. From structuring his vote to make him more appealing as a presidential candidate to his episode of being the Bush fanboi when he thought that's what people wanted to hear, to jumping on the bandwagon of Bush haters as soon as he got wind that the popular opinion had shifted. He's the geek at school desperately trying to gain popular approval, but always just behind the trend. He's the guy showing up with new kids on the block gear in a milli vannilli world. But does the fact that he's trying to hard to be someone he's not make him a bad candidate? Not necessarily, just a really big goof. Well what is the big deal with the boy? I think part of the problem is he seems to have this huge chip on his shoulder all the time, and feels validated in this because of his life history. Seriously, you ever hear the guy talk about any issue, he hates any opinion besides his own. The man gets so frustrated with candidates who see another side of a coin. He then tries to soften his image by going on shows like The Daily Show and SNL and looks like the biggest nerd, because then he's still angry at the world, but trying to show his appealing side and it ends up looking like Rudy Giuliani in drag, it's just wrong. Vomit in a corner, why do I have to watch this... wrong.

So what's my quip with John-o, he's a ralph nader in an election where votes matter. You can like him all you want, but his corruption accusations, his angry approach to politics, his "do whatever it takes to stand out even if I don't know why anyone in their right mind would do it" approach to voting, will all combine against him when he stands up in a head to head election. The man looks good from far, but is far from good. Unfortunately so are the women I date, but that's neither here nor there.

Huckabee - The Comedian and Chief

2007-12-28T01:36:00.000-05:00

Mike Huckabee is using his same lame old tactics in attempt to try to convince the American people, specifically voters in Iowa, that he is the man for the job. Recently, he brought reporters with him on a pheasant hunt (it's good to know that he 's spending his time so wisely right before the Iowa primaries) with the intent to take subtle shots at Mitt Romney. The Chicago Tribute released an article about his hunting-trip encounter with the media. Here are a few highlights with commentary added.

"Republican front-runner Huckabee took veiled jabs at his chief rival, Mitt Romney, while bringing reporters along on a pheasant hunt on a snowy, wind-swept Iowa plain. A regular hunter, Huckabee then shot a pheasant. "Don't get in my way," the former Arkansas governor joked. "This is what happens."

Yes, Huckabee "joked", just like he alway does. The irony is that he IS a joke, and that his tactic of taking serious issues lightly to get a laugh shows that he doesn't actually care about America, but rather just about winning. He is known for making unbelievably stupid comments. The problem with Huckabee is that he's missing that part of his brain that prevents him from making ridiculous comments and saves him from having a cloud of idiotness hang over him.

On the Republican side,

"Huckabee remains locked in a tight struggle with Romney. He brought reporters out to a frozen field outside of Osceola to discuss his campaign and, as a subtext, illustrate his support for gun rights. (A local official of the National Rifle Association accompanied him on the hunt.) Huckabee, wearing full hunting regalia, complete with an orange-accented jacket and cap, appeared more than ready for the cold conditions. He also had a Benelli Super Black Eagle 12-gauge camouflage shotgun in hand. "I'm just talking about taking care of business," Huckabee announced, before locking and loading."

Yep, he's sure taking care of business alright. I mean, if I were a few days away from the most important primary of the election, I would be hunting too. Taking care of business also means being completely unaware of details about world events such as what is going on in Pakistan. Huck obviously thinks that killing birds is more important than foreign affairs.

"The business, of course, was Romney. Without mentioning the former Massachusetts governor by name, it's clear who Huckabee's real target was, with the unlucky pheasants along to serve only as metaphors (and, eventually, dinner). In a direct shot at Romney before the hunt, Huckabee said he brings "authenticity and credibility to the campaign."

Ya, he sure is credible. I mean, he only took bribes as governor, went against voters wishes by funding illegal alien's education, and had absolutely no idea that Pakistan took away martial law two weeks ago (click here for article). If all those things don't make him credible, then I don't know what will.

Romney, Huckabee, said, "is focused on telling people why I shouldn't be president. I've been here focused on telling people why I should be."

A convenient statement as he blatantly takes a shot at Romney as he does the interview. How do you spell hypocrite?

Bottom line: Huckabee is obtuse, and runs his campaign on cheap jokes and one-liners. He's got about as much quality and character as a cubic zirconia; he appears authentic at first, but upon closer examination his ideas and track record are virtually worthless.

dear obama, what are you doing?

2007-12-27T09:44:00.000-05:00

In all honesty, as much of a republican as I see myself being, I’m not blind to other candidates if they would offer a better representation of what I think America needs. I recently had a conversation with a friend who is all about Obama, and naturally as politics came up we were pitted against each other, but I was interested in why she was such a fan of the Barack camp (and she was a fan, if Apple were a candidate, that’s how ridiculous his following is – they love him and don’t care what anyone says they love him and yer a hoser if you don’t love him too… just cause). She went on to explain her position and left me wondering "whah?"

Barack supporters, PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong, because admittedly my following of the liberal candidates hasn't been perfect. So here's how I understand the Obama way... after the jump.

His history, as taken from his wiki says that he "worked as a community organizer, university lecturer, and civil rights lawyer before running for public office. He served in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004, launching his campaign for U.S. Senate in 2003." He's been in the US Senate since 2004, so three years.

This broken down says he got in the Illinois State Senate in 1996, got tired of it, ran for the US HoR in 2000, lost, stayed in the State Senate, in 1998, 2002, then resigned in 2004 when he ran for the US Senate. Less than two years later he began courting presidential aspirations (before that I'm sure). My problem with this is that Obama is on a mission to the Whitehouse. He has it in his sights, and see's each office as a stepping stone. I mean an appointment to the US Senate is nothing small or insignificant, but Obama's focus is beyond the difference he can make, he's looking for the house.

Inherent to such aspirations is that Obama talks a lot, and only after that he then does whatever he finds time for between campaigning for the next office and speaking. He speaks a lot. You look at his record, it's a lot of speeches. He's addressed the issues ... in dazzling speeches. In fairness, he's supported many bills that have been favorable, and even introduced a few, but none have been able to debunk his beacon accomplishment of ... speaking at the 2004 DNC.

I mean, I don't really have anything bad to say about Obama, I'm sure he'd be a great presidential candidate in about 10 years when he's used his offices to accomplish something. When he's come into his own and defined his views a bit more. Recently he was quoted as saying he's a "political agnostic" (digg it) and he's willing to take any good idea from anybody. Well of course he is, he's still learning what he actually believes. He's consistently been on bandwagons that have taken him to good places, but as a leader, particularly a leader in national politics, he has proven nothing. Obama, you've got a cute campaign and I wish you all the best, but will look at you seriously in about two elections. In the meantime, quit power mongering and actually make something of your office, use what you've got to make a difference and show us that you have real potential. thx.

Mitt is the Man to Beat

2007-12-27T01:30:00.001-05:00

I am an avid Risk player and one of the best strategies is to quickly take out the opponent with the best positioning on the board before they get strong enough to dominate the game. This strategy reminds me of countless football movies that I can think of where the coach of the "enemy" team will send out one of his dirty players to purposely injure the "good-guy team's" star quarterback or receiver. Similarly, the same strategy of removing the candidate that is most likely to defeat you before he grows too popular is used in politics, specifically with regards to Mitt Romney, a popular target for most Republican and Democrat candidates. The fact that he is the object of so much attention and negativity sends out the clear message that he is the man to beat.

Today Race 4 2008 posted an excellent article which I thought was worthy of spreading to anyone who will read it. In a nutshell, it explains how Mitt Romney is one of the, if not the most feared candidates by both Republicans and Democrats. He leads a relentless, well funded, organized campaign that is building up a steady and loyal base. I won't tell too much more but I would highly recommend reading this article entitled "Mitt Will Win".

An excerpt from the article after the jump:

Romney is the man to beat. There is no denying it. He has the strongest position. As a matter of fact, if you offered Team Mitt the opportunity to trade strategic places with any candidate, I am positive they would decline. Really who’s spot would you want to be in? A guy who seems to be making a small resurgence in a state he won in 2000, yet has not taken the lead, has no money and is sputtering every where else? A guy who peaked 2 weeks ago and seems to be relying on a niche of the party to support him? A guy who peaked last summer and faded within a month? A guy who ran high in the national polls for a year, than dropped half the support and has no organization except in the state of Florida? None of those are welcoming options.

Like it or not Mitt has for the last 2 years methodically laid the ground work for the next month. He has put together the brightest minds in politics in all the key states, built the strongest organization, and frankly has the most impressive record of running organizations and achieving success.

There is no question the early entrants to the field recognized this. In May of 2006 when I opened my first blog, Illinoisans4Mitt, I quickly began to receive a steady stream of hate mail from anonymous Brownback supporters who worked with Mass Resistance. When John McCain started to build his organization in 06, it was no secret he was pining at Romney by pulling in the Governor of Utah, and the Attorney General- and it was no secret the governor of Utah is bitter at Romney that he was passed over to lead the Olympics.

As a matter of fact Mitt has been the constant object of derision from the competing campaigns since day 1. This is not only a testament to his shear leadership genius, but also to his positioning in the Race.

To read the full article click here.

McCain vs. Romney - Why Have a Hamburger When You Can Have Steak?

2007-12-25T23:13:00.001-05:00

Don't get me wrong, I like a nice juicy hamburger just as much as the next guy, as I'm sure you do. But when it is placed next to a succulent savory stake, I think I speak for most when I say that the choice is both obvious and easy. The hamburger is John McCain. He is a good guy in a lot of ways, with many good ideas, demonstrating persistence as an obvious trait (he has ran for the republican nomination multiple times). However, just because he tastes good (mmm...processed cheese), doesn't mean there isn't something else more enticing on the table. Enter Mitt Romney. Yes Mitt is the irresistible stake mentioned above which dwarfs the hamburger in taste and appearance, just as he dwarfs John McCain in leadership, talent and ambition. John McCain is a good guy, but he's not the leader that America needs. Unfortunately, due to his latest endorsements, he is rising in the polls, especially in New Hampshire where Mitt Romney once enjoyed a double digit lead. But voters should be careful. Even though John McCain has a lot of good things going for him (like four well done beef patties mingled with cheese - see picture above), he doesn't have the same ability to unite the conservative coalition as does Mitt, and more importantly won't do as much good for America if elected president. On that note, here are a list of things you may want to consider if you are thinking of voting McCain (taken from the Encyclopedia Mittanica):

McCain is old, he would be 76 at the end of his 1st year in office.
McCain graduated 894th out of a class of 899.
McCain does not have the diplomacy skills necessary to be a president.
Mitt Romney is a Govenor, and John McCain is a Senator. It is harder for a Senator to become President than a Govenor.
McCain has an anger problem.
McCain has made a lot of enemies.
McCain is mean.
McCain has problems with self control.
He sought to author the end of political free speech with his unconstitutional campaign finance reform efforts. His most signature work in the U.S. Senate sought to undue guaranteed protections for free speech – particularly in an election cycle where free speech is of most importance.
In his own efforts to leverage power in Senate proceedings he purposefully disrupted the will of his own majority party and further slowed down the needed debate on judges. In helping to orchestrate the gang of 14, he stymied clear consensus candidates to the courts as appointed by the President.
McCain, though a champion on fighting the effective fight on Islamic fascists who seek to kill us, has seemed unplugged, uninterested, and yes hostile to voices who are calling for secure borders. He stood by as President Bush locked out John Kyl – his fellow senator from Arizona, and a true champion against illegal immigration – from proceedings that were designed to brainstorm solutions to the border dilemma.
He seems clueless when it comes to one of the issues that his base voters care about – the protection of marriage.
McCain flip-flops.
McCain will have a problem getting female voters, especially against Hillary.
John McCain thinks we spend too much money on politics. He is not very good at Math, or Economics. America spend more money on Gum than we do on the whole political election cycle, including every political commersial and yard sign.
Given his carefully cultivated reputation as a moderate willing to work closely with Democrats on campaign finance reform, a patient's bill of rights, global warming, immigration, and spending restraint, you'd think McCain would simply own voters looking to back "the party of performance." Yet it is increasingly clear that he has chosen the wrong issues on which to embrace a more moderate, results-oriented view, both in light of Republican biases and the likely general election landscape.
Campaign finance reform was never a burning issue for voters. Rather, it was an issue of totemic significance, particularly for journalists and a narrow slice of the upper-middle-class, that pitted McCain against much of the Republican base. Achieving a victory on this front certainly generated "good vibes," for a time, but it's left little in the way of lasting voter loyalty. Moreover, McCain's efforts set very high standards for ethical behavior that can and in fact have been used against him. Every time McCain raises funds for, say, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, he will be accused--fairly or unfairly--of rank hypocrisy. Worse yet, it is hard to argue that the McCain-Feingold legislation has been a success. McCain's conservative opponents feel vindicated--the legislation solved nothing, and may have made matters worse. His allies are dissatisfied. To say the very least, this doesn't bode well.
Following his release after 5-1/2 years as a Viet Nam POW, John McCain divorced his wife, who had raised their children alone during his confinement. The second (and current) Mrs. John McCain was embroiled in a huge controversy over an addiction to drugs illicitly obtained from her own non-profit medical relief organization.
Since 2000, a roller-coaster of controversial positions within his own party have unfortunately left this maverick Senator with the label “Republican in Name Only.”
Similarly, the patient's bill of rights appears--again, fairly or unfairly--to have solved nothing. It has not made insurance coverage more widespread, it has not reduced the number of medical bankruptcies, and it doesn't seem to have improved the quality of medical care for very many, if any, voters.
Global warming is a worthy cause, and yet the winners from any forward movement on the issue are a large, diffuse, mostly indifferent group. The losers are a small, focused, and intensely engaged group. That's never a good thing in an election.
Then there is immigration. Insofar as the desire for immigration reform stems from a general sense of unease about rapid demographic change, economic insecurity, and a strongly-held belief that law and order has broken down, it seems unlikely that any legislation that deemphasizes stemming the low-skill influx in favor of legalizing the existing illegal population and actually increasing the size of the low-skill influx will win McCain many friends among Republicans.
Finally, spending restraint, one area where McCain is very much in tune with the Republican intelligentsia, is not an obvious winner against the old Clinton battle-cry of "M2E2"--Medicare, Medicaid, Education, and the Environment. Root-canal economics was unpopular in the 1980s, and it remains unpopular today, elite opinion notwithstanding.
The Media loves John McCain. Republicans hate the media.

But, hey, if Mitt Romney dies of an accidental death (ie - freak gasoline accident) before the election, John McCain could deserve your vote!