Sorry Sean,

Some conservatives are working hard to kill the idea of a McCain/Mitt ticket.

A petition is circulating on line to squash the Romney for #2 notion.

The site is sponsored by “Government is not God, A Political Action Committee of Social Conservatives.”

You can find their webpage and a full page ad at Govnotgod.org

Mitt Romney has pulled his ads everywhere but Michigan on the day he held a phone-a-thon and raised $5 million on that day alone.

done

We’re not going to just be on air here. We’re going to be in other states, but as to what the schedule is for different states, you’d have to direct that to the campaign. …. I will win Michigan. You know, I don’t know what would happen otherwise. It just depends on what happens to everyone else.

Check out embed producer, Shushannah Walshe’s report on Gov. Romney’s remarks. It’s do or die in the state where he was born. He’ll be in Myrtle Beach with the rest of the field Wednesday for the Fox News Republican debate airing at 9pm.

Mitt Romney scored spectacular numbers in Frank Luntz’s focus groups. (See previous post, The Forum is Over, Who Won?) He withstood withering condescension from his rivals, tough questions from Chris Wallace, all after a full campaign day. Romney has campaigned harder and for longer than all of them. Romney was seated in the middle, and he was in the middle of every exchange.

He stuck to his guns and fired several good shots of his own. He let almost no charge go un-rebutted and pivoted to offense effectively on many. As far as debating tactics, poise and execution are concerned he won.

That said, he has a heckuva job ahead. The Union leader has been pounding Romney. Huckabee’s win and attacks on Romney in Iowa left alot of bruises. Romney’s strategy always included wins in Iowa and or New Hampshire - and now he’s running 2nd to the McComeback Kid, MAC IS BACK! John McCain

Could tonight turn the corner?

(more…)

Marion, IA

Governor Romney addressed a packed holiday dinner at the Linn-Mar High School in Marion, Iowa this evening. This was the largest crowd of supporters I have seen with around five to six hundred in attendance.

The presidential hopeful spoke with his wife, Ann and was full of his trademark “aw shucks” humor and definitely garnered some laughs from the audience.

Romney often talks about his son, Josh, visiting all 99 counties in Iowa to stump for his father, a plan that was originally Mrs. Romney’s idea. Tonight when reciting the story of Josh buying a Winnebago on Ebay and packing his family up to travel around Iowa the Governor recounted the story with Josh asking his mom, “Do you know how many counties there are in Iowa?” The Governor continued, “99 bloomin’ counties!” The Governor often uses folksy, 1950s style phrasing, but “bloomin’ counties” is one of the best I’ve heard. I am going to try and keep track of all the “Golly Gee” moments on the blog, so keep checking back.

done

Another funny moment came this evening when the former Iowa frontrunner went through the states that he is going to win a la the Howard Dean yell, “I’m going to be in Nevada and I’m going to win Nevada. I’m going to be in Wyoming and I’ll win that one and Michigan and we are going to end up doing real darn well.” But, the Governor stopped before an embarrassing scream took place, “Brian over hear was afraid that I was going to scream as I said that. The Howard Dean moment, but I’m not doing that. No predictions like that and no screaming allowed!”

Governor Romney continues campaigning in Iowa tomorrow and then goes to San Diego for a fundraiser.

done

The Romney camp responds to their new ad that is up in Iowa. The ad called Choice: The Record focuses on the differences between Governor Romney and Governor Huckabee’s records on immigration. Much of the media reported it as a negative ad, but the Romney camp calls it a “contrast ad.” They say the commercial starts with pointing out the candidates’ similarities on social issues and then it points out their differences on illegal immigration. Yesterday Romney refused to answer any questions about the ad.

Today after the Iowa Public Television/Des Moines Register debate Communications director Matt Rhoades and I spoke about the ad. He was clear that it is a contrast ad and that it was another candidate who put up the first negative ad targeting a republican rival:

“The first negative ad was Senator Thompson’s ad during the You Tube debate and this ad is not a negative ad. It is a contrast ad. It opens up by saying Governor Huckabee is a good man who agrees with Governor Romney on important issues like the life issue and like the marriage issue. They just happen to disagree on immigration.”

Rhoades kept defending the ad and even said that some people might see it as a positive ad for Huckabee. He did tell me all this with a huge grin on his face the entire time. He was almost holding back laughter when describing the commercial:

“We are talking about the issues we have in common with Governor Huckabee which is the life issue. But on the immigration issue there are two entirely different records. Governor Romney has a record of being tough on illegal immigration while Governor Huckabee provided tuition benefits as the Governor of Arkansas and if you look at the ad and you believe in the positions that Governor Huckabee took than you might think it is a positive ad. But if you look at the ad and see the positions Governor Romney took and you like those positions then that might be a contrast ad, but we are very proud of it. “

Yesterday, Governor Romney evaded the press and refused to take any questions. Mark Ambinder was able to catch up with Romney and ask him about the ad. Romney defended the ad also saying it could be seen as positive, “ as you have seen in the ad it is very fair, balanced, and positive ad for both of us. We both look good, there is no characterization of one being bad the other being good instead it just shows our respective positions.”

The Romney camp might be trying to spin the ad as a “contrast ad” and not a “negative ad,” but it is far from neutral or positive. Huckabee said he was flattered at being the focus of a new ad and that it shows desperation on the part of the Romney campaign.

done

The Thompson campaign put out an official release minutes after the debate ended this afternoon. The e-mail wasn’t touting Thompson as the winner, (that came later); instead it was questioning Romney’s pro-life position. It says that under Romney’s Massachusetts health care plan that people have access to abortions for a co-pay of $50.

The release cites several press articles, including an Associated Press report from April 12, 2006 that says Romney vetoed the expansion of dental benefits to Medicaid recipients, but did not veto the abortion co-pay.

Romney is running as a pro-life candidate, but when this initially came up over a month ago it didn’t really cause a stir. So why is the Thompson campaign bringing it up again? Romney Communications director Matt Rhoades told me that it is because we are so close to the Iowa caucuses, “we are down the stretch and it is go-time so a lot of campaigns are using a lot of misinformation.” Rhoades also said that the attack was an old one, “Governor Romney is very proud of his health care plan in Massachusetts and the attack from the Thompson campaign is using is an old attack that has been refuted before and we want to focus on the issues.”

At the time the Romney campaign released a statement trying to refute the claims. The campaign re-sent it to me today and it explains that the health care benefits package was, “developed By The Connector Authority – An Independent Body Separate From The Governor’s Office.” The release continues to say that, “under state law and court precedent, if the state is funding health care benefits it cannot refuse to provide abortion coverage.” The campaign is saying that essentially the Governor’s hands were tied.

The Thompson campaign responded saying the Governor has to take responsibility for all parts of the plan:

“Romney vetoed numerous parts of the health care plan, but allowed specific parts to remain, he can’t take credit for some of it and not own all of it.”

(Click below to hear Romney Communications  Director Matt Rhoades respond to the Thompson camp accusations)

done

(more…)

Governor Huckabee just apologized to Governor Romney in response to comments made about Romney’s religion, Mormonism. In this Sunday’s New York Times Magazine, Huckabee asks, “Don’t Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?” Huckabee blamed the reporter for taking it out of context and pressed that he would never make an issue out of Romney’s faith:

“We thought good heavens we were having a conversation over several hours. The conversation was about religion and he was trying to press me on what my thought on Romney’s religion. I said I don’t want to go there. I don’t know much about it. I barely know about being a Baptist. He was telling me things about the Mormon faith and frankly he is very well schooled in comparative religions. As part of the conversation I asked about it. I asked him not to create something. I never thought it would make the story after the debate today. After the debate today I went up to Mitt Romney and apologized to him. I would never pick out some part of your faith and make it an issue.”

Huckabee embed, Serafin Gomez fought through the media horde to shoot the former Arkansas governor explaining his apology. Huckabee went over to Romney after the Iowa Public Television/Des Moines Register debate, the last debate before the Iowa caucuses.

**UPDATE**

The Romney Campaign responds to both the comments Huckabee made initially about Mormonism and also Huckabee’s apology, which Romney accepted.

Per Press Secretary, Eric Fehrnstrom:
“Governor Romney has accepted the apology. He believes that appeals to prejudice have no part in this campaign. While it’s fair to criticize an opponent’s record or policy positions, it’s out of bounds to question a person’s religious beliefs.”

The campaign also responded to the initial comments made by Huckabee.

Per Press Secretary Kevin Madden:
“Governor Romney will not debate candidates on their faith or question their faith. For those who want to know how Governor Romney’s faith informs his values, they can look at how he lives his life and how he has raised his family.”

**UPDATE**

Governor Huckabe e just spoke to Fox News about his apology saying that Romney responded, “very graciously, very graciously.” Huckabee described the encounter, ” I went to him. I just wanted to make sure that he heard directly from me,face to face, eye ball to eyeball, that I truly was sorry that that had come out that it looked like I had taken some shot at is faith. I absolutely did not, and I would not do that and so I apologized because I felt like I owed him that”

Duncan Hunter was so intently listening to Romney’s answer on conservatism that he forgot the question being asked. The question was what is more important right now being a social conservative or being a fiscal conservative. Romney evaded the question and said it was just important to be a conservative. Hunter forgot the question, but added that he thought Romney’s response was a good answer!

Do Governor Romney’s answers sound familiar to you? He’s been lucky enough to use his stump almost word for word in response to almost all of the questions asked. It might be good for viewers, but for the Romney press corps it is groundhog day.

He hasn’t been put on the hot seat. . .yet.

As usual, our email inboxes are being inundated with “fact checks” and background info from the campaigns and Democrats.

The Democratic National Committee is particularly focussed on Rudy Giuliani thus far but is also going after Mitt Romney today. Untouched is Mike Huckabee. Calling Matt Drudge? (who reported yesterday that the DNC is laying off the new top tier candidate believing that he would be an easy general election target.) The DNC denies the story….

But here are the DNC emails we have gotten thus far:

–DMR REPUBLICAN DEBATE: Giuliani Increased NYC Government Spending
–DMR REPUBLICAN DEBATE: Giuliani’s Flawed Care Plan
–DMR REPUBLICAN DEBATE: Giuliani Changes Position on School Choice
–DMR REPUBLICAN DEBATE: Mitt Romney Knows Why Jobs Go … And Where He Sends Them
–DMR REPUBLICAN DEBATE: Romney and Giuliani Both Profit from Foreign Oil

***UPDATE***

The DNC just sent out on Huck release:

DMR REPUBLICAN DEBATE: Arkansas Failed to Meet Education Obligations Under Huckabee

But they are still focussed on the other two front-runners this afternoon:

DMR REPUBLICAN DEBATE: Giuliani Grasping for Numbers on Ending Illegal Immigration
DMR REPUBLICAN DEBATE: Giuliani Big on Secrecy as NYC Mayor
DMR REPUBLICAN DEBATE: Giuliani Changes Position on School Choice
DMR REPUBLICAN DEBATE: Romney Takes Third Position on GlobalWarming