Pam's House Blend - Mitt Romney

Conservatives for Truth to Tony Perkins: Mitt Romney isn't anti-gay enough

Pam Spaulding — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 08:28:57 GMT

Want to see an hilarious news release announcing this ad hoc group that thinks Family Research Council's Tony Perkins isn't telling truth? Well, we all know if the "pro-family" leader's lips are moving that lies are spilling out, but "Conservatives For Truth" thinks the head of the this weekend's Values Voter Summit, which invited and landed failed presidential candidate Mitt Romney to the shindig, is committing a grievous error. The "pro-homosexual" Mittster's bowing and scraping before the fundies clearly hasn't convinced true believers he's worthy of the seal of approval.

This weekend, leading Christian pro-family advocacy organization Family Research Council (FRC) will feature former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney as one of its featured speakers at its "Value Voters Summit." www.valuesvotersummit.org Despite Romney's unbiblical and far left-wing record as Massachusetts governor on the issues FRC claims to care the most about, FRC President Tony Perkins continues to refer to Romney as a "friend of the pro-family movement."

That's why we have authored the website www.tonyperkinstellthetruth.blogspot.com, because we believe someone claiming to stand for biblical teaching, as Mr. Perkins claims to, should have the integrity to tell the truth about the candidates he's providing a platform to reach Christian voters.

...CNS.com reported on August 25th, 2008, that before the Massachusetts legislature had even had a chance to pass a law legalizing homosexual marriages (which they never did), Governor Romney unilaterally and unconstitutionally authorized the illegal alterations to and issuance of marriage licenses to homosexual couples, and even went so far as to demand that justices of the peace who wouldn't perform homosexual "marriages" for moral reasons, resign. www.cnsnews.com/news/article/34561

We would like to ask Mr. Perkins if CNS.com is lying, and if it isn't, does that sound like the actions of a, "friend of the pro-family movement?"

Please tell the truth, Mr. Perkins.

Even after the GOP Clown Car tossed him out in 2008, Mitt hasn't realized that he will never be able to 1) overcome his flip-flopping, back-double-twist political gymnastics and 2) convince "Christians" that as a Mormon, he's "one of them."

Mitt disses Bible Spice

Pam Spaulding — Tue, 05 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The backstabbing continues, as Mitt Romney appeared on CNN's State of the Union and commented on Time Magazine's inclusion of Sarah Palin on its list of "The World's Most Influential People." Party chair Rush Limbaugh also made the list, btw.

As Jed said, "It's like watching Ken attack Barbie for being plastic." Watch it below the fold.

KING: As you launch this effort, anyone who picks up "Time" magazine this week and sees the 100 most influential people, will see two Republicans in that magazine. They'll see Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh. Is that helpful, hurtful, indifferent?
ROMNEY: John, I'd like to have a lot more influential Republicans. I think there are a lot more influential Republicans than that would suggest. But was that the issue on the most beautiful people or the most influential people? I'm not sure. If it's the most beautiful, I understand. We're not real cute.

Mitt unloads two more-than-McMansions (plus a Q of the day)

Pam Spaulding — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:15:00 GMT

Getting ready for another self-funded 2012 move?

Race-car driver and money manager Hal Prewitt bought Mitt Romney's ski house at Deer Valley Resort for "a little less" than the asking price of $5.25 million, his agent said Tuesday. "It's beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous, very tastefully and artfully decorated," Prewitt, 54, of Miami Beach, said Tuesday from the 9,500-square-foot house. "He wanted to sell and I wanted to buy, so it wasn't difficult to come to an agreement."
Romney also has a tentative buyer for his suburban Boston house, his spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom said Tuesday. The 6,400-square-foot Colonial on 2.5 acres in Belmont is expected to fetch about $3 million.
The Romneys plan to keep a $10 million summer home on the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee in Wolfeboro, N.H. and a $12 million beachfront compound in La Jolla, Calif.
The sale of the Utah and Boston homes has been described by political analysts as a way for Romney to prepare for another presidential race without having to explain why he owns excess real estate - the issue that brought ridicule on rival Republican candidate John McCain last fall.

The article also quotes the Romneys as saying they are "downsizing and simplifying." Good grief. Now our house here in NC is about 1,500 sq. feet and it's a bear to keep that amount of space clean and uncluttered between the two of us. I guess the Romneys obviously have hired help to do that sort of thing, you know, like the most of the Joe Six Packs whose vote he was asking for last time around.

Speaking of real estate, I was kind of curious, since the mortgage meltdown, how high-end homes are faring -- like those Romney homes, not the McMansions you see all over the place. The latter market has tanked around here, with developers in this area going bust with half-finished McMansions rotting with a few homes sold out of dozens. More below the fold -- plus a Q of the day...
Raleigh N&O:

At Brighton Ridge, a new subdivision in Angier, a sign welcoming buyers features a child in sunglasses and bathing suit, lazing on an inflatable doughnut.
But the neighborhood is hardly so inviting. Empty lots are littered with bricks, sewer pipes and for-sale signs. Fewer than a quarter of the 55 homes planned at Brighton Ridge are finished.
Down the road is Wellington, where street lights line a network of roads that lead nowhere. Brush is growing on land that was cleared to sprout 70 houses. Not one has been built.
...As jobs and credit have disappeared, such ghosts have multiplied around the Triangle. They were envisioned as vibrant communities with new homes radiating from fancy clubhouses, children splashing in the community pool and suburban dads pursuing the perfect lawn. But that was before the banking crisis curtailed the flow of credit to home builders and froze some developments before completion.
The scenario has put about one-fifth of this region's homebuilders out of business, leaving homeowners angry about absentee developers, worried about their financial future or simply wanting for pool-side cabanas that may never be.

While the developers leave buyers high and dry, a lot of the people who moved into McMansions maxed out to get into them and can't afford them when one spouse loses a job. And the would-be McMansion buyer is probably seeking something more modest if they are in the market now. Honestly, the situation is not nearly as bad here as they are elsewhere -- where the boom caused outlandish rise in values and with the crash and burn as the market collapsed.

It's spring, so it's the traditional uptick in homes going up for sale. At least in our neighborhood, it looks like homes are going up and turning over fairly quickly, we see more open houses and people driving around for showings. Then again, most of the homes where we live are not McMansions, since it's not a new subdivision (houses were built in the late 80s some in mid 90s). The McMansion boom came later, and seems to have exploded more over in Wake County -- Raleigh and Cary (lovingly called Containment Area for Relocated Yankees by folks native to the region). I've spoken to a few people who are seeing inventory stay high, so it's hard to sell. Well, this could explain things:

The sign at the neighborhood's entrance boasts the developer's motto: Perception is reality. But at L'Hermitage at Beaver Creek in Apex, that reality means weeds taller than a teenager, a clubhouse pool filled with green water and half-built, mold-infested houses.
Families live in two completed homes, which sold for $536,000 and $480,000 in 2007. For neighbors, they have the skeletal remains of homes that never came to be. Diversified Communities, the New Jersey builder behind the project, walked away last year.
"They left town," said Dianne Khin, Apex's planning director, "and they didn't come back."

So, Q of the Day -- how bad is it where you are? If we're seeing pain in a relatively steadier area of the country, I can't imagine what is going on in, for example, California, Florida, and Nevada.

CPAC poll - Mitt on top, Palin tanks

Pam Spaulding — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 11:00:00 GMT

It looks like the Thrilla from Wasilla isn't thrilling the far right set at the wingnut CPAC conference. As they do each year, they hold a poll to take the temperature of the conservative movement and its idea of prez candidates for 2012.

Mitt Romney topped it for the third straight time, while Bible Spice, who didn't attend the con, didn't earn the support of the crowd. Sam Stein at Huff Post:

For the Alaska Governor, the belle of the conservative movement in the '08 election, the results aren't the best of news. Her non-appearance at CPAC, however, may have contributed to the tied-for-third-place finish. Moderate Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, earned one percent of the vote and was ridiculed by moderator Tony Fabrizio for being Barack Obama's favorite Republican.
With roughly two years to go until formal campaigning begins on the Republican side of the aisle, the results of the CPAC poll are more a temperature of the conservative movement at this point in time than an indication of who will end up the presidential nominee. Nevertheless, Republicans don't take these polls lightly. The results can provide a boost for a potential candidate or hurt the morale of another.
Here are the official results:
Mitt Romney - 20 percent
Bobby Jindal - 14 percent
Ron Paul -13 percent
Sarah Palin - 13 percent
Newt Gingrich -10 percent
Mike Huckabee - 7 percent
Mark Sanford - 4 percent
Rudy Guiliani - 3 percent
Tim Pawlenty - 2 percent
Charlie Crist - 1 percent
Undecided - 9 percent

Salt Lake Trib Asking How Mormons' Prop 8 Push Will Effect Mitt Romney, Other Mormon Candidates

Autumn Sandeen — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 18:00:00 GMT

Love or hate California's Proposition 8, one fact-based thing we can take away from the campaign is that the First Presidency (the Prophet and his two counselors) of the Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints (the Mormons) told their church membership to "do all [they] can to support the proposed constitutional amendment." There is now precedence for the LDS' prophet to tell its members how to vote on very public, controversial issues.

So, if Mitt Romney were to become the Republican Nominee for President in 2012, could the political activism by the Mormon Church hierarchy become be an issue of higher order than the John F. Kennedy/Pope issue of 1960? I tend to think so.

But, that's not how Thomas Burr of the Salt Lake Tribune cast the issue in first few paragraphs of his piece LDS political activism on gay marriage could impact Romney future; Fallout >> Prominent fight could help and hurt White House bid:

The key role played by the LDS Church in passing California's gay marriage ban could have long-lasting consequences - good and bad - for the future of the nation's highest-profile Mormon politician: Mitt Romney.
The LDS effort could give Romney a crucial boost among evangelicals who wield great power in choosing the Republican presidential nominee. But it might leave the former Massachusetts governor an even tougher slog among a broader electorate.
"What the LDS Church just did in California and elsewhere, should help [Romney] because it sends a signal to evangelical Protestants that while we differ religiously, politically we are first cousins," says Charles Dunn, dean of the School of Government at Regent University, founded by evangelical leader Pat Robertson...

Further into the article though, Burr quotes University of Iowa communications professor Bruce Gronbeck, who pointed out that the LDS Church's involvement in Prop 8 Politics may...

...make some independents wary of voting for a Mormon candidate, he says, and stoke more fears of how much power the church has over its faithful members.

So if one is a conservative, evangelical Christian, are you more happy that a Mormon candidate's church is on your side of the issue on same-gender marriage, or are you more worried about how the LDS Prophet may tell an elected Mormon officeholder how to speak out and vote on other issues besides same-gender marriage?

That LDS Prophet brought the politics of the Mormon Church to the forefront this last election. Since many conservative Christian voters consider Mormonism to be a cult, I tend to believe that any Mormon presidential candidate will have a leg down due to worries about what the LDS Prophet may tell a Mormon candidate what to say and do -- the Prop 8 stand by the LDS First Presidency demonstrates it's possible.

And wow, conservatives are discussing 2012 really early, aren't they? President-elect Obama hasn't even taken office yet.

Rove pushing Romney for VP; called to stop Lieberman nod

Pam Spaulding — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:07:23 GMT

The dark tentacles of Karl Rove are deep into the McCain campaign, it's not just a little light consultation. He's trying to strong-arm the VP selection, first to ensure that the Arizona senator does not pick Holy Joe under any circumstances.

Republican strategist Karl Rove called Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) late last week and urged him to contact John McCain to withdraw his name from vice presidential consideration, according to three sources familiar with the conversation.
Lieberman dismissed the request, these sources agreed. Lieberman "laughed at the suggestion and certainly did not call [McCain] on it," said one source familiar with the details.
"Rove called Lieberman," recounted a second source. "Lieberman told him he would not make that call." Rove did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Who is the veep apple of Rove's eye? The Ken doll, Mitt "Multiple Choice" Romney. McCain is to announce his choice tomorrow, so if it's Romney, we know that it's confirmation of more of McBush.

Speaking of McCain - have you heard about his $2 million parking lot?

Desperate times call for desperate measures: Mitt, Rudy to crash Dem Convention

Pam Spaulding — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:30:00 GMT

How pathetic is this?

When Democrats gather in Denver next week to nominate Barack Obama for president, they'll be joined by such uninvited guests as Republicans Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney.
The two former presidential candidates will be among two dozen or so Republicans in the city hoping to get their party's message out during a week dominated by Democratic festivities.
Their slogan? "Not Ready '08: A Mile High and an Inch Deep," a play on the nickname for the high-altitude city in the western United States.

These two will pitch their RNC central circus tent within walking distance of the Denver Convention Center. I can't wait to trek over to it and capture these two former GOP Clown Car Occupants.

The Mitt & Rudy show will feature guest appearances by Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina. The latter will do the GOP response to Hillary Clinton's Tuesday night speech.

And look at this little cute affair -- the GOP plans to launch www.notready08.com to attack Obama. Someone should make a readyforretirement.com site for McCain.

VP shortlister Mitt can't think of a McCain legislative energy accomplishment

Pam Spaulding — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:00:00 GMT

How not to successfully suck up for the veep position. With gas prices on the minds of most Americans, Mittster (or his handlers) didn't do any homework to tout McCain's wisdom and efforts on energy policy. Way to go!

WOLF BLITZER: Can you cite one legislative accomplishment that Senator McCain produced during those 26 years in Washington in order to achieve energy independence?
GOVERNOR ROMNEY: Well, I'm not a historian that goes through all of the pieces of legislation John McCain has worked on.

Come on, man. That's feeble. But that he readily admits that he's not a historian...or a mayor... or a legislator...or a scientist...or an engineer either. Read all about it after the jump.

Romney on Sanctuary Cities: "I'm Not a Mayor." Pressed by Neil Cavuto on his criticism of Giuliani running a sanctuary city, yet his own failure to act on Massachusetts' numerous sanctuary cities, Romney responded, "But I'm not a mayor," to which Cavuto replied, "You were a governor." "Yeah," agreed Romney, "and governors don't enforce the federal law." [Your World With Neil Cavuto, Fox News, 9/13/07]
Romney on Immigration Proposal: "I'm No Legislator." Speaking in Florida, Mitt Romney ducked out of elaborating on his immigration plan. "I'm not here to describe language in a piece of legislation," said Romney, speaking to reporters before headlining the Lincoln Day Dinner of the Polk County Republican Party. "I'm no legislator, at least currently, so I'm not going to give you a legislative language." [St. Petersburg Times, 5/25/07]
Romney on Torture: "I'm Not a Senator." When asked if he disagreed with Sen. McCain's proposal to prohibit "cruel, inhuman and degrading" interrogation techniques of terrorists in American custody," Gov. Mitt Romney declined to offer an opinion. "I'm not a senator; [I] haven't looked at his act," he said. [Wall Street Journal, 12/31/05]
Romney on Global Warming: "I'm Not a Scientist." During his tenure as Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney said he had decided not to take sides on the debate about whether global warming exists or if was caused by human activity. "I'm not a scientist," he said. "I read one book over the summer that said, 'gee, global warming is happening for reasons unrelated to human participation,' and other reports, far more, indicate, 'no no, it's very much driven by humans.' Well, I don't know." [Boston Globe, 5/7/04]
Romney on the Big Dig Fiasco: "I'm Not an Engineer." In the midst of an unfolding crisis with Massachusetts' Big Dig project, Gov. Romney abandoned his post in the MA statehouse to travel to Iowa, insisting he could provide few solutions for the embattled highway project because he was neither an engineer nor a contractor. The Big Dig, "is going to take months to correct and I will be available whenever I need to be there," said Romney. "It doesn't make a lot of sense to say home for several months -- I'm not an engineer. I'm not a contractor," he concluded. [Associated Press, 7/29/06]
Romney on Federal Penalty for Abortion: "I'm Not a Supreme Court Justice." In response to a question on what sort of federal punishments he'd advocate for women who underwent abortions - after the procedure is outlawed - Romney declined to offer a response, saying, "I'm not a Supreme Court Justice." "I'm not planning on becoming a Supreme Court Justice," he repeated. [Laconia NH "Ask Mitt Anything," 5/29/07]
Romney on Bloomberg: "I'm Not a Political Pundit." Asked by Wolf Blitzer as to whether an independent presidential run by NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg would greater harm the Democratic or Republican nominee, Romney replied, "You know, I think it's really hard to tell." "You know, I'm not a political pundit that can assess where his vote would come from," he continued. [The Situation Room, CNN, 12/31/07]
Romney on Sexual Orientation: "I'm Not a Psychologist." In an interview with the National Journal, Mitt Romney insisted he would not discriminate against gays for their "personal decisions." However, when pressed as to whether his use of the word 'decision' denoted that he thought homosexuality was a choice, Romney evaded the question, asserting, "I'm not a psychologist. I don't try and delve into the roots of differences between people." [National Journal, 2/10/07]
On Hunting: "I'm Not a Big Game Hunter." Trying to explain his hunting history, Romney said: "I'm not a big-game hunter. I've made that very clear. I've always been a rodent and rabbit hunter. Small varmints, if you will. [Associated Press, 4/4/07]

Fundie 'No Mitt for VP' movement launched

Pam Spaulding — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Oh yes, they are going to eat their own. Here is the petition web site message.

Republican Presidential Nominee, Senator John McCain:
We call upon you to reject any consideration of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney as a Vice Presidential running mate.
We further urge you to only consider for Vice President an individual with a strong and consistent record of support for both the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death, and the amendment of the U.S. Constitution to establish marriage as only between one man and one woman.

It's up to 1500 signatures so far. Who's behind the anti-Mitt movement? Someone named William J. Murray, Chairman of Government Is Not God - PAC. Murray's turned off comments at the petition site because:

Our NO MITT petition site on the Internet gave those who signed the petition an opportunity to give a short personal message to Senator McCain as to why they did not want Mitt Romney as Vice President. Individuals used this opportunity to post hateful and bigoted anti-evangelical messages at the site that I cannot reprint here. At one point a volunteer had to work full time to cull out those messages that were too offensive to leave up. We blocked the server at BYU in Utah and the number of offensive messages declined. In the culling process some messages that were not offensive were removed as well, our volunteers did the best they could with the volume.
...There was an overall dishonesty by the Romney supporters who posted at the NoMittVP site. In order to leave a post they had signed a petition saying they did not want Mitt Romney as their VP choice. To be blunt, they lied in order to post pro-Romney or anti-evangelical messages.
I was surprised by the number of anti-evangelical messages and the tone of hatred for evangelicals in general. However, this has not changed my position or the position of this political action committee. We will still endorse and fund candidates who are Mormon who are consistent social conservatives. We will still not endorse nor fund Catholics or members of Protestant churches who support such social catastrophes such as abortion and homosexual marriage.

Is that just delicious?

McCain and Mittster sitting in a tree...

Pam Spaulding — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:30:00 GMT

But are they k-i-s-s-i-n-g? Only the McCainBot 2008 knows for sure. Look as Mitt gives the droid-in-need-of oil ~~money~~ a loving gaze after a bruising primary hatefest, as the flip-flopping, former homo-friendly Massachusetts governor stumped for McCain in Utah. The MSM is buzzing about Mitt as a potential VP running mate. Bring it on, John.

Romney joined McCain at a fundraiser in Salt Lake City yesterday and is set to accompany him to another fundraiser in Denver this evening. It is familiar territory for Romney, whose family has roots in Utah and who lived there for several years. Romney raised $6.3 million in Utah, more than from his home state of Massachusetts and second only to his haul from California, during his bid for the GOP nomination.
McCain, by contrast, has raised only about $200,000 from the state. As a result, a vast population of Republican donors in the state is nowhere near to tapping out its allowed $4,600 maximum donation to McCain. The pair's spin through the Mountain West is notable given the palpable disdain that existed between them during the primary.

After the jump, you have to see what Senator Lindsey Graham said about McCain and Holy Joe.
Lindsey Graham calls Holy Joe and McCain 'something special'

As he figuratively humped John McCain's leg during an interview, ~~barely closeted~~ Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) also called Joe Lieberman (I-DINO-CT) "a national treasure." (Think Progress):

GRAHAM: Senator Lieberman, I think, is a national treasure, because no matter how you feel about his politics, he was willing to risk everything, politically, for a cause he believed in. But to see the interaction between these two guys and world leaders was something special. [...]
I think John McCain will be a reassuring presence to the world. ... It really was a smile on people's faces, knowing that if this guy got to be president, I think we could do business with him. ... I think he's a reassuring presence. Doesn't mean that they prefer John over Obama or Senator Clinton, but there's a level of comfort there. [...]

Hat tip to Dr. Zaius, who made a little summer fun activity page with Lindsey and Joe.

Also: catch MadKane's Ode To John "Maverick" McCain.

The Clown Car is emptying out - Bye Mitt!

Pam Spaulding — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 20:00:00 GMT

See ya. Huck is fighting on...he will probably drop out soon to further cozy up to the Tool for the VP slot. The far right wing really has nowhere to go now. Dobson must have severe agita. AP:

Mitt Romney suspended his faltering presidential campaign on Thursday, effectively sealing the Republican presidential nomination for John McCain. "I must now stand aside, for our party and our country," Romney told conservatives.
"If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror," Romney told the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington.
Romney's decision leaves McCain as the top man standing in the GOP race, with Mike Huckabee and Texas Rep. Ron Paul far behind in the delegate hunt. It was a remarkable turnaround for McCain, who some seven months ago was barely viable, out of cash and losing staff. The four-term Arizona senator, denied his party's nomination in 2000, was poised to succeed George W. Bush as the GOP standard-bearer.
McCain and Romney spoke by phone after Romney's speech, though no endorsement was requested nor offered, according to a Republican official with knowledge of the conversation.
Romney launched his campaign almost a year ago in his native Michigan. The former Massachusetts governor and venture capitalist invested more than $40 million of his own money into the race, counted on early wins in Iowa and New Hampshire that never materialized and won just seven states on Super Tuesday, mostly small caucus states.
...There were shouts of astonishment, with some moans and others yelling, "No, No."
By suspending his campaign, Romney holds onto his delegates, at least until the party convention this summer.

Check out Jon Perr's retrospective, Mitt Romney's Greatest Hits.

Blender diaries:
* Buh-Bye, Mitt!
* Boon to Huckabee: Romney to Quit Race

Tool McCain goes for the gay-baiting robocall in Florida

Pam Spaulding — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 17:15:00 GMT

With a marriage amendment effort is going on in the Sunshine State and it's down to the short hairs for Mitt and McCain, it's good to know that pulling out the homo strawman is like a comfortable old shoe for Republicans.

This is what John McCain did to scare off potential flip-flop Mitt voters - a robocall capitalizing on the former Massachusetts governor's abandoned gay-friendly positions. A nice robocall that neatly avoids the Arizona senator's own opposition to a Federal Marriage Amendment and history of playing it both ways. Oops. (The Politico):

“I’m calling with an urgent Mitt Romeny [unintelligible]"

"We care deeply about traditional values and protecting families. And we need someone who will not waver in the White House: Ending abortion, preserving the sanctity of marriage, stopping the trash on the airwaves and attempts to ban God from every corner of society. These issues are core to our being.

"Mitt Romney thinks he can fool us. He supported abortion on demand, even allowed a law mandating taxpayer-funding for abortion. He says he changed his mind, but he still hasn’t changed the law. He told gay organizers in Massachusetts he would be a stronger advocate for special rights than even Ted Kennedy. Now, it’s something different.

"Unfortunately, on issue after issue Mitt Romney has treated social issues voters as fools, thinking we won’t catch on. Sorry, Mitt, we know you aren’t trustworthy on the most important issue and you aren’t a conservative.

"Paid for by John McCain 2008.

My question -- are the Log Cabinettes going to line up behind McCain or Romney if either is the nominee? That's a sorry choice.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry's book: Mitt the Homosexualist and the Boy Scouts

Pam Spaulding — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:45:00 GMT

This is just too funny. Lone Star State governor Rick Perry has written a book, "On My Honor: Why the American Values of the Boy Scouts Are Worth Fighting For," an ode to the family values conveyed by the anti-gay organization.

In the tome Perry (who supports Rudy) has an amusing passage about Mitt Romney's role as administrator of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. There was a call for volunteers, and when the Scouts answered the call, for some reason, Mitt turned them away.

"In 2000 he put out a published call for volunteers ... The Great Salt Lake Council of the BSA, the largest in the nation, with some 80,000 Scouts and 35,000 adult leaders, answered Romney's call for volunteers."
"Some time that fall, however, the Scouts were advised that they were no longer welcome to participate. Chief Scout Executive for the Council, Marty Latimer said, 'We don't understand what's wrong. They just don't want us and won't talk to us.' He said that Romney had not returned calls from several Scout executives seeking an explanation. The Council's President R. Lawry Hunsaker expressed surprise that Romney had ignored Scout leaders for he had once been a Scout and a Scout leader himself. 'We can't get him to return our calls.' "

The reason Mitt may not have returned the calls is pretty obvious. When he was running to unseat Ted Kennedy in 1994, in a debate he said:

"I feel that all people should be allowed to participate in the Boy Scouts regardless of their sexual orientation."

The Freepi are in a tizzy over this. Romney, btw, also served on the Boy Scouts of America board of directors

LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley dies

Pam Spaulding — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 10:00:00 GMT

The head of the Mormon church has passed away at 97. I'm sure this will rekindle interest in the MSM regarding Mitt Romney and this faith.

With the shrewdness of a politician, Hinckley downplayed the more controversial aspects of LDS history. He welcomed the world to Utah for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, promising everyone they could get a drink here and accepted one of America's highest honors - the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
He highlighted Mormon commonality with other Christians, forging alliances with other faith groups while scolding LDS Church members for being too clannish, self-righteous and unfriendly to their neighbors.
He built alliances with other Christian denominations to oppose same-sex marriages and defend religious liberties. In 1998, Hinckley announced a "Proclamation on the Family," which laid out the church's support for the sanctity of marriage, the significance of family and the importance of chastity.
That became the theological foundation for the church's opposition to any effort to promote same-sex marriage. In 2000, the LDS Church defended the Boy Scouts' right to exclude gays from leadership positions, and the church and its members in Alaska and Hawaii gave time and well over $1 million to thwart same-sex marriage initiatives; in 1999, members in California helped finance the push for a Protection of Marriage Act on that state's ballot.
"What's a church for if it isn't to fight for values, to take a stand and face up to these moral issues?" Hinckley said in a February 2000 interview with The Salt Lake Tribune.

And he did. Gordon B. Hinckley appeared on Larry King Live a while back and discussed many issues about LDS, including thoughts on gays and marriage. It's below the fold.

KING: "I know that the church is opposed to gay marriage. Do you have an alternative; do you like the idea of civil unions?"
HINCKLEY: "Well, we're not anti-gay, we're pro-family. Let me put it that way...and we love these people [gays] and try to work with them and help them. We know that they have a problem. We want to help them solve that problem."
KING: "The problem they caused, or that they were born that way?"
HINCKLEY: "I don't know, I'm not an expert on these things. I don't pretend to be an expert on these things. The fact is that they have a problem."
KING: "Do you favor some sort of state union?"
HINCKLEY: "Well, we want to be very careful about that, because that...whatever, may lead to gay marriage, and that we're not in favor of."

Sunday political miscellany

Pam Spaulding — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 21:00:00 GMT

* Taxin' my time. It's nice down here in NC today, maybe about 50 degrees and sunny. What am I doing? Pulling all my stuff together to do my taxes. What fun. All I keep thinking about is the ridiculous "economic stimulus" package Dear Leader is pimping, which is no different than the last "rebate" he sent Americans. You know, the $300 advance on your next year's income tax refund? It's preposterous.

Yes, it will put money in the hands of those struggling, but what exactly, are they supposed to spend it on that will stimulate the U.S. economy? Almost all goods are made elsewhere. I guess it will be a boon to "made in the USA" companies, whatever few are left. Since this proposal would get checks in the hands of those making less than $75K by late spring.

I was listening to NPR on the way in to work the other day, and an economist was being interviewed who said that: 1) about a third of folks will save the money, 2) a third will spend it, and 3) the rest will put it toward their credit card balances. The government doesn't want folks to save it, though that would be a good idea to do so; as I said above, I'm not sure if "the spenders" will take the time and effort to research and "buy American." The people choosing to pay down their credit card debt may or may not help the economy. It's good to be debt-free, obviously, but some people will pay it down and simply run it up again. That's not smart personal finance, but that's what Bushco wants folks to do.

* Obama's rocking the Magic City. I just received a phone call from my mother-in-law in Alabama; Barack Obama is appearing in Birmingham and apparently it's standing room only in UAB's Bartow Arena (10,000 are there), and she noted how diverse the enthusiastic crowd was. All the local pols and community leaders are there, and the rally is being televised live on the local news channel.

The crowd mirrors the trend that has characterized Obama's campaign. Supporters are black, white, witnesses to the civil rights movement, and college students who can barely remember a White House without a Clinton or Bush.

To compare, Huckabee was in Birmingham as well, appearing at the Baptist college Samford University, in its Brock Hall auditorium to an "overflow crowd." The numbers weren't quite as impressive -- the standing-room crowd was in a 280-seat auditorium, with about 1,600 people filling an overflow room. Noted the report:

The crowd was virtually all white and included many Samford students. Five freshmen friends, all Republicans anxious to vote for president the first time, said they were impressed with the way Huckabee related his Christianity to his proposals for government, including his stance against abortion.

* Who is whispering in Mitt's ear? Look at this clip from the Florida GOP debate. Romney is asked a question and before he can answer, someone can be heard in the audio. Was Mitt wired for sound like Dear Leader appeared to be in his 2004 debates? This gives new meaning to "empty suit":

No one has come forward to identify themselves as the careless whisper in Willard's ear.

Daddy D's not endorsing, but FoTF blows kisses at Mitt

Pam Spaulding — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 15:00:00 GMT

The question of James Dobson's clout in the 2008 election is one of the hot topics, as he has been quite vocal about who he didn't like in the GOP Clown Car. He crossed McCain, Giuliani, and Thompson off early, and it appears that though Mike Huckabee is seemingly the most compatible on social issues, Focus on the Family Action says it won't endorse anyone prior to the Florida primary next week.

That said, you can watch a series of videos with Focus's Senior VP, Tom Minnery and Tony Perkins of the Family Research council discussing all of the Dem and GOP candidates. Huck comes up too short on fiscal issues and the defense issues, despite hitting all the fundie marks.

The video on Mike Huckabee, who is the overwhelming favorite among the nation's evangelical voters, is surprisingly harsh. After praising Huckabee's social views, both Perkins and Tom Minnery, a policy expert at Focus on the Family, hammer the former Arkansas governor for his foreign policy views. Minnery suggests that Huckabee does not understand the cause for which American troops are dying in Iraq. Then Perkins suggests that Huckabee lacks the fiscal and national security credentials needed for a conservative presidential candidate. "The conservatives have been successful in electing candidates, and presidents in particular, when they have had a candidate that can address not only the social issues, [but] the fiscal issues and the defense issues," says Perkins. "[Huckabee] has got to reach out to the fiscal conservatives and the security conservatives." Ouch.
So what about Romney? He comes up roses. "He has staked out positions on all three of the areas that we have discussed," says Perkins. "I think he continues to be solidly conservative." Then Minnery defends Romney from criticism that he is too polished and smooth. "Mitt Romney has acknowledged that Mormonism is not a Christian faith," Minnery adds. "But on the social issues we are so similar."

Time Magazine openly questions the influence of Focus on the Anus in 2008, as Dobson wants to make sure that his organization isn't seeing aligning with a loser. That may explain his dance with Moneybags Mitt, even though he's a flip-flopping cipher. The real problem for Daddy D. is that his organization isn't exactly keeping its coffers overflowing as it did during the heyday of the religious right.

More below the fold, including the prospect of Huckabee as VP.

For months, Dobson has been playing it coy, seeming to favoring the Mormon Mitt Romney over Baptist preacher Mike Huckabee, who would otherwise appear to be the natural Christian right choice. In December, Dr. Dobson praised a Romney speech as "a magnificent reminder of the role religious faith must play in government and public policy. His delivery was passionate and his message inspirational." Dobson even made a congratulatory phone call to the candidate.
...The founder of the Colorado Springs-based organization may have reason to be concerned about his influence. At the age of 71 and semi-retired from the day-to-day operations of his organization, Dobson is seeing Focus on the Family's fortunes wane - CEO Jim Daly describes them as "flat" - perhaps an inevitability for a ministry pegged to one towering figure. The ministry's expenses have exceeded its revenues for two years - what Daly calls a "drawdown from reserves" - by $4.1 million in fiscal year 2006 and by $9.9 million in 2005. (Figures for 2007 have not yet been released.)
The ministry apparently has been "flat" for some time. For example, in 1994 Dobson's monthly newsletter had a circulation of 2.4 million copies. Today, that circulation is about 1.1 million. Also, in the 1990s, Dobson was drawing audiences of 15,000 or more to his speeches; but in the lead-up to the 2006 mid-term election, only about 1,000 people heard his anti-abortion speech at the 2,500-seat Mt. Rushmore National Monument amphitheatre. Daly explains that the event was a last-minute invitation and that Dobson rarely accepts speaking engagements.
According to news accounts and audited financial reports posted online for potential donors, the organization's staffing is down (30 layoffs last September). Total donations and number of donors are down as well. Focus orders and resells copies of Dobson's tapes and books, which are the evangelist's personal business; but those purchases have declined from $678,000 in 2004 to $269,000 in 2006. His last book was published in 2001; another is not anticipated until 2009. The whole Dobson family, including wife Shirley, daughter Danae and son Ryan, produce books and tapes, but revenue from all Dobson-family materials are down, from $781,000 in 2004 to $307,000 in 2006.

***

I will probably touch on this in another post, but there are serious rumblings in GOP circles to ensure Mike Huckabee ends up as VP on the ticket. That is truly frightening, particularly if McCain wins. Imagine McCain not living out his term and we have President Theocrat/Christian Reconstructionist. That would certainly be a big boost to the religious right, particularly since Dobson has been waffling (trying to sidle up to the winner) by courting Romney.

I can't imagine a worse nightmare for civil liberties and the future SCOTUS picks. That's the one scenario that would have me seriously thinking about relocating to Canada. I would hope that John McCain has enough private disdain and common sense not to agree to that pairing, but given the politics of the day (and the history of Dems booting a sure-win cycle), anything is possible.

The saving grace of Huckabee - if you can even contemplate that sort of thing - is that his stand on immigration is "too soft" for the Freeper set. They absolutely can't stand Huck or McCain because of this issue, and also think the rapist/murderer-releasing, Christian Reconstructionist-supported, Man-On-Dog wannabe and former Arkansas governor is batshit crazy because of his "Amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards" statement the other day.

I still say there are enough bible-beaters that would gladly vote for Huckabee anyway.

Question for you all - ff Mitt won and put Huck on the ticket, would that help or hurt?

Mitt's winning no buddies on the playground

Pam Spaulding — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:00:00 GMT

There's an amusing piece about Multiple Choice Mitt in the NYT that dishes some behind-the-scenes dirt about the other Clown Car occupants' ill will toward the empty-suit former Massachusetts governor. The common sentiment in the GOP crowd that Mitt: 1) has too much money to throw around while others, like McCain and Huck have to scramble to raise cash; 2) he can pay for a lot of distasteful attack ads; and 3) he's a general sleazeball without convictions.

Some of the fun tidbits:
* "Never get into a wrestling match with a pig. You both get dirty, and the pig likes it."
-- John McCain in New Hampshire when reporters asked him about Mr. Romney.
* "What I have to do is make sure that my anger with a guy like Romney, whose teeth I want to knock out, doesn't get in the way of my thought process."
-- Mike Huckabee campaign chairman, Ed Rollins

In stark contrast to Mr. Romney, Mr. McCain seems to be universally liked and respected by the other Republican contenders, even if they disagree with him.
Mr. Schnur used a schoolyard analogy to compare Mr. Romney, the ever-proper Harvard Law School and Business School graduate, to Mr. McCain, the gregarious rebel who racked up demerits and friends at the Naval Academy.
"John McCain and his friends used to beat up Mitt Romney at recess," Mr. Schnur said.
...Mr. McCain also seems to have fallen into a mutual nonaggression pact with Mr. Huckabee, who has been almost fawning in his compliments for Mr. McCain and dripping with contempt when discussing Mr. Romney.

Mitt, the great white...hopeless

Pam Spaulding — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Poor Mitt. This is so embarrassing that I almost didn't want to post the video. But how could I deny you the opportunity to see Mitt Romney's new pandering style, captured as he posed with a group of young black people in Jacksonville, Florida -- trying to show his street cred by tossing off a lame line from an eight-year-old song, "Who Let the Dogs Out"? (NYT):

Mr. Romney, the Republican candidate from Massachusetts by way of Michigan and Utah who enjoys a milkshake at the end of a long day, stopped by a staging area for a Martin Luther King Birthday parade here. In his dress shirt and tie, and with his unwavering smile, he walked over and posed for photographs with a group of black youngsters. Putting his arm around a teenage girl, he waved to the cameras and offered, "Who let the dogs out?" He added a tepid "woof woof."
Somewhere, the Baha Men, the Bahamian group whose 2000 song the candidate was referencing, must have been shuddering. Kevin Madden, one of Mr. Romney's campaign boyz on the bus, said the candidate had been joking around and had responded to someone who asked, "Who let you out?"

Of course Mitt couldn't resist capitalizing on his success "getting down" with the peeps -- he liked a gold necklace that a girl who was wearing and declared "Oh, you've got some bling-bling here."

Oh it burns.

Hat tip, Perrspectives.

***

Making the dream a reality

Moving on to the Dem side of the same coin, Bill Clinton manages to rate an embarrassment level as high as Romney's as he falls asleep during a sermon by Martin Luther King, III at the Convent Avenue Baptist Church in Harlem on Sunday. The New York Post headline: "Bill Has a Dream."

I suppose that he more he sleeps, the less damage he can do to his wife's campaign.

"America's Finest News Source" hits the nail on the head (again).

Daimeon — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 11:00:28 GMT

Satire that writes itself.

Mitt Romney Defends Himself Against Allegations Of Tolerance

Mitt sweats it out in Michigan; Dems debate

Pam Spaulding — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 03:00:00 GMT

After pandering beyond all believe and dumping a ton of money in his birth state, flip-flopping Mitt finally pulled off a major win (if you don't count the Wyoming beauty contest). NYT:

Candidate	Vote	%	Delegates
Mitt Romney	203,169	38.9%	To be determined
John McCain	155,632	29.8
Mike Huckabee	84,172	16.1
Ron Paul	32,985	6.3
Fred D. Thompson	19,265	3.7
Rudolph W. Giuliani	14,503	2.8
Uncommitted	10,308	2.0
Duncan Hunter	1,721	0.3
Tom Tancredo	280	0.1
Others	239	0.0

56% reporting | Updated 10:11 PM ET

Romney actually beat out Huckabee on the evangelical vote, 34%-29%, so maybe the "amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards" got around. And take a look at the choice of the Freeper set, Fred Thompson, and Rudy. Both trail Ron Paul, haha!

***

I'm putting together my full interview from Saturday (including video) with U.S. Senate candidate Jim Neal. It will go up tomorrow, so I haven't been watching the Dem debate in Nevada this evening, but you catch Katharine Q. Seelye's live blog of it here.

A couple of entries are below the fold.

9:57 p.m. | Bankruptcy Tim Russert, who is also moderating, asks Mr. Edwards and Mrs. Clinton whether they regret having voted for two bankruptcy bills (in 2001 and 2005), which were favored by the big credit card companies, banks and mortgage companies.

Mr. Edwards says yes, “I should not have voted for that bankruptcy law.”

Mrs. Clinton reversed her vote, opposing it initially (and as first lady) and then supporting it. “Sure, I do, and it never became law,” she says. “I was happy that it never became law.”

This may be the first time she’s said this publicly; we’re checking. That’s an unusual attitude to take — to vote for something but say you are glad it didn’t pass. But obviously that bill would be hard to defend to consumers at a time when the banks and mortgage companies are seen as the bad guys.

Mr. Obama says he opposed the legislation (he didn’t get to the Senate until 2005).

9:17 p.m. | Silencing the Surrogates? Mrs. Clinton is asked if she’s going to distance herself from Robert Johnson, her supporter who seemed to allude the other day to Mr. Obama’s youthful drug use. After a somewhat ambiguous answer, where she says she accepts his “word” about what he meant but also doesn’t want anyone to be off-message, she is asked directly if his comments were “out of bounds.” Yes, she says.