Full Version: Mitt Romney Will Not Run For Re-Election
Now we just have to make sure that the rest of the country knows what a lying snake he is, so we can nip his presidential ambitions in the bud.
By SCOTT HELMAN
The Boston Globe@
If Governor Mitt Romney’s announcement Wednesday answers the biggest question in Massachusetts politics, it raises an even bigger one: Is he a viable presidential candidate?
The short answer is yes, according to political analysts, observers, and Republican activists across the country. But the longer answer, they say, is that Romney faces tough challenges: convincing Southern conservatives that he’s not a Northeast liberal, becoming conversant in foreign policy, and overcoming prejudices against his religion.
”Yes, he is a viable candidate: He’s got a spectacular reputation in Republican circles, the camera loves him, and he’s got a very focused message,” said former Republican National Committee chairman Rich Bond.
But, Bond added, ”He’s got a lot of work to do.”
With the first primaries more than two years away, other possible candidates - including US Senator John McCain, former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, and a half dozen others, have significantly more name recognition and political experience than the one-term Republican governor of Massachusetts. His highest-profile legislative goal, passing a healthcare bill, remains unfinished, with Democrats in the Legislature still negotiating a compromise.
Yet, by all accounts, Romney has turned himself into a top prospect for 2008 with a busy out-of-state schedule in 2005 and by taking increasingly conservative positions on gay marriage, abortion, and the environment in recent months. He will get more chances to grow his political network as chairman of the Republican Governors Association in 2006.
Romney isn’t likely to announce a presidential bid for another year, and the headlines in 2006 could have a big impact on his plans. If the war on terror continues to dominate, McCain, one of the country’s leading voices on defense, could have an edge. On the other hand, if the economic threat posed by China is a defining story, Romney could do well.
Several observers say that Romney has a legitimate shot at capturing the nomination if he can finish in the top three in Iowa, win or take second in New Hampshire, and woo enough conservatives to make a stronger showing in South Carolina than McCain.
”Romney has the potential to put together a serious run for the nomination,” said Scott Reed, who ran Bob Dole’s presidential campaign in 1996.
In Iowa, Romney has left a strong impression on voters, activists, and politicians on the trips he has taken, including a quick jaunt last Saturday for two fund-raisers. One was for Brad Zaun, a state senator representing part of Des Moines who said he was impressed by Romney’s down-to-earth manner.
”Even though he’s been very successful, he comes across as a very humble, genuine person,” said former Iowa governor Terry E. Branstad, one of several leading Iowa Republicans who held a private meeting with Romney during his visit. ”And, yeah, I think that will have appeal in Iowa.”
One possible drawback for Romney, Branstad said, might be that some Iowa caucus members would be hesitant to vote for a Mormon politician. Branstad said he urged Romney at their meeting to put his family - Romney is married with five sons - front and center to show he’s a family man with traditional values.
Bond, who considers Romney a ”tier two” candidate for now, said the governor ought to study how George H.W. Bush instantly became a top-tier candidate in the 1980 presidential race by beating Ronald Reagan in the Iowa caucus.
As for New Hampshire, Romney is in an enviable position. He owns a vacation home in Wolfeboro, has made several political trips to the state, knows the Republican operatives, and enjoys heavy media coverage because of the proximity to Boston.
The chairman of the Republican Party in New Hampshire, Warren Henderson, said that part of Romney’s strength is that he has a mastery of both policy and personality, unlike many politicians.
Romney, he said, ”clearly can do both.”
But Romney’s proximity to New Hampshire also ups the stakes for him there; a loss would be a major setback. McCain, who beat President Bush in the New Hampshire primary in 2000, remains a beloved maverick to many in the independent-minded state and could again emerge as the top pick if he runs.
Despite the hype about Romney in New Hampshire, some say it’s way too early to handicap his prospects there.
”I guess I would say we’ve got to see more of him to get a really good grip of what he believes,” said Jean White, a former state senator in New Hampshire and longtime activist in Republican politics.
Of all the early primary states, South Carolina would perhaps be Romney’s biggest test.
Rick Beltram, chairman of the Spartanburg County Republican Party, said the governor has been very well-received in his trip there, but he said that coming from Massachusetts could be a liability. Beltram said that when he first brought up Romney’s name to party activists, their response was this: ”How can we possibly have somebody from Massachusetts? They’re all liberals.”
Beltram said Romney must be able to appeal to financially and socially conservative voters in Spartanburg and other key counties.
”There’s no reason to think that Mitt Romney would not be a very viable candidate,” he said.
Mike Green, a Republican activist and founder of the political website SC Hotline, isn’t so sure. Romney may not be sufficiently conservative, he said, and voters are instead more likely to favor another probable candidate, Virginia Senator George Allen.
Though Romney calls himself ”prolife” and a firm abortion rights opponent, his views on abortion have shifted to the right over the last decade. He pledged during his 1994 Senate race against Senator Edward M. Kennedy to keep abortion ”safe and legal in this country,” which could cause conservatives not to fully trust him now.
”I just don’t see how Mitt Romney is going to catch fire down here,” Green said of voters in South Carolina.
Romney, who continues to build a political network, has pockets of support elsewhere across the country: in Michigan, where he grew up, and where his father, George Romney, was governor; in Utah, where he successfully ran the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City; and in California, where he has traveled several times and enjoys relationships with donors, particularly in the Republican bastion of Orange County.
To Grover Norquist, an influential Washington conservative, Romney is a serious national candidate, but will face pointed questions about his religion. Norquist said it’s hard to know at this point whether Romney would lose votes because he’s Mormon or whether he would attract sympathy from voters if his religion emerges in a negative way during the campaign.
”You can see it playing either way,” Norquist said.
There are, of course, many other variables - the war in Iraq, for one - that are likely to shape the 2008 race in ways impossible to know in 2005.
”It’s easy to get too excited two years before the first primary,” said Dan Schnur, a Republican strategist from California who worked on McCain’s presidential campaign in 2000. ”But there are still important first steps to be taken, and Romney’s taking the right ones.”
The Boston Globe@
If Governor Mitt Romney’s announcement Wednesday answers the biggest question in Massachusetts politics, it raises an even bigger one: Is he a viable presidential candidate?
The short answer is yes, according to political analysts, observers, and Republican activists across the country. But the longer answer, they say, is that Romney faces tough challenges: convincing Southern conservatives that he’s not a Northeast liberal, becoming conversant in foreign policy, and overcoming prejudices against his religion.
”Yes, he is a viable candidate: He’s got a spectacular reputation in Republican circles, the camera loves him, and he’s got a very focused message,” said former Republican National Committee chairman Rich Bond.
But, Bond added, ”He’s got a lot of work to do.”
With the first primaries more than two years away, other possible candidates - including US Senator John McCain, former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, and a half dozen others, have significantly more name recognition and political experience than the one-term Republican governor of Massachusetts. His highest-profile legislative goal, passing a healthcare bill, remains unfinished, with Democrats in the Legislature still negotiating a compromise.
Yet, by all accounts, Romney has turned himself into a top prospect for 2008 with a busy out-of-state schedule in 2005 and by taking increasingly conservative positions on gay marriage, abortion, and the environment in recent months. He will get more chances to grow his political network as chairman of the Republican Governors Association in 2006.
Romney isn’t likely to announce a presidential bid for another year, and the headlines in 2006 could have a big impact on his plans. If the war on terror continues to dominate, McCain, one of the country’s leading voices on defense, could have an edge. On the other hand, if the economic threat posed by China is a defining story, Romney could do well.
Several observers say that Romney has a legitimate shot at capturing the nomination if he can finish in the top three in Iowa, win or take second in New Hampshire, and woo enough conservatives to make a stronger showing in South Carolina than McCain.
”Romney has the potential to put together a serious run for the nomination,” said Scott Reed, who ran Bob Dole’s presidential campaign in 1996.
In Iowa, Romney has left a strong impression on voters, activists, and politicians on the trips he has taken, including a quick jaunt last Saturday for two fund-raisers. One was for Brad Zaun, a state senator representing part of Des Moines who said he was impressed by Romney’s down-to-earth manner.
”Even though he’s been very successful, he comes across as a very humble, genuine person,” said former Iowa governor Terry E. Branstad, one of several leading Iowa Republicans who held a private meeting with Romney during his visit. ”And, yeah, I think that will have appeal in Iowa.”
One possible drawback for Romney, Branstad said, might be that some Iowa caucus members would be hesitant to vote for a Mormon politician. Branstad said he urged Romney at their meeting to put his family - Romney is married with five sons - front and center to show he’s a family man with traditional values.
Bond, who considers Romney a ”tier two” candidate for now, said the governor ought to study how George H.W. Bush instantly became a top-tier candidate in the 1980 presidential race by beating Ronald Reagan in the Iowa caucus.
As for New Hampshire, Romney is in an enviable position. He owns a vacation home in Wolfeboro, has made several political trips to the state, knows the Republican operatives, and enjoys heavy media coverage because of the proximity to Boston.
The chairman of the Republican Party in New Hampshire, Warren Henderson, said that part of Romney’s strength is that he has a mastery of both policy and personality, unlike many politicians.
Romney, he said, ”clearly can do both.”
But Romney’s proximity to New Hampshire also ups the stakes for him there; a loss would be a major setback. McCain, who beat President Bush in the New Hampshire primary in 2000, remains a beloved maverick to many in the independent-minded state and could again emerge as the top pick if he runs.
Despite the hype about Romney in New Hampshire, some say it’s way too early to handicap his prospects there.
”I guess I would say we’ve got to see more of him to get a really good grip of what he believes,” said Jean White, a former state senator in New Hampshire and longtime activist in Republican politics.
Of all the early primary states, South Carolina would perhaps be Romney’s biggest test.
Rick Beltram, chairman of the Spartanburg County Republican Party, said the governor has been very well-received in his trip there, but he said that coming from Massachusetts could be a liability. Beltram said that when he first brought up Romney’s name to party activists, their response was this: ”How can we possibly have somebody from Massachusetts? They’re all liberals.”
Beltram said Romney must be able to appeal to financially and socially conservative voters in Spartanburg and other key counties.
”There’s no reason to think that Mitt Romney would not be a very viable candidate,” he said.
Mike Green, a Republican activist and founder of the political website SC Hotline, isn’t so sure. Romney may not be sufficiently conservative, he said, and voters are instead more likely to favor another probable candidate, Virginia Senator George Allen.
Though Romney calls himself ”prolife” and a firm abortion rights opponent, his views on abortion have shifted to the right over the last decade. He pledged during his 1994 Senate race against Senator Edward M. Kennedy to keep abortion ”safe and legal in this country,” which could cause conservatives not to fully trust him now.
”I just don’t see how Mitt Romney is going to catch fire down here,” Green said of voters in South Carolina.
Romney, who continues to build a political network, has pockets of support elsewhere across the country: in Michigan, where he grew up, and where his father, George Romney, was governor; in Utah, where he successfully ran the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City; and in California, where he has traveled several times and enjoys relationships with donors, particularly in the Republican bastion of Orange County.
To Grover Norquist, an influential Washington conservative, Romney is a serious national candidate, but will face pointed questions about his religion. Norquist said it’s hard to know at this point whether Romney would lose votes because he’s Mormon or whether he would attract sympathy from voters if his religion emerges in a negative way during the campaign.
”You can see it playing either way,” Norquist said.
There are, of course, many other variables - the war in Iraq, for one - that are likely to shape the 2008 race in ways impossible to know in 2005.
”It’s easy to get too excited two years before the first primary,” said Dan Schnur, a Republican strategist from California who worked on McCain’s presidential campaign in 2000. ”But there are still important first steps to be taken, and Romney’s taking the right ones.”
I think that Romney is a possible Republican nominee, certainly more likely than Giuliani and perhaps more likely than McCain as he seems closer to the Right than the other two, but I agree that he will have a lot to overcome.
At the risk of repeating some the Globe article, let me point out:
1. New Hampshire will be a special problem for him. The voters there are notoriously independent, and frequently defy predictions. Coming from Massachusetts Romney will be expected to win, but he will hardly be a shoo-in. Remember that Ted Kennedy lost the Democratic primary there to President Carter in 1980. If I were him I would be very nervous about New Hampshire and certainly not take it for granted.
2. I think the article clearly shows that he has "something to prove" with the Right, which means that he starts behind those candidates who don't. And if proves his bonafides with the Right all too well he may box himself in once if he gets the nomination in ways that Bush did not have to and other candidates would not. Bush could make forays to appeal to the center and soften his Right-wing edges because the Right-wing base trusted him. I don't believe that Romney will have as easy a job getting that trust.
3. His Mormonism is definitely problemmatic. I think that, all things being equal, a Jew running for the Republican nomination would have less problems. It's a shame that this can still be said, but I think that it is the honest view of reality. Many evangelicals regard Mormonism as a non-Christian religion, a heresy, and there have been evangelical-led campaigns targeting Mormonism as a "cult". This of course means that many in the CR will be suspicious of him. (Not that the evangelicals and the CR are one and the same, but of course there is a lot of overlap.) Which means "more to prove" in regards to the Right. Things could get rather ugly if anti-Mormon sentiment surfaces in the struggle for the Republican nomination.
4. Someone like Senator George Allen from my state would definitely have some important advantages over Romney. Allen has nothing to prove, statements pleasing the Right just come out so easily and glibly out of his mouth that few would question that he is one of them. And let me say this to you in particular Rox, if you hate Romney (or Bush for that matter) you will absolutely loathe Allen. One thing that I will not tire of saying is that Allen has the capacity of making people like us nostaligic for George W. Bush.
At the risk of repeating some the Globe article, let me point out:
1. New Hampshire will be a special problem for him. The voters there are notoriously independent, and frequently defy predictions. Coming from Massachusetts Romney will be expected to win, but he will hardly be a shoo-in. Remember that Ted Kennedy lost the Democratic primary there to President Carter in 1980. If I were him I would be very nervous about New Hampshire and certainly not take it for granted.
2. I think the article clearly shows that he has "something to prove" with the Right, which means that he starts behind those candidates who don't. And if proves his bonafides with the Right all too well he may box himself in once if he gets the nomination in ways that Bush did not have to and other candidates would not. Bush could make forays to appeal to the center and soften his Right-wing edges because the Right-wing base trusted him. I don't believe that Romney will have as easy a job getting that trust.
3. His Mormonism is definitely problemmatic. I think that, all things being equal, a Jew running for the Republican nomination would have less problems. It's a shame that this can still be said, but I think that it is the honest view of reality. Many evangelicals regard Mormonism as a non-Christian religion, a heresy, and there have been evangelical-led campaigns targeting Mormonism as a "cult". This of course means that many in the CR will be suspicious of him. (Not that the evangelicals and the CR are one and the same, but of course there is a lot of overlap.) Which means "more to prove" in regards to the Right. Things could get rather ugly if anti-Mormon sentiment surfaces in the struggle for the Republican nomination.
4. Someone like Senator George Allen from my state would definitely have some important advantages over Romney. Allen has nothing to prove, statements pleasing the Right just come out so easily and glibly out of his mouth that few would question that he is one of them. And let me say this to you in particular Rox, if you hate Romney (or Bush for that matter) you will absolutely loathe Allen. One thing that I will not tire of saying is that Allen has the capacity of making people like us nostaligic for George W. Bush.
QUOTE(Arneoker @ Dec 15 2005, 09:26 AM)
4. Someone like Senator George Allen from my state would definitely have some important advantages over Romney. Allen has nothing to prove, statements pleasing the Right just come out so easily and glibly out of his mouth that few would question that he is one of them. And let me say this to you in particular Rox, if you hate Romney (or Bush for that matter) you will absolutely loathe Allen. One thing that I will not tire of saying is that Allen has the capacity of making people like us nostaligic for George W. Bush.
I have a friend who refers to George Allen as "Senator Barfbag".
With what I've seen and heard about him, he seems pretty far to the right. I've also heard that he's not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer. 
The Boston Globe lays the editorial smackdown on Romney.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial...ey_exits_right/
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial...ey_exits_right/
QUOTE
Romney exits right
December 15, 2005
Our New Year's wish: a governor who wouldn't rather be elsewhere.
By thumbing his nose at Massachusetts after less than three-quarters of one term as its chief executive, Mitt Romney, yesterday surrendered his clout and squandered his legitimacy. If, as it appears, his heart and mind are no longer in Massachusetts, he should resign.
Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey is inexperienced. But the state would be far better off in the hands of someone focused on state problems, rather than someone touring the country ridiculing the people he was elected to serve. Romney has joked in several states that, as a Republican here, he feels like ''a cattle rancher at a vegetarian convention."
Romney's decision was no surprise, as he admits to presidential aspirations and has increasingly taken conservative positions that would appeal far more to GOP activists in the South and West than to Massachusetts voters. Romney said he would keep his commitment to finish his term, but there is no reason to. He might as well follow Paul Cellucci, who went to Ottawa, and Bill Weld, who left for Mexico City (though he never arrived).
Romney's claim last night that ''I've got the job done I set out to do" is not credible. He touts his success in closing a large budget deficit without raising taxes.
But the facts are that the economic recovery was largely national; that he has forced regressive fees and property taxes to skyrocket; and that many state functions, including higher education, environmental protection, housing, and human services, still operate below 2000 levels.
Romney won election to clean up the mess on Beacon Hill, but his only success was the scalp of William Bulger, who resigned under pressure as president of the University of Massachusetts. Romney walked away from opportunities for real reform, of the campaign finance system and of the Quinn Bill on police pay.
He can claim a few victories: his firm stance strengthened a drunk driving bill this year, for instance. But most of his major initiatives have either been ignored, like the education restructuring he proposed in his first year, or have withered. He has yet to achieve consensus on health reform, his major goal for this year, despite an exceptional alignment of support.
It is true that if Healey were to take over as acting governor, she could expect no honeymoon from the Democratic Legislature. Still, she could win the office in her own right next November, and that possibility would give her some leverage. As of this morning, Romney has none.
Romney has every right to seek the presidency. But if his goal is the Potomac, let him swim in presidential waters if he can, and not linger on the Massachusetts stepping stone.
December 15, 2005
Our New Year's wish: a governor who wouldn't rather be elsewhere.
By thumbing his nose at Massachusetts after less than three-quarters of one term as its chief executive, Mitt Romney, yesterday surrendered his clout and squandered his legitimacy. If, as it appears, his heart and mind are no longer in Massachusetts, he should resign.
Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey is inexperienced. But the state would be far better off in the hands of someone focused on state problems, rather than someone touring the country ridiculing the people he was elected to serve. Romney has joked in several states that, as a Republican here, he feels like ''a cattle rancher at a vegetarian convention."
Romney's decision was no surprise, as he admits to presidential aspirations and has increasingly taken conservative positions that would appeal far more to GOP activists in the South and West than to Massachusetts voters. Romney said he would keep his commitment to finish his term, but there is no reason to. He might as well follow Paul Cellucci, who went to Ottawa, and Bill Weld, who left for Mexico City (though he never arrived).
Romney's claim last night that ''I've got the job done I set out to do" is not credible. He touts his success in closing a large budget deficit without raising taxes.
But the facts are that the economic recovery was largely national; that he has forced regressive fees and property taxes to skyrocket; and that many state functions, including higher education, environmental protection, housing, and human services, still operate below 2000 levels.
Romney won election to clean up the mess on Beacon Hill, but his only success was the scalp of William Bulger, who resigned under pressure as president of the University of Massachusetts. Romney walked away from opportunities for real reform, of the campaign finance system and of the Quinn Bill on police pay.
He can claim a few victories: his firm stance strengthened a drunk driving bill this year, for instance. But most of his major initiatives have either been ignored, like the education restructuring he proposed in his first year, or have withered. He has yet to achieve consensus on health reform, his major goal for this year, despite an exceptional alignment of support.
It is true that if Healey were to take over as acting governor, she could expect no honeymoon from the Democratic Legislature. Still, she could win the office in her own right next November, and that possibility would give her some leverage. As of this morning, Romney has none.
Romney has every right to seek the presidency. But if his goal is the Potomac, let him swim in presidential waters if he can, and not linger on the Massachusetts stepping stone.
A new Ani-Mitt animation from MassDems. This one has Mittens starring in a take-off on Apocalypse Now, called Politics Now.
http://www.massdems.org/Features/ads/movie8.html
http://www.massdems.org/Features/ads/movie8.html
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