Romney Leads 2012 Primary Poll

In a poll of “Republicans and Republican leaning independents” done by Gallup September 25-26, Mitt Romney led the field of twelve potential candidates with nineteen percent. His nearest competitors were who you would expect: Palin, Huckabee, Gingrich, as potential newcomers such as Daniels and Thune have trouble gaining attention with as few people paying attention this early.

As for me, I am more interested in the latest poll from Rasmussen, showing Dino Rossi again holding a narrow lead over Patty Murray. Four and a half weeks away, voters. We are heading into October already. Time to gear up hard for this November, and worry about bringing Romney to victory in 2012 after we have reclaimed Congress.

“Echoes of Reagan”

Those are what a contributor to the North Star National hears when Romney speaks. Overall the piece is a glowing endorsement for Romney, his message, his work for candidates in 2010, and his chances in 2012.

This man has Reagan down. He’s got the witty little stories with the funny lines. Some of the humor is self-deprecating, as appropriate Reagan-ness would proscribe. He’s very incorporative of his family in his stories, appearances and the like. And bonus, his message is very “we” the people, “we” the Republicans, “we” the future.

Of course, there is a lot more to it than just that, and is worth reading in its entirety. Give it a look here.

Mitt Romney’s Letter to Central New Yorkers for Ann Marie Buerkle

Courtesy of the 25th district Republican candidate’s Facebook.

It’s not happening the way President Obama and Congressional Democrats had planned.  Unemployment has grown to 9.6%.  Private sector investment in new jobs and capital has languished.  Even the heads of the president’s Council of Economic Advisers and White House National Economic Council have resigned.

Now the president and House leaders are doing everything in their power to retain their majority in Congress, even if that means glossing over their failure when it comes to jobs and the economy and ignoring their own poor record to distort those of their opponents.

Washington needs to discard its anti-investment, anti-jobs, and anti-growth policies for a new pro-jobs, pro-prosperity focus. Washington needs Ann Marie Buerkle in Congress. That’s why I am so proud to endorse her candidacy earlier this week.

Thanks to the innovative, can-do spirit of the American people, the economy will recover. But the same leaders who gave us the job-killing, so-called health care reform, cap and trade, and massive stimulus spending aren’t likely to change course to adopt a growth and jobs agenda.

So we need new leadership. We need to send Ann Marie Buerkle to Washington.

Ann Marie is a mother and grandmother, a Registered Nurse, small business owner, and accomplished attorney. She understands that the best way to spur our economy is to lift the burdens imposed upon small business by the president and this Congress. Ann Marie knows that raising taxes and expanding entitlements is a recipe for economic disaster.

In Congress, Ann Marie will extend the Bush tax cuts for Upstate families, enact real health care reform that doesn’t discourage job creation or take from Medicare, and stop the excessive spending.

If Central and Western New York voters want to change Congress, they need to change congressman. Won’t you join me in supporting Ann Marie Buerkle by contributing $25, $50, $100 or more to Ann Marie’s campaign? Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Mitt Romney

Romney on ’12

I am still unable to spend very much time on the blog at the moment, so instead of long-winded posts, I bring you more Romney video. Courtesy of Democast.tv, this video shows Romney discussing the Tea Party, his 2008 bid, and Republican prospects in the 2012 election. On the latter, Romney shows a serious approach to the election that is good to see in a potential ’12 contender. At a time when Obama’s approval rating is in the low 40s, and conservatives could be likely to be overconfident, Romney is showing that there are serious concern and challenges for the Republican candidate in the next Presidential election.

Romney understands the simple facts that defeating an incumbent President is difficult, that the natural swing of the economy could see improvement by 2012, and that no election is easy. He indicates that the key to defeating the President is to establish the correct perception in the minds of the people, that the economy, when it recovers did not do so because of Obama’s efforts, but in spite of them. In the end this video shows me a candidate who has taken a serious look at the future of the economy, the mistakes of the past and means to correcting them, and a reasonable strategy toward tackling 2012. The individual who has given the subject such rational thought is the one I want to be our nominee.

Of course, all this begs the question – does the extent of Romney’s thought on the subject betray his own intentions for 2012?

Romney in NY: Obama’s first two years an “abject failure”

Syracuse.com reports on Romney’s speaking engagement from last night.

Headlining the banquet for the Central New York Conservatives, Romney spoke up hard against the failed policies of the Obama administration, comparing the President to Jimmy Carter and arguing forcefully and rightfully that they have “stalled the economy” so that unnecessary and unpopular leftist programs could be implemented. Romney also made an appearance alongside candidate Ann Marie Buerkle at the opening of  her campaign headquarters.

Local station WSYR has more, including video from their television news feed.

Romney in Central New York

Tonight, Mitt Romney will be visiting yet another state, as he travels to Liverpool, New York, just outside of Syracuse where he will be speaking at a banquet for the Central New York Conservative Parties. The banquet, which last year saw Mike Huckabee as its keynote speaker, will honor several long serving conservatives in the region, including James Vargason, William Sanford, and the late Bernard Kraft.

As expected, the arrival has coincided with today’s announcement that Romney will be supporting ten New York candidates for Congress. These include Syracuse’s own Ann Marie Buerkle running against Dan Maffei in NY-25, and Richard Hanna in the neighboring 24th district:

At a time when we need leaders who will enact pro-growth policies that will turn our troubled economy around and put people back to work, too many Washington politicians are instead focused on growing the size of government. New York – and our nation – deserves leaders who will put the interests of the people ahead of the special interests, and work to get our economy back on track.  That is why I am proud to stand with these candidates today.

New York’s 25th is my own district, by the way, so I am particularly pleased to see these endorsements. Although the 25th is still listed as “Likely Democrat,” Buerkle is in striking distance of Maffei in the few polls that have been taken, and can win this with some enthusiasm behind her campaign. I hope the support by Romney will get the ball rolling on that. Meanwhile, Hanna in the 24th only narrowly lost to Arcuri in the Democrat wave that was 2008. NY-24 is a very strong opportunity for a Republican pickup this November.

Romney Video from the Values Voter Summit

On the morning of Friday, September 17, Governor Romney spoke at the Values Voter Summit. In the speech, very much focused on economic issues, Romney drew sharp contrast between the common sense solutions that America needs to progress down the path toward recovery, and the amateurish failed efforts of the Obama administration. Although Romney is justifiably focused on 2010, the tone of the speech could be a preview of what we may see should the former Massachusetts Governor run for President in 2012.

Video of the C-SPAN feed of the speech is now up on Youtube. Imbedded below.

New Free and Strong America

Another brief update here, pointing out that the Free and Strong America website has had a makeover. All of the same good stuff is there for anybody looking to get up to date on Governor Romney and his endorsements, but it is now presented in a more streamlined, and just plain fancier fashion. The site also comes with a quicker way to access it for those running out of characters in their tweets. Just type in the new shortened URL: Mitt.ly

Along with the flashy new website, Romney has also released a series of endorsements for candidates from the state of New Hampshire. Check those out while you are there.

Blog Note and Primary Wrap-Up.

First of all a bit of a note on the blog: some minor computer issues are keeping me from doing some extensive work on here for the moment. Previews of the Nebraska endorsements, as well as Delaware Senate Candidate Christine O’Donnell will come, but not for a couple of days.

Until then, congratulations to Jeff Perry, who thanks in part to Governor Romney’s help has managed to win a decisive victory in Tuesday’s primary in the 10th district of Massachusetts. There is a bit of an uphill climb from here, but Perry’s message can see him to victory in November.

Romney’s New England Candidates

As stated in the previous post, Governor Romney has had a busy weekend working hard for conservatives as voters in several states seek to nominate the best reformers in their primaries this Tuesday. These have included not only the stop in New Hampshire, where he pledged support for the winner of their Senate primary, but also campaign appearances for several candidates in Romney’s former state of Massachusetts and neighboring Connecticut.

Charlie Baker is running against Deval Patrick for Governor of Massachusetts. This is obviously a race that means very much to Romney, as the past four years have seen the budget surplus and business friendly policies instituted by his administration tossed away by the reckless mismanagement of Patrick’s tenure. Throughout the summer, Baker has been arguing that Massachusetts has “had enough… Enough of the tax hikes, the broken promises, the insider deals, the special interests controlling what gets done on Beacon Hill, the unwillingness to make tough decisions that will help cities and towns save money, the lack of meaningful reforms.” Baker promises to make those tough decisions that have been avoided by Patrick. These include in his early agenda, limited state benefits only to residents of Massachusetts, cutting unnecessary construction projects, and bureaucratic reform designed for making Massachusetts a better place for business. Along with government cuts, Baker will focus on job growth for the state, through lowered sales taxes, lowered income taxes, a simplified tax code for business, and reformed government programs.

Charlie Baker for Governor 2010

Karyn Polito is running for State Treasurer in Massachusetts, where her opponent, determined tomorrow, will be either Steve Grossman or Steve Murphy. Returning to his former state, Romney was able to bring a strong personal endorsement for Polito, stating:

When I was governor, I could count on Karyn Polito to stand with me when it came to keeping taxes low and cutting wasteful spending. She is a fiscal conservative who’s not afraid to take on the political machine. As treasurer, Karyn will be a watchdog for the people, and we need more people like her in state government.

Polito meanwhile states that she intends to bring the fiscal conservative philosophy brought to the state by Governor Romney to her approach as State Treasurer. She will join Governor Baker in her support for reduced taxes and a simplified tax code providing a competitive atmosphere for business in Massachusetts. Meanwhile she will seek alternate means toward fixing the budget deficit in the state, specifically cutting spending and alternate sources of revenue such as expanded gaming contracts.

Karyn Polito for State Treasurer

Jeff Perry has also received Romney’s attention in these final days before the Massachusetts primary as the former Governor has included campaign stops in the 10th Congressional district during his recent visit back in Massachusetts. Containing the south shore and Cape Cod regions of the state, the tenth is among the more conservative parts of Massachusetts, and having been vacated by retiring Democrat Bill Delahunt is very much in play this November. As a State Representative he has fought valiantly against efforts to see taxes raised in the state, opposing higher taxes as the answer to budget shortfalls and actively seeking the reduction of sales and fuel taxes. If victorious in tomorrow’s primary and in the November election he will bring the same philosophy to Washington, favoring low taxes and trusting the growth of small business as the answer to the unemployment problem.

Jeff Perry for Congress

In Connecticut, Thomas Foley has received a great deal of support from Governor Romney. Connecticut has shown a leaning toward its Democratic candidates throughout the summer, but has since tightened considerably as Senate candidate Linda McMahon is now closing on Democrat Richard Blumenthal, and Foley is now within seven points of Dan Malloy. With Malloy still under fifty percent support, Foley’s message still has a solid opportunity to catch on to the voters of Connecticut, and there is significant reason to believe it will. For instance, his effort to make Connecticut “Employer Friendly.” Foley sees a growing unemployment rate as business flees the high taxes and complicated government mandates coming from Hartford. Though Jodi Rell has attempted to keep taxes low, Democrats in the state legislature have on multiple occasions overridden her veto to impose unnecessary fees and regulations on business. As a result, Connecticut’s taxes remain among the highest in the nation. As Governor, Foley will work hard to see the end of this, working to reduce government spending and see a bipartisan plan toward reducing taxes passed so that Connecticut can be more competitive for business.

Foley is also running with Mark Boughton, the popular mayor of Danbury, and a proven reformer who has guaranteed the safety of his constituents while keeping spending under control.

Tom Foley for Governor – More Jobs, not More Taxes

In addition to this, Romney has also focused outside of New England, where he has endorsed eight candidates from Nebraska, complete with financial contributions from Free and Strong America PAC. The many good points of these eight reformers, including popular and effective Governor Dave Heineman will be addressed in a coming post.