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Statements & Endorsements
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| CONSERVATIVE PUNDITS AND LEADERS STATEMENTS OR ENDORSEMENTS OF MITT ROMNEY |
"Dave Keene says Mitt Romney is a ''good conservative'' and ''the best of the bunch.'' " (NewsMax)
David Keene is President of the American Conservative Union, the country's oldest and largest conservative grass roots organization, which has one million members.
''No other candidate will do more to advance the conservative judicial movement than Governor Mitt Romney.'' (Judge Robert Bork)
Robert Bork, a best-selling author, was a supreme court nominee by Ronald Reagan.
Chief Counsels, partners and other prominent attorneys representing and fighting for conservative groups and causes have also come out in favor of Governor Mitt Romney.
» Endorsements and comments of leading legal professionals
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''One clue that Romney is our strongest candidate is the fact that Democrats keep viciously attacking him while expressing their deep respect for Mike Huckabee and John McCain... The candidate Republicans should be clamoring for is the one liberals are feverishly denouncing. That is Mitt Romney by a landslide.'' (Ann Coulter)
Ann Coulter is a columnist, speaker, and six time New York Times best-selling author.
"... that conservative icon (and personal hero to yours truly), Morton Blackwell has endorsed Mitt Romney for President." (Matt Lewis)
Morton Blackwell is the founder and President of The Leadership Institute and the GOP's National Committeeman from Virginia.
''I've looked at him and he's the best guy... With a clear conservative vision to move America forward, he will strengthen our economy, our military, and our families.'' (Paul Weyrich)
"Weyrich, a prolific writer and frequent commentator, is the founding president of the Heritage Foundation, the influential conservative Washington think tank, and a cofounder of the Moral Majority, the religious group that grew into a powerhouse under the late Rev. Jerry Falwell." (Boston Globe)
Paul M. Weyrich is also the founder, Chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation, which since the 1970s has researched and promoted "the cause of cultural conservatism". (Freecongress.org donation.aspx, flyer.pdf)
“The man often described as the father of the religious right has thrown his support behind Mitt Romney, becoming the latest social conservative A lister to give the former Massachusetts Governor his blessing. In announcing his endorsement, Moral Majority co-founder Paul Weyrich praised Romney's "clear conservative vision" and "exceptional record of putting conservative values to work." ”
Certain religious conservatives unsuccessfully worked hard to change Weyrich's mind. Weyrich responded:
“Nearly every critical message against my endorsement used the governor's Mormon religion as the reason I should not have done so...
“Mr. Romney listens. We don't agree on everything. I don't know of any candidate with whom I agree on absolutely everything. The governor gives me the opportunity to make my views known to him. He is open to reasonable argument... I believe the governor will stand up to Sen. Hillary Clinton or whoever the Democrats nominate.” (Beliefnet.com - Nov 16, 2007)
"Weyrich said other candidates sought his nomination, but that he reached out to Romney, not the other way around. “I was impressed with the dynamism of the candidate. He’s a candidate that will impress the American public.” " (National Review - Nov 6, 2007)
Weyrich endorsed Romney the beginning of November 2007 and continued to support him throughout his presidential campaign. When Governor Romney dropped out of the race Weyrich endorsed Mike Huckabee.
In a National Journal article on March 24, 2008, after Mike Huckabee had also dropped out, Paul Weyrich weighed in on McCain's choice for a V.P., stating ''If he selects somebody bad from our point of view, it's going to be very difficult,'' then adding ''It would help if he selected Mitt Romney, but he won't.'' (McCain's Defining Choice)
Less than two weeks later, it was reported that Weyrich had joined a religious Political Action Committee that included Governor Mike Huckabee supporters, which was called 'Government is not God PAC', in proclaiming that John McCain should not choose Governor Romney as his Vice President. (CNN Political Ticker - April 4, 2008)
In actuality, Weyrich did not give consent for his name to be used in their adds, and four days later the Free Congress Foundation sent a press release, where he stated in part:
''Recently I received a phone call from someone asking if former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney should be Arizona Senator John McCain's selection for Vice President of the United States.
''I said, "No" because I did not think this was the best path for Romney right now; nor was it, in my view, the right fit for McCain. My understanding was that this was to be a personal letter to the Senator; it was not clear to me that this was to be an advertisement. Thus, I now request that my involvement in this effort be disregarded as this effort to influence the Senator moves on.'' (Paul Weyrich) (TheAmericanMind.com - April 8, 2008)
After all those efforts failed to pressure Weyrich to recant and undermine the significance of his endorsement, as a last resort the rumor mill kicked in with certain blogs and stories reporting a claim that Weyrich regretted endorsing Romney and not endorsing Huckabee. The veracity of such claims should be viewed in light of what Weyrich is known to have said that he thought of Mike Huckabee:
“Huckabee, I came close to supporting him, and if we were running for some sort of religious organization, I would support him, but we’re not. He has compromised on so many conservative issues, I simply can’t be for him. Every time you turn around, he’s taking the wrong stand on a different issue.” (National Review - Nov 6, 2007)
On December 18, 2008, Paul Weyrich died at 66. (Fox News)
''I'm for Mitt Romney, always have been. I believe he'd be a great president of the United States, also a great candidate against the Democrats''
''A talk-show host since 1999, Jay Severin was in 2005 nominated for radio's highest honor, the Marconi Award as Radio Personality of the Year.''
Jay Severin is also a former award-winning columnist for MSNBC.com
» Endorsements and comments of major talk show hosts
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| EDITORS, BLOGGERS, ETCETERA |
''On the July 24 edition of MSNBC's Imus in the Morning, Newsweek senior editor Jonathan Alter characterized Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) as having "more baggage than Paris Hilton on the Riviera." Suggesting that "calling her [Clinton] the front-runner is silly at this point," Alter instead touted two potential Republican candidates -- Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).''
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Mitt Romney is the right leader for these challenging times
By BRUCE KEOUGH For the Monitor
''Thousands of our state's citizens believe that Gov. Romney is the leader our country deserves, and it is not hard to see why. Over this past year, Mitt Romney has shown us all a lot about himself. Years ago, we watched from afar as Mitt Romney turned the scandal-plagued Winter Olympics into a national success story. It was a time when our country sorely needed a boost at home and abroad. Romney rose to the challenge and demonstrated to all of us his internal strength and determined leadership.
''In 2003, Romney was inaugurated as governor of Massachusetts. At the time, his state was in fiscal crisis. There was much the people of Massachusetts were expecting from their newly elected leader. Romney did not disappoint. He drew on his business experience and leadership abilities to successfully erase a nearly $3 billion deficit without raising taxes or borrowing more money. Romney showed Massachusetts how talented and smart he truly was...
''While Gov. Romney has a long record of success in both the public and private sectors, Americans ultimately don't choose their president based on a resume. They vote based on the vision the candidate has for the country's future. We've come a long way as a nation, but we can yet have a better tomorrow. Romney envisions an American future of always expanding political equality, social justice and economic opportunity. If we elect him to help us navigate the new challenges we face as Americans, we will have taken another important step toward ensuring that the past "American Century" is just the first in a long succession.
''Gov. Romney is also a man of deep convictions. He has always stood strong in the defense of traditional marriage, the Second Amendment, fiscal conservative policies and our most basic conservative values. There is only one issue that Gov. Romney has changed on and that is the issue of abortion. Now firmly pro-life, he admits his position has changed. He is often called up to explain the change which he does with patience and thoughtfulness. Those who question his conviction can look to his record of standing for life as governor of Massachusetts. On this issue, a record is more important than just words.
''Gov. Romney is a true leader. He has achieved success personally, professionally, in the private sector and in public service. He has shown all of us that he has what it takes to be our country's next president. Gov. Romney is the one who has the diversity of experience and record of leadership to lead our country through the extraordinary challenges we face and thousands of my fellow New Hampshire citizens agree.''
Bruce keough is a former New Hampshire state Senator (nhpr.com).
The Concord Monitor is an award winning daily newspaper in New Hampshire's capitol.
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GOP Advisor Glenn Hubbard: An Interview by Human Events
''Hubbard is currently the Dean of Columbia University School of Business and previously served as the Chairman of President Bush’s Council of Economic Advisers. Hubbard also held the John M. Olin Fellowship at the National Bureau of Economic Research and is a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute...
''He says he thought Romney “was the smartest” of the contenders and the candidate with the best understanding of the ‘big economic problems’ which we face. He stresses Romney’s executive experience as Governor, Chairman of the Olympic Games and as business executive, remarking that he believes these experiences demonstrate that Romney is a “practical problem solver” with the skills to implement his policy objectives. He notes that the day before the interview he spent eight hours with Romney, discussing policy and observing Romney absorb information and manage and direct his staff. These skills, says Hubbard, will be essential if a president wants to “get things accomplished.” ''
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Why Romney Is Right for Iowa, America
by Townhall Chairman Doug Wilson
''GOP voters sense a party without direction, one that has drifted from many of its core values in order to preserve power or placate perk-hungry voters. They also sense the high stakes, which explains their widespread discontent and indecisiveness: They’re afraid of making the wrong decision at a time when they feel they really need to make the right one.
''I know the feeling. I felt it myself...
''I carefully evaluated the candidates for the GOP nomination. It was a nerve-rattling experience... I considered many factors in selecting a candidate, but two in particular stand out a year later. First, I wanted to support a candidate who would unify the Republican coalition. Second, I wanted to support a candidate with a track record of extraordinary leadership.
''I found such a candidate in Mitt Romney...
''I wanted to retrace the steps of my thought process in the hopes of convincing Hawkeye State Republican - and independents - in New Hampshire, South Carolina and all across the country—to support Governor Romney.
''Romney Unifies the Republican Coalition
''To hear the media tell it these days, one might think the three parts of the Republican coalition—military conservatives, economic conservatives and social conservatives—are distinct entities with irreconcilable agendas...
''Of course, not every Republican ascribes to all three “legs” of the “stool.” But over the past 27 years, most Republicans have understood that the independent fate of each of these legs is inexorably intertwined with those of the other legs. So sometimes an economic conservative may not be a social conservative but might support a candidate who is in the hopes that the candidate will advance a free-market agenda. And so on with various other permutations.
''In a country of 300 million people, this is how politics works. And for Republicans it has to work this way because there simply aren’t enough military, economic or social conservatives who can, by themselves, carry a candidate to a national victory.
''In evaluating the candidates, I determined that Governor Romney is the best candidate to unify the Republican coalition—and therefore the most likely to defeat Clinton or Obama in November...
''Romney Is a Proven, Extraordinary Leader
''In my many years in the business world, I have seen firsthand the importance of leadership. I have seen companies succeed and fail, often due to the leadership capabilities of their executives.
''This year alone we have seen both great triumphs of leadership (General David Petraeus’ oversight of the surge in Iraq) and great failures (former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’s ham-handed management of the Justice Department). So when it comes to choosing a president, I place high value on leadership experience...
''Governor Romney not only has government leadership experience as Massachusetts’ former chief executive, but he also has private sector leadership experience...
''The Right Man at the Right Time
''Governor Romney’s ability to unify the Republican coalition and to provide effective leadership on his first day in the White House differentiate him from his GOP competitors, and position him to beat the Democratic nominee in November. I urge my fellow Republicans in Iowa and elsewhere to support the right man at the right time for our country: Governor Mitt Romney.''
''Doug Wilson is Chairman of Townhall.com, the leading conservative website in the U.S. He writes for Townhall.com and speaks around the world on the values that have made America great. He is the co-author with Ed Feulner, President of the Heritage Foundation, of the New York Times bestseller, Getting America Right: The True Conservative Values Our Nation Needs Today.''
(Townhall had well over a million unique visitors a month in the months before the 2008 general election.)
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Why I'll vote for Romney - PowerlineBlog - Paul
''The rest of the Republican world has pretty much decided whether it prefers John McCain or Mitt Romney. Now, finally, I have too... voting on the basis of electability is often a fool's errand... The decision thus comes down to policy and effectiveness. I give Romney the edge on both counts...
''Nothing in Romney's record as governor (as opposed to his record as a candidate for office in liberal Massachusetts) suggests that he won't govern as a reasonably reliable conservative...
''Finally, we get to the question of effectiveness and administrative ability. Romney has demonstrated these qualities throughout his career; McCain not so much.''
Powerline Blog received upwards of 250,000 unique visitors in the months leading up to the 2008 general election. It is a blog led by three attornies, one of which is Paul Mirengoff.
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''I'm excited by Mitt's candidancy and want to publicly declare my support for him...
''I am supporting Romney because I believe he will be the most capable administrator of the largest government in the world, and that he will tackle head on problems that traditional politicians have swept under the carpet for decades, postponing any solutions because they are afraid of the political fallout for rocking the boat...
''I truly believe that Romney's approach to governing this nation will be solid and sound because it will be based on tried and proven business, leadership and financial principles, learned from very large-scale real world business experience -- experience that no other candidate has.
''In a nation that needs a financial turnaround (our national debt is $8.7 trillion and climbing fast -- check out this national debt clock). We need a turn around artist, a gifted and articulate leader with a great vision for change and a penchant for surrounding himself with results-oriented people who won't get embroiled in petty partisan politics, but who will actual make the difficult decisions necessary to solve the problems we are facing.
''As an investor, Mitt Romney had to find CEOs who could deliver results and he did. He knows how to identify and attract great people to his team. When he stepped in to save the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, he built a team that turned these games into a huge success, when they had been on the brink of serious disaster.
''As the governor of Massachusetts, Romney turned a huge deficit into a balanced budget, while at the same time addressing major health care and educational issues at the state level (where they should be managed.) ...
''I believe Mitt Romney will form the most effective and efficient team of any president in modern history. I believe the national debt will be attacked head on. Romney will recognize that our nation will become insolvent if we don't change our current course. He will find a way to reduce the tremendous burden the national debt places on every American.
''I believe that his leadership will inspire new solutions in education, energy, and health care, but that they won't be top down federal government mandates. I think he will be open minded to out of the box thinking and innovation. As an investor, he's definitely manifest the ability to see where things are going and back the right ideas and people. He'll do the same as President of the United States...
''Mitt's willingness to subject himself, his family, and his religion to unprecedented and vitriolic attacts, in order to win the presidency and help turn this country around demonstrates his desire to be a public servant...
''I encourage everyone to take a very close look at Mitt Romney, whose great capacity to solve problems and create value for stakeholders will help build an America that we can be proud of. An American that will remain a great nation with strong families and communities, stay competitive in the face of unprecendented challenges from Asian economies, and once again provide leadership to the world to rally together in times of crisis, when our enemies attack.
''I believed in Reagan and I believe in Romney, and I've struggled to believe in between.''
Not the Microsoft Paul Allen. This Paul Allen has founded Infobases and other companies. His blog received close to 20,000 visitors a month in the months leading up to the 2008 general election.
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| CELEBRITIES |
Entertainment:
Randy Owen, musician and lead singer of legendary group Alabama (RandyOwen.com), Pat Boone, a popular singer whose latest album came out in 2006 (wikipedia) and who was the second most popular singer of the late-50's early-60's (after Elvis Presley - tsimon.com), and the Osmonds, all supported Mitt Romney.
Famous TV personality and producer, Robin Leach, who first became well known by hosting and producing "Lifestyles of the Rich and famous", also supported Mitt Romney.
Olympians:
Olympic Skeleton racer Jim Shea supported Mitt Romney for president as did speed skater Derek Parra. Derek Parra, who won a gold and silver in speed skating, stated in his support of Romney during the presidential primary: "I won a gold medal in the Salt Lake Olympics. But there was another big winner, Mitt Romney, the world-class leader who saved our Olympics." (Parra also keeps on his website a copy of a speech Governor Romney gave that has a touching ending that refers to Derek. DerekParra.com - Reflections in the Ice)
''Dan Jansen, Olympic speed skating gold medalist, also spoke in support of Romney. Jansen said he met Romney while the governor was overseeing the Olympics.''
Kristi Yamaguchi, the olympic figure skating champion also supported Mitt Romney.
Pro Sports:
''Mitt Romney isn’t an ex-college baseball stud like the first President Bush and doesn’t have the air of a jock, but that hasn’t stopped a slew of pro athletes and coaches from backing the ex-Bay State guv.
''A review of campaign finance filings shows Romney has gotten significant support from the pro sports world, raking in maximum $2,300 donations from Boston Celtics vice president Danny Ainge¹, New England Patriots honcho Bob Kraft², Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid and legendary sportscaster Vin Scully. Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back-turned-ESPN analyst Merril Hoge has also chipped in $1,000 to Romney’s campaign, records show.''
Yet others include NBC Sports analyst (and former golf champion) Johnny Miller, and Baltimore Ravens Tight End Todd Heap.
In addition, pro tennis player from 1988 to 2000 and sports commentator Jim Courier, Orlando Magic owner Richard DeVos, and Kansas City Royals player George Brett are all supporters of Mitt Romney.
H. Wayne Huizenga, owner of the Miami Dolphins joined the Florida finance committee to elect Mitt Romney on March 20, 2007.
Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons and John Smoltz, Atlanta Braves pitcher are also supporters of Mitt Romney.
Another Atlanta Braves notable supporting Mitt Romney is back to back National League MVP Dale Murphy, their former centerfielder. (Weekly Standard - Dec 11, 2007)
Other major league baseball supporters of Romney (some of whom also supported McCain or others) include:
Arizona Diamondbacks CEO and general partner Jeff Morad, and the Diamondbacks managing general partner Ken Kendrick, who stated, "I hope to get a good leader for our country". Cincinnati Reds President/CEO Robert Castellini and his wife, National League champion team Colorado Rockies vice chairman Dick Monfort, Milwaukee Brewers principle owner Mark Attanasio, and St. Louis Cardinals general partner and chairman William DeWitt Jr.
¹ Danny Ainge is also a retired pro baseball and basketball player who ''became one of the important pieces of the [Boston Celtics] team that won the NBA title in 1984 and 1986, and a major contributor of the mid to late 1980s Celtics teams.''
² ''Robert Kraft announced his intention to bring New England a championship the day he bought the Patriots in 1994. In the 14 years since, he has made good on that pledge several times over, as the Patriots have won an unrivaled three Super Bowls, five conference championships and eight division championships during that time...
''In the four seasons immediately preceding Kraft's acquisition (1990-93), the Patriots compiled an NFL-worst 14-50 (.219) overall record, which included a 1-15 finish in 1990 and a 2-14 record in 1992. They were not only last in the standings, they were also last in attendance and in overall revenue. But it didn't take long for Kraft's vision to come into focus...
''The year he bought the team, season ticket sales soared to new heights, eclipsing 40,000 for the first time in franchise history. By the start of his first season, every game was sold out, a feat that had not been accomplished in the franchise's previous 34 seasons. The achievement ensured that local broadcast blackouts would be lifted and every Patriots game, home and away, would be televised throughout New England for the first time in team history.''
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