Author Topic: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney  (Read 74172 times)

blacken700

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #225 on: March 19, 2014, 09:56:02 AM »

Soul Crusher

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #226 on: March 19, 2014, 09:56:59 AM »


That would not happen w a GORUCK bag - just saying. 

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #227 on: March 19, 2014, 10:11:37 AM »
And what does O-CHOOM have to do w that?  The best thing going on right now is that he cant pass anything or sign any laws so that gives the market confidence I guess.

The less he does and sooner he goes off to Kenya to od on drugs and live the life of some arabist nomad in the desert the better for all of us. 

So dont blame him when its bad. Because then you just sound like an in consistent ass hole

AbrahamG

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #228 on: March 21, 2014, 12:12:49 AM »
So dont blame him when its bad. Because then you just sound like an in consistent ass hole

It is what it is.  You cannot polish a turd.

BayGBM

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #229 on: April 18, 2014, 04:20:13 PM »
Mitt Romney returns to political stage as Republicans prepare for midterms
By Robert Costa and Philip Rucker

One rainy morning this month, the man who thought he would be president boarded a train near his beach house in San Diego. He stepped off in Burbank, Calif., and caught a ride to a sound stage, where his on-again, off-again political consigliere, Mike Murphy, was waiting to shoot a commercial on a set that bore more than a passing resemblance to the Oval Office.

Looking and sounding like a president out of central casting, he nailed his lines. The crew called him “one-take Romney,” and before he departed, they swarmed, extending arms around his shoulders and angling their iPhones for pictures.

With that, Mitt Romney’s long winter was over.

After retreating from public view following his crushing loss to President Obama in the 2012 election, Romney has returned to the political stage, emerging as one of the Republican Party’s most coveted stars, especially on the fundraising circuit, in the run-up to November’s midterm elections.

He may not direct a high-powered political-action committee or hold a formal position, but with the two living former Republican presidents — George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush — shying away from campaign politics, Romney, 67, has begun to embrace the role of party elder, believing he can shape the national debate and help guide his fractured party to a governing majority.

Insisting he won’t seek the presidency again, the former GOP nominee has endorsed at least 16 candidates this cycle, many of them establishment favorites who backed his campaigns. One Romney friend said he wants to be the “anti-Jim DeMint,” a reference to the former South Carolina senator and current Heritage Foundation chairman who has been a conservative kingmaker in Republican primaries. Romney’s approach is to reward allies, boost rising stars and avoid conflict.

Romney has signed his name to sharply partisan e-mail appeals and headlined recent fundraisers from Las Vegas to Miami to Boston. This week, he appeared in his first television ad: a U.S. Chamber of Commerce spot supporting Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho, who faces a tea party challenger in a state where Romney remains widely popular. And Romney’s confidants said he will appear in more ads, record robo-calls and stump at rallies later this year.

“He believes in the cause, he wants us to win the House and Senate, and he wants to be useful,” said Murphy, who oversaw production of the Simpson ad on April 2 near Hollywood.

Added Tom Rath, a New Hampshire-based former Romney adviser: “He never said he would take a vow of political abstinence. . . . He is a man at peace, but I don’t think that he has politics totally out of his blood.”

Romney’s resurfacing has spurred chatter among elite financiers and operatives that he is eyeing a comeback in 2016, much as he tries to silence such speculation. On March 25, Romney visited New York to raise money for Ed Gillespie, a former adviser running for Senate in Virginia. Sitting around the dining table in the Park Avenue home of private equity titan Stephen A. Schwartzman, Romney poked fun at some of his campaign trail missteps and, according to attendees, assured the two dozen donors that he would not run again.

Romney is heartened, his intimates said, that the GOP has not cast him aside as a loser. Spencer Zwick, the 2012 campaign’s national finance chairman who is so close to the family that Romney calls him his “sixth son,” said he believes Romney has become more popular over the past six months than he was during the election.

“The level of interest in him has skyrocketed,” Zwick said. “I think there is an enormous sense of buyer’s remorse, that he was right on Russia and a whole range of issues. I believe if the election were held today, he would win.”

Former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, who was a Romney surrogate in 2012 after clashing him early on in the GOP primaries, said Romney is poised to “remain a leading voice in the party for a long time to come,” and that he is “way too young, smart, and service-oriented to just fade away.”

But some conservative activists would rather see Romney disappear again. Asked about Romney’s moves, organizer Richard Viguerie quipped, “It seems like Groundhog Day.”

L. Brent Bozell III, chairman of ForAmerica, a conservative advocacy group, said: “His career is finished. He ran an astonishingly inept campaign, and it is fine if he wants to be a senior statesman for the party. But I hope he’s not trying to advance himself or his moderate philosophy. That would be destructive.”


Romney has downsized his once vast political operation to a single aide, Kelli Harrison, and his inbox and cellphone. He keeps up on political developments with a small cadre of loyal former advisers and regularly consults Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who stood in for Obama in his debate preparations, and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), his vice-presidential running mate. Ronna Romney McDaniel, his niece and one of Michigan’s members of the Republican National Committee, keeps him updated on party affairs.

Romney also e-mails with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R). In late February, when the two appeared at a Republican Governors Association fundraiser at the Lenox Hotel in Boston, Romney pulled Christie aside to remind him to attend his June summit in Utah.

The conclave in Park City, where Romney purchased a sprawling ski chalet last year, serves as a reunion for Romney’s major donors and top aides, as well as a sales session for Solamere Capital, the private equity firm run by Zwick and Romney’s eldest son, Tagg.

Romney has invited most prospective 2016 presidential candidates to attend. Instead of being another cattle call showcasing well-rehearsed pitches, Romney is giving this year’s retreat a theme — the future of American leadership, at home and abroad — and he has asked all of the featured guests to tailor their remarks around it.

Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and Ryan are making the trek to Utah this year, as is Portman. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush declined because of a scheduling conflict.

Eric Fehrnstrom, a longtime aide who still counsels Romney, said the event is “an important touchstone” for the Romney network.

“Mitt Romney was the first Republican candidate to raise $1 billion for a campaign,” Fehrnstrom said. “That is the new bar. And I think Mitt’s personal help and the support of his network is going to be crucial in helping the next Republican candidate for president achieve that $1 billion mark and hopefully surpass it.”

Scores of candidates in the midterm elections have sought Romney’s endorsement, including Mark Hutchison, a Nevada state senator and fellow Mormon, who is running in a June primary against former state party chairwoman Sue Lowden for lieutenant governor.

On March 20, Romney visited Las Vegas to raise money for Nevada Rep. Joe Heck, a Romney supporter in 2012, at the home of businessman Travis Brady. There, Hutchison approached Romney and asked for assistance.

“We went over what I have been doing as an attorney to fight Obamacare in the courts, and after we finished our brief conversation, he said he’d be in touch,” Hutchison said.

As with other such requests, Romney consulted his informal circle of advisers. These conference calls often include his former business partner, Bob White, as well as former aides Fehrnstrom, Stuart Stevens, Russ Schriefer, Matt Rhoades, Beth Myers, Peter Flaherty, Ron Kaufman and Lanhee Chen.

On Monday, Romney wrote a letter endorsing Hutchison, calling him a “champion for Nevadans’ constitutional rights.”

Romney doesn’t say “yes” to every entreaty. In Illinois, state Treasurer Dan Rutherford and businessman Bruce Rauner each pressured Romney to endorse his gubernatorial primary. For weeks, Romney mulled weighing in, but concluded he would sit out the primary — even though in 2012, Rutherford was Romney’s state chairman and helped him beat former senator Rick Santorum in the Illinois primary.

A map of Romney’s other stops and endorsements is a reflection of his relationships and his tendency toward even-tempered fiscal hawks. “He’s looking for pragmatic conservatives,” said former Minnesota senator Norm Coleman, a Republican. “It’s not so much about scoring political points with every segment of the party, but about finding people who, like him, understand the need for governing.”

In the first quarter of this year, per his federal filing, Romney donated to Elise Stefanik, a former Ryan aide running for a House seat in New York; to Steve Daines, a Montana Senate candidate who has been encouraged by Portman; and to state senator Tony Strickland, a former Romney state chairman who is seeking an open House seat in southern California. In Iowa, after his former state adviser David Kochel reached out to him, Romney endorsed state senator Joni Ernst, a GOP Senate candidate and the only elected official in a crowded primary.

In Virginia, Del. Barbara J. Comstock (R-Fairfax), who is running for the seat of outgoing U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf, worked on Romney’s 2008 campaign and was a key surrogate in 2012. She received a supportive Twitter message from Romney in January and $2,000 from him in March.

Romney is also backing former Massachusetts senator Scott Brown, who is running this year in neighboring New Hampshire. Romney and Brown share several advisers, including Ryan Williams, who said he hopes the two march together on July 4 in the Wolfeboro parade, where the Romney family vacations on Lake Winnipesaukee.

On June 9, Romney is scheduled to attend a reception at the Metropolitan Club in New York, hosted by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, to help raise money for Brown and other GOP Senate contenders.

Romney’s appeal has limits, though, especially in states with a more conservative tilt. In South Carolina, Sen. Lindsey O. Graham has not sought his support in his competitive primary, nor has Romney helped Gov. Nikki Haley, a Romney endorser in 2008 and 2012.

Romney advisers said he is willing to help Sen. Thad Cochran fend off a tea party challenger in Mississippi, but Cochran has not asked. “It’s not in the playbook right now,” said a Cochran adviser.

Robert Shrum, who advised unsuccessful Democratic nominees Al Gore and John Kerry, said Romney wants “significance” but that “he can be more helpful at this point with money than electorally. The clearest instance to me of the situation is the decision of [Ohio Gov.] John Kasich to airbrush him out of his ad.”

As the Columbus Dispatch reported last week, Kasich’s gubernatorial campaign scrubbed a Romney placard from Kasich’s campaign Web site. Romney lost Ohio to Obama.

Romney is more welcome in Idaho. Strategist Scott Reed said that when the Chamber of Commerce surveyed voters recently, it found that Romney’s approval rating among Republicans in Simpson’s district was a whopping 86 percent. So Reed asked Kaufman if Romney would cut an ad for Simpson, and Romney agreed.

“He was a champ,” Reed said. “It’s going to help us win this race.”

When Romney visited Boise and Idaho Falls in March for events helping Gov. Butch Otter, Sen. James E. Risch and Simpson — all former Romney backers — he felt at home. Gone was his campaign entourage and Secret Service agents.

“He decided to go jogging by himself, out on the greenbelt trail along the Snake River,” Otter said. “When he got back, he told me he just loved sucking up all that good, clean oxygen. He may have been here for politics, but that run can be a tonic, and he liked that tonic.”

BayGBM

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #230 on: June 14, 2014, 10:04:12 AM »
At elite donor summit featuring 2016 GOP hopefuls, a longing for Romney to run again
BY PHILIP RUCKER

PARK CITY, Utah — Mitt Romney’s ideas summit here was intended to be a passing of the torch to the Republican Party’s would-be saviors, with five potential 2016 presidential candidates jetting in to schmooze with many of the GOP’s biggest donors and present their agendas for the country’s future.

Instead, the scene at a luxury resort in the Rocky Mountains quickly became a Romney revival. Minutes after the 2012 Republican presidential nominee welcomed his 300 guests, Joe Scarborough, the MSNBC host and former GOP congressman, urged them to begin a “Draft Romney” movement in 2016.

“This is the only person that can fill the stage,” Scarborough said at the opening-night private dinner, according to attendees.

The Republican elite rose early Friday morning to go skeet shooting with possible 2016 hopeful Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.). Then, over breakfast, they questioned Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), another potential candidate, about how he thinks he could defeat the expected Democratic front-runner, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Yet in hallway chats and over cocktails, they’ve been abuzz about recruiting someone else — Romney — into his third presidential race.

“Everybody realizes we’re devoid of leadership in D.C.,” said Harold Hamm, a billionaire energy investor who was one of Romney’s biggest fundraisers in 2012. “Everybody would encourage him to consider it again.”

Former Utah governor Michael Leavitt, a Romney confidant, told reporters, “I’d be for it, but it’s not my decision.” And George P. Shultz, secretary of state under President Ronald Reagan, said of Romney in his talk here, “I wish we could call him Mr. President.”

Romney even got encouragement from a Democrat, former Montana governor Brian Schweit­zer, who told reporters, “He would be a giant in a field of midgets.”

The heightened interest in Romney among the business leaders, donors and policy wonks gathering in Park City this weekend speaks volumes about their anxiety at the disarray in the Republican Party. There is no clear 2016 front-runner, and there is deep doubt about the two leading establishment favorites.

Donors here said they fear New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is permanently damaged by the George Washington Bridge traffic scandal. And while many would back former Florida governor Jeb Bush, they believe he will not run.

Enter Romney, who stoked the speculation Friday by delivering a sweeping, campaign-style speech condemning President Obama’s foreign policy and serving up biting critiques of Clinton, the overwhelming favorite for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.

“The Obama-Biden-Hillary Clinton foreign policy is a monumental bust,” Romney said.

He referred to Clinton’s comments this week that Russian President Vladi­mir Putin “might not be happy” when he reads her new book. “Please — this is from a woman who was gushing with smiles when she presented a minion of Vladimir Putin with that red ‘reset’ button,” Romney said, referring to an episode recounted by Clinton when the Obama administration was seeking greater cooperation with Russia.

Romney has been positioning himself as an elder statesman and establishment patriarch. Pressed by reporters about a 2016 campaign, Romney insisted he has no interest.

“I think people make a lot of compliments to make us all feel good, and it’s very nice and heartening to have people say such generous things,” he said. “But I am not running, and they know it.”

Then how does he explain the buzz here?

“The unavailable is always the most attractive, right?” Romney said. “That goes in dating as well.”

Asked about the 2016 chatter, Romney’s eldest son, Tagg, burst into a big smile but said nothing. Scott Romney, Mitt’s older brother, smiled, too, but said: “It’s a lot of crazy speculation.”

Spencer Zwick, who organized the summit and in 2012 served as Romney’s national finance chairman, said many attendees believe if the election were held today, Romney would defeat Obama handily.

“There’s a sense of buyer’s remorse — a sense of, ‘Oh, what could have been?’ ” he said.

Zwick added, “This is a powerful group of people. How do we use them to make sure we win against Hillary Clinton? That seems unclear because these people don’t know where to go.”

Anthony Scaramucci, a prominent investor who traveled the country raising money for Romney in 2012, said nobody in the 2016 field has motivated him to do the same.

“We’re in sort of a limbo period,” Scaramucci said. “The Republican Party is in a very big need of re-engineering . . . unless you identify who the strong leader is to knit that coalition together, but I don’t see it.”

Some Republicans here tried to tamp down the Romney 2016 buzz and look to the future.

“Mitt has made it clear that he is not running,” said Bobbie Kilberg, a leading GOP donor from Northern Virginia. “I think folks should take him at his word.”

Paul, Ryan and Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) addressed the summit, and Christie is due here Saturday. Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) were invited but declined, citing scheduling conflicts. Two key Bush associates, fundraiser Jack Oliver and strategist Ana Navarro, worked the crowd, however.

The establishment lights here eyed Paul with interest. He made the case that he is growing the Republican Party and talked about his recent appearances before black and liberal audiences.

When a donor asked whether Clinton was beatable, Paul said he believed she was “really vulnerable” on foreign policy and for being too hawkish, according to one attendee.

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, a Romney rival in 2008, spoke as well. He was sharply partisan — he said sending Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) “to the back of the room” is “the greatest single gift we can give to the people of America this year” — but also called for more compromise.

At day’s end, the donors heard from Ryan, who enjoys favorite-son status with the crowd after being Romney’s vice presidential running mate in 2012.

But Ryan’s interest in a 2016 run is unclear. When a reporter asked what he thought of Clinton, Ryan said only, “What Mitt said.”

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #231 on: June 14, 2014, 10:38:20 AM »
But Ryan’s interest in a 2016 run is unclear. When a reporter asked what he thought of Clinton, Ryan said only, “What Mitt said.”

I think paul Ryan doesn't know what he is these days.  He defended everything lib that mitt said, he was tea party before that, and now he's sliding RINO with everyone else.  Ugh.  Dude is bright but 1) didn't show balls against Biden and 2) We don't know what the heck he stands for.

Jack T. Cross

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #232 on: June 14, 2014, 10:38:33 AM »
Good to see you back, Bay.

(Great thread btw!)

BayGBM

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #233 on: June 16, 2014, 12:10:06 PM »
Romney blasts Hillary Clinton as 'clueless'
Her tenure as secretary of state was 'a monumental bust,' former GOP nominee says
By Dylan Stableford

Mitt Romney had some harsh words on Sunday for the person many believe will be the Democratic presidential nominee in 2016: Hillary Clinton.

"Consider what's happened around the world during the years that she was secretary of state," the former Massachusetts governor and 2012 Republican presidential nominee said on NBC's "Meet the Press", calling her tenure "a monumental bust."

Romney slammed U.S. foreign policy, saying both Clinton and President Barack Obama have "repeatedly underestimated" America's enemies on the international stage.

"This administration, from Secretary Clinton to President Obama, has repeatedly underestimated the threats that are faced by America," Romney said. "It has repeatedly underestimated our adversaries. And whether that's Russia or [Syrian President Bashar] Assad or ISIS or al-Qaida itself, it has not taken the action necessary to prevent things from happening. We have not used our influence to do what's necessary to protect our interests."

Romney also blasted Clinton for comments she made during her recent book tour about the decision to release five Taliban prisoners in order to free U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl.

"She was asked whether the Bowe Bergdahl trade was one that presented a threat to the United States," Romney said. "And she came back with a clueless answer. She was clueless. She said, 'Look, these commandos don't represent a threat to the United States.' Well, of course they do. And then she went on to say, 'They only represent a threat to Afghanistan and Pakistan.' Are you kidding? I mean, we're in Afghanistan. And we're in Afghanistan in part to protect America's security."

To defeat Clinton in 2016, Romney said, the GOP "playbook, I believe, is to look at her record."

"I think her clueless comments about the Bergdahl exchange as well as her record as the secretary of state are really going to be the foundation of how a Republican candidate is able to take back the White House," he said.

Romney also downplayed House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's shocking loss in last week's Virginia GOP primary, saying Cantor's defeat doesn't signal the tea party's resurgence within the GOP.

“Our party is becoming stronger,” Romney said, noting South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham's primary victory against tea party challengers on Tuesday.

“In a very conservative state, Lindsey Graham won in a landslide,” Romney said. “This has a lot to do with the effectiveness of relative campaigns.”

Romney spoke after a GOP fundraising event he headed in Park City, Utah. He dismissed talk that the event — attended by heavy hitters including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan — was precursor to another presidential run for him.

"I'm not running for president," Romney said. "I brought a number of the 2016 contenders here to meet with my fundraisers. If I had been running, I wouldn't be doing that.

"Look, I want to find the best candidate for us to take our message to the American people," he added. "That we can bring better jobs, higher incomes, and more security globally. We can do that. And I'm convinced that the field of Republican candidates that I'm seeing is [in] a lot better position to do that than I am."

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #234 on: June 16, 2014, 05:40:48 PM »
LOL @ Romney.

It's maddening to look back and realize the repubs, just a year after their smashing tea party victories, chose Romney.  The dude wrote and signed one of the strictest anti-gun bill in any state's history.  He supported sanctuary cities. 

And they made him the nominee.    Looking back, don't ya just shake your head and say "Really?"   And fcking hermann cain, who admitted to shady sex stuff after a dozen accusers called him out... and Trump, a dude paid tens of millions by liberal ass NBC to embarrass the birther movement?

Looking back, it's hard to believe repubs chose THOSE candidates as their top options.

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #235 on: June 19, 2014, 01:33:18 PM »
Poll: Romney the frontrunner in 2016?
by Paul Steinhauser

He's said over and over that he won't run for the White House a third time, but a new poll indicates that if Mitt Romney changed his mind and made another bid for president, he'd be the frontrunner among Republicans in the first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire.

According to the Suffolk University/Boston Herald survey, which was released Thursday, 24% of Granite State Republicans and independents who lean towards the GOP say that Romney would be their first choice for their party's presidential nomination.

Among the potential 2016 GOP contenders, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was a distant second, at 9%, with Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky at 8%, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at 7%.

While the survey may make headlines, it's important to remember that Romney's very well known in New Hampshire. He owns a vacation home in the state, has often appeared at GOP events in New Hampshire, and was governor of neighboring Massachusetts. Romney easily won the 2012 Republican primary, but lost the state by six percentage points to President Barack Obama in the general election.

And the 2012 GOP presidential nominee has been very clear about his 2016 intentions.

"I'm not running," Romney said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," a line Romney's used in interviews every time he's asked about whether he'll make a third bid for the White House. Romney's wife, Ann, has also been adamant against another run.

"Very sorry, Mrs. Romney. We had to ask the question," Suffolk University Political Research Center Director David Paleologos joked to CNN.

Paleologos added that the results speak to "the weakness of the GOP field at this point in time."

Without Romney, Christie and Paul were tied at 11% as the first choice for the nomination among Republicans in New Hampshire, with Bush and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas each at 8%.

The Suffolk University/Boston Herald poll was conducted June 14-15 and June 17-18, with 800 likely voters in New Hampshire questioned by telephone. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

BayGBM

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #236 on: July 03, 2014, 05:58:26 AM »
No, Mitt Romney isn’t running for president
By Chris Cillizza

Mitt Romney hasn't disappeared from the political scene the way many people thought he would after coming up on the losing end of the 2012 presidential race. But, that doesn't mean he's running for president -- or even thinking about running for president -- in 2016.

Talk of a possible third presidential bid for Romney has surfaced of late -- with poll numbers that show he is well regarded by Republican voters and a growing sense within the GOP smart set that no candidate has really emerged from the pack as of yet.

Romney has, of course, batted down such speculation. "I'm not running, and talk of a draft is kind of silly," Romney told "Meet the Press" moderator David Gregory earlier this month. That's consistently been his position for quite some time; he told CNN's Wolf Blitzer in February that  "I'm not running for president in 2016. It's time for someone else to take that responsibility and I'll be supporting our nominee." (Kudos to CNN for gathering the many ways Romney has said he's not running for president into a single blog post.)

But, one quirk of human nature is this: We always want what we can't have. Or, in Romney's own incredibly awkward (but accurate) phrasing: "The unavailable is always the most attractive, right? That goes in dating as well."

The more Romney insists he's not interested, the more people become intrigued at the prospect of him running. Remember how Al Gore suddenly became a figure of maximum intrigue in the political world just a few years removed from losing an ultra-winnable presidential race in 2000?  He did it by making clear he didn't want to run.  Works every time.

Now, Romney has been around the political game long enough to know that people are only interested in you as long as you are uninterested in them. As soon as Romney indicated that, well, sure, he might want to run again, all of the old complaints -- he's too wooden! he's out of touch! -- would come roaring back.

Think of Romney's current popularity like this: There is a ball just out of his reach. He could definitely grab it. But, as soon as he lunges for it, the ball starts to move away from him. The faster he runs toward it, the further it gets away from him.

Say what you will about Mitt Romney but he is no dummy. He gets it. And that's why he's not running.

Now, on to the 10 men (no women!) with the best chance of winding up as the Republican presidential nominee in 2016. Agree or disagree with our picks? That's what the comments section is made for.

10. Paul Ryan:  The Wisconsin Republican's total lack of interest in making a play for a House leadership post following Eric Cantor's stunning loss earlier this month left me, again, wondering just what the heck he wants out of his political career. The answer is elusive but now seems to be that he wants to bide his time and see where the party -- in Congress and nationally -- goes over the next few cycles. At 44 years old, he can afford to wait. (Previous ranking: 9)

9. Bobby Jindal: The Louisiana governor is running for president. The latest piece of evidence was a two-day swing through Iowa, stopping by the state Republican convention and raising money for the state party. Jindal, in his day job, is building a record that hard-core conservatives will love. He rejected the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act and, more recently, issued an executive order to withdraw the state from the Common Core education standards program. (Previous ranking: 7)

8. Ted Cruz: The last week in politics has to give the Texas Republican Senator some pause. His preferred candidate in Oklahoma's Republican Senate primary got walloped on Tuesday, the same night tea party insurgent Chris McDaniel inexplicably lost to establishment pick Thad Cochran in the Mississippi Senate runoff. Cruz has a loyal base of support. But, it's not big enough to be the nominee. (Previous ranking: 6)

7. Mike Huckabee: The former Arkansas governor is doing the sorts of things one does when he wants to run for president.   He stumped for Mike Campbell, a candidate for North Carolina South Carolina lieutenant governor earlier this month. He's giving the wink and nod statements of interest that are part of the game. And, polling in Iowa at least shows he remains popular; a recent Des Moines Register poll showed Huckabee had the second highest favorable ratings of any potential 2016 GOPer. (Paul Ryan was at the top.) (Previous ranking: 8)

6. John Kasich: The Ohio governor is the "it boy" of the smart-set in DC at the moment. He looks to be on his way to a comfortable re-election victory in the swingiest state in the country at the presidential level. He's run for president before and no one we talk to says he doesn't want to again.  If Kasich wins this fall and shows some interest in the race, he could move up these rankings. (Previous ranking: N/A)

5. Chris Christie: Just when he thought he was out, they pulled him back in. The news, which broke this week, that the feds are investigating the New Jersey governor's use of Port Authority funds to repair the Pulaski Skyway, further complicates Christie's political rehabilitation efforts. Whether or not anything in this latest investigation gets to Christie remains very unclear but it's just another bad storyline that he has to deal with at a time when he wants to pivot to the process of running for president. (Previous ranking: 4)

4. Scott Walker:  Speaking of bad headlines, the Wisconsin governor has had to weather some of his own lately over allegations of illegal coordination between his 2012 recall campaign and outside groups aiding that effort. But, earlier this week, an attorney for the special prosecutor tasked with looking into the allegations made clear that Walker was not a target of the probe. That was a nice piece of news for Walker -- and should help him quiet the storm of coverage that had popped up over the past 10 days or so. (Previous ranking: 5)

3.  Rand Paul: Paul is the most interesting candidate running for the Republican presidential nomination. He's also the one -- with the possible exceptions of Rubio and Jeb Bush -- who can make a credible case that nominating him would expand the GOP into parts of the electorate it hasn't been able to reach in recent years. Paul remains somewhat unpredictable -- that's also part of his appeal -- and it remains to be seen whether he could win a one-on-one fight with a more establishment candidate. (Previous ranking: 2)

2. Marco Rubio: The last time we wrote about the 2016 presidential field in this space, we recommended buying stock in the Florida Senator. That's still our recommendation -- particularly as Walker and Christie have stumbled a bit as of late.  Rubio's record in the Senate -- with the exception of immigration reform -- is solidly conservative and he is probably the most naturally gifted candidate in the field.  We keep hearing whispers that Rubio's record during his time as Speaker of the Florida house is ripe for an opposition researcher but we're not there yet. (Previous ranking: 3)

1. Jeb Bush: Until he says "no" -- and we still think that's more likely than him saying "yes"  -- we are going to keep the former Florida governor at the top of these rankings. That ranking is largely built on his last name and the political and fundraising muscle it represents. As Philip Bump noted in a recent Fix post, however, Jeb's record on core conservative policies is not so good. (Previous ranking: 1)

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #237 on: July 03, 2014, 06:51:48 AM »
these guys spending millions to a job that pays 100k...

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #238 on: July 03, 2014, 07:28:09 AM »
No, Mitt Romney isn’t running for president
By Chris Cillizza

Mitt Romney hasn't disappeared from the political scene the way many people thought he would after coming up on the losing end of the 2012 presidential race. But, that doesn't mean he's running for president -- or even thinking about running for president -- in 2016.

Talk of a possible third presidential bid for Romney has surfaced of late -- with poll numbers that show he is well regarded by Republican voters and a growing sense within the GOP smart set that no candidate has really emerged from the pack as of yet.

Romney has, of course, batted down such speculation. "I'm not running, and talk of a draft is kind of silly," Romney told "Meet the Press" moderator David Gregory earlier this month. That's consistently been his position for quite some time; he told CNN's Wolf Blitzer in February that  "I'm not running for president in 2016. It's time for someone else to take that responsibility and I'll be supporting our nominee." (Kudos to CNN for gathering the many ways Romney has said he's not running for president into a single blog post.)

But, one quirk of human nature is this: We always want what we can't have. Or, in Romney's own incredibly awkward (but accurate) phrasing: "The unavailable is always the most attractive, right? That goes in dating as well."

The more Romney insists he's not interested, the more people become intrigued at the prospect of him running. Remember how Al Gore suddenly became a figure of maximum intrigue in the political world just a few years removed from losing an ultra-winnable presidential race in 2000?  He did it by making clear he didn't want to run.  Works every time.

Now, Romney has been around the political game long enough to know that people are only interested in you as long as you are uninterested in them. As soon as Romney indicated that, well, sure, he might want to run again, all of the old complaints -- he's too wooden! he's out of touch! -- would come roaring back.

Think of Romney's current popularity like this: There is a ball just out of his reach. He could definitely grab it. But, as soon as he lunges for it, the ball starts to move away from him. The faster he runs toward it, the further it gets away from him.

Say what you will about Mitt Romney but he is no dummy. He gets it. And that's why he's not running.

Now, on to the 10 men (no women!) with the best chance of winding up as the Republican presidential nominee in 2016. Agree or disagree with our picks? That's what the comments section is made for.

10. Paul Ryan:  The Wisconsin Republican's total lack of interest in making a play for a House leadership post following Eric Cantor's stunning loss earlier this month left me, again, wondering just what the heck he wants out of his political career. The answer is elusive but now seems to be that he wants to bide his time and see where the party -- in Congress and nationally -- goes over the next few cycles. At 44 years old, he can afford to wait. (Previous ranking: 9)

9. Bobby Jindal: The Louisiana governor is running for president. The latest piece of evidence was a two-day swing through Iowa, stopping by the state Republican convention and raising money for the state party. Jindal, in his day job, is building a record that hard-core conservatives will love. He rejected the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act and, more recently, issued an executive order to withdraw the state from the Common Core education standards program. (Previous ranking: 7)

8. Ted Cruz: The last week in politics has to give the Texas Republican Senator some pause. His preferred candidate in Oklahoma's Republican Senate primary got walloped on Tuesday, the same night tea party insurgent Chris McDaniel inexplicably lost to establishment pick Thad Cochran in the Mississippi Senate runoff. Cruz has a loyal base of support. But, it's not big enough to be the nominee. (Previous ranking: 6)

7. Mike Huckabee: The former Arkansas governor is doing the sorts of things one does when he wants to run for president.   He stumped for Mike Campbell, a candidate for North Carolina South Carolina lieutenant governor earlier this month. He's giving the wink and nod statements of interest that are part of the game. And, polling in Iowa at least shows he remains popular; a recent Des Moines Register poll showed Huckabee had the second highest favorable ratings of any potential 2016 GOPer. (Paul Ryan was at the top.) (Previous ranking: 8)

6. John Kasich: The Ohio governor is the "it boy" of the smart-set in DC at the moment. He looks to be on his way to a comfortable re-election victory in the swingiest state in the country at the presidential level. He's run for president before and no one we talk to says he doesn't want to again.  If Kasich wins this fall and shows some interest in the race, he could move up these rankings. (Previous ranking: N/A)

5. Chris Christie: Just when he thought he was out, they pulled him back in. The news, which broke this week, that the feds are investigating the New Jersey governor's use of Port Authority funds to repair the Pulaski Skyway, further complicates Christie's political rehabilitation efforts. Whether or not anything in this latest investigation gets to Christie remains very unclear but it's just another bad storyline that he has to deal with at a time when he wants to pivot to the process of running for president. (Previous ranking: 4)

4. Scott Walker:  Speaking of bad headlines, the Wisconsin governor has had to weather some of his own lately over allegations of illegal coordination between his 2012 recall campaign and outside groups aiding that effort. But, earlier this week, an attorney for the special prosecutor tasked with looking into the allegations made clear that Walker was not a target of the probe. That was a nice piece of news for Walker -- and should help him quiet the storm of coverage that had popped up over the past 10 days or so. (Previous ranking: 5)

3.  Rand Paul: Paul is the most interesting candidate running for the Republican presidential nomination. He's also the one -- with the possible exceptions of Rubio and Jeb Bush -- who can make a credible case that nominating him would expand the GOP into parts of the electorate it hasn't been able to reach in recent years. Paul remains somewhat unpredictable -- that's also part of his appeal -- and it remains to be seen whether he could win a one-on-one fight with a more establishment candidate. (Previous ranking: 2)

2. Marco Rubio: The last time we wrote about the 2016 presidential field in this space, we recommended buying stock in the Florida Senator. That's still our recommendation -- particularly as Walker and Christie have stumbled a bit as of late.  Rubio's record in the Senate -- with the exception of immigration reform -- is solidly conservative and he is probably the most naturally gifted candidate in the field.  We keep hearing whispers that Rubio's record during his time as Speaker of the Florida house is ripe for an opposition researcher but we're not there yet. (Previous ranking: 3)

1. Jeb Bush: Until he says "no" -- and we still think that's more likely than him saying "yes"  -- we are going to keep the former Florida governor at the top of these rankings. That ranking is largely built on his last name and the political and fundraising muscle it represents. As Philip Bump noted in a recent Fix post, however, Jeb's record on core conservative policies is not so good. (Previous ranking: 1)

Not a single one of those candidates will win.  Jindal would be the first one I would bet on to drop out of the primary.  Rubio would be another Huckabee, staying in the race long past the point where everyone else has ignored him.

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #239 on: July 03, 2014, 09:59:48 AM »
76% of republican voters - all very aware of the strengths of Romney - choose "other".

That says it all.  What is hilary polling for 2016 right now?  I'm guessing a little higher than 24%?

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #240 on: August 02, 2014, 04:32:41 PM »
Romney is in demand on the midterm campaign trail
By Robert Costa and Philip Rucker

President Obama thumped Mitt Romney in the 2012 election, but now their political standings seem reversed. During a summer in which Democratic candidates are keeping their distance from an unpopular president, Romney is emerging as one of the Republican Party’s most in-demand campaign surrogates.

Over three days in mid-August, Romney will campaign for GOP Senate and gubernatorial candidates in West Virginia, North Carolina and Arkansas, aides said. In September, he is planning visits to the presidential swing states of Colorado and Virginia.

Romney is filling up his October schedule, as well. Senate hopefuls in Iowa and New Hampshire are eager for him to return before November’s midterms, while Romney is weighing trips to other Senate battlegrounds. At least one high-profile Senate campaign said it has produced a television advertisement featuring Romney ready to air in the fall.

“Democrats don’t want to be associated with Barack Obama right now, but Republicans are dying to be associated with Mitt Romney,” said Spencer Zwick, a longtime Romney confidant who chaired his national finance council. He added: “Candidates, campaigns and donors in competitive races are calling saying, ‘Can we get Mitt here?’ They say, ‘We’ve looked at the polling, and Mitt Romney moves the needle for us.’ That’s somewhat unexpected for someone who lost the election.”

For a party without a consensus leader — nor a popular elder statesman like Democratic former president Bill Clinton — Romney is stepping forward in both red and blue states to fill that role for the GOP.

“There’s a pretty big void in the party right now for national leaders, and Romney’s in a unique position, having been around the track, to help fill that void,” said Scott Reed, a veteran GOP strategist who oversees the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s political operation.

Romney continues to deny interest in a third presidential run in 2016, but his moves have his supporters yearning for him to give it a go and arguing that he would be a stronger candidate than last time.

In recent months, Romney has been endorsing candidates, including a number of establishment favorites who went on to defeat tea party firebrands in hard-fought primaries. Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead (R), whom Romney recently endorsed for reelection, said in an interview that Romney remains the GOP’s best hope of winning back the White House.

Asked whether he and other Republican officials are coalescing around Romney as a 2016 favorite, Mead said: “There is a movement afoot. . . . I’d tell him, ‘Governor Romney, people here in Wyoming and around the country would encourage you to take another look at it.’ ”

Supporters also point to Obama’s struggles on crises ranging from his health-care law to Russian aggression to conflict in the North African country of Mali — all issues Romney raised in the 2012 campaign — and say time has proved Romney right.

Obama won the popular vote 51 percent to 47 percent in 2012, but a CNN/ORC International poll this past week showed Romney winning 53 percent to 44 percent if a rematch were held today. The same poll showed Romney losing to former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton 55 percent to 42 percent in a hypothetical 2016 matchup.

Democratic strategists said GOP candidates who appear with Romney in their states are misreading voters.

“He is a walking, talking caricature of a Republican Party that favors only the very rich and big powerful corporations at a cost to middle-class families,” said Matt Canter, deputy executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Republican 2016 contenders such as Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.), Rand Paul (Ky.) and Ted Cruz (Tex.), New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.) also are building political capital while stumping for GOP candidates this summer and fall.

But in the minds of many Republican operatives and financiers, Romney stands apart from the others because he appears above the fray and without any overt personal ambition. He is also one of the few national Republicans who can raise significant amounts of money and capture the attention of voters in most GOP blocs.

After a retreat into seclusion following his 2012 loss, Romney’s reemergence on the political stage coincides with a softening of his public image. “Mitt,” a Netflix documentary about Romney’s campaigns released this year, shows him as a devoted family man committed to his Mormon faith. And last week, Romney posted widely shared pictures on social media showing him, wife Ann and five of their 22 grandchildren hiking, swimming and rock climbing during a summer tour of national parks in the West.

In June, Romney’s donor retreat in Park City, Utah, had the feel of a revival. Although Christie and Paul spoke at the elite confab, the buzz was about drafting Romney.

Romney insisted to reporters he would not run
: “The unavailable is always the most attractive, right? That goes in dating, as well.”

Still, the Chamber’s Reed said he expects Romney to assess the GOP field sometime in 2015 and give serious consideration to another candidacy.

“He could come on the scene around Labor Day [of 2015] because he’s able to flip his switch,” Reed said. He argued that Romney could activate his fundraising network and be in a “commanding position” faster than any other prospective candidate.

For now, Romney’s associates said, he is focused entirely on helping Republicans win the majority in the Senate in November. He communicates regularly about the campaign landscape with Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who is a close friend, and other political allies. Longtime advisers Beth Myers and Ron Kaufman, as well as aide Kelli Harrison, help field requests from candidates and manage his travel.

During the week of Aug. 18, according to aides, Romney is set to campaign in West Virginia with Rep. Shelly Moore Capito (R), who is favored to win the seat being vacated by the retiring Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D); in North Carolina with state House Speaker Thom Tillis (R), who is challenging Sen. Kay Hagan (D); and in Arkansas for gubernatorial candidate Asa Hutchinson (R).

Aides said Romney has also scheduled September campaign trips to Colorado, for gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez (R), and Virginia, where he has campaigned for Ed Gillespie (R), a senior Romney adviser in 2012 who is challenging Sen. Mark R. Warner (D).

Romney campaigned this year with Scott Brown (R), the former senator from Massachusetts now running in neighboring New Hampshire against Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D). Romney has deep political roots in New Hampshire, where his family owns a summer vacation home. In June, he returned to the farm in Stratham where he announced his 2012 campaign to stage a rally with Brown.

“Mitt Romney is one of the most unifying figures in the party, and having him here was a huge shot in the arm,” said Colin Reed, Brown’s campaign manager.

Advisers said Romney is expected to return this fall to New Hampshire and to Iowa, where he campaigned in May for Joni Ernst in the run-up to the Republican Senate primary, which she won handily.

Romney called Ernst “a real Iowan,” telling voters that she “didn’t just sit at home needle-pointing” but was raised doing “squealing work on the farm” — a reference to Ernst’s television ad in which she boasts of “castrating hogs.”

“When he was here last time, he offered to do whatever we felt he needed to do,” said David Kochel, who was Romney’s top Iowa adviser and is informally advising Ernst. “He’s invested. He wants her to win.”

BayGBM

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #241 on: August 12, 2014, 03:36:46 PM »
Mitt Romney 2016? Advisers try to squelch effort, but it's gaining steam.
Mitt Romney and his top advisers are adamant: He won't run for president in 2016. But draft efforts by serious players – including the chairman of the Utah GOP – are picking up momentum.
By Linda Feldmann

 Chicago — Talk to any of Mitt Romney’s closest political advisers, and the answer is the same: He won’t run for president in 2016.

“I take Mitt at his absolute word. He’s not running,” says Ron Kaufman, Republican national committeeman for Massachusetts and a senior adviser to Mr. Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign.

“He’s been very clear – he loved running, gave it his best, and lost,” Mr. Kaufman told this reporter at the RNC’s summer meeting in Chicago last week. “Now he’s helping the Republicans win the Senate.”

Romney’s former finance chair, Spencer Zwick, has also put out word that Romney is focused on the 2014 midterms and to please stop the draft efforts, which are a distraction. Most significant among them is DraftMitt.org, organized by the chairman of the Utah Republican Party. The three-month-old site is closing in on 117,000 signatures. The campaign's Facebook page is also getting a lot of traffic.

"Look, the focus needs to be on the midterm elections. That's what Mitt is doing," Mr. Zwick told the Deseret News in Salt Lake City last month. "The organization has no merit. None."

But in Chicago last week, when asked about his draft effort, Utah GOP chairman James Evans was happy to talk.

“We are mindful of Romney insiders’ concerns, but we’re not going away,” says Mr. Evans.

He hasn’t shut down the site, but he did cancel the national launch he had planned in South Carolina – an early primary state – later this month. And he’s not actively raising money. There’s no “donate” button on the site. Any money that’s coming in to support his “low-cost operation,” Evans says, is from people with whom he already has a relationship.

“This is a grass-roots efforts,” Evans says, “and we want to demonstrate that, collectively, America got it wrong” in 2012, when President Obama beat Romney.

As head of the Utah GOP, Evans is well-positioned to keep his effort going. Utah is one of Romney’s “home bases.” He lived there for a time when he ran the 2002 Winter Olympics and owns a home there. Utah is also headquarter of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which Romney is a prominent member. 

But Evans is, in other ways, an unlikely champion. He’s originally from South Carolina, a Southern Baptist, and black – the only African-American state GOP chair in the continental US.

Evans says he told Romney directly that he wanted to launch a draft effort, and the former Massachusetts governor smiled and was polite.

“He was kind,” says Evans. “I appreciate that.”

What about Romney’s wife, Ann? Evans hasn’t asked her. “She would be kryptonite to the plan,” he says. “If I don’t ask, then she can’t say no.”

In interviews, other Republican leaders attending the Chicago RNC meeting either ruled out a Romney run, saying they take him at his word, or expressed interest, depending on how the still-forming 2016 field shakes out.

Several pointed out that, under RNC rules, there’s no way to “draft” someone onto the GOP ticket. Romney would have to consent to be on the ballot.

Others chalked up all the Romney talk to “buyer’s remorse,” now that Obama is struggling both internationally and at home and mired in low job approval ratings.

“People tell him that if we could do the election over today, we might have President Romney,” says Steve Duprey, GOP committeeman from New Hampshire, home of the first primary (and another of Romney’s home bases). “He’s flattered by those comments, but I will say this, I think Governor Romney has the luxury of making a decision later than anyone else."

So far, the early, prospective GOP field for 2016 is large and has no clear front-runner. Mr. Duprey suggested that, despite their protestations, close Romney supporters have said “never say never” and advised him to keep an eye on how the field shakes out.

“Is it an early breaking field toward one candidate? Is it a late-breaking field? Who’s in?” Duprey says.

“I will tell you personally, not based on knowledge…. I think it would be a smart move to look at it and consider running,” Duprey said of Romney. “I think if there’s anyone who would have an easier go of winning the nomination, it would be him. The more you do it, the better you get at it.”

Still, for a top-tier presidential prospect like Romney, a third try would be unusual. In 2008, he lost the GOP nomination to Sen. John McCain of Arizona, then won it in 2012. One comparison is to William Jennings Bryan, who won the Democratic nomination three times (1896, 1900, and 1908) but never reached the Oval Office.

“A better model for Mitt might actually be Richard Nixon, who lost to John F. Kennedy in 1960, then lost the California gubernatorial election in 1962, only to win the presidency in 1968,” writes Matt Lewis in the Daily Telegraph.

tonymctones

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #242 on: August 12, 2014, 05:00:42 PM »
like him or not a person with a background similar to romneys business background is what is needed for this country.

obama and the left have proven time and time again that they do not understand how businesses operate or how to get their goals accomplished while being business friendly, the tax inversion stupidity is just the latest in a long list of examples.

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #243 on: August 12, 2014, 05:05:37 PM »
like him or not a person with a background similar to romneys business background is what is needed for this country.

obama and the left have proven time and time again that they do not understand how businesses operate or how to get their goals accomplished while being business friendly, the tax inversion stupidity is just the latest in a long list of examples.

Mitt would be the PERFECT VP selection.   He's not the personality/likeable enough to win the election.  I mean, obama sucked, it was on the tail end of obamacare and benghazi, and obama looked like crap in debate #1... but still, he won 53% and 330? electorals... pretty bad beating. 

Americans WANT a president they would have a beer with.  Mitt was just too rich, too out of touch.  Too much of the "who let the dogs out" and "i'm out of work too, haha!" - in this media age, a presidential candidate MUST be in touch with the people.  Mitt was perfect on paper, but people just didn't like him because they felt ZERO connection with him.   There was so so little for the average american to connect with mitt on (and being a RINO meant the base stayed home too)

But yes, to your point... a likeable Romney would win the job.

tonymctones

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #244 on: August 12, 2014, 05:12:44 PM »
Mitt would be the PERFECT VP selection.   He's not the personality/likeable enough to win the election.  I mean, obama sucked, it was on the tail end of obamacare and benghazi, and obama looked like crap in debate #1... but still, he won 53% and 330? electorals... pretty bad beating. 

Americans WANT a president they would have a beer with.  Mitt was just too rich, too out of touch.  Too much of the "who let the dogs out" and "i'm out of work too, haha!" - in this media age, a presidential candidate MUST be in touch with the people.  Mitt was perfect on paper, but people just didn't like him because they felt ZERO connection with him.   There was so so little for the average american to connect with mitt on (and being a RINO meant the base stayed home too)

But yes, to your point... a likeable Romney would win the job.
my point was not about likeability at all...

my point was to what this country needs and to think that a person who has gone to private school since grade school is in touch with people is pretty damn laughable.

A person who understands how a business works and what their goals are is whats needed. Obama could probably get alot of his going if he would go about it in a way that was in line with a businesses goals or made it easier for them to work

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #245 on: August 12, 2014, 05:27:12 PM »
my point was not about likeability at all...

my point was to what this country needs and to think that a person who has gone to private school since grade school is in touch with people is pretty damn laughable.

A person who understands how a business works and what their goals are is whats needed. Obama could probably get alot of his going if he would go about it in a way that was in line with a businesses goals or made it easier for them to work

People will never elect "what is needed".  They'll elect who they like.

In truth, there is probably a fat old bald dude, 60 years old, with stacks of PhDs and decades of thinktank work, who can TRULY understand the concepts and content of running the USA.  I mean, Cain didn't know shit about libya, he didn't know who the nuclear powers were lol.   Perry, lol, he's a haircut and a shifting amnesty position, but he sure has that presidential look.  Mitch McConnell?  he has more brains in his ten remaining hairs than Perry has in his entire body... but given his height and bald head, he'll never be prez.

and anyway... the last 2 "businessman" presidents were Hoover and Dubya... lol...
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/31/the-wrong-resume/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Businessman are sexy choices but they dont' work "in real life" where you cannot CUT THE FAT like you can in business.  Why was Romney 47th in nation in Job Creation?  Well, he used to be able to SELL OFF those shitty companies.  He can't sell off shitty, low IQ counties with poverty issues.

I have an MBA and I love the idea of a businessman president, but really, I believe the best presidents are those with a decent IQ, ability to learn fast, and above all, to FIND COMMON GROUND with people.   Anyone who can get boehnner and Pelosi on the same page is WAY smarter than a brilliant romney whining about 47% to a room full of decamillionaires lol.

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #246 on: August 12, 2014, 05:39:45 PM »
my point was not about likeability at all...

my point was to what this country needs and to think that a person who has gone to private school since grade school is in touch with people is pretty damn laughable.

A person who understands how a business works and what their goals are is whats needed. Obama could probably get alot of his going if he would go about it in a way that was in line with a businesses goals or made it easier for them to work

You mean like Romney lol

tonymctones

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #247 on: August 12, 2014, 06:01:38 PM »
You mean like Romney lol
exactly, morons like you think obama can relate when he has essentially the same priviledged background.

At least I call it the way it is, both of them cant relate to regular everyday people.

The difference is obama cant relate to businesses either....

tonymctones

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #248 on: August 12, 2014, 06:08:34 PM »
People will never elect "what is needed".  They'll elect who they like.

In truth, there is probably a fat old bald dude, 60 years old, with stacks of PhDs and decades of thinktank work, who can TRULY understand the concepts and content of running the USA.  I mean, Cain didn't know shit about libya, he didn't know who the nuclear powers were lol.   Perry, lol, he's a haircut and a shifting amnesty position, but he sure has that presidential look.  Mitch McConnell?  he has more brains in his ten remaining hairs than Perry has in his entire body... but given his height and bald head, he'll never be prez.

and anyway... the last 2 "businessman" presidents were Hoover and Dubya... lol...
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/31/the-wrong-resume/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Businessman are sexy choices but they dont' work "in real life" where you cannot CUT THE FAT like you can in business.  Why was Romney 47th in nation in Job Creation?  Well, he used to be able to SELL OFF those shitty companies.  He can't sell off shitty, low IQ counties with poverty issues.

I have an MBA and I love the idea of a businessman president, but really, I believe the best presidents are those with a decent IQ, ability to learn fast, and above all, to FIND COMMON GROUND with people.   Anyone who can get boehnner and Pelosi on the same page is WAY smarter than a brilliant romney whining about 47% to a room full of decamillionaires lol.
damn it youre fucking dense, you dont have to run the govt like a business to make use of business experience.

You see if you understand how a business works and its goals you have a much easier time to get achieve your goals b/c you can help align your interests and make it where businesses want to change.

Tax inversion is a great example, what obama wants to do is simply do away with it and then tackle corporate tax reform. The issue is that not a single fucking person believes that he will play tit for tat with any fairness. If he made it where business paid less of a % in taxes but also made it more advantageous to keep money here the US would eventually end up getting more in tax money.

You see working with business, not against them like obama has continually done.

tonymctones

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Re: Life after defeat for Mitt Romney & the GOP
« Reply #249 on: August 12, 2014, 06:09:46 PM »
what was bush's business acumen?