Team Romney Kickoff!! [Update]
By jbonham76 Posted in 2008 — Comments (72) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Promoted by Erick. $6.5 million in a day is nothing to scoff at.
****Update!! Romney announces 6.5 million.
More than double previous record!*****
Romney is hosting his campaign kickoff right now in the Boston Convention Center. Live blogging of it here.
Romney hopes to raise 1 million dollars. I am positive that will not be a real problem. This event will definitly rock the fundraising world.
Read on . . .
From the Boston Globe:
The former Massachusetts governor, just four days after leaving office, aimed to establish himself as a credible challenger for the 2008 GOP nomination with a glitzy event far different from the hot dog-and-soda fundraisers that were a staple of President Bush's two White House campaigns.
A four-screen projection TV system hung from the center of a ceiling at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, displaying pictures that included Romney in the Oval Office and at the presidential lectern.
Forty fundraising stations -- each "pod" with a supervisor and nine callers -- filled the floor. Flags from all 50 states encircled the work area, and the activity was broadcast live via the Web site for Romney's campaign committee. The mood was set with theatrical lighting.
This isn't Kansas toto.
The stated goal on Monday was $1 million -- some of which Romney will need just to pay for the event. Many of the callers, however, paid their own travel expenses. In e-mails sent last week, two of Romney's sons estimated he would need to raise $100 million to be among the "serious contenders" for the nomination.
The "National Call Day," as Romney and his team have dubbed it, is the second presidential event the former governor has held since filing papers last week establishing the "Romney for President Exploratory Committee."
I can promise you, Romney will be setting the standard with fundraising. As he contiues to lead the way the burden will fall onto McCain to see if he can keep up. The near impossible feat will be for the smaller candidates like Brownback and Hunter to somehow remain relevant.
With Romney we get a man of integrity. We get the most intellegent man of the group. We get high charisma and a candidate who is strong on Terror.
Whoa.
The new record for fundraising belongs to none other than Mitt, whose campaign just passed the $2.5 million mark for this single event. This is a man to be reckoned with, at least in the money part of the race.
--------
After the 2006 elections, al Qaeda released a statement saying they were happy Democrats won. That should tell you all you need to know.
It's not even nearly over.
BTW we just put up an interview with Romney's spokes person on the site.
www.mymanmitt.com
www.illinoisansforromney.com
***My comments are my own opinion. Please don't confuse them with anyone elses despite my websites and allegiances***
For the good of the GOP, I hope Romney does 2 things:
1 - Continues to embrace conservative ideals of low taxes and social conservatism, and
2 - Gets everyone's attention with his message and fundraising.
That way the field stays on message. That said, I think Brownback is a better candidate. I'd be happy with Romney, but would prefer Brownback. McCain and Guiliani would kill the GOP.
Romney Just Raised 6.5 Million!! The day is still going!
www.mymanmitt.com
www.illinoisansforromney.com
***My comments are my own opinion. Please don't confuse them with anyone elses despite my websites and allegiances***
Holy Freak! $6.5 million in one day? Sorry to everyone but McCain (and possibly Giuliani) . . . but the support is going to Romney BIG TIME!!!
Jeff Fuller
http://iowansforromney.blogspot.com/
See my disclaimer of Romney Support at my blogsite link above (essentially I'm an unpaid grassroots supporter/blogger).
Recommend because this is an impressive number.
The all time record for one day fundraising is $33 million set by Bush before the McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill. Post Campaign Finance, I believe this is the largest one day fundraising, period!
I'd like to see McCain try and even come close to $6.5 million, especially since he is responsible for the funding caps.
Wow. He should declare now.
No more updates. For some reason, that's kicking your post off the front. Drop a comment for any future updates.
Thanks.
-----------
Even those who learn from history are surrounded by those doomed to repeat it.
Sorry about that. I sent something to Erik when it happened.
www.mymanmitt.com
www.illinoisansforromney.com
***My comments are my own opinion. Please don't confuse them with anyone elses despite my websites and allegiances***
Romney wants to make $50 million by June. Eight more days like this and he's got it.
Wow!
All I have to say to this is: Go Rep. Duncan Hunter!
All I have to say to this is: Go Rep. Duncan Hunter...
...and get a job with Romney!
www.mymanmitt.com
www.illinoisansforromney.com
***My comments are my own opinion. Please don't confuse them with anyone elses despite my websites and allegiances***
was to establish Mitt Romney as a serious candidate, he's well on his way. If he can sustain this, he'll be fine, and he's set a nice bar for John McCain (as I heard one of his peeps say on FNC).
Don't forget the lesson of Howard Dean, though. Dean was crawling in cash early, with scads of enthusiastic supporters, and he ended up losing to a dud who had to borrow money on his wife's hous.
Yeah, the Democrats never fail to provide YouTube clips for all of us to enjoy.
In the Republican Primary, the fundamentals are different. Romney just gunned it off the line. We'll see if he keeps it up, but I still would like to see any other candidate come close to Romney's one day record breaking fundraiser effort.
Let the games begin.
who then would be out John Kerry.....?
This is an analogy I think I'll not try to think too long on.
A Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever. -John Adams
Ok no more getting lazy on the preview button. I meant "our" John Kerry. sorry.
A Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever. -John Adams
Romney is a late convert to social conservatism (which is ok with me, by the way.) But I think that candidates like Brownback, Huckabee and others will make hay pointing out Romney's history of flip-flops on issues like gay rights, same-sex marriage and abortion. What makes the flip-flops even more damaging is that many came late in his last term as governor. Even the most uncynical person would have to question this timing of his conversion.
http://www.eyeon08.com/2007/01/05/efm-tries-to-cover-another-romney-flip...
You have to remember that the worst of the charges have already been made. It's old news already.
It is a full year before Iowa. People will have plenty of time to actually look at the charges and make up their minds about them.
Flyguy,
It's the most uncynical person that reads beyond the terse headlines of flip-flop acusations and researches what really happened. The cynical ones are the lazy ones that don't care about context and believe word for word what the most liberal media sources say about the opposition (a.k.a. Boston Globe, the fountain of disinformation about Romney). If you find yourself in the lazy camp, then don't fret, here's an easy to watch video of what Romney does to people who accuse him of flip flopping.
Enjoy,
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4362623183954478320
What are you talking about? Gay rights, same-sex marriage? When was Romney pro-gay marriage? When was Romney an abortion advocate? He was never advocated and paraded the virtues of gay-marriage or abortion. In fact, he vetoed the issues every chance he got as governor!
I'm sure I can twist some of Huckabee and Brownback's words enough to claim they were soft on gay marriage and so-called gay rights at some point in their careers. Enough already! Romney is on the conservative side on these issues, and he is probably the most persuasive and articulate speaker promoting social conservatism today for crying out loud!
In the end, these charges will either destroy Romney or make him a better candidate in the general election. Let the debate begin.
All '08 GOP Presidential candidates who are "pro-amnesty for illegal immigrants" including: Huckabee, Brownback, McCain, Giuliani, Pataki, and Hagel are already finished as potential candidates for President just because of their pro-amnesty for illegals positions. By the way, Condi Rice and Jeb Bush are also "pro-amnesty for illegal immigrants". More amnesty for illegal immigrants will only make the entire U.S.A. vanish as a country as well as eventually make conservatism vanish! The future giant influx of illegal immigrants to this country will only assure that both the Republican Party and conservatism never have any serious political clout here ever again! I wish that even conservatives/moderates all over the U.S. would truly stop playing the "denial is a river in Egypt" game when it comes to the issue of amnesty for illegal immigrants and all of the future problems that this issue will have soon throughout the entire U.S.!
I cannot believe you can actually write that either Brownback or Huckabee is even going to be a factor. I pray that the rest of the GOP primary voters are smart enough not to throw this election away with either of those complete unknowns. Kudos to Romney for showing everyone else how it's done.
"It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first. "-Ronald Reagan
onto this bandwagon. I don't care how much he raises or how much he "moves" to the right. (Is he really moving right or is it the other GOP "front-runners" are so far left?)
This is like offering a guy dying of thirst a glass of warm dirty water...it sure looks good compared to the sand...but I'd still prefer an ice-cold glass of clear water.
Thank God it is still early and I can wait for a conservative...
Mr. Gingrich
Mr. Quayle
Mr. Keyes
Ok so those last two are long-shots...
Having lived through a Keyes campaign in IL I have no idea why you would put that man on any list. Eloquent and persuasive? Yes. politically astute? no.
He was awesome in a debate or whatever, but he ran a terrible campaign. He should stay on radio.
www.mymanmitt.com
www.illinoisansforromney.com
***My comments are my own opinion. Please don't confuse them with anyone elses despite my websites and allegiances***
watching him in Borat.
-------------------------------------
"As nations can not be rewarded or punished in the next world they must be in this."
- George Mason
stay on radio or make a run under the Constitution Party banner. ..as I said the last two were maybe not as serious...would you accept a substitute of say Gary Bauer for Keyes?
As a substitute for Keyes? yes. But he's no compariso to Romney.
www.mymanmitt.com
www.illinoisansforromney.com
***My comments are my own opinion. Please don't confuse them with anyone elses despite my websites and allegiances***
www.mymanmitt.com
www.illinoisansforromney.com
***My comments are my own opinion. Please don't confuse them with anyone elses despite my websites and allegiances***
is the Bruce Springsteen music blasting there. Don't get me wrong, I love The Boss' music, but he was singing for Kerry events in 2004.
Two thirds of the world is covered by water, the other third is covered by Champ Bailey
That is kind of funny, huh! Good catch.
www.mymanmitt.com
www.illinoisansforromney.com
***My comments are my own opinion. Please don't confuse them with anyone elses despite my websites and allegiances***
Integrity- based on his personal life and that he is scandel free.
Terror- based on his many statements, handling of the olympics, and his refusal to extend service to former Iranian president. Also for some more info on his stances on a terror here is a good link:
http://myclob.pbwiki.com/FindPage?SearchFor=terror
www.mymanmitt.com
www.illinoisansforromney.com
***My comments are my own opinion. Please don't confuse them with anyone elses despite my websites and allegiances***
Enough of the Romneyites on this site finally pulled together and recommended themselves all the way up to the front of the recommendations. Glad to use the forum for conservatism to continue to shamelessly plug their candidate that is still polling behind Gingrich who hasn't even said hes running yet. Dear God, I can't wait to see a Brownback/Guiliani bury this guy, then you can all pack your bags, and go to South Carolina, to California, and back to Washington D.C. to take back the White House...yeeeeeah! Enjoy the fanfare til Iowa-nobody from Taxachussetts is ever going to be our nominee
What political philosopher do you most admire? "Christ, because he changed my heart....When you turn your heart and your life over to Christ, when you accept Christ as the Savior, it changes your heart and changes your life." -George W. Bush, echoed by me
1. That some of the people who recommended this blog support Romney's campaign.
2. He has lived part of his life in Massachusetts.
Thanks for that. Really helpful. I have no particular feelings about Romney's campaign, but I thought I would recommend the blog mostly as a response to your post.
Quentin Langley
Editor of http://www.quentinlangley.net
Is that some members of this site have used redstate as a partial campaign site for Romney, and hardly a post goes by without them mentioning how he will be president. Romney has about as much of a chance as Dean did-hence the comparison. And yes, I have a problem with Taxachussetts politicians, since they tend to flip flop on the issues when it is politically convenient for them to do so. And no, I dont want to hear Romneys magical conversion, its been repeated on this site by his campaigners dozens of times.
What political philosopher do you most admire? "Christ, because he changed my heart....When you turn your heart and your life over to Christ, when you accept Christ as the Savior, it changes your heart and changes your life." -George W. Bush, echoed by me
No one here made the editors upgrade it to the first page. They did it because what Romney did was a great feat, at least according to the first line. He broke the record by nearly 3 times the previous record. That's probably not something you will be seeing Guiliani or Brownback doing anytime soon.
I know you seem to be hip on Barack "I kill born living babies" Obama , but you could just acknowledge what Romney did was worthy of note and not sound like a poor looser?
www.mymanmitt.com
www.illinoisansforromney.com
***My comments are my own opinion. Please don't confuse them with anyone elses despite my websites and allegiances***
>>That's probably not something you will be seeing Guiliani or Brownback doing anytime soon.
On Brownback, I agree; on Giuliani, we will see.
Quentin Langley
Editor of http://www.quentinlangley.net
That's always a fun answer-if you think i;m a liberala nd support Obama, maybe you haven't been around to read my diaries,. I've been on here for 2 years, and I said I liked Obama, not that I voted for him. I've voted Republican since I could vote and been an avid member and marched with 3 different pro-life credentials, so don't you dare question my conservative credentials because I don't like your East Coast flip flopping I voted against abortion after years of being for it. Wow, he raised a lot of money. Woohoo, I'll give him some credit if he gets higher than 4th in Iowa. Money doesn't mean anything otherwise Perot would be President and Bloomberg would be considered a serious threat in 08. I'm sorry I'm not in love with your candidate like the rest of the Romney cult on this site. Sorry
Don't mess with Texas.
I never called you a liberal. Just said you seem to be high on Obama. That fine, maybe you are an Obama-Republican?
That's fine you don't like Romney. But you just sound like sour grapes right now.
www.mymanmitt.com
www.illinoisansforromney.com
***My comments are my own opinion. Please don't confuse them with anyone elses despite my websites and allegiances***
I didn't say I voted for him and you know as well as I do that the IL GOP is in terrible shape, yet another reason why I'm glad to no longer be from there. I've been to church with Obama and consequently from knowing people on a personal basis, I don't think he's a bad person. I never said I was high on him in any sort of political campaign-you can check my posts and I'm supporting Senator Brownback. You can call it sour all you wasnt but outside of the blogs I'm still waiting for Romney to start leading or at least crack the top 2 in one of the polls. Agree to diasagree, its my opinion your guy is going to get torched in the election, and I'm hoping my guy gets enough votes in the primary to be considered to balance out Guiliani's eventual ticket. I'll give you one promise-if Romney becomes the nominee for 08 I will vote for him and retract my statements that he isn't deserving of my time.
Don't mess with Texas.
I would think it would be easy to strike up a friendship with him. It is doubtful I will ever cast a vote for him, but his personality and lack of bad traits (example: not Ted Kennedy) makes him very dangerous to the GOP.
___________________________________________________________
Thou art the Great Cat, the avenger of the Gods, and the judge of words...-Inscription on the Royal Tombs at Thebes
If money didn't mean anything, Perot would be John Cox.
I wouldn't compare Mitt Romney's record on abortion favorably with any Democrat's by implication.
-----------
Even those who learn from history are surrounded by those doomed to repeat it.
Maybe there's something more innocent at work here, y'know? Can't speak for the others, but I hit the recommend button only after Romney hit the $6.5 million mark because I thought that was newsworthy and impressive. Would've done it, and will do it, for any other candidate that manages to break a fundraising record three times over. Get a grip.
--------
After the 2006 elections, al Qaeda released a statement saying they were happy Democrats won. That should tell you all you need to know.
Some real class BlackRepub. It was recommended and then promoted to the front page because it was an impressive feat, not some shameless plug. I only recommend things that I find intersting or signifigant.
There is an insistence by some members on here to shove Mitt Romney down our throats given every opportunity. If that's not you, than I clearly wsn't talking to you, and thus you shouldn't be offended. I didn't name any names, but if you have some guilt about being a Romneyite than thats your issue not mine.
Don't mess with Texas.
No guilt here. I understand your complaint and I hope you realize that at least for this time it was due to the exceptional nature of the news. I can't speak for other "Romneyites", but I try to only recommend things that are above and beyond normal news.
Even though I'm from Massachusetts, I'm not rooting for Mitt Romney! I'm rooting for Rep. Duncan Hunter for GOP President in '08!
I love Duncan Hunter, but he'll get no love from me for president. He is openly hostile to the free market (voted against CAFTA) and likes to spend a lot of money.
Oh well...Duncan's fantasy of moving into the Oval Office in 2008 will be over very, very soon. I'd love to see him be considered to be the Secretary of Defense in the next administration, though.
Hunter is the paleo-conservative candidate who opposes free markets and has a sweet tooth for domestic spending.
I believe that a Romney/Hunter ticket would do well in '08! I also believe that a Romney/Keating, a Romney/Watts, or a Romney/Steele ticket in '08 would also do well.
As time goes on, he'll need to show people that he isn't another Gramm (lots of "mother's milk", limited ability to grow his base). Romney's big problem is if this is a 3 way race. There seems to be an expectation that Giuliani somehow is just going to melt. It's a common view inside the Beltway and it clearly has influenced some of the big GOP rainmakers.
We'll see. But as long as it doesn't happen and both Rudy and McCain match up well against potential Democratic nominees and Mitt doesn't, Romney has a problem money cannot solve.
"With Romney we get a man of integrity. We get the most intellegent man of the group. a candidate who is strong on Terror."
So, other than flip flopping on just about every issue- Romney is a man of integrity.
And, all those years as a chief executive officer in the corporate world and leading Massachusetts have somehow made him "strong on terror"?!!
Oh yeah, I forgot that in the Romney world giving the latest manifestation of his beliefs in a speech qualifies as being stronger on terror than a GRADUATE OF THE NAVAL ACADEMY, WAR HERO, PRISONER OF WAR, AND SERVING ON THE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE FOR A DECADE. You spin more than the libs do..
United States Air Force
http://airforcepundit.blogspot.com
With all do respect to veterans, being a veteran does not make anyone more qualified for the office. The 2004 election showed this loud and clear with veteran John Kerry not having a clue. Another good example is good old John McGovern. He was a WWII vet, but was clueless on foreign affairs.
McCain should be respected for his service, but being in the military far from qualifies from understanding foreign affairs.
I would argue Romney in fact has more experience in certain foreign affairs realms than McCain such as international trade and dealing with the Chinese seeing he was involved in international business for years.
"AND SERVING ON THE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE FOR A DECADE"
The only thing that you mention that matters.
McCain is a liberal MSM lapdog. It's funny hearing you call Romney a flip flopper, your memory must be extremely poor. McCain used to think the "Religious Right" were a bunch of loony's and now he is out attaching his lips to which ever religous leaders butt he thinks will help him. But Romney's a flip flopper.
I also like the fact McCain supports amnesty, no tax cuts, and gay marriage.
His military record is stellar, I agree, but what have his actions shown us since he has been in government? Both personal and public.
How many times has he been married and divorced, and what were the circumstances behind them?
Great campaign finance reform bill.
Great idea to form the "Gang of 14" way to stand behind your conservative values.
And my favorite...the terroist bill of rights. I don't care what anyone says, but someone who says that we need to give terrorist who wear no uniform, blow our guys up and run and hide, the same rights that protect those whom we fight in wars who wear uniforms, is a complete bafoon. The fact that the rational was if we allow "certain means to get information" to continue then it will come back to our soldiers that are captured, shows me how wrong he is when it comes to the war on terror. Has he not seen the pictures of guys getting thier heads cut off? Give me a break. He lost all credibility as far as I am concered when that all went down.
I'm not a McCain fan, but I will not have him called a liberal. He is wrong on a lot of things, for sure, but not because he is liberal.
Wow!!! That's a great start to '08 fundraising.
www.iowansforromney.com
Good luck against McAmnesty!
Just Say No To Amnesty: http://www.fairus.org
I hope that the past few weeks of doubt and legitimate concerns about Romney have hit home to the Romney campaign. I want Mitt to make this a good, clean race and I want him to answer everyone's questions as comprehensively as he can.
I think he's the best man of the field we have right now. It's tough for people, I suppose, to accept a northeastern governor as a credible Republican candidate right now, but I think Romney is going to be a force to be reckoned with.