This story is not about Fred Thompson
(whose idea was this early start, anyway?)
By Mark Kilmer Posted in 2008 — Comments (7) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Hi, my name is Mark, and I write for FredState.com. Yeah, I've heard the cracks. You can look for kernels of a substance resembling truth here and there, but I write about what interests me, what's on my mind.
And I, for one, can spread the love. (I think that is a '60s counterculture expression, or perhaps it dates back to the beatniks.) Chris Cillizza, who blogs for the WashPost at The Fix, sends me (and others) stuff. For instance, Chris has written the following:
With former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.) rising in polls in Iowa and New Hampshire (and claiming the number one slot on the Friday Presidential Line), it was only a matter of time before some newspaper offered up a detailed look at his life in and out of politics.
Lucky for all of us political junkies, Romney's hometown paper -- the Boston Globe -- is now in the middle of just such a series.
So far the stories have been largely positive for Romney, portraying his life as a series of accomplishments won by his intelligence and high-achieving nature. There are also elements that could have a negative impact on the campaign -- his great-grandfather's polygamy and some of the hard-nosed business deals when Romney was the head of Bain Capital chief among them. But, frankly, on the whole the series has been good news for Romney.
Read More…
I can tell you know that my paternal, paternal grandfather had only one wife! But no one's going to vote for me anyway, as I'm not running. The grandfather was a Mormon back when it was acceptable for Mormons to be polygamists. As for the other matter, I think you'll find that most successful businessmen have engaged in hard-nosed business deals.
But that's Mitt. And the Boston Globe. You see, Romney's fundraising is evidently down, and he's loaned himself $2.35-million. (It wasn't until later in 2003 that John Kerry had to mortgage his house to lend himself $850,000.) One would expect the hometown paper to give him a free boost. It's their paper, and I'll leave the rest to the bureaucrats.
Chris Cillizza writes that "a series of detailed stories that unearth nothing new allow the Romney campaign to tell reporters from other publications that there's nothing new to find out." Dunno about that. Camp Mitt can tell them this anyway, and either way, a good set of reporters won't smile complacently, pack up their notebooks, and run off to investigate Bill Richardson.
Are any of you waiting, breath duly abated, for the Boston Globe reporters to write a Mitt biography? (There is precedent.)
So whom do we blame for all this? We can blame whom? Would we be batting our eyes if this were happening in October? I blame whomever started this contest at an ungawdly date. Find his name – her name, whatever – and send him to the stocks. Or put him in a small cage so we can poke him with sticks. These really are the wrong conditions in which to try to win a war, even if candidate Joe Biden professes a willingness to "jump in the tank" and to "be part of an effort to get us out of this mess if he [President Bush] needs some bipartisan help to do it."
Oh, if we didn't dig this stuff, we probably wouldn't be here.
« Dueling June Obama fundraising claims? — Comments (2) | What Fred said in Nashville today — Comments (19) »
This story is not about Fred Thompson 7 Comments (0 topical, 7 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
Long time, no see, get the heck off of my nice, clean website.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
is always talked about by the MSM however Obama's racist church is never brought up. It doesn't matter really because the R candidate will be fighting D's and the drive by media. It is going to be long and hard for the R no matter his religion or divorces or military background. I suspect they are all prepared and by the way where is the fairness doctrine for the media?
I have heard over and over how Mitt's great grandfather was a polygamist, but the MSM rarely mentions that Obama's own father is a polygamist. Hmm. Double standard - I think so.
and I do actually mean that. The MSM was very complicit in this as well, assigning him lame duck status right around the second week of November 2004. His lack of ability to communicate effectively (or just make an attempt at communicating) opened the door wide.
___________________________________
The CIA has better politicians than it has spies - Fred Thompson
But to be fair to Romney, I don't think you can compare his adding money to his campaign to John Kerry reaching in his wife’s pocket in late 2003. Kerry was going to run out of money if he didn’t fund it. It was not something he (or she, Teresa) wanted to do. Romney on the other hand is far from out of money and says he does it to feel like he has done his part because so many people have done their part. He also can very much afford it. As far as his fundraising being down from the first quarter, it doesn’t surprise me. The first quarter you get all the hype and upfront money from the campaign starting. The second quarter is going into the summer when people are paying less attention. Also there is a general negative sentiment in the Republican Party right now especially with the immigration issue and the underwhelming performance of President Bush.
James
Romney is lending himself money to keep his campaign going at the level he wants it to continue. If he had enough money to sustain the campaign at the high level he wants early, he would not have borrowed from himself.
But, as you point out, the circumstances of the Romney loan and the Kerry load are not equatable.
I'm amazed by how unbiased the Mitt story has been. There have been a few vague, albeit fair, criticisms of his stances but overall surprisingly balanced for the Globe.
D