Movin' on up....

Governor Romney makes like The Jeffersons in Chuck Todd's 2008 Race Rankings. He is now in 2nd, behind John McCain. Here's what Todd says:

Think Romney’s feeling better about that decision not to seek a second term? The sole reason we finally put Romney ahead of Allen is that Allen's '06 re-election is becoming a distraction. Plus, the more we hear about Romney’s financial network, the more we wonder if McCain’s going to have company in the $100 million circle. Between the Mormon financial network, his Bain Capital friends and his own wealth, it’s safe to assume Romney’s going to be among the top three candidates simply because of resources.

Romney wins Townhall Straw Poll

Townhall.com has finally pulled the GOP Presidential poll, and Governor Romney has won with over 50% of the more than 260,000 votes. This is another in a long line of poll victories for Mitt. Well done!

(The poll has not made it into the Townhall.com archives. I hope they didn't delete it.)

UPDATE 3/29: It is still not in the archives, and now they have a puff piece on George Allen. Coincidence? Is Townhall in the tank for Allen?

Polls, Polls, Polls

Here's a Romney vs. Hillary poll.

Here's the Townhall poll; it's getting ready to cross the 200,000 mark and we're trailing a bit.

Here's the MSNBC straw poll.

Show your support.

Is this guy the best, or what?

Portions of the Governor's speech today in Nashua, NH, from the New Hampshire Union-Leader :

"I was a little late," a meticulously coifed Romney told the audience as he arrived for the 15th annual Wild Irish Breakfast, a St. Patrick's Day roast organized by Streeter. "Stepping out of the car, I bumped my head and broke my hair."

"You can tell when it's election time here: You put up those `Candidate Crossing' signs," the governor said, pausing a beat. "And you can tell it's New Hampshire, because you speed up."

Romney also joked that he had begun the day reading the Bible before adding, "I always find it's very helpful to get up in the morning and see what the Union Leader is saying."

He complained in jest about the famously conservative newspaper that prints a daily prayer, reading the headline: "The sap is running."

Then he deadpanned: "But I haven't even made a decision yet."

New Polling Data

March Strategic Vision state-by-state polls:

Michigan:
20. For the 2008 Republican Presidential Nomination whom would you support? (Republicans Only; Giuliani excluded)
John McCain 45%
MITT ROMNEY 14%
Newt Gingrich 7%
George Allen 4%
Bill Frist 3%
George Pataki 1%
Rick Santorum 1%
Chuck Hagel 1%
Undecided 24%

Pennsylvania:
21. Who is your choice for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2008? (Republicans only; Giuliani excluded)
John McCain 31%
Newt Gingrich 9%
MITT ROMNEY 7%
Bill Frist 6%
George Allen 4%
Rick Santorum 2%
George Pataki 2%
Chuck Hagel 1%
Undecided 38%

New Jersey:
19. Who would you support for the Republican nomination in 2008? (Republicans only, Giuliani excluded)
John McCain 35%
Newt Gingrich 7%
George Pataki 5%
MITT ROMNEY 3%
Bill Frist 2%
George Allen 2%
Rick Santorum 1%
Chuck Hagel 1%
Undecided 44%

Wisconsin:
27. Who is your choice for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2008? (Tommy Thompson excluded; Republicans only)
Rudy Giuliani 35%
John McCain 28%
Newt Gingrich 12%
George Allen 5%
Bill Frist 3%
MITT ROMNEY 3%
Rick Santorum 1%
George Pataki 1%
Chuck Hagel 1%
Undecided 11%

Georgia:
23. For the 2008 Republican Presidential Nomination whom would you support (Republicans Only)?
Rudy Giuliani 27%
John McCain 23%
Newt Gingrich 15%
George Allen 8%
Bill Frist 3%
MITT ROMNEY 3%
Rick Santorum 1%
George Pataki 1%
Chuck Hagel 1%
Undecided 18%

New York
32. For the 2008 Republican Presidential Nomination whom would you support? (Republicans only, candidates' names read to respondent to select. Giuliani excluded)
John McCain 34%
George Pataki 10%
MITT ROMNEY 5%
Newt Gingrich 4%
Bill Frist 4%
Rick Santorum 2%
George Allen 1%
Chuck Hagel 1%
Undecided 39%

All in all, I'd say it's looking real good for Governor Romney.

Religious Freedom Goes Both Ways...

From The Boston Globe today: Romney files 'religious freedom' bill on church and gay adoption

A bill introduced by Gov. Mitt Romney that would exempt religious social services agencies from being required to place some adoptive children in same-sex households is being denounced by gay rights activists.

The bill filed Wednesday would exempt Catholic Charities -- the social services arm of the Boston Archdiocese -- from a state antidiscrimination law that says it must provide adoption services to gay and lesbian couples.

Romney's money quote:

"It is a matter beyond dispute, and a prerequisite to the preservation of liberty, that government not dictate to religious institutions the moral principles by which they are to carry out their charitable and divine mission," Romney said in a letter to House and Senate leaders.

There are agencies in Massachusetts that can serve the need for gay people to adopt. The Catholic Church should not be forced to violate its tenets by the state. Once again, Romney shows excellent leadership on social issues. I guess this means another 5-point drop in approval rating for Mitt in Mass, which is like a 5-point bump anywhere else!

Townhall Poll Madness...

What is going on with the Townhall.com poll? The poll, which took about three weeks to get to 10,000 votes, now stands at 66,000-plus after a few days of Romney and Allen voters doing, well, I'm not sure what the Allen folks are doing, except that they voted about 10,000 between 11PM Sunday and 6AM EST Monday. Rather strange.

Anyway, keep voting for Mitt. It's a strong statement to win a poll with a sample size that large.

WOOOOOHOOOOO!!!!!

Romney is the big story of the 2006 Hotline Poll!!!!!!

Frist - 36.9%
ROMNEY - 14.4%
Allen - 10%
Bush - 10%

We are on the move, people!!!!

UPDATE: Hotline has posted the second choices of the Frist voters. After a little math, I have determined that the total tally for the straw poll without Frist would have been:

Romney - 268, or 20.4%
Allen - 244, or 18.6%
McCain - 122, or 9.3%

So, without Frist, Romney wins!

Mitt wins Livingston County (MI) Straw Poll...

Results posted at RepublicanMichigander:

1. Governor Mitt Romney – 24.74%
2. Senator John McCain – 18.56%
3. Senator George Allen – 17.53%
4. Congressman Mike Pence – 14.43%
5. Former Speaker Newt Gingrich – 11.34%
6. Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani – 10.30%
7. Congressman Tom Tancredo – 1.03%

Write in:
Secretary Condoleezza Rice – 1.03%
Senator Sam Brownback – 1.03%

Shakeup at Team Romney...

Trent Wisecup, of DC Navigators, has resigned as head of Governor Romney's The Commonwealth PAC, and will "consider other options." This is good news for all us Romney '08 supporters, because of Wisecup's links to former Romney advisor Mike Murphy, a principal at DC Navigators. Murphy, as you may remember, was John McCain's 2000 political guru. I can't imagine how Romney was going to be able to trust Wisecup if his boss was working for McCain. Chris Cilizza reads it as a negative, but I don't.

Rave Reviews for Romney at SRLC

VOLuntarily Conservative, a Tennessee blogger covering the SRLC, gives the Governor big points for his message today at SRLC:

"The next address was by the first of the prospective 2008 Presidential candidates, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. Due to my previous criticisms of Governor Romney, my skepticism was quite high. I was actually worried that I might be a bit too hard on Romney. However, Governor Romney showed fantastic oratory skills and delivered an interesting, impassioned message to the delegates. Out of the first round of speakers, he was the best of the bunch.

Romney, who, I am told, is trumpeting a slogan this weekend of "Yankee Governor, Southern Values," immediately got the crowd on his side by singing the old theme song of "Davey Crockett" - with a little addition of Bill Frist in the final wording. Romney spoke of the important lessons he had learned regarding reaching across the aisle to help the people of Massachusetts, something that he had to do in "the bluest of blue states." One of the best tales Romney told was of balancing the budget by cutting wasteful programs and increasing government efficiency. Specifically, Romney spoke of cutting $20 million from a homeless program for wasteful hotel expenditures that encouraged the homeless to bilk the system. Romney also spoke of the ridiculous notion of bi-lingual education and how it hurts a significant segment of the population in their attempts to better their lives.

Romney also laid forth the 4 major challenges facing America today. First, we must deal with the jihadists and their determination to unify the nations of Islam. On this front, Romney offered praise for President Bush's actions and the sacrifices of our military. Second, Romney identified the lack of understanding in the Congress that we are spending too much money. He cited the 49% growth in discretionary spending. Romney emphatically called for a presidential line-item veto to help in this regard. Third, Romney pointed out our need for an educated workforce. In particular, Romney pointed to the few engineers and PhD-level scientists that we produce compared to nations such as China and India. He said that America risks becoming irrelevant without improvements in these fields. "We must not become the France of the 21st Century," Romney stated strongly. Continuing on educational issues, Romney called for better pay for the better teachers and minimizing the teachers' unions. Interestingly, he called for educational immigration reform, referring to how our best foreign graduates have to leave the country upon receiving their doctorates while those with limited skills and virtually no education are allowed to stay. On this front, Romney appeared quite at odds with President Bush, much to his credit. Finally, Romney spoke of the need to embrace American culture, for his feels that is what has made America great. He quoted David Landis' "The Wealth & Poverty of Nations," which this blogger found impressive.

Overall, Romney's foray into the South had to be considered a success. His charisma is infectious, and his message will play well here. Can he explain away his previous record of compromising in Massachusetts? That will be crucial if he is to secure the nomination in 2008."

Also, Chris Matthews interviewed some SRLC attendees at the end of his 5 ET hour, and while all of them either said they were for Frist or Condi, they all had positive things to say about Mitt.

Check This Out

The 64-man "Road to the Final Four" style 2008 poll. Be sure to visit and cast a vote for Mitt!

Here's the link.

Kondracke, Townhall, AmSpec on Romney

Kondracke, via Real Clear Politics:

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) has one very impressive thing going for him as a 2008 presidential prospect: the right policy priorities for the country.

He would fight Islamic jihadists by helping Muslims modernize, tackle the country's long-term fiscal crisis by reforming entitlements and health care, address the economic challenge from Asia by improving education and investing in technology - and try to work with Democrats instead of fighting with them all the time.

To test whether he'll sell as a GOP presidential product, he's molded his image to please the party's right-wing base. He defines himself as a conservative, says "my thinking has evolved" on abortion (from neutral to "pro-life") and supports a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

And yet on the stump - as evidenced by a recent appearance in South Carolina - he avoids right-wing demagoguery, advocating immigration reforms to allow foreign Ph.D.s and other highly-skilled workers to swiftly become U.S. citizens.

To the dismay of Massachusetts' scientific community, he's come out against therapeutic cloning of human embryos for medical research, but he's to the left of President Bush on the issue, favoring the use of leftover embryos at in vitro fertilization clinics for stem-cell research.Moreover, values and "culture" issues - the red meat that candidates usually toss to their base - come fourth in Romney's list of challenges facing the country, behind terrorism, the fiscal crisis and competition from China and India.

And as a Republican governor who managed to cut spending in a state with an 85 percent Democratic Legislature, Romney just might be able to tame what he calls Washington, D.C.'s "gotcha politics" by sharing credit with Democrats.

Heading into the 2008 presidential campaign, I'm especially interested in what prospective candidates think about the big issues facing America, and I'm hoping to explore that with them regularly in upcoming columns.

After interviewing Romney at the National Governors Association winter meeting, and finding him rather didactic in delivery, I discovered that he lays out his priority list regularly on the stump. If the priorities are right - and Romney's definitely are - then that's a good sign. And the ideas he's putting forward are challenging. They include what amounts to an individual mandate for people to have basic health insurance, with subsidies for low-income people, or else pay all their medical expenses out of their own pockets.

In Massachusetts, he discovered, it would cost $600 million a year to require "free riders" to be insured and to offer a basic high-deductible policy to the poor. But the state would save money because it costs $1 billion to provide free care to the uninsured.

He would not eliminate Medicaid, rather reforming it to become an insurance policy involving premiums, co-pays and deductibles for those able to pay. And, he'd reform Medicare and Social Security by shaving promised benefits for younger workers, though he hasn't yet worked out the specifics.

Following the failure of Bush's Social Security reforms last year, he said, "the BRAC approach may make more sense," referring to the process for closing military bases through a commission whose recommendations must be voted up or down in their entirety by Congress.

Beyond the difficulty of getting Congress to delegate entitlement policy to a commission, another flaw in Romney's agenda is his reluctance to make tax increases part of his solution to the long-term fiscal crisis.

He told me, "I don't like taxes. I think we need less government, not more government." He closed a $3 billion budget deficit in Massachusetts without raising taxes, he said.

And yet, he told me, "when I ran for governor in Massachusetts, I was asked, would I sign a no-new-taxes pledge? I said I won't sign such a pledge, but you know I hate taxes." As a presidential contender, he said, "I'm not going to say what [former President] George H.W. Bush said." That's a good sign. We'll see if he can keep to it.

To compete with China and India - "hardworking, educated, creative, innovative, family-oriented, mercantile" cultures - Romney proposes upgrading math and science education and paying top teachers as much as $15,000 extra a year.

"There's only one strong opposition group, and that's the teachers unions," he told me. "At some point, I think America - and, importantly, the minority communities - are going to say, 'it's time to split with our friends, the unions and the Democratic Party, and put our kids first here.' Unequal educational opportunity is the civil rights issue of our time."

Romney vetoed a union-backed bill to block new charter schools from being established in Massachusetts and had it sustained partly with support from black legislators. "It was a good sign," he said.

On foreign policy, Romney said he's "not a member of any school" - neo-conservative or realist - but he believes that combating Islamic jihadists will be the top priority for the next president and will require "a major, long-term effort to support the institutions of modernity in the world of Islam."

"Of course, in places where military conflict erupts, we have to win," he said, but he added that "the bar for putting American lives at risk is a very high bar." He supported the Iraq war based on the belief that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

"A lot of miscalculations and mistakes were made," he said, but he stopped short of declaring, one way or the other, whether knowing what he knows now would have changed his stance on whether to take the fight to Iraq. Romney is handsome and articulate. He gained national attention for saving the 2002 Winter Olympics from collapse. He's not exactly mesmerizing on the stump, but he should be able to learn. He's definitely tilting rightward to run for the GOP nomination, but he doesn't seem to be selling his soul - yet. To his credit, a brochure that touted his accomplishments in Massachusetts also had pictures of two Democratic legislative leaders on its cover. That attitude and a sound agenda constitute a good start toward the presidency.

Mort Kondracke is the Executive Editor of Roll Call.

Also, Townhall.com features Governor Romney in it's feature article today, and Mitt is on the cover of the current issue of American Spectator, pictured above.

Romney Rocks! Amen to that.

Townhall.com poll...

Mitt is crushing the competition in the Townhall.com poll. As of right now, these are the results:

Who do you want to be the Republican nominee in 2008?
George Allen | (22 %)
Sam Brownback | (2 %)
Bill Frist | (1 %)
Newt Gingrich | (14 %)
Rudy Giuliani | (12 %)
John McCain | (6 %)
George Pataki | (0 %)
Mitt Romney | (35 %)
Mark Sanford | (1 %)
Rick Santorum | (5 %)
Total Votes: 6131

35% of 6131 is 2146 votes!!! Allen in 2nd place, has 1349 votes. If you haven't voted, please do so.

The groundswell keeps building and building for Romney 08!