The Stafford Voice

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Mitt Romney

How to Win: Mitt Romney Advises Donald Trump?

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Apparently if you’ve ever run for office is an expert and knows how to win. This time… it’s Mitt Romney.

Yes, Romney! You know, the guy that lost in 2008 to John McCain and again in 2012 to Barack Obama.

Well, Romney is out there advising republicans on how to win the White House.  It kind of leaves you scratching your head. It’s like taking marriage advice from someone who’s been divorced multiple times. Or taking parenting advice from someone who doesn’t have kids.

In an interview with democrat strategist David Axelrod, Romney said, “I think Donald Trump has said a number of things which are hurtful, and he has said they were childish in some respects, and I think will be potentially problematic either in a primary or in a general election if he were to become the nominee.”

“And they relate to things he’s said about women, and things he’s said about members of the news media, things he’s said about Hispanics,” he added. “I think he’ll have some challenges if he proceeds to the next stage.”

 

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Romney’s $10 Million Phone Bank Fundraiser

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Mitt Romney phone bank fundraiserThe Atlantic | Mitt Romney raised $10.25 million Monday during a phone bank fundraiser held in Las Vegas. It’s widely acknowledge to be an impressive one day total. But how much is it in the larger context of presidential politics?

In 2008, the combined total for all the candidates for the presidency was more than $1 billion for the first time in history. Barack Obama alone raised $730 million, while John McCain raised roughly $333 million. Ralph Nader raised $4 million for the contest, and Libertarian Party candidate Bob Barr raised $1 million. During the GOP primaries four years ago, Romney raised roughly $110 million in his failed bid for the nomination (if you could the $44 million that came from his personal fortune as having been “raised”). That same year, Ron Paul wowed observers by raising $6 million in a 24 hour period.     MORE

Romney Posts 5-Step Plan for Heath Care

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With Mitt Romney in the running for president in 2012, he is certain to face critics when it comes to the health care issue. Which would probably be why his first major action as candidate, and president, is to take an early stance against ObamaCare. To separate himself from the laundry list of 2012 GOP hopefulls, Romney has issued a 5-step plan.

USA Today | Health care is more than just one-sixth of the American economy. It is a source of well-being for individuals and families. We are blessed with much that is good in American health care. But we have taken a turn for the worse with ObamaCare, with its high taxes and vastly expanded federal control over our lives. I believe the better course is to empower the states to determine their own health care futures.

First, the good news: Health care in the United States has made remarkable advances in our lifetimes. Dramatic improvements in medical technology have expanded both the length and quality of life. And the U.S. health care system continues to provide consumers with many choices.

But our health care system has several well-known problems: high and rising costs, significant numbers of Americans without insurance, and glaring gaps in quality and efficiency.

We can fix these problems. Unfortunately, with the passage of ObamaCare last year, the president and the Congress took a wrong turn. ObamaCare will lead to more spending, greater federal involvement in health care and negative effects on U.S. economic activity. The president definitely forgot the admonition to “do no harm.” 

My plan is to harness the power of markets to drive positive change in health insurance and health care. And we can do so with state flexibility (unlike ObamaCare’s top-down federal approach), no new taxes (as opposed to hundreds of billions of dollars of new taxes under ObamaCare), and better consumer choice (as opposed to bureaucratic, government choice under ObamaCare). This change of direction offers our best hope of preserving both innovation and value.

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Trouble Ahead for Romney 2012 Run

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It is still early for possible Republican 2012 nominees, but they are not shaping up well for a Mitt Romney run.

One of the main issues that will plague him is his inability to connect with voters. It seems that every time Romney pops up, he is re-inventing himself. Seen as the business man during his 2008 run, he was viewed as the one who could really turn things around. A far cry from the jeans and tie-less image he is sporting now.

However, image tweaks are but only the beginning of some of the problems. As controversial as Obamacare is, Romneycare – Massachusetts health care plan – is not sitting well with conservatives and those members of the tea-party. As it continues to be a hot-button issue with both sides of the aisle, the heath care debate will stay and will be one of the things that will help decide the 2012 front-runners. And, his defense for Romneycare will certainly hinder his chances.

The other thing that will hurt Romney’s chances, the Southern state voters. While Romney doesn’t do all that bad polling wise, his ‘genuine’ factor comes into play when compared to other possible Republican options. With the likes of Huckabee and Christie, Romney will have his hands full fighting the image factor in the south. But, as he goes through his image reinvention, it will not sit well potential voters as they continue to view him as less genuine than other opponents.

Money, money, money. One thing his opponents would struggle with in comparison. Romney is personally very wealthy, and is already amounting a great deal of money to formulate another run to the White House. But, his money can also be seen as a problem. With all that money, he could be seen as buying his way in – a problem that Obama could also face as he is heavily funded by the likes of Global funding giant George Soros. And, with another round of recent donations by Romney to sitting members of Congress, it adds fuel to this question.

In the end, Romney feels that people want one thing: “People in America want to know who can get 15 million people back to work.”

Conservatives Speak at CPAC; Issues Lead the Charge

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One of the most anticipated things to come with CPAC is the straw poll, and with the results from this year is what Conservatives have been rallying about for the last year or more. The main thing to take away is that strong Conservative/Libertarian issues lead the way.

When it was announced that Texas Congressman Ron Paul was at the top of the list at 31%, there were boos. And then, a resounding applause when former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was announced with 22%. But why Paul before Romney? After all, some argue that Romney is the real winner and discrediting Ron Paul. However, when you look at what Paul has been talking about over that last few elections, one can’t help but think that Ron is now getting his turn at the limelight.

Part of the unscientific poll is to get an idea of where people stand on current issues. The theme of this year at CPAC was spending and the size of government. Both are top priority issues both Paul and Romney are proponents of. When asked, “Which ONE of the following comes closest to your core beliefs and ideology,” 80% of the people responded with, “My most important goal is to promote individual freedom by reducing the size and scope of government and its intrusion into the lives of its citizens.”

While favorability was part of the poll, those nembers can change almost at an instant. So again, we are brought back to the issues.

Which of the following issues is MOST, and SECOND MOST IMPORTANT to you personally?

  • 52% – Reducing size of Federal Government (35% 1st | 17% 2nd)
  • 33% – Reducing Government Spending (12% 1st | 21% 2nd)
  • 18% – The War on Terrorism (8% 1st | 10% 2nd)
  • 18 % – Lowering Taxes (6% 1st | 12% 2nd)          . . . MORE

Taking a look at those numbers really show you what people find important, but it also shows that people are educating themselves on the current issues. They aren’t so concerned about health care, as they are about reducing the size and reach of the government. They are educated about just how much the administration is spending and at what rate. So what should the Republican party do? The poll asked that same question, and people responded with 58%  cutting federal spending, 23% reducing the federal debt, and 15% cutting federal taxes.

Going back to trying to discredit Ron Paul would be absurd. He is a viable candidate. As viable as Romney. But, it is how these two build off the momentum created from the convention. Ron Paul has continued to say the same thing over and over again, and he would only have to present his record to prove his viablity against the more popular Mitt Romney.