Conservative fears Romney is "McCain all over again"

EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images

On the eve of a Texas meeting of prominent social conservatives and evangelical Christians to discuss the state of the Republican presidential race, one invitee is worrying that a Mitt Romney nomination would be "John McCain all over again."

Dick Bott, founder and chairman of Christian Radio's Bott Radio Network, says he would vote for the former Massachusetts governor against President Obama, but that "people just won't care."

"Why on earth give other things [like volunteering time or donations] for someone you think is a bit of sham?" says Bott, who would not confirm he will be attending this weekend's summit. "All of a sudden there's a conservative movement that is being spoon-fed by Republican establishment leaders."

Bott made news last fall when The Daily Beast obtained emails between him and Rick Perry supporter David Lane which seemed sympathetic to controversial comments by a Baptist minister about Romney's Mormon faith.

"What would anyone think if a candidate were a Scientologist?" Bott reportedly wrote.

The meeting this weekend will be the third such gathering in the last five months. The first took place in August as Texas Gov. Rick Perry was deciding to enter the presidential race. According to the Texas Tribune, Perry told the assembled group, "there is nothing in my life that will embarrass you if you decide to support me for president." A source involved with the group said the same people gathered later in the fall in Washington, DC to hear from candidates Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann.

None of the Republican candidates are expected to attend this latest summit, which will begin tomorrow evening and run through Saturday lunch. Many of the attendees have already pledged themselves to a candidate, including some who support Romney. Multiple participants said they do not expect a consensus anti-Romney candidate to emerge from the two days of talks.

Retired judge Paul Pressler, who is hosting the event at his Texas ranch, said in an interview with CBS News Radio that the summit is not about finding a way to stop Romney.

"It's an anti-Obama meeting," he said. "It is not an anti-Romney meeting or anti-any other Republican meeting."

But even as the former Massachusetts governor has racked up caucus and primary wins in Iowa and New Hampshire, he has shown weakness among social conservatives and evangelical Christians: In Iowa, where 57 percent of Republican caucus-goers identified themselves in entrance polls as born again or evangelical Christians, Romney garnered 14 percent of their vote, compared to 32 percent for former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum.

Conservative opponents of Romney's candidacy point to what they see as his more moderate record as Massachusetts governor, including signing a health care law that contained an individual mandate and supporting abortion rights. Romney has said consistently in this campaign that he is now opposed to abortion rights.

Dick Bott worries about making Romney the standard-bearer of the Republican Party.

"I think he is a leader of a movement," Bott says. "But maybe he is more of a charlatan."

Despite the skepticism, Romney is leading in the polls in South Carolina, which holds the next presidential primary on Saturday, January 21st. In 2008, 60% of Republican primary voters in that state identified themselves as born again or evangelical Christians. His lead can be attributed in part to the fact that Santorum, Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich are splitting the support of many of the voters who are skeptical of Romney.

Full CBS News coverage: Mitt Romney

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Mitt Romney on the trail

[bluetruckinla]

Anything goes to make a dollar is NOT Capitalism. Under your strict definition drug dealers are Capitalists like Mitt Romney.The drug dealer or corporate raider are both wrong. Newt Gingrich have a right and obligation to attack these forms of Capitalism. The business venture was three separate parameters is it moral, ethical, or legal. The drug dealer is immoral and illegal. Mitt Romney is immoral and unethical. Mitt Romney is not and NEVER was in business to create jobs and never will be. Mitt Romney wants to make money and any human cost incurred is inconsequential. To the point Mitt Romney's claims of job creation are simply not true because he never created any net jobs here. Mitt Romney out sourced jobs to China and Mexico. Mitt Romney has cost US jobs. Mitt Romney is a proven Liar that is the definition of what a flip-flopper is.

http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/...


http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

[fedup12]

nobody could be quite as bad as McCain. We will see who he chooses as VP. If it is someone like Bachman then yes he is McCain revisited.

Im sure he would be a chickenhawk extreme for sure.

[ajcVeteran]

My fellow voters, please be wary and be very scared of Mitt Romney carney salesman of the Bain Capital carpetbagger company. Romney's extremist vulture capitalist job wacking ender approach is NOT 'what' Reagan's pro-business approach was about. Reagan's conservative business philosophy was about creating quality high paying jobs, not acting like Darth Romney and Bain factory busters whom swept down on struggling companies, took their double edge boot knives out and gutted them and their poor fellow Americans of ours...down to their skeletons. As your co-workers and you head for unemployment, off they go running in the other direction with millions in profits, preying on any company they can gleefully sack. He doesn't want to save your or America's soul...he wants to collect your dying hopes in his personal cookie memory jars---owning it in a way that you will never get it back.

Sadly, it was two US government bailouts that Romney/Bain applied for and utilized...that saved their company so they could then destroy more folks dreams.

In Gaffney, South Carolina for example, Bain's company, Holson Burns Group Inc, shut down a company while raking in $24 million dollar, doubling their initial investment as the South Carolinians he pink slipped...stayed home empty handed. As Romney-Bain said recently, he "like(s) to fire people". Indeed he does! When a business is run by ethical leaders and in the right hands, capitalism is a great job creator and community uplifter...just not in Romney-Bain's. In gaffney, after he shut down that company...a community of 12,000 suffered the side negative affects. You see, shutting down factories instead of saving them, harms lots more than those whom got let go...

Below link to actual copies of financial documents regarding this shut down and sale:

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/275058-holson-burnes-documents.html

https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/275058/holson-burnes-documents.pdf

Romney-Bain collectively, gave conservative family values and what is respectable about America's business tradition a back eye and a bad name. Candidate Romney-Bain is no Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Warren Buffet, etc...Not by liberal mile.

As a combat veteran myself I believe---the Romney-Bain approach is robbing the suffering and giving them the middle finger as Romney-Bain and his family roll around their many home's palacial beds, luxuring in your hard earned money they hijacked from you.

Do fear, yes that's right---FEAR Romney Gecko swooping upon your city ripping apart everything you have left.. If he gets in, he'll take away everything that you and your family hold dear. In both Iowa and New Hampshire, 60% of the Republican voters voted AGAINST Romneycare man.

Fellow GOPers, your vital voting duty moment is near. It's up to each and every one of you---to stop Romney's carried out scorched earth conservatism.

One day he is for abortions, the next day he isn't. One day he tells T
Ted Kennedy I'm not for Reaganism, but today..he claims he loves Ronald Reagan. Our future voting, must enjoin to stop this poser.

This time, pretty...is just too pretty to be true. I know Ronald Reagan, and Mitt the Hun workforce terminator, is no Reagan. Good luck and God bless you!!!

[dplkdude]

Ron Paul is the only candidate not to drop the religion card but does base his policies on biblical principles and the constitution. Sound money, end deficit financing, will overturn Roe v. Wade, not attack its enemies without provocation, and get the government out of the marriage business and leave that to the churches.
And Israel, well his plan supports Israel better than the current administration as well as Bush/Clinton. Paul's plan to end all foreign aid will actually be a benefit to Israel as at this time we give more than 8 times the aid to Israel's enemies. Some of that money eventually ends up buying arms from Iran which are turned against Israel and our troops. As far as Iran, they are in no way able to cause major harm to Israel. Israel has for more military assets (300 nukes to none) than Iran (it's ridiculous to consider that Iran will destroy Israel). Israel just knocked off another nuke scientist yesterday so I think they have that situation under control. You don't see Israel complaining to the IAEA about Iran's nukes.
I always thought the difference in Christianity is that Salvation in Christ only comes to living souls. And year after year we go to Afghanistan, Iraq, and African among other places and 10s of thousands of innocent men women and children die with no hope of salvation, their only crime being Muslim.
I really think this group of so called evangelicals ought forget about hedging their bets and decide with principles.
With further examination evangelical Christians might see that the constitution is actually designed to accommodate the free expression of our faith. The current state of the union is as an antagonizer of one group toward another one over the other, it was never meant to be in that roll domestically or internationally.
Ron Paul polls equal to Romney against Obama. If the evangelicals would unite behind his message of liberty I believe the United States of America could once again be the light in the wilderness to those that would seek the Lord.
Paul is a born again Christian, a Baptist and the only protestant in the field. He is the only choice for Evangelical Christians.
Revelation 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth

[ladyang]

Don't worry about anything with enough money in these neocons hands, they will love romney and in no time will be singing his praises and all his accomplishments! What a joke you neocons/teabaggers are!

[GeorgeHew]

This seems to be the main purpose of many churches today - politics and war. It is interesting to study the hostile take-over of the Southern Baptist Convention and the Ralph Elliott controversy in relation to this meeting in Texas, as well as oil, and wars in the Middle East. This same group has caused a lot of wars and debt, and do we still have abortion after the take over by the Religious Right a few years back? Conveniently enough for these guys, yes.

[tsigili]

There are serious questions, about the ability of Romney to win, in November, and even if he does, whether he is the right man to lead us out of the Obama disaster.

[Tired_of_liars]

by economicterror January 13, 2012 7:10 AM EST
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The anti American GOP economic terrorist pimps for the 1% cost McCain the election vs. the fact that he rode the Dumya Debacle to the financial ruin of our country?????????????
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OK so since Vet wants to blame Bush for this mess I blame Obama for not being strong enough to fix it

[Quivley]

Romney is the Right Leader for our nation at this perilous time. The shameful religious bigotry displayed by some comments reveals a distinct lack of knowledge and education. The presidential election is about our economy, our government, our freedoms NOT about religious prejudice, hair, or the clothes one wears.

[Tired_of_liars]

You don't understand anything do you. The STATES should pass health care NOT the Feds. I guess your not as brilliant as you claim to be

[spoonie88]

IF YOU THINK THIS ECONOMY IS BAD OFF NOW WAIT TIL ROMNEY GETS THROUGH WITH IT !! I DONT CARE IF HE IS A MORMON BUT I DO CARE IF HE IS A MORON

[Eriverq]

Don't insult John McCain he at least was a war hero like his father and grand father before him Romney and his sons all 5 of them have never served and are hiding behind there money and McCain screwed up nominating Sarah Palin which I think killed his chances. Obama will beat him.

[diamruby]

Right On!!!The only thing Romney & his sons have done is serve a required membership drive for their cult church. Romney as president under his cult church will rival the Taliban. Only the richest, most subservient inhumans will survive his rule. The religious nuts are trying to put us back into the dark ages where their rule was the the same as the Taliban: torture, murder,lies, occult, all in the name of a "GOD" whose only quest was greed of money, power & the suffering of all mankind. Where are the real leaders in this quest for president?? Why do we want men or women possessed by the devil of religion to rule us??? Where is the man or woman who wants to bring back jobs, education, & prosperity to America instead of sending all jobs etc to China & other communist foreign countries?? Our rich corporations do not care about America, they care only for the bottom line:Profit-Profit-Profit. We call ourselves the Land of the Free-Home of the Brave but we have become the Slaves of the Corporates-Home of the Hopeless!!!! Obama we are behind you!!!