MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich., Sept. 22, 2007
Romney To GOP: Put Our Own House In Order
Other Candidates Take Shots At Democrats, Romney Spreads The Blame
-
Play CBS Video
Video
Fred Thompson's Homecoming
Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson wraps up his first two weeks of campaigning in his hometown of Lawrenceburg, Tenn. John Bentley reports.
-
Video Giuliani In England
Republican presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was in England to discuss Middle East politics with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Charlie D'Agata reports.
-
Video
GOP Candidates Go After Votes
Michigan's Mackinac Island is the center of the GOP universe this weekend. Republican candidates are focusing on the Midwest, but might be ignoring other voters. Joie Chen reports.
-
In-Depth
2008 Presidential Hopefuls
Profiles and the latest news on the Democrats and Republicans running for the White House.
Rivals John McCain and Rudy Giuliani also assailed Democratic contenders during a weekend retreat attended by some 1,500 Republicans on a picturesque Lake Huron island.
"Washington is failing us," Romney said in a speech that is part of a new effort to cast him as the candidate who can lead the party back to its core principles.
"The blame doesn't all belong to the Democrats. We Republicans have to put our own house in order," the former Massachusetts governor said.
McCain, in remarks planned for Saturday night, lamented "a perilous time for our party but, far more important, a perilous time for our country." The Arizona senator attacked the national security positions of the leading Democratic candidates, although he did not name the politicians, and renewed his call for resolve on Iraq.
Former New York Mayor Giuliani drew boisterous bursts of applause, cheers and laughter Friday night for castigating the Democrats.
At one point, he asked: "Do we go in the direction of much larger government, which is where Hillary (Rodham) Clinton, Barack Obama or John Edwards will take us, or do we go in the direction of ... giving people more control over their own lives?"
The GOP gathering came three weeks after Michigan moved its primaries to Jan. 15, making it one of the earliest states to hold nominating contests in 2008.
Fred Thompson, the actor and former Tennessee senator, also was scheduled to speak Saturday night. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is keeping the door slightly open to a possible late entry, was on hand, too.
Two underdog GOP candidates addressed the group; three others were absent.
There is no clear front-runner four months before the voting begins. Giuliani has an edge in national popularity polls. Thompson, in the race just two weeks, is giving chase. McCain is looking for momentum. Romney ranks behind them in national surveys, but leads in Iowa and New Hampshire, among the first states to vote.
Romney's speech, coupled with fresh television ads and an open letter to party leaders, marks a shift as he seeks to capitalize on discontent among Republicans about the country's direction.
With a sharp critique of the GOP, Romney is distancing himself from President Bush and Republicans who ran the House and Senate until last fall. Bush's support is at a low mark as is Congress' job approval.
Romney offered a sobering assessment of the party and argued that Republicans share the blame with Democrats for the nation's woes.
In an indictment of Republicans, he bemoaned excessive spending, insecure borders and ethical lapses. "When Republicans act like Democrats, America loses," he said. "We've got to start acting like Republicans, not earmarking Republicans, not big government Republicans, but like Reagan Republicans and Teddy Roosevelt Republicans."
He did give Bush some credit. "Let's not forget that this president has kept us safe these last six years," Romney said. He also praised the president for "restoring personal integrity and dignity to the White House." But otherwise Romney rattled off a slew of problems with the government, saying, for example, that the post-Hurricane Katrina cleanup "didn't look like Republicans were in charge."
In his speech, McCain focused on the security challenges confronting the U.S. "The world Ronald Reagan faced was a dangerous one, but more stable than the world today," McCain said.
He chastised those Democratic candidates who voted against military spending, have questioned whether there was a global fight against terrorism and have advocated "unconditional negotiations with our worst enemies."
The senator pleaded for patience on Iraq. "To concede defeat - as many leading Democrats now advocate - would strengthen al Qaeda, empower Iran and other hostile powers in the Middle East, unleash a full-scale civil war in Iraq that could quite possibly provoke genocide there, and destabilize the entire region," McCain said.
On just about every issue, Giuliani cited Clinton, Obama and Edwards and then sought to tear them down, much to the delight of his audience. He railed against their health care proposals and said they would raise taxes if elected. He also contended that "Democrats want to retreat" in the face of threats from terrorists.
To cap it off, Giuliani portrayed himself as the only Republican able to prevent a Democratic from capturing the White House. "I have the best chance of defeating Hillary Clinton," who many assume will win the Democratic nomination.
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
- 1
- 2
- next
See all 79 CommentsRomney''s father came out of the same intel gaggle that first dumped Gerry Ford on the political scene in Michigan as a ''reform'' candidate for the House when the Michigan Old Guard politics got too ripe even for the noses of the Vandenburg leadership. You might as well stay home in November 2008 as go to the polls and vote for the Democratic or Republican mainstream candidates.
Thompson is one of those responsible for the S&L debacle...Giuliani...well, if you can''t smell the corruption there, you can go snorkeling in one of North Carolina''s many fine hog lagoons without smelling a thing.
While I''d like to see Michael Bloomberg run, Mitt is starting to look promising. I like the idea of being able to take charge of my own life; especially if I can get a job whose wages make taking charge easy to do. And to do that, it''s by using one''s creativity.
Oh, Al Quaeda isn''t imaginary. They''ve attacked the US (the WTC in 1993) and these days they''re having a blast (literally) in the Middle East and Europe. Even India and Pakistan, as I recall, are being hit. China is the "lucky" one to date for not having been hit.
Posted by SFTodd at 06:20 PM : Sep 22, 2007
It is a bit of an oxymoron at that isn''t it.....
As part of the Romney campaign, Garity fabricated an ''official'' law enforcement badge. He and other staffers then impersonated a law enforcement agents. Fake police lights, too. Boston Globe: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/06/22/romney_aide_is_the_focus_of_probe/ and from FreeP: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1869453/posts
I would think this is a campaign killer...
It is (1) a serious crime, (2) done by a senior long time staffer, (3) for the benefit of the campaign, (4) that was widely known within the campaign. Did the campaign pay for the badges? How come no anti-corruption statement from Mitt?
I did read that Garrity was ''put on leave'' or maybe ''asked to leave'' the campaign.
Great follow-up article for some investigative reporter (if such a thing still exists): make some calls and find out: is Garrity back with the campaign? What is the status of the various state prosecutions of Garrity? If he is back, did he really take leave of absence (or just get paid to work at home for a week or two)?
A very good test case of actual corruption and how it was handled in the Romney campaign..
Romney is a failed one term governor who would not be reelected in his own state.
He will continue to say and do anything to try to get elected.
This will be the most expensive vanity campaign in history!
Literally, an independent SS drilling down on every detail in an electorates financial dealings for the previous 10 years, documenting any and all irregularities should be disclosed to the General Public before we are asked to vote for that person.
On top of that, any of them who are involved with any company involved in any legislation put before them should recluse themselves by requirement of law from any political action in those situations. If all a lawmaker is allowed to do is to make laws, forbidden to pander favors for the personal gain of any individual or corporation, but solely for the good of the People of the "entire" USA, then we would see a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
Gov. Romney has an impressive resume to showcase. When elected governor in 2002 he assumed a monstrous 3 billion dollar deficit and put the state of Massachusetts back in the black without raising taxes. Mitt Romney also was the first elected leader in American history to bring %u201Chealth insurance%u201D to every citizen in his state of Massachusetts without raising taxes. That%u2019s what a smart business man can bring to ALL Americans if elected to the White House as President.
Mitt also bailed out the U.S. Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002, and turned a $369 million deficit into a profit of $100 million dollars. I have nicknamed Mitt, "the Rominator", for obvious reasons.
Candidate Romney graduated valedictorian in undergrad; then pursued a double degree at Harvard (M.B.A. and law) graduating in the top 5% of his class while doing so.
Mitt has also taken a tough stance on terrorism and wants to expedite the end of US troops in Iraq. In a interview Mitt had with the Associated Press Mitt indicated that he did not want permanent US bases in Iraq.
Romney currently leads all Republican candidates in New Hampshire, Iowa, Michigan, and Nevada and is probably the most qualified candidate to ever run for president. If you want to check Mitt out go to www.mittromney.com
Clearly you either on payroll or have lost all perspective!
What are your thoughts on the Romney campaign use of falsified law enforcement badges to evade tolls etc., as discussed in teh media and below? His senior staff was identifying himself as ''Trooper'' Garrity to get things done for the campaign?
Mr. Tooth has his work cut out for him if he thinks he can reform this crowd of ******.
See: http://www.democrats.org/a/2007/06/wanted_answers.php
Romney on corruption is almost as bad as Rudy/Kerik.
Another chickenhawk who loves war, never saw it, and none of his 5 boys have seen it either. A typical Repugniscum coward like Bushit, Darth, Rummie, Sean Hannity, Bill O''Reilly, and the rest of the big talk crowd--"talk big and carry a little d*ck" is the motto of the "windshield cowboy"!
He wants Government to give people more control. This is backwards, and much of what he says comes across. The arrogance, to give people more control suggests it has already been taken away. It''s like out rhetoric "give Iraqi their freedom," or "give the victims of Katrina the support they deserve.
It presuppose that they already control us, and the political party can make a decision to hold onto the control, or "give" it back to the people. Do they really think that Government by the people for the people is represented by their ideology?
Hmmmmm, really? Loyalty is so hard to find, especially during the fall of a hardened ideological establishment. Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By those standards we should give Bill Clinton credit for keeping us safe for 8 years after the first WTC bomb attempt.
Two Al Qaeda attempts/attacks have occurred ON AMERICAN SOIL.
One in 1993, on Bill Clinton%u2019s watch, where the perpetrators were caught and punished and one on 9/11/01 on Bush%u2019s watch, where the perpetrators have been forgotten/abandoned because they are not a concern to this president.
They are attacking us daily in Iraq and we can respond only after figuring out who made the attack which, In most cases (roadside bombs), cannot be done.
Yeah, he really puts Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln in the shade, doesn''t he...
- Posted by jsilver2th at 08:54 PM : Sep 22, 2007
Tom Cruise must be trying to lure him away from those strange Mormon beliefs. Apparently it''s working.
Posted by jsilver2th at 08:54 PM : Sep 22, 2007
His particular religious cult (and all religions are cults at heart) doesn''t agree with Tom Cruise''s particular religious cult. I least I guess it''s better that he makes fun of the rather then tries to kill them like most other religions do with people that have a different myth then the one that they follow.
Let''s start with the GOP war profiteers, the warmongers, the sleazeball, the adulterers, the pedophiles...
Posted by jerr11 at 12:15 AM : Sep 23, 2007
But wait, that''s all of them except Chuck Hagel! Even Romney is a sleazeball!
Gov. Romney has an impressive resume to showcase. When elected governor in 2002 he assumed a monstrous 3 billion dollar deficit and put the state of Massachusetts back in the black without raising taxes. Mitt Romney also was the first elected leader in American history to bring %u201Chealth insurance%u201D to every citizen in his state of Massachusetts without raising taxes. That%u2019s what a smart business man can bring to ALL Americans if elected to the White House as President.
Mitt also bailed out the U.S. Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002, and turned a $369 million deficit into a profit of $100 million dollars. I have nicknamed Mitt, "the Rominator", for obvious reasons.
Candidate Romney graduated valedictorian in undergrad; then pursued a double degree at Harvard (M.B.A. and law) graduating in the top 5% of his class while doing so.
Mitt has also taken a tough stance on terrorism and wants to expedite the end of US troops in Iraq. In a interview Mitt had with the Associated Press Mitt indicated that he did not want permanent US bases in Iraq.
Romney currently leads all Republican candidates in New Hampshire, Iowa, Michigan, and Nevada and is probably the most qualified candidate to ever run for president. If you want to check Mitt out go to www.mittromney.com
A nation that no longer listens to its constituents and only listens to the sounds of the coins dropping in the bowl is blind.
A nation that has forgotten the principles on which it is founded is not a nation of the people by the people and for the people.
How far our nation has wandered off of Constitution Road? Our "leaders" have wandered onto "Bond Street" and "Corporate Grove" .
I echo your thoughts on free trade, it should be fair trade. To many corporations have relocated their manufacturing, service and assembly jobs overseas to avoid the labor policies of the US. This practice has been going on for over 30 years for which we can thank congress and presidents on both sides of the aisle.
Nobody is impressed with your hyperbole, (mis-)perception.
Romney deserves credit. I''ve been waiting, literally for years, to hear a republican take any responsibility for anything. It''s a small step, but an important one.
I don''t agree he''s the first candidate to ask his party to put its own house in order; Obama and others have made such talk commonplace on the democratic side.
Romney is just the first republican to raise the possibility that republicans might need to do better.
If this kind of talk continues we might be able to eventually come together.
LOL !! Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson and many others were much more qualified. This statement shows the Romney campaign is way out of touch with basic consensus reality.
Romney is a failed one term governor who would not be reelected in his own state.
You quote Romney''s ''success'' in health care in Massachusetts. This was largely a success because of the Mass legislature in spite of Romney''s efforts. It is a health plan much like the Clinton plan that hypoctite Romney is attacking...
Romney has zero federal experience, zero foreign policy experience, zero consistency, and zero credibility...
Posted by okaussie at 02:13 PM : Sep 23, 2007
I don''t think anyone takes mormons very seriously. Except maybe mormons. A lot of them are good people, but not real bright in the old noggin'' if you know what I mean. For god sake, their prophet was a convicted con man! How naive do you have to be to believe a convicted con man was a prophet?
Posted by akoeppen at 09:19 AM : Sep 23, 2007
He is every slick tele-evangelist, every slimy used car salesman and every corrupt lawyer, all in one package. He doesn''t walk, he oozes like a slug, like Jabba the Hutt. So he probably will be the republican nominee, since he satisfies those requirements oh so well. He is a ready made, factory produced, right off the rack republican politician and he is exactly what we do not need any more of.
No matter what amount of ''spin'' the networks or the media in general put on his ''accomplishments'', his ''experience'', or anything else he supposedly has done, he remains a member of an inbred, backwater bumpkin cult that believes in wholesale fornication and breeding of young females to ancient males for the birth of new generations of ''leaders.''
The Republishit Party is morally bereft - but for them to chose this halfwit halfbreed as their candidate is beyond improbable.
If it happens, the Republicunts get exactly what they deserve. Sixteen long years of exile from every statehouse and from our Nation''s Capitol.
"Yes Ma''am, Madame President Clinton!"
No matter what amount of ''spin'' the networks or the media in general put on his ''accomplishments'', his ''experience'', or anything else he supposedly has done, he remains a member of an inbred, backwater bumpkin cult that believes in wholesale fornication and breeding of young females to ancient males for the birth of new generations of ''leaders.''
The Republishit Party is morally bereft - but for them to chose this halfwit halfbreed as their candidate is beyond improbable.
If it happens, the Republicunts get exactly what they deserve. Sixteen long years of exile from every statehouse and from our Nation''s Capitol.
"Yes Ma''am, Madame President Clinton!"
- 1
- 2
- next
See all 79 Comments