Details about Western Wats Negate the “Romney-Did-It” Theory

Race for 2008 ^ | 11/18/07 | Justin Hart

[Reaganesque]

UPDATE: Quick clarification. I had previously asked my source about the notion that Romney is behind the poll. He said it was “nonsense”. I should clarify that this is his opinion. From my conversations I gather that he does not know exactly who is behind the survey but thinks that a Romney motive is “ridiculous”. Again, he is understandably tight lipped on all this. I don’t know how much he does know.

OK, its time to debunk some of the more ridiculous things going around the blogosphere by anti-Romney forces:

Claim: Ron Lindorf and his family are the in pocket of Mitt Romney and therefore they were the source of the WW anti-Mormon calls to help his campaign.

This is silly and false:

• Ron Lindorf, the founder of Western Wats, completely divested his interests in the company in 2004.
• Ron Lindorf did not found the BYU Business School. However, Ron Lindorf is affiliated with the Center for Entrepreneurship which is affiliated with the Marriott School of Management. After retiring from WW, he now teaches a class or two at the business school.
• Ron’s sister in law, wife of Ron’s brother, Paul, is used to establish this close connection with WW. Paul retired from WW over 5 years ago in 2002. He has not been affiliated with the company in any way since that time.

Claim: Western Wats is based in Utah, filled with Mormons and many of them have given money to Romney and they instigated the call to help him.

This is stretching things altogether:

• Western Watt’s current CEO is not a Mormon.
• Perhaps as many as 6 employees have given money to Mitt Romney. Statistically, that’s even low by Utah standards (the company employs 1500 people)
• American Capital Strategies sold WW in December of 2006.
• Niel Hahl (another name to come up in the news) has not been on the board of directors since Dec. 2006. He is not directly affiliated with WW in any way.
• WW is owned by a private equity firm located in the Northeast.
• Not a single board member is Mormon, including the CEO as previously mentioned and the Chairman

Claim: It must have been the Romney camp. Why would an opposing campaign use a Utah-based Mormon-rich firm to conduct the calls?

• WW employs 1500 people across the country
• WW has numerous call centers across the country (not just in Utah)
• If you are a political entity wanting to conduct a survey or collect data WW would be one of the first firms you would call
• WW has conducted research for numerous Fortune 500 firms
• As previously notes, firms associated with other campaigns HAVE used WW in the past
• WW conducts 7000 projects a year. My estimate of a dozen projects is flat wrong. At any given moment they are conducting HUNDREDS of projects.

by Justin Hart @ 8:47 am. Filed under Mitt Romney

  [Trackback URL]  [link]  [Print This Post

]

[Reaganesque]

Don't you just hate it when the details blow a good conspiracy theory?

The bottom line is this: One of the campaigns commissioned and sanctioned a bigoted attack. That so many are trying to place the blame on the Romney campaign is a implicit admission that it was bigotry and these people know that if it is linked back to one of their candidates, it could be a severe if not crippling blow to the Presidential aspirations of that candidate. We will just have to see what the investigation turns up and let the chips, or candidates, fall where they may.

[Reaganesque]

Mitt Ping!

• Send FReep Mail to Unmarked Package to get [ON] or [OFF] the Mitt Romney Ping List •

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

That so many are trying to place the blame on the Romney campaign is a implicit admission that it was bigotry

No, it's just a reasonable assumption to make in light of some of the questionable ways Romney has approached other candidates in this primary season. If his campaign DID do it, shame on them. If they didn't then shame on whoever did.

[colorcountry]

Does it strike anyone else as strange that this would be the firm hired to make anti-Mormon phone calls? In short, yes. It also strikes me as strange that when I just ran an FEC search for the name “Welch, Jeffrey” (the name of a Senior VP at Western Wats, I came up with this: WELCH, JEFFREY MR. CEDAR HILLS, UT 84062 WESTERN WATS INC./BUSINESS MANAGE ROMNEY, MITT VIA ROMNEY FOR PRESIDENT INC. 09/30/2007 500.00 27931366119

http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/1107/Another_call_recepient.html

[Diogenesis]

Since Romney has routinely employed FAKE troopers sporting
fake badges, it is obvious that a “Romney-did-it” etiology
is most likely.

[greyfoxx39]

National Review's Mark Hemingway is leaning toward the "Romney did it" theory:

HERE

[big'ol_freeper]

The Romney sleaze machine strikes again.

[George W. Bush]

Rudy done it!

Hopefully, we'll be able to prove it soon. Howie Carr mentioned the other day Rudi's prior connections to Western Wats. I hope we get more info soon.

[Reaganesque]

The “fake badges” charge concerned one man who resigned from the campaign months ago. The claim you make that the campaign does this on a regular, ongoing basis is a flat out, bald faced lie and you know it.

[Reaganesque]

Repeat the lie in the face of contradictory evidence. Thank you, herr Goebbels.

[Diogenesis]

The only liar is you ... and Romney.

His fake troopers were caught in two (2) states (at least)
and Romney would use them still IF he was not caught.

Romney's fake troopers sporting fake badges.

Lying. Fake badges. Socialized medicine. Support for illegal aliens (while in office).
then sending in you Romney-bots to attack everyone. Romney's trademarks.

[big'ol_freeper]

Romney supporters resort to personal attacks so often that they should apply for a patent.

[org.whodat]

Don't you just hate it when the details blow a good conspiracy theory?

That's why no one pays attention to your post, we all know you are a mittmut. LOL

[org.whodat]

Mitt Romney for President Blog :: My Man Mitt - Mitt Romney for ... Justin Hart; Jason Bonham. Managing Directors. Tim Cross; Kyle Hampton. Blogger Pool ... posted by Justin Hart | 8:47 AM |

Given the source! LOL

[codercpc]

Rudy had no connection with Western Watts. He instead is connected to the Tarrence Group, which in the past used Western Watts for some polling, for other clients. This was all before Rudy hired them. They now use a polling company based out of Houston.

[mission9]

What is soooooooo hilarious, is that the preeminent anti-mormon sleaze Meister's on this board, are now the perpetrators of the Romney did it theory.

This reminds me of those who blame George Bush for felling the twin towers.

Given that every Major Candidate has condemned these anti-mormon attacks in the strongest possible terms, give me a good reason why we should not ask Jim Robinson to ban these bigots permanently from FR, lest their tactics taint the good name of Free Republic?

[colorcountry]

Go ahead. Ask Jim Robinson to ban us. I doubt if he will.

It seems we may have been right about the lying, pandering, flipping Mitt.

I’ve seen Mitt’s run turn many good, conservative freepers into lunatic mittwitts willing to succumb to socialism via Mitt-care, gun-grabbing, pro-abort mitt-libralism simply BECAUSE Mitt is Mormon. I think Jim would agree with me.

[Grig]

What really makes me laugh is how the anti-Mormon posters here were predicting these type of attacks would happen if Mitt was nominated, and that they would be effective enough to ensure the Clinton takes the White House. Now that the attacks really happened they are doing their darndest to try and make sure it doesn’t get pinned on their guy.

[colorcountry]

What makes me laugh is it was you, yourself who suggested questioning Mitt's religion would backfire and garner sympathy for Mitt.

Seems you weren't the only one with that idea, huh Grig? Mittsters here on FR have been suggesting such for months. There is even one FR poster who threatened JimRob, that anti-Mormon tactics would backfire against FreeRepublic......seems the Mittwitt tactic of trying to squelch discussion of Mormonism isn't working as well as you would have predicted.

(courtesy ping to Jim)

[mission9]

Since you are such a proud and vocal anti-mormon crusader, could you please share your name, address and phone number so that I can be sure that Fred Thompson can send you a personal thank you letter for the valuable service you have rendered, in protecting us all from the pernicious LDS?