Romney Criticizes Rivals' Lobbyists [article from hostile AP reporter]

Associated Press ^ | Thursday, January 17, 2008 | GLEN JOHNSON

[Plutarch]

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Republican Mitt Romney said Thursday he could govern in the country's best interest because "I don't have lobbyists running my campaign," although Washington insiders are on his senior staff and registered lobbyists are top advisers.

One of them, Ron Kaufman, chairman of Washington-based Dutko Worldwide, regularly sits across the aisle from Romney on his campaign plane, participates in debate strategy sessions and just last week accompanied Romney to a lunch in Myrtle Beach with Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C.

Another adviser, former Rep. Vin Weber, R-Minn., is chairman of Romney's policy committee. He also is chief executive officer of Clark & Weinstock, and his corporate biography says he "provides strategic advice to institutions with matters before the legislative and executive branches of the federal government."

A third adviser, former Sen. Jim Talent of Missouri, who was at Romney's victory party in Michigan on Tuesday, is co-chairman of Fleishman-Hillard Government Relations and also is a registered lobbyist, according to federal records compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics.

"I think it's time for Washington — Republican and Democrat — to have a leader who will fight to make sure we resolve the issues rather than continuously look for partisan opportunity for score-settling and for opportunities to link closer to lobbyists," Romney said during a news conference.

The former Massachusetts governor added: "I don't have lobbyists running my campaign."

Aides said later the comment was directed at rival John McCain, the Arizona senator whose campaign manager, Rick Davis, formerly was a registered lobbyist. McCain casts himself as a political maverick, ready to incur the wrath of colleagues and lobbyists as he pushes campaign finance legislation, exposes pork-barrel spending and engages in other good-government activity...[snip]

[Plutarch]

Glen Johnson, the professional AP reporter, has finally filed his story after the Heated exchange At Romney press conference.

[Parley Baer]

Yep the msm trying to take out Mitt. Look for all the positive articles regarding McQueeg.

[Cicero]

Yes. This follows up on the earlier discussion.

I don’t know why Romney shouldn’t have lobbyists among his people. How else is he going to raise campaign funds? But it was kind of dumb to come right out and say that, unlike his rivals, he didn’t have any.

It reminds me of when Gary Hart challenged reporters to catch him cheating on his wife, and then promptly went off with his girlfriend for a cruise on the Yacht Monkey Business. Never would have happened if he hadn’t dared them like that.

[JohnnyZ]

“I don’t have lobbyists running my campaign,” Romney said. “I don’t have lobbyists that are tied to my … ”

“I don’t have lobbyists running my campaign,” Romney said. “I don’t have lobbyists that are tied to my … ”

“I don’t have lobbyists running my campaign,” Romney said. “I don’t have lobbyists that are tied to my … ”

Why does Mitt perpetrate these obvious lies?

Mitt lied about owning a gun (he doesn't).

Mitt lied about being a hunter (he isn't).

Mitt lied about being endorsed by the NRA (he wasn't).

Mitt lied about knowing about his wife's contribution to Planned Parenthood (it turns out he actually attented the fundraiser with her).

Please add your favorite Mitt lies below.

[Romneyfor President2008]

Glen Johnson = Michael Moore wannabe LOL

[Rome2000]

Johnson is ugly and rude.

Well, Romney is handsome and a big fat liar.

There are reasons why women were not allowed to vote for the first 150 years of the Republic and Bill Clinton and Mitt Romney are some of them.

[JohnnyZ]

Mitt lied about seeing his father march with Martin Luther King Jr. (he never saw him; he later said he saw him "figuratively").

Mitt lied about his father ever marching with Martin Luther King at all! (George Romney never marched with MLK - but that didn't stop the Romney campaign from having two of Mitt's supporters say they saw George Romney & MLK march together; one 'witness' later said it was just someone "who looked like MLK".)

[AmericanVictory]

Shouldn’t we know all the lobbyists working with each of the candidates and their clients? Isn’t that the meaning of the world of new media? The only troublesome link in Romney’s lobbyist advisers and participants is the Citgo link. Shouldn’t his leadership include undermining Chavez’s strategy so that the Venezuelans kick out the Castro wannabe? Romeny staff why don’t you have your embed here explain this to us?

[libbylu]

Yes he is rude. Why oh why is this a big deal? I think the title would be “ap reporter gets riled, ridiculous,about no big deal”. I thought Mitt was his usual calm self. maybe it is semantics if he has a lobbyist advisor versus who are on his paid staff, and maybe it would be a big deal if every freaking person for president DID NOT have lobbyists around them.

[Rome2000]

Watch out the The MYTH campaign rep here at Freerepublic will report you the the Admin for “SPAM”

[JohnnyZ]

maybe it would be a big deal if every freaking person for president DID NOT have lobbyists around them.

The whole thing started when Mitt began attacking John McCain -- he was trying to claim that McCain's campaign was run by lobbyists while Mitt's was not. Mitt was apparently implying that lobbyists are evil, echoing a common liberal theme.

Obviously that backfired due to Mitt's hypocrisy.

[MHGinTN]

Lied about being pro-life ... his proclamation on ‘leftover’ embryos being suitable for dissection research shows he hasn’t got a clue, but he wants voters to think he’s pro-life.

[CommerceComet]

Johnson is ugly and rude.

Ugly and rude people can raise valid questions or concerns. Why does Mitt Romney keep saying these so easily-refuted statements? Given Romney is intelligent, this difficulty with the truth must represent a character flaw.

[Cicero]

Citgo link? I hadn’t noticed that. Hmm.

[Invincibly Ignorant]

I’ve never seen an MSM reporter go after a democrat like that.

[Plutarch]

I’ve never seen an MSM reporter go after a democrat like that.

Let's see how Glen covered Hilary Clinton.

Clinton Calm in Hostage Crisis

Dec 1 11:51 AM US/Eastern
By GLEN JOHNSON
Associated Press Writer

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) - When the hostages had been released and their alleged captor arrested, a regal-looking Hillary Rodham Clinton strolled out of her Washington home, the picture of calm in the face of crisis.

The image, broadcast just as the network news began, conveyed the message a thousand town hall meetings and campaign commercials strive for—namely, that the Democratic presidential contender can face disorder in a most orderly manner.

"I am very grateful that this difficult day has ended so well," she declared as she stood alone at the microphone.

Little more than three hours later, just in time for the 11 p.m. local news, Clinton reaffirmed that perspective. In New Hampshire, she embraced her staffers and their families, and lauded the law enforcement officials who brought a siege at her local campaign headquarters to a peaceful conclusion.

It was a vintage example of a candidate taking a negative and turning it into a positive. And coming just six weeks before the presidential voting begins, the timing could hardly have been more beneficial to someone hoping to stave off a loss in the Iowa caucuses and secure a win in the New Hampshire primary.

Aides said Clinton was home Friday afternoon, getting ready to deliver a partisan speech in Virginia to the Democratic National Committee, when she was told three workers in her Rochester, N.H., headquarters had been taken hostage by a man claiming to have a bomb.

Police later arrested 47-year-old Leeland Eisenberg of Somersworth, N.H., and charged him with kidnapping and reckless conduct. They said he walked into the office, demanding to speak to Clinton and complaining about inadequate access to mental care.

The aides said Clinton immediately canceled her trip and began working the phones. She later told reporters she had New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch, a fellow Democrat, on the phone in eight minutes.

Over the ensuing five hours, as a state trooper negotiated with the suspect and hostages were released one-by-one, Clinton continued to call up and down the law enforcement food chain, from local to county to state to federal officials.

"I knew I was bugging a lot of these people, it felt like on a minute- by-minute basis, trying to make sure that I knew everything that was going on so I was in a position to tell the families, to tell my campaign and to be available to do anything that they asked of me," the New York senator said.

At the same time, the woman striving to move from former first lady to the first female president was eager to convey that she knew the traditional lines of command and control in a crisis, even if the events inside the storefront on North Main Street were far short of a world calamity.

"They were the professionals, they were in charge of this situation, whatever they asked me or my campaign to do is what we would do," Clinton said.

Along with taking charge while giving the professionals free rein, Clinton offered up a third dimension to her crisis character: humanity. She said she felt "grave concern" when she first heard the news of the hostage-taking.

"It affected me not only because they were my staff members and volunteers, but as a mother, it was just a horrible sense of bewilderment, confusion, outrage, frustration, anger, everything at the same time," Clinton said.

It was a thawing moment for a stoic figure who once snapped that she opted for professional life instead of staying home to bake cookies.

She buttressed it with one final message. Clinton sought to use the sad moment as a national teaching opportunity, another skill often employed by presidents.

She paid tribute to the thousands of believers who set aside their lives every four years so they can propel presidential campaigns on little more than blood, sweat and tears.

"They believe in our future. They work around the clock. They are so committed to their cause, and I just want to commend every one of them from every campaign who really makes what is a sacrifice and a commitment," Clinton said. "A lot of them postpone school, leave their families, move across the country, and I'm so grateful for them every single day, and I'm especially just relieved to have this situation end so peacefully without anyone being injured.

Class dismissed.

___

EDITOR'S NOTE—Glen Johnson has covered local, state and national politics since 1985. He covers the 2008 presidential race for The Associated Press.

[Diogenesis]

"One would think no heir-to-George would pin blame on his eldest son
for the illegal immigrants working in the family garden. But Mitt did.
No loyal husband would gracelessly roll his own wife under the bus
("Her contributions are for her and not for me. Her positions are not
terrible [sic] relevant to my campaign.") to dodge accountability
for his own previous support for Planned Parenthood.
Mitt Romney is often his own worst enemy"
The Salt Lake Tribune 1-11/08

---

---

Romney caught buying and awarding himself an 'award'.

"Behind the empty gestures and deceptive rhetoric, Romney was not pro-life
or a defender of marriage by any stretch of the imagination.
He was a disaster," said O'Gorman, of the board for Massachusetts Citizens for Life.
He said Romney "deceptively" claims to have been awarded
a pro-life award from the group.

"The award Romney arranged for himself with the local Pioneer Valley Chapter
was the Mullins Award for Political Leadership, not a pro-life award
and not approved by MCFL's state board of directors," he said.
"We're blowing the whistle to warn voters…"

[Family leaders call Romney 'disaster' - Letter criticizes 'deceptive rhetoric' around candidate]

[Charles Bronson Forever]

And they want to be called journalists. SOB sits on the friggin’ floor, folks. Wish Romney woulda stomped on this weasel.

[Plutarch]

The reporter is unprofessional and obnoxious. Mitt is patient and classy.

CNN describes it as:

January 17, 2008

Romney loses cool with reporter

Posted: 10:45 PM ET

Watch Romney get upset with a reporter Thursday.

(CNN) — Republican Mitt Romney and Associated Press reporter Glen Johnson got into a verbal scuffle Thursday over the presidential candidate's claim that no Washington lobbyists are running his campaign.

Filed under: Mitt Romney