Posted on 10/29/2008 6:34:55 AM PDT by Reaganesque
It’s been the most frequently asked question I’ve gotten from National Review Online readers and conservatives over e-mail and in person since the market chaos and subsequent bailout circus began.
My answer these last few months has always been: Turn on MSNBC. Turn on FOX. Google a conservative candidate for Congress. Romney is liable to turn up.
And yet, a ridiculous item on the Internet yesterday suggested that he’s been in hiding, keeping a “low profile nationally” and unwilling to help out Republicans who aren’t a sure thing.
There are problems with that contention: Why do I keep seeing the man on television? Is any Republican a shoe-in this year? Someone get Norm Coleman on the phone with the good news! Because Romney is scheduled to campaign with the Minnesota senator, who is fighting for his political life against the not-so-funny prospect of Senator Al Franken. The images on his website blog do not suggest someone who’s decided to sit out the election — they suggest someone still engaged in the election year. Nor does his travelog, as he’s been doing McCain surrogate events everywhere from Pennylvania and Colorado to Nevada and Texas (among other places including Oregon, Georgia, Nashville ... ). Nor do his post-debate spin-room appearances or his interview on The Laura Ingraham Show this morning suggest that Mitt is standing down on election 2008.
Romney’s been in Virginia helping Keith Fimian in that newly blue-leaning state. He’s campaigned for Michele Bachman, now a favorite of MSNBC. He’s raised money for John Sununu in New Hampshire and Oregon senator Gordon Smith — both of whose reelection prospects are far from guaranteed. The list goes on.
Since Romney suspended his campaign and subsequently formed the Free and Strong America political action committee in April, he has donated approximately $202,000 to 75 GOP candidates, according to numbers made available to NRO from the PAC. Romney has also made an additional $173,000 in donations through flexible spending accounts to five affiliated state PACS, including $10,000 to the National Organization for Marriage, which is working to pass Proposition 8 in California, and $5,000 to stop a ballot initiative in Massachusetts to decriminalize marijuana.
And when the McCain campaign famously withdrew from Michigan, Romney contributed $50,000 to the demoralized GOP there. According to his PAC, “The total amount of financial support to GOP candidates and conservative causes through Romney-controlled state and federal PACs is $375,000.”
The web piece further blamed former Romney aides for being the source of the Sarah-Palin-is-a-diva complaints coming out of the McCain camp, presumably meant to damage her post-election prospects should the Republican ticket lose next week. The problem with that is: Most of Romney’s inner circle is still his inner circle — some having come from the business world, others being Massachusetts people now running his PAC. Others returned to Washington, and are doing McCain surrogate work, but are far from campaign insiders. Whomever is shooting at Palin from the McCain camp is not doing Romney’s bidding.
The good news for Mitt Romney is folks care what he’s doing. And someone out there sees him as enough of a threat to their ambitions to try to wound him. That rarely happens to irrelevant also-rans.
When longtime Romney spokesman Eric Fernstrom was asked about the former Massachusetts governor’s future on Monday, the longtime aide suggested Romney’s 2008 presidential ambitions weren’t running his life: “Gov. Romney had his shot at the White House, and he lost fair and square.” After a hostile primary season that highlighted some shameful instincts hostile to religious liberty both in the mainstream media and on the Right, you might not blame Romney if he went into retreat. But he never did. Romney got on the campaign trail for John McCain, defending the free-market policies that this successful businessman could no doubt run with, if he were in the driver’s seat.
Romney’s been a team player. Is it because he wants a Cabinet seat? Ask him — but I doubt it. There are easier jobs that taking over a massive bureacracy with limited freedom. Is it because he wants to be president? Ask him, but I don’t think that’s it either — and only time will tell, anyway, who will be Right prospects in a few years.
Watching him these past few months, he acts like a man who found a home on the Right, who both personally and philosophically appreciates those who were open to what he brought to the campaign trail, and continues to want to serve his country in whatever capacity she needs him. Right now, that’s by fundraising, contributing, and campaigning for conservative candidates and causes like the Susan B. Anthony List and Proposition 8 in California.
In his final primary-campaign speech in February, Mitt Romney said:
I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, I feel I must now stand aside, for our party and for our country.
I will continue to stand for conservative principles. I will fight alongside you for all the things we believe in. And one of those things is that we cannot allow the next President of the United States to retreat in the face of evil extremism.
And so he campaigns for candidates who share his general vision of the world. Romney was with McCain in Ohio on Monday. He’ll be in New Hampshire on Wednesday campaigning for congressional candidates Jeb Bradley and Jennifer Horn. And then he’ll take off for get-out-the-vote rallies.
If you’re wondering where Mitt is — and you can suspend some of your cynicism — the answer might just be: Where he can be of use. If you take him at his word and his schedule, that’s what it reads like anyway.
— Kathryn Jean Lopez is the editor of National Review Online.
Did not post what you falsely claim.
And how could it be "everyone", anyway?
Those on their kneepads, beneath their Master, love Romney.
Yeah, but one can’t help but think of the underhanded tactics that were used in the primaries, combined with the obvious animosity that many of the hard-core Mitt supporters have towards Sarah Palin.
The allegations may well be completely unfounded, but honestly, after dealing with Mitt’s more fervent supporters here at FR, I don’t find them hard to believe at all.
He stepped out of the race for John McCain and the GOP, has been raising money with his PAC, has been campaigning/fund raising, and has been doing TV/radio interviews. What more must he do? I know you realize it, but how could people not see this.
Thanks for clearing that up...much appreciated.
Where’s Mitt?
Biding his time, playing the same hand dealt to Hillary Clinton by the other party: feign support but do the barest minimum and hope for the worst.
At this moment in history, the worst for America is the best for Slick Willard.
Not at all. He is and always has been a Rino. I don’t care what religion he follows or if he follows none at all. I don’t care that he has money other than if it is legally/fairly gained. What I do care about are his words, actions and political viewpoint over the period of years and from what I could see he tailored his image and message to be more conservative when the primaries came around and it appeared that was what the conservatives were looking for. The big exercise of the various big dogs circling the hydrant and nipping at each other over who would piss on the hydrant is how we ended up with McCain (a weak candidate) against the socialist nazi POS with his election-stealing apparatus already well entrenched. He’s ignoring McCain-Palin out of spite, envy or whatever much as the clintons are pretty cool to helping BO.
You're thinking of Kathleen Parker [spit], whose column runs on NRO.
K-Lo is most loyal to Palin/McCain, and quite admirably so.
"Former Mitt Romney presidential campaign staffers, some of whom are currently working
for Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin's bid for the White House, have been involved
in spreading ant-Palin spin to reporters, seeking to diminish her standing after the election.
"Sarah Palin is a lightweight, she won't be the first, not even the third, person people
will think of when it comes to 2012," says one former Romney aide,
now working for McCain-Palin. "The only serious candidate ready to challenge to
lead the Republican Party is Mitt Romney. He's in charge on November 5th."
Romney's behind the scenes attack on Gov. Palin.
Romney's attacks on other GOP candidates.
Novak: Fred Thompson drop-out rumors traced to Romney campaign
Romney's attacks on other GOP candidates.
Romney's refusal to help GOP candidates in Massachusetts.
More Palin attacks.
Those are the last two people that I would think of. Wow.
Oh, yes, EVERYONE doesn’t ‘hate’ Mitt Romney because ‘everyone’ would include you and your merry band of slobbering Mittwits who prey to the altar of Willard.
It’s just everyone who tells the truth about Mitt’s record that ‘hates’ him.
I don’t ‘hate’ Mitt Romney any more than I ‘hate’ a used car salesman. And I trust the used car salesman more than I trust Mitt.
Reagan was accused of not helping Jerry Ford in 76 and that was a lie, too.
If anyone saw the post-debate TV segments this fall, Mitt was sensational - did a better job for McCain than McCain did himself.
For the record in 76, the Ford people asked for last minute additional help from Reagan and he was previously committed to help other GOP Congressional and gubernatorial candidates. Mike Deaver begged the Ford people to lay out in August what they needed from Reagan; the Ford people either wouldn’t or couldn’t.
Romney does not deserve this antipathy.
LOL...see, even they think he’s a RAT! :D
Mitt Romney is to Ronald Reagan what a pile of dung is to a bar of pure gold.
Nobody wants to hear your pathetic attempts to turn a slimy, flip-flopping, medicine socializing, gay pandering, lawyer consulting, fast talking, Grecian Formula addict into Ronald Reagan.
The comparison is offensive.
I confess I don't know how he can counter this smear campaign. But he's the professional politician. If he wants to stay one he better show that he knows his future is on the line and that he's capable of beating this.
"How much?" "If?" "Maybe?" Speculation presented as fact. How is that any different from what the Left is doing to us?
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