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LETTER TO THE EDITORIAL LEADERSHIP OF THE NEWSPAPERS IN WA, GA, TN, OK AND OH
newt.org ^ | February 27, 2012 | Reps. Robert Walker and J.C. Watts

Posted on 03/01/2012 2:10:02 AM PST by Marguerite

Dear Publisher and Editorial Page Editor:

We write to you about what we regard as an existential threat to the integrity of the American political process...

Over recent decades numerous voices have been raised about the dangers of massive amounts of money spent in the service of negative or false advertising, much has also been said about the threat that this might pose to voters’ right to accurate information about issues and candidates as well as to the civil discourse so essential to democracy...

Governor Romney’s negative attack mentality, unfortunately, is a reflection of his own persona...As you are also probably also aware the Romney forces are purchasing massive amounts of advertising time in your own state to continue their false attacks...

Thus the purpose of this letter is to ask you to look at the facts we include and if you agree about the threat they pose to the integrity of the electoral process we ask that you use the mighty voice of America’s newspapers to warn voters about Governor Romney’s attempt to use money and mendacity to secure the Republican nomination.

(Excerpt) Read more at newt.org ...


TOPICS: Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: negativeads; romney

1 posted on 03/01/2012 2:10:05 AM PST by Marguerite
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To: onyx; TitansAFC; b9; Gator113; Marcella; katiedidit1; annieokie; true believer forever; ...
Representative Sample of False Romney Team Ads Against Fellow Republican Candidates:

Falsehood #1 - Romney Super PAC Ads Says Newt Supported Bill to Fund China’s Brutal One Child Policy.

The Truth – The Washington Post fact-checker gave this claim “Four Pinocchios.” The bill in question specifically prohibited any funds to be used for China’s one child policy.

Falsehood #2 – Romney Super PAC Ad Says Newt was paid $30,000/hour by Freddie Mac

The Truth – Newt’s consulting firm was paid for consulting work, which went to support the company, not Gingrich, and the fee was $30,000 per month, not per hour.

Falsehood #3 – Romney Super PAC Ad Says Speaker Gingrich Was Fined for Ethics Violations

The Truth – There was no fine. 83 of 84 politically motivated ethics charges dismissed. A single charge dealt with conflicting statements by one of Newt’s lawyers. Newt agreed to reimburse committee for the cost of the investigation into the error. The ethics committee report specifically noted the payment was a reimbursement, not a fine. Three years later, the IRS cleared Gingrich of all charges that he had violated any tax laws, leading renowned CNN Investigative Reporter Brooks Jackson to remark on air ;it turns out Gingrich was right and those who accused him of tax fraud were wrong.

Falsehood #4 - Romney Ad says Newt Called Spanish a Ghetto Language.

The Truth Newt never referred to Spanish language in a speech talking about the importance of everyone learning English to succeed in American society.

Read more at:

http://www.newt.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/CallToConscience.pdf

2 posted on 03/01/2012 2:17:22 AM PST by Marguerite (When I'm good, I am very, very good. But! When I'm bad, I'm even better)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Ping :)


3 posted on 03/01/2012 2:22:45 AM PST by Marguerite (When I'm good, I am very, very good. But! When I'm bad, I'm even better)
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To: Marguerite
Romney is such a dishonest man. Every time, I tell myself, I may have to be forced to vote for him in the general, my stomach becomes with nausea. He is what is wrong with politics. He is acting just like a dirty liberal going after conservatives or just a dirty politician only caring about winning. He is such a fraud and has damaged his own integrity.
4 posted on 03/01/2012 2:32:49 AM PST by Christie at the beach (I like Newt and would love to see political dead bodies on the floor.)
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To: Marguerite
It's a must read!

TO: THE EDITORIAL LEADERSHIP OF THE NEWSPAPERS IN WASHINGTON, GEORGIA, TENNESSEE, OKLAHOMA AND OHIO LISTED IN SCHEDULE A

February 27, 2012

Dear Publisher and Editorial Page Editor:

We write to you about what we regard as an existential threat to the integrity of the American political process. First, however, we wish to make clear that although the signers of this letter are members of Newt Gingrich’s leadership team our immediate concern is not to seek your endorsement of his candidacy for the presidency, however much we might recommend and hope for such a result. Instead, our reason for this letter transcends any one candidate or election.

Over recent decades numerous voices have been raised about the dangers of massive amounts of money spent in the service of negative or false advertising, much has also been said about the threat that this might pose to voters’ right to accurate information about issues and candidates as well as to the civil discourse so essential to democracy. And while obviously abuses of this sort have occurred, the fact remains that over time the truth has power and does tend to prevail. Furthermore, freedom of speech means having to sometimes tolerate the abuse of that right, any robust democratic system is by nature going to be flawed or untidy and unfair practices or untruthful claims sometimes have to be endured.

Still, when abuses of the democratic and electoral process happen that does not mean the voice of conscience shouldn’t be heard and heeded. Speaking out against attempts to corrupt the democratic process is historically a role that America’s newspapers have seen as their own. And it is in this capacity – your role as democracy’s watchdogs -- we appeal to you now.

As you are aware Feb 7th saw a series of setbacks to the Republican front-runner Governor Romney. Indeed, the returns in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri were historic in nature. Never before had a GOP front-runner lost so badly this far into the nomination process, let alone in three states and on the same day. In Colorado, Governor Romney was not only defeated by 5 points in a state he won with 60% four years earlier but this setback came at the hands of a candidate whom he had outspent by 40 to 1.

These results were widely interpreted as voter rejection of Governor Romney’s ―scorched earth‖ campaign tactics -- tactics that has meant $20 to $25 million spent in attacks on our own candidate, Speaker Gingrich. As you also know, these advertisements and a spending advantage of 5 to 1 are 2 widely credited with having eliminated wide Gingrich leads both in Iowa and Florida. Moreover, as the graphic shows in Attachment A, Governor Romney’s tactics have deeply depressed voter turnout, with the only exception South Carolina where Speaker Gingrich’s victory in breaking through Governor Romney’s paid media storm resulted in a 22% increase in turnout. (So too, counties in Florida where Speaker Gingrich won showed an increase in voting while Governor Romney had the opposite effect.)

Now if these television advertisements had been an attack on the Gingrich record that would be one thing. Instead Governor Romney chose to run and temporarily profit from blatantly untrue TV spots, with one spot that Romney publicly defended drawing four ―Pinocchios‖ from the Washington Post for false charges (e.g. Gingrich was ―fined‖ for ethics violations as Speaker) or making claims like ―Speaker Gingrich had to resign in disgrace‖ cited by the Wall Street Journal as false. (We include extensive documentation of these numerous falsehoods in Attachments B and C.)

Governor Romney’s negative attack mentality, unfortunately, is a reflection of his own persona. We include documentation of numerous instances of Governor Romney resorting under pressure to the use of falsehoods – five of them are from a single presidential debate in Jacksonville on Jan 26. Please understand, we believe that if you closely examine the record you will see that we are not discussing here lapses of memory. We are saying that the evidence is clear that Governor Romney has a near Pavlovian reflex of lapsing into falsehoods in order to rearrange reality to his liking. The record shows that when publicly challenged or at a loss for an answer, Governor Romney shows a deeply engrained habit of mendacity.

Nowhere is this better seen than in Governor Romney’s decision to follow the course suggested by attack-ad maestro Stu Stevens and opposition researcher Matt Rhoades and secure the nomination by means not of energizing party conservatives with policy positions but attack ads aimed at rivals and predicated on the politics of personal destruction.

As you are also probably also aware the Romney forces are purchasing massive amounts of advertising time in your own state to continue their false attacks.

Thus the purpose of this letter is to ask you to look at the facts we include and if you agree about the threat they pose to the integrity of the electoral process we ask that you use the mighty voice of America’s newspapers to warn voters about Governor Romney’s attempt to use money and mendacity to secure the Republican nomination.

We ask you to speak out against a candidate with a great sense of entitlement and very little sense of accountability. We ask you to protest a candidacy and a campaign without a conscience. We ask you to censure and thwart a way of politics that if left unchallenged could corrupt our electoral process and democratic system for a generation.

Sincerely,

U.S. Congressman Robert Walker (Retired)
U.S. Congressman J.C. Watts (Retired)

5 posted on 03/01/2012 2:38:34 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Christie at the beach

Amen. And please please please never vote for Romney. Ever!

In the last five years, Willard the Lib and his friends in the MSM and REPUBLICAN ESTABLISHMENT have falsely attacked the following presidential bound conservatives: Brownback, Thompson, Duncan, Huck, Palin, Bachmann, Perry, Cain, Newt, and now Rick.

And after all that daily mudslinging and tens and tens and tens of millions of dollars in false ads, THOSE 10 still remain respected and admired grassroots conservatives while Willard remains a severe Massachusetts moderate/liberal who tried to fake it [badly] in ‘08 as a staunch conservative but now admits he was just kidding so to speak.


6 posted on 03/01/2012 2:58:21 AM PST by CainConservative (Santorum/Huck 2012 w/ Newt, Cain, Palin, Bach, Parker, Watts, Duncan, & Petraeus in the Cabinet)
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To: Christie at the beach

He is not acting like a Dirty Liberal,HE IS ONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!


7 posted on 03/01/2012 2:59:29 AM PST by ballplayer
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

It’s the television stations, post office, and radio stations that need to be contacted.

Who reads newspapers anymore?


8 posted on 03/01/2012 3:02:10 AM PST by CainConservative (Santorum/Huck 2012 w/ Newt, Cain, Palin, Bach, Parker, Watts, Duncan, & Petraeus in the Cabinet)
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To: CainConservative

I expect this will get some coverage beyond print. These outlets post online and we’ll see if the on-air crowd is honest or in the bag (as they appear to be) for Romney.


9 posted on 03/01/2012 3:05:30 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Marguerite

Way to take it to ‘em, Newt.


10 posted on 03/01/2012 3:35:11 AM PST by SueRae (Tale of 2 Towers - First, Isengaard (GOP-e), then 11.06.2012, the Tower of Sauron)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Thanks for posting the whole thing. Good work from the two COngressmen!


11 posted on 03/01/2012 3:39:07 AM PST by SueRae (Tale of 2 Towers - First, Isengaard (GOP-e), then 11.06.2012, the Tower of Sauron)
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To: SueRae
Thanks for posting the whole thing. Good work from the two COngressmen!

You're welcome but anyone who can, needs to open the PDF file. It has a bit more and graphics to press their point and LINKS to the lies and to the truth.

12 posted on 03/01/2012 4:34:04 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Christie at the beach

“Romney is such a dishonest man.”

I simply cannot vote for a man toward whom I only feel absolute contempt. He showed he has no character, no honor and no respect for the other candidates.

It’s no wonder he built his fortune by breaking the income and lives of dozens thousands Americans. I don’t envy his money, but I despise the way in which he made it.
I recall reading that when asked how he felt when 1,700 workers lost their jobs in a company he’s been “managing”, he replied with a smirk: “It was a necessary medicine”... and then he walked away with hundreds of millions profit, never looking back at the misery he left behind.


13 posted on 03/01/2012 5:13:29 AM PST by Marguerite (When I'm good, I am very, very good. But! When I'm bad, I'm even better)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Thanks for posting the letter in full.


14 posted on 03/01/2012 5:14:24 AM PST by Marguerite (When I'm good, I am very, very good. But! When I'm bad, I'm even better)
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To: All

“There was no requirement in Massachusetts for the Catholic Church to provide a morning-after pills to rape victims.” - Mitt Romney - GOP Debate, Phoenix, AZ 2/22/12

When asked in last night’s debate by CNN host John King whether he had forced Catholic hospitals in Massachusetts to violate their conscience and require that they administer abortion-inducing drugs to rape victims, Governor Romney rewrote history and said NO.

Deliberate falsehood.

Truth

As Governor, Romney Used Governmental Power to Coerce Catholic Hospitals in Massachusetts to Administer Abortion Inducing Drugs to Rape Victims Even After a State Health Board Concluded that State Law Exempted Catholic Hospitals.

HERE IS BACKGROUND OF ROMNEY’S FAILURE TO STAND UP FOR RELIGIOUS CONSCIENCE.

In December 2005, Romney “Abruptly Ordered His Administration To Reverse Course … And Require Catholic Hospitals To Provide Emergency Contraception To Rape Victims.” “Gov. Mitt Romney abruptly ordered his administration to reverse course yesterday and require Catholic hospitals to provide emergency contraception medication to rape victims. In a turnaround that foes derided as politically motivated, Romney directed his Department of Public Health to scrap rules that exempted the Catholic institutions from a new law governing the medicine.” (Boston Herald, 12/9/05)

The State Mandate That All Hospitals Offer The Morning After Pill Specifically Impacted Catholic Facilities Because The Pill Violates Their Religious Tenets. “A dozen Bay State hospitals that treat rape victims do not provide the morning-after pill, according to a 2004 survey by NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts. The interpretation that all hospitals must offer the pill could have the greatest impact on Catholic hospitals that do not provide emergency contraception because it violates their religious tenets.” (The Boston Globe, 12/9/05)

Romney: “My personal view in my heart of hearts is that people who are subject to rape should have the option of having emergency contraceptives or emergency contraceptive information …” (Boston Herald, 12/9/05)

http://www.newt.org/news/severely-dishonest-newt-2012-updates-talesofmitt-com-with-latest-romney-debate-falsehood/


15 posted on 03/01/2012 5:20:10 AM PST by Marguerite (When I'm good, I am very, very good. But! When I'm bad, I'm even better)
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To: ballplayer

“He is not acting like a Dirty Liberal,HE IS ONE”

Someone explain to me, WHY do republicans vote for this man in the first place?
He should receive ZERO votes, not win states!


16 posted on 03/01/2012 5:23:33 AM PST by Marguerite (When I'm good, I am very, very good. But! When I'm bad, I'm even better)
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To: SueRae

“Newt Gingrich is the only candidate still in the field who can clearly take on Barack Obama in one-on-one debate and cut through the Obama rhetoric and mystique with hard facts and plain logic.

Nor is this just a matter of having a gift of gab. Gingrich has a far deeper grasp of both the policies and the politics than the other Republican candidates.” - Thomas Sowell

http://www.creators.com/conservative/thomas-sowell/-super-tuesday.html


17 posted on 03/01/2012 6:44:17 AM PST by Marguerite (When I'm good, I am very, very good. But! When I'm bad, I'm even better)
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To: Marguerite

Excellent, absolutely excellent.

RINO Romney and the Throw Up Guy, will give us nothing but another 4 years of Obama.

** President Newt Gingrich-”Our beloved republic deserves nothing less.”


18 posted on 03/01/2012 8:00:24 AM PST by Gator113 (** President Newt Gingrich-"Our beloved republic deserves nothing less." ~Just livin' life, my way~)
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To: onyx; TitansAFC; b9; Gator113; Marcella; katiedidit1; annieokie; true believer forever; ...

** President Newt Gingrich-”Our beloved republic deserves nothing less.”

Please, guys, ping or email all your friends from Tennessee:

Newt 2012 today announced Herman Cain and Jackie Gingrich Cushman will tour Tennessee by bus on Friday, March 2 and Saturday, March 3, making six stops in four cities.

The bus tour with Cain and Cushman comes just days after Newt and Callista Gingrich campaigned in Nashville, TN.

All events below are open to public.

Friday, March 2

Franklin Rally
7:00pm CT
Location: Franklin City Club
130 9th Ave South
Franklin, TN 37064

Saturday, March 3

Meet & Greet and Tour Kick Off
9:30am – 10:00am ET
Location: Gingrich Head Quarters
1 Park Place, Lee Hwy, Ste 300
Chattanooga, TN

Chattanooga Rally
10:15am – 11:15am ET
Location: The Car Barn
6721 Heritage Business Court
Chattanooga, TN 37421

Visit to Tennessee Valley Sportsman Gun Show
11:30am – 12:00pm ET
Location: Tennessee Valley Sportsman Gun Show at the Alhambra Shrine
1000 Alhambra Drive
Chattanooga, TN 37421

Cleveland Rally
1:00pm ET
Location: Lee University
Lecture Hall
1120 North Ocoee Street
Cleveland, TN 37320

Tennessee Conservative Union Reagan Day Dinner
5:30pm ET
Location: Crowne Plaza Hotel
401 West Summit Hill Drive, Knoxville, TN
Tickets $100. To purchase, call 865-776-7556


19 posted on 03/01/2012 12:48:39 PM PST by Marguerite (When I'm good, I am very, very good. But! When I'm bad, I'm even better)
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