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Backers: Romney more open to 2016 run
Politico ^ | December 12, 2014 | Ben White and Maggie Haberman

Posted on 12/12/2014 6:44:40 AM PST by C19fan

For most of the past year, Mitt Romney supporters have publicly said he should consider running again. And for most of the past year, Romney has seemed uninterested. Until recently. While some people close to Romney insist he hasn’t moved from saying he has no plans to run, the 2012 Republican nominee has sounded at least open to the idea in recent conversations, according to more than a dozen people who’ve spoken with him in the past month. In his private musings, Romney has sounded less than upbeat about most of the potential candidates in the 2016 Republican field, according to the people who’ve spoken with him, all of whom asked for anonymity in order to speak freely.

(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...


TOPICS: Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2016; establishment; fakeconservative; fakeconservatives; gope; gopestablishment; mittromney; potus; rino; rinos; rnc; romney; willard
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To: C19fan

I don’t trust him, particularly on judicial nominations.
We needs Scalias - not Souters, not Robertses.


21 posted on 12/12/2014 7:52:23 AM PST by MarkRegal05
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To: okie01

Romney gave the election to Obama

After he took it away from all republicans

Many less will vote for him this time, knowing that he would not have done things much differently from the way Bo has done

Imagine Obama with no pretend pushback from rhino congress

That’s Romney

Forget it

He’s as liberal as all the other est GOP


22 posted on 12/12/2014 7:53:58 AM PST by stanne
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To: C19fan

Unlike most of you on here, I always liked Romney. However, his recent pro amnesty statements have caused me to lose any support I would have had for him.


23 posted on 12/12/2014 7:57:13 AM PST by willk (everyone)
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To: Crazieman
My fantasy is the RINO’s duke it out in a 3 way between Romney, Bush, and Christie, while we consolidate behind Ted. (Or Sarah)

Unfortunately it is a fantasy because the Conservatives will duke it out among Cruz, Perry, Paul, Santorum, Carson, and possibly half a dozen more. I think the GOPe will rally behind a Bush or a Romney very quickly. That will allow them to build momentum while the Conservative vote is still fractured.

24 posted on 12/12/2014 8:05:17 AM PST by DoodleDawg
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To: ChocChipCookie
One of Romney’s big advantages is that many of the things he said during the last campaign and during debates have proven to be true. That gives him a ton of credibility.

True. There is going to be a lot of "Gee if only Romney had won" feelings out there that might translate to support in 2016.

25 posted on 12/12/2014 8:07:36 AM PST by DoodleDawg
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To: C19fan

I’ll be voting for my cat.


26 posted on 12/12/2014 8:14:20 AM PST by bgill (CDC site, "we still do not know exactly how people are infected with Ebola")
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To: chajin
The Republican’s answer to Adlai Stevenson.

That would be Harold Stassen, which Romney would become if he were to run again.

Or Guss Hall AKA Arvo Kustaa Halberg.

(I never understood why all Communists changed their names.

Joseph Stalin = Ioseb Besarionis Dze Jugashvili.

Vladimir Lenin = Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov.

Pol Pot = Saloth Sar.)

27 posted on 12/12/2014 8:28:31 AM PST by Mikey_1962 (Democrats have destroyed more cities than Godzilla)
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If Romney wins the Republican primary and runs for president I will not vote in the election.

Romney is not very conservative, if at all, he is more like Liberal Lite. Romney probably thinks the TEA Party is a group of republicans who want bigger government in the form of more tea subsidies to tea farmers.

There is little difference, in my eyes, between McCain and Romney. Both are mushy and spieneless career politicians who cannot articulate the conservative viewpoint.

28 posted on 12/12/2014 8:37:08 AM PST by figgs500
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To: DoodleDawg
Unfortunately it is a fantasy because the Conservatives will duke it out among Cruz, Perry, Paul, Santorum, Carson, and possibly half a dozen more. I think the GOPe will rally behind a Bush or a Romney very quickly. That will allow them to build momentum while the Conservative vote is still fractured.

I'm not too sure about that. Here's how I see things:

Cruz: probable top tier candidate, unless he and his campaign implode. Will have significant support, but money will be a question.

Perry: established rep as an idiot. Will lack both support and money.

Paul: established rep as a nut. Will lack money, but inherit his Dad's supporters and build them out. Slightly.

Santorum: Seen as an also-ran, has had too low of a public profile since 2012. Will lack support and money, particularly with Cruz in the race.

Carson: will be haunted by his gun-control statements. Will lack money and support.

As to the others who may be in the race:

Walker: possible top-tier candidate, also a possible Perry 2012 waiting to happen. We'll see.

Bush: probable top-tier candidate, will have big money, good organization and possibly decent support.

Romney: probable second-tier candidate, will have the same as Bush

Christie: probable second-tier candidate. Money and org will be unknown (he was relying on being the sole moderate in the field, will now potentially have to compete with Bush and/or Romney), but he can really ramp up the rhetoric and probably attract decent support.

So, when it comes to the top candidates in the race, I see it as Cruz, Walker, Bush, Romney and Christie, with everyone else playing the role of ankle-biter.
29 posted on 12/12/2014 8:41:40 AM PST by tanknetter
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To: tanknetter

I do not disagree that Cruz is the premier choice in the pack. And I agree all but he will drop out at one point or another. But before then they’ll win primaries, as Gingrich and Santorum and Cain did. My fear is that as with 2012, the establishment will rally behind one candidate while the Conservatives split the vote in the primaries. At the end of the day you’ll have half a dozen conservatives who won primaries but none of which won enough delegates to get the nomination. In the mean time you’ll have Bush or Romney who won their share of primaries and did well enough in the rest to sew up the election.


30 posted on 12/12/2014 8:46:19 AM PST by DoodleDawg
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To: Buckeye McFrog
"Hilary will be edged over by ....and the country will march into Socialism." Could not agree more, except: Yes, Hilary will cede the nomination to Warren. Romney will likely be chosen over both Christie and JEB. But I'm not certain the current White House tenant is going to leave of his own free will.

Cromnibus was noteworthy as those backing Obama lined up with Warren. Had Obama wished, he could have quietly let it play out and Boehner would have caved, but the President chose to take a stand. Maybe Kabuki, maybe not. Looks to me like the Dems have chosen to walk away from the O post election and the O with Jarrett are peeved enough to hold the fort even beyond 1/20/17. I know, I know.

31 posted on 12/12/2014 8:50:39 AM PST by masadaman
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To: C19fan

Christmas Comes Early!

By which I mean it certainly appears as if Mitt Romney is running.

How can I tell? Attacks on rivals.

Remember all that crap about Romney wishing to defer to Jeb Bush, and not run if Jeb Bush is running?

Yeah that's no longer operative.


In his private musings, Romney has sounded less than upbeat about most of the potential candidates in the 2016 Republican field, according to the people who've spoken with him, all of whom asked for anonymity in order to speak freely.

He has assessed various people's strengths and weaknesses dispassionately, wearing what one ally called his "consultant cap" to measure the field. He has said, among other things, that Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor, would run into problems because of his business dealings, his work with the investment banks Lehman Brothers and Barclays, and his private equity investments.

"You saw what they did to me with Bain [Capital],"he has said, referring to the devastating attacks that his Republican rivals and President Obama's team launched against him for his time in private equity, according to three sources familiar with the line. "What do you think they'll do to [Bush] over Barclays?"

...

"I came away from the conversation with the distinct impression that he was running and that he did not think anyone in the field right now was particularly strong," said one top [Wall Street] executive who met with Romney and requested not to be identified while speaking about a private conversation.

...

Romney and his people are apparently talking up a storm about this Bloomberg report, headlined Jeb Bush has a Mitt Romney problem, except of course Mitt & the Boys say Jeb's problem is worse.

The article claims that Jeb is very vulnerable on stuff like having his money invested in China, or having some money overseas in tax shelters. It is further claimed:

Until now, many people have assumed that Bush's greatest challenge would be dispelling the perception among Republican primary voters that he's a moderate in a party dominated by right-wing conservatives. In the wake of Romney's bruising 2012 loss, however, Bush's overseas funds, mysterious investors, and foreign entanglements could prove harder to overcome. As a budding private equity mogul, he's begun to resemble a Mini-Mitt. Bush declined to be interviewed for this article.

"Running as the second coming of Mitt Romney is not a credential that's going to play anywhere, with Republicans or Democrats," says John Brabender, a Republican consultant and veteran of presidential campaigns. "Not only would this be problematic on the campaign trail, I think it also signals someone who isn't seriously looking at the presidency or he wouldn't have gone down this path."

Back to the Politico article on Mitt. Jeb's defenders snap back at such comparisons:

"Jeb's wealth and investments are nothing on the scale of Romney's. He is not building car elevators in Malibu mansions," this person said, offering a hint of the bitterness that could ensue if both Romney and Bush run.

We won't have to wait that long to see that bitterness:


There will be "no fetal position" from Bush, said the source, a reference to Romney's decision to wait until he had been defined by Democrats to start hitting back and defining himself.

See? Romney and Bush throwing rabbit-punches into each other's kidneys.

Early Christmas.

Posted by: Ace at 07:34 PM

32 posted on 12/12/2014 9:03:17 AM PST by Bratch
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To: Buckeye McFrog

Romney is a Church Elder. The Mormon church has had huge growth in Central American countries, with missionaries preaching conversion there. And now you know why he loves Amnesty.


33 posted on 12/12/2014 9:34:14 AM PST by CT (Obama is the product of a shiftless press, LoFoVo, and the conquest of Soviet style public education)
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To: Mikey_1962

Don’t forget, Bill DeBlazio and Van Jones.


34 posted on 12/12/2014 9:38:07 AM PST by CT (Obama is the product of a shiftless press, LoFoVo, and the conquest of Soviet style public education)
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To: willk

Mitt didn’t have the fire in the belly—he was snookered by the Obama/Media Machine. He would have cancled Obamacare the first day— He’s not a social conservative but a decent capitalist who could have fixed things. Would I rather have Ted Cruz or Sarah Palin—heck yeah—but I know Tina Fey and others have rendered them Toxic to many of the unthinking American voters who believe what they are told to believe. This time—if he runs (and that’s a big if) Mitt needs to clearly tell us what he’s going to do and get a Tea Party Person as VP. He needs to show how he will stand up to the Liberals and Progressive race baiting Democrats.


35 posted on 12/12/2014 10:08:03 AM PST by Forward the Light Brigade (Into the Jaws of H*ll Onward! Ride to the sound of the guns!)
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To: MarkRegal05
I don’t trust him, particularly on judicial nominations. We needs Scalias - not Souters, not Robertses.

Romney didn't appoint conservative judges, and exactly 75% of his appointments were not even republicans.

That is quite an incredible record.

36 posted on 12/12/2014 10:19:10 AM PST by ansel12
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To: Forward the Light Brigade

It doesn’t bother you that Romney says he campaigned as a proabortion candidate and ran pro-choice ads after he won the nomination?


37 posted on 12/12/2014 10:20:42 AM PST by ansel12
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To: hal ogen
Other than his win in LIB heaven Massachusetts, has romney ever won an election? romney...go away.

People don't know that he failed in that office, he wanted to be reelected, but instead left office with 34% approval and turned the seat over to the democrats, after he himself had been the 4th GOP Governor in a row.

38 posted on 12/12/2014 10:24:27 AM PST by ansel12
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To: C19fan
Go away, Mitt, ya socialist bastard!

Ted Cruz for President!

39 posted on 12/12/2014 10:25:33 AM PST by NorthMountain
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To: ChocChipCookie
That gives him a ton of credibility.

How will his credibility be affected by him coming out again for abortion, after winning the nomination?

After being passionately proabortion since 1963, and then having to fake an epiphany in 2005 to become prolife, how does he explain claiming to have campaigned openly as a prochoice candidate in August of 2012 after he won the nomination?

40 posted on 12/12/2014 10:27:50 AM PST by ansel12
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