Free Republic

A candidate’s personal aide is normally told to remain quietly in the background. The so-called body man is supposed to be a constant, yet invisible, presence who is ready with a felt tip pen for autographs, prepared to operate any number of cameras, and knows what their boss wants to eat, and when. Garrett Jackson, who serves the role for Romney, can be seen in the background of numerous news photographs, usually with an earpiece surveying a crowd or guiding Romney to his next event (a rare exception was last week when Romney, in Jackson’s native Mississippi, told a crowd...

DECEMBER 31, 2007) MassResistance is the major pro-family activist group in Massachusetts. We've been fighting for pro-family causes here since the early 1990s. We saw the Romney administration close up (although very few social conservatives were actually involved in it). We're disturbed at recent claims that Romney's campaign is making about his record. We offer the following to set the record straight. (See our Romney Report, published in November 2006.) Basically, Mitt Romney campaigned - and governed - as a social liberal. Sodomy laws and domestic partner benefits. When campaigning for governor, Romney told the homosexual newspaper Bay Windows that...

Will Mitt Romney flip-flop on climate change if he’s elected president? Some big donors are betting on it.Romney and his super PAC have taken millions from funders with strong green streaks — despite the fact that the former Massachusetts governor has run to the right in the primary, proclaiming doubts about global-warming science and trashing President Barack Obama’s greenhouse gas emissions policies.Julian Robertson, founder of the Tiger Management hedge fund, helped put cap-and-trade legislation on the map with $60 million in contributions over the past decade to the Environmental Defense Fund. Now, Robertson has given $1.25 million to Romney’s Restore...

Mitt Romney on Wednesday defended his conservative bona fides following doubts expressed by Sarah Palin. The former Alaskan governor and vice presidential candidate told Fox News Sunday that she is "not convinced" by Romney's conservative instincts, indicating he may not be conservative "enough" for her. "And I don't think that the majority of GOP and Independent voters are convinced, and that is why you don't see Romney get over that hump," she said. (VIDEO AT LINK) "I'm not quite sure what she'd be referring to," Romney responded Wednesday, also on Fox News. "I'm pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, I believe in the...

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney responds to Sarah Palin saying she is not convinced he is a conservative during his appearance on Wednesday's "FOX & Friends." "Well we should probably spend some time with Sarah Palin, although she is hard to find. She's on your show all the time," Romney said. "I'm not quite sure what she'd be referring to. I'm pro-life, pro-traditional marriage. I believe in the second amendment. As governor, I balanced the budget every year I was in office. Put in place a $2 million rainy-day fund. Cut taxes 19 times," he also said.

H.R. 796, which Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich voted for, was intended to preserve the right of pro-lifers to protest at abortion clinics. In 1993, President Clinton proposed a law, supposedly to protect abortion clinics from violence. In reality, the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act has been used to prevent pro-lifers from coming anywhere near abortion clinics, stifling their first-amendment rights. Pro-life Republicans and moderate Democrats (they existed back then) attempted passage of H.R. 796 to head off this threat to constitutional liberties. The bill would still create a federal law to prevent the physical obstruction of clinic...

Mitt Romney sent a clear, unambiguous message to hundreds of conservative activists gathered for the 2012 Conservative Political Action Committee, the largest annual gathering of conservative activists. He’s a conservative. The man mocked as a “Massachusetts moderate” (or worse) by his Republican presidential rivals used his family values, business background and experience as Massachusetts governor to defend his conservative bona fides. Romney used the word conservative more than 20 times in a span of 25 minutes.

Mitt Romney has outspent Newt Gingrich on negative advertising in every state, starting in Iowa, and was the first to go negative every time. Yet Romney, with absolute conviction, continues to say that the reason he lost South Carolina was that he was outspent by Newt, which is not true. Last night on Hannity, Romney took the false line about being outspent in South Carolina to a new level, claiming that he lost because he stayed positive and failed to respond to attacks on him (video, at 6:20)(embed added at link): Romney: … The mistake I made in South Carolina...

Debating in Tampa, Florida in late-January, while falsely characterizing Newt Gingrich’s income from his government consulting work, Mitt Romney denied that Bain did “any work with the government like Medicaid and Medicare”. Now we learn that Bain, under Romney’s “supervision”, purchased and ran the Damon Corporation, who pled guilty to Federal conspiracy charges as a result of tens of millions of dollars in systemic Medicare fraud committed under Romney’s and Bain’s control. Damon was fined over $119-million which was, at the time, the largest criminal healthcare fine in Massachusetts history and Mr. Romney’s participation was characterized in 1996 by Corporate...

MIAMI —Former House speaker Newt Gingrich said Friday that the reason he seemed less combative during Thursday’s televised debate was that he was shocked by what he described as rival Mitt Romney’s “totally dishonest” replies to several questions. In a telephone interview, Gingrich cited Romney’s remarks on immigration, his vote for Democrat Paul Tsongas in 1992 and whether he knew about an ad his campaign is running against Gingrich. “I think it’s the most blatantly dishonest performance by a presidential candidate I’ve ever seen,” Gingrich said. At several moments during the debate, Gingrich simply leaned away from his lectern and...

In the middle of last night’s debate, I actually tweeted about it because the difference was audible: Mitt Romney’s applause, for the first time that I can remember, was louder than Newt Gingrich’s. The Gingrich campaign can think of just one possible explanation as to how Mitt Romney could have inspired such a response in his audience: He must have unfairly packed the hall. “They definitely packed the room,” Kevin Kellems, one of Gingrich’s senior advisers, told The Huffington Post early Friday morning. “The problem for them is their candidate, at several junctures, couldn’t remember what he had said before...

"Laura talks with one of those conservatives, former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, about the barrage of attacks he's facing from Romney in the battle for South Carolina. He says Mitt Romney is "perpetuating lies" about him (snip)"

...it overstates the purposes of Bain’s investments and has now led Romney into a factually challenging cul-de-sac. ...it has become increasingly hard to understand how Romney’s personal involvement played a role in creating these jobs, especially years later. ...a company such as Staples — one of the biggest contributors to Romney’s job figures — was largely the brainchild of entrepreneur Tom Stemberg. Stemberg presumably should get most of the credit... (Left unsaid, of course, is all the jobs that might have been lost at small stationery stores unable to compete...) Moreover, should Romney even get any credit for jobs at...

Former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has called for Gov. Mitt Romney to release his tax returns, as well as the data that could substantiate his claim of having created 100,000 jobs as CEO of Bain Capital. Romney has resisted releasing his tax returns, and his campaign has thus far refused to provide the hard proof to back up his claims about Bain. “Governor Romney has claimed to have created 100,000 jobs at Bain, and people are wanting to know: is there proof?” Palin told Sean Hannity on Fox News. Rick Tyler, former Gingrich aide and head of Newt Gingrich’s...

VIDEO"Uploaded by americanbridge21st on Jan 9, 2012 Though Mitt Romney has spent 5 years of his run for President mired at 25%, there is one group that is signaling their singularsupport: the Washington Establishment. And Karl Rove, the king of conventional GOP wisdom is working double-time to make sure rank-and-file Republicans know it's time to fall in line. Through his constant television appearances and weekly op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Rove has consistently favored Mitt Romney and done what he does best: work to tear down any credible rival to Romney."

He’s worth $250million and is running for the White House, but Mitt Romney is still trying to portray himself as an ordinary down-to-earth guy. The GOP presidential candidate has been condemned for saying he has been worried about getting a ‘pink slip’ at least twice in the past. Opponents said this was a poor statement to give about job termination notices because Mr Romney has always had money to fall back on.

Mitt Romney has realized that he can't avoid the issue of his Mormon religion, so he might as well embrace it. The Republican frontrunner's new South Carolina mail campaign emphasizes Romney's deep religious beliefs and 42-year marriage, in an effort to win over 60 percent of the state's Republicans that are evangelical or "born again" Christians. The ad, however, doesn't dive head first into touting Romney's Mormonism, but instead refers heavily to his "faith" and how it will influence him as president, also assuring South Carolina voters that the White House contender is "pro-life, pro-marriage, and pro-family."

Mitt Romney's Multiple Political Personalities (John McCain's ad - 2008) Before his recent endorsement...John McCain didn't think much of Mitt Romney. He released this ad highlighting Romney's affinity for taking whatever position necessary to get elected. Paid for & approved my John MeCain! Mitt Romney's Multiple Political Personalities That was then, this is now. McCain raps Newt for 'liar' comment

DES MOINES, Iowa - With only eight votes separating them, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum have proved after last night’s Iowa primary vote that the battle between moderate and conservative forces in the Republican party will continue to both define and divide the GOP 2012 caucuses. Ron Paul landed in a close third place, while U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, one of the strongest social conservatives in the race, announced the end of her candidacy Wednesday after coming in at sixth place. In the final count released this morning, Santorum’s 30,007 (24.54%) votes were defeated by 30,015 (24.55%) cast for the...

Though Romney is personally not working with any pro-Romney super PAC(s), can Romney at least tell them or ask them to cease any potential negative attack ads aimed at Gingrich or someone else? If he doesn't, is he still taking the high road? Secondly, how could pro-Romney forces ask pro-Obama forces to do the something if they won't? How can pro-Romney RINOS and CINOS berate Obama surrogates for saying something about Romney if pro-Romney surrogates do the same to GOP candidates?