2012 Presidential Campaign Blog

The Weirs [NH] Times Endorses Mitt Romney For President

THE WEIRS [NH] TIMES: “MITT ROMNEY: THE RIGHT MAN AT THE RIGHT TIME”

“Mitt Romney: The Right Man At The Right Time”

The Weirs [NH] Times

Editorial

December 29, 2011

http://www.weirs.com

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Still, the number one issue at hand is in defeating Barack Obama and his progressive agenda. We feel that the best candidate to take on this task and to win is Mitt Romney.

As a businessman in the private sector he was instrumental in helping many well-known businesses to success, such as Domino’s Pizza and Staples. In his time as Governor of Massachusetts, he helped turn a massive deficit to a 600 million dollar surplus while working with a Democratic majority in the House and Senate. When he took office, jobs were leaving the state, when he was finished, thousands of new jobs had been created.

His efforts in saving the 2002 Winter Olympics from disaster were extraordinary. Asked to take over an event losing sponsors in the midst of a bid-rigging scandal with serious budget problems, he cleaned up the leadership, restored public confidence and trimmed the budget. He did all this while at the same time ensuring the safety of millions at the event in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

A record number of Americans are showing dissatisfaction with the direction the country is headed in. We have seen three years of economic ignorance by a president who has no grasp or focus of what truly needs to be done. It has all been guesses and misses. It’s time for a president who knows what to do from day one as we are running out of time for experiments. Governor Romney is the right man for the job.

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With a billion dollar campaign war chest behind him, President Obama will stop at nothing to win reelection. If he does, we feel this country may be permanently changed for the worse. We must make a change, there are no options.

Iowa City Press-Citizen Endorses Mitt Romney For President

IOWA CITY PRESS-CITIZEN: “ROMNEY BEST CHOICE FOR NATION'S CHIEF EXECUTIVE”

“Our View: Romney Best Choice For Nation's Chief Executive”

Iowa City Press-Citizen                    

Editorial Board

December 28, 2011

http://www.press-citizen.com

When choosing whom to endorse for president, we’re interested in one thing this year: Finding the person best able to help the nation fix the economy.

We’re not looking for ideological purity.

We’re not looking for someone we agree with 100 percent of the time.

We’re simply interested in finding the person who has the best understanding of the issues, who has the best ideas on how to move the nation forward and, most importantly, who has the leadership skills necessary to work with the Congress and the American people to ensure that many of those ideas become reality.

After considering all the Republican candidates vying for the opportunity to take on President Obama in November, we think Mitt Romney is the candidate best suited to address the gridlock of dysfunction that has infected our federal system for the past generation.

We did not endorse Romney for the caucuses four years ago, but we recognized his leadership potential. We were impressed with how, as the CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee, he helped turn around some troubled-, scandal-filled preparations and make the 2002 Winter Olympics into a success.

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We now commend Romney for being able to focus so intently on the job at hand: to outline a national vision that can appeal to Republican primary/caucus voters as well as to independents and dissatisfied Democrats in the general election. While so many other Republican candidates have been burned by the limelight that comes with temporary frontrunner status, Romney has remained disciplined and largely above the fray. And while other candidates lob rhetorical bombs about the dangers of Washington and the horrors of Democratic public policy, Romney follows his criticism with thoughtful, well-considered, well-vetted solutions.

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Indeed, in contrast to the current and former lawmakers running against him, Romney seems the person most likely to build bridges and to find solutions — rather than trying to ramrod through his own agenda and sulking when he doesn’t get his way. And he seems the most likely to negotiate solutions rather than perpetuate a partisan playground war.

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As Romney writes in the introduction to his book, “No Apology: Believe in America”: “Freedom does not require the complete absence of government — government plays a critical role in protecting our lives and liberties from those who would endeavor to take them from us. But freedom does demand restraint in government’s intrusion into our life, freedom and livelihood.”

Romney, of all the Republican candidates, is in the best position to work with Congress and the nation to define realistically what those restraints should be. And we think he would offer a smart, substantial alternative to the Obama campaign in the fall.

Ron Paul Veterans Rally Knapp Center Photos Des Moines, Iowa December 28, 2011 #iacaucus

Ron Paul Veterans Rally Kent Sorenson Drew Ivers John Feller Photos Des Moines, Iowa December 28, 2011

Gov. Buddy Roemer Gaining Ground In Iowa and New Hampshire

Gov. Roemer Gaining Ground In Iowa and New Hampshire
 
Manchester, NH– For the second time in as many weeks, Governor Charles E. “Buddy” Roemer has reached two percent in a statewide poll of likely Republican voters. The most recent poll, released yesterday by the independent Public Policy Polling, interviewed voters in the important state of Iowa, which will hold its first-in-the-nation caucus on January 3rd. Two weeks ago, Governor Roemer polled at two percent in New Hampshire, where he was tied with Senator Santorum, was beating Texas Governor Rick Perry, and was only a single point behind Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. The fact that Roemer is polling at two percent, with very little money available to his campaign and without having been invited to participate in a national debate, means his message is resonating with the voters regarding money in politics and the need for true reform. Imagine what the numbers might look like if Buddy were able to be on stage to debate.
 
“What do these polls say about the voters in Iowa and New Hampshire?” said Buddy Roemer. “It says they’ve looked at the field, just as I have, and they don’t see a President either.”
 
“I am pleased to have been included in the latest Iowa GOP poll,” Roemer continued. “Once the pollsters include me, I can work towards getting into the debates, and then we can shake this race up. Republicans are uninspired by their current choices, and I don’t blame them. Whether Iowans and Granite Staters vote for me because they are concerned about the economy, trade imbalances with China, or just want to cast a protest vote against this weak field of inexperienced candidates, the effect will be the same, to make this race much more interesting.”
 
A recent Boston Globe editorial apparently agrees that Governor Roemer would add to the debate, saying that “Roemer is capable of bringing fresh energy to the long-running GOP show: It’s even possible to imagine him catching fire for at least a moment, the way the tag team of Trump-Bachmann-Perry-Cain-Gingrich have all taken turns as Mitt Romney’s sparring partner.”

Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson Announces He Will Seek the Libertarian Party Nomination for Presiden

GOVERNOR GARY JOHNSON ANNOUNCES HE WILL SEEK LIBERTARIAN NOMINATION

December 28, 2011, Santa Fe, NM -- At a morning news conference in the Rotunda of the New Mexico State Capitol, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson today announced that he is seeking the Libertarian Party nomination for president.

Governor Johnson's announcement statement:

"Today I am announcing that I will seek the Libertarian nomination for President of the United States. The Libertarian Party nominee will be on the ballot in all 50 states - as he was in 2008, and I will offer a principled alternative to the Republican and the Democrat.

"This was both a difficult decision - and an easy one. It was difficult because I have a lot of Republican history, and a lot of Republican supporters. But in the final analysis, as many, many commentators have said after examining how I governed in New Mexico, I am a Libertarian -- that is, someone who is fiscally very conservative but holds freedom-based positions on the issues that govern our personal behavior.

"Frankly, I have been deeply disappointed by the treatment I received in the Republican nomination process. I had hoped to lay out a real libertarian message on all the issues in the Republican contest. The process was not fair and open.

"This election is about issues larger than party or personal ambition. The future of our country is at stake.

"I believe this election needs a true libertarian voice. While Ron Paul is a good man and a libertarian who I proudly endorsed for president in 2008, there is no guarantee that he will be the Republican nominee.

"My Agenda for America, a libertarian agenda, is clear. It is not at an agenda you will hear from any other candidate or party.

- I want to end deficit spending and cut federal spending by 43%.

- I want to enact the Fair Tax to stimulate real economic growth and job creation.

- I want to end the manipulation of our money by the Federal Reserve.

- I support the Second Amendment and oppose gun control.

- I oppose expensive foreign wars in places like Libya and Afghanistan where our national interest is not clear.

-I want to cut the over-regulation of our families, our businesses and our lives.

- I support a woman's right to choose.

- I support marriage equality for gay Americans, as required by the Constitution.

- I support the legalization of marijuana, which will save us billions and do no harm.

- I demand a government free of special interest influence, crony capitalism and corruption.

- I support returning strict adherence to Constitutional principles to our government.

"I am confident this agenda will resonate with the American people because it actually reflects the true beliefs of a clear majority of Americans.

"Sadly, neither the Republicans nor Democrats will offer this agenda to the American people. The Republicans talk about cutting spending and taxes but insist on government regulating our personal lives. The Democrats support more liberal social policies but they will tax and spend and borrow us into bankruptcy. America needs a third way.

"I know first-hand that my governing philosophy works because of my experience as a successful two-term governor, elected and reelected as a Republican in a Democrat state. I know how to create jobs because I have created jobs. My record on job creation is superior to Barack Obama, Mitt Romney or any other candidate. I successfully governed as a Libertarian in everything but the name, and I am running for president as a Libertarian.

"If I earn the Libertarian Party nomination, I will be on the ballot in all 50 states. I will not be held hostage to a system rigged for the wealthiest and best-known candidates in a handful of states who happen to have early primaries. And most important, we will offer a political "home" for millions of Americans who are not finding one in the current political establishment or its candidates.

"I am excited by this challenge. I am liberated. And I am committed to shaking up the system as it has never been shaken up before. The tired old two-party system has failed America. When I read in the Wall Street Journal that Mitt Romney refuses to rule out an ad valorem tax I realized the American people must be offered another alternative.

"America is ready for a President who will restore common sense to our fiscal and foreign policies and get government out of the boardroom and the bedroom. I believe the American people will see that a credible Libertarian candidate for president is the real path to liberty, economic growth, opportunity, and a government that is put into its proper and limited role.

"In a recent national poll 63% of Americans said they wished there was a third choice for 2012. There is another choice, and I intend to educate the voters about what we offer America. Together I am convinced we can make history and restore America to greatness."

Newt Gingrich Mason City Iowa Southbridge Mall Photos December 28, 2011 Part 4 of 4

Newt Gingrich Mason City Iowa Southbridge Mall Photos December 28, 2011 Part 3 of 4

Newt Gingrich Mason City Iowa Southbridge Mall Photos December 28, 2011 Part 2 of 4

Mitt Romney Meets with Voters and Holds a Grassroots Rally in Iowa on Thursday, December 29, 2011

Mitt Romney Meets with Voters and Holds a Grassroots Rally in Iowa on Thursday
 
Boston, MA – On Thursday, Mitt Romney will meet with voters and discuss jobs and the economy in Cedar Falls and Mason City, Iowa. On Thursday night, he will hold a Romney for President grassroots rally in Ames.

Thursday, December 29, 2011
 
Event:                        Mitt Romney Meets with Voters and Discusses Jobs and the Economy
 
When:                        7:50 AM CST
 
Location:                 

J’s Homestyle Cooking
1724 West 31st Street
Cedar Falls, Iowa
 
 
Event:                        Mitt Romney Meets with Voters and Discusses Jobs and the Economy
 
When:                        12:10 PM CST
 
Location:                

Music Man Square
308 South Pennsylvania Avenue
Mason City, Iowa
 
 
Event:                        Mitt Romney Holds Romney for President Grassroots Rally
 
When:                        5:30 PM CST
 
Location:                 

Kinzler Construction
2335 230th Street
Ames, Iowa