Where's the Govnah?
The blogosphere has been abuzz over the Christmas Holiday about a Boston Globe-Worker article and follow-up column that note that Mitt Romney was somewhere other than the Commonwealth of Massachusettes during 212 of the last 365 days. While the Cooler understands that desire to not be in Massachusettes (trips to Baahstan are only wicked fun when your drinking Guinness at the bahr). Nonetheless it goes to the credibility of a guy who has only been Governor of a state for 4 years trying to sell the American people on his ability to be President- when he spent 1 of those years traversing the purple mountain majesties and amber waves of grain.
But who cares what we think about it. Let's go to the respective experts.
Romney fluffer Hugh Hewitt thinks its just another example of the Globe-Worker's bias. And notes that John Kerry didn't receive the same treatment.
McCain blogging afficionado Patrick Hynes says, not so fast Hugh- and points out that in 2004, Romney criticized Horseface Kerry for the same behavior he himself participated in during 2005. Hynes adds this to the examples of Mitt's inconsistencies.
The quote he references is from a June 2004 Globe-Worker article where Romney says that Kerry's absence in the Senate had "cost the Commonwealth" and called on him to resign. Your going to have to trust on this because the link is only accessible through paid sites.
One thing is indisputable... the blogosphere is abuzz with Romney talk and the only place you can find anything about Gilmore or Cox is here at the Cooler. We're not sure if that's a good thing or not.
But who cares what we think about it. Let's go to the respective experts.
Romney fluffer Hugh Hewitt thinks its just another example of the Globe-Worker's bias. And notes that John Kerry didn't receive the same treatment.
McCain blogging afficionado Patrick Hynes says, not so fast Hugh- and points out that in 2004, Romney criticized Horseface Kerry for the same behavior he himself participated in during 2005. Hynes adds this to the examples of Mitt's inconsistencies.
The quote he references is from a June 2004 Globe-Worker article where Romney says that Kerry's absence in the Senate had "cost the Commonwealth" and called on him to resign. Your going to have to trust on this because the link is only accessible through paid sites.
One thing is indisputable... the blogosphere is abuzz with Romney talk and the only place you can find anything about Gilmore or Cox is here at the Cooler. We're not sure if that's a good thing or not.
posted by Caucus Cooler at 12/26/2006
44 Comments:
Kerry missed something like 90% of Senate votes as the 2004 campaign was heating up. He was gone from DC and MA nearly EVERY day as a sitting Senator and wasn't doing his job (i.e. voting in the Senate).
Romney is a major figure for the GOP. He was head of the RGA and had lots of out of state duties for this. He went to Iraq, Gitmo, and Asia in his role as Gov (even nearly ALL sitting GOV who aren't running for POTUS make these trips). He had vacations (and the GLobe counted if he went to his vacation home just acrossed the border in New Hampshire as being "MIA").
Plus, about a third of the days they are counting are: "he was only in the state for part of the day" . . . so if he flew out for Iowa in the evening after working a full day they counted it (CAN YOU SAY "WE'VE GOT AN AGENDA?!?!?!? Pretty lame reporting by the Globe . . . Again.)
If they want this critique to mean anything, then what they need to show is that he really "underperformed" as Gov. BECAUSE of these absences. When I see that causal link then maybe they'll have an argument. Fact is, Romney managed to stay on top of things and keep the Gov of MASS just fine.
P.S. Patrick Hynes isn't just a "McCain afficianado"--He's on his payroll and blogs in his behalf (which basically means that he's paid to trash Romney now). Trouble is that Hynes got caught several months back bashing Romney and promoting McCain at his website (Ankle biting Pundits) without disclosing that he was being paid to do so. He got called on it and then "came clean" but he's taken quite a hit in his reputation for that act of hypocrisy (which he's now accusing Romney of . . . funny how that works, eh?)
And to think that people rip Huckabee for staying in his state and doing his job.
afficionado: [uh-fish-yuh-NAH-doh] an ardent devotee; fan, enthusiast.
We'll stick the word we chose there. And while we agree with your points in general Jeff, given all of the things you say 212 is still a lot of days to be out of the state.
With Blackberry's, laptops, a good staff, we're sure Mitt managed just fine but it's not beyond the pale to bring up the fact that your Governor was out of the state for well over half of the days during the year.
The other point to add is that all of the candidates that are still in office will run into this problem in 2006, something Romney won't have to worry about.
We didn't mean "your governor" as in "Jeff Fuller's governor" since you obviously live in Iowa. A better word choice would have been "the Governor"
Does anybody know if they counted weekend days? How about holidays? Granted I'm an apologist, but the story still seems like they're grasping at straws, hoping some of these hit jobs stick. Considering the source, I'm inclided to write it off until additional facts are considered.
So much for "experience" when it comes to this elected pol.
212 days away is appalling. You don't run a state by Blackberry. Not if you are providing strong conservative leadership. (LOL)
Jeff's full-throated defense of Mitt is laughable. Mitt was such a "major figure" for the GOP and the RGA that we lost six governships, including his own states', often by huge margins. He refused to campaign for Lt. Gov. Healey until he final night of her campaign.
His failure to build any kind of viable GOP in his own state was glaringly obvious on Nov. 7. The GREEN-RAINBOW PARTY ran more candidates than the GOP in the General Election.
Let me repeat that: The GREEN-RAINBOW PARTY. Major races of commonwealth treasurer and secretary were two-way races between the Greens and Democrats.
Yeah, "major figure." Sure. Right. Great job, Mitt.
That, and his faked-up, sudden conversion conservatism make him a SUPER choice. Just ask the (non-Communist) conservative Boston Herald. They despise him.
And just because the Globe called him on being an absentee governor doesn't make it all untrue.
TexasTyrant8,
Yep, the loser Globe staff counted weekends and holidays in their assessment. Like all governors are slaving away for their states on weekends and holidays. And again, a significant chunck of this time was Romney just across the state line at his weekend getaway in New Hampshire. Clearly unacceptable!!!
I'm OUTRAGED!!!
CC,
You're fine to stick by "afficionado" if you choose . . . but all the "fans" and "enthusiasts" that I know are not paid for being such . . . Hynes is FWIW.
What is funny (and even ironic) is that Romney's dude (Hewitt) who is not on Romney's payroll you call a "fluffer" (clearly a negative connotation) whereas McCain's dude (Hynes) who is on McCain's payroll gets the cool label of "afficianado" (clearly a positive connotation).
I haven't been buying into previous comments at this site claiming that this blog is just a front for McCain's Iowa folks . . . . but little nuances like this in the writing make me start to wonder.
I do however, think you're spot on and astute in your assessment that Romney won't face this critique anymore (while essentially all the Senators in the race will be up for this criticism in due time . . . Heck, Biden has been to Iowa like 13 times in 2006 and I'm sure has been hitting the other early states too . . . where's the outrage by his local media?!?! . . . Oh, I forgot! Romney is a Republican who is strongly challenging the only GOP POTUS hopeful that the MSM likes . . . can you say "I've got a target on my chest?")
And don't worry . . . I wouldn't make a big deal about the techincality of the "your governor" comment. No harm, no foul.
Anon 8:36
Nice attack job! But, not surprisingly, utterly filled with flawed logic.
So, you're blaming Romney for GOP losses nationwide? Yeah, I saw those polls too that showed that the majority of American voters decided to vote Democrat because they were fed up with Romney (Just beating out "Bush disapproval" and "the Iraq War" as the major factor).
Please . . . Romney's job as RGA head was to raise money. He did it better than anyone ever has (by a long shot) and bested the Dems quite nicely in fundraising too, but no amount of money was going to overcome the national mood.
Yes, Romney is a recognized prominent leader and popular speaker for the GOP. His presence at events helps raise money more so than most GOP speakers. This last election cycle EVERYONE was requesting his presence to help raise money. I guess he should have ignored them all and stayed in MA to plead with the MA legislature to stop overriding all his vetos and ingoring all of his proposals and buget cuts.
MA politics is a mess because of the Democratic party domination of the legislature (87%!). We're talking about a state where only about 1 out of 10 people in the state is a registered Republican (I think it's 12%). Romney is a gifted leader, person, and politician, but those are figures that are just unbeatable. To accuse him of failing to get R's elected in MA during the last election is just laughable.
P.S. The Boston Herald has been in McCain's back pocket for years. They were pretty fair and upbeat on Romney until he started to rise up to be the main challenger to McCain. Then something happened . . . and I can't figure it out . . . ---And it's quite a stretch to say that the Herald is a "conservative" paper . . . I guess anything looks conservative compared to cross-town rival the Globe.
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You're right, jeff fuller, Romney was the perfect governor. He was the perfect RGA president. He was the perfect leader of the Massachusetts GOP. He was the perfect ..... Bwaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahaha!
Let's face it. He won't be perfect until he reaches the Celestial Heavens and begins populating a planet of his own with his spirit children. But he sure has fallen short in this life.
What's laughable is his total failure to raise money in MA for the GOP, or to help his OWN state's candidates. The state party he supposedly led is a basket case, which even you admit by citing the numbers. Four years - wasted, not building up a party. I see you have no defense other than to toss it aside as "laughable." Yes, his accomplishments are, aren't they?
The man is clearly self-destructing as a so-called "conservative" candidate. Keep whistling in the graveyard.
Jeff-
To us "fluffer" and "afficionado" are interchangeable. We just like big words (seeing as you've read this site for months- we're sure you've figured that out).
We don't mean for the connotation from one to be more negative than the other. Both Hewitt and Hynes are very open about their allegiances.
CC
CC,
OK . . . just never call me a "fluffer". I'd rather be an "afficionado"!
Got that?!?!?
Anon 10:32
OK . . . so you got your little Mormon dig in. Proud of yourself?
So, are you among the crowd that are over-blowing Romney's 1994 statements when your real issue is that you don't want a Mormon as your leader? Few people would be public bigots saying they would never vote for a Mormon, but there will be plenty of private bigots (and anonymous posters) who are looking for other, more PC, exuses for opposing him.
OK, about MA . . . Tell me which states have more solid and better GOP representation than they did 2-4 years ago. It's a national phenomenon man. How myopic are you? (and tell me who you would support instead of just bashing Romney).
Romney made a strategic error and should have been honest with GOP Primary voters about his past position before putting himself forth as a conservative darling.
Not people are forced to decide whether he is a liar or a liberal and those are poor options.
C'mon Cooler, you guys know better than to use those terms, if you want to preserve any of your last vestiges of "non-bias".
A fluffer is a person who performs fellatio on a porn star between takes to keep him "aroused" for the camera.
An aficianado is defined precisely as you wrote it in your post at 6:27PM.
So now I will surmise that you are from now on, McCain fluffers, while I am a Romney aficianado.
Just for klarification: Was Romney one of the Keating 5 or was that just John McCain?
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From now on Burton Rider and Jeff Fuller will be referred to exclusively as the "chief Romney afficionados."
Are we happy semantics experts?
PS- Burton, we must not be as familiar with the porn terminology as you, but we've sure learned a lot about the "industry" in the 5 minutes since we've googled your reference.
I'm just up on modern culture and language. I can't believe you used the term fluffer without knowing what it's wikipedia entry was.
It's sort of like George Allen "accidentally" using the term macaca.
So not believing that you didn't know what it meant, I'll still consider the Cooler staff McCain fluffers.
I like Huckabee because he doesn't waver on moral issues like some other candidates in the race who are against something, then decide to agree with those in favor of it, and then after a couple of years, they "evolve" to be against it again. Who's to say that if elected, they won't "evolve" to be in favor of it again?
Romney's personal travel schedule is not surprising. After all, he won the Governor's office by promising to do nothing to advance the conservative cause-- and, as he proudly proclaims, he kept that promise!
like Jeff I haven't bought people's argument of this blog's McCain bias.
But to claim that "fluffer" and "afficionado" are interchangable . . . I LOLd! b-u-s-t-e-d on that one!
Cancer man,
C'mon, let it out. What you really hate about Huckabee is you're afraid he's going to make it hard for you to get taxpayer-supported treatment for your cancer, stroke and heart bypasses later on.
a true comparison for the Globe (and Hynes, and the CC) would be to find out previous RGA Chairman's schedule and compare that with Mitt's accurate one (i.e. 52 wks on the job x 5 days a week = 260 work days--how many of those were out of state and for what reasons). Then see if your argument has a leg to stand on, but I aint listening to people comparing apples to oranges with their eyes closed.
p.s. it is true a senator's job can't be done if they aren't there to vote.
Peter, you're right about Huckabee. With him, you know what you are getting. He is rock solid in his beliefs and he doesnt waver.
-Solid social conservative (pro-life, anti-gay marriage)
-Pragmatic fiscal conservative (keep taxes low, but realize you can't just empty the jails and nursing homes to do it)
-Solid gun rights supporter
-Strong on illegal immigration and border control (but realizes, like other top leaders, it is both physically and financially impossible to round up and deport millions who are already here)
-Former Baptist minister
-Extremely eloquent
-Southern Governor - only candidate capable of keeping the southern bloc of electoral votes together
-Super campaigner
A most excellent description, james t mcclain. Thanks so much. Huckabee truly is the only complete candidate that we Republicans have.
Does Huckabee know you can't run a national campaign on lunch money?
I'm glad "former Baptist minister" made the list of qualifications for Huckabee. Are we living in a theocracy now?
Huckabee - "Super campaigner"?
Campaign much like Where's Waldo me thinks...
Hmmm.... Be mindful of the Red Side of the Force, put down the kool aid and slowly back away.....
Here's the part where the Romneyites slam Huckabee for staying in his state, trying to make their guy look better for being out of state 212 days.
1:30, wouldn't you rather have a man of God running our country? I would. I don't want a leader to force his religion on me (especially if it's Romney), but I find it comforting knowing the leader of our country believes in the Lord. If faced with a tough decision, I'd like a leader who goes to prayer and petition.
J JOHN COX JOHN CJ JOHN COX JOHN COX JOHN COXJ JOHN COX JOHN COX JOHN COX JOHN COX OHN COX JOHN COX JOHJOHN COX JOHN COX JOHN COX JOHN COXN COX JOHN COX JOHN COX OHN COX JOHN COX JOHJOHN COX JOHN COX JOHN COX JOHN COXN COX JOHN COXOX JOHN COX JOHN COX OHN COX JOHN COX JOHJOHN COX JOHN COX JOHN COX JOHN COXN COX JOHN COX
One thing is for sure. Burton is a funny guy. You definately have us laughing at ourselves BR!
Cancer man on the other hand is a little ornery...
2:27-
I prefer a pragmatic candidate who makes decisions based on reason, not only on prayer.
Hey, Anon 1:18 -- you're showing your lack of knowledge about the political landscape. Huckabee just held a fundraiser in Arkansas that netted over half a million in one night for his PAC. Note this was in heavily democratic Arkansas, at Christmas time, for a lame duck Governor. Kos noticed, putting up an "Oh, sh*t Huckabee can raise money" post today. See it here: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/12/27/32752/421
So did RedState: http://www.redstate.com/stories/elections/2008/huckabee_shows_fundraising_potential
Maybe you should read a little more. Huckabee is not going to have any problems with money.
I posted the reference to Huckabee being a former Baptist minister not because it means he's a theocrat. Rather, because it means he will have high appeal to Christian and social conservatives.
Which makes him about the only Republican candidate who can appeal to those groups.
Yeah, Reginald. Vilsack will end the year having raised about $1 Million for his campaign. I bet he won't have any trouble raising enough money to be a serious competitor either, right?
HUCKABEE HUCKABEE HUCKABEE HUCKABEE HUCKABEE HUCKABEE HUCKABEE HUCKABEE HUCKABEE HUCKABEE HUCKABEE HUCKABEE HUCKABEE HUCKABEE HUCKABEE HUCKABEE
Pro-illegal. Tax raiser. Criminal coddler. Thin-skinned.
Give it up.
To back up the "Romney is in demand" as a speakeer claim . . . I provide this link where none other than Ken Melhman (National Chairman of the GOP) was quoted:
The turnout confirmed the sentiments of Republican National Chairman Ken Mehlman, who told the crowd that there was "no more sought-after speaker than Mitt Romney" among Republicans these days. Not long ago that honor likely belonged to Sen. John McCain (R.-Ariz.) or former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Reginald -- If you can't raise $500K in your first attempt in a state where you've been Governor for 8 years, you have NO SHOT TO BE POTUS.
It's a long way from $500k to $50MM. Let's see if he can do it 100 more times.
Anon 7:04,
So you're saying he has a shot.
YEAH!
ROMNEY ROMNEY ROMNEY ROMNEY ROMNEY
ROMNEY ROMNEY ROMNEY ROMNEY ROMNEY
ROMNEY ROMNEY ROMNEY ROMNEY ROMNEY
ROMNEY ROMNEY ROMNEY ROMNEY ROMNEY
Abortion Mitt-Flopper. Gay marriage Mitt-Flopper. Political Panderer. Member of a cult.
Give. it up.
McCain thinks Teddy the Swimmer is a great guy. I would ask for independant verification of these sentiments but Mary Jo Kopechne is not available for comment.
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