Romney to wait on presidential campaign announcement

Salt Lake Tribune - Romney to wait on presidential campaign announcement:
"Romney spokesman Jared Young said his boss is going to discuss the future with his family over the Thanksgiving and Christmas break and decide then.
The Boston Globe reported Friday that Romney will huddle with top advisers this weekend at an undisclosed location as he nears making the decision of whether to jump into the White House race. Young said no announcement is expected out of that meeting. "

Romney likely to explore White House bid after holidays - CNN.com

Romney likely to explore White House bid after holidays - CNN.com: "Republican Gov. Mitt Romney, a potential 2008 presidential candidate, said Friday he's bringing his top financial advisers to Massachusetts this weekend to thank them for helping him raise money...

As for when he will announce his decision, the governor stuck with his previous statement that it will most likely be after New Year's Day."

Hey, Mitt, don’t blame this messenger (Column)

BostonHerald.com - Herald Columnists: Hey, Mitt, don’t blame this messenger:
"It all started in 2002. Before Mitt decided to come back from Utah to run for governor, he was perceived as no threat to the hackerama and was thus treated as a hometown hero. He’d been beaten like a rented mule by Ted Kennedy and hadn’t said boo. That made him Good People - at least as good as any Republican can be. Here’s the headline from the Globe magazine of Feb. 3, 2002:

“Lord of the Rings: How Mitt Romney Saved the Winter Olympics.”

Eight weeks later, on March 31, after it had become clear that Mitt was running for governor, the same boring broadsheet ran this headline on the front page, above the fold:

“Romney Overstates Rescue of Games.” "

Romney faces a reckoning on '08

Romney faces a reckoning on '08 - The Boston Globe:
"'I can't tell you the number of people who have called me and said, 'Mitt's called me,' ' said the fund-raiser, who did not want to be identified talking about potential 2008 candidates. 'The donors haven't been courted for eight years, so they're going to want to be courted.'"

The Evangelical Vote (podcast)

Townhall.com::Talk Radio Online::Show: The Evangelical Vote:
"Bennett talks to Richard Land, President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, about the mid-term election, and what to expect in '08.

"...I have people tell me well you know a Mormon can’t be elected. Well, I disagree with that. I think that if you look at the polling that says that thirty-seven percent of Americans would not vote for a Mormon, the majority of those are seculars who don’t like religion anyway and look at Mormonism as religion on steroids...." "

Romney hires ex-Bush ad man

Romney hires ex-Bush ad man - The Boston Globe:
"'Alex is one of two or three people in the country who you don't run a presidential campaign without,' said Dan Schnur, who was communication director for Senator John McCain of Arizona during McCain's run for president in 2000. Schnur added, 'You don't hire Alex Castellanos unless you're committed to this.'"

Mitt Romney - a Newt conservative with sex appeal

The American Thinker - Mitt Romney - a Newt conservative with sex appeal:
"But to win the GOP nomination he will have to convince the base that he’s for real. Romney can make the case that he his more of a principled conservative than Rudi Giuliani and John McCain. He is more electable than Newt. He is more experienced than Condi Rice. "

A Look at the Potential 2008 GOP Field

RealClearPolitics - Articles - A Look at the Potential 2008 GOP Field:
"LIASSON: I think Romney has been, by all accounts, running an excellent campaign. He's been out there, he's developing all kinds of infrastructure that Giuliani is only now just beginning to do and he has a policy achievement under his belt, health care and he's an executive...
BARNES: Giuliani helps Romney.
HUME: Why?
BARNES: Because he will be competing for the same universe of voters that McCain will be. Romney is going to try to be the conservative alternative. "

Rudy the Running Man

The American Spectator - Rudy the Running Man:
"If Giuliani is to be held in contempt for his liberal stances on some issues, it's hard to see why Romney should get a free pass. Furthermore, as a businessman and one-term governor of Massachusetts, Romney has no credentials on national security, which could prove a major impediment to his candidacy."

Mitt Romney on the Christian Broadcasting Network's 700 Club

Political Scientist Weighs in on Romney Run for President

ksl.com - Utah's Online Source for Local News & Information Political Scientist Weighs in on Romney Run for President:
"Larry Sabato, Political Science Professor, Uni. of Virginia: 'The problem for romney is that 35% or so of the delegates to the republican national convention are fundamentalist Christians, and to be blunt about it, most of them see Mormonism as a cult.' "

Two years till election day, and the race is on

Two years till election day, and the race is on | csmonitor.com:
"That's why Governor Romney is getting so much attention. Some midterm defeats have cleared the way for Romney to position himself as the alternative to McCain among the GOP's conservative base. Romney was mentioned by only 5 percent of GOP voters as their top pick, but the race is young, and most voters have not tuned in yet. One question for Romney is how his Mormon faith will affect GOP voters' perceptions of him. But he already has built strong lists of supporters in early nominating states Iowa, South Carolina, and New Hampshire - in addition to Michigan, where his father was governor - and won notice for charisma."

With midterms over, all eyes turn to the 2008 presidential race

With midterms over, all eyes turn to the 2008 presidential race | csmonitor.com:
"Meanwhile Mitt Romney, the outgoing Republican governor of Massachusetts, has been burnishing his credentials with his party's conservative wing. Savior of the scandal-beset 2002 winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and an unlikely Republican who brought financial order to his liberal state, Mr. Romney's star has been rising."

Romney building Arizona 'network' for possible presidential bid

Romney building Arizona 'network' for possible presidential bid - The Business Journal of Phoenix:: "Romney also said he doesn't support same-sex marriages or civil unions and would only extend rights or benefits pertaining to hospital visitations.

He said last week's elections sent a message to the Republican Party that it strayed from its hallmarks of fiscal conservatism, strong national defense and small government, and maintained that 'Republicans shouldn't go liberal.'"

The American Debate | Based on '06, two rise to top for GOP in '08

Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/12/2006 | The American Debate | Based on '06, two rise to top for GOP in '08:
"So, for now, that leaves McCain and Romney. They are already competing fiercely for staff, money, and the loyalties of key players in those early primary states. More important, they both emerged from the '06 debacle with their profiles enhanced."

Mormon Mitt angling to thump Dems with silver spoon (Opinion)

BostonHerald.com - Opinion & Editorial: Mormon Mitt angling to thump Dems with silver spoon:
"With his rugged good looks, intelligence and self-confidence, Mitt Romney has what it takes to be elected president or cover boy for Mens Health magazine. The only question is: Can you really love a politician when you know he’s been seeing other states? "

Evangelicals vs. Mitt Romney (Opinion)

Daily Herald - Evangelicals vs. Mitt Romney:
"One of the supposedly insurmountable obstacles Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney could face in a presidential run is the GOP's evangelical Christian base. Evangelicals typically do not view Mormons as genuine 'Christians' because of doctrinal differences on the nature of God and the rules of salvation. They view them as cultists.

We're not sure why evangelicals would worry about such labels, especially since no flavor of faith can be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. Faith is a purely personal matter. Anyone with faith in God has already taken the plunge into the realm of the supernatural and therefore loses any right to criticize others who have done the same."

Lessons for the Presidential Election of 2008

Lessons for the Presidential Election of 2008 - Adam Nagourney - New York Times:
"If true, this could complicate the early maneuverings of Mr. McCain and another Republican contender, Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, both of whom have aggressively courted the party’s conservative base as they follow a variation of Mr. Rove’s politics.

Mr. Romney, eager to shed the baggage of being governor of one of the more liberal states in the nation, said he would press ahead in trumpeting his support for tax cuts and opposition to gay marriage."