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From the National Journal's Daily Troika.
MA Gov. Mitt Romney, who campaigns in Greenville, SC for GOPers today, sent more than 1,000 Republicans in the state a glossy, eight-page brochure that reads like a campaign solicitation and lays out what amounts to a 10-point plan to reinvorgating the conservative movement. The 10/30-dated latter includes a message-testing "State of South Carolina Survey" that asks recipients to agree or disagree with 20 issue statements.
The letter also asks for money, with proceeds being directed to Commonwealth PAC affiliates in Iowa and Michigan.
The letter, written in Romney's name, states that conservatives "agree on a couple of very important things." They include a belief that "our government" is "growing again." Spending "in too many places is out of control." Also:
The US "cannot fail to defeat radical and violent Muslim extemists" worldwide.
The US "can and must secure our borders first" and "must also ensure our laws promote legal immigration."
"Affirming America's Culture and Values"
The US "must use every energy asset we have" and "develop alternatives that help our nation" on "the road to energy independence."
Conservatives must keep "taxes low" and simplify the tax code.
"Extending health care to all Americans" by "using market-based programs."
The US "must treat teaching as a true profession"
The US must "meet the economic rise of China and Asia head-on.
The US must continue "investing in technology."
Commonwealth PAC spokesman Jared Young said the letter was meant as a both a "survey of what issues are important to folks" as well as "a fundrasing letter." After 11/7, said Young,. "I think it's be safe to assume that the commonwealth pac will continue to help Republican candidates."
Mitt Romney consults evangelical leaders.
Governor Mitt Romney is convening meetings with small groups of evangelical leaders to seek guidance for his possible presidential run, as Romney and Mormon supporters intensify efforts to allay concerns about his faith.
Romney, who is ramping up preparations for a 2008 campaign, huddled privately at his Belmont home last Thursday with about a dozen evangelicals, including conservative activist Gary Bauer, president of the group American Values, and Richard Land, a prominent leader in the Southern Baptist Convention.
Two weeks earlier, Romney met with about a dozen Baptist pastors at a private club in Columbia, S.C. Today, he is set to meet with more Christian leaders at an activist's home in Greenville, S.C.
The meetings have touched on several themes, participants say, but two topics being discussed are Romney's religious beliefs and how he should address his faith as the campaign progresses.
Romney's meetings with evangelicals, which are reminiscent of a similar effort by President Bush before he ran for president in 2000, take place as groups and individuals separate from Romney's political team are trying to improve the public perception of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Polls indicate that the religion is widely misunderstood and viewed skeptically by many in the United States.
Read the rest of the article at The Boston Globe.
The opinion of one of the Pastors that met with Mitt Romny (copied from Jeff Hamrick Online).
I had the rare opportunity to sit down with about a dozen other pastors in our area to meet and talk with Massachussetts Governor and hopeful 2008 Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney.
He's a level-headed conservative with an impressive track record in Massachussetts. He revolutionized health care in his state by - get this - removing government regulations and allowing the market to provide affordable products for individuals.
How a conservative Mormon even lives in Teddy Kennedy's neck of the woods is impressive enough.
Romney shares many of our current president's values, and at the same time, seems to have a better managerial philosophy - especially when it comes to the War on Terror.
I wonder if being a conservative person without the "evangelical" or "fundamentalist" labels will work to his advantage with people who vote conservatively when it comes to social and fiscal issues.
It will definitely be interesting to see how the next presidential election comes down.
Right now it seems like the Republican hopefuls are John McCain, Rudy Giulliani, George Allen, Mitt Romney, and possibly Mike Huckabee.
The problem is: half of these guys won't ever have enough cash to campaign - especially against Hillary Clinton, who will have truckloads of money delivered to her from Hollywood and the Unions.
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