Statement On The Ames Straw Poll

Wednesday, Jun 06, 2007

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Kevin Madden (857) 288-6390

 

Boston, MA – Today, Romney for President spokesman Kevin Madden issued the following statement on the Ames Straw Poll:

 

"Governor Romney has put in the time, built the organization and communicated his message to the voters of Iowa. It's a message focused on bringing conservative change to Washington, and it is resonating with Iowa voters because it matches his record of accomplishment as governor.

 

"Our plan all along has been to play in the Iowa straw poll, and that hasn't changed. Campaigns that have decided to abandon Ames are likely doing so out of a recognition that their organizations are outmatched and their message falls flat with Republican voters in Iowa.

 

"It looks as if we just beat those campaigns in Iowa two months earlier than we had planned on beating them."

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In Case You Missed It: Governor Mitt Romney On Last Night's Debate

Wednesday, Jun 06, 2007

 

Governor Mitt Romney Interview With Fox News' Carl Cameron

Fox News' "America's Newsroom"

 

Governor Romney On The Republican Three-Legged Stool:

 

Fox News' Carl Cameron: "Good morning. It is the morning after, but it's not a political hangover. It puts a spring in your step when you've got a debate in New Hampshire, and one of the frontrunners in the race, Governor Mitt Romney joins us. Well, so last night, 120 minutes of debating with your rivals. Give us your thumb-nail assessment."

 

Governor Mitt Romney: "Well, I was very pleased. A couple of things happened. One was Senator McCain and I were able to distinguish ourselves on the issue of immigration in a way that I think will be lasting in people's minds. The other was with regards to Mayor Giuliani. I speak about three-legs to the Republican stool being necessary to win a general election, which is a conservative base in terms of military, economic and family and family values. And he talks about a two-legged stool. And so I think those distinctions are going to be memorable and probably set a bit of the course for the future of this campaign."

 

Cameron: "He says his two-legged stool is economic and national security. You add family values to the three pegs of the stool. What does that omission to you say about Rudy Giuliani?"

 

Governor Romney: "He has a different view with regards to the matter of life and other issues. For me, the most important work that's going on in America that affects our future is the work that goes on within the four walls of the American home. And you either believe that or you believe no, it's mostly policy and government. And I believe in policy and government, but I also believe the home is where the action is for the future of this country. And that we, as a society, are going to need to strengthen the American home. Schools, health care, environment all come together to strengthen our homes."

 

Cameron: "Does the absence of that emphasis on the family weaken his candidacy as a Republican candidate?"

 

Governor Romney: "I think we're better if we have a three-legged stool and if we have all parts of our campaign focused on those issues and that's exactly what I intend to do."

 

To watch Governor Romney speak about the three-legged Republican stool, please see:

 

Governor Romney On The Republican Three-Legged Stool

 

Governor Romney On Immigration Reform:

 

Cameron: "You mention the distinctions between yourself and Senator McCain on immigration. Obviously, he's pushing the immigration reform bill in Congress, one of the sponsors of it, and you're opposed to that. We were led to believe that yesterday was going to be a bit of a confrontation between the two of you and it might have been a bit feisty and yet it didn't happen. It seemed to be much more decorous. Why?"

 

Governor Romney: "Well, I like John McCain and he campaigned for me as I pointed out during the debate. There's no particular reason for us to be angry with one another. We just have a differing view on basically one major part of the bill, and that's the idea that all of those that are here illegally today would be able to stay and have permanent residency in this country. And he points to the fact that well, it's going to take them 12 years to get citizenship. Well, that's not the point. The point is they all get to stay and that's something which I think is just unfair to the many, many immigrants who would like to come here to get joined with family members to bring skill and education to our society. We just have an agreement to disagree, and I think the great majority of the Republicans, and I think the entire country that focuses on this, will come to agree that that's just not fair."

 

Cameron: "He might quibble with the idea that there's an agreement. Yesterday, he made it very clear that he thinks those who are criticizing the proposals, it's time to put up or shut up and come up with a plan. When do we see Mitt Romney's immigration treatise?"

 

Governor Romney: "No candidate for president drafts legislation. That doesn't go on, you talk about what your positions are. My position is this: enforce the current law, that's a plan. You don't have to draft any new legislation for that. You can enforce the current law and that includes securing the border and having an employment verification system. That's in the current law. Alternatively, if you want to fix the bill that's before Congress right now, simply take that Z visa which can be extended indefinitely and make it temporary. Don't allow it to be extended indefinitely. You make that change, you improve the bill a lot."

 

To watch Governor Romney address the need for immigration reform, please see:

 

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What They're Really Saying About Governor Mitt Romney At The New Hampshire GOP Debate - Vol. IV

 

Frank Luntz On Fox News' "Fox & Friends":

 

Frank Luntz: "There was one candidate that did even better than Rudy in our dials and it was Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. Watch how the dials react to his expression and communication about his religion."

 

Governor Mitt Romney: "Well, President Kennedy some time ago said he was not a Catholic running for president, he was an American running for president. And I'm happy to be a proud member of my faith. You know, I think it's a fair question for people to ask, what do you believe? And I think if you want to understand what I believe, you could recognize that the values that I have are the same values you'll find in faiths across this country. I believe in God, believe in the Bible, believe Jesus Christ is my savior. I believe that God created man in his image. I believe that the freedoms of man derive from inalienable rights that were given to us by God. And I also believe that there are some pundits out there..."

 

Fox News' Steve Doocy: "Frank?"

 

Luntz: "It's off the chart. It's actually off the chart."

 

Doocy: "Have you ever seen this before? Does that happen very often?"

 

Luntz: "It happens once or twice every hour, that's it. In a full hour's worth of communication, maybe two candidates in one response will do well. So let's close with what they had to say about Romney. The group, only six or seven people who walked into the room were choosing Romney when the debate began. Watch what happens when the debate's over and what they had to say."

 

Panel Member: "His answers, he's just answering the questions right off the bat. He's not giving any bull."

 

Panel Member: "He's answering the questions more directly."

 

Panel Member: "He's not backing down from his answers, he's standing firm on them, whether you like them or not."

 

Panel Member: "He's answering the questions the best he can, honestly."

 

Panel Member: "He's a very good communicator and he sticks by his answers."

 

Panel Member: "I feel he's very knowledgeable in a comprehensive way. He covers a lot of territory."

 

Panel Member: "He handled the Mormon thing as good as he should have, and it's time that Wolf Blitzer gets another subject."

 

...

 

Doocy: "And the winner was?"

 

Luntz: "Mitt Romney."

 

To watch the full clip, please watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bIa7DfW-YU

 

What They're Really Saying About Governor Mitt Romney At The New Hampshire GOP Debate - Vol. III

 

Wednesday, Jun 06, 2007

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Kevin Madden (857) 288-6390

 

Politico's Roger Simon: "Here are the winners and losers of Tuesday night's Republican presidential debate, accurate to three decimal places. FIRST PLACE: Mitt Romney. Analysis: Strong, clear, gives good sound bite..." (Roger Simon, "Debate Winners! Guaranteed Accurate!" The Politico, 6/5/07)

 

CNN's Bill Schneider: "Romney made a compelling case." (CNN's "Post-Debate Coverage," 6/5/07)

 

Politico's Jonathan Martin: "...Mitt Romney also turned in a good performance." (Jonathan Martin, "My Final Take," The Politico, 6/5/07)

 

Boston Globe's Scot Lehigh: "Bottom line: Romney was most polished..." (Scot Lehigh, Op-Ed, "Essential Qualities," The Boston Globe, 6/6/07)

 

Political Strategist Mike Murphy: "Romney is on his game tonight, I'll say that." (CNN's Political Ticker, 6/5/07)

 

CNN's Natalie Apsell: "Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney also received audience cheers tonight after he fielded an immigration question." (Natalie Apsell, "Audience Cheers Tancredo And Romney On Immigration," CNN, 6/5/07)

 

New York Sun's Seth Gitell: "Mr. Romney had a good moment when an audience member asked him about his Spanish language Web site. Mr. Romney quipped, 'I love legal immigrants coming to the country, and I hope they vote for me.'" (Seth Gitell, "Seriousness Dominates GOP Debate," New York Sun, 6/6/07)

 

The Weekly Standard's Fred Barnes: "Romney was fine, too. It was clear he's figured out and was trying to emulate one of Reagan's traits: unbridled optimism. And he was pretty good at it. Most of Romney's answers included a reference to his personal optimism or his 'vision' for the 21st century..." (Fred Barnes, Op/Ed, "Nice Guys In New Hampshire," The Weekly Standard, 6/5/07)

 

National Review's John Derbyshire: "Romney: Great to hear these guys talking with such expertise and (in Romney's case) authority on a Dem issue like health care." (John Derbyshire, "Debate," National Review Online, http://corner.nationalreview.com/, Posted 6/5/07)