new state blogsite

Check out a new blogsite out of Connecticut for Mitt Romney at http://nutmeggersformitt.blogspot.com/

lessons from flying mud

Running campaigns these days is a sophisticated science. At some point in the game, the "campaign equations" might tell the candidate, "you've got to go negative." This means to start getting negative information out there about the opponent. Unfortunately this can be quite effective in changing poll numbers in a short period of time. However, you can learn some good info when the mud starts flying.
These episodes give candidates an opportunity to address things that may have not yet been addressed.
They allow the voter to see how low a particular candidate (or their political adviser) is willing to stoop.
They can allow some great opportunites for (hopefully appropriate) counter-attacks (my post from 21 Sept. 2006 can apply to the counter-attack of a reporter, or of the opposing candidate).
You just have to hope that the voters will be discerning enough to know what mud is real, and what is fake.

new interview - No on I-933

Listen and see what you think about Mitt Romney by listening to http://www.redstate.com/stories/podcasts/redstate_radio_welcome_gov_mitt_romney

This evening I did some phone-banking for the No on I-933 initiative here in WA. It was good stuff. I spoke with some folks in Snohomish, WA about it. For more information go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-933_(Washington) and http://noon933.org/index.php
One reason not to like the inititative is because much of its funding comes from out of state.

I think if Mitt lived in WA he would vote No on I-933.

keeping wild parties in perspective

Did someone say the Mormon issue would not be big for Mitt? Check out http://www.scforromney.com/?p=42

I've been thinking about the nature of parties in politics. They are good and bad. Of course one bad part of parties is that they can have the tendency of creating contention and hatred. We seem to feel that a person's political party association is somehow right at the core of the person. And that seems to mean that they necessarily have conflict (at least in a general sense) with someone of the other party.

I believe that there is something deeper than political party affiliation at the core of every person. It is something which rather than pushes us apart, it ties us together. Namely, that we are all - every person born into this world - brothers and sisters. We therefore all have a responsibility of helping each other out. This idea should be primary and at the core. After this is understood, then one can more effectively go on to the outer-layer where political party values reside.

Mitt Romney is one who has this core principle at heart.

new blogsite for Mitt

Check out the new blog done by matt at http://mittin08.blogspot.com/ It has a nice design to it.

the counterattack

So, after suggesting items to avoid on the counterattack (see my post of Thursday Sept. 21), what options are left when wanting to respond to an attack on Mitt? A few ideas come to mind.
1. Address any items that are lies or part-truths by putting out the correct information and citing a source, if possible.
2. If the topic addressed by the attacker is a matter of opinion that cannot be proven, we can still give reasons why we don't agree with what they have to say by giving counter-examples, and citing sources.
3. When it comes to the situation where the columnist is against Mitt's position on a particular issue, then that's good. That's the battlefield where we want to be. Use whatever truthful and responsible literary means necessary to counter their reasons and support Mitt's position (which is hopefully your own personal position too). Remeber not to criticize in the ways mentioned on Thursday.
Don't forget that one can always bring up the point that Mitt Romney possesses more talents and skills as a leader than any other candidate.
Finally, going on the attack or counterattack should generally not take up much of a Mitt-promoter's time. I myself would try not to use more than 10%-15% of my output for addressing the negative or for addressing other candidates - while 85%-90% for promoting Mitt.

terms of engagement - Mitt attackers beware!

The other day I read some negative comments written about Mitt in the Boston Globe. One of the cool things about living in this decade is the ability to blog. Anyone with internet access can respond to anyone about anything (excepting in China and other places) - and the response can be viewed by anyone. The ordinary citizen can respond quickly and in a personal way to reporters and public figures. I must admit it is very tempting to strike back at the negative press toward Romney. I think that I would enjoy making fun of the reporter's writing, being sarcastic, or making a negative reference to something related to the reporter. But hold on - why not come up first with "rules of engagement" for myself before returning fire. So, here are some rules I've been thinking of when arguing with the criticizer:
1. Don't make fun of the reporter's family, their writing style, their religion, their personal history, the place where they live, their intelligence, their character, or whatever. Sarcasm can be one of the meanest forms of communication. (Though I think it may be appropriate in rare occasions. An historical instance that comes to mind is when Elijah mocked the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18:27.)
2. Consider that the reporter's comments may have some truth to them. Take them for what they are worth and learn from them.
3. Some people are so chronically negative or extra nasty that they loose their credibility. It may be best just to avoid responding to those folks. For instance, I personally don't think I'd bother commenting on what Hugo Chavez has to say.
4. Perhaps focus on just one point to counter, instead of trying to shoot down all the incoming rounds.
5. Keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times during the ride and...
6. Have fun!

so that Mitt is not condemned to repeat it

If I were president of the community college where I work, I might consider having a full-time historian as one of my close advisors. This person would record the day to day events, and also be an expert in the history of the college. That way when a difficult situation arose I could turn to the historian and say, "when did this happen last time? What were the outcomes?"

Optimally, every staff member working closely with the President of the U.S. (POTUS) will have a good handle on U.S. and world history - esp. as it pertains to their particular job. However, they often may not have the time to personally learn enough about pertinent historical events when a particular decision has to made very quickly. When Mitt is POTUS he could have a main historian, and also a cadre of historians to which he could turn at any time. They would have ready access to the histories of thousands of national and world events. These historians would be charged to not focus on suggesting policy - but rather to try and present history in as factual and objective a way as possible. (I tend to think those who are really partisan in their views - either to the right or left - wouldn't make good historians.) I think this could bring a greater perspective to all potential decisions made by the White House.

Surely there are plenty of folks already doing this kind of research for the POTUS you say? When I hear the term researcher I think expert in a certain field. I think that some of the researchers ought to be replaced with bona fide historians who aren't necessarily experts in a certain policy area, but rather experts at learning and explaining the stories of man(and woman!)kind on this planet.

received Mitthead buttons in mail

I just received the package of 10 Mitthead buttons in the mail from cafepress. They're very nice. The picture of Mitt is high enough resolution that you can count his teeth. So far 2 of the 5 buttons I am giving away through this site have been spoken for. (See post from 14 Sept.) I will mail out 3 more buttons to the next 3 Washington State residents who comment on this post, or who email me at iwantamittheadbutton@verizon.net

two links for an intro to Mitt

If you're interested in learning about Mitt Romney I would recommend first going to the Wikipedia entry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitt_Romney

Also, I would recommend the interview Mitt gave on the Charlie Rose show at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4362623183954478320&q=tvshow%3ACharlie_Rose

bleeding sticker and ANWR

As you can see at left, the ink on my new bumper sticker has bled a bit. The print-your-own bumper stickers were advertised as "water resistant." I forgot that there is a difference between "water resistant" and "water proof." Oh well.

Listening to the audiobook version of Jared Diamond's book, Collapse (good book, by the way), I have had some ideas about drilling in Alaska in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR). In the book Diamond gives two examples of oil drillings. The first was an Indonesian company Perdamina (sp?) in Salawati (sp?) Island. Perdamina pretty much ruined the place where they were drilling. The second is an example of Chevron drilling for oil in the Ketubah area of Papua New Guinea. Diamond explains how well Chevron has done in leaving as little an environmental impact as possible.

So, maybe some kind of compromise with ANWR could include the following ideas (I haven't done much reading on the subject, so perhaps these ideas have already been propsed):

1. Set a goal that before drilling in ANWR, the U.S. has to decrease the amount of oil consumed per person by a certain percent.

2. Once that goal is reached, have a company like Chevron do a similar job to what they have done in Papua New Guinea. See if they can't even improve the environment and wildlife situation up there where they are drilling. Have them put internet cameras all over their facilities so folks can check them out to see if they are keeping things clean.

3. Have a small resort up there where the public could come up and see the wildlife and go on tours of the drilling operations.

Go to http://www.glennbeck.com/audio/free-audio.shtml and click on Mitt Romney interview to hear his recent interview with Glenn Beck.

40% of buttons gone already!

Ok. As of now there are only 3 Mitthead buttons available for Washington State residents. I actually haven't received the buttons yet myself - I received an email yesterday (Sept. 14th) from cafepress saying the order had been shipped. So, it'll be probably sometime next week before the award recipients will receive their button.

How does the saying go, "Two Mittheads are better than one"?

Giving away 5 Mitthead buttons!

I just purchased a 10 pack of Mitthead buttons at http://www.cafepress.com/mittbazzare I will mail a Mitthead button to the first 5 persons who respond to this post. (Respondents need to have a Washington State mailing address. You can either respond to this post on blogger.com by posting a comment, or you can email me at iwantamittheadbutton@verizon.net

Thanks to Jeff Fuller for his list entitled, "How Can You Help Mitt Romney Win?!?" http://iowansformitt.pbwiki.com/How%20to%20Help%20Mitt%20Romney%20Win%20the%20GOP%20Nomination Good stuff. Check it out!

bumper stickers can make better drivers

Going around town today with the new bumper stickers I was a bit more conscious of my driving habits. I wouldn't want to cut someone off, for example, then have them right afterwards read the Mitt bumper stickers. Also, I'm planning on washing my car more frequently than usual.

What did the farmer's wife say about cleaning up Wilbur the pig in Charlotte's Web? A little buttermilk always does the trick?

picture of homemade bumper stickers

I've never put a bumper sticker onto my car - until today. Not only did I put on one - but I placed two. In trying to follow my bumper sticker theory (see post from below), I made my message a question and an invitation. The green of the sticker represents the ground, or the grassroots efforts of blogging for Mitt, while the blue represents the sky (here in WA we don't see the sky all that often - I'm pretty sure that's its color). The first bumper sticker has the ground and sky flip-flopped to represent the world kind of turning up-side-down. The idea of Mitt Romney as prez might be a change of world view for some people. (Or you could say the blue on bottom represents being on a boat out in the Puget Sound.)

Whereas in the second bumper sticker, we're back with the green on bottom and the blue up above. Things are right with the world again.









bumper sticker theory
Sometimes when you see a bumper sticker for a political candidate it's like right there, in your face. The driver of that vehicle supports that candidate and that's that.I personally like the political bumper stickers that not only support the candidate, but also have an extra message, or an invitation, or something humorous. That way the reader is engaged in making some kind of decision - rather than just seeing the candidate's name.(An example of a political message that's not just in your face, but has some humor to it are the Mitthead buttons at http://www.cafepress.com/mittbazzare Both the picture of the Mitt head and the term Mitthead provide some humorous effect. -- Also notice the Vote for Mitt Infant Creeper. Pretty Sweet.)So, an idea I came up with for a make-my-own-bumper sticker goes something like, "Will a MA gov B R next prez?"(I'd like to then put a website at the bottom of the bumper sticker a website like www.mittromney.org or .com - something easy for folks to remember - but those two sites aren't Romney sites (yet).

collegiate evergreen romneyism

Does anybody out there know of blog sites at colleges in our state where the good word about this site could be broadcast? Republican clubs, political clubs, that sort of thing? Surely some of the bigger schools (UW, Wazzu, others) must have something of this nature. If you can help me in this endeavor please post a comment here!!!

Thanks.

how to see in color

Today I went out and knocked on doors today for the No on I-933 campaign here in Washington State (check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-933 for some information). It was a good experience. The volunteers and organizers were great to work with. The folks who were at home were pleasant and most of them took a few minutes to listen to the spiel. From this experience I learned (or re-learned) a few things:

1. Rarely are political issues as black and white as most people explain them. When I go to print something from Microsoft Powerpoint, I can print in pure black and white, grayscale, or color. Not meaning to make anyone too upset, but when you go to the Republican or Democratic National Committee, for instance, to get a take on an issue - it's like printing out a pure black and white copy. To continue the analogy - perhaps you could go to an objective scientist to get the "grayscale" view of the issue. But in order to get the full color view of the issue - I guess that's what responsible voters are trying to get at all the time. And remember - even though the complete picture of an issue is in color - don't forget there is still black and white to be found in it.

2. It's important to follow the money trail when trying to get your mind around an issue. That doesn't necessarily mean that if one side gets lots of money, it's a bad thing. However, if the money is coming mostly from just a few folks - that generally is a bad thing. Alternatively, if there are a lot of volunteers on a side of an issue, that is likely a good sign. Granted, an occcasional volunteer may act like somewhat of a knucklehead who sees things mostly in black and white. But those who aren't paid for political grassroots efforts are at the least being honest to their personal core values.

Having said that, if you were to compare the number of grassroots bloggers out there for Mitt Romney, to bloggers for other candidates, you'd see that there's a good sign for Mitt's side.

Volunteerism

I was watching the C-Span interview last night (which was from earlier this year) at the national Mitt blogsite. The interviewer mentioned that mitt did not take a salary during his time at the Olympics, and has not during his time as governor. To be more specific, he has recieved salries from both positions, but has elected to give 100% of that money away. Mitt was asked to comment on this. He replied that since he has made more than enough money for his and his families needs in his business career, he viewed these two positions as volunteer service.

Is this common among politcians? If not I am completely blown away by how selfless this is!

become a Mitthead

If you are interested in becoming a Mitthead, go to the new blogsite http://www.mymanmitt.com/mittblog/. Click on the "Become A 'Mitthead'" link.

an electric Mittmobile

I was talking with a friend today at a Labor Day picnic. He has started using biodiesel to run his pick-up truck. I can't tell you how excited that made me. I'm a sucker for green energy solutions. He explained that petroleum-based diesel right now costs like $3.39 a gallon, while the biodiesel is $3.15. So, not only is this a green choice for my friend, it is also a good economic choice.

On the radio this evening was a story about the Oscar Mayer weinermobile. It sounds like there are six of these mobiles traveling across the country attending fairs and things. According to the the company's pr guy, it is still a worthwhile marketing campaign after like 80 years.

Stay with me here . . . What if Mitt Romney's campaign were to have a Mittmobile? On the roof of the vehicle would sit either a huge baseball mitt or an oven mitt. Then have it run on some alternative fuel - like biodiesel, ethanol - or even have it electric powered.

Unfortunately, such a ride may not be deemed too presidential. Perhaps, then, during campaign season it could be driven by Romney's campaign staff on the opposite side of the country from where Mitt himself is campaigning. Instead of answering tough questions about foreign policy, the national debt, and health care - the Mittmobile folks would be handing out campaign stickers, buttons, and candy.

Three reasons why this would be a great idea:
1. The Mittmobile would get a lot of press. It would be hard for the media not to follow such an oddity.
2. It would show support for renewable and alternative fuels.
3. The Romney campaign could be in two places at once.

Know who your supporters are

If you go to Romney's Commonwealth PAC site you will see that our own Mike McGavick is a beneficiary of official backing from it. Put out the word that Mitt Romney has a PAC that thinks highly enough of McGavick to finaincially back him. Those who are pro-McGavick would do well to know this.

And for us Pro-Romney folks, a victory for McGavick will be a victory for the commonwealth PAC, as they are putting their money where their mouth is in our own state.

why Mitt as Prez would be good for WA

#1 - Mitt is (or was) a big-time business man. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitt_Romney#Business). He knows what makes the economy run, and he knows how to balance a budget. He'd be good for business in WA.

#2 - Romney is a governor. Aren't governors more successful running for President than former senators? Romney is the head of the Republican Governor's Association (see http://www.rga.org/) so he has good connections with leaders in each state.

#3 - Mitt Romney is superb in a crisis. He turned around the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitt_Romney#CEO_of_the_Salt_Lake_Organizing_Committee); he's currently handling the Big Dig problems; and he helped turned around Bain Capital. Chances are Washington State will have a big crisis or two in the next decade. You want someone experienced in crisis management in the White House to help deal with what may come.

#4 - He's big on higher education. http://myclob.pbwiki.com/Education Washington desperately needs to improve in education at all levels - just like every other state.

Onto the real issues please!

As a follow up to the last posting on here about whether oven mitt is a christian or not, I will share a thread here from a posting I put onto the public blog at Soundpolitics.com . I publish this here to show that as we carry our message of mitt out into the the larger masses we are going to encounter many with stupid things to say. Unfortunately there are many who love to sling mud on the Right as well as the Left. I feel we ought to deflect issues of mitt's percieved Christianity by reminding people that that is not the issue when we talk politics, and religious tests for office are not compatible with true republican ideals. Here it is:

For those of you who are already interested in 2008 presidential politics, there is a relatively new blogsite for Mitt Romney fans in Washington State:
http://washingtoniansformitt.blogspot.com/
Even if you are unfamiliar with this blue state republican governor, please come check the site out. Thanks! Nivek Posted by kestosterone at August 28, 2006 09:47 AM

Posted by Nivek at August 28, 2006 12:15 PM

I'd never vote for a mormon for President. Too cultish.
If our nominee isnt Rudy Giuliani we might as well prepare for 8 years of Hillaretard

Posted by Joe Lieberman at August 31, 2006 03:30 PM

To "Joe Lieberman"
I was unaware that as Americans we are supposed to think it wise to apply religious tests as qualifiers of who we vote to public office. Refusing to vote for a person soleley on the basis of religion, without any reference to character or platform, how is that not bigotry? I hope you will reconsider your statement because it is the antithesis of much at the core of republican thought.
Disagree with Gov. Romney on issues or any percieved serious character defeciencies, but striking him out of your consideration on religion alone reinforces stereotypes about the Right that we have worked hard to overcome, and this attitude does not help our cause. Sounds like closed camp, small tent mentality.
Would it sound bad if I were to say "I would never vote for a practicing jew for any office"? Sounds horrible, how is your statement different? Sure you have the right as an American to think and act that way, but that does not make the behavior look intelligent, nor is it likely to inspire others on the swing or even on the other political side to consider and even join our points of view, thus pushing conservative ideals forward. It is likely to inspire the opposite.
So lets try again,
Tell me why Giuliani is more qualified than Romney, has a better plan, is of better character, has a better haircut, whatever, but please use something more intelligent than simply attacking a candidiates brand of faith.
This will lead to better dialogue, maybe you even could convince me to support Giuliani, but with your current approach, never.
Nivek
Posted by Nivek at August 31, 2006 04:40 PM