Romney 'to release tax returns'

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22 January 2012 Last updated at 17:19 GMT Mr Romney has emphasised his success as a venture capitalist US Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has said he will release recent tax returns on Tuesday.

Mr Romney, the early favourite in primary elections, appeared embarrassed during the South Carolina campaign by the issue of how much tax he paid.

Last week he said he in effect paid 15%, less than most working Americans.

Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina primary on Saturday by an unexpectedly wide margin, beating the former Massachusetts governor by 40% to 28%.

The candidate winning South Carolina has gone on to win the Republican nomination in each election since 1980.

Two other candidates, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul, polled 18% and 13% respectively.

'Full fair taxes'

Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Mr Romney said the question of tax had become a distraction for his campaign, and he wanted to re-focus on the main issues.

"I will release my tax returns for 2010, which is the last returns which were completed, on Tuesday of this week," he said.

Continue reading the main story Thought to be worth $190-250mFamily received at least $9.6m in income from Jan 2010 to Sept 2011Investments worth up to $32m in offshore holdingsAt least six funds set up in Cayman Islands tax haven, according to AP"And I will also release at the same time an estimate for 2011 tax returns."

"I know people will try and find something, but we pay full fair taxes and I'm sure people will find it's a substantial amount," he added.

Correspondents say Mr Romney has campaigned on the strength of his success as an entrepreneur, but as a wealthy patrician figure he is regarded negatively by some conservatives.

He is a multi-millionaire with three homes and lives mainly on income from his investments, for which only 15% tax is payable.

He has been criticised for describing payments totalling $373,000 (£240,000) in a year for paid speeches as "not very much" money.

Mr Romney had led the Republican field since November and appeared to have won the first two contests of the campaign, in Iowa and New Hampshire.

But the Iowa caucus result was overturned in a recount which gave a narrow victory to Mr Santorum.

Battleground state Continue reading the main story And Mr Gingrich, who polled poorly in both Iowa and New Hampshire, appeared to find his stride in South Carolina, attacking Mr Romney over his business and tax records.

BBC North America editor Mark Mardell, in South Carolina, says a Gingrich win is important, because all along the story of this race has been the search by conservatives for an alternative to Mr Romney.

It is just possible they have settled on Mr Gingrich, and at the very least such a result will puncture the sense that eventually Mr Romney will triumph, our correspondent adds.

The contest for the next state, Florida, is now seen as crucial, being a major battleground state in the US general election, with a diverse electorate and where a lot of money will be spent campaigning.

Primaries and caucuses will be held in every US state over the next few months to pick a Republican nominee before the eventual winner is anointed at the party convention in August to take on Democratic President Barack Obama in November.

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Tea Party Disses Romney

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It's official; Mitt Romney is not the Tea Party's favorite.

Adam Brandon, vice president of communications for FreedomWorks, told whispers that if Mitt Romney were the candidate he'd generate about as much support from the Tea Party as Sen. John McCain garnered from conservatives in 2008—reluctant votes at best, but little enthusiasm. [Whispers: Tea Party Budget Cuts $9 Trillion.]

"We need someone who is able at the end of the day to get people excited, we need enthusiasm not just someone conservatives prefer over Obama," said Brandon.

Romney leads many GOP polls and his polished message is starting to resonate with some in the established GOP. But it's candidates like conservative businessman and talk show host Herman Cain who are getting attention from the Tea Party. [Check out political cartoons about the 2012 GOP field.]

"There's a lot of excitement about Cain not necessarily because he's got the perfect plan, but he's bold, he's getting out there," said Brandon "Is he sticky? I don't know, but a lot of Tea Partiers are looking at him."

Brandon has seen similar enthusiasm for Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry over the months, but it's since faded.

Still, Brandon is confident an anti-Romney candidate will become clearer and whoever that candidate is, the Tea Party would get behind them. [See political cartoons about the Tea Party.]

"Whoever the Tea Party supports is going to be the person who's not necessarily right on all the issues, but is able to get people fired up," he said.

And if the presidential race fails to jazz the Tea Party activists FreedomWorks represents, they'll shift to state races where candidates in Texas and Ohio are winning the movement's support.

"It will be disappointing if there wasn't a presidential candidate that the Tea Party loved, but there is plenty to get excited about in state races," said Brandon.

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Democrats Continue to Rip Romney

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Mitt Romney is becoming the favorite target of President Obama's re-election campaign and the Democratic party as Romney seems increasingly likely to be the GOP presidential nominee.

The latest example: the Democratic National Committee's angry E-mail to supporters in the battleground state of Michigan. It accuses Romney of neglecting the interests of auto workers because, at a GOP debate this week, Romney said he opposed the federal bailout of the auto industry, centered in Michigan.

[Check out our editorial cartoons on the GOP.]

In an E-mail entitled "Mitt's auto-recovery flip-flop," DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse says, "Mitt's latest position is that the auto industry shouldn't have been pulled back from the brink of disaster. But as Michiganders know, the president's decision to provide loans to automakers was the right one. The recovery package worked, two great American companies are back on their feet, and more than 1.4 million Americans still have jobs."

Woodhouse adds: "We all know Mitt's out of touch with the middle class, that he's the kind of guy who will put what's right for his campaign ahead of what's right for the country. He's already flip-flopped on health care, gay rights, a woman's right to choose, education funding, the Recovery Act, and even his opinion of President Ronald Reagan. Still, the sheer audacity of it all never ceases to amaze me. Does he think people won't notice the lack of leadership? Does he think voters won't care? Well, we have noticed, and we're going to make sure American voters do, too."

[Vote now: Who is your pick for the 2012 GOP nomination?]

The DNC E-mail follows an anti-Romney blast by David Axelrod, Obama's chief strategist. In a conference call with reporters yesterday. Axelrod said Romney is "stunningly inconsistent" on issues, and his history of flip-flops needs to be brought to the attention of the American people.

In the past, there has been reluctance by Democrats and Obama strategists to focus on Romney because they were worried that such attacks would give Romney more stature as a formidable adversary. Now that reluctance has faded as the former Massachusetts governor seems to be consolidating his lead for the GOP nomination and Democrats perceive a need to deepen public doubts about him.

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Front-runner Romney Raises $14M

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Mitt Romney raised more than $14 million for his presidential campaign in the third quarter, signaling the Republican front-runner's fund-raising remains healthy despite big swings in opinion polls.

Texas governor Rick Perry, who hauled in $17 million in the same period, is likely his only rival to top that figure. It was Perry's first reporting period after a late entry into the race.

The Republican race to take on Obama has had wild swings, though Romney has stayed near the top throughout. Perry's entry caused a splash before a series of missteps, while pizza executive Herman Cain is leading some polls now.

[See a collection of political cartoons on the 2012 GOP hopefuls.]

Still, Romney has taken the mantle of front-runner in many ways in recent weeks, solidifying support from a broad array of the Republican establishment and big time donors.

Romney's campaign on Friday also said the campaign had $14 million in cash on hand, with 83 percent of the donations in increments of $250 or less.

Expectations had been that Romney and most other candidates in the 2012 election would pull in less cash than in the three months ended in June, when Romney took in $18 million.

The third fund-raising quarter is typically weak, largely due to the summer vacation season.

President Barack Obama's campaign reported raising $70 million in the third quarter, including funds raised for the Democratic National Committee.

[View a slide show of 10 reasons Obama should be re-elected.]

The election is expected to be the priciest ever, with Obama expected to raise more than his record-breaking $750 million from 2008.

After Supreme Court and other legal decisions loosening campaign finance rules, proliferation of outside spending groups with no contribution limits will add hundreds of millions of dollars in new cash.

"Past a certain threshold, money is not going to be as decisive this time," said Norm Ornstein, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.

Cain does not have a large fundraising operation and raised only $2 million in the second quarter, but he could see a bump after a surprise win in a Florida straw poll and his advancement in national polls.

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Pro-Perry Pastor Blasts Romney, Calls Mormonism a 'Cult'

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Home > Politics & Policy > Ken Walsh's Washington > Pro-Perry Pastor Blasts Romney, Calls Mormonism a 'Cult'

October 7, 2011 Print

Robert Jeffress, a controversial Baptist pastor from Texas, is causing Texas Gov. Rick Perry some heartburn on the campaign trail.

Jeffress, who endorsed Perry and introduced him at the Values Voter Summit, claimed that one of the reasons who he's opposed to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is because Mormonism is a "cult," although he said he never discussed that issue with Perry. He also accused Romney of flip-flopping on abortion, and said that if Romney is the nominee, "Obama will win re-election." Citing his religious background and positions, Jeffress says "Romney will not energize evangelical Christians."

Tags:politics, Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Mormonism, 2012 presidential election, republican party

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Romney Channels Bush on Foreign Policy

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Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney chose the 10th anniversary of the Bush administration's post-9/11 Afghanistan invasion to deliver the first major foreign policy speech of his 2012 campaign. With Romney hoping to set himself apart from President Obama, his speech was almost as much of a reminder of President George W. Bush's policies as the anniversary itself.

Channeling the well-worn Republican theme of "American exceptionalism," Romney's plan, as outlined Friday at the Citadel in South Carolina, centers on a proactive approach to foreign policy. [See our collection of political cartoons on Afghanistan.]

"This century must be an American century. In an American century, America has the strongest economy and the strongest military in the world. In an American century, America leads the free world and the free world leads the entire world," Romney said. "America is not destined to be one of several equally balanced global powers. America must lead the world, or someone else will."

He spoke of the threat of Islamic fundamentalism and warned of the dangers of regimes with "anti-American visions" like Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and Cuba. His policy will also be guided by a belief that "America must promote open markets, representative government, and respect for human rights."

More like Bush and unlike the more libertarian wing of his party, he also suggested a willingness to keep defense budgets high, bulking up the U.S. Navy by speeding up the pace of shipbuilding from nine ships a year to 15. In his first 100 days in the Oval Office, he would reverse cuts passed under Obama on national missile defense too. [Read more about defense cuts.]On Afghanistan, Romney repeated his view that decisions about troops should be made by military leaders on the ground, rather than by Washington. He plans to issue a review of the Afghanistan transition upon taking office. "The force level necessary to secure our gains and complete our mission successfully is a decision I will make free from politics," he said.

Romney seemed most eager to attack Obama's recent foreign policy, echoing the criticism in Washington regarding the president's lack of clarity and vision. "It is far too easy for a president to jump from crisis to crisis, dealing with one hot spot after another. But to do so is to be shaped by events rather than to shape events," Romney said. "To avoid this paralyzing seduction of action rather than progress, a president must have a broad vision of the world coupled with clarity of purpose."

According to his top foreign policy advisors, which include several former Bush administration officials, one thing that contrasts him from both Bush and Obama is his economics-based approach to Latin America, which he says would "contrast the benefits of democracy, free trade, and free enterprise against the material and moral bankruptcy of the Venezuelan and Cuban model." [Read about the pending trade deals in Colombia and Panama.]

While surely his anti-Obama, pro-American message will resonate with lots of Republicans, he might have a harder time winning over the more fiscally-minded segments of the right, like some in the Tea Party or those who prefer a more isolationist strategy, like that espoused by his 2012 foe Texas Rep. Ron Paul.

As for getting supporters of Obama's foreign policy strategy on his side, Romney doesn't seem to care. "If you do not want America to be the strongest nation on Earth, I am not your president," he said. "You have that president today."

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Axelrod suggests Romney as 'Amazingly inconsistent'

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney contradicts "amazing" to the questions and his flip flopping is David Axelrod, the Chief campaign strategist for President Obama finally catch up with him, said this afternoon. Axelrod accused Romney of being ", honestly, brazen in its position on the economy, health care, abortion and other issues".

[See the political cartoons of 2012 GOP candidate.]

Axelrod comments to part of the recent democratic efforts against Romney, the GOP front-runner, as not trustworthy and willing to say what it takes to chosen. Democratic National Committee released a new video today say that despite his claim, in which the middle class, Romney is running, "range to help." See the DNC video here:

Axelrod, "I presume to say he is the candidate, but he deserves it, not be performed," told reporters in a Conference. He predicted that Romney to explain or justify his flip flops, such as the campaign will have intensified more and more problems. It is important for the candidates and to keep their promises, Axelrod said, and added, that every candidate record, ideas and character should be carefully considered. "Presidential campaigns are MRI for the soul", noticed the Obama consultants.

[Read: to draw Democrats, on the website Romney as a Flip-Flopper.]

Romney the answer to this criticism is that his views can change if conditions change, but he is a conservative at heart. Romney helper that the Obama tried, failure of the economy strengthen the attention of his Government and create jobs argue.

Axelrod said Texas Governor Rick Perry, Romney competition for the GOP nomination has he was time in debates, try that former Massachusetts Governor point out inconsistencies, but "he does not exactly become the pistol from the Holster."

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Perry to Unleash the Attack Dogs on Romney

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One way to deter Mitt Romney in his bid for the Republican presidential nomination would be to wage a slash-and-burn campaign of television ads against him. After another lackluster performance in last night's GOP presidential debate, that seems to be what Texas Gov. Rick Perry is prepared to do.

[Read: Pro-Perry Pastor Blasts Romney, Calls Mormonism a 'Cult']

Perry raised $17 million in the last quarter, more than any other GOP candidate, so he will have sufficient money to finance an air campaign in the early battleground states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina and Florida. And he is likely to do it soon, GOP strategists say, because the first caucuses and primaries are only about 90 days away.

Romney remains ahead of his rivals in most opinion polls for the GOP nomination. Republican veterans say that, as the nominating contests approach and as time slips away, attack politics might be the only way to stop him. [Read why the early primary hurts Perry and helps Romney.]

Perry has used harsh critiques against his opponents throughout his political career in Texas. And he gave a preview of things to come this week when he released a hard-hitting web video attacking Romney for his support as governor of the controversial Massachusetts healthcare law. The Perry ad says that law cost thousands of jobs and was the template for the national healthcare overhaul that President Obama backed and that remains extremely unpopular among conservatives. The ad seeks to tie Romney not only to Obama but also to former President Jimmy Carter, a derided figure among conservatives. Carter endorsed Romney's healthcare reform.

In the New Hampshire debate last night, Romney defended that law as appropriate for Massachusetts but added that he wouldn't impose it on the entire nation.

[See a collection of political cartoons on the 2012 GOP hopefuls.]

Romney was widely viewed as the winner of the debate. He showed his usual steadiness and an ability to deflect potentially embarrassing questions. Perry, who is still in the top tier of GOP candidates, took a back seat to other GOP hopefuls, including businessman Herman Cain, who is surging in the polls.

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Why Romney Could Still Win in the Conservative South

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He had been considered the front-runner even before he declared his candidacy, but in the past few weeks, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is more often the runner-up.

Once the conservative Texas Gov. Rick Perry threw his cowboy hat into the ring for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination, the seemingly more moderate candidate, Romney, has lost momentum in national polls. But while Perry's southern regional charm and conservative ideology certainly pose extra challenges for the once-on-top contender, Romney could still have plenty of time to make up the difference—even in the deep red South where the latest conventional wisdom seems to write him off.

[Read more about the 2012 presidential election.]

As of Tuesday, according to the RealClearPolitics nationwide polling average, Romney trails Perry 18 percent to 23 percent. Former Alaska Republican Gov. Sarah Palin, who's not even in the race yet, is next with 10.5 percent, followed by other more conservative candidates, like Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who both average in single digits. Up against the rest of these top players, Romney, who has gained negative attention from conservative voters over some policies he's backed in the past, like Massachusetts' health insurance mandate, appears to be more to the center. In order to win the more conservative primaries, then, experts say Romney will have to work hard to convince voters that his commitment to conservative, small-government values is up to their standards, especially in states like South Carolina, considered to be the most to the right among the red states.

Up to now, it's left to be seen whether his campaign has decided play a strong primary game the South. Though he made headlines speaking in Texas on Tuesday, Romney has been spending more of his time recently in New Hampshire, where the first primary is expected to happen. His campaign announced Tuesday that on Labor Day, he'll be speaking to conservatives in the Granite State as a headliner for a Tea Party rally there rather than joining the other five top-polling GOP candidates at the Palmetto Freedom Forum the same day in South Carolina hosted by Sen. Jim DeMint and the American Principles Project. While Romney's planned absence at Freedom Forum event has led some to suggest that he might be ignoring the South, his campaign insists that's not the case and says he has other plans to visit South Carolina in September. His spokesperson, Andrea Saul, says the campaign wants "to win anywhere [his] name is on the ballot."

Some political analysts say that's entirely possible, but others have serious doubts. According to Jennifer Duffy, a political editor at the Cook Political Report, although Romney received endorsements from conservatives like DeMint in 2008, there are more conservative candidates out there, and the Tea Party has upped the ante. "If Romney stands a chance [in South Carolina], it's because other people imploded," says Duffy. "They've set a pretty high bar for conservatives in South Carolina. Bachmann crosses it. Perry crosses it. Now, I don't think that Romney crosses it."

[See a gallery of political cartoons on the 2012 GOP field.]

South Carolinian Robert Oldendick, executive director of the Institute for Public Service and Policy Research at the University of South Carolina, agrees that Romney doesn't quite match up to the more libertarian leanings of the state. "He doesn't have the kind of record in terms of conservative issue positions that really resonate with the primary voters that are going to turn out in South Carolina," Oldendick says. "Whoever that candidate is on the more conservative side of the Republicans will win this state."

In addition to political ideology, Romney's Mormon faith could pose a problem with some voters, though Oldendick suspects that won't be as big of an issue for him as his policies. Duffy also says regionalism is something that could work against Romney, especially with Texas-bred Perry in the race. People tend to like people who are most like them, she says, and for southerners who identify with place, that's not the East Coast businessman Romney. "Perry does get to be that southern candidate," says Duffy.

Updated on 08/30/11: Romney’s campaign has announced that he has changed his schedule and will now be attending the Palmetto Freedom Forum event in South Carolina. “We’re pleased we were able to arrange our schedule so that Gov. Romney can attend Labor Day events in both New Hampshire and South Carolina,” Romney spokesperson Andrea Saul said in an E-mail to reporters on Tuesday afternoon.

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Romney Starting to Grow on Republicans

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As the door closes on the 2012 Republican presidential field apparently without another heavyweight joining, many in the GOP establishment and conservative circles say they are starting to warm up to Mitt Romney, especially now that Texas Gov. Rick Perry's presidential might is being questioned.

That's no surprise to Ben Coes, who ran Romney's 2002 winning gubernatorial campaign. "Cream rises to the top," said Coes, a Boston businessman and author whose second thriller, Coup D'Etat, has just been released.

[Read: Slow and Steady, Romney Gains on Perry in GOP Debate.]

Coes tells Whispers that Romney's second try for the presidency has similarities to Romney's 2002 campaign, which followed his unsuccessful challenge to the late Sen. Edward Kennedy in 1994. Namely, that while he lost in his first statewide Massachusetts campaign, he made a good name for himself that he was able to capitalize on for his second campaign.

Like in 2002, said Coes, in the current presidential campaign, "people know Mitt. At least they know him better." And, he said, "the more they see him, the better and better he looks."

What's different this time compared to 2008, added the author, is that Romney isn't trying to force himself on the voters, instead allowing his personality and humor to sort of trickle out. "He's letting people come to him and get to know him," said Coes, who described Romney as privately personable, supportive and humorous, a description many of those who know Romney repeat.

[See cartoons about the GOP hopefuls.]

"They're going to come back," he said of Republican voters to Romney.

Several conservatives Whispers interviewed agree. "After seeing him in so many debates, I think we're starting to warm to him. We're starting to feel more comfortable with him," said a prominent conservative who had favored Perry.

Conservatives have been concerned about Romney's positions on health care reform and abortion, but concede that none of the candidates are both ideologically pure and have the ability to win. "He can win," said one.

[See who's in and who's out of the 2012 GOP race.]

Coes latest book describes a potential nuclear war between India and Pakistan and how the U.S. gets involved to overthrow the Pakistani government. "It's fictional only because it hasn't happened yet," says Coes.

The author says that the Romneys are big fans of his two books. Romney even conducted an interview of the author on the audio version of Coes first book, Power Down.

"He's very encouraging," Coes says of his mentor Romney.

Corrected on 09/28/11: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified Ben Coes. He is an author and businessman.

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Romney Starting to Grow on Republicans

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As the door closes on the 2012 Republican presidential field apparently without another heavyweight joining, many in the GOP establishment and conservative circles say they are starting to warm up to Mitt Romney, especially now that Texas Gov. Rick Perry's presidential might is being questioned.

That's no surprise to Ben Coes, who ran Romney's 2002 winning gubernatorial campaign. "Cream rises to the top," said Coes, a Boston businessman and author whose second thriller, Coup D'Etat, has just been released.

[Read: Slow and Steady, Romney Gains on Perry in GOP Debate.]

Coes tells Whispers that Romney's second try for the presidency has similarities to Romney's 2002 campaign, which followed his unsuccessful challenge to the late Sen. Edward Kennedy in 1994. Namely, that while he lost in his first statewide Massachusetts campaign, he made a good name for himself that he was able to capitalize on for his second campaign.

Like in 2002, said Coes, in the current presidential campaign, "people know Mitt. At least they know him better." And, he said, "the more they see him, the better and better he looks."

What's different this time compared to 2008, added the author, is that Romney isn't trying to force himself on the voters, instead allowing his personality and humor to sort of trickle out. "He's letting people come to him and get to know him," said Coes, who described Romney as privately personable, supportive and humorous, a description many of those who know Romney repeat.

[See cartoons about the GOP hopefuls.]

"They're going to come back," he said of Republican voters to Romney.

Several conservatives Whispers interviewed agree. "After seeing him in so many debates, I think we're starting to warm to him. We're starting to feel more comfortable with him," said a prominent conservative who had favored Perry.

Conservatives have been concerned about Romney's positions on health care reform and abortion, but concede that none of the candidates are both ideologically pure and have the ability to win. "He can win," said one.

[See who's in and who's out of the 2012 GOP race.]

Coes latest book describes a potential nuclear war between India and Pakistan and how the U.S. gets involved to overthrow the Pakistani government. "It's fictional only because it hasn't happened yet," says Coes.

The author says that the Romneys are big fans of his two books. Romney even conducted an interview of the author on the audio version of Coes first book, Power Down.

"He's very encouraging," Coes says of his mentor Romney.

Corrected on 09/28/11: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified Ben Coes. He is an author and businessman.

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Slow and Steady, Romney Gains on Perry in GOP Debate

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Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney didn't exactly wow observers of Thursday night's GOP debate, and he didn't exactly disappoint them, either. Romney has always had trouble connecting with voters and shaking off his white-collar image, but the two-time presidential candidate has learned how to hold his own on camera and deflect potshots from opponents, while also making a few deft stabs of his own. Thursday night, he even got a few off-the-cuff jokes in.

But with the conservative, Tea Party oriented side of the GOP divided, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry failing to impress, Romney's path to the nomination is looking brighter.

As expected, Romney and Perry continued to tussle on Romney's Massachusetts healthcare law, Social Security, and immigration. Romney kept up his attacks on Perry, accusing him of flip-flopping on whether Social Security needs to be reformed or abolished. "There's a Rick Perry out there that is saying—and almost to quote—it says that the federal government shouldn't be in the pension business, that it's unconstitutional," Romney said. "So you better find that Rick Perry and get him to stop saying that." Perry returned fire by blasting the healthcare overhaul law Romney passed in Massachusetts. Romney didn't break new ground—he raised points he's raised in several previous debates—but his onslaught, along with shots at the Perry from others on the stage, got the Texas governor on the defensive, and highlighted his still-muddled positions on Social Security and economic recovery. He's still taking shots from most of the field of candidates, and the beating took a toll as the debate wore on. A puzzling answer on the threat of nuclear weapons in Pakistan made Perry look unprepared on foreign policy.

[See cartoons about the GOP hopefuls.]

With the Romney-Perry battle becoming familiar, the second-tier candidates may have been one of the big stories of Thursday night's debate. Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann continues to fade, but businessman Herman Cain and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum both gave energetic performances. Santorum likely appealed to conservatives who long for a return to the muscular foreign policy of the Bush years, an uncommon theme in the currently isolationist-minded GOP. "We should be fighting wars to win, not fighting wars for politics," Santorum said, regarding Iraq and Afghanistan. Texas Rep. Ron Paul appealed to his base of libertarian supporters, and is now joined by former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson. But any long-shot candidate gaining ground spells trouble for Perry. Each vote for Bachmann, Cain, Santorum, or one of the other conservative candidates such as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is a vote which comes from the constituency of conservative Romney skeptics which should be Perry's base. Perry needs a knockout to establish himself as the clear front-runner, and in three debates he's failed to do so.

[See who's in and who's out of the 2012 GOP race.]

Perry also took a beating on immigration, perhaps his weakest spot in the GOP race. But it also may have produced his most memorable line. Defending his position that children who were brought into the country illegally should be able to pay in-state tuition, he excoriated his critics. "If you say that we should not educate children who have come into our state for no other reason than they've been brought there by no fault of their own, I don't think you have a heart," he said. For a moment, Perry looked like the most moderate candidate on the stage. But that may not help him in a GOP primary.

Both Perry and Romney have significant weaknesses. Romney's shift from moderate positions on issues like gay rights, gun control, and gay marriage have left him him branded a flip-flopper, and his healthcare law, similar to Obama's healthcare law, looked like it might have been his fatal flaw this time around. The moderate immigration policies Perry supported as governor aren't necessarily an Achilles heal--Arizona Sen. John McCain won the GOP nomination in 2008 despite his support of the much-reviled McCain-Kennedy immigration bill in 2006. More troubling for Perry is the perception that, overall, he's too extreme to win a national election, and that he's not quite ready for prime-time scrutiny. Thursday night did little to defuse that issue, and Romney still has the most to gain from Perry's failure to launch.

aparker@usnews.com

Twitter: @AlexParkerDC

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Conservative Leaders See Perry Beating Romney

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Home > Politics & Policy > Washington Whispers > Conservative Leaders See Perry Beating Romney

September 22, 2011 Print

Conservative political leaders are quickly lining up behind Texas Gov. Rick Perry's presidential campaign, convinced the he has the issues and confidence to beat fellow Republican Mitt Romney and Barack Obama in the 2012 election.

Several conservative leaders who gathered at an off-the-record meeting this week, however said that Perry still needs to do more to tell his story and they urged him to take a page out of Ronald Reagan's 1980 campaign and convince the public that he's not a threat, but a credible alternative to Obama. [Read: Debate Shows GOP 2012 Contest Is a Two Man Race.]

The Washington meeting, attended by Whispers, brought together several elements of the conservative movement, from anti-abortion leaders to pro-gun advocates and Tea Party representatives. Most describe themselves as "Reagan conservatives," as opposed to "George W. Bush conservatives." The difference in Washington Republican circles is important: Those on the Reagan side cheer a smaller government while those aligned with Bush aren't as eager to trim the government. [See a photo gallery of Ronald Reagan.]

They all agreed that the GOP debates have gotten better now that Romney is being challenged by Perry, with most saying that Romney has improved and is making his case much better and with more urgency. 

But they believe Perry has held his own against attacks and should be in peak form tonight at the Google/Fox News debate in Florida where Social Security will take center state. [See a slideshow of the GOP contenders.]

Despite being high on Perry, most conservatives at the meeting said that they are still not convinced that Obama can be defeated. They cited current polling that has the president leading or tied with the top tier GOP challengers. But one made the case that the election might parallel the 1980 election when voters were eager to dump President Carter, but were slow to feel comfortable with Reagan. In the end, Reagan sealed the deal and won in a landslide.

Tags:conservatives, social security, 2012 presidential election, Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Barack Obama 2011: 2010: 2009: 2008: 2007: 2006:

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Bachmann, Romney Losing Media Battle to Perry

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Tea Partyers helped put Michele Bachmann on the national map, so tonight's CNN/Tea Party Republican presidential debate could be an excellent place for her to regain lost ground. Polls show that Bachmann has lost substantial support over the last month, while Texas Gov. Rick Perry's popularity has skyrocketed. At the same time, data also shows, Bachmann andformer Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney have lost ground to him in the mainstream media.

Data compiled by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism shows just how much Perry has taken over the national debate, at the expense of Bachmann and Romney. From the moment he announced his candidacy, Perry has received far more media attention than his fellow candidates. In a broad sample of news stories from print, broadcast, and online media studied by Pew, Bachmann and Romney have appeared nearly equally often as lead newsmakers in 2011 (through September 4), with 151 and 153 stories, respectively (in Pew's analysis, a "lead newsmaker" is a person present in 50 percent or more of a news story). Perry has received moderately less coverage, with 126 stories. However, Perry declared his candidacy on August 13, far later than Bachmann or Romney. Since his entry, he has been the lead newsmaker in 90 of Pew's stories, more than four times Romney's level of coverage (20 stories), and nearly seven times Bachmann's (13 stories).

See who Tim Pawlenty has endorsed in 2012

Media coverage of new presidential candidates tends to follow "an almost natural progression of events," says Mark Jurkowitz, associate director of Pew's journalism program. "The candidate explodes onto the scene, they essentially generate a significant amount of coverage if they show certain indices of viability," like successful fundraising and polling. "So the first thing the media tries to figure out if his person is a serious candidate or not, or has potential to be a serious candidate." After that, says Jurkowitz, "there kicks in another process, and that's the vetting process, particularly for candidates who aren't particularly well-known."

This process has played out differently for the biggest Republican candidates, and Bachmann's trajectory seems to have suffered the most during this process. Perry is still only one month into his candidacy and is only beginning to feel the in-depth scrutiny of media vetting. Romney, meanwhile, did not burst onto the scene in the way that Perry did, but as a 2008 top-tier Republican candidate also may not require the vetting that Perry will. "The press doesn't feel like it has to introduce Mitt Romney to the American public," says Jurkowitz.

Bachmann, however, was relatively well-known on a national scale prior to her presidential campaign, having made a name for herself as key Tea Party fixture and conservative firebrand. That image may have put her at a disadvantage in the current campaign. Much prior media coverage of Bachmann had focused on her propensity for making outrageous statements espousing what some consider to be extreme viewpoints. That preconstructed narrative, says Jurkowitz, is hard for the media to shake. "That would create the impression in many people, in many media quarters, that she's not going to be a likely successful presidential candidate, simply because of where she is in the ideological spectrum," he says.

Read about the economic battles that await Congress this fall.

And this is where the damaging circularity of media coverage and popularity comes in. "I think clearly the news media does have the effect of priming the attention that voters give to candidates," says Christopher Arterton, a professor of political management at The George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management. "The press both follows and leads what's happening both in the polls and other indicators of candidate success."

In other words, to some extent, any publicity is good publicity. So Bachmann's key to regaining her footing with voters may be regaining her place in the spotlight. She does have a proven ability to attract the news media's attention, and with numerous economic battles awaiting on Capitol Hill this fall, Bachmann may have plenty of opportunities to make a media splash. For example, she seized on President Obama's jobs speech last week, as well as the lack of a formal Republican response, to hold a press conference at which she delivered her own reaction.

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Could Romney Private-Sector Resume Trump GOP Foes' Public Service?

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For nearly every other career out there, on-the-job experience tends to be the best way to hone the skills necessary to get ahead. But for politicians, that might not be the case.

That's the message that former Massachusetts Republican Gov. Mitt Romney has been trying to get across, anyway, as he sells his resume to the public for a chance at the White House in 2012. Taking a jab at both President Obama and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, his top foe of the moment in the bid for the GOP's presidential nomination, Romney on Tuesday made sure to highlight his private-sector creds over his competitors' public-sector pasts. "I am a conservative businessman. I have spent most of my life outside of politics, dealing with real problems in the real economy," he said in his speech at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in San Antonio. "Career politicians got us into this mess and they simply don't know how to get us out!"

For Romney, who dropped from first to second place in national polls after Perry joined the race, this could be a smart way to distinguish himself from the pack of current and former legislators he's up against. [Read about Romney's political odds in the South.]

Lately, as he travels the campaign trail and attacks Obama's jobs policies, Romney's been careful to emphasize his 25 years at Bain Capital, an investment firm based in Boston. While at Bain, Romney was able to make once-struggling small businesses into familiar household names, like the Staples office supply company, for example, or the Sports Authority athletic equipment chain. Compared to Obama, who began his career as a community organizer and law professor before stepping from the Illinois State Senate, to the U.S. Senate, to the White House, or Perry, who has been involved in Texas politics since 1985 and is the state's longest-serving governor, Romney can safely say his quarter century at Bain gives him more years in the private sector than either.

That comparative advantage as a successful, multimillionaire businessman could certainly play well for Romney given the current American political culture, says Thomas Patterson, professor of government and the press at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. "That particular argument probably resonates more in this country with this electorate than it would in a lot of other places, in part because we have such a steep tradition and affection for private enterprise, and we're more skeptical about government. So if there's a bias attitudinally in this country, it's a bias toward the private sector," Patterson says. [Read how Romney's wealth could be a problem for him in the 2012 presidential election.]

But, even with a general affinity for capitalism, it's still unclear whether Romney's type of CEO-style business experience would translate well into the role of the nation's commander in chief. Similarly, it's not at all proven that being a career politician, like Perry, is such a bad thing either. According to Lynn Vavreck, a political science professor at the University of California-Los Angeles, being a career politician, as Romney refers to them, could be seen as a major asset for someone seeking the presidency, and especially at a time when legislative politics are as contentious as they are in Washington. "What a career politician understands that someone who's new to politics and unpracticed at it doesn't understand is that we often agree on the goal, but we very rarely agree on the way to get there. So the hard work of politics is getting to a point where we can agree on how to get to a goal that everyone wants," she says. "There are a lot of benefits to having spent a career in politics, [namely] being practiced at the art of bargain or compromise, or becoming an expert in a policy area." [Read more about the 2012 presidential election.]

Not to mention, those coming straight from the private sector have rarely, since the start of the 20th century, made a successful run at the White House. In fact, according to Patterson, the last person to get close was Wendell Wilkie, who won the Republican nomination in 1940. Of course, Romney does have a full four-year term as Massachusetts governor to help him overcome that historical obstacle and segue from the executive boardroom to the Oval Office.

Whether his attacks on career politicians will be good for him or not will become clearer as the race progresses, but his emphasis on his own background and such natural differences between himself and other candidates should ultimately score Romney some points. "You can't present yourself as something you're not. He's not a career politician, he's a private-sector guy, so he has to leverage that as a strength," says Vavreck. "Romney is just doing what any candidate would do. He's trying to paint his characteristics as a strength."

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Tim Pawlenty supports former enemy Mitt Romney

Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty was an early from the 2012 GOP presidential race, but his approval on Monday the former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney suggests that he is still the hope, effect on the results.

[Find a slide show: who is from the 2012 race?]

On Fox and friends Monday morning, announced Pawlenty his election 2012, that Romney is "one candidate in this race, which is second to none in his abilities and his experience and his talent when it comes to revolve around this economy and grow jobs." Pawlenty, who is now the Romney campaign of national co-chair, tagged also Romney of private-sector experience and his work on the Winter Olympics 2002 in an op ed on the national review website.

[See you the political cartoons about the year 2012 GOP race.]

Pawlenty was next in the race, he made waves health criticize Massachusetts law, which has signed Romney, he was Governor, referring as "Obamneycare." (Although in a debate in June damage Pawlenty perhaps his own chances by support from the "Obamneycare" comment and missing opportunity to strongly against Romney, come at the time the GOP leader.) Now, his endorsement could explain this dynamic a little bit better, says Larry Sabato, Director of the Center for politics, University of Virginia. "He secretly it liked," says Sabato.

In fact, when asked on the "Obamneycare" comment Monday, he defended the position of President Romney health care legislation. "Mitt Romney is dedicated and committed to repeal the Obamacare to 100 percent," said Pawlenty. "I know and trust, that is, what he will do."

[See the editorial cartoons about the health care law.]

"Note rarely role", says Sabato. And in particular for approval by Pawlenty, considered in the national polls and had a poor result at the Ames straw poll earlier this year might be the case. Also Romney was the natural choice for Pawlenty, who were billed as such had the more moderate conservative candidates in the GOP field, Sabato says.

The confirmation can be also a sign that is Pawlenty positioning, on the ticket with Romney as Vice President. However, in his interview, Fox and friends Monday Pawlenty denied that is, what he had in mind. "I will not even consider," he said.

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