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UPDATE: I caught wind of this story last night and immediately called my source. He told me that he would be very surprised if it were connected to Romney & Co. Then he said: “our client is not political. At best we’re a 3rd party vendor in this.” So the question is this: Target Consulting does fit the 3rd party story but they are decidedly political. More to come… stay tuned.
National Review Online has a new article up by Mark Hemingway digging deeper into the notion of whether or not the Romney campaign itself conducted the recent surveys with apparently anti-Mormon messages. (I’m proud to say that he links to MMM quite a bit for his information).
Mark’s article is pretty balanced but is obviously digging hard for a connection. There is only one or two more bits of information:
First, the notion that a single link between Target Point and Western Wats exists is not surprising. My source tells me that they are frequently a 3rd party vendor in many of these efforts.
The rest of it is pretty much stuff you already know from yours truly and others.
I will say this. This connection is logically plausible but totally unproven and we need to get to the bottom of this very quickly.
Having re-read the article I’m not convinced. The evidence is pretty scant and stretching to accuse Romney as he does. Let’s review:
November 19th, 2007 at 8:25 am
Yeah. Right. Sure.
November 19th, 2007 at 8:27 am
In the MittNuts’, er, MittNots’ world it may make sense, but it doesn’t make sense to me. The call list in Iowa was targeting Mitt’s infrastructure of supporters. It’s aim was to weaken their support by discussing in detail all of Mitt’s negatives. All of Mitt’s opponents have done this off the cuff. Why is it unbelievable that an opponent of Mitt would do this in a push poll?
If this was a research project as some MittNutters claim then why call his supporter and why call Iowa. Why not call a state like Kansas. You get your data and you don’t drive you numbers down? It has been proven that push polling if very damaging to Romney. For example, in March Novak (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/28/AR2007022801816.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns) ran an editorial on a test push poll by Kieran Mahoney. McCain comes out unscathed but Romney and Rudy are drastically hurt.
………Before After Change
McCain….33.0 35.3 2
Giuliani..31.5 22.3 -9
Romney…..8.8 3.8 -5
So the MittNutters say that Romney did so that it would benefit him. That’s crazy. Push polling has been proven to hurt him. Why would hurt his standing amongst his SUPPORTERS!?!?
Also, how come no discussion about the push poll calls in South Carolina being conducted by Research Data Services. I guess in the MittNutters’ world it is only a story when a company employs about %5 of their staff as Mormons and not a story when it employs about %1 of their staff as Mormons. Geez!
November 19th, 2007 at 8:34 am
see update above.
November 19th, 2007 at 9:02 am
I agree that Hemingway’s piece is more speculative and circumstantial than substantive, but it does provide additional facts. Specifically, the Target-WW-Gage connection links Romney to WW instead of to just donors or former employees. And according to Romney’s spending records, a considerable amount of money has been paid to Target. It is fair, therefore, to ask Romney what services were rendered for those funds.
As an aside, I think its very interesting that a lot of the investigating and fact development on this matter are being done by online sources/media. The campaign spending and figures and names of service providers are available online. Information about various entities is also online, whereas previously one would have to call the states of incorporation or rummage through phone books. Its an amazing development over a rather short period of time.
November 19th, 2007 at 9:36 am
Good points at the end there Feltcher. Its been my experience that the blogosphere is usually 3-4 days ahead of the MSM on these interesting stories.
November 19th, 2007 at 9:56 am
http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/CampaignStandard/2007/11/richelieu_pushy_polling_1.asp
Another pundit suspects Huckabee.
November 19th, 2007 at 9:58 am
I don’t think anything can stop Romney’s strategy of the 2 delegates that coming from winning Iowa, the 3 from NH, and the 4 from SC offsetting the 57 Giuliani’s going to win in FLA.
November 19th, 2007 at 10:05 am
I would not put anything past a candidae who is desperate to win.
November 19th, 2007 at 10:10 am
Romney campaign denies again. Strongly.
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=Y2EzODZjY2UxZTRhMWE2ZDk1ZWE5MGI0ZmRjMDViZTI
November 19th, 2007 at 10:33 am
Jim Geraghty defends my honor! Thanks Jim.
http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZDc5MGJiYzQ0YjA2MTQ4ZTA2ZmY5NDVkZDExMjdkMmM=
November 19th, 2007 at 10:56 am
Justin – I think you should include in your articles that you have a tie to the Romney campaign beyond being a supporter. I take your word that it’s not an integral position, but for your credibility as well as the credibility of this site, formal connections should be disclosed.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:09 am
If Romney was behind this, I think his speech regarding it would have been a little more formal and planned. Instead it was just an interview question to which he gave his standard answer. If he’d known it was coming I think he would have had a more planned reaction.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Mitt did it, huh? This just points out the fact that people against Romney don’t want to vote on him based on their mistrust of him.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Mitt did it, huh? This just points out the fact that people against Romney don’t want to vote on him based on their distrust of him.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:11 am
kmorrison. it is not a secret that justin is a mitt supporter. he runs a website named mymanmitt for heavenes sake! Seriously, everybody knows this. don’t be silly. He has not made is a secret in anyway that he is not a mitt supporter. just the opposite. don’t be ridiculous.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:13 am
fair enough. I do that RedState perhaps I’ll employ that here. Or better yet… I could resign from the Committee and be free! We’ll see. I guess I’ll miss the conference calls though
November 19th, 2007 at 11:14 am
how long has this story dragged out? we seem to have more questions than answers. investigations that move at a snails pace and finger pointing by romney is hardly what the country wants in a president.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:15 am
dubious: It’s not a question of whether Justin is a mitt *supporter*. It’s that he holds an *official position* with the campaign.
Surely you know the difference.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:18 am
Amanda – irrelevant (highly coincidental if true)
‘irrelevant’ even though her dad Craig is a co-chairman of Utah’s “Rally for Romney†fundraiser?
November 19th, 2007 at 11:19 am
jrcutler, did you just realize today there is massive mistrust of Mitt. Have you not seen all kinds of Republicans write, “There is something about that guy… I just don’t trust him.”
November 19th, 2007 at 11:22 am
Justin,
But if you resign all the MittNots will take it as a sign that the Romney campaign is imploding and can’t keep it’s staff together.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:23 am
See if you can pick up which quote uses straight talk:
“I would reject outright any insinuation that our campaign would be involved with making calls against our own candidateâ€
“Senator McCain strongly rejects this style of campaigning and we have absolutely no involvement whatsover”
Keep in mind McCain’s camp responded immediately after (before?) the story broke on Thursday. Kudos.
Camp Romney has had part of Thursday, all Friday, all Saturday, all Sunday, and part of Monday to level with the country. All we know for sure is they’ve circled their wagons. Hardly admirable.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:24 am
I figured out pretty quick that Justin’s a Mitt support, but I was surprised when someone else posted that he was tied to the campaign. BTW Justin I don’t think you need to resign your position, just disclose it.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:25 am
Sampo – they (the Romney campaign) came out immediately and denied that they were the source of the poll. Nothing has been proven yet. In fact, I’m hearing rumblings of… (stay tuned)
November 19th, 2007 at 11:33 am
What’s funny about my “position” “tied to the campaign”, being an “agent” and a “volunteer leader”… the Faith & Values Committee has consisted almost entirely of a few emails and 3 conference calls.
What’s more is… I don’t have to even endorse Romney to be on an advisory committee.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:35 am
Let me be perfectly clear: our campaign was not and is not involved with any efforts to engage in alleged push polling calls against our own candidate.
Wow, does anyone find that quote eerily similar to John Cogliano’s verbiage when he said his reporting on the Big Dig “Did not, and does not contain any untrue statement”?
November 19th, 2007 at 11:36 am
Justin, surely you realize whether your position requires 40 hours per week, or 40 hours for the whole campaign, you still have an official position with the campaign, and that places your statements in a different category from a mere supporter. Surely the campaign itself has let you know that.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:37 am
Sampo,
What “finger pointing by Romney” are you alluding to? The link above to Romney’s team response says: “But, our campaign has been careful not to accuse anyone, especially since we have contacted the Office of the Attorney General in New Hampshire in an effort to get to the bottom of this matter.”
He pointed the finger at the McCain-Fiengold POLICY as a culprit, but hasn’t accused anyone of the push polling.
Your seeing the worst in your opponent is not what our country needs either.
Also, is it being lost on everyone that since there are WW ties to the Romney campaign that they probably have as good (or most likely better) connections/sources than Justin? I think Romney’s camp, with these connections, could probably been told in confidence that this was not done by anyone in the Romney campaign nor by anyone peripherally related to or supportive of Romney (that wouldn’t violate any confidentiality agreement to answer such). That would give them the green light to take their appropriately pissed-off position with more confidence of not getting egg on their faces.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:37 am
And you think we’re all pretty damn stupid to use the line that being on an advisory committee is not really an endorsement.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:40 am
I guess I’ll miss the conference calls though
McCain allows peon bloggers to conference into his calls. You’d qualify, doubt I do
. My proposed solution for you: resign AND switch sides. 
November 19th, 2007 at 11:40 am
No, its a legitimate complaint. I’ll include a disclaimer in my posts going forward. Remind me if I forget.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:42 am
Its absurd to attack Justin. Everyone knows he does MMM. One of my pet peeves of our current political climate is that everyone is suspect. I simply refuse to join that 1984-style society. And we should all fear it.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:44 am
28,
Romney indirectly blamed McCain by pretending that McCain-Fiengold hides the identity of push pollers. This is so blatantly dishonest. As camp McCain says, “anyone who spent a day in South Carolina in 2000 knows this.”
November 19th, 2007 at 11:44 am
Metro wrote: Have you not seen all kinds of Republicans write, “There is something about that guy… I just don’t trust him.â€
Yeah, all sorts of Republicans that are out promoting another candidate strongly.
In fact, you yourself are the biggest offender on this site of such Romney character attacks . . . though I’m confident you’ve met the man or seen him on the stump in person like I and others have . . . yet you constantly claim that he’s a “phony” or “insincere”, or “can’t connect with an audience” or is “unlikable”, when you actually have no personal experience to back that up.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:46 am
How ironic it is that the people who are demanding “full disclosure and disclaimers” are the ones who hide behind names like MetroRepublican and Sampo!
Too funny!
November 19th, 2007 at 11:47 am
Feltcher, it’s not the MyManMitt that’s the issue! Justin has an OFFICIAL POSITION WITH THE ROMNEY CAMPAIGN ITSELF.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:47 am
Really, why are most Romney supporters the stupidest people on the political blogosphere?
November 19th, 2007 at 11:49 am
Sampo,
But McCain-Fiengold came AFTER 2000 and was supposedly a “REFORM” (you know McCain Feingold Campaign Finiance REFORM Bill) of the whole area. The Bill didn’t deliver that and has been, by all accounts, a great failure. McCain may have “led” that effort, but he surely didn’t “manage” to get us a good reform.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:49 am
Jeff Fuller, not at all. The “I don’t trust that guy” is what MANY regular Republicans say about him. I’ve made volunteer calls for the Rudy campaign, and that’s often volunteered by those I call when I ask about Romney. And that’s before identifying myself as a volunteer for the Rudy campaign.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:49 am
And unaffiliated Mittbot Kevin McCullough (who originally blamed McCain) has some serious stones to keep this posting up.
Does this sit well with anyone? A pic of McCain and Thompson with smirks on their faces pointing to the back of Romney with the caption “…look he’s a MOOOORRRRMMMAANNNN!”
Will camp Romney disavow this sleazy behavior? Doubtful since they’re too busy doing damage control.
http://kevinmccullough.townhall.com/blog/g/209038b0-26d1-48c7-89ea-8d0a9b879bc0
November 19th, 2007 at 11:52 am
Metro ramps up his character assasination. (#37)
I’m a Romney supporter and I find your comment offensive and incorrect. I’d actually be willing to match up my “smartness” stats (SAT,ACT,GPA,IQ) against yours if you’d like.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:52 am
Sampo:
“Romney indirectly blamed McCain by pretending that McCain-Fiengold hides the identity of push pollers. This is so blatantly dishonest.”
What’s this, you want to defend McCain regarding some of the worst legislation passed? Everyone associated with McCain-Feingold is running from it like the plague.
You are being intellectually dishonest if you can’t comprehend how McCain-Feingold has led to these 529s which conceal the identities of those who engage in tactics such as push-polling.
This goes both ways as you pointed out that McCain is very well aware of after SC in 2000. I guess you and McCain are still fine with that? McCain in 2000 was a victim of his own legislation. I’m fine with that since he wrote the bill, but I hate to see some other candidates smeared now because this.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:53 am
LOL. I am independent, truly. I just like to see people treated fairly. And campaigns create all sorts of positions, but the only ones that count are the paid ones or ones that have actual access to the candidate or inner circle.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:56 am
#40,
He’s a Mormon? Wow! What a scandal that must be!
Who cares Sampo? I don’t care if he is Mormon, Baptist, Jewish, black, white, or any other color of the rainbow. Makes no difference to me. Should not make any difference to you.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:57 am
Jeff, you’re one of the exceptions. Note the term “most.”
November 19th, 2007 at 11:57 am
What do national review online, the boston globe, and the club for growth all have in common?
They all claim Romney was to the left of McCain-Feingold. Good thing Kennedy kicked his butt in Mitt’s Senate run or else things would really be bad.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:59 am
cwpete. tell me you agree with this: “Kevin Mccullough post is an honest piece of journalism.” Do it!
November 19th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
This is all nonsense. We should just blame McCain and move on. Nobody will ever find out who is behind the calls. These companies do work for all the candidates and they have confidentiality agreements. McCain is the only candidate who has played the Mormon card thus far. He is guilty.
November 19th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
Metro #39,
In those calls did you ever get the “I don’t trust that guy” from someone who met him or saw him in person?
I’m sure lots of people have bought into the “image creation” that the MSM and Romney’s opponents have fabricated that he’s not “trustworthy.” That only tells me that the people you talked on the phone with have read the wrong articles or seen the wrong news shows.
I’ve “polled” hundreds of people after Romney events in Iowa for their opinions (even asking for critiques) and even the Democrats and the Indys in the audience never came up with the “I don’t trust him” or “He’s phony/plastic/scripted” lines. That’s pure fabrication (that you seem happy enough to propagate) and it will backfire.
November 19th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
Sampo #47:
It is a blog dude! It is not Journalism. Did you see the “blog” listed in the URL? You could have come up with something like this.
I’m not saying that I agree with any of this. This is just showing that some anti-Mormonism is now starting to backfire.
November 19th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
Jeff Fuller, the national election isn’t going to be won by people who met the candidates in person.
Did you disclose your relationship to the campaign when you polled?
Most people I know, R, D, and independent, say something like that immediately when I mention Mitt’s name.
Polling internals confirm it, too.
November 19th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
50 ends justify means. let me guess. a mittbot?
November 19th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
Sampo 40,
Yeah McCullough has some “stones” to post that caption with the photo (it’s pretty dang funny though) . . . but I do think it’s uncalled for and I think McCullough went too far in accusing McCain of the Push polling. Still, that’s pretty funny though misguided (sort of like the Huckabee/Norris ad on immigration)
November 19th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Metro,
I’m sure as a practicing surgeon, Jeff Fuller is dumb as a door nail.
November 19th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
SDGOP, you must’ve missed #45.
November 19th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Justin #31: Just add a short bio on the “About” page of this site. Jason’s got one there already.
November 19th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
Sampo #52,
Now I’m reminded again as to why I should be ignoring all your posts. I’ll try harder next time..
November 19th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Metro,
First, sorry I didn’t catch the “most” part of you comment before . . . glad you exclude me from the normally stupid Romney masses (yes that’s a sarcastic dig)
You said, “the national election isn’t going to be won by people who met the candidates in person” . . . history speaks against you. Name once in recent history when any candidate from any party has won the election without winning early states too where the people DO MEET THE CANDIDATES IN PERSON.
The American people have been smart enough to realize, “Hey, all those people in Iowa, NH, SC who get to know/see the candidates in person must see something in ______. I think I’ll trust their judgment more than what the MSM and the pundits are telling me”
November 19th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
FYI – I wasn’t trying to smear Justin, and it sounds like Justin thought my request was fair. Also, I’m not trying to point fingers because it still seems like the arguements against a particular candidate/supporter doing this are still stronger than the evidence pointing towards a particular candidate. i.e No offense intended.
November 19th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Jeff, you didn’t get it. If a guy is allegedly a genuine guy who comes across as a phony on TV, then he could convince small, early state voters he meets in person, but then run into trouble in the bigger states, because he can’t meet them in person then.
November 19th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
And extending my comment in #58 I would add that Rudy’s taking a huge risk by saying/thinking he can lose all the early states (he doesn’t really think that as he’s been pushing hard in Iowa and NH recently . . . he’s just playing the expectations game and trying to hang into the race as long as possible hoping Romney will make a race-changing gaffe. Not a bad strategy for him, but I still doubt it will work)
November 19th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
Jeff, see, #61 is why you are smart. You acknowledge and understand the expectations game. (However, Rudy’s strategy does not require Romney makes a gaffe. It just requires his major push in the final weeks, which will be the political equivalent of shock and awe, gets him to break through in a single pre-FL state. That’s all he needs.)
November 19th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
Metro, 60,
It’s never happened like that, though I’ll admit that could be true . . . however, there is no precedent for such and I’ll stick with history and proven paths to the presidency.
November 19th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
I propose that most people, outside of political junkies like us, don’t know about this and if they do hear about it, don’t care.
November 19th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
Romney is not behind the push polls, but the press is certainly making it taboo and desensitizing everyone else to it, so that does help Romney. At the beginning of the year, so many polls showed people saying they wouldn’t vote for a Mormon, but the numbers have dramatically changed as the press has beaten the story to death. The Mormon question is not an issue anymore. Everyone has moved on. The press really helped in this way.
November 19th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
Jeff, perhaps that’s because no outright phony has been elected to the White House. Bill Clinton is a close example, half phony, but not outright phony like Mitt or John Edwards.
BTW, the IA/NH early state system has only been in play for a few decades, and there are few data points to draw any conclusions. More importantly, the system isn’t the same this year: Not with FL + Mega Tuesday early in the race.
November 19th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
metro,
don’t look now, but your boy isn’t winning in Virginia. That must be tough to swallow.
http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReportEmail.aspx?g=875f7278-c652-4e1b-b320-42d5b93e0e81
November 19th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Metro,
Romney is not a Phony. You state it as if it’s Gospel truth. Putting him in the same boat as John Edwards shows my how illogically biased you are against Romney (I realize he’s Rudy’s only real threat, but c’mon man!)
November 19th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Metro, my bad. I’m browsing around on my phone so the posts aren’t updated as quick.
November 19th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
Jeff, polling backs me up.
November 19th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Latest updates:
# K-Lo isn’t impressed with Huckabee’s denial
# Soren gets upset about the wording of Madden’s statement
# Madden makes it crystal clear at Campaign Spot
# I’m enjoying California Tortilla’s awesome Steak Quesadilla for lunch!
November 19th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
“jrcutler, did you just realize today there is massive mistrust of Mitt.”
Very good, Metro. I guess you are right, I should trust Rudy more than Mitt. That is what you are doing.
Massive Mistrust? Well, I guess that means that distrust is common among the candidates, since he is now the frontrunner of this stupid race, or 2nd place by some national poll-huggers.
Stating your mistrust of Romney on comment page about push-polling on Romney is anything but logical. Anyone who thinks that Romney planned this peice of garbage has bats in their brains. Give me a stinking break, guys, wise up!
Distrust Romney if you please, Romney haters, but don’t go so far to say that Romney is a complete idiot. Then I will consider you a complete idiot.
November 19th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
Note: Statement from Target Point coming out soon. Stay tuned.
November 19th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
So Romney Push Polled himself…hmmm…very interesting…
November 19th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
# I’m enjoying California Tortilla’s awesome Steak Quesadilla for lunch!
I want updates on this, please!
November 19th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
a must have with their awesome Honey Lime dressing.
Be sure to get the Queso with it!
http://www.californiatortilla.com/fajitas.html?d
November 19th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
Metro, I think you are a smart person on everything except Romney.
Take that as a compliment, I will take your comments as an insult.
November 19th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Thanks for the updates Justin, Keep ‘em coming..
November 19th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
I am loving this scandal. All the whacko MittNots are accussing Mitt. I look forward when the solid evidence points elsewhere and Soren Dayton, Redstate, Sampo, and Metro become laughingstocks!!! Oh joy!
November 19th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
California Tortilla, yum. I’ve missed them ever since I moved away from Maryland.
November 25th, 2007 at 11:35 pm
Mitt Romney did NOT do this push poll. Look at motivation here. He was already ahead in these states (Iowa and New Hampshire) in double digits. All he needed to do to win in both of them was to continue being Mitt and keep his face in front of others. My personal conspiracy theory is that is was started by Huckabee whose little Baptist Bigot heart couldn’t stand to see Mitt in the lead by a LOT plus he was given the blessing and maybe a little money from Guiliani and promised the VP nomination if he could make a close run at Mitt by spreading vicious rumors and nasty lies about Romney’s religion. Then they added the positives about McCain to throw suspicion on him!
Besides why Romneh’s religion such a big issue anyway and why is Obama getting a pass on being raised a Muslim into his preteen years proven by his teachers and friends in Indonesia in an LA Times search (never heard of any Mormons flying planes into the twin towers) and then switching as a matter of political convenience to a “hate whitie” racist Christian church. Oh I forgot–it isn’t racism for blacks to hate whites, just the other way around. Why give a pass to a Muslim/phony hate whitie Christian and cause difficulty for Mitt Romney who is Christian but not the brand the Bible thumpers like?????? We are at war with Islam (it is all radical–read the Koran) and Mormons are good tax paying US citizens.