Note: It is great to be back on R4′08. I am back at college in Eastern Ohio and look forward to providing coverage on what’s going on in Ohio and Western Pa.

On Saturday morning, myself and 70 other students from my college drove 30 miles to go see John McCain and his brand-new Veep, Sarah Palin. Students at my conservative, Catholic college were psyched about Palin. On Friday when she was announced, the buzz around campus was about Palin and it was all positive. My college draws conservative students from across America, so I think it provided a real snapshot of how young conservatives now feel about the ticket. I emphasize now, because there was a big chunk of students I know who were not enthused at all about McCain… Most could stomach voting for him, but ask them to knock on doors, make phone calls? Not a chance. Another portion of those students were going to write in Ron Paul or not vote at all. That all changed with the Palin pick. Students are asking how to get involved, and those that weren’t going to pull the lever for McCain are now.

The event was simply awesome — full of energy and buzz. John Rich of “Big and Rich” gave a great performance, complete with the crowd singing to “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowbody.” Lynn Swann gave a great speech as well, and obviously is a popular figure in Steelers territory. I have to say after hearing Tom Ridge speak, I am relieved he is not our veep. He wasn’t exciting and to be honest, just rambled away. I didn’t like him from the start because he is a pro-abortion Catholic, but I found another reason to be opposed to him on the ticket yesterday.

The highlight of the event was when the Straight Talk Express pulled onto the field, which was unexpected. The crowd went wild. The McCain and Palin families were greeted by thousands of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia voters swinging McCain “Terrible Towels,” waving American signs, and holding up fresh-of-the-press McCain-Palin signs.

The usual chants broke out at all the right moments — “John Mc-Cain,” “USA! USA! USA” etc, but a new one was added to the mix — “Sarah! Sarah! Sarah!” It was great, and really symbolized something new and exciting being added to the McCain image.

The speech was the same as the one in Dayton, which was expected. Those of us who watched had watched the Dayton event knew what was coming, but all know the wisdom of the words, “Stay on message.”

At the end, many in our group who were standing in front of the stage got to shake hands with the McCain family and the Palin family. It was a great trade-off, since many in our group had seats right behind home plate, but didn’t get to shake hands with the next president and vice president.

Overall, awesome event. The only McCain event I’ve been to with comparable energy was McCain’s victory party in New Hampshire. I am glad to see that the Washington event wasn’t a fluke either, as today’s event in Missouri drew even more people. The students I went with are ready to knock on doors and make countless phone calls to help deliver Ohio and western Pa.

Palin is a genius pick and has enthused the base and at the same time will bring in the PUMA’s.

Pictures of the event after the jump, courtesy of Katie M.
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This evening I had the privilege of of attending the John McCain town hall in Saint Paul, Minnesota’s historic Landmark Center which is just 2 blocks from the Xcel Energy Center where Senator McCain will accept the Republican nomination for president later this summer.

As a blogger, I was afforded all the privileges of any MSM member.  Immediately to my left was The Note’s Mark Halperin.  To my right, literally and figuratively, was my friend Michael Brodkorb of Minnesota Democrats Exposed — the blog that has been tormenting Al Franken so much the last few months.  In front of me was another long-time blogging acquaintenace, Ed Morrissey of Hot Air.

Governor Pawlenty gave a brief introduction to an audience that was billed as “undecided” but which was populated by many friendly faces, several of whom I recognized as long time Republicans. 

Senator McCain had returned from touring flood-ravaged areas of Iowa earlier in the day and spoke movingly of efforts to stave off the rising waters.  Turning to the political, McCain made much of Senator Obama’s announcement to opt out of public financing for the general election pointing out that Obama will be the first nominee to do so since the Watergate electoral reforms.  He also read a damning quote from Obama where the junior senator from Illinois pleged less than a year ago to “aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to commit to public financing of the general election.”  McCain concluded his opening remarks by commiting to 1 town hall event between now and the conventions — and he clearly hoped Sen. Obama would join him in these venues.

McCain spoke broadly of “reform, prosperity and peace” as the benchmarks by which his presidency would be measured.  He struck a broadly non-partisan tone that was well-received by the audience.  Highlights included a commitment to entitlement reform, elimination of earmarks, independence from foreign oil, increased off shore oil exploration and victory in Iraq.

On the subject of Iraq, McCain outlined the criteria for being able to declare victory.  The benchmarks would be a “stable and democratic” government, reduction or elimination of Iranian incluence and Iraq becoming a model for the region. 

One questioner spoke of a debilitating and expensive illness with which her son was afflicted.  McCain encouraged people who advocate government-run health care to first go to Great Britain or Canada before embracing it.  He then turned over the microphone to a well-spoken (if not a bit technocratic) Governor Pawlenty who offered his thoughts on the reforms Minnesota has embraced.

On the topic of energy, McCain said that one of Jimmy Carter’s worst decisions was an unwillingness to reprocess nuclear fuel.  While conservatives may have misgivings with our nominee’s fixation on global warming, it is clear he will be a friend to nuclear energy.  He repeated his call for dozens of new nuclear plants.  He also celebrated the soon-to-be-released Chevy Volt plug-in car.

One of McCain’s most well-received lines was his commitment to “secure our borders” when asked about a guest worker program.

McCain embraced charter and home schooling and any other educational vehicle that encourages choice and competition. 

One questioner challenged McCain’s “straight talk” persona and asked him to “tell us some things we don’t want to hear”.  The Senator pointed out his willingness to take on SecDef Rumsfeld in the wake of the initial Iraq invasion.  He also highlighted his opposition to ethanol even though it likely cost him the Iowa caucus.  He also told the audience that the West is in a long struggle against Islamic extremism and the U.S. can not shrink from the challenge.

One “undecided” voter who could only be undecided between McCain and a more conservative third party candidate asked McCain how conservatives could trust him.  The Senator pointed out distinct differences on taxes, health care, national security, and willingness to negotiate with terrorist states.  He concluded by saying Ronald Reagan would be a role model for his presidency. 

McCain expressed interest in Rep. Michele Bachmann’s plan for lowering gas prices and expressed his admiration for the Congresswoman.  He committed to much more frequent use of the prime time presidential address used with less frequency since Reagan.

The last question was from a man who expressed his admiration for Governor Pawlenty and said he would make a good vice president.  “What are his chances?”, the man asked.

(photo courtesy of Minnesota Democrats Exposed)

“Meeting adjourned!”, answered the nominee while expressing his admiration for the Governor who, he said, has “a place in the future of our country.”  Minnesota First Lady Mary Pawlenty, McCain noted, “is the brains of the outfit.”

Senator McCain is clearly at ease in the town hall format.  He comes across as knowledgeable, warm and sincere.  He is wise to seek to bring Senator Obama into this format as he would compare favorably in such circumstances. 

As a resident of Abington Township, a municipality just north of Philadelphia in eastern Montgomery County, I enjoy my county’s status as one of the more competitive battlegrounds in an area of the country where Democrats continue to push past the GOP. Sadly, despite years of Republican rule, Democrats now outnumber Republicans for the first time in county history. This trend is prevalent throughout the state, as Democrats scrambled to register before the April 22nd primary and overall GOP numbers dwindled to just over 3 million.

The ominous numbers via the Pennsylvania Department of State:

Since January, 218,923 new voters have registered. Of those, 152,775 registered Democratic and 40,195 registered Republican.

Also since January, 164,026 registered voters changed their affiliation to Democratic and 14,887 changed to Republican.

In all, there are now over 8.3 million registered voters in Pennsylvania (4.2 million Democrats, 3.2 million Republicans, and nearly 1 million unaffiliated voters).

The surge in voting registration may ease and those Republicans who wished to influence the April 22nd Democratic results could return the “R” to their registration card, but Obama will surely drive up African-American turnout in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Now let us look at Montgomery County’s voting record in the 2008 Democratic primary along with recent Presidential elections:

April 22nd primary:

• Hillary Clinton: 77,886 (51%)
• Barack Obama: 75,682 (49%)   

        Recent Presidential Elections:

• 1976- Ford 57%, Carter 41%
• 1980- Reagan 58%, Carter 31%
• 1984- Reagan 64%, Mondale 35%
• 1988- Bush 60%, Dukakis 39%
• 1992- Clinton 43%, Bush 40%
• 1996- Clinton 49%, Dole 41%
• 2000- Gore 54%, Bush 44%
• 2004- Kerry 56%, Bush 44%

What do all these numbers mean? Although Montgomery County and Pennsylvania as a whole seem likely to remain in the Democratic column come November, there is an opening for John McCain. Despite increased movement by Philadelphia Democrats into the county, the majority of Montgomery County voters do not align themselves with Barack Obama’s ideology and worldview. Even county Dems seem much closer to Bill Clinton and Al Gore circa 2000 than they are to the New Left represented by Carter, Dukakis, and now Obama.  

Of course, times change. George W. Bush and the Iraq War are unpopular to both Democrats and Republicans in these parts. The public officials held in the highest regard are Governor Ed Rendell, Senator Arlen Specter, and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. Yet, I remain hopeful for McCain’s chances. If he succeeds in running a center-right campaign that sufficiently breaks from the failures of the Bush Administration and promises to restore efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity in Washington, I am confident that county voters will endorse him as they did with other moderate Republicans in 1976 and 1988.

As I placed a ”McCain for President” on my family’s front lawn the other day (to the horror of my Democratic mother), I realized that the Arizona Senator must make a stand in counties such as mine, as they will be pivotal in his struggle to capture states such as Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. 

A profile of Abington can be found here. 

A profile of Montgomery County can be found here.

I apologize for my lack of posts in the last couple of weeks as I have been actually been fulfilling my duties as a college student. This past Tuesday, I took a break from end-of-semester papers and finals to make the hour drive from Steubenville to Youngstown to see John McCain. Once I got there, I ran into a good problem: the fire marshal closed the event because the room was filled to capacity, which I told was over 600 people. Fine with me, better for an independent or Democrat to hear him then me, an already convinced McCain supporter. So myself and some friends went outside to greet McCain when he arrived. We were joined by scores of others who were also turned away at the door. I had some good conversations with the locals as I waited. Most were independents who were very surprised McCain was visiting Youngstown and were very open to voting for him.

As the time drew closer for McCain to arrive, the police of course pushed us further and further back from the entrance. People got nervous thinking that they had taken their lunch break off to hear McCain and wouldn’t even get to at least greet him. Knowing McCain’s style, I knew he would take time to come see us. Sure enough, he did, despite 20 or so anti-war protesters right next to us. They were visibly upset when McCain came over and greeted them with smiles and waves. McCain really knows how to handle his adversaries a lot better then Bill Clinton does.

Luckily, as students had to leave the event to return to class, the police allowed those of us waiting into the event. I missed a good amount of the event, but I think the defining moment was when the event was over, literally everyone in the room was cheering wildly for him. Knowing Youngstown, I am sure most of the people in the room weren’t Republicans. He got the rock-star treatment as he made his way through the crowd. My friend Mary got some great pics from the event below. She had a nice camera so she was able to sneak in with the press for a press conference. Enjoy the pics.

I am more and more impressed with him every time I see him. I have seen him several times in other states, but those were all victory parties. This was the first time I’ve seen him town-hall style. He is very accessible to the voters and is able to connect with them, which is a vital key to their success. McCain clearly passes the beer test. The DNC knows this, which is why they are going to try and paint McCain as a wealthy elitist. I think such attacks won’t work the way they did against Kerry in ‘04 and will backfire against the Dems. Also, the McCain campaign is really getting organized here in Ohio, especially in the last month. The campaign is really getting off the ground, and I am sure will really start rolling now that McCain has hired all 11 regional campaign managers.

I hope to bring more coverage to R4′08 this summer, as I’ll be working on a Congressional race in New Jersey starting in early May. I am sure McCain will be there quite a lot given the recent polling coming out of Jersey.

Me and McCain shaking hands:

This is a cool pic:

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With the Virginia primary just one day away, Sen. McCain ventured into the heart of the Old Dominion today in order to make his case to Commonwealth voters. The event took place at the Virginia Aviation Museum in Richmond, which was packed to the brim with McCainiacs of all ages. I can’t speak to this observation with any precision, but it did seem that the majority of attendants were either older folks or young people. Seniors and college students abounded, while middle aged Virginians seemed underrepresented. Perhaps it was due to the timing of the event; Mac was to arrive at 5:30 pm. Still, I’d like to think that the McCain groundswell represents the Greatest Generation coming together with my own Generation X to take back the country from the Baby Boomers. And who can blame us?

The Virginia Republican establishment was present and accounted for. Jerry Kilgore, Jim Gilmore, George Allen, and John Warner were all on stage with McCain. Even Lawrence Eagleburger, former Secretary of State under Reagan, was in attendance. As former Sen. Allen spoke to the crowd, I began to understand why so many conservatives supported his fledgling presidential run before his Senate loss. While it doesn’t translate well over the airwaves, George Allen brings with him a very strong presence when he enters a room, and when he speaks, he’s sort of a combination of Dr. Phil and a football coach, uplifting and therapeutic all at once. Again, you sort of have to see him in person to experience his charisma, which seems lacking on television. John Warner spoke briefly as well, and was dignified and to the point.

Then came the man of the hour. Sen. McCain looked alive and vibrant. He is clearly running a distinctly conservative campaign. He touched on the broad conservative themes of keeping taxes low, cutting spending, defending life, appointing conservative judges, and winning the war on terror and the war in Iraq. He pointed out the difference between what he will do and what the Democrats will do on these issues. He seemed most passionate when he talked about spending and about the war, which is to be expected. But make no mistake about it, John McCain is running to lead the Republican Party, and he demonstrated that once again tonight, both by his words and through the company he keeps.

At work now- so I can’t hang around, but here are a few quick observations I noticed over the last few days through 12 pm today, when I went and cast my vote. Like I’ve said, I live in East Tennessee, which is the GOP’s strongest region.

• Since yesterday, I’ve received two messages on the answering machine from Mike Huckabee, and one from McCain
• During the Super Bowl, I counted two Obama commercials, a couple for Hillary, and one from Huckabee (the “Christian Leader” one)
• Ron Paul has a ton of signs
• John McCain has almost as many signs up as Paul
• When I was at the voting place, a couple of people openly said “Fred’s still on the ballot? I’m voting for him then.”

I think I stand by my earlier prediction. I’m not a McCain supporter, but it I were, I’d be very confident about his chances here today.

The Romney Victory Party was brimming with Campaign and GOP stars. I had the opportunity to interview three heavy weights: Michigan GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis, Congressman Pete Hoekstra and Romney spokesperson Kevin Madden.

Saul Anuzis:

Congressman Hoekstra:

Kevin Madden

I just finished a visit to the polling location at Henry Hoover Middle School in Livonia, Michigan. The turnout seemed lite, but after speaking with the captain of Precinct 17, she assured me it was actually a little larger than normal. But she cautioned, that a lot of the people who had turned out early this morning were people who normally vote in the evenings (I think she has done this for years.) The precinct aptain had already voted via absentee a couple weeks ago.

So far, she reported, about 133 people have voted, and people keep trickling in at a steady pace.

The way it works is this: she is precinct captain in charge of her precinct. There are two precincts at this specific polling location, but the precincts are not affiliated with a specific party. Working under her are election inspectors, who hand out the ballots and make sure all the rules are followed properly. All are paid positions.

I asked her, how many Dems vs. Rep’s ballots had been cast, and she replied she wasn’t allowed to report this. I asked her, if people who were around during George Romney’s era remember him fondly and if their memories left them more or less likely to vote for Mitt- she was an elderly lady. Her reply to that was that most of them do remember him fondly, but she couldn’t say how it would effect their votes.

A couple other observations, today I have seen a near drop off of ads from the Romney and McCain camps on TV. I have seen plenty of Mike Huckabee ads, including about 5 repeats of Trust Huckabee showing videos of Romney in 94 and 2002.

We are close.

After a couple days in Michigan, it’s tough to detect the same excitement that was in the general electorate of Iowa and New Hampshire. In the neighborhood I am staying in, I see only one yard sign, and it’s the one on my cousin’s lawn for Romney.

Around town you see a few Ron Paul signs a couple Romney signs, but beyond that, sign sightings are far and few between. The front pages of the local papers are filled with news about the Auto Show (who refused to give me credentials today- Drats!) and little bit of news on the primary. I assume tomorrow may be different.

I had an interesting talk with a local lady here who is self employed. She is a McCain supporter, who likes Romney as well. She works cleaning houses, pays over a $1000 a month for health insurance for herself, and takes care of two elderly parents who are both in bad health. When I asked why she liked McCain her answer was because he’s been around for a longtime, and it would be good to have some experience. When I asked why with all her concerns about Health Care she wasn’t on board with Romney, she had no idea Mitt had done anything on Healthcare. This lady was very emphatic about voting as well.

It surprised me actually. She had also complained about getting negative mailers from McCain that seemed bent on “trashing Romney” but she still liked him. Like it or hate it, the average voter is not informed. I don’t mean to imply if she had only been informed she would have switched to Mitt, I mean to say I was certainly surprised that for someone who was so concerned about health care, she had no idea about the candidates respective positions on the issue.

The other point is messaging. Romney seems to be winning. A friend of mine talked to one of the pollsters here in Michigan, whose polls have been widely discussed the last couple days. This pollster will tell you that McCain had a good day Friday, then after that, it has been all Romney since. Tomorrow his poll will drop off Friday’s numbers and it will be interesting to see where the numbers land.

But the fact remains, McCain has run a negative message here. Not so much because of his attacks on other candidates, but the fact his message for Michigan is telling 50 year-old out of work assembly-line workers that they need to retrain to another profession. It’s not going to fly. Now maybe McCain is being honest. When you consider his economic ideas and abilities he probably is. The same argument for McCain’s honesty on this issue is equally applicable. After hearing Mitt’s detailed speech outlining his plans for Washington’s response to Michigan’s problems it was quite obvious, if the Automobile industry could be saved, it wasn’t going to happen under a guy who wants to regulate with CAFÉ standards and retrain workers in another industry. McCain’s honesty on this issue does not preclude Romney being honest.

So what will tomorrow hold? I am hopeful. I think Romney will probably win. I think indies will break for McCain, but I think the late undecideds will go in Mitt’s favor. Why? Because if you were looking at layoff, who would you want? A guy whose promises and plans result in certain failure or the guy who promises success with a plan to achieve it?

Randy Bishop is a truck driver by trade and a dedicated Mike Huckabee supporter. He sent in this report about his travels and events over the last few days getting the word out about Mike Huckabee.

Hey Everyone,

I don’t know how Gov. and Mrs. Huckabee keep up with their busy schedule! After driving down from Traverse City to the Birch Run event on Friday, getting signs, a banner, and other supplies, I drove back home and went to bed about 1:00 am.

I started out Saturday morning at 6:30 am, and got out to my pickup truck which was covered in a fresh lake effect snow. I headed up to the Northern Michigan Voter’s Fair & Straw Poll and setup a table right up front between the Romney and McCain tables. Great turnout and we answered alot of really good questions about Mike and his positions. The organizer gave us access to a laptop that had a high-speed connection to the web, that displayed it’s screen on a overhead projector which showed up on the stage’s huge big screen. So we ran YouTube videos of Mike all day long.

I left the Fair about 4:00 pm, and headed over to the Ronald Reagan Dinner/Charlevoix GOP fundraiser. I put out some yard signs out on the shoulder of the road, in the driveway and was able to park in the very first spot, which was a straight shot viewable from the small entrance driveway. So I put a yard sign on my rear bumper, which was right between my FairTax bumper stickers. The Huckabee sign greeted everyone as they arrived at the event (over 150 people including Duncan Hunter and all the other speakers)!

I was the first person there, besides the host, Charlevoix GOP Chairman - Wes Dillworth (Romney supporter) and his family. I chose to sit at the very first table on the right, next to the bar (even though I don’t drink).

People started trickling in about 5:15, and then walked in U.S. Congressman-Peter Hoekstra R-MI. Wes Dillworth was setting up behind the bar and Peter walked over to Wes to say hello. They shook hands, and Wes asked Peter, “so how are we doing in the tracking”? Congressman Hoekstra said…”McCain is drawing smaller crowds than us, but Huckabee is kicking our {backsides}”. Right then, Wes happened to look over and see me sitting behind my laptop, and leaned back and whispered something to Peter. Peter immediately looked over at me and nodded…I simply smiled at him and nodded back. This exchange really boosted my confidence to speak in front of the group on behalf of Gov. Huckabee.

The event finally started late at 7:00 pm… We started by having the local sheriff leading us through the Pledge of Allegiance, then a local pastor lead us through a prayer, and then we had a buffet style dinner.

Presidential Candidate/U.S. Congressman-California Duncan Hunter started it off, by giving a great speech. He brought his wife and his son, Duncan Jr. who just got back from Iraq and is running for office in California.

Next, Ex-Presidential Candidate/U.S. Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas, spoke and asked us to support John McCain for President.

Next, U.S. Congressman-Peter Hoekstra R-MI, spoke about Mitt Romney .

Oh, I forgot to mention…prior to the speeches starting, I had given the emcee my name to put on his lineup sheet. When I told him my name, he asked me what office I held? I said, “I don’t hold an office, I’m a Truck Driver and I’m supporting Mike Huckabee for President, and I’m sorry I don’t own a suit so I’m a little under dressed (Black & Silver pullover sweater and black dress slacks), so if you could please tell the audience that when you introduce me, I’d appreciate it.” He said OK.

“Next, we have Randy Bishop speaking on why he’s supporting Mike Huckabee for President. Randy is a Truck Driver, and he wanted to apologize for being “undressed” for this evening’s event because he doesn’t own a suit, so here’s Randy”. (I got more applause than Sam or Peter, they were very nice to me). I told Duncan Hunter, that Gov. Huckabee told me to say Hello….Duncan said, “Tell Mike I said Hi Back”…the audience applauded.

I started off by telling them a little about my trucking business. I told them that I drive an average of four (4) times around the world per year (100,000 miles), using 16,662 gallons of diesel fuel, which cost $53,357 in 2007. After corporate taxes, truck payments, repair bills, insurances, and a semi’s license plate ($1,850 per year) I end up with less than 30% to claim as my personal income, which I then have to pay personal taxes on… and end up with less than 22% of my gross income to actually live on and pay for my personal expenses. Needless to say, the entire room was shaking their heads in disgust and amazement.

I told them about Jim Gilchrist, the founder of the Minutemen Project, and how he interviewed all of the candidates for President. Jim told me personally in Traverse City this week, that the Democratic candidates, “don’t even think we have a problem with illegal immigration”, and out of all of the Republican candidates, that Mike Huckabee has a real solution to this problem and that’s why Jim Gilchrist endorsed Mike Huckabee for President. I told them to go to MikeHuckabee.com under Issues, and read his 9 point strategy listed as his Secure America Plan.

Also, I told them that Mike wants to close the IRS, shut it down and replace it with the “FairTax”. I explained that it’s a consumption tax and does not tax us on our productivity. I told them to go to MikeHuckabee.com and read more about it there. But more importantly, all these illegal workers would start paying into our tax system when they bought their necessities to live. Other people who get paid in cash, and even visitors to this country (like all of the Canadians who cross over from Windsor into Detroit, or Sarnia into Port Huron) and many others would start paying into our Federal Treasury. Many applauded right then.

I finished by saying simply, Mike Huckabee wants to seal the border, have all of us not be penalized for our labor and profits, and get the U.S. economy booming like we have never seen before in our lifetime!!! That’s just some of the reasons I’m supporting Mike Huckabee for President”! The room broke out in a huge, loud applause.

I stayed for the other politicians and listened to their speeches. When it was over, I had no less than 20-25 people come over and tell me that they were switching their vote, and would be voting for Mike Huckabee. A former judge, (I promised not to tell you his name) came up to me and said, “you were the most credible guy on that stage tonight, the rest of them were just politicians”! That made me feel good for Mike.

Gov. Huckabee, I tried to do my best for you. I hope I didn’t say anything to hurt your campaign or anything that you didn’t want me to bring up…but like I told you at the Birch Run Rally, “I’m just a Truck Driver, who wants you to be our next President”.

God Bless you and Janet! I think God has a hand in everything we all are doing in this campaign and hopefully we will deliver a win in Michigan for you this Tuesday.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you,

Randy

Introdction by CEO of American Axle

Some how everything just feels right here. Most of the cars you see here on the road are mad here in the good ole USA, Verner’s is the best Ginger ale in the world.

Wildest dreams joke, poor guy has to tell is about 50x, still gets a big laugh.

If I am elected the Pres. of this great and, I won’t need a compass to tell me where MI is.

I’ve got cars in my blood stream (that’s gotta hurt).

Michigan is in one state recession, problems exacerbated by Lancing’s raising of taxes. What has Washington done to help? Not much at all.

Washington has dropped another Anvil on MI, higher CAFE standards.

Michigan is bell weather for US economy. Canary in the mind.

China accounts for 1/3 of our trade imbalance.

Accustomed to measure Natl. security with missiles, a better measure is the health of economy, Cannot have 1st tier economy with 2nd tier economy. MI economic worries should be nations economic worries.

If I am president, I will not rest until MI comes back! (Big cheer)

I am convinced MI can lead worlds auto industry. Needs change in DC by…

1. Honest about problems, tackle head on. Roll up sleeves, Mitt will bring together, industry, state and congressional leaders to develop plan for auto industry. Plan will work for MI and Automakers. Rectify enormous capital cost problems. Legacy, CAFÉ, etc.
2. Plan includes increase funding for auto research. DC, should not be benefactor, be a partner. Stop loading Detroit down with fuel mileage standards, uncoordinated with manufacturers.
3. Stop DC unilateral energy cost on manufacturing sector. McCain Leiberman Bill is an example (interesting name drop). Costs 300,000 jobs.
4. Placing caps and taxes on US alone drives manuf. to China. Global Warming.
5. More Healthcare cost on Auto, than skill costs. Mass Health Plan.
6. Fix Tax code.

5 fold increase from 4 billion to 20 billion to fuel science , auto tech, energy research.

Lead the world in Defense and medical, If we invest in heath care and space why not invest in fuel efficiency ,etc.

Personal accounts for on the job training. 40 different. Workforce training programs. Replace it with individual ownership and personal responsibility.

Treat teachers like real professionals. Better teachers should be better paid. Evaluated, promoted. Education of children ahead of interest of teachers union.

Shape US trade policy to open market to our goods and level playing field. Any nation tht unfairly man. Curncy, dumps usafe goods, etc. will face very aggressive president across the trading table.

When playing field is level America can compete with any nation

My whole life taken complex situations, and tackled them head on. Only candidate with that kind of experience. Frankly it’s the kind of experience MI needs in the white house.

Some people think there is no future for dom. Auto Indus. Jobs are gone, they are wrong.

We need new leadership in Wash. and they need lift the burdens.

Pessimist says jobs lost forever are gone foever. Nothing an be done. The pessimist are wrong, they don’t have to be lost, I can work to transform the industry and solve the problems. Next time I visit the auto show, I hope it will be as president of the US.

Questions,

Negative campaign between McCain and him?

MCain is a hero, someone I respect. A little advice, don’t run against Ted. K in MA. (lots of laughter) We have difference. MCCain voted against Bush tax cuts, I like them, they kept us from a deep dive. I love legal immigration, I don’t like illegal immigration. No amnesty. He an I disagree on that. I spent my life in private sector consulting venture capital, Turns companies around. I don’t know any exec. Who likes layoffs, means there are problems in the company. I know what it is like to sign payroll, and have to worry about layoffs. I understand economy, it’s in my blood.

Subprime issue, how did we miss this, what should be done, were we wrong to put Bernanke?

How did it happen? OFEO, resp. to mortgage product have no undue risks, They’ll be given more money, they ought to be fired. Highly risky products put together for safety, very risky idea. Fix OFEO, Lowering interest rates, very aggressive effort to help mortgages to stay in homes, to keep mortgages to from bing dumped on market. Washington needs leadership here. I’l likely put out stimulus package in the future, rehashes his savings program.

When are president, how will you concur congressional spending w/out line item?

Line item, single most effective tool pres has. Fight for new rules to fight for these rules. Real problem is entitlement challenge, (60% is entitlement spending, up to 70 in next eight years.) Ultimately it could lead to 100%. We have to have entitlement reform.

Put Medicaid on sound footing. Block grants to state. Medicare, reform entire system.

Governor Romney, how do we compete with Asia?

We really are in a global competition between four competitiors. Nothing as vulnerable as entrenched success. 120,000 to keep a soldier in uniform. 1200 to keep a Chinese soldier in uniform. Recognize the innovative spirit.

Gov. Romney, more troops less troops or troop withdrawal?

Time mag made big mistake in putting Putin on cover, should have been petreaus. NPR reporters laugh in a mocking tone.

Will have report up in about 45 min.

Long speech, so I am just throwing up th first seven minutes:

I will be on Illinois GOP Network’s Blog talk radio show tonight. I’ll be reporting on the scene here in Michigan, and a little bit of commentary on some local Illinois races. It will be starting at 9pm est, (10 min!) and you can listen to it here.

I am here, about an hour prior to Romney appearing here at Southfield, MI. The crowd so far is at about 200-300 and last I looked out cars were still streaming in the parking lot. One of the few campaign theme songs “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journeys is playing over the speaker

On the way out here, had a chance to listen to a Romney speech on POTUS 08. Not sure where the speech was given, but it was cearly in Michigan. One thing that is evident, Romney is clearly at home speaking to Michigan audiences. He knows the auto industry, and uses a little bit of the lingo in his speech.

I probably won’t give the play by play on this one since I am recording it.

If you are interested in helping defray the costs of blogging and traveling, you can donate here and send payment to jasonpbonham@hotmail.com.

Update: Definitely one of the most enthusiastic Romney events I have attended. I am not really good at guessing numbers, but if I was forced, I would have to say probably 800+ cramed into the atrium of the school. Romney hit on a wide array of theme, including the Ron Paul Hecklers, but the over all emphasis of speech had to be his continued references to the auto industry, his family roots in Michigan, named dropping of Michigan pop culture and experience in business. I’ll have the videos up later tonight.

Sunday Morning Fred Thompson Update: Watts V.P. Speculation, NYT Coverage, South Carolina Momentum

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Thompson has raised close to $500,000 online since Thursday night’s debate, and close to $900,000 this week. At the current rate, look for the Thompson campaign to top $1 million online for this week at some point tonight.

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The New York Times has an article this morning about Thompson’s surge in South Carolina:

A Combative Thompson Sways Voters
By PAUL VITELLO

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - John and Ann Berenberk dutifully watched the umpteenth Republican presidential debate on television on Thursday night and had an epiphany. It was about the candidate they had previously referred to as the tall, silent one. Fred D. Thompson.

The last of the candidates to enter the race, Mr. Thompson, 65, a former Tennessee senator, has so far seemed to distinguish himself mainly by a laconic style that has made him almost invisible beside the others on the stage in past debates, the Berenberks said.

“But then last night - we hadn’t even been thinking about him - all of a sudden it was clear he was the one,” said Mr. Berenberk, a retired teacher. “The bluntness, the forcefulness. He was really impressive.”

Whether this was a new Fred Thompson, or just a sign of mirage-inducing campaign fatigue among voters, many people attending Mr. Thompson’s campaign rallies here on the day after the debate reported having similar revelations.

Read the full article here.

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The Charlotte Observer (S.C.) picks up on the Thompson buzz in South Carolina:

SURFSIDE BEACH, S.C. –Fred Thompson comes out from behind the curtain and his eyes get big.

His supporters are elbow-to-elbow inside Surfside Jenny’s restaurant on Friday. Dozens more are crowded outside on the wraparound porch, heads poking in through the windows. Just about everybody is wearing a “FRED ‘08″ sticker.

Fred Thompson is not a man prone to grin, but he tries one on and it seems to work. The night before, at the Republican debate in Myrtle Beach, he stood out as the most aggressive, the most willing to take on his opponents. He has caught the buzz.

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The Oklahoma Political Newswire reports on talks between J.C. Watts and the Thompson campaign:

OKPNS also received a telephone call from a source close to former Congressman J.C. Watts and the talk of him being a V.P candidate is even more rampant throughout the Beltway and Thompson campaign. OKPNS will update you as more develops with this story.

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Human Events editor Jed Babbin comments on the reaction to the magazine’s endorsement of Fred Thompson in a blog at Fred’s website:

Since we endorsed Fred Thompson on Friday, Human Events has had a huge reaction –overwhelmingly positive – to the editorial from our readers all across the country

Tommy’s Friday Fred Thompson updates:

From The New York Daily News:

In an interview to air this Sunday, state Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long tells WNBC’s Gabe Pressman the party is likely to give an early nod to Fred Thompson if he manages to “break through” in South Carolina.

“As a Conservative, as the chairman of the New York state Conservative Party, my favorite candidate, naturally, is Fred Thompson,” Long said. “He did very well this week in the debate. Certainly, I think in South Carolina. If he does well there, if he breaks through in South Carolina, he changes the face of this Republican race again.

He becomes an important player, then on to Florida and to the Southern states. And I think he has a shot at it. And then if he does that, I believe that us, meaning the New York state Conservative Party, will move forward and make an endorsement at an early stage to try to help him catapult the rest of the country.”

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Last night was the most watched FNC debate of the primary season:

In early Nielsen estimates, Fox News Channel’s airing of the GOP debate last night drew 3.6M Total Viewers and 1.04M in the A25-54 demo. If the numbers hold, it will be FNC’s highest rated debate yet and the 5th most watched of this election cycle.

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Thompson has raised over $750,000 in online donations since Tuesday, signing up over 8,000 new donors. $300,000 of the donations today. It’s not Ron Paul numbers, but out of the candidates who don’t rely on online fundraising to run their campaign, it’s a strong number.

Added together with offline donations, Fred has strongly rebounded from his financial struggles and the campaign says to expect another surprise come the end of the quarter.

Today, the campaign said that you can plan to see it alive and well on February 5. Thompson will not be dropping out.

However, expect to see the Fredheads, such as myself, solely focused on South Carolina for the next week.

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Today in South Carolina, audiences came out in HUGE numbers, and two events had to be closed because of the size of the crowds. At every appearence, people were standing outside and waiting to get in. Reviews of the events have been ecstatic.

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On Mark Levin’s show tonight, Judge Robert Bork, a Mitt Romney supporter, said that “I don’t think that Senator McCain or Governor Huckabee deserves to be called a conservative.”
Neither is “remotely a conservative.”
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John McCain news:

Rumors swirling that Arnold Schwarzenegger will endorse John McCain in the near future. H/T: The Wall Street Journal
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At ate Krause Gently Headquarters in Des Moines. This event was inside the atrium. It allowed me to go up to the second level and take some pictures from the second floor.

Photographer shooting pics of Romney

Romney spokesperson Eric Fehnstron on the plane talking to reporters

Romney Supporters in Bettendorf, IA

Supporters in Cedar Rapids

Romney in Cedar Rapids

Day of the caucus. Today we are at Principal Financial network in Des Moines, where Romney will be speaking to the employees. Obviously one doesn’t have to think too hard to understand why Romney would focus on this group.

In the audience is Jim DeMint, Bob Bennet and Wayne Allard.

Some quotes:

Romney makes good joke “Don’t Touch the hair” The media laughs pretty hard at this.

“Wrong idea is to have Katrina People run medical care. ”

“A lot of people running can talk about their ideas on healthcare…but I am the only guy who can talk about their success in healthcare.”

460,000 prior to Romney’s plan without insurance, now there are 300,000 new sign ups for insurance so far.

Hits topics on energy independence.

“Battle on best jobs in the world…now we are competing with China and India”

“Staying ahead and remaining world’s economic leader will not b as easy as it used to be”

Putting up trade barriers “would absolutely guarantee America becoming a second their power”

“Americans love families and are patriotic.”

“I want to keep our tax burdens down, particularly on middle income families.”

” I don’t think that there is anything more important than what goes on in the four walls of the American home.”

“I am convinced our future is brighter than our past”

“With you help and your vote, which I need, please go to the caucuses and vote, multiple times”

Questions from the audience:

1. Question about ads focusing targeting competitors. “can we look forward to that in the generals?”

Romney: “absolutely” We need to get out the contrast, but “I am not going to attack character and tell people that they are dishonest.” “Part of politics and a good campaign is to define those differences so the people know where we line up.”

2. “How do you plan to increase the size of the military when they are having problems with that right now.”

If people are being called on to active duty, they don’t want to stay enrolled. Romney instituted “welcome Home Bill” gave four years of tuition fee free in Mass schools. Enrollment went up 30%. They need a good offer. We can raise from 1.5 million to 1.6 million.

3. What are your plans for congressional cooperation?

Romney: one of the great questions of any election. Washington is fundamentally broken, no real policy on a host of issues.

Learned from experience with “somewhat Democratic” legislature.

1. Never attacked Character of opposition in the Legislature.
2. Met regularly every week, personal relationship of trust. Dinners with wives”
3. Looked for common ground. Ex. Health Care Bill
4. Less score settling, shared credit, good for future negotiations
5. Recognition we need to act now

***Probably one of the best answers he’s given to a question that I have seen.

Romney basically hit every topic he could. Of note is that today Romney is wearing his dapper Navy Blue Suite as opposed to the khaki pants and plaid shirt from Yesterday. I doubt the guy could talk to a group of financial employees without being dressed in a suite. Romney clearly is on his home turf today,

Sarah Huckabee was kind enough to take a few moments from her hectic schedule on the campaign trail to speak with me at the Des Moines Blogger’s Bash. Unfortunately, two-thirds of the interview cannot be presented here as the file was corrupted in the download. But here is Ms. Huckabee discussing her thoughts as the race for Iowa draws to a close:

Every campaign has these, and it’s a testament to the US political process.

It was interrupted and stopped in the middle of the interview, but will forgive the offender.

Romney in Bettendorf answering a few questions after his speech.

I am now at the Romney rally in Des Moines. There appears to be about 600-700 people packed into the room. On stage is the Romney Clan, Dan Jansen Olympic Spee Skater), Jim DeMint, Rep. Bud McKeon, Rep. Hoekstra and the guy from Colorado who’s name escapes me at the moment. In the crowd iare about 100 press including Brit Hume (in a baseball hat) and Carl Cameron

It’s ben a long day for Mitt, and hes still energized. How could you not though, the night before possibly the biggest night of one’s life.

The Romney campaign really seems to be energized. Without exception I could not find a Romney official, worker or volunteer who is not xcited for the prospets of tomorrow. Undoubtedly the top bras want to lower any expectations, it’s the natural and only option, yet among the worker bees and volunteers I could not find a single one who s not expecting a win.

Romney’s campaign has for certain had it’s hurdles. From the firing his critics gave him when he left to China last December to the Huckbee and McCain surges. But I can honestly tell you, without any spin offered, there isn’t a person in the campaign who is not fully confident. I think I can conidntly sy that most the press people I have spoken with agree as well.

A few things I have heard in passing, today there were around 600 or so vounteers for the Romney campaign here in Des Moines. Romney has done over 250 personal public appearances in Iowa to date. Romney has raised more cash, from more people than any other republican competitor in the state of Iowa.

So will Romney win tomorrow? My prediction is yes.

The Cedar Rapids Event was held at the Airport hanger here in town. There was (eyeball guesstimate) about 200 supporters there, and about 100 members of the press. Romney was introduced by Dennis Hastert, who surprised all the members of the press. Hastert gave a strong introduction to Mitt, and will be in Iowa through the caucuses. Hastert will actually be speaking at the Bettendorf Caucus on behalf of Mitt. Another interesting tidbit to come out of this, that actually has really impressed some of the press, is the fact that the Romney campaign has drivers standing by the evening of the caucuses to give people rides to the event who can’t get there on their own. From what I understand, the ground game has a number of great things like that being planned. Turns out Clinton is hiring baby sitters and is making sure elderly people have sedans to ride in to the caucuses since they are easier to get into.

Speaking of the press corps, the first couple flights I sat next to a producer from one of the big three networks. From talking to this person it seems that one of things that the press finds so interesting about the campaign is that they are so well organized. This producer said he mere fact they get schedules for the events 24 hours in advance and that everything runs so smoothly is really a testament. This producer added, “If they can run a campaign this well…they could run the country.”

Talking to some of the Romney supporters it’s clear they are very optimistic for tomorrow and really are excited for tomorrow. One field coordinator I interviewed, which I will post when I have enough time on the internet to upload, made the observation that she has ran into people out on the streets going door to door for Mitt who she had no idea who they were. They just went out on their own accord.

The event itself was pretty good. Romney’s son Craig came on stage on spoke kindly about his father, and his grandfather, and Mitt really hit on the family theme here.

When I get the videos up from today, they will include an interview with Dennis Hastert I landed.