Political Derby’s Power Rankings are up. Memo to Jason: Thanks for the mental image of a Roseanne Barr/Rosie O’Donnell offspring. Now please excuse me while I go rinse my eyes out with Drano. End Memo.

Blogfather Hugh has two posts of interest: First his take on McCain’s Tin Cup Trip to New York. Second is a link-o-rama piece on the Fredhead’s Mitt migration. Both well worth reading.

While on the subject of Fred, Mike Laub has an excellent post on style (Huck) versus substance (Fred).
Article VI’s John Schroeder calls into question Huck’s campaign strategy, to which Lowell interjects:

My guess: He just wants power and influence, and he resents Romney’s wealth, success, good looks, intelligence, and beautiful family. I don’t think he’s enough of a zealot to want to stop a Mormon candidacy.

Ouch! That’s gonna leave a mark! Seriously, Lowell. Tell us what you really think.

As long as I’m talking about Huck, check out John Fund’s analysis of his campaign.

Why is Mitt loathed by his opponents? American Thinker’s Amy Goldstein has the Top 8 reasons. I’m sure she could have found another two reasons to round the list out, but then the Writer’s Guild and David Letterman would’ve started picketing her desk.

Mitt knows markets.

Mitt does the Tonight Show.

This girl didn’t make the Tonight Show, or American Idol, but has a good Mitt song.

Mitt took a tour of Cape Canaveral yesterday. A Lockheed Martin representative told him about the upcoming funding gap for space exploration. Space Exploration is important to Florida – and to those of us who still think rockets are amazing pieces of disposable technology – and had Mitt wanted to pander to the crowd, he could have made a possibly empty campaign promise. Here’s what he said:

I’m prepared to study it thoroughly. I do not have a budget for you on the
gap. I’m not making promises, because I shouldn’t make promises until I’ve
studied something.

That, dear reader, is a tried and true work ethic which has made Mitt a wildly rich and successful man. We need that in Washington.

Mitt does pop-culture.

I don’t like unsigned editorials, even if they do come from the Washington Times. The Times Editorial Board is just plain greenly envious of the fact Mitt has more money in the cushions of his couch than they will collectively earn in their professional careers. The Editorial Board demands that Mitt be “forthcoming about how much of his personal fortune he is donating to his campaign.” Memo to the Washington Times Editorial Board: Mitt will be extremely forthcoming about how much he’s donated to his campaign. He’ll do it on January 31, just like everybody else. I call upon you to be forthcoming about your collective personal bias toward whichever candidate you’re supporting – which obviously isn’t Mitt. Being rich in this country isn’t a crime – yet. Elect any one of the current crop of Democratic candidates and it just might become a felony. End Memo.

And finally, add this to the Glen Johnson Hall of Shame. Glen has the scoop on the shocking revelation that Mitt Patronizes Mormon Businesses! Which businesses are these? Marriott and [gasp] Jet Blue Airlines. I’ll give you a minute to recover from your shock. Memo to Glen Johnson: Did you not get my memo suggesting a vacation? I’m sure you could find a Marriott resort in a deep blue state someplace. You could probably even fly there on Jet Blue. End Memo.

This is where the rubber meets the road and people start putting reality into the polls everyone’s been watching for well over a year.

Predictions are a dime a dozen, and For reports direct from Team Mitt, stop by Jason over at MyManMitt.com He’s on the ground with Mitt in Iowa writing as the events take place. Drop him a few bucks while you’re there – this trip is coming out of his own wallet.

A few final comments for now:

This is what campaigns do when they lack the resources , record, and ability to answer comparison ads. Here’s a very good reason to send Huck packing tonight. I for one don’t ever want to see Susan Estrich dancing to anything.

The Romney Campaign is going to let you create a television ad that will air on national television.  They give you ample audio, pictures, even video clips.  All you have to do is put it together in a creative fashion. 

The winner receives fame and glory.  And, bragging rights.  Zip over to JumpCut.com to create your Mitt Masterpiece.

 

 

The Hotline’s Conn Carroll has a rundown of Mitt on the blogs of late.  Some good, some bad, some just plain foolish.  You be the judge.
 
RCP’s Jay Cost takes his best shot at the “Mormon Issue”.  He thinks Mitt took the wrong tack when he made a point of posing a hypothetical question to a hypothetical Senator (Jack) Kennedy about his Catholic beliefs during an interview with Mark Davis.  Bear in mind, Mark Davis had just asked him a question about Mormonism that had nothing to do what-so-ever with politics.  Said Mitt: 

‘Senator Kennedy, do you really believe that that wafer turns into the body of Christ, do you really believe that? Has there been chemical analysis in the stomachs of people after they’ve taken communion?’ These are not questions you ask someone who’s running for President. 

To which Cost blasts: 

Oh no. No, Governor Romney. No! No! No! A thousand times no! 

This is absolutely the wrong way to respond to questions about seemingly unbelievable beliefs.  

Mmo to Jay Cost:  Welcome to our world.  This is exactly the kind of question posed to Mitt by “unbiased” journalists on a daily basis.  You might consider his hypothetical question to be absurd.  I won’t argue with you.  It is an absurd question that has nothing to do with a presidential election.  Mitt was illustrating absurdity by being absurd.  It is a great way to show an interviewer just how stupid their question is.  Why, Mr. Cost, is it acceptable to insult millions of Mormons and not millions of Catholics?  The only acceptable answer to that question is “because there are millions more Catholics than there are Mormons” and that is the textbook definition of religious bigotry.  The only person looking like an intolerant fool here is yourself – and quite possibly Mssrs. Mickleson and Davis.  Congratulations.  Here’s your sign.  End Memo.
 
CBN’s David Brody chimes in on the recent abortion kerfluffle.  Dave, where have you been?
 
The Deseret Morning News’ Lisa Roche reports on Mitt’s small donations from Utah.  Money is money.
 
The Boston Globe Editorial Board doesn’t like Mitt, much less his healthcare plan.  No surprise there.
 
The AP’s Brendan Riley has a stunning revelation.  Mitt won’t attend a screening for September Dawn.  Wow.  There’s a surprise.  This film isn’t a film about Mormon history – it’s a work of fiction and little more.  Its release has been delayed so many times its almost as old as the events it purports to portray.  The producers know if they wait till Labor Day weekend to release it, it’ll be swallowed up by films people actually want to see.  Even the Mojo doesn’t look good.  My guess – it’ll be out of the 850 theaters within a week.  Maybe two.
 
The Article VI Boys have some good analysis of the latest poll numbers.
 
ETalkingHead’s Terry Mitchell pens an interesting post on Mitt’s “Carter” strategy.  All similarities between Mitt and Carter end at the door to the Oval.
 

Oh, and guys? This is what being implicitly ignored looks like .

Voice of America’s Jim Malone writes on the aftermath of Ames.  I commend Malone for focusing on the political issues of the campaign and not the religious angle.  Would that more reporters followed his example. 

The AP’s Jim Kuhnhenn reports on Mitt’s financial disclosure document to the FEC.   Bottom line – Mitt is loaded.  No news here. 

USNews’ Chris Wilson comments on Mitt’s blogosphere buzz.  Again, Ames has an effect – mainly causing people to pay attention. 

While the Republican YouTube Circus is “back on”, Mitt has yet to confirm participation in the November event and has serious questions about the format.  I’ve seen a good portion of the video questions and have yet to find any of them I could remotely call “serious”.  If the YouTube Circus has participation by the Tier I candidates – Fred and Rudy – then my guess is Mitt will go. 

Mitt headed to San Diego to see the Ground Zero of the border problem. 

Looks like Howlin Mad Howie Dean’s Head Mitt Hit Man Damien LaVera took the day off.  LaVera’s job is safe, however, because the quality of the DNC hit piece didn’t improve in his absence.  If I were the DNC, I’d be very careful about calling a competitor’s donors “dirty”.   Yes, Damien, we’ve got long memories.  We remember the filthy Clinton fundraising machine that turned the White House into a Motel6 for anyone with a few bags of untraceable $100 bills. 

The Hoover Institution’s Dinesh D’Souza has a rather unique piece on Mitt and the Mormon issue.  Worth the read but skip the comments. 

The Salt Lake Trib’s Paul Rolly writes a few hundred words which aren’t worth the bandwidth they’re stored on.  Facts, Paul.  Try a few.  Or just one. 

The Deseret Morning News’ Carrie Moore writes (yet another) column on Mitt and the Mormon issue.  She quotes Article VI’s Lowell, but otherwise the article recycles that which has be done over and over.  Sigh. 

The Trail’s Alec MacGillis writes a truly tasteless pre-Ames piece eluding to a “Mormon” conspiracy influencing the outcome.  Memo to Alec:  Get real.  Soon.  End Memo. 

I’d like to state for the record that the people running the Op-Ed page at Boston’s ABC affiliate WCBV are a bunch of bigoted cowards.  Yes.  You read me right.  Bigoted Cowards.  Only such people would write this type of editorial and leave it unsigned and unattributed.  Prove me wrong and come out and take credit for your work.  I’m not holding my breath. 

The Philadelphia Daily News’ John Baer makes sense.  He wins today’s “Read The Whole Thing” Award. 

A Brownback Blog tries – and fails in spectacular fashion – to put a bad spin on Mitt’s Mickelson takedown.  B4M readers know why I refer to the Senator from Kansas as “Cheap-Shot Sam”.  Looks like the blog doesn’t fall far from the candidate where cheap shots are concerned. 

Evangelicals for Mitt summarizes the debate between John Podhoretz and Blogfather Hugh regarding Mitt’s strategery.  Sorry, John, this round goes to the Blogfather. 

Mitt has a link with video from his Today Show appearance.  Josh and Tagg put in an appearance on the Early Show. 

The Mitt Mobile finally made it to all 99 counties in Iowa.  That’s a lot of real estate!

Not exactly surprising news, but I thought it apt to mention that Mitt has won the Ames Straw Poll by pulling in about 32% of the votes cast.  There are a few ways to spin the Ames results – and the MSM will give you all of them. 

Here’s the bottom line – Mitt did well.  Better than expected actually.  Its important to remember that – outside of opinion polls – Ames is the only contact the candidates will have between now and the Hawkeye Caucai sometime in early January.  Yes, Ames is a non-binding event, but everything between now and January is just talk. 

So, other than Mitt, congratulations are due to Mike Huckabee for a good second place finish.  He’ll makes somebody’s short list in the Veepstakes. 

Memo to Cheap Shot Sam Brownback:  Third place doesn’t even count in horseshoes or hand grenades.  So much for your upset. 

And, the field bids farewell to Tommy Thompson. 

Thank you, and good night.

I think I’m going to start a new category here at B4M – something along the lines of Sports Illustrated’s This Week’s Sign The Apocalypse Is Upon Us.  Well, This Week’s Sign is Fox New’s Blue Streak columnist Susan Estrich.  She’s much easier to read than she is to listen to, but she nailed the Mitt vs. Mickelson brouhaha.  I give credit where credit is due.  Well said, Susan.
 
Much has been made over the past few days about the Mitt-Rudy ‘sanctuary city’ dust up.  Mitt says Rudy continued a holdover ‘sanctuary’ policy from Ed Koch.  For the record, here’s what Rudy said in 1994:

Some of the hardest-working and most productive people in this city are undocumented aliens.  If you come here and you work hard and you happen to be in an undocumented status, you’re one of the people who we want in this city. You’re somebody that we want to protect, and we want you to get out from under what is often a life of being like a fugitive, which is really unfair.

Quacks like a duck.  Walks like a duck.  Barring an epiphany to the contrary, it’s probably a duck.  HT Evangelicals For Mitt.
 
Here’s a shocker – at least it will be to the MSM.  The Des Moines Register’s Perry Beeman reports that Mitt believes discrimination based on sexual orientation is wrong.   Says Mitt:

We as a society don’t discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation.  If people are looking for people who are anti-gay, they aren’t going to find that with me. But I am going to fight to protect traditional marriage.
 
I don’t believe in discrimination against people because they are gay. In state employment, I never asked anyone about their sexual orientation, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we hired a gay judge or two. I am not anti-gay.

If I had an egg timer, I’d use it to time the right wing nutters as they spin up their “Mitt favors gay agenda” posts.  It’s a fundamental principle of this nation that all people are created equal and are entitled to equal protection under the law.  Mitt believes that.  So do I.  Equal protection doesn’t extend to redefining marriage.  Deal with it.
 
The AP’s Glen Johnson writes about how Mitt uses his business acumen to effectively run his campaign.  Johnson’s reporting is good, and you can tell he’s been shadowing Mitt’s campaign for awhile now.  But when I read this paragraph I almost fell out of my chair:

One small but potentially potent bloc: Romney‘s fellow Mormons. While a church almanac says there are only 22,100 Mormons in Iowa, seven-tenths of 1 percent of the state‘s overall population, if they appear en masse at the caucuses, it could be a boon to Romney.

Memo to Johnson:  You don’t know many Mormons, do you?  The possibility of getting all 22,100 Mormons to do anything en masse is about as remote as getting Hillary Clinton to do the funky chicken on Letterman.  Mitt’s support will be broad based and although I’m sure there will be a Mormon contingent voting for him, it won’t be the deciding factor.
 
The Midland Reporter-Telegram’s Bob Campbell reports that Mitt plans to visit Midland, Texas in September.  I’ve once lived in Midland during September.  My only advice to Mitt on Midland is: Bring water.  Lots of water.  There’s no water in Midland – at least none worth drinking.
 
I’d comment on VDARE’s Randall Burns and his link filled anti-Mitt diatribe, but pretty much all you need to know is contained in his two-line bio at the bottom of the column.  He works for Dennis Kucinich – Cleveland’s gift to political comedy.  Enough said.
 
The Washington Post’s Shear and MacGillis report on Mitt’s Iowa cash advantage.  Bottom line – Money talks.
 
The Hawkeye’s Kiley Miller writes about Ann in the kitchen.
 
There’s just no pleasing the New York Observer’s Steve Kornaki.  Memo to Steve:  Easy on the pickle juice.  End Memo.
 
Newsweek’s Gaggle writer Holly Bailey blows the lid off Mitt’s secret weapon that will catapult him to victory at Ames.  What’s the secret?  Food.  Memo to Holly:  Mormons don’t drink, smoke, or take drugs.  Add to that the prohibition against illicit (extramarital) sex and we’re running short on vices.  We’re good a food based hospitality and have been since the Nauvoo Mansion House was opened in the 1840s.  Food.  Its what we do.  End Memo.
 
The Deseret Morning News’ Lisa Riley Roche has (yet another) article on Mitt and the Mormon issue.  Sigh.  There are so many on this subject I’m thinking of developing a macro with boilerplate commentary.
 
(Lack of) Reason’s Jacob Sullum wanted to write something about Mitt and medicinal marijuana.  I’m not sure, but Jason might have inhaled some time during his writing session.
 
Today’s Cheap Shot award goes to the Boston Herald’s Peter Getzinis.  With columns like his, Getzinis should be careful about who he calls and “empty vessel.”
 
PolicialDerby’s Jason Wright wonders when Mitt will start to worry about the national poll numbers which have him tied with McCain.  I’ll be happy to answer.  Memo to Jason:  Mitt will start to worry about the national polls when they start to actually reflect voter sentiment.  Right now its August.  Most of America is more concerned with air conditioning than they are with the race for the Oval.  Look for Mitt to start focusing more on the national polls in a few months when people outside Iowa and New Hampshire actually start paying attention.  End Memo.
 
The Wall Street Journal’s Mark Jacoby pretty much spells out what is at stake with the Ames poll.  Alright all you stubborn Hawkeyes!  Get out there, vote early, and often!
 

USAToday’s Susan Page reports from Cedar Rapids that Mitt’s support for the troop surge in Iraq isn’t an open ended commitment.  Somehow the MSM will spin this to the point Mitt will be painted as supporting total withdrawal immediately. 

Fox has more on the Romney Girls.  Shameless marketing – but very effective. 

The AP has Mitt out front in the Washington State GOP money race. 

There are many people whom I believe qualified to judge the honesty of another individual.  The Boston Globe’s Joan Vennochi is not among that group.  She spent four years sniping at Mitt while he was governor and she just can’t help but recycle her work from that era.  Memo to Joan:  Originality.  Try some.  End Memo. 

Speaking of people who have trouble piecing together two coherent sentences, Jimmy Breslin has a point in his latest Newsday piece.  I’m sure it has something to do with Mitt and politics, but between the 11 mentions of Mormon and the not-so-subtle reference to Rudy’s vision of Mitt coming out of the Manhattan Temple, I’m not sure what that point was supposed to have been. 

Via Evangelicals for Mitt I found the latest Evans & Novak Political Report which tries to make sense of the national polling data in light of Mitt’s good numbers in Iowa and New Hampshire.  Well worth the read. 

Blogfather Hugh takes the AP and Rachel Griffith (anti-war activist and cheap shot questioner) to task for both asking the “why aren’t your grown sons in the military” question and the way the AP reported the exchange.  Once upon a time, MSM luminaries like the AP controlled what was printed and how candidates appeared to the public.  That time has ended. 

Mike Gallagher, having already dug himself well into the pit of religious bigotry, calls in the steam shovel to help him on his way down.  Memo to Mike:  The only people seeing the need to “scrutinize” the religious beliefs of people running for secular political office are those who can’t see their way clear to writing about issues that actually matter.  Sadly, you’ve been in the former category for years now.  End memo. 

The Washington Post’s Cillizza and Balz have a puff piece on Mike Huckabee.  Huckabee has learned from Cheap-Shot Sam that a good way to garner headlines is to snipe at the Tier 1 candidates – especially Mitt.  Pollsters say people like Huckabee but feel he can’t win the primary, let alone the general election.  They’re right. 

The AP’s Liz Sidoti has a roundup of who’s taking shots at Mitt and what ammunition they’re using.  The long and the short of that issue is Mitt can take more than they can dish out.

The AP’s Glen Johnson reports on Mitt’s trip to Bettendorf, Iowa.  There an anti-war “activist” challenged Mitt on the fact that none of his five sons decided to serve in the military.  Why this question is even given voice by Johnson is beyond me.  It’s a cheap shot.  We live in a country where men and women are free to serve in the military – or not.  Instead of focusing on that freedom, some nitwits heckle a father for the decisions of his adult sons.  Go figure.
 
Mitt has launched a new ad in Iowa in the run up to the Ames Straw Poll.
 
The Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder has some inside info on Mitt’s push to Ames.
 
CBS’s Pure Horserace thinks Mitt is hearing footsteps on the way to Ames.  He points to a “clearly frustrated Romney hastily leaving the studio after the [Mickelson] interview” as evidence there might be an upset coming from the second tier candidates like Cheap-Shot Sam.  Mitt will win the Ames poll, but you can guarantee that any showing of strength from Tiers 2 or 3 will be overblown by the MSM.
 
The Philly Inquirer’s Dick Polman declares that since Republicans tend to be more religious than Democrats now Mitt should be required to answer questions about his faith.  Polman cloaks his bigotry with the “weird” veil and proceeds to cherry pick pieces of Mormon doctrine, folklore, and myth in order to paint Mitt (and all Mormons) as self-righteous crusaders bent on imposing their faith on the heathen hoards.
 
Ok.  Maybe I embellish Polman’s column just a tad. Memo to Dick Polman:  Replace every single mention of “Mormon” in your column with Jew, Catholic, or Muslim and I guarantee your inbox will be inundated with messages like the one I’m about to send you.  Congratulations.  You’re a bigot.  Here’s your sign.  And, for the record, I want a President who believes in American Exceptionalism.  This is a special country – that’s why everybody wants to come here.  I’m not interested in any “leader” who sees Islamofascism as having anything to add to America.  American Exceptionalists believe the War on Terror must be won rather than appeasing the thugs on the other side.  End Memo.
 
The Christian Science Monitor’s Linda Feldmann has an extensive piece on Mitt, his family, and (of course) his religion.  Having read the whole thing, I find her work well thought out and well written.  That said, I have to take issue with her quotation of Alan Wolfe, director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life at Boston College:

It doesn’t matter that Mormonism is by now a very fast-growing and successful religion.  It doesn’t matter that Romney’s Mormon faith has in no way impeded his political career thus far. Same with Harry Reid [the Senate Democratic leader, also a Mormon]…. When ordinary people start to think about Mormonism, the word that flits across their brain is ‘cult.’

Memo to Alan Wolfe:  Evidently, sir, you do not know or associate with many “ordinary” people.  End memo.
 
Normally I’m of the opinion that you takes the compliments you gets.  Michael Graham’s Boston Herald op-ed makes me want to reconsider that view.  Thanks, Mike.  I think.
 
Via Article VI I came across Justin Taylor’s take on Michael Gerson’s Washington Post op-ed.  The news on Taylor’s blog is an upcoming Collin Hansen piece on Mitt in the September edition of Christianity Today.  My praise for Taylor ends where the comments begin. 
 
I was unaware Mitt had triplets.

Blogfather Hugh comments on the Washington Post’s E.J. Dionne’s piece about Mitt gaining traction in Iowa.  I can’t argue with Dionne’s logic.  Mitt has the Big Mo in the Hawkeye State and its becoming more and more apparent to friend and foe alike that Mitt is and will be a force to be reckoned with.
 
Also from the Washington Post, William Arkin wishes George Stephanopolous would have followed up on Mitt’s “Jane Fonda to Dr. Strangelove in one week” zinger.   I disagree with Arkin’s premise that Mitt is “walking away from Iraq”.  All evidence is to the contrary.  Arkin is miffed that Mitt got off a memorable soundbyte at Obama’s expense.
 
The Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder parses out Mitt’s statements on abortion as they relate to federalism.  If you’re in need of intellectual stimulation, feel free to delve into the details.  Mitt has stated repeatedly (and in more detail than any other candidate) that he is vigorously pro-life.  That’s good enough for me, and I think it’ll be good enough for most voters – with the obvious exception of Cheap-Shot Sam.  He’s smarting from the shellacking he took on Sunday and Marc has his response video.  In summary – too little, too cheap, and much too late.
 
The Orlando Sentinel’s Rachael Jackson chronicles Mitt’s visit to Daytona Beach.
 
I don’t know if CBN’s David Brody reads this blog.  His readers, like me, took issue with his take on the Mickelson ambush interview.  Memo to David:  I deny all knowledge of any letters written with cut-out words.
 
Some days Howlin’ Mad Howie Dean’s Head Mitt Hit Man Damien LaVera just makes me laugh.  With no thought to the fact of his boss’ legendary temper nor the fact that the Dean Scream has hung over the Iowa landscape for over four years now, LaVera has the audacity to say that Mitt’s “temper flared during a recent interview” thus showing his “thin skin”.  Its been at least a week since LaVera managed to cobble together enough critical MSM hit pieces into a DNC press release.  LaVera obviously has a thin grasp of temper tantrums.  To the best of my knowledge, Mitt has never hurled a lamp at anyone.
 
ABCNews’ Dan Harris journeys to Manti, Utah to report on the Mormon angle to Mitt’s candidacy.  Harris’ choice for people to ask about their feelings regarding Mitt’s candidacy is rather unique.  I’ve been to both the Manti and Palmyra pageants and have dealt with the anti-Mormon protesters in both venues.  They represent the far extreme of the evangelical spectrum and spend most of their time shouting into megaphones at the crowds of assembled Mormons.  One can’t even describe them as informative, unless you consider someone yelling “Anyone who believes in Joe Smith is going to hell” to be useful information. 
 
The most informative paragraphs of Harris’ column come (no surprise) at the end where he states:

But even if they embrace Romney, don’t expect evangelicals to embrace Mormonism.

Commenting on Romney to the National Review in December 2006, evangelical leader Chuck Colson said, “As an evangelical, I’m not troubled that he’s a Mormon. I would have theological concerns about his soul, but not about his competence.”

This campaign isn’t about Mormon theology – there’s no place on the ballot for that.  Embrace Mitt all you want – no conversion is required.
 
The Point’s Anne Morse is concerned that a Mitt presidency might increase the number of convert baptisms.  It would be easy enough for her to say that, but then this wouldn’t have caught my attention: