January 29, 2008 - 6:00pm

Romney supporters prepare for Feb. 5 primary fight

Absorbing some former backers of Fred Thompson and at least one defector from the camp of Rudy Giuliani, Sen. Joseph Kyrillos, state chairman of Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign, today assembled an official, updated team of Romney backers at a breakfast in Parsippany.

"Washington is broken and we're not going to fix it by sending the same people back just to have them sit in different chairs," Kyrillos said. "Governor Romney has a proven record of success in his 25 years in the business sector, as the CEO of the Olympics, and as Governor of Massachusetts. Governor Romney has the experience needed to fix Washington, and I will work with my friends and colleagues to make sure his message gets to as many voters as possible."

Romney issued a statement in response to the show of support.

"I'm glad to have the support of so many conservative leaders in New Jersey," said Romney, who this evening is in a neck and neck battle with Sen. John McCain for control of Florida.

"People all over the country are concerned about the uncertainty in the economy, and I have the experience and the plan to keep our economy strong," Romney said. "I believe we need to cut personal and corporate taxes, improve education and make health care more accessible. I look forward to working with these leaders to make sure we earn the support of as many New Jersey voters as possible leading up to the February 5 primary and beyond."

In addition to Kyrillos, the list of supporters released by the Romney campaign includes Alan Ashkinaze, Hackensack, leader of the Tuesday Group; Assemblyman John Rooney; District 25 Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll; Sean Connelly, Jersey City, former Hudson County Republican Chairman; Don Cox, Trenton, Ewing township councilman; John Ginty, Ridgewood, former U.S. Senate candidate; former Assemblyman Guy Gregg, Hackettstown, former Thompson for President State Chairman; Tim Howes, Gladstone, Somerset County Republican activist; Michael Illions, Iselin, conservative activist and blogger; former Assemblyman Dick Kamin, Mount Olive; former state Senator and Egg Harbor Township Mayor Sonny McCullough (formerly a Giuliani supporter); Don O'Sullivan, Hoboken, Republican activist; Erik Peterson, Milford, Hunterdon County freeholder; District 26 Assemblyman Jay Webber; and Sussex County Freeholder Harold Wirths.

Comments

Broad-based Experience


As the election season is shaping up, experience is emerging as an important measure of a candidate.  And the economy is emerging as a significant topic in that realm of experience.  And as it does Mitt, will naturally attract more and more voters.  They will justifiably be reluctant to look to the Washington insiders, especially the clubby ones with current jobs that they have set aside, as they have spent all their time running for President while problems have developed.

Mitt's notable successes with the Olympics, with a stubborn economy he inherited as Governor -- a very difficult economy to turn around up in the very blue state of Massachusetts -- and the job-creation that came with the business successes he has had over the course of his career, should all hold him in good stead with the people of New Jersey. 

It has long been noted that he provided some of the venture capital for Domino's Pizza and Staples, two major successes that anyone would consider major career accomplishments.

The irony is that the media really started promoting experience as an issue when, earlier in the season, Hillary attempted to tout her faux experience as a way to separate herself from the rest of the Democrat pack.  Now, even writers like David Broder have suddenly become perplexed by her claims.  She has never run anything, never been responsible for any organization's budget, and the only two things she was in charge of during her husband's terms, were her failed radical healthcare plan, and the travel office fiasco.

And speaking of Massachusetts, Mitt's ability to succeed in getting elected in that state, despite the utter dominence of the Democrat party statewide, is a real tribute to his electability.

by Trochilus

01/29/08 6:59 pm

Zero Delegates in NJ for Romney?


too bad the Giuliani people made the GOP primary all-or-nothing for delegates.

Now Giuliani will drop out, McCain will win, and Romney will get nothing in NJ.

 

01/29/08 9:49 pm

Our Chairman Wilson is a real player


He knows how to take care of business. Zero delegates for Rudy (dropped out), zero delegates for Romney, zero for Huckabee, zero for Paul. We do not want any conservatives here in NJ. We are for Rudy, hee, we were for Rudy, now we are for McCain. Tomorrow we will be for ... hee. Let's ask our chairman where the wind is blowing.

01/29/08 10:48 pm

The future!


Welcome to 2008, old man. 

01/29/08 10:59 pm

Conservative Power Players??


Seeing those guys that marched out today was like watching a  superfriends episode without superman, batman, wonderwoman, the flash, green arrow or aqua man...

01/29/08 11:43 pm

Your Choice: Decapitated or Boiled in Oil says NJGOP leadership


Too bad.  The GOP has a chance to actually nominate someone who has written published, widely-read and highly regarded tracts on internnational finance and economics, and all these NJGOP leaders are discussing is which of the two remaining economic illiterates they should choose to lead them to their certain demise in November. 

About four (4) days before the Iowa Caucus, the Main Stream Media effectively buried the GOP's chances to win in November by ordering a media blackout of Dr. Ron Paul (except of course, to reiterate and republish some wholly baseless claims of racism against him).

Before the Michigan primary, Romney showed his prowess in the field of economics by promising to bring back jobs . . . long-gone jobs to Michigan with a severe, anti-free market program of government interventionism.  No sane person, based upon any cognizable theory of international trade and economics would make such a baseless pander-claim, much less an alleged free-marketeer.  Imagine what the Dem nominee's campaign will do with that one.

McCain on the other hand, and first to his credit, admitted that he had little familarity with finance and economics.  Of course, being a pathological liar, he thereafter denied he ever said such a thing.  More straight talk, I guess.  The media had a field day showing both statements on TV.  Imagine what the Dem nominee's campaign will do with that one.

There's a reason why the NJGOP is failing . . . they don't believe their own rhetoric and refuse to ever follow it when push comes to shove.  They invariably nominate BIG GOVERNMENT CONSERVATIVES (wha?).  Only one problem: the voting public can see through this . . . so they choose the consistent and truthful BIG GOVERMENT DEM over the disingenuous and duplicitous GOP BIG GOVERNMENT GOPer every time.

After all, given the choice, wouldn't you prefer to elect a truthful and sincere big government advocate over a lying, deceitful and dsihonest one?

 

01/30/08 10:07 am

Re: TheBullhorn


An intelligent & articulate congressman like Ron Paul should have done better than 3% last night. He has gotten a good amount of media coverage but the bottom line is that he hasn't produced results at the polls. If he has all this hidden support out there, then one argue that his supportes are simply failing him by not backing up their words at the polls. You can only blame the media so much.

01/30/08 10:53 am

What happened?


Based upon my reading of some of the comments in here, I'm pretty sure that many of the commenters are political insiders.  We all pretty much live and breathe politics and/or law to a more or less degree.  So I've gotta believe that most of the people in here have been actively involved in either running for elective office and/or staffed a campaign.

Look at the timing of dropping Ron Paul down the media black hole.  The vast majority of primary voters don't pay much attention to the candidates until a few days before the actual primary election.  If no one hears about a candidate from the major media, then most primary voters will not vote for that candidate.  That candidate will likely get only soem true believers and political insiders who make up only a miniscule eprcentage of the primary voting total.

If you watched the GOP debates last night (and all the prior ones as well) Ron Paul got the fewest number of questions and the least amount of time to speak.  Former CIA associate, Anderson Cooper even cut Ron Paul off in midsentence when Ron Paul was making an important, if unconventional point.  Cooper then promised he would have a question for Ron Paul in a couple minutes.  But that didn't happen, of course.

What happened is a worthless, needless, contentless argument between McCain and Romney about "timetables".  It looked and sounded like the mock sessions we had as little children.  ("You hit me first . . . no I didn't", etc.)  Well, Cooper let this nonsense go on, wasting valuable time and leaving a complete non-issue unresolved.

The free media that dingbats like McCain and Romney get is worth millions and untold votes.  If the media had given Ron Paul the same or even slightly less coverage than those two woethess liberals, Ron Paul would have blown them away.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it . . .    

01/31/08 9:07 am

Ron Paul media blackout???


Hey... I would be thrilled to hear more about the gold standard and the possible return to it but what did you expect CNN??? They were more concerned with trying to bait Romney and McCain the entire way... I agree that Paul and Huckabee were ignored. They were trying to bait Obama and Hillary tonight although they were less sucessful. I would warn you not to get ahead of yourself and think there this deep dark conspiracy to shut up Ron Paul. You have 2 candidates that don't like eachother right now and controversy has always sold debates. As one of John McCain's conservative supporters I like having Ron Paul there at the debates because I think alternatives need to be heard; even those views I disagree with.

01/31/08 10:28 pm