Romney and wife Ann campaigned in New Hampshire Sunday.
(CNN) - Mitt Romney, who has been polling well in New Hampshire for months, has so far failed to win over at least one small but important constituency: the state’s newspaper editors.
The Republican presidential candidate – and former governor of neighboring Massachusetts – has not yet received endorsements from any of the state’s newspaper editorial boards, liberal or conservative. He has also been the target of scathing “anti-endorsements.”
Last week, the Concord Monitor’s liberal-leaning editorial board took aim at Romney. Wednesday, it was the conservative Manchester Union-Leader, which has already endorsed Romney’s presidential primary rival, Arizona Sen. John McCain.
“Like a lot of people in New Hampshire, we wanted to believe Romney. We gave him the benefit of the doubt. We listened very carefully to his expertly rehearsed sales pitch. But in the end he didn't close the deal for us,” the board wrote today, in an editorial that questioned his conservative convictions. “Now, two weeks before the primary, the same is happening with voters.
“How could that be? Romney has all the advantages: money, organization, geographic proximity, statesman-like hair, etc. …. But he lacks something John McCain has in spades: conviction. … In this primary, the more Mitt Romney speaks, the less believable he becomes,” they wrote.
Mitt Romney is spending Wednesday and Thursday stumping in New Hampshire, which had been considered his firewall.
The Romney campaign dismissed the Union-Leader editorial, touting his backing by the conservative National Review. “Gov. Romney has built a coalition of grassroots conservative support in. New Hampshire and across the country as a result of his advocacy for economic, social and national security policies that champion conservative Republican ideals,” said campaign spokesman Kevin Madden.
“The differences between Gov. Romney and Sen. McCain are clear. We disagree with Sen. McCain's joining Democrats to vote against Republican plans for tax relief, his pro-amnesty immigration proposal with Senator Kennedy and his McCain-Feingold legislation which hurt conservative advocacy efforts.”
From CNN Politics
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With the possible exception of Guiliani, all the Rep. candidates are bigots. Just Romney's ox is being gored because of religious bigoty in his case. What goes around comes around. All the top tier Dems are preferrable to the sad lot of Rep candidates.
New Hampshire House Republican Majority Leader just endorsed Romney, where is CNN's story? That is a major get for the Romney team.
Farsideleft – if you want someone who won't work through issues how about you and Bush go make your own country.
http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2007/12/20/a-gop-free-for-all/
Anyone can see the stark contrast in the two parties. The Democratic nomination is nationally wrapped up if you just ignore the EARLY states which is pre-2007 wisdom!!! SUPER DUPER TUESDAY will decide the nominee.
The Republicans are still looking. After the 2006 midterm election, I think Hillary couldn’t choose a more perfect year to run for president. The whole country is now leaning toward Democrats. People are just so unhappy and fed up with the Republican Party which has controlled the country for almost 8 years now. Any Democrats (yes even Hillary) has better chance to win 2008 presidency than any republican.
I don’t see all these unhappy Americans who clearly want a change in direction in 2006 would vote for another republican again over Hillary.
In 2006, we all saw a lot of good republicans lost their seats to some never-heard-before Democrats because of this effect.
Go Hillary44 08! http://hillaryis44.org/
For all of you out there that are supporting Romney my question to you is did you give Kerry the same break when he "flipped-flopped"? I doubt it. Romney does not deserve a break from his "flip-flopping". If we hammered the other guy for doing the same and now turn around and support Romney, it would show us and them that we have a double standard when it comes to our candidates. Rudy is in the same boat with his social issues, a genuine Republican cannot and should not support either candidate. Let us not compromise our core values for the sake of getting to the White House, we have done fine before without compromising so much
Just another example why we went to war in Iraq. The members of the press are idiots. That's not even an excusable typo... Mayor of Massachusetts. Maybe I will start to believe the mixup between Obama and Osama is really an accident. These people are just stupid.
I'll give you a good reason to vote for Mitt Romney.
He knows what he's doing as an executive. Romney knows how to lead well, and he's proven it time and time again. Romney has proven his ability to affect change in private organizations and to get things done. Romney may not have the charisma of the pastor, but he has a unique God given powerful talent to lead and turn around organizations. No other candidate in either party comes close to Mitt Romney's unique experience in the wild west that is the private sector.
Mike Huckabee may be able to shoot a bird, but can he analyze the incredibly complex federal beauracracy and know how to cut out the waste and inefficiency that is killing us? Mitt Romney can and will do that. Mitt Romney can take the federal government and the Washington culture of obesity and waste to the woodshed and set policies that will lead to economic and political greatness for generations to come.
Mitt Romney has the right ideas and plans regarding illegal immigration and on taxation. McCain has proven that his leadership on both of those issues were just plain wrong. John McCain also proved that he is not an effective leader when he drove his campaign into bankruptcy and started taking tax payer money to fund his campaign.
When it comes to the business of leading the world, Mitt Romney is the best of the brightest and we would be foolish not to nominate him.
In 8 of the 10 last elections, the party who has nominated their candidate first has won the election.
Let's put our individual differences aside and agree that Mitt Romney is a good man at heart. Let's put the small differences aside and unify before the democrats do and let's get started on winning the general election before the democrats do. Mitt Romney is poised to win in Iowa and New Hampshire. If Iowa will vote with his head and picks Mitt Romney, Romney stands a good chance of winning New Hampshire. If Romney wins Iowa and New Hampshire, he stands an EXCELLENT chance of winning Michigan. We can turn this thing into a sweep and have a decided unified nomination that will cause the democrats to start shaking in thier wingtips.
Robots if Romney supports robots replacing mexicans as a solution for illegal immigration i still wont vote for him but i wont think any less...Robots are the future...So are solar panels the size of manhattan in space...Mitt Romney has talked about these issues yet mainly due to the fact that americans are still drinking gasoline straight from the hose....Stop getting high on synthetics like prescription meds and start thinking about ways to make more money and improve the consumer welfare state you live in...Dont be poor forever, if Mitt Romney believes in these things he's smarter then Hillary Clinton
Romney the #1 Flip Flopper? HA! Just four weeks ago Huckabee gushed, "Open borders, open arms". Then, "My plan for securing the border?...Two words...Chuck Norris". BARF! Now, (trumpets please)his 9 point immigration plan. HUH!?! I'm surprised he hasn't experienced spinal cord damage! At least Romney has not fought for special college rates for illegals! He actually fought for English immersion in the class room. IMAGINE THAT!?! So on Immigration, Huckabee takes first place on the FLIP!
Taxes? Romney actually balanced the MA budget every year. He cut so many taxes that he ticked off the mostly democratic legislature. Huckabee on the other hand hiked, hiked, hiked taxes until many, 105,000 to be exact, declared bankruptcy! He left the state with a HUGE deficit. But don't worry folks; the Huckster is all for working class America! Again Huck takes the GOLD!
Crime? Pardon me, but Huck set free over 1000 criminals, but GARSH FOLKS, they have seen the light, therefore he decided to forgive them. Never mind that we have a legal system in this country that convicted and sentenced them! Romney fought every step of the way the whole way to be tough on criminals. Especially child predators! No flip for Romney there. Huckabee hasn’t flipped there either, as a matter of fact he doesn't regret letting any of those people go. Nope, not even the one that raped and murdered a woman.
Poor Huckabee has done nothing but whine about Romney attacking him and grins through his poor dental work that he wants to run a clean campaign. Meanwhile he underhandedly attacks Romney's religion claiming that he just "doesn't know much about it". That's funny, since every Baptist I know is chomping at the bit to tell you every possible ugly thing about the Mormon faith! Then we find out that Huckabee was actually the key note speaker at a rally against the Mormon church in '98. Odd, I thought that he didn't know much about it!?!
FLIP!! Well to be fair maybe that was just a flat out lie!
I could go on and on and on.
Yes, Romney has had a few Gaffes lately. Although evidence has come forward that proves that his father DID in fact march with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., although Mitt's enemies don't want anyone to know that.
I see Mitt as less of a flip flopper than the front runner who is pandering to the masses with his cross and rifle. So Mitt has changed his mind on abortion, okay. AND? (Crickets chirping) Mitt has always opposed same sex marriage. He’s always been tough on crime. He along with Duncan Hunter are the only no amnesty candidates. Huckabee is a JOKE on amnesty no matter how he twists it around. Mitt is the only candidate with the experience necessary to turn around the economy!
Mitt 2008!
Great job NH ! Mitt Romney may as well have been a mayor, because as Governor he was a joke and a failure!We need to Free Ann Romney – get the poor sandwich-making Mormon robot out of the kitchen, after 40 years of that hot stove! Never had a career when every baby-boomer woman did family and careers! Mormon Mitt Romney is chauvinistic and racist too.
Brian, While I agree we all have the right to change our minds about certain views, Mitt is the same Mitt from 1992. You are who you are. Changing ones view held previously for political gains is however unacceptable in my view. Romney is no more conservative than he was when he ran against Ted Kennedy. Vote for the anti-establishment conservative Huckabee.
New Hampshire voters are smarter than Romney thinks. They are not going to be hoodwinked by his slick responses and excuses. However, please remember why John McCain sank in the polls earlier this year. He joined forces with the liberals on AMNESTY for illegals. I truly believe that he is a good man...even a great man who bravely suffered for his country...but he is seriously wrong on this issue! McCain and Romney are both wrong for our country.
"...the more Mitt Romney speaks, the less believable he becomes."
Wow. I have never heard it put better.
I'M GLAD I DON'T HAVE TO READ THEIR
NEWSPAPERS. McCAIN??? THE DIGNIFIED
BOMB BOMB IRAN GUY?!? WHAT A JOKE!
I CAN JUST PICTURE THIS CLOWN IN THE
WHITE HOUSE. YOU THINK BUSH IS BAD!!
I THINK HE NEEDS TO BE TREATED FOR
TRAUMATIC STRESS... CALL A SHRINK!!
a Mitt supporter states: Who cares if he's changed positions from his previous years, this is who Mitt is now, ...
and just who will he be if elected?? He's changed convictions once because it was convenient ... who thinks he won't change again?? Only foolish people.
The second wife often has to look over her shoulder for the third wife ... once a man starts to wander, no telling where he'll stop ... right Rudy?
Rudy is on his third wife because of his head aches.
This Liberal newspapers have their facts wrong, its clear they think Mitt Romney will be beat the democrats and thats what the Liberal papaers are fearfull about.
No Liberal gay paper could support Romney, we can expect to hear more from gay actvists who pose as anti war demonstrators friends of health care etc.
Mitt Romney is passionate about America and he has proved himself in and out of government.
Women are warming up to Mitt Romney he makes us feel safe and has the right balance on his policies.
The WHALES (white homosexual and Liberal elites), have a strong presense in the Liberal Party of Canada and these rights bearing individuals have the right to adopt in Canada now boys or girls. Personally I am voting for the democrats to me its only one issue.
It's one thing for a newspaper to endorse a candidate and quite another for it to specifically go after and criticize one. This latter action proves the paper to be very low class indeed. Newspapers, like the media, should get out of the endorsement game in general. How can we trust the news from such a blatantly biased newspaper?
Romney the #1 Flip Flopper? HA! Just four weeks ago Huckabee gushed, "Open borders, open arms". Then it was, "My plan for securing the border?...Two words...Chuck Norris". BARF! Now it's (trumpets please)his 9 point immigration plan. HUH!?! I'm surprised he hasn't experienced spinal cord damage! At least Romney has not fought for special college rates for illegals! He actually fought for English immersion in the class room. IMAGINE THAT!?! So on Immigration, Huckabee takes first place on the FLIP!I give him a 10!
Taxes...We'll lets see. Romney actually balanced the MA budget every year. He cut so many taxes that he ticked off the mostly democratic legislature. Huckabee on the other hand hiked, hiked, hiked taxes until many, 105,000 to be exact, declared bankruptcy! He left the state with a HUGE deficit. But don't worry folks; the Huckster is all for working class America! Again Huck takes the GOLD!
Crime? Pardon me, but I think we should talk about that too. Huck set free over 1000 criminals, many of them serious offenders. But GARSH FOLKS, they have seen the light, therefore he decided to forgive them. Never mind that we have a legal system in this country that convicted and sentenced them! That's just what we need, a president who is above the law. Romney is tough on criminals. Especially child predators! No flip for Romney there. Huckabee hasn’t flipped there either, as a matter of fact he doesn't regret letting any of those people go. Nope, not even the one that raped and murdered a woman.
Poor Huckabee has done nothing but whine about Romney attacking him and grins through his poor dental work that he wants to run a clean campaign. Meanwhile he underhandedly attacks Romney's religion claiming that he just "doesn't know much about it". That's funny, since every Baptist I know is chomping at the bit to tell you every possible ugly thing about the Mormon faith! Then we find out that Huckabee was actually the key note speaker at a rally against the Mormon church in '98. Odd, I thought that he didn't know much about it!?!
FLIP!! Well, to be fair maybe that was actually a lie.
Man I could go on and on and on.
Yes, Romney has had a few Gaffes lately. Although evidence has come forward that proves that his father did in fact march with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., although Mitt's enemies don't want anyone to know that.
I see Mitt as less of a flip flopper than the front runner who is pandering to the masses with his cross and rifle. So Mitt has changed his mind on abortion, okay. AND? (Crickets chirping) Mitt has always opposed same sex marriage. He’s always been tough on crime. He ia a no amnesty candidates. Huckabee is a JOKE on amnesty no matter how he twists it around.
VOTE ROMNEY!
Media non-endorsements are a good sign for any campaign for change. Since when did the newspapers want good news? They profit from mayhem and half-truths, things that the Romney family does not produce much of.
Mitt should continue to seek the vote of the people, not just newspaper editors!
Mitt should've replaced Bob Barker on the Price is Right! He's a game show host who isn't even as principled as the aforementioned Mr. Barker who always reminded veiwers to spay or neuter their pets. Clearly, there isn't a principled cell in Mr. Romney's body!
Yeah! Willard for President!!!
Watch him come out of the gate next week!
He'll show all these false pollsters!
Mitt 2008!!!