Washington (CNN) – An independent conservative group says it's going up with a series of new television commercials and radio ads in Iowa later this month as part of its campaign to "Stop Mitt Romney" from winning the Republican presidential nomination, CNN has learned.
The group, The Campaign to Defeat Barack Obama, released a web video Wednesday as part of a fundraising effort to pay for what it says will be future ad buys for the TV spot in New Hampshire and South Carolina. The three states, along with Nevada, kick off the primary and caucus season.
While Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who's making his second bid for the White House, is the front-runner in the most recent national polls in the battle for the nomination, he is not well loved by some in the tea party movement, who don't trust the candidate's conservative credentials.
"Mitt Romney's so liberal he's fought conservatives on abortion, RomneyCare, bailouts, illegal immigration, and much more," says the narrator in one of the TV ads, which also uses a clip of Romney from his 2002 run for governor in Massachusetts.
"If you support the principles of the Republican Party platform, as I do, then it's important that we make sure the GOP nominates someone who has supported and fought for those principles. On almost every single important issue facing America today, Mitt Romney has fought against conservatives and Republicans. He's been a liberal on fiscal issues, a liberal on social issues, and a liberal on national security issues," says Lloyd Marcus, Chairman of Campaign to Defeat Barack Obama, in a statement to CNN.
The Campaign to Defeat Barack Obama is, as the name implies, dedicated to trying to defeat the president in the 2012 election. The group was launched by the Our Country Deserves Better Committee, a conservative political action committee that's also the parent organization of the Tea Party Express, one of the leading national tea party groups. The Campaign to Defeat Barack Obama is now a separate entity.
The Campaign to Defeat Barack Obama went up earlier this year in some of the general election battleground states with an ad titled "Barack Obama's Legacy of Failure."
The group also spent money to run TV commercials that urged against raising the nation's debt ceiling, and put up ads in Wisconsin in support of that state's conservative governor, Scott Walker, as he battled state Democratic lawmakers and unions over budget cuts and the collective bargaining rights of public section union workers. The showdown in Wisconsin earlier this year made national headlines.
- Follow Paul Steinhauser on Twitter: @PsteinhauserCNN
Also see:
State of the Race without Christie
Romney comes out swinging in Sunshine State
From CNN Politics
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This is interesting! What then is the truth about his positions on these subjects?
LOL. They don't want you Mitt. Mittens is making a career out of running for President.
TeaBaggers are not happy with any moderate. They want an extremist, who will never be able to be president. Maybe they should call in Christine O'Donnell.
At what point should freedom of speech be curtailed when they post blatant bull as an impregnable truth, and generate attacks that defy even reality?
I really admire the skill with which conservatives train people into what to think. They take advantage of how people do not want to think that their own original opinions are "odd" or out of the mainstream. They take advantage of our instinctive nature to want "to belong" by telling people what others think, despite the fact that it isnt' true.
Another case of Republicans eating their own. Romney, as a Mormon, isn't electable anyway and the rest of the field is a bunch of goofballs and gaffmeisters.
It really shows how nefarious and ultra right wing the Republican Party has become over the past several years.
The Republicans are on the edge of becoming so far right wing that even the least intelligent and unenlightened members of the party will start to realize what fascists they really are. The right wing of the Republican party should be seen as threat to every democratic loving American.
If they are not then we are in real trouble.
Liberalator
Obama can't win without a lot of help from Republicans–and it looks like that's exactly what's happening.
Citi hiked fees now too? How long until there's a run on the banks? These idiots protecting their 8 figure salaries by nickle-and-diming their middle-class customers who are struggling to make ends meet...they're going to learn the hard way. No ifs, ands or buts. They are giving every indication that they DARE us to rise up. They're going to learn a very very hard lesson.
"If you support the principles of the Republican Party platform, as I do, then it's important that we make sure the GOP nominates someone who has supported and fought for those principles." Let me get this straight Texas under Perry has $27B debt, borrowed $107M from Federal Government, is at the bottom for education and health care. Wants to send troops to Mexico. Bachmann repeats things that she heard as if they are facts. Here in Georgia that is called gossip and is not very Christian. Every single of the GOP candidates (except Cain) took stimulus money while criticizing the stimulus. Where I grew up that was called hypocrisy and not very Christian. Not one of the GOP candidates defended the soldier sitting in Iraq defending their freedom and the freedom of those booing him. I call that irony and not a good quality in someone who wants to be Commander in Chief of that solider. Not one of those GOP candidates stood up to the extremist audience when they chanted “Let him die”. I call that cowardice and not a quality I look for in a President. I think this group really need to take another look at their principles because to me it sound like they don’t have any.
I simply cannot stand Willard. Watch him start to fall apart just like he did in 2008 against a 70 year old man. I'll be more than happy when he departs and goes back to being "happily unemployed". What a snake oil salesman he is and he'll need all the snake oil he can find when the TP gets to attacking him and I'll just sit back and enjoy the show.
Fun to watch the animals eat their own. You reap what you sow, GOP.
I'm with them, i will not vote for Mitt! Might as well keep obama. I didn't think all this money, taking congress back, and all the talking we've down comes down to voting in a a mass., moderate republican who used to support gays, used to be for immigration, created romneycare was going to be our nominee, what are we doing! Just as I thought, our hatered of obama has led us to just pick someone that looks different, but is the same, just so we can win. At the end of the day we loose! We must stand our ground. We need a thrid party candidate that will catch fire!!!!!
The whole polictical thing is rubbish. Mitt Romney is as trustworthy as they come. He has a clean background. He is as American as anyone can be and he is running for president becuase he loves his country, the USA. He is against abortion, he is against Obama Care. Hope this helps.
I do not understand. Mittens has enough money that he should be liked by the teabaggers, but they just keep attacking him.
It's important to defeat that commie liberal in the white house. Mitt Romney is almost as bad. The truth is Mr. Romney is not
a conservative. I don;t want anyone in the white house that is not a true conservative. If we really want to stop the out of control spending and the government waste. We must put someone in the white house that has a record of cutting government.spending.
RICK PERRY is that person. Please support a true conservative with a track record of cutting government spending.
The libs do not want Romney as the Republican nominee' they know he can beat Obama......look whos putinng out this crap...CNN beware Republicans........this is just lib lies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Go Romney!
We all knew that was coming. Romney is NOT favored by the ultra conservatives in the GOP.
could somebody please explain the conservative movement? is it really just the simple goal for all of America to live as they do? that the entire nation must adapt to how they want us to live? So basically, many of us will have to pack up, and set up a new America? An America that believes in and celebrates freedom? seriously, I do not understand how they are trying to hijack our nation! Stand up, America! Pay attention to what the evangelical conservative movement is trying to achieve! It is scary, scary stuff!
Oh ! ya. Romney is about to learn that politics is a much messier process. It is full of bullies and blowhards! I wonder how long will it take him to stop scratching his head.
If this does not put to rest the lie that the Tea Party is only concerned about fiscal issues, nothing will. Thanks for flushing your true agenda out into the open to remove any doubt.
With half of America aging (ready for retirement) and the other half being non-white, it was fairly easy for the Republican party to decide to sell out... In their eyes we're all just expensive liabilities. Communist China is the new place of opportunity! With few regulations and government underlings cheaply bought, it's the new Mecca for Corporate America to exploit ... But not to worry, ye lowly Americans: After the GOP finishes destroying us (U.S.), the rich will be back in droves buying up what's left for pennies on the dollar. When that time comes the GOP will be there again, arms outstretched again, fists filled with cash again...
Mr. Libertarian-
Actually Obama cannot win if the republicans are successful in their suppress the vote effort. Denying older Americans, younger Americans and poor Americans their constitutional rights is the republican plan. As long as republicans can circumvent the Constitution, we may see another Bush like creature in the white house.
Your Friend,
Wire
Say what you want, Rick McDaniel knows his republican party.
"If you support the principles of the Republican Party platform, as I do, then it's important that we make sure the GOP nominates someone who has supported and fought for those principles". Yeah, except the Teabaggers never supported the principles of the republican party. Instead they kidnapped the republican party and held it for ransom until it adopted THEIR ridiculous fear-based, uncompromising, polarizing, America-destroying, fantasy-based principles, and it shows no sign of letting up.
Actually this group's activities will make me more likely to support Romney ... and I live in an early primary state.
So now I'm all confused: given the commercial shouldn't this group be called "The Campaign to Defeat Barack Obama and Mitt Romney"? With new names added, as appropriate, of course. It could become quite a list but it seems to me a little reductive as a political movement. Who will be left?
They don’t like their current front runner wow
There are always ideologues who would rather make a point than make a difference. The fevered folks at the Campaign to Defeat Barack Obama are this year's example.
Campaigns should be fought between CANDIDATES, not between a candidate and an abstract vision of the perfect opponent who does not exist.
I give these people the benefit of the doubt. I don't think they are a fifth column for Obama, or a secret front group for Ron Paul. But, their misguided fervor does as much damage as if they were.
Will tea baggers turn their backs on the Kochs and other billionaires and vote for Mitt? No way, so that means Herb Cain and Ponzi Perry will have to duke it out the old republican way, by lying like a penny in the parking lot.
I got my popcorn ready for the rumble
Mitt Romney is stalled in the polls for the GOP nomination because he can't grow his base. There are only so many Republicans who like the idea of "let's defeat Obama with anybody, who cares who that person is." Most of us Republicans would actually like to have a principled conservative be the standard-bearer for the GOP.
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He is as American as anyone can be and he is running for president becuase he loves his country, the USA. He is against abortion, he is against Obama Care. Hope this helps.
~~
HAven't been paying attention have we – Mittens was pro-choice while he created Obaney-care so you m'lady are an idiot.
@ Wire Palladin, S. F.
Say what you want, Rick McDaniel knows his republican party.
_________________________________________
He does, you are right. Ready to picnic on each other for the sake of purity. As a Democrat, I've seen us do it too often: kind of a nice role reversal.
@Wire Palladin.. They already have turned on Perry because of his immigration stance..
President Obama's campaign should be solely focused on turning the GOP against itself and hopefully causing it to split.. They should be supporting Dems voting in the GOP primaries against certain people.. or just all voting for Huntsman (the last place guy)
Damm Fools. He is the only candidate that can win next November. Josh Brolin, oops I mean Rick Perry is a dimwit. He makes W look like a Rhodes Scholar. Bobblehead Bachman, too extreme and not too bright. Mr.Godfather Pizza, Herm Cain, he is a tool. The Repubs are only using him to get the minority vote, which won't work, just like they thought they would get the women vote with Caribou Barbie and speaking of her, I thought she was supposed to decided since Labor Day? She full of hot air and nothing but a sick, twisted joke.
I find it humorous that "The Campaign to Defeat Barack Obama" is so much against Romney, when Romney is the best chance the GOP has at winning the election in 2012.
Some people aren't very smart.
Romney is favored by the old school neocons in the GOBP/corporatist death cult. They are counting on him to attack Iran and really get those Military Industrial complex dollars flowing their way.
The Real Tom Paine
If this does not put to rest the lie that the Tea Party is only concerned about fiscal issues, nothing will. Thanks for flushing your true agenda out into the open to remove any doubt.
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Couldn't have said it better. The "grassroots" organization is nothing but a front group for the uber Conservative zealots. Can anyone here point to ONE Democratic candidate that these loons will support??
OMG this is too funny – the b1gots are eating their own!!!
If the GOP's rightmost members succeed in shoving one of their unelectable zealots through the nomination process to the candidacy, they deserve the pounding they'll get in 2012. Not that Romney has a chance in hell, either, being possibly the least believably sincere pol I've ever seen, but he has a better shot than any of the crazies...
NIIIIICE!! Attack the one person who could beat Obama. Love it.
vote for Mitt Romney 2012!!!!
At least Romney does not want to decimate or eliminate the environmental protection agency and adulterate science classes with religion, thereby discrediting both science and religion. Regardless of what one thinks of Obama the republican slate of candidates is the scariest in my 82 years.
As Governor he was pro choice, and rectified a mandate for hc insurance......lol....yes in MA, he was liberal.....Now he's changed his mind.....He's a flip flopper on key conservative issues.........
Everything said in the article about Romney is true. You just refuse to see it. Look at his record, not what he says! Romney is NOT a moderate! I am a moderate and I know he is not. And neither are all of you. You reap what you sow? I suppose you think that doesn't apply to democrats as well. Obama is destroying this country. Just look at his approval ratings which have been going steadily down. I dare you to google all of the impeachable offenses that Obama has committed.