Media Prohibited From Photographing Romney, Cheney Together
Dick Cheney hosted two fundraisers for Mitt Romney on Thursday, but there are no photographs to show for it.
Cheney, who endorsed Romney, held a late-afternoon fundraiser at the Teton Pines Country Club and a more intimate dinner at his home near Jackson Hole, Wyoming. According to multiple reports, media was allowed into the country club event, but not permitted to photograph the two men together.
According to the Washington Post, when Romney and Cheney first greeted one another at the country club, "campaign aides quickly escorted reporters who were watching the exchange out of view."
The Los Angeles Times reported that "a pool of reporters was allowed into the country club event, but media photos of Cheney and Romney together were not permitted."
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The Romney campaign generally doesn't allow photos or video at fundraisers, but will permit a small pool of print and wire reporters into those in public venues, reporters tell The Huffington Post's Michael Calderone. Since such events may not be able to accommodate all the reporters on the bus, the pool provides a report of what happened for others covering Romney. However, the campaign generally does not allow even print pool coverage of fundraisers in private homes, such as Cheney's. (The Romney campaign did not have any immediate comment on the ground rules for the Cheney fundraiser).
Press access has been a recurring problem on the campaign trails. Last month, reporters were kicked out of a Romney event at the Newseum. Press was also escorted out of a similar event that President Obama held there earlier this year.
Moving Forward
Widening Lead
On The Upswing
The Race Goes On
Back In The Game
Mitt Romney's narrow win over Rick Santorum in Michigan on Tuesday, combined with his decisive win in Arizona, allowed his campaign a sigh of relief. He knew he had narrowly missed hitting an iceberg. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, had 41 percent to Santorum's 38 percent, with 99 percent of the vote counted, according to the Associated Press. Romney won Arizona with 47 percent to Santorum's 27 percent, with 89 percent of the vote counted. "We didn't win by a lot but we won by enough and that's all that counts," said Romney, who was measured in his exuberance, reflecting in his body language the knowledge that a long fight still lies ahead.Heading into Super Tuesday, the Romney campaign is focused on Ohio, where polling shows him neck-and-neck with Rick Santorum.
Still Confident
![Recent polling shows Mitt Romney tied with Rick Santorum - or lagging behind - in Michigan, but his campaign is staying positive. "We're going to win Michigan," <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/23/mitt-romney-michigan-primary-2012_n_1296364.html?ref=election-2012-blog" target="_hplink">Romney adviser Stuart Stevens said</a> after the GOP debate in Arizona. Romney has garnered endorsements from several of his home state's major newspapers, including <em><a href="http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120222/OPINION01/202220315/1008/Detroit-News-endorsement-Mitt-Romney-Michigan-GOP-primary" target="_hplink">The Detroit News</a></em>, <em><a href="http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2012/02/21/opinion/doc4f43d95e993d2684728787.txt" target="_hplink">The Oakland Press</a></em> and the <em><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/23/detroit-free-press-mitt-romney_n_1296114.html?ref=mitt-romney" target="_hplink">Detroit Free Press</a></em>. But the <em>Free Press</em> endorsement was less than glowing: <blockquote>For the past 12 months, Romney has been refashioning himself as something other than what his record suggests. He has made gestures toward economic and social radicalism, and eschewed the common sense of cooperative governing that made him a success in Massachusetts. Romney was also dead wrong when he opposed government bailouts for the auto industry (Michigan's most vital economic engine) in late 2008. And he has since adopted a recalcitrant and, at times, revisionist defense of his position in the face of overwhelming evidence that the bailouts he opposed were necessary. [...] That's a mistake he will need to correct if he becomes the GOP nominee and hopes to even compete with President Barack Obama in the fall. But Romney, unlike the zealous Rick Santorum, the impulsive Newt Gingrich and the backward-thinking Ron Paul, is preferable to the rest of the field.</blockquote> A <em>Detroit News</em> editor <a href="http://jimromenesko.com/2012/02/22/detroit-news-unhappy-with-romney-camps-endorsement-editing/" target="_hplink">later complained</a> that Romney had removed critical sections from the paper's endorsement. The campaign claimed that it did so to avoid copyright infringement, but <a href="http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entries/floyd-abrams-romney-copyright-excuse-on-detroit-news" target="_hplink">at least one attorney</a> had said that excuse doesn't pass muster.](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/uonuFedcn08iXm026H7Mcg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MA--/https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5bb581a52400003200566673.jpg)
For the past 12 months, Romney has been refashioning himself as something other than what his record suggests. He has made gestures toward economic and social radicalism, and eschewed the common sense of cooperative governing that made him a success in Massachusetts. Romney was also dead wrong when he opposed government bailouts for the auto industry (Michigan's most vital economic engine) in late 2008. And he has since adopted a recalcitrant and, at times, revisionist defense of his position in the face of overwhelming evidence that the bailouts he opposed were necessary. [...] That's a mistake he will need to correct if he becomes the GOP nominee and hopes to even compete with President Barack Obama in the fall. But Romney, unlike the zealous Rick Santorum, the impulsive Newt Gingrich and the backward-thinking Ron Paul, is preferable to the rest of the field.A Detroit News editor later complained that Romney had removed critical sections from the paper's endorsement. The campaign claimed that it did so to avoid copyright infringement, but at least one attorney had said that excuse doesn't pass muster.
Bad Day
Caucus Season Battles
Westward Bound
Regaining Momentum
Romney's advisers -- and unaffiliated Republicans -- see a widening path to victory beyond Florida. "A lot of the contests are states he won four years ago. Some of them are big primary states like Michigan. Arizona, we didn't get to in 2008, but we think that's good, fertile territory for us," said Romney senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom. "Other states -- Colorado, Minnesota, Maine -- these are all contests we won in the past, where Mitt still retains a strong base of support."
Battling Newt
Concedes Iowa
Officials found inaccurate counts in 131 precincts, including one that had an error by 50 votes, the Des Moines Register reported on Thursday. Chad Olsen, the party's executive director, told the Register that the results showed "a split decision." The final tallies, exempting the eight precincts that will not be tallied, were 29,839 for Santorum and 29,805 for Romney, according to the Register. The Santorum campaign said the change in results could change the narrative of Romney as a frontrunner.Romney called Santorum to congratulate him on the win, CNN reported.
Pressure To Release Tax Return
![Mitt Romney has declined to release his tax returns, despite pressure from his Republican presidential rivals and the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/17/mitt-romney-tax-returns-white-house_n_1211028.html " target="_hplink">White House</a> to do so. At a GOP debate in South Carolina, a stuttering Romney said he will <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/17/mitt-romney-probably-release-tax-returns_n_1209624.html" target="_hplink">"probably" release his tax records</a> in April if he becomes the party's nominee. He acknowledged it is the tradition for candidates to reveal their tax information, but said doing so at this point in the election would only give Democrats reason to go after him. Romney later revealed that his effective tax rate is 15 percent, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/17/mitt-romney-not-much-definition-speaking-fees_n_1210522.html" target="_hplink">below the rate paid</a> by many middle-class families. Romney was <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/19/mitt-romney-tax-returns_n_1217708.html " target="_hplink">booed</a> for again waffling on the issue at the final GOP debate in South Carolina, days before the state's primary. HuffPost's <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/19/mitt-romney-tax-returns_n_1217708.html" target="_hplink">Amanda Terkel reports</a>: <blockquote>"Why not, should the people of South Carolina, before this election, see last year's return?" asked [moderator John] King to applause from the audience. "Because I want to make sure that I beat President Obama," replied Romney. "Every time we release things drip by drip, the Democrats go out with another array of attacks. As has been done in the past, I'll put these out at one time so we have one discussion of all of this. I obviously pay all full taxes. I'm honest in my dealings with people. People understand that. My taxes are carefully managed. I pay a lot of taxes. I've been very successful. When I have our taxes ready for this year, I'll release them."</blockquote> Romney finally <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/24/mitt-romney-tax-returns-released_n_1225247.html" target="_hplink">released his tax records</a> for 2010, on Jan. 24. The records show he paid an effective rate of 13.9 percent in 2010, considerably lower than the average middle class American. The records also show Romney had a Swiss bank account. Two days later Romney revised his disclosures for his overseas account. <a href="http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/26/10244809-romney-revising-disclosures-for-overseas-accounts" target="_hplink">From NBC</a>: <blockquote>Mitt Romney could face new questions about his overseas investments after a campaign official acknowledged to NBC News that his campaign is revising his federal ethics forms to report more than a half dozen offshore holdings, including income from a multi-million dollar Swiss bank account that was not disclosed last year.</blockquote>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/muQyKqow0KrsVqkFE9zClw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MA--/https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5bb581ac240000510097e985.jpg)
"Why not, should the people of South Carolina, before this election, see last year's return?" asked [moderator John] King to applause from the audience. "Because I want to make sure that I beat President Obama," replied Romney. "Every time we release things drip by drip, the Democrats go out with another array of attacks. As has been done in the past, I'll put these out at one time so we have one discussion of all of this. I obviously pay all full taxes. I'm honest in my dealings with people. People understand that. My taxes are carefully managed. I pay a lot of taxes. I've been very successful. When I have our taxes ready for this year, I'll release them."Romney finally released his tax records for 2010, on Jan. 24. The records show he paid an effective rate of 13.9 percent in 2010, considerably lower than the average middle class American. The records also show Romney had a Swiss bank account. Two days later Romney revised his disclosures for his overseas account. From NBC:
Mitt Romney could face new questions about his overseas investments after a campaign official acknowledged to NBC News that his campaign is revising his federal ethics forms to report more than a half dozen offshore holdings, including income from a multi-million dollar Swiss bank account that was not disclosed last year.
Endorsements
Early Success
Tea Party Opposition
Interviews with top officials at FreedomWorks, a Washington-based organizing hub for Tea Party activists around the country, revealed that much of their thinking about the 2012 election revolves around derailing the former Massachusetts governor. "Romney has a record and we don't really like it that much," said Adam Brandon, the group's communications director.When Romney sought to extend an olive branch to the Tea Party with his official debut at a rally in New Hampshire, FreedomWorks followed through with their promise, though the turnout at the protest was minimal.
Questionable Campaign Contributions
According to disclosure reports filed at the end of July, 61 registered lobbyists and five lobbyist-linked political action committees contributed $137,650 to Romney's campaign between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2011. The former Massachusetts governor raised more money from lobbyists during this period than all of his competitors combined.But the influx of lobbyist dollars into Romney's campaign isn't the only cash flow raising eyebrows. Over the summer, Romney drew fire after it was reported that an LLC popped up, donated $1 million to a pro-Romney super PAC, then vanished 3 months later. Ed Conard, former managing director of Bain Capital, the group that Romney co-founded and once headed, later came out as the name behind that group. Romney dismissed the questionable contribution days later at a townhall meeting, telling a questioner that there was "no harm, no foul."
Mitt: Mormon -- And 'Weird'?
Three dozen of Mitt Romney's relatives live here in a narrow river valley at the foot of the western Sierra Madre mountains, surrounded by peach groves, apple orchards and some of the baddest, most fearsome drug gangsters and kidnappers in all of northern Mexico. Like Mitt, the Mexican Romneys are descendants of Miles Park Romney, who came to the Chihuahua desert in 1885 seeking refuge from U.S. anti-polygamy laws. He had four wives and 30 children, and on the rocky banks of the Piedras Verdes River, he and his fellow Mormon pioneers carved out a prosperous settlement beyond the reach of U.S. federal marshals. He was Mitt's great-grandfather.Whether or not questions of Romney's faith will be visibly at play in the 2012 cycle remains to be seen. Team Obama's attack plan against Romney will include reminders of the former governor's quirkiness, though no direct links to his religion, according to an earlier Politico piece:
The onslaught would have two aspects. The first is personal: Obama's reelection campaign will portray the public Romney as inauthentic, unprincipled and, in a word used repeatedly by Obama's advisers in about a dozen interviews, "weird."Some have claimed that "weird" is simply a code word for "Mormon," a faith that some voters have appeared apprehensive about supporting in a White House bid. Romney himself has walked a line between addressing his religion upfront and downplaying its overall significance. But others say Romney's demeanor on the campaign trail is enough on its own to justify the Obama campaign's "weird" tactic: HuffPost's Jon Ward reported on Romney's campaign trail demeanor:
There were awkward moments as well. He walked up to two women in their early 40s sitting at a booth together in Mary Ann's and asked, "Do you guys know each other?" A few minutes later, posing with a few waitresses, Romney nearly jumped away from them with a howl, pretending as if one of them had grabbed his backside. He laughed -- there is supposedly a backstory about someone actually pinching him a few years ago -- but it was nonetheless a jarring sight. Afterward the waitresses said they had not grabbed him.(More of Romney's awkward exchanges here.) Attempting to make a $10,000 bet at a GOP presidential debate didn't help Romney's image of being a multi-millionaire that's out of touch with the average American. Romney offered to bet Rick Perry $10K to settle the argument over whether his health care plan included an individual mandate that President Obama used as a model for his nationwide plan.
Standing By RomneyCare
Romney spent half of his speech defending the Massachusetts plan -- which required the six percent of the state's citizens who were not insured to obtain health insurance or pay a "bond" of roughly $125 a month -- before turning to a critique of President Obama's health care overhaul passed last year by Congress. He admitted that some of the aspects of the state plan, which has already led to government price controls to try to rein in costs, have not worked like he had hoped, but concluded: "Overall am I proud of the fact that we did our best for our people and got people insured? Absolutely."Romney has taken a few lumps from his rivals for his role in the reform package, and he can almost certainly expect to weather more before the primary is over.
Pet Causes
The richest remaining candidate in the Republican presidential field has a net worth somewhere north of $200 million. With a fortune amassed as a venture capitalist at his firm, Bain Capital, he has been generous to many community, civic and political advocacy organizations. But the vast majority of his philanthropic contributions have gone to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in the form of the tithes required of all Mormons in good standing. The former Massachusetts lay bishop has spoken candidly about his religious faith, but his prodigious contributions to the LDS Church will do little to mollify evangelical primary voters whom polls show have a deep prejudice against electing a Mormon president.For more on the giving habits of the other GOP presidential candidates, click here.
Returning To The Trail
This is hardly your traditional Rose Garden campaign, in which a strong incumbent or frontrunner molds politics to follow his non-political day job. Romney doesn't currently hold office or any other job. But more importantly, he's a Republican frontrunner of unprecedented weakness, and one whom the American people barely know. And while his advisers describe the decision as a strategic choice to pick only the big fights, it has obvious negative consequences: Romney's identity remains hazy, voters remain unmet, and his rare appearances raise the stakes for gaffe free - or at least vaguely normal - performances.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
