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PARK CITY, Utah -- After two days of meetings, meals and hobnobbing with the candidate, his top advisers and leading figures of the Republican party here in this exclusive resort community, Mitt Romney's biggest donors and bundlers say they are fired up and ready to go.
Charles Dharapak / AP
Mitt Romney greets attendees at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials conference in Orlando, Fla.
"I’m going to do everything that I can do. I’m going to bundle every penny I can get," said Michigan lawyer Rodger Young, a long time Romney supporter who, like the hundreds of other guests here, have raised or personally donated more than $50,000 to Romney's campaign. "I think I came here with the idea that we were all going to take on more finance responsibility and I’m certainly prepared to do that."
"It’s even more than hopeful," a donor from New Orleans said of the atmosphere at the retreat. "We are beyond that now."
It is precisely that spirit which Romney and his campaign are looking to capture with this weekend's retreat, designed as a rally, a reward and a launching pad for top donors to continue to support the campaign -- and get their friends and family to do the same.
To generate such goodwill, Romney's campaign invited the donors and their spouses here for two days of briefings on campaign strategy and policy issues, intermixed with opportunities to rub elbows with Republican stars like Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, as well as the candidate and his family.
On Friday night, the campaign hosted a welcome dinner at Park City's Olympic park. Guests were ferried from their hotels by bus, up the mountainside, and treated to spectacular views and a cookout-style dinner where former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu and former Secretary of State James Baker warmed up the crowd, and introduced Mitt and Ann Romney. The couple gave remarks and mingled with guests who were also entertained by Olympic ski-jumpers practicing their technique on the ramps and pools at the facility, which remains a training center for Olympic winter athletes.
Saturday's festivities began with a breakfast and included a strategy briefing from top campaign advisers. Among the highlights of the day, according to several donors who attended the event, was a lunchtime speech by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who received not one but two standing ovations for a speech one attendee described as "exhilarating."
Rice along with Ryan and Jindal are among the names tossed about as part of the weekend's other major storyline: with few exceptions, nearly every Republican thought to be under consideration to become Romney's partner on the ticket is also attending this event in some capacity. Sens. Bob Portman, R-Ohio, and John Thune, R-S.D., are on the guest list, as are former Govs. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Jeb Bush of Florida, as well as the current Virginia governor, Bob McDonnell.
The Romney campaign has been tight-lipped about the vice presidential vetting process, with only Florida Sen. Marco Rubio confirmed to be receiving a "thorough vetting."
But Romney's adviser in charge of that process, his former Chief of Staff Beth Myers, has also traveled to Utah, along with most of the top figures of Romney's high command in Boston, fueling speculation -- even among the donors and campaign advisers here -- that this weekend away from the rigors of the campaign trail may also figure in to Romney's vice presidential selection process.
Saturday evening and Sunday the event will wrap up with dinner, desert and dancing, according to a leaked copy of the agenda, and with the opportunity to play golf on Sunday at a private course in the area -- all designed to foster camaraderie amongst those most involved in financing Romney's campaign, and to get them excited about November.
To hear the donors tell it, the strategy seems to be working.
"Things are looking pretty darn good," Young said.
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Corporations are people my friend. Romney.
Willard will need maximum support from the super PACs to be competitive against the President because, in order to win, Willard's campaign and the super PACs that support him will have to co-opt millions of middle-class and working-class voters and convince them to vote contrary to their economic self interest.
All the ranting and epithetical squib throwing aside, it would be mildly encouraging if some were to recognize the true good that could be accomplished by the hundreds of millions of dollars [the total is likely to top out in billions] that will be spent on campaign disinformation, deception and mudslinging, IF those funds were to be used to provide medical care to the uninsured or to provide food to the children in this country who go to bed hungry.
Of course, for the GOP the answer is that the elderly should simply die sooner and that there are no deserving poor. The rich deserve to get more because they are.....well....rich! If you are NOT wealthy, it is your own fault. Rmoney says" don't hate me because I am rich!" What he fails to add is the he GOT rich by sending jobs offshore and putting middle class folks out of work. So his crony's would rather spend millions on campaign propaganda instead of building a new school or hospital, or even a factory to create jobs. In all of the meetings of the GOP fat cats, we have yet to hear of a single rational proposal from Rmoney that would result in the creation of jobs in the US, despite all the rhetoric about Obama's "failure" to create enough jobs. They want the office, but have no idea how to actually govern, only to obstruct.
Democrats don't know how to respond to this pathetic brainwashing of the largely ignorant and uncritical public other than to try to spend an equal amount on campaign propaganda to counter GOP claptrap. And all the while the people of this country are suffering and circling the drain.
Campaign spending, by both sides, is good for the economy. Campaigns spend money on travel, hotels, restaurants, consultants, organizers, media advertising (including salaries for copywriters, graphic artists, producers and directors, printing and mailing, and billboards), polling firms, data analysts and lawyers.
Each candidate's campaign, along with the PACs that support him, is expected to spend between $800 million and
$1 billion in this year's Presidential election.
I don't get this! Its fine and dandy if Obummer gets millions from who knows who but not anyone else!
All of you need a reality check. If its good for one why not two. They both are not worth a dam.
Ditto...
Ditto...
Unlimited campaign contributions and spending by either side is bad for our democracy. It enables the wealthy to influence election outcomes in a manner that is disproportionate to their numbers.
Since the Supreme Court decided laws restricting such contributions and spending are unconstitutional, Congress should act to: 1) require full disclosure of the identity of all donors to campaigns and PACs that support candidates or issues, including non-profits; and 2) propose a Constitutional amendment allowing Congress to enact reasonable limitations on political contributions and spending.
Invisible Hand
lay off the coffee. you post tooooo much
True true invisible
Don’t youk now that right-wing haters here & many other sights are paid GOP blogger, posting with different names, different accts. This is part of their ad campaign. Romney’s campaign vow to make $Billion to use it to turn people’s opinion from ‘I love Obama’ to ‘I hate Obama.’ Election of 2008 scared them so they took action. This has been going on even before their inauguration night secret meeting. They get paid well to blog hate. They start early & stay till night. They have no other job. This is their day job. There are many of them
here ready to attack anything Obama or Dems ASAP because Dems do not have paid bloggers. Dems don’t even get enough money to ran ads. Unfortunately, responding to these bloggers makes it worse because their fee increases based on how many response they get, with the most insane posting, also on their own site. They need to realize that fear mongering, lies, & mass brainwash don’t work anymore. People are educating
themselves with facts, not listening to bloggers.
All the right wings here making noise. You are in same boat as the rest of us & yet you vote republican. What a laugh. Getting paid for blogging will never make you rich. But, voting against your best interest, your economic interest will always make you poor. You are unable to advance further. So called Real America.
Thomas, how is that working out for you. You are middle income just like me or maybe poor. You don’t get it. Why should we pay more….Everyone needs to pay their fair share. Go back & read all your postings & ask yourself this:
1) Are they paying me enough for this anti_Obama campaign, to be blogging 24hrs without sleep on different sites with different names?
2) How long have I been crazy & consumed with hate, including hate for little children? Is blogging treatment (let it out) working or should I go for 2nd opinion? They lied when they told you blogging treatment will work because spreading hate is not a treatment. It causes you to hate yourself & everyone around you as Reps do. Practice makes perfect. With people blogging hate day & night? Why do you thing the country is getting worse when you have people blogging hate day & night?
3) Are they paying me enough to maintain my psychiatric care?
4) Why do they insist on giving me a gun when I don’t want one?
5) Will they use me like the Arizona gunman?
6) Finally, why does GOP want to arm every republican nut-head with a gun?
Yes! We heard you, your message. You have been shouting it. GOP leaders want the President of USA & this country to fail (how sad) & they will not mind destabilizing the Global Economy to achieve this goal. Only the rich will be left standing after a depression; they become even richer. The current economic recovery, terrifies the GOP. They want to shut-up the governors & the media from talking about it. Make no mistake, they want to stop this recovery by all means necessary. They know if the economy recovers it will be good for the Country & they can’t have that, it will mean their plan to cut Medicare/Medicaid/SS/education/foodstamp failed again.
I don’t blame right-wingers that are here for wanting to be here. I just wish they will tone down the hate. We all know Fox is not a place for news, just fiction & make believe. So, welcome & please stay. I hope you find it productive. Fox are so afraid of their viewers reading others opinion, so they don’t even have what we enjoy here. Where you can share your thoughts freely. They only have facebook & twitter but most people that share long blogs can’t use it. Its only for men of few words. Anyway they block everyone with brain because you
state verifiable facts & they don’t want that. The actual media should challenge Fox to make it easier for people to post comments for their so called articles, real sharing of ideas by blogging. Try posting a comment to a Fox article is like going to the dentist & having your teeth pulled. What a shame. What are they afraid of, that leftwing will turn their viewers with facts. It is not a ‘fair & balanced’ competition when their viewers free to go anywhere they want & spread their hate on others sites. But their site is protected from intellectuals. Their mission statement should say ‘no facts allowed, fiction only.’ They shouldn’t brag about their ratings because they know it will drop fast if they open the flood gates. Why are they so insecure? We already know that they’ve been destroying the country with their hate since the day they launched.
If you hunt to eat you might need a gun! I like to hunt and eat.
OHH you are probably one of the nuts that think the meat you get in the store just grows there. One day when your broccoli screams you will starve.
Be kind to plants—don't eat them.
How true they need love also. we sould only eat dirt its doesn't care! O no what about the bugs in it @!$%# we are screwed
markp - Get a grip - my husband was in the Air Police at the Berlin Wall - Trained by Security Forces - in the Air Force
We own a gun - and kept at our bedside
I owned a farm and learned how to skeet shoot- I know how to handle a shot gun
My youngest son went to classes in Virginia in order to learn how to handle a shot gun
Liberals are not against legitimate guns whether to hunt for food or for protection - but we are against AKA's which are not for hunting or defense of life and property
There is in this country 350 Million guns
100,000 people are shot every year of which 33,000 people die - 3 people are shot every hour
Is this what you want - the NRA was started as a Sports Club - now they are a money making club
I repeat is this what you want?
markp- you don't need a gun to hunt. Bow and arrows, traps, fishing, growing your own food. I could survive.
There are many Mormons, including myself who are staunch supporters of President Obama. My son was able to have the heart surgeries he needed at a place that could do them successfully, because of the Affordable Care Act. His insurance had maxed out and medicaid would not have covered him to go where he could get care for his complex condition. He is recovering nicely and was able to graduate from high school. Our daughter is able to stay on our insurance as she attends Johns Hopkins University, making the difference between being able to pay or having to drop out. President Obama is fighting to keep student loan interest rates down. He is the only President in my long memory who has ever done anything that DIRECTLY affected our middle class family for good. He hasn't been perfect, but who could be? If every state had implemented affordable healthcare for all its citizens, the Federal Government wouldn't have had to put forth the Affordable Care Act. To my knowledge, all states except Massachusetts, (ironically) abdicated their responsibility to their citizens.
I believe Mitt Romney is a decent man, but don't understand how he could align himself with the policies and rhetoric of the Republican Party which directly opposes so much of what we have been taught in the LDS Religion. (Care of the Poor, sick, and widowed, Love thy neighbor, being good stewards of the earth, etc.). Please don't vilify Mormon's in general. In my ward (similar to a Parish), about 30% of us support the President. We don't discuss the election at church and are perfectly free to believe and vote the way we want to. 30% is a high number given the Republican leanings of the state of Alaska.
When I look at my son, I think about all the trouble the President has been through to do what was right and I thank him and pray for him. Maybe the ACA does need some revision, but to throw it out will amount to "CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT" for those of us who have been saved by the mercy of that act! It angers me that Mitt Romney would do away with the ACA, spouting Republican/TeaParty ideology with nothing put forth to replace it. "Do unto others as you would have done unto you" is a lesson I KNOW he learned as a child.
For M. Romney to go to Utah is like a pilgrim, coming home to roost. It only makes sense for him to do that. Like setting himself up with a false sense of security and a Linus-like blanket to comfort him. Because when all of his past dealings with Bain and their business of not only setting up job creation centers overseas. But being pioneers at it as well. Only just exposes the tip of the iceberg of this GOP candidate trying to become the next President of the United States of America. And anyone that thinks that he will be strict on China only has to look at his company and the way that they sent American jobs overseas. Besides that let us not forget that he is a known "Flip-Flopper" as well. so there you go.
Come election time, go figure, then go vote...
Bottom line: Willard has no ideology. He's running for President because "get elected President" is the final item on his bucket list.
Yes and we all know what Obama's Idealology is dont we.
If we are going to talk Solyndra, can we please talk Haliburten as well? Please?
Sure. And let's talk about that other topic the Dems never want to talk about. The Dodd/Frank leadership of the banking/finance committee and the millions in bribes (aka "campaign donations") from Freddie and Fannie to turn a blind eye to the actions that led to the crisis at hand. Why are these two men not in prison, let alone still in office and never even investigated. They are criminals to the highest level.
Wealhty GOP donor to Mitt Romney: yes things are looking real good for us millionares and billionares. More and more tax breaks on the horizon. More jobs outsourced overseas to increase our profit margin. More wars on the horizon to keep the coffers of military contractors strong. More reductions of wages,eliminations of retirement,and benefits to increase our profit margins! More elimination in the future of the minimum wage,labor laws,safety laws,environmental laws and Social Security and Medicare! Yes Mitt we expect if your elected you will carry this out! You owe us!
I am a small business owner and definitely not in the "1%". I would never vote Democrat - they absolutely tax the small business owner nearly out of business. I'll vote my best interest like everyone else - GOP and Romney.
Can you say President One Percent? I pledge to my fellow one percenters that I'll work for you and only for you! The rest of those unworthy 99% peons can eat cake! Now which elevator is my new Bentley on? In which mansion? I can't keep track! have to go now to check on my secret Cayman Island accounts.
There's far more than the 1% who support/would benefit from a Romney administration. Small business owners, people who work for small businesses, people who work for companies in the private sector.
Notice how selfish and self centered GOP supporters are? They ONLY think about themselves,and not their fellow Americans. If Hitler was on a GOP ticket they'd vote for him no doubt,to further their"self interests"! Me,myself and I,the GOP motto. Also I've got mine,so screw the rest of you! Yes greed is so good! And they claim to be "good" Christians! Right!
You're a hypocrite - everyone votes their self interest. The people working for the government know they 1) make more money, 2) work fewers hours, and 3) enjoy far more benefits than those working in the private sector doing the same job. Do they care? No way, they push for more, more, more. More taxes for the small businessman! Yippee!!
Romney is the bigest egomainiac in the land-he only cares about rich folk and busineses making money! He will ignore the social security issues because He willnever need it!He's out to brake the BACK of the common people-Wake up America!!!!!DON"T PUT ANOTHER REPUBLICAN IN CHARGE OF THE MAJORITY-George Bush ruined us-giving BIG OIL and WALL STREET CONTROL OVER US!!!!!ANYONE BUT ROMNEY!!!!!!
I live in a blue state and own a small business. I can tell you that between Obama and our esteemed Gov. Gregoire, it's about lights out. How'd you like to pay three different taxes all on the same dollar, which you never get to keep anyway because you have to pay employees and expenses? How fair is a tax on gross revenue instead of whatever profit there is for the business owner? Meanwhile, the state employees around here slave away at their 30 hour a week jobs with perks-a-plenty and full benefits on MY tax dollar. I'd never vote Democrat in a million years. Forget the 1%, the Dems are out to kill off any of us not in the 1% who don't work for Momma Government.
We still have the power as a people to turn off our TV's or switch to a cooking channel when the negative campaign adds come on. Please join me in doing that. It makes me feel like I can "vote with my remote" and tell the superpacs that I oppose their hideous waste of money on snippets of misinformation, twisted information, and at times out right lies. I don't watch much TV, I prefer to enjoy the outdoors, but when I am watching I have a CHOICE!
I support President Obama, but I vehemently disagree with all superpacs being able to influence elections by wasting money trying to confuse people. We are not sheep and we CAN think and decide when presented with real first hand information. We need more substantive debate and DETAILS about proposed solutions to this country's problems.
Sack the Pacs!!! Vote with your remote! Turn them off!!
I once knew a good,caring unselfish Republican who believed in helping his fellow man and truly cared for other Americans. He's dead as is the soul of todays GOP. GOP=Greedy Old Pricks. I've got mine and screw the rest of you! Bah humbug!
I'll wager you a paycheck I gave more time and money to charity last year than you did. You've got a very wrong idea about republicans/conservatives. All the causes I'm involved in, there are all conservatives there helping out. The liberals I know think that "protesting" is a means of service to others instead of rolling up the sleeves and helping out.
You really may be a savant but not in politics
Most modern day Republicans make Ebeneezer Scrooge seem like a kind,caring compassionate person. They love to see other people suffer,especially if they can make a profit! Money has become the GOPs God. Their soul is long gone!
You are liberal trash who spends other peoples money.
I'm waiting to see which of these billionares start writing some billion dollar checks? I mean come guys if you really think money can buy everything get those check books out!!!!
Big Government! More jobs paying double the going rate for 30 hours a week with 8 weeks of vacation and full benefits! Oh, and you're fireproof, too! Don't know how to do the job? Too lazy to do it right? Who cares! And we'll tax the 1%, the small businessperson, and the private sector workers to pay for it! Yahoo!!
Please read the ACTUAL FACTS about Romney and his cohorts, their beliefs, guiding factors, and true plans for our country. Electing Romney and the gang will be turning our country over to the Mormons, LDS, and Freemasons. We can not allow this to happen. The facts are out there, some may be hard to accept because so many people have been misguided by twisted words and promises. Open your eyes, open your mind. Think before you vote about the long term effects.
Did Park City have Trees before the Winter Olympics were staged there many years ago? And has it become the GOP "Legend of Doom" for Rmoney & the "Do Nothing" Republican Congress? Thank goodness the 1% are funding these posh weekend getaways for the JCP Catalog models called "Politicians".
The 1% of 1% shindig.
"a rally, a reward and a launching pad for top donors"...
If the GOP take office America will slide into an economic Depression.
Ha ha ha anymore then it already has under Obama. You are a tool.
AL, A quick 5 minute read at some recent history would have prevented you from looking uneducated. It was BUSH, Al.
All Rep candidates have already signed away the power to govern in any office. Romney already signed away the power of the Presidential office & he comes to us for vote. He signed multiple pledges to lobbist & Billionaires. Donation from one of his sugar daddy Billionaires, Adelson, is actually coming from his investment in China. Foreign money. So, how they hell will Romney stand up to China after they fund him. Facts, reported last week by John Mc Cain & they tried to shut him up. Do you ever wonder why Romney has over 33 Billionaires, yes, with a B.
While, Obama has none, not even one. It good to know where Romney stands. What Obama has is more powerful. Last year, some millionaires got together & formed a group & visited congress & sent a message to congress that they will like to pay mores/fair taxes to fix the economy, that they do not mind having their taxes raised for the good of the country. I do not understand why they never got any media attention. Maybe
Reps threatened them.
Reps think we are stupid. They talk about our values. They even go to war claiming it is to protect those values. They accuse other country leaders of maltreating their people, but Reps abuse us here everyday. They
refuse to accept any Dem President. They want the country to fail to regain power. Look what they did to Clinton during his term. Look what they are doing to Obama & Holder. We accuse other country leaders but we allow our own Rep leaders to abuse us & commit treason against us. They are hypocrites. Their betrayal against us should stop. They come to us whenever they want votes. Then they go & protect the lobbyist & $billionaires. These politicians are selling their office for money. Often, they already sold it (signed the oath) before they come to us for votes. Most republicans in congress signed a pledge with lobbyist ‘Grover Norquist’ never to raise taxes on the rich. How is that paying their fair share? The income gap between working middle class & the
rich is now the highest in history of this country, 400% & still raising. How much higher does GOP want? How is that good for America? How can we balance the budget by abusing middle class & the poor? Fed Gov doesn’t take in enough revenue. How is that not a problem that should be addressed.
Cutting programs is not the answer & it will make things worse not better. Conduct your research before you vote. Why give your vote to someone who already signed away his power to lobbyist/cooperate interest. Why waste our votes on a person who already gave all the power of his office to someone else. How will this person speak for you? When he comes to a senate hearing he already knows how he will vote on issues & who to confirm for office because he is just a robot following orders. He will never go against the oat he took with the lobbyist. Why do you think nothing gets done in Washington? How will you solve this country’s problem with people who took this oat? How will you sit down & negotiate with somebody who already sworn an oath to do
the opposite? It’s impossible; we have to get them out of office, if we want any work done. They are being paid double for doing nothing. They collect our paycheck & another paycheck from lobbyist/billionaires. They think they have died & gone to heaven.
Get smart; get involve; educate yourself in polities, read, research, and find out what it happening. These politicians are shameless, so they are not hiding it. These things are public knowledge. Seek & you shall find. My fellow Americans, I use to belong to Rep party Not any more. Now for congress, I don’t have a set candidate. I have to read everything to know the candidates policies. My research for these candidates is easy now. I
have one main question. All candidates who have signed that oat will never get my vote; I will vote for their opponent. Unfortunately, most Republican & Tea Party candidates have signed this oat including the current ones in the office. I wait to vote them out of officials. Dem don’t do pledges. The public is their boss, the way it should be. I challenge every voter out there to find out for themselves. Find out if your congress man/woman signed this oak. You will know he is not representing you & vote him out of office. We should take action with our vote & encourage our neighbors to do the same. The rich are not the only ones who should get representation while the middle class are disappearing into poverty.
Vbest does the words Bull sh it come to mind does the words SORO's ring a bell How about Goldman Sachs, GE BP this is just some of the people and corporations that fund this garbage we have in office.
Who is funding Obama's fund rasisers. I am and every other tax payer so this POS can fly around the country on my dime.
Savant99,
Respectfully, if all your business comes from the 1% then you will be fine. If it doesn't, who will buy your products when the middle class descends into the ranks of the poor? In Alaska, my heating and electric costs for a 1300 sq. foot home have increased by three thousand dollars a year in the last year. My health insurance went up by $6,000 to $12,000 per year. My wages as a teacher have never kept up with inflation. ( oh, I forgot, there isn't any inflation. Every time something goes up drastically in cost, they remove it from the "inflation index") Add in a medical situation and being out of work, and we (college educated, two degrees each, have descended to the level of the "educated poor". We don't buy toys, and are very frugal, but we are now at the point where we buy a slice of pie and share it because we can't afford the whole pie. We used to get ice cream once a week. Now we do it twice a summer. We need a newer car. We can't even think about looking. We don't buy anything but absolute necessities. We can't spend what we don't have regardless of our desire to "stimulate the economy".
Cutting Government jobs will ultimately affect small businesses throughout the nation. Alaska has for 30 years been loudly complaining about getting "the Government off our backs". Now, when we face the loss of Eielson Air Force Base, the local businesses can't change their tune fast enough. They somehow forgot that the Military IS a Government program.
It is always good to consider one's business plan in both the short AND the long term. In the long-term, things may not look so good under a Republican assault on the middle class. Yes, I do feel their policies (Democrats are not blameless, but not nearly as complicit) have directly resulted in fiscal policy that has caused a 40% reduction of adjusted wages since the 70's. The endless rant about "Obama as a one term President" and NO substantive progress on this country's problems, (in fact obstructionism to the extreme), leads me to run from any Republican or Teaparty candidate.
If we can't buy, businesses won't sell. Austerity does not promote prosperity, if our economy is dependent on economic growth. There is the possibility that we simply won't be able to purchase things and the retraction will happen. That will be bad news for small businesses.