Romney To Form A PAC

The next incarnation of Mitt Romney's political career is taking shape.

According to two Republicans with knowledge of his plans, Romney, at some point during the next few weeks, intends to establish a new political action committee to help elect Republican candidates.

"We're thinking about what new entity can be created to allow Governor Romney to remain politically active so he can raise money and campaign for Republicans, and advocate for the issues he cares about," Eric Fehnrstrom, Romney's long-time aide, said in an e-mail message.

"You can also expect Governor Romney to be very busy in the remainder of this year campaigning for Republican candidates up and down the ticket, starting at the top with Senator McCain."

Fehrnstom would not elaborate.

Other Republicans close to Romney said that Romney was looking for ways to position himself as the ideas factory for the Republican party over the next four years, contributing policy to John McCain, if he's in the White House, or to Republicans in Congress, if McCain is not.

Comments

Romney had a PAC before called "The Commonwealth PAC" that let him raise money to organize a team and to grease important figures in the movement so they would be more likely to support him this cycle.

I think its fairly obvious this is all about setting himself up for 2012 or 2016.

Posted by Jesse | March 13, 2008 1:44 PM

This flipflopper is so desparate to become president that he is doing everything possible to position himself for future runs. Whatever he does his flipflopper title will never change.

Posted by Ames | March 13, 2008 2:55 PM

and advocate for the issues he cares about

The first step, of course, will be some polls to figure out which issues he "cares" about.

Posted by observer | March 13, 2008 3:41 PM

As a republican, I am happy to learn that Romney will continue to contribute to the party and to promote conservative values and ideals.

Posted by Michael | March 13, 2008 5:14 PM

I heard that Christopher Ward is available for treasurer duties...

Posted by anonymouse | March 13, 2008 5:20 PM

To Ames:

The flip-flopper charge is done. Everyone knows that Mitt Romney changed his position on abortion. But the problem with your label is that he didn't FLIP BACK to a pro-choice position. So Romney is a "flip" not a "flip-flop".

But wait? Haven't you ever changed your position on a political issue? Haven't Obama, Clinton and McCain also changed their political positions from time to time? Yes. They all have.

This is an official rebuttle of your "flip-flop" title. There is no such link to Romney. If you claim there is, then ALL of the candidates are "flip-floppers" - not just Romney.

Posted by James | March 13, 2008 5:38 PM

Hear hear to the guy with the most excellent first name.

And to further rebut, dear observer, he didn't 'poll' to find out the issues. Try finding your own legitimate arguments against Mitt instead of reiterating biased liberal whining.

Posted by Jim | March 13, 2008 5:47 PM

Here's hoping it's called TaggPac.

Posted by Whiggish | March 13, 2008 6:17 PM

Good to know he's a flipper not a flip-flopper. We also know he's a dog-tied-to-the-roof-of-his-car-er

Character is destiny, no?

Posted by cosmici | March 13, 2008 6:45 PM

May I remind all of you supposedly educated scions of our society that the definition of a "flip flopper" is NOT as you and MSM (Main Stream Media- also known as the Democrats) have termed it, but simply means a person that changes their mind on an idea and then goes back to their origional stance. If you were to correctly use that definition McCain, Hillary, and the Huckster have flip flopped over and over again far more times than Romney ever did. Have any of you even taken the time to Wikkepedia Romney's name? Every source in there has to be referenced before it is allowed, and I have to say that compared the other candidates Romney is the most brilliant candidate that we have had in 50 years for the Presidency. The only reason that he is not our nominee right now is because of the blind tunnel vision of 1/4 of America who believed everything the media stuffed down their throats about him, and because even Mcain, Huckabee, and Guiliani, admitted that from the very beginning it was an all out collusion and war to make sure that he did not win. No candidate has ever had to fight the sheer bigotry that Romney had to fight, and no candidate has done it with more panache and elegance than he did. And now as I stare at my rather empty pantry and wonder where the next meal will come from for my children, or whether tomorrow will be my husbands' last paycheck, as I watch gasoline costs rise and wonder with the rest of America where will it end? It makes me sick to my stomach that because of blind prejudice the man most qualified to turn our ecconomy around- who indeed has been a turn around artist all of his life- will not be my President, instead we have hothead McCain- Most likely to have us in WWIII with Russia and her allies within his first four months of office. We have Hillary, whom I will only refer hereafter to as "That Woman", and we have Obama whose experience and ideals I have serious doubts about. All bad choices and a death toll for what is left of our ecconomy.

Posted by Jen | March 13, 2008 7:01 PM

I'll take a leader who ties his dog to the roof of his car when he goes on vacation with his family… any day… over a politician who embarrasses the American People and the People of New York with their selfish, hypocritical, disgraceful turpitude behavior. That goes for ANY elected official.

If a man will cheat on his family, he won't hesitate to cheat on me a no name voter. This behavior of an elected offical in a position of power puts his office at risk of extortion. By virtue of his office, that extortion may also put us the people they represent at risk.

Posted by tk | March 13, 2008 7:12 PM

Maybe he can use all the new money to double the size of Guantanamo!

Posted by Volum Hussein Liberal | March 13, 2008 7:36 PM

McCain is really old - 71. Better be sure you want him for president, if you're thinking about him for vice-president. Too bad he's a warmonger, but only with other people's kids. His five sons range in age from 24 to 35. Neither the Romney children nor Romney himself have ever been in the armed services - too good to go into the war he is so fond of. He's a hypocrite and a warmonger.

Posted by Lori | March 13, 2008 7:50 PM

Ideas factory? Like...how to get the Chinese to take another decade of IOU's to pay for Bush's Excellent Iraq Adventure?

Posted by TheOtherBear | March 13, 2008 8:32 PM

Great news! Where do I sign up to donate? Mitt is the man!

Posted by Principal Chair | March 13, 2008 9:30 PM

Some of you are really ignorant. Why do you care if his son's served in the military? It's called a volunteer military for a reason. Did Mitt ever tell you that he is "fond" of the war? I'm sure that he hates war, I'm sure that he doesn't sit around all day thinking about how he can start new wars and kill people. There is a difference between supporting our troops who are fighting for our freedom and wanting to finish the job, and being "fond" of the war. Some of you liberals are so out of this world. You think Obama will come and save you with his message of change. Maybe he can sit down with the terrorists and they will love us and not want to kill us anymore. Maybe if we leave Iraq they will too and everything will be perfect and peaceful .... get real! They hate us whether we are here or there, they can't wait until we leave Iraq so that they can plan their attacks on American soil without opposition.

And about Romney and his dog. Ya'll make it sound like he took the dog and tied it to the roof of his car like a dead deer. It was in its kennel, secured safely and I bet it was just fine getting fresh air instead of being stuck inside a hot car with a bunch of humans. I'm sure it didn't suffer at all, unlike the dog that Huckabee's son brutally murdered, but that's a whole different story for a different day.

Posted by Daniel | March 13, 2008 10:27 PM

Thank you Jen. We need to have you cloned so you can get the word out to more people. Hang in there.

Posted by Pete | March 13, 2008 10:28 PM

This flipflopper is so desparate to become president that he is doing everything possible to position himself for future runs. Whatever he does his flipflopper title will never change.
Posted by Ames

Ames amply illustrates a thrice-over moron.

1. This moron cannot distinguish someone who changes their views then flops back immediately, even the same day - with someone who just "flips"
a view - sometimes after years of thought and reflection.

2. This moron Ames fails to get that he is calling folks like former FDR Democrat Reagan a flip-flopper, any person who on painful reflection admits error or changes their life for the better by abandoning a destructive belief or behavior a "flip=flopper".

3. This moron fails to understand that people honor a person who evaluates and perhaps evolves his or her positions continuously over a brainless fool that has always been perversely convinced that true purity of thought is with the person that believed just what his daddy or 3rd grade classmates told him was true all through his adult life. But they are just morons that hate to think through an issue, cling to what they always were told to believe, and think true thinkers engaged in critical thought are "flip-floppers".

Now, as a general thumbrule, someone 3 times a moron can safely be lowered down to "imbecile" level.

They tend to come from ill-educated black or trailer park Fundie Christian ranks.

I would downgrade drooling moron Ames to imbecile status, but that's just me.

It's actually situational. Sometimes it is not a brain-dead taunt like Ames but one that is actually in a grey area, sometimes even true (John Kerry's one day Iraq "For it before I voted against it then for it two weeks later" story.)

And so too with morons making chickenhawk arguments or 9/11 Truther charges. You know they are stupid from moment 1...the only question is how many rungs on the ladder of stupidity to oxygen-consuming bacteria they are.

Posted by chris ford | March 13, 2008 11:05 PM

This Republican cannot stand Romney. Or his piety. Or his having said that his sons were serving their country by advancing his thwarted, aborted, put-a-stake-in-it candidacy. Or his smooth maneuvering to get McCain to make him veep. And had long awaited this news that he's starting a PAC.

Romney strikes me as a confidence man, a fellow with his eye on the main chance, as an utterly artificial, hollow, mealymouthed politician of the very worst stripe. But even I cannot fault him for turpitude. He's a slimeball, but clean!

Where's Mencken when we need him?

Posted by cheonast | March 13, 2008 11:15 PM

I cannot stand the guy, but this approach is acceptable. The public discourse can not be harmed with ideas, even if they are promoted with inordinate amounts of cash.

What I expect to happen is for Romney to find out that no amount of money would make people buy his ideas anymore than the $42M million spent on marketing his unpleasant persona made people vote for him.

"President Romney" - elected by an indifferent public, brainwashed with tens of millions-worth of slick TV-ads - would have been a national and international disaster.

"Crazy village-idiot Romney" shouting out "ideas" and spending tons of cash on their public promotion will be mostly amusement for the masses...

Posted by Krassen Dimitrov | March 13, 2008 11:19 PM

Why do all the hate mongers still enjoy attacking Romney? You don't need to answer I already know. Your bigotry got you what you deserve. The choice between McCain, Hillary, or Obama for President. How pathetic! Romney is the most qualified individual for President we have seen in a long time. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Romney is a Christian and believes Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and the Savior of all mankind! That was not good enough for the bigots and as a result America looses. Good job knuckleheads.

Posted by Mike | March 13, 2008 11:35 PM

They tend to come from ill-educated black or trailer park Fundie Christian ranks.

Whoops! Sorry, I forgot the other pack of cretin-to-moron level assholes that do "flip-flopper" charges. That would be the assholes of the Anti-American Left that only "feel" and believe what other Lefties say they should believe rather than think.

Posted by chris ford | March 13, 2008 11:44 PM

Fantastic! GO MITT!

Posted by lo | March 14, 2008 8:47 AM

Go Mitt! Whatever it takes to get him in office.
www.unitethegop.com
Regarding the flip-flopper commenters.....here's a YouTube video you all need to see!
It defends Mitt against all the bogus flip-flop charges out there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5jjV6lRVxI

Posted by unitethegop | March 14, 2008 9:20 AM

Ames has shown that he is politcally stupid, therefor his opinion can't be trusted.

Almost every candidate is a flip flopper. Hillary = NAFTA, Iraq, etc... Obama = NAFTA: (lied to his constituants, then told Canada that Democrats have to lie because their voters are so ignorant, and they'll forgive them later)

Posted by Scott | March 14, 2008 11:38 AM

Mike, I'll thank you to leave my church out of this.

Posted by Seth R. | March 14, 2008 1:21 PM

Many (not all) of those who attack Mitt as a flip-flopper are using this as a convenient cover for their real reason(s). These people are just barely astute enough to know that attacking the candidate's religious beliefs is not "politically correct".

The two concerns (flip-flopping and Mitt's religion) actually "cancel each other out" to some degree. Those who are sincerely concerned that Mitt would change his stated positions again after being elected are ignoring the fact that his shifts in position actually bring him more in line with mainstream values taught in the LDS church. Therefore, it is highly doubtful that Mitt would jump out of this "comfort zone".

Posted by Brent W | March 14, 2008 1:47 PM

It seems like there are dung flingers everywhere nowadays. It used to be only badly managed zoos and institutions of the seriously insane. Now they seem to be lined up in teams ready to fling away at the most worthy targets on their team list. I would like to recognize the father of the Mitt Romney dung flingers, the one whose signature is the phrase, "smooth talking Mitt", Damien La Vera of the Democratic National Committee. International news organizations do not print his press releases anymore, but Mitt is not "running" lately.
Kudos to the current flock of flingers for their judicious use of the shift lock key, proving that they are not Ron Paul people but truly the liberal left idiots who are making a few bucks sitting in their trailers flinging their prose on the keyboard.
We know who you are and wish you would stop polluting the net.
Does your mother know what you do?

Posted by Boise Leon | March 14, 2008 2:42 PM

The biggest problem people have with Mitt: He's too perfect, too slick, too smart, too honest, and too squeaky clean. The worst thing people can dig up on him is that he put his dog in a dog carrier on top of his station wagon. Are you kidding me?

If America doesn't like Mitt because he's too GOOD, then I feel sorry for America's future, because America is about to face major economic competition and challenges past generations haven't even considered. If we are not putting our best in the White House, America will indeed become the France of the 21st Century.

These words may be mocked, but they will be remembered.

Posted by Shaun Hansen | March 14, 2008 5:14 PM

Bravo to Jen. I would echo your comments.

Mitt Romney is likely the best qualified person to run for the Presidency in a century and yet he was savagely attacked by the press and by posters like Ames who blindly followed their lead. As a result, the Nation which faces truly perilous times is left with three very poor choices to lead us for the next four years.

If one actually researches Mitt Romney instead of believing the media, the undeniable conclusion is that the guy has the credentials, background, temperament, and class to make an outstanding President. Sadly, most Republicans liked the narrative of McCain's life better. The words "war hero" was all most uneducated voters needed to hear to illicit the sympathy vote for McCain but nothing about him is superior to Romney. It's unfortunate that Americans didn’t do more research before heading for the polls.

And for all those who lobby the flip-flopper charge without any substance to their claim, the work of Vanderbilt political scientist John Green is quite enlightening. I would suggest that you read his conclusion and consider the true motivation of your words.

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/news/releases/2008/1/18/vanderbilt-poll-explains-why-romneys-flip-flopper-label-sticks-political-scientist-says-anti-mormon-bias-finds-cover

Posted by Ci2Eye | March 14, 2008 6:52 PM

This is GREAT news!

Very well stated Jen. :)

For those of you who agree with Jen and are supporters of Romney, you might want to go to www.unitethegop.com and check out our website. We are dedicated to getting Romney on the '08 ballot as Vice President.

Get on board and help us elect the most Moral, Squeaky-clean, Successful, Honest candidate that we have seen in a long time. :)

Posted by Rebecca Walker | March 14, 2008 7:52 PM

How can a person be both a slime ball and clean? I have yet to meet someone who is both.
Slime is slime and it gets all over everything. That’s like saying I have a clean house, just watch out for the slime on the floors. It won’t be long until the slime is everywhere.

Romney is the real deal. He is smart, well educated, he earned his own wealth and donated all of his inheritance from his father to charity, he earned his acceptance to Harvard through his own hard work. He has donated hundreds of hours to his church and to help other people with out any fan fare. He has been loyal to his wife and children.

This doesn’t mean a person is perfect, no one is, but if we look at the summum bonum of a person’s choices there will be a pattern of character that emerges. It’s important for us as voters to seek leaders of character, rather than leaders who are characters.

Posted by tk | March 15, 2008 1:22 AM

To Jen-

I hope that one day I find a strong conservative woman such as yourself to be my wife.

Posted by BC | March 15, 2008 4:32 AM

Sometimes I'm amazed at the ignorance of people. Mitt slimy? Conniving? No way.

He's a bit of a geek, if anything. A true family guy who is probably the most intelligent candidate we've ever had. I know lots of men like him.

I guess we'll get what we deserve--where's the America I'm so proud of?

I think it might be very difficult for a leader like Mitt Romney to be a VP to someone as hard-nosed as McCain. Maybe after our country wallows for 4 years people will work a little harder at paying attention to who they elect.

Posted by A | March 20, 2008 12:03 AM