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Title: Mitt's new mission
Source:
Politico
URL Source: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/ ... imary-2016-mission-118964.html
Published: Jun 14, 2015
Author: Alex Isenstadt
Post Date: 2015-06-14 18:50:07 by Hondo68
Keywords: Mitt Mayhem, Jeb Bush, Rubio, Christie, Walker, Adelson, Jewish Republican don
Views: 2251
Comments: 7
AP Photo DEER VALLEY, Utah — Mitt Romney is working with an unlikely collaborator — Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino mogul who bankrolled Newt Gingrich’s 2012 campaign — in the hopes of ensuring that the GOP primary produces a mainstream conservative without any of the mayhem that marked his own race. The two, who speak monthly, aim to convince the wealthy contributors bankrolling various candidates to work together to avoid the kind of primary election chaos that Romney believes laid the seeds for his defeat in 2012. The former Massachusetts governor is also considering endorsing a candidate to achieve his goal. They’re unmistakable signs of Romney’s newly assertive role in the Republican Party but also of his determination to guarantee the GOP an unbloodied nominee with broad-based appeal. It was all on display at the E2 Summit this week, which drew around 250 of his most loyal donors and prominent supporters to the Stein Eriksen Lodge, a luxurious five-star ski resort. Six Republican presidential hopefuls also made the Utah trip — one of whom, Scott Walker, used part of his nearly 40-minute speech to pay tribute to Romney’s father, former Michigan Gov. George Romney. Chris Christie, during a Friday afternoon speech, paid homage by saying the 2012 nominee had been clairvoyant in the warnings he’d raised about the direction of the nation’s foreign policy. “I don’t think that Mitt’s got the apology note yet from the president,” said the New Jersey governor, who prior to his address spoke with Romney backstage. For a failed nominee who waged a presidential bid that many in his party found disappointing, Romney maintains a striking degree of influence. In part, it’s because of his unique mix of business acumen and political skills, but it’s also a recognition of his deep access to the complex, jungle-like world of super PAC donors. In a party that lacks a unifying figure, he’s eager to fill the void. “I think he realizes he has a good role to play,” said Ron Kaufman, a longtime Romney friend and adviser who is a Republican National Committeeman. “He can be a senior statesman.” Romney’s budding friendship with Adelson, the Las Vegas casino magnate who is one of the richest men in the world and one of the most influential forces in the Republican Party, only amplifies his voice in 2016. Together they make for powerful, if unlikely, allies: In 2012, Romney was damaged when a number of super PAC donors, including Adelson, ganged up against him. But after Romney secured the nomination, Adelson spent tens of millions of dollars in support of him. Before Romney announced that he wouldn’t seek the 2016 nomination, Adelson told friends that he’d like to see him enter the race — and that he’d be open to supporting him. One big question hanging over Romney is whether he’ll endorse a candidate. He would be most likely to provide his seal of approval, friends say, if the primary contest turns into a battle between a pragmatic candidate and one who isn’t. “There’s the possibility that there might be someone who emerges strong who I agree with on a whole host of issues, and then someone else comes along who I find not as attractive from a policy standpoint or another standpoint. And at that stage I might jump in and go to work to help the one who’s more in tune with the things I believe,” Romney told reporters on Friday evening. The value of that assistance would be considerable. Aside from his sprawling network of powerful donors, he has access to Restore our Future, the super PAC that supported his 2012 presidential bid and remains active. The group has nearly $200,000 in its bank account. “He wants to win,” said Spencer Zwick, Romney’s former finance chairman and one of his closest confidants. “The question is whether we nominate a candidate who can win the general election.” Romney, however, is wary of the risks involved in getting behind a contender. He’s relishing his role as an informal adviser — Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, and Chris Christie have all sought him out for his private counsel — and endorsing would mean relinquishing that power. Those that have spoken with Romney say the pain and introspection over his 2012 loss hasn’t completely subsided. In February, during a private dinner at Adelson’s home before a group of Jewish Republican donors, the former governor held forth on foreign policy, analyzing the turmoil abroad. “He said he wished he could be president, because he wanted to deal with these problems,” said one person in the room. At other times, he seems to reflect on his failings as a candidate. “In my case there were a long list of mistakes. So which one is at the top I can’t judge,” he joked lightheartedly to reporters on Friday. Romney noted that he was “far from successful” in selling his campaign to minorities. He’s still on a search for answers. Zwick — one of the most sought-after Republican operatives — has remained neutral in the 2016 race, and has undertaken a research project aimed at better understanding the reasons for Romney’s 2012 defeat with a goal of not replicating them for the future. “He wants to be involved in whatever way he can be,” said Romney’s eldest son, Tagg. “And one of the ways he can be involved is helping whoever the future nominee is learn from his successes and also from his mistakes.” When Romney decided earlier this year that he wouldn’t seek the presidency, it took some of his aides by surprise. He’d pondered running for about a month, speaking to many of the people in his network — a brief exploratory that, for a time, led many to believe he’d launch a third consecutive bid. On Friday, Romney provided a window into his decision not to run, saying it reflected a calculation of his prospects. He recognized, he said, that “someone who wasn’t as negatively defined as I was in some circles, and someone who was the next political generation, had a better chance of getting the White House than I did. I said, ‘You know, I’ve had two shots, I really should let someone else who I think has a better shot getting the presidency have a chance to do so.” The role of party elder seems to suit him. At this week’s summit, the third that Romney has hosted, he was in good spirits. Romney — who was often criticized for his stiff appearance — was tie-less, his hair less gelled and parted than in the campaign. On Friday morning, on his way to Rubio’s speaking event, he called out to a group of reporters to follow him into the auditorium. “Come on, guys,” he said smiling. “I don’t look back and second guess,” Romney said. “I don’t say, ‘Oh, I should have made a different decision.’ I’m glad I made the decision I did.” Poster Comment: An adult deer tickRomney is working to rid the GOP presidential primary of the mayhem that marked his own race.
DEER VALLEY, Utah —
Is he suffering from Lyme Disease, or what? 
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#1. To: hondo68 (#0)
Mitt's too old! The Republicans always run these old guys like Reagan, Bush 41, McCain, Dole. Bunch of old farts. They need to take a page from the Democrat handbook and run someone young and vibrant like ... GRANDMA HILLARY. In the 2016 election, I'm betting the press will be absolutely mute on the subject of age.
Pat Buchanan and Ron Paul could jump in, and make Hilderbeast look like an inexperienced whippersnapper.
On the day Hillary Clinton formally launched her presidential campaign with a rally on Roosevelt Island in New York City, and gave a speech laden with promises and appeals on women’s rights and other progressive causes, failed 2012 Republican candidate Mitt Romney told a GOP gathering his party could have an all-woman ticket in 2016. Speaking at his own closed-to-the-press conference in Park City, Utah, Romney reportedly praised the former Hewlett-Packard chief executive Carly Fiorina, a declared candidate for the GOP nomination, and said he would not be surprised if the Republicans turned out to be “the party that has two women on the ticket”. Fiorina, who has never held office and is widely criticised for her record while in charge of HP, is lagging in polls concerning a Republican field that could reach 16 candidates and in which she is the only woman. As such, she is in danger of missing out on the first Republican debate, which will be hosted by Fox News in Cleveland on 6 August and will only include the top 10 candidates at the time. On current polling that would include – should he announce on 16 June that he is in fact running – the property mogul and reality TV star Donald Trump. On Saturday, evincing thinking contrary to a common theory that Fiorina may eventually pitch for a vice-presidential role with the Republican nominee, Romney suggested that New Hampshire senator Kelly Ayotte would make a good running mate for Fiorina. Fiorina, who was one of six Republican hopefuls to appear at Romney’s event, has made attacking Clinton her key campaign strategy, last month going so far as to stage a press conference outside one of the former secretary of state’s own campaign appearances, in South Carolina. Last week, Fiorina told the Guardian about her foreign policy credentials, and said she “knows more world leaders on the stage” than any of her Republican competitors. Senators Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham and three Republican governors – Scott Walker of Wisconsin, Chris Christie of New Jersey and John Kasich of Ohio – also attended the Romney event.
That would be Lady Lindsey and who?
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#2. To: misterwhite (#1)
I'm betting the press will be absolutely mute on the subject of age.
#3. To: All (#2)
Mitt Romney: Republican presidential ticket could be 'two women'
When Hillary Clinton launched her campaign, 2012 GOP candidate pitched Carly Fiorina and New Hampshire senator Kelly Ayotte as potential running mates 
Mitt Romney reportedly praised Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, the only woman in the GOP race, during a private conference. Photograph: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
#7. To: hondo68 (#3)
Mitt Romney: Republican presidential ticket could be 'two women'
Replies to Comment # 7.
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