Turning Back Again? NOT The Way Forward!

This morning anti-Trump Republicans all seem to be saying "once we go back to the winning ways of Romney [or Dole or McCain] everything will be fine".

Really?

Honestly?

THAT'S the way forward?

New Jersey? It's Winnable For GOP, Here's Why

New Jersey shifted heavy Red last election for Trump making it now a battleground state

Demographics played a huge role in this, it seems like folks are fed up with the status quo of the Democrats here. The more we wake up people here, the faster we will fix NJ https://t.co/NayzEyQUyX pic.twitter.com/KeO6Q7iJMT

— Wake Up NJ 🇺🇸 New Jersey (@wakeupnj) August 5, 2025

Romney Completely Cedes GOP To Trump/Vance

Jake Tapper: "Do you still think there's going to be a post-Trump Republican Party or is MAGA now the Republican Party?"

Mitt Romney: "Oh, MAGA is the Republican Party and Donald Trump is the Republican Party... If you were to ask me who the nominee will be in 2028, I think it… pic.twitter.com/XsSkReOhp2

— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) December 15, 2024

Still Wondering, What Was THIS All About

To all those celebrating—happy National Hot Dog Day! May there be many more hot dogs served in our wonderful land. 🌭🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/McEnevvg8d

— Senator Mitt Romney (@SenatorRomney) July 19, 2023

The Trouble With Guys Like 'W' And Mitt

From Matt Rooney at Save Jersey; Reblogged with permission.

The year was 2004, and yours truly was a sophomore in college campaigning in Pennsylvania and Ohio for George W. Bush’s reelection effort. Knocking doors, dropping leaflets, making phone calls… the whole panoply of volunteer activities. I probably should’ve been at a Halloween party (or any sort of college party), Save Jerseyans, but I had been bitten by the political bug and felt very strongly that John Kerry would’ve made an absolutely terrible president of the United States.

I remember the things that the Left said about Dubya back then. They called him a butcher (over Iraq), a moron, a racist (by Kanye or whatever he’s called now), and even a Nazi.

Mitt Romney faced similar abuse when he ran in 2012. It was then-Vice President Joe Biden himself who infamously warned a black audience that Romney and Republicans wanted “to put y’all back in chains.”

Both men now enjoy a truce with the forces who unrelentingly attacked their character for decades. Dubya hit all the feels in Media Land by discussing his friendship with Michelle Obama, easily one of the nastiest partisans on the planet. Mitt Romney casts vote after vote in the U.S. Senate seemingly designed to piss of his former defenders, most recently throwing his full backing behind Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson who gave child predators crazily-light sentences and can’t define what a woman is. Both men – especially Mitt – have made it a point to broadcast their loathing for Donald Trump.

Some of it is jealousy. I think there is a class of senior Republican statesmen – Bush, Romney, the late John McCain to name the three most obvious examples – who resent the fact that the GOP base loved (and continues to the love) the Donald more than it ever loved any of them. The “great men” of the party have been replaced in the hearts of GOP voters by a former Democrat real estate tycoon from New York who doesn’t play by the rules. Their rules.

But I think there’s something else going on here, folks. I’ve long suspected it, and I’m not referring to “Low T” though I wouldn’t be surprised especially in Mitt’s case. “Ideological differences” also supply an inadequate answer. Yes, both guys were never movement conservatives, but Donald Trump isn’t exactly a disciple of William F. Buckley.

Most people want to be loved. Said more accurately, most humans don’t want to be hated. We all know the feeling; it’s uncomfortable to feel the stinging scorn of one or even a handful of people let alone thousands or millions of critics. Now imagine that you’re aging, and have a massive ego, and find your thoughts increasingly turning to your legacy and “how you will be remembered.”

Dubya doesn’t want to be remembered as an accused war criminal. Mittens doesn’t want to go down in history as the rich guy who got his ass handed to him by Barack Obama. They want to be remembered fondly as senior statesmen who represent – in their minds, and the minds of those who either believe their bullshit or want others to believe it for political ends – as living vestiges of a better, more civilized past. I can’t get inside their heads, but I strongly suspect they’re giving precious little thought to the consequences of their actions. That’s the future. They’re focused on putting their respective pasts into a more favorable context.

I know both men couldn’t care less about their former supporters who, like me, defended them at family dinners, office water cooler queue and Ohio phone banks from all of the evil accusations lodged by Leftist detractors. The Left writes the history books. Their opinion matters far more than yours or mine to tired old men who want to be loved.

Matt Rooney is founder and editor-in-chief of SaveJersey.com, a practicing New Jersey attorney, and host of ‘The Matt Rooney Show’ ever Sunday evening 8-10PM on Philadelphia’s Talk Radio 1210 WPHT.

Could They ALL Be In On It? Compromised?

 

On This We Agree With Him 100% BRAVO!

It’s time for Putin to be fearful of what we might do. This is war. People are dying. We need to get aircraft to President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine immediately. pic.twitter.com/OtLYZD3sTs

— Senator Mitt Romney (@SenatorRomney) March 10, 2022

It's Impressive; But Will It Make Any Difference?

 

Romney Gets Message: People Are Damed ANGRY!

Utah Patriots catch Rino Romney at Salt Lake City international airport! He thinks he’s above his constituents!!! Openly bashing @realDonaldTrump!!!

“These people won’t be able to walk down the street.”

VOLUME UP! ☝🏼 pic.twitter.com/Lntgozkajx

— Qtah (@Utah_17) January 6, 2021

VIDEO: Romney Confronted By Angry Trumpsters

 

Mitt Romney, in a flight full of patriots in their way to DC pic.twitter.com/t9uq3vkCo5

— Non timebo mala (@AncPerl) January 5, 2021

Mitt Romney made the mistake of flying to DC on a plane full of patriots headed to the big Trump rally at the capital tomorrow. Here's what happened!

Is This Another Big Christie Moment -- Or Not?

Our thanks to our longtime friend Matt Rooney of Save Jersey for quoting us in his insightful commentary today. Here's the full piece from Matt as it appears in his hugely successful Save Jersey blog:

By Matt Rooney (reprinted with permission)

Conventional wisdom suggests that Bridgegate is the thing that did Chris Christie in during ill-fated (and short) 2016 presidential primary bid. It’s more complicated than that. For example, his “Obama hug” probably did more to undermine his position in the hearts of GOP primary voters than a bridge closure.

A quick recap: in October 2012, right when it seemed like Mitt Romney was gaining momentum and on the brink of overtaking Barack Obama, “Superstorm” Sandy struck the MidAtlantic coast and devastated significant portions of the Jersey Shore. The nation was gripped by post-apocalyptic images of one of its favorite summertime destinations. Chris Christie catapulted to even greater national fame as the face of the on-the-ground response (much like Andrew Cuomo in the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown), and he made the fateful decision to host President Obama for a day-long inspection of the damage.

The visit was politically consequential to say the least.

The images of the pair saying nice stuff about one another and of course the “hug” itself (which Christie still insists wasn’t a hug, which I’d respectfully submit is semantics) gave a radical Democrat president the appearance of being a unifier. It made him look presidential. And, if you look at the polling data, those images appear to have arrested Romney’s momentum down the home stretch:

Christie and Obama acting chummy in the wake of Hurricane Sandy (October 2012).

Did Christie did the right thing? 

The wrong thing? Even a selfish thing?

You’ll still get some strong opinions from Jersey Shore Republicans – and Republican operatives – on the subject if you ask, and it’s been eight years. It was common knowledge that Christie wanted the Veep nod. He didn’t get it, and his relationship with Romney World hit the rocks, at least for awhile. 

Our friend Dan Cirucci (a fan of Christie’s, and also a PR expert) wrote at the time that the Governor’s reaction could be explained by emotion as much as politics.

“You see so much damage, so much devastation, so much sorrow in a place you love. This is your home — and you see it in shambles. This is what Christie saw. This is a man who loves his home state. This is what he encountered,” Dan wrote back in November 2012. “And so, when it came to the situation with President Obama, perhaps without even being aware of it, Chris Christie seemed to journey from appropriate gratitude to a sort of gushing, near-adulation. His words were beyond effusive. And generally speaking, so were his actions.”

Is history repeating itself?

Flash forward to October 2020.

Chris Christie once again found himself facing a crisis – his own hospitalization for COVID-19 – and emerged from the encounter this week with a statement (shared with mainstream media outlets) which he’s far too smart to not know it would be construed as a rebuke of the White House.

“No one should be happy to get the virus and no one should be cavalier about being infected or infecting others. It is something to take very seriously,” Christie said. “The ramifications are wildly random and potentially deadly.” Annnnd the Media, just like in 2012, is eating it up. Christie is playing right into their narrative:

Again… is this Christie the master chess player? Positioning himself for 2024?

Christie the notorious grudge holder, still sore after being passed over for Attorney General?

Or Christie the Jersey guy who, having endured an emotional gauntlet, sometimes emotes before he has a chance to reflect? Something to which many of his fellow New Jerseyans (myself included) can relate?

Whatever you believe the answer is, it’s too hard to overlook the fact that Chris Christie once again finds himself in the middle of an “October surprise” which may end badly for his team. Team GOP, that is. Where Team Christie ends up in all of this is still an open question.

Save Jersey’s Founder and Blogger-in-Chief, MATT ROONEY is a nationally-noted and respected New Jersey political commentator. When he’s not on-line, radio or television advocating for conservative reform and challenging N.J. power-brokers, Matt is a practicing attorney at the law firm of DeMichele & DeMichele in Haddon Heights (Camden County).

Romney Signals Support For Senate SC Vote!

Pelosi And Romney: Swampy Attention Whores?

We don't enjoy having to comment on the recent antics of Mitt Romney and Nancy Pelosi.
Honestly, we really don't. Not one bit.
And we certainly don't enjoy pairing them like this. After all, few social media outlets campaigned harder for Mitt Romney in 2012 than the blog you are reading right now. In fact, we were right there at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, rallying for Romney every minute and right up through election day as we remained stalwart for Mitt.
Furthermore, as many of you may know we're very proud of our Italian-American heritage so it hardly cheers us to disparage Nancy D'Alessandro Pelosi, much as we find her politics reprehensible.
But we can't ignore the way these two self-possessed, petulant personalities have behaved over the past few days.
In both cases their antics were carefully planned and calculated. And both clearly designed their plans of attack with a view toward gaining the maximum attention and holding the spotlight as long as possible.
Romney sent signals that he might betray Trump and the Republicans well in advance. And he made a point of anguishing over the whole process. It was so bad that you wanted to shout: "Oh, grow up, Mitt. Grow up, shut up and do your job!" Did he really think he was a Senate of One?
Candidly, in the case of Romney we think this is all a play for the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award which is annually bestowed by Caroline Kennedy, usually on a liberal icon or occasionally on a conservative deserter. We're betting Romney garners the award this year. For him, it will be  one of many badly-needed consolation prizes that he simply has to assuage his ego and nurse his wounds from his disastrous 2012 campaign.
Here's a guy who entered a race that was his to lose. He had everything going for him. And he promptly played it safe and proceeded to squander a sterling chance to reclaim the White House. The saddest part was that he blew it all not with a bellicose assault but with a pitiful whimper.
Now Romney wants us to see him as some kind of tortured truth-bearer who has staked his whole career on this one moment. But Romney had little to lose because he really doesn't amount to much anymore.
We'll say this much for also-rans like Al Gore and Bob Dole -- they had the good sense to step aside after their defeats. Ever the good soldier, Bob Dole (a certified American patriot) remained loyal to the GOP and even defied never-Trumpers by stepping forward in 2016 to extol candidate Trump and help the cause. As for Gore, he refused to relive the 2000 presidential race and instead found a new cause and charted a new direction, advancing the climate change issue.
We're sorry but we're not buying Romney's heart-on-the-sleeve protestations about his deep faith, his restlessness and his conversations with the Almighty. This vote wasn't about faith, it was about the law, the Constitution and the facts. Render unto God what is God's and unto Caesar what is Caesar's.
And then we have Pelosi -- a lesson in smarminess and hypocrisy if ever there was one.
First she laid out the strong case against impeachment, protesting that such a move would have to be clear, definitive and bipartisan otherwise it would not be credible. But then she did a complete reversal and abandoned all of her previously professed convictions.
In the process she painted a callow portrait of capriciousness. This is why President Trump tagged her "a nervous wreck." He saw right to the core of this insecure and imperious pretender. And he exposed her for what she is: a power-hungry swamp denizen.
Trump has an uncanny ability to identify any challenger's erroneous zone and go for the jugular. This rattled Nancy and she fell into the President's trap. Unable to escape, she decided to play the only card she had left: a crass and cranky play for attention. So unhinged was she that she seemed to forget how her antics would play on the grand stage. Yes, her huge hunger for self-aggrandizement blinded her to the ramifications of her actions.
So, she dove into the impeachment morass and was promptly overwhelmed by it all.
Finally, her self-invented demise unfolded with countless little cuts as she carefully made small tears in a copy of the President's State of the Union address in preparation le grande déchiqueter, the symbolic destruction of Trumpism and all it represents.
Because she never really paid any attention to the words in Trump's speech or the people in the gallery that he was introducing or how his credible and impactful his message was or how it was being perceived, her Big Stunt landed with a thud.
Even now, she can't understand what happened. She doesn't know why people can't see that she had to do this to demonstrate how right she is and  how justified she was in making a mess of things.
You have to wonder how people like Romney and Pelosi can reach such heights and still remain so clueless.
But we shouldn't be surprised, should we? Sadly, there are more than a few people like this in positions of power. And who among us hasn't worked for or had to answer to a self-indulgent jerk at one time or another?

Yeah, This Ad Raises IMPORTANT Questions!

Were We Wanting Someone Like Him All Along?

Way back in 2011 (fully a year before the 2012 presidential election) we questioned whether or not Mitt Romney, who became the eventually 2012 GOP nominee, was tough enough to win and tough enough to be president.
We were quite concerned about it. We actually asked if he was "too nice" to be president.
Even then, we sensed that people were thirsting for a scrappier candidate -- a real fighter. Maybe the country wasn't quite ready for a bolder, more vivid, more bellicose contender like Trump but we could already begin to see the handwriting on the wall -- with a little help from Kathleen Parker, a respected columnist and commentator Michael Medved. Here's what we wrote:

Kathleen Parker has a fine column at the Washington Post in which she basically asks: Is Mitt Romney too nice to be president? She notes that it was Romney who rescued the hopelessly baffled and/or forgetful Rick Perry during last night's GOP debate. We're wondering the same thing.
Here's an excerpt from Parker's column:

He’s a nice guy in a season of nastiness, a trait that may also be his greatest political failing.
Michael Medved, trying to figure out why Republicans don’t love Romney, pointed to his lack of anger. These are angry times and people want their leader to be ticked off, surmised Medved. He may be right, both in theory and in his conclusion: This passion for anger is not good for the country. . . .
He seems preternaturally unflappable, which to some is too robotic, not-quite-human. We like some fallibility in our leaders and flaws in our protagonists. Perhaps Romney would benefit from a slight imperfection or some other handicap over which he has struggled.

Click here to read more.

Put Them Side-By-Side; Then YOU Decide!

Just For The Record, Here Are The Real Numbers

Eating Crow? You Can Decide For Yourself . . .

VIDEO - Mitt Romney Speaks to Press After Big Meeting with Donald Trump President Elect - 11/29/16
The two dined in Manhattan at Jean-Georges restaurant in the Trump International Hotel at Columbus Circle.

Is One Of These Things Related To The Other, Huh?

A Facebook friend writes:

Next time you hear Hillary, or any other Democrat, ranting about Republicans wanting to disenfranchise minorities by requiring voter ID, keep the following in mind:

* In 59 voting districts in the Philadelphia region, Obama received 100% of the votes with not even a single vote recorded for Romney. (A mathematical and statistical impossibility).

* In 21 districts in Wood County Ohio, Obama received 100% of the votes where GOP inspectors were illegally removed from their polling locations - and not one single vote was recorded for Romney. (Another statistical impossibility).

* In Wood County Ohio, 106,258 voted in a county with only 98,213 eligible voters .

* In St. Lucie County, FL, there were 175,574 registered eligible voters but 247,713 votes were cast.

* The National SEAL Museum, a polling location in St. Lucie County, FL had a 158% voter turnout.

* Palm Beach County, FL had a 141% voter turnout

* In one Ohio County, Obama won by 108% of the total number of eligible voters .

NOTE: Obama won in every state that did not require a Photo ID and lost in every state that did require a Photo ID in order to vote.

The worst part is that in 2012, Pennsylvania, Florida and Ohio all had Republican governors. Florida and Ohio still do!
Imagine that.....

The Bloodiest Ever? Well, You Decide . . . .

Almost every campaign seems like the bloodiest ever.
We've seen a lot of campaigns. Lots and lots of them.
And we've seen more than a few that were rougher than the current one.