By Gary P Jackson
If the dust up at the GOP meeting in Arizona is any indication, if one isn’t ready to pledge 100% loyalty to Mitt Romney, he’s not interested in seeing or hearing from you.
It’s long been worried that Mitt would blow off the base of the party if elected, incidents like this do nothing to set these fears aside.
Mitt Romney held a meeting in Scottsdale with top Republicans, hoping to convince the undecideds to throw their support behind him, as …. let’s face it …. his nomination is all but a fait accompli.
Mitt offered attendees a chance to meet with him privately, but there was a catch, you had to sign a “loyalty pledge” first.
You’d think, at a meeting designed to get skeptics on board, those skeptics would be the ones you’d prioritize your time with, especially private time.
This is a dumb move, and seriously bad optics.
Peter Hamby has the lowdown.
Scottsdale, Arizona (CNN) – Members of the Republican National Committee gathering in Arizona were invited to meet with Mitt Romney in private Friday and have their pictures taken with the presumptive GOP nominee, but there was a price of admission: loyalty.
RNC members and state GOP chairmen were welcomed into the private reception only after signing a form pledging to support Romney as a delegate to the national convention in Tampa.
All 168 members of the committee have a vote at the convention as “superdelegates” – and one of Romney’s supporters on the RNC estimated that over 100 members signed the form.
The Romney “delegate pledge form” asked members to sign their name and “pledge to vote for Mitt Romney at the 2012 Republican National Convention on all ballots until Mitt Romney has been nominated.“
Signers were given the option of declaring their support publicly or privately by checking one of two boxes.
Several state Republican chairmen who have not publicly endorsed a candidate – including party leaders from South Carolina, Ohio and California – signed the pledge.
Romney spoke only briefly and spent roughly 20 minutes shaking hands and posing with members in a photo line.
“This is where all the power is, huh?” Romney joked as he entered the room to applause. “Thank you for all your work. Thank you for your help.“
Not everyone was allowed to join in the fun.
All three members of Iowa’s conservative RNC delegation – party chairman A.J. Spiker and committee members Steve Scheffler and Kim Lehman – attempted to enter the reception but were rebuffed after refusing to sign the delegate pledge.
The dispute became heated in the hallway outside, with the Iowans demanding to know why they had to sign a form to get their picture taken with the former Massachusetts governor.
Several of Romney’s deputies on the committee assured the trio that they could keep their support a secret by checking the appropriate box, but they refused to do so.
“They don’t trust us,” a frustrated Scheffler said after the argument. “I have said I will support the nominee when we have a nominee, no ifs, ands or buts.“
The Iowa delegates were later given the opportunity to pose for a photo with Romney at a luncheon for RNC members, after the private event for supporters.
I know we must beat Obama no matter what, and support “our” nominee no matter what but things like this make it hard to get excited about supporting him.
“Romney is not a Commie” is the only reason that I think I could vote for him. Not very exciting.
That would make an EXCELLENT bumper sticker, and yeah, that’s his main selling point!
Pretty stupid.
It only irritates people whose help help need doing the most important thing of his potential presidency: stop the obama destruction machine.
Ask people to pledge their help for that and all would have been fine.
If the comments online mean anything, you can expect folks to vote for Romney, out of self preservation, but I doubt people will be lining up to volunteer for the campaign.
and that is why he will lose to Obama…we are sunk as a Nation.
I don’t know. Voters will do a lot of nose holding in the booth, but let’s never forget just how dangerous Obama is. America has barely survived 4 years of this guy. Won’t survive another 4. That alone will motivate voters to vote for Romney.
Not only not volunteering, but not “giving ’til it hurts!” I don’t have much discretionary spending money at all; but if Palin or a TRUE Conservative were our nominee (and I DON’T mean Santorum or Gingrich!!), I’d give small amounts every month to the best of my ability – as a show of support and concern, etc. But with Romney? Fegeddabouttit!! He’s going to have to “go it alone” WITHOUT my support – only that vote (gag) in November! Wonder how many others who aren’t “fat cats,” but ARE Conservatives, will feel the same way and do the same thing…
Indeed. There are a lot of things Romney won’t get that someone like Sarah would. She never had to ask any of us to sign a “loyalty pledge”!
With each passing day, my originally tepid response to the cardboard cutout candidate has turned lukewarm, then cool. I don’t know which will win out in November – my patriotic pro-American feelings and that ABO mindset, or my anti-Romney turnoff that this arrogant bastard thinks he deserves my vote!! In June (in the CA Primary), I’ll write in Sarah Palin’s name just to blow off a little steam; but the test will definitely come in November. I’ll give that jackhole until Nov. 6 to redeem himself and move out of that cutout frame – but I’m not promising anything. My arm/hand will need to be “severely” programmed (a la his phony Conservatism!) to mark that absentee ballot…
I hear ya. It’s really, really hard to get pumped up about Romney. I know we must beat Obama, no matter what, but still.
Worse, Sarah Palin is out there sounding like she is ready to rip Obama’s face off. That only makes you think “if only” over and over.
BTW, as a lifelong salesman, I get what Romney is doing with the pledges, it’s a form of closing the deal and making the “customer” feel ownership. Romney’s problem is he has a significant amount of customers he hasn’t sold, among that group, and instead of working harder to make the sale, he shut the door in their faces.
Makes you wonder just how bright he, or should I say his campaign team, really is.
Love your remarks about the “salesman” and a standard ploy – and the small detail that he (Romney) hasn’t made the sale yet – let along closed anything! – but has just kicked the would-be buyers out of the showroom!
Besides having a quality product, and good customer service, a salesman must understand people in order to be successful. I’m really surprised that Romney would be so dumb.
It could be the people he has running his campaign, Lord knows what a bunch of losers can do to make a campaign implode[see Steve Schmidt and Nicole Wallace] but the candidate is responsible for his hiring choices.
I agree with you Joy, 110%!!
Thanks, Pam – I knew I wasn’t alone!!
Agree with the sentiments you express here.
http://www.romneyexposed.com/category/the-open-letter/
Do your research, it is out there
I think most readers have seen this. So, knowing Romney is the likely the nominee, do we vote for Obama instead?
I think not.
Perish the thought.
The Romney “delegate pledge form” asked members to sign their name and “pledge to vote for Mitt Romney at the 2012 Republican National Convention on all ballots until Mitt Romney has been nominated.“
Did you catch this…”on all ballots until Mitt Romney has been nominated”…? After the first ballot, delegates are released. I guess Mitt really isn’t very confident that he can win if Newt is allowed to speak at the Convention.
Newt is never going to be nominated. He’s showing on a daily basis why he isn’t worthy of anything but scorn and ridicule. He never had a real chance. Too many ACTUAL Conservatives remember his record, and all of his many betrayals to Conservatism. Newt is nothing more than a liberal con man hiding among us.
That said, I’m sure when those pledges were printed up, they feared the chance of a brokered convention. That’s no longer the case, as the Romney and RNC staffs are merging, and Mitt plans to declare victory on Tuesday.
“Scorn and ridicule”? “Liberal con man”? “Many betrayals”? You might try citing actual references if you’re going to slime someone Gary, instead of the typical sales pitch of “EVERYONE KNOWS THAT (insert your favorite bit of slime here)”. Hard facts, Gary. Not the MSM version of history. Then I’ll share an article or two with you about Mitt that even a used car salesman would find disgusting.
Pal I’ve been writing about Newt for years, and backed everything up with PROOF. The man is a con artist. A BIG GOVERNMENT PROGRESSIVE. A Toffler Marxist.
You can search our blog for the many articles noting Newt’s consistent support for government MANDATED health care, something he was paid $37 MILLION to do, and something he was pushing as of May of LAST YEAR! He even took Hillary Clinton around with him. He heaped HUGE praise on RomneyCare and said it was the model for America!
We’ve written plenty about this corrupt loser.
Newt was a paid shill for Al Gore’s global warming hoax, and sat with Nancy Pelosi in an ad paid for by George Soros. He stood with John Kerry and agreed that we needed a cap and tax system. When he was Speaker he teamed up with Nancy Pelosi to pass the most un-American, anti-2nd Amendment gun grabbing laws in our nation’s history. This was AFTER promising the American people that no gun legislation would ever make it out of committee on his watch.
When Obama was elected, Newt teamed up with his gal pal Nancy again, to try and push the energy tax Obama wanted. He also teamed up with his buddy, race hustler Al Sharpton and Obama’s Education Secretary Arnie Duncan, a Chicago Communist, to push Obama’s [Bill Ayers] radical agenda.
Fact is, Newt has stood with the radical Communists [against the American people] for years. And ALWAYS at the times Conservatives are fighting the hardest to stop them. I’m hard pressed to find someone who has betrayed Conservatism more.
This Quisling, this modern day Benedict Arnold has done more to advance the cause of Communism than many actual democrats.
I’ve followed Newt for decades, there is nothing appealing about him. He’s a rat bastard and the exact sort of dirt bag politician who MUST be run out of politics forever, or our nation will never survive.
BTW, you don’t have to believe me. EVERYTHING is easily found online. Of course, all of our reports are backed up with proof as well.
I suggest you start with Newt’s Marxist mentor of 20 years, Alvin Toffler, and go from there. Toffler advocated a Marxist utopia, and wanted to start by throwing out the Constitution and replacing with a Soviet style document. Newt wrote the foreword to Toffler’s book blueprinting how to make it happen.
So don’t vote for him, Gary. That’s simple. But continuing to spread inaccurate information is not in anyone’s best interest. Please see:
* http://legalinsurrection.com/2012/01/no-newt-did-not-endorse-the-obamacare-mandate/
* http://news.yahoo.com/ann-coulter-misunderstands-alvin-tofflers-ideas-gingrich-finds-182700050.html
* http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/article/what-really-happened-gingrich-ethics-case/336051
* http://politiac.com/Newt_Gingrich_Perception_and_Reality/
* http://19792012mozartvanbeethoven.blogspot.com/2012/02/links-regarding-newts-innocence-and.html
None of your links are factual. THESE are. Why do I say this? Because I have NEWT on video IN HIS OWN WORDS!
Flashback: Newt’s Passionate Support of Mandated Health Care Insurance, RomneyCare
http://thespeechatimeforchoosing.wordpress.com/2011/12/31/flashback-newts-passionate-support-of-mandated-health-care-insurance-romneycare/
Reminder: Newt Gingrich Teamed Up With Hillary Clinton, Wanted Government MANDATED Health Care
http://thespeechatimeforchoosing.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/reminder-newt-gingrich-teamed-up-with-hillary-clinton-wanted-government-mandated-health-care/
May 15, 2011: Newt Gingrich Supports Individual Mandate Would Force ALL Americans to Have Insurance
http://thespeechatimeforchoosing.wordpress.com/2011/11/17/may-15-2011-newt-gingrich-supports-individual-mandate-would-force-all-americans-to-have-insurance/
Government Mandates: Newt Gingrich and the Art of the Con Explained
http://thespeechatimeforchoosing.wordpress.com/2011/11/30/government-mandates-newt-gingrich-and-the-art-of-the-con-explained/
Crony Capitalism: Newt’s Think Tank Took $37 Million From Health Care Industry
http://thespeechatimeforchoosing.wordpress.com/2011/11/19/crony-capitalism-newts-think-tank-took-37-million-from-health-care-industry/
Flashback: Newt Gingrich Wanted To Reinstate The Anti-American “Fairness Doctrine”
http://thespeechatimeforchoosing.wordpress.com/2011/05/10/flashback-newt-gingrich-wanted-to-reinstate-the-anti-american-fairness-doctrine/
Gun Owners of America: Newt Ain’t Great on 2nd Amendment Rights, Broke His Promise to America
http://thespeechatimeforchoosing.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/gun-owners-of-america-newt-aint-great-on-2nd-amendment-rights-broke-his-promise-to-america/
Newt Gingrich Stabs Gun Owners in the Back
http://reason.com/blog/2011/12/05/newt-gingrich-stabs-gun-owners-in-the-ba
Newt Gingrich’s Curious Love of Ethanol Subsidies: Follow The Money!
http://thespeechatimeforchoosing.wordpress.com/2011/11/07/newt-gingrichs-curious-love-of-ethanol-subsidies-follow-the-money/
WTF? Newt Gingrich Proposes Giant Government Boondoggle To Replace Giant Government Boondoggle
http://thespeechatimeforchoosing.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/wtf-newt-gingrich-proposes-giant-government-boondoggle-to-replace-giant-government-boondoggle/
Newt Gingrich in 2008: The Era of Reagan is Over![Why Newt is Wrong for America]
http://thespeechatimeforchoosing.wordpress.com/2012/01/02/newt-gingrich-in-2008-the-era-of-reagan-is-overwhy-newt-is-wrong-for-america/
Newt Gingrich is More Dangerous To America Than Obama and I Can Prove It!
http://thespeechatimeforchoosing.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/newt-gingrich-is-more-dangerous-to-america-than-obama-and-i-can-prove-it/
Newt is a liar, and a con man. A complete phony and a fake. Watching his entire life come crashing down around him has been the best part of this primary season though! Couldn’t happen to a more deserving dirt bag.
Your link from a bunch of Newt apologists don’t impress anyone. I’ve watched the bastard since he first took office.
I have run into this before with his ‘Campaign’ Committee, apparently they are a bit pushy, thet demand your ‘Loyalty’ just like the RNC has been asking every month with a new request for cash for this or that.
Look I am a Conservative, I want them to sign a loyalty pledge to ‘me’, stating that once elected ‘the People’ are not forgotten.
Amen Michael, amen! Their loyalty must be to US, not the other way around.
Are such pledges binding? I doubt they have more than embarressment value. There is still a primary election going on despite their effort to make you ignore it. Newt Gingrich is still the best man for the presidency, he is the most experienced, the only one with definite plans available to be viewed on his website, the only one knowledgeable and smart enough to speak with out a teleprompter. Go Newt!
No they aren’t binding. It’s a form of “closing tool” to help make the signer feel ownership. The pledge itself doesn’t really bother me, it’s the way he treated those who came to see him, but weren’t ready to sign up. That was nothing less than hateful.
As for Newt, seriously? A corrupt Big Government con man …. president? No way in hell. I wrote a while back that Newt is more dangerous than Obama, and I stand by that.
http://thespeechatimeforchoosing.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/newt-gingrich-is-more-dangerous-to-america-than-obama-and-i-can-prove-it/
Newt has always stood with radical communists like Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Al Sharpton, John Kerry, and even Barack Obama and helped them advance their agenda, usually at the very time Conservatives were fighting the hardest against them.
Newt and his campaign have imploded. All of his scam companies are in bankruptcy, his campaign in nearly $5 million in debt, and his personal credibility is shot. He’s burned all kinds of bridges, and will be reduced to being a paid shill for CNN when it’s all said and done.
Couldn’t happen to a more deserving person.
Wow! A pretty dire assessment – but, like you, no tears for The Newt! Funniest comment is his being a “paid shill for CNN!” What, not Fox? No matter, whoever pays the bills… (And all those get-rich-quick think tanks and “foundations” – all for naught!) In this case, Pride has certainly NOT gone “before the fall!” He still struts around like the cock of the walk!
Newt has already burned his bridge to Fox, in fact, Ailes said the other day he sounded like he was auditioning for a spot on CNN! Newt is a HUGE crybaby. Like all liberals, he’s been blaming everyone and everything except himself for his pathetic performance. Fox was one of the ones he blamed, even though he got 3 times the air time that Willard has! And almost all of it on shows like Hannity, where they fawn all over him!
I’ve never liked Newt, so this is rather delicious to me. Maybe he can go hang out with Nancy and De De for some consolation!
I’m still waiting for Romney to swear loyalty to republican principles.
Oh he’s sworn to “Republican principles” it’s CONSERVATIVE principles I’d like to see him embrace!
I’ve been Republican since 1963. I signed on believing that “republican” implies supporting constitutional principles. I won’t support end justifies the means whatever the mob demands anything goes.
The situation grows worse with every election cycle, I’m really amazed that Bloomberg didn’t hang around, it’s only a matter of time before the GOP becomes his natural habitat
Spot on.
This seems like much ado about nothing…
He is only asking GOP DELEGATES not others to simply indicate that they are going to stick with him in a NON-BINDING “pledge”… I sign “pledges” all the time, every time a neighbor kid runs a 5K or co-worker decides to torture themselves on a bike ride or walk for a cause…. Anyone who is questioning the difference between Romney and Obama has to be a Liberal/Socialist/Communist with a pro-Obama agenda… this entire discussion is idiotic…
Indeed. It turned out to be absolutely no big deal as Romney sailed to the nomination. That said, a lot of the Ron Paul trouble makers were making it all a big deal in their minds.