With big-dollar donors, Romney emerges as leading GOP McCain alternative

[DeepModem Mom]

WP political blog, "The Fix," by Chris Cillizza
Mitt the Money Man

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has emerged as the leading alternative to Arizona Sen. John McCain in the 2008 Republican presidential sweepstakes for a number of reasons -- the most important of which is his fundraising ability and successful courtship of big-dollar donors.

Witness an invite to dinner event scheduled in California that made its way into the Fix's mailbox recently. The fundraiser will be held at the Stone Hill Tavern at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point. To sit at the head table with Romney, a couple must contribute $25,000 to Romney's Commonwealth PAC; it's $10,000 per couple or $5,000 per person to attend the dinner....

***

Romney has several built-in national networks -- the Church of Latter Day Saints, the Republican Governors Association, Bain & Company -- that any candidate other than McCain would kill for. And, Romney has not been shy about tapping these various groups to raise cash in support of his presidential ambitions. From April 1 to June 30, Romney collected nearly $3.5 million through six Commonwealth committees -- a federal PAC and state-based PACs in the early primary and caucus states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Michigan and Arizona.

The recruitment of major donors in key states like California, New York and Florida is a constant process for candidates who want to be the next president. It is the most difficult element of the 2008 race to track since much of the courting goes on behind close doors and among a tight-lipped few. It is also happens to be the most important sign of viability a candidate can show heading into 2007.

Need evidence? Much of then Texas Gov. George W. Bush's inevitability as the Republican nominee in 200 was built in 1998 and 1999 by securing commitments from the major money players in the party. And, when McCain looked like he might upset the applecart after New Hampshire's primary, the huge war chest Bush had built allowed him to bounce back to win South Carolina and essentially end the McCain momentum....

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/

[endarkenment]

1. Fundy wing goes ballistic.

They think mormons are pagans.

[sgxnk]

2. i've already addressed this

while many christian fundies think mormonism is weird at best, and paganist/sacriligous (sp?) at worst, that does not necessarily bode badly for romney as to electability within their (largely, but not exclusively, rightwing voting bloc)

generally speaking, evangelicals vote policy, not doctrine

iow, the fact that romney is with them (generally speaking) policywise, is the governing factor. not how he worships. contrary to public opinion that they would vote for doctrine vs. policy

this all reminds me of the anti-catholic hype that many thought would hurt kennedy.

it's also similar to how many liberals vote policy, not doctrine. the fact that carter is an evangelical is largely irrelevant to liberal voters who did support him, since it wasn't the doctrine - it was the policies.

[DemPopulist]

4. I too have always thought the Fundies-hate-Mormons thing was overblown

As a reason for why Romney will lose. The fundies won't vote for him because he's from Massachusetts and has supported abortion rights, not because he's a Mormon.

[sgxnk]

5. that's a reasonable analysis

to paraphrase (and im not referencing this to you)

"it's the POLICY, stupid"

[primative1]

3. Excelent

I'm from Massachusetts and hating Romney is something that comes very easy. And as a plus I wont have to do a lot of research on how to cut him to shreds.