Romney’s Profitable Past

A National Review Editorial

Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, and Jon Huntsman seem to be engaged in a perverse contest to be the Republican presidential candidate to say the most asinine thing about Mitt Romney’s tenure at Bain Capital, the private-equity firm at which he served as chief executive, helped turn around a number of failing businesses, and, in the process, produced magnificent profits for his investors and for himself. Mitt Romney ran a firm that invested in struggling businesses, made money, and never asked for a bailout — and Romney’s rivals apparently expect Republican voters to regard that as a liability.

We are largely immune to the charms of the CEO who promises to sweep into Washington and run the government like a business, mainly because the government is not a business. At the same time, private-sector expertise and experience is an invaluable thing in a chief executive, and Romney has nothing to regret on that front. Would that we could say the same thing of his tin-eared declaration that he, too, once feared getting the dread pink slip. Suffice it to say that the multimillionaire/CEO/governor son of a multimillionaire/CEO/governor does not fear losing his job in quite the same way as the typical American worker does.

Newt Gingrich’s risible super-PAC factotum has gone to the length of producing a feverish little film about Romney’s tenure as a “corporate raider” at Bain. Governor Perry, for his part, told a Republican audience: “If you are the victim of Bain Capital’s downsizing, it is the ultimate insult for Mitt Romney to come to South Carolina and tell you he feels your pain — he caused it.” To appropriate Governor Perry’s favorite adjective, that is the ultimate in populist pandering, or something close to it.

Huntsman’s private-sector experience consists of having served as an executive at the firm owned by his billionaire father. Gingrich and Perry have between them about eleven minutes’ worth of relevant private-sector experience — Perry being subsidized by the federal government to farm cotton, Gingrich subsidizing himself by farming his political connections — and therefore may not know (or care) what a private-equity firm such as Bain does. (Gingrich might consider asking his friends at leveraged-buyout firm Forstmann Little, where he was on the board.) Bain is involved in, among other things, leveraged buyouts, meaning that the firm and its investors borrow money from banks to acquire companies, usually firms that are in trouble but believed to be salvageable. These firms generally are bought on the theory that they represent fundamentally sound underlying business enterprises that are for one reason or another performing deficiently, usually because of incompetent management. Strong, thriving companies rarely are targets for leveraged-buyout acquisitions — if things are going well, there is no incentive to sell the company. If the firms are publicly traded, they often are taken private, their stocks delisted from the exchanges, and then reorganized. Once the company has been returned to profitability, it is taken public again or sold to a private buyer, in the hopes of turning a profit on the deal.

As you can imagine, companies that are buyout targets often are in very poor shape, and reviving them is no small thing. Many of them go into bankruptcy. Product lines are discontinued, retail locations are closed, assets are sold off, and, almost inevitably, jobs are lost. Some never recover. When the restructuring is successful, reinvigorated firms expand, add locations, develop new products, and create jobs. That is the creative destruction of capitalism. Staples has 2,000 stores instead of one store because of a Bain investment. And, as Herman Cain is well-positioned to appreciate, Burger King was severely underperforming when Bain and a group of franchise owners acquired it from corporate parent Diageo in 2002. The restructured burger chain, which went public a few years back, is now valued at more than $3 billion. Household names from Dunkin’ Donuts to Guitar Center have been among Bain’s projects.

Bain’s business is high-risk and high-reward. Romney made a pot of money — by investing in real businesses, which, it bears noting, employ many thousands of real Americans. Governor Perry likes to brag about the jobs created in Texas during his tenure: Perhaps he should subtract from that admirable sum those positions at companies in which Bain invested, for the sake of his intellectual integrity.

Romney also is being roasted for saying that one of the things he prefers about the private sector is that when it comes to the incompetent or the unsatisfactory, “if you don’t like what they do, you can fire them. I like being able to fire people who provide services to me.” Choice — including the choice to fire a non-performing employee, or to fire your bank if you prefer another one — is the essence of the free market. In education, health care, and any number of other spheres of American life, more choice desperately is needed. An education system in which incompetent teachers could be routinely fired would be a real improvement over the current regime of tenure and “rubber rooms” — and Romney has nothing for which to apologize in connection with that remark, nor for taking on the thankless task of explaining the goodness of profits to an Occupy Wall Street heckler. Huntsman mocked Romney for the remark — but whoever the next president of the United States is, he should be provided with a very long list of people in the federal bureaucracies who need firing. If Huntsman does not have one, he has not thought hard enough about the issue.

Wall Street has its share of miscreants, and they should be recognized as such when appropriate. But to abominate Mitt Romney for having been a success at the business of investing in struggling American companies, connecting entrepreneurs with capital and producers with markets, is foolish and destructive. Republicans ought to know better, and the fact that Gingrich et al. apparently do not is the most disturbing commentary on the state of the primary field so far.

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Bill Spadea Can Win In November

By Harold Kane, Monroe Township

There is an old cliché in New Jersey Politics. The cliché states “When it is the Republicans to lose, they will lose.” The district 16 special election this year will be theirs to lose unless they wake up. The electoral composition of the district has radically changed since the 2010 census. In 2007 the Republican Assembly candidates won 58-42. With the elimination of parts of Somerset and Morris counties and the inclusion of South Brunswick and the Princetons the Republicans managed to win the 2011 Assembly race 52-48, a drop of 12 points. The special election will be to replace the deceased Peter Biondi. At first the Republican “leadership” offered William Mennen of Tewksbury, but he didn’t live in the district. Mennen said that he would move, but then changed his mind. They then offered Donna Simon, a councilperson from Readington. Ms. Simon has absolutely no name recognition outside of Readington. The name recognition becomes even more important in the 2012 general election in that the Democrats will have Barack Obama at the top of their ticket. With Obama every Democrat and Democrat leaner in Middlesex and Mercer counties will be coming out of the woodwork to vote. The Republicans have a candidate that can overcome the Democrat advantage in the special Assembly Election. That candidate is Bill Spadea of Princeton. Spadea has run for Congress garnering 40% of the vote which is twice what the “experts” said that he would get. He is a party activist with great name recognition in precisely the portion of district 16 where it is needed most. Spadea has already assembled a campaign team with many years of experience. This is in comparison to Simon. Exactly when was the last time the Somerset/Hunterdon Republican parties had to fight for an Assembly seat? A Democrat victory in the 16^th would further impede Governor Christie from achieving his goals.

The Republican chairpersons in Somerset County (Al Gaburo), Hunterdon County (Henry Kuhl), and Mercer County (Dave Fried, Maria Bua) need to put their support behind Spadea at the special convention this month. Spadea can win in November, Simon cannot!

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The Impression I Get

By James Hogan

Hello MMM readers, I’m sure you’ve missed me as I’ve been quiet and well behaved since Art’s thunderous return but since I know how much you all miss me and value my opinion, I wanted to pass along my observations of the Freeholder candidate’s from Wednesday night’s Ocean Township hosted forum.

Ocean Township Chairwoman and State Committeewoman Christine Hanlon opened the meeting by having each candidate, in alphabetical order, give a short speech as an introduction. I’ll recap what I recall here, where there isn’t much means there wasn’t much said that was memorable, for me.

Serena Demaso – from Holmdel – Deputy Mayor for several years. Has lived in Monmouth County for 23 years. She’s of the Board of Trustees of Meridian Health. She’s a mom and employee of her husband’s medial office, she runs it. (My research indicates that the office is in Staten Island, maybe someone can verify if I have that wrong. I don’t think it hurts to run for office here and work/run a business elsewhere but maybe real experts like you anonymous commentators have different opinions.)   Serena wore some dress pants and a nice/dressy swear, not some Hillary looking PantSuit(TM), no “hands in the pocket” while speaking. Her appearance is very professional, I’d say her demeanor is closest to that of Strict Mom.

Peter Doyle – Councilman from Atlantic Highlands – Peter has a long resume in the military, and I thank him as I thank all veterans for their service. He is a West Point grad and a BigWig of some sort at Moodys, the credit rating people. He touts his financial sector career and knowledge and ability to pick apart financial data and give recommendations/take action. Peter wore a nice suit, buttoned correctly, no “hands in the pocket”, in fact, you might think of the (and my apologies to Tom DeSeno) stereotypical Italian hand moving while speaking. He looks and sounds very professional however, as a pocket protector wearing computer nerd myself, dare I say Peter looks a bit nerdy. I’d say his demeanor is closest to that of the over-excited high-school physics teacher who does the same experiment year after year but gives an appearance of excitement every time.

Ryan Green – Committeeman from Manalapan – Ryan is a social worker in a school.  He is relatively new to the scene but his passion and care was evident. Truthfully, I didn’t get, or remember, much more, but it may not be Ryan’s fault, I’m easily distracted and have a poor memory. Ryan also wore a suit, not buttoned and also not a “hands in the pocket” guy. Ryan appears to be younger guy of the bunch, seems to be a real go-getter type. I’d say his demeanor might be closest to the “its all business” accountant at tax time.

Bob Walsh – Howell Mayor – Bob describes himself a self-educated kid who grew up in a poor family, on the mean streets of Manalapan (after his mother moved him there from Jersey city at a young age). Bob speaks loud and might be fit for a role in an HBO series that Tom DeSeno wouldn’t approve of. (why am I picking on Tom?? I like you Tom, I’m sorry.) Bob started a Mortgage Broker business in the 90s, enjoyed the boom and has so far survived the bust, which says something positive. Bob gives his family story – wife, 3 kids — 2 girls in college and an autistic son in a “special place”. Bob’s personal story is one of overcoming the difficulties of life, he is/was the only candidate to offer details of his personal life story. Bob wore a suit, unbuttoned, and never took off his jacket/scarf; I thought he was going to jet early a few times as he looked ready to run. Bob will crack a joke and out-loud others to steal the show — I suspect a union boss won’t out-loud Bob. His demeanor is probably closest to, well you know, I don’t need to make Tom DeSeno even more mad by offering some questionably accurate Italian stereotype here. 🙂

Then came questions. Christine Hanlon was kind enough to give me the first crack, and I came prepared. My question was pretty straight forward: Explain the cost of public workers in your town, specifically, the cost of your police officers and why these salaries are acceptable when the average HOUSEHOLD (combined) income in Monmouth County is $80K/yr, and what you’ve done to address the cost of government. The numbers are these and I provided/quoted these numbers to each candidate (except for Peter who seemed to know the numbers off of the top of his head):

Town Area Population # of Police Officers in top 100 earners # of Officers over 100K

Average of top 100 Police Top Paid Officer

Howell 61 51 74 54 113,223.00 $176,660.00

Holmdel 18 17 40 18 100,351.00 $154,254 

Manalapan

31 39 57 30 93,045.85 $154,036 

Atlantic Highlands

4.5 4.5 14 5 85,389.00 $137,125 

Serena answered first as in her opening presentation she noted that she had worked to address police contracts/costs – what a great tie in. In her town, 40 of the top 100 (base salary) employees are police. 18 of them make over $100K/yr. The top officer making $154K and the average being $100K. Serena notes these salaries are less than ideal, she gets it. She also claims to have worked hard to lower those salaries where possible and says her town doesn’t contribute to healthcare plans and some other benefits for officer. She also (rightly) notes that should they press too hard and go to arbitration, they’d likely lose their battle in this state. She also spoke of the 2% property tax cap and how it helps/helped in negotiations.

Bob answered next. In his town the numbers are 74 police officers are in the top 100 earners, 54 are paid over $100K, the top earning a whopping $176K, nearly double the average HOUSEHOLD income, and the average being $113K/yr. Bob claims to have taken on his local police, and all local public workers, by furloughing them for 18 days. He also noted some officers were laid off/not rehired after leaving, I think he said some were demoted but I may be mistaken in my poor memory, another forum attendee may fill this in. I was able to verify the furlough, maybe a Howell local can verify the lay-offs; Bob says he went from ~280 workers to about 220 over the past few years. Bob seems to have (tried to) take on the unions, but with numbers like the ones I see, I’m not sure how successful he really was, in fairness, if what he says is true, then those numbers must have been even more painful before. Bob also “gets it” when it comes to how outrageous the wages and benefits are, like Serena, I’m not sure how successful our part-time/volunteer municipal officials can really be against professional union negotiators.

Peter answered next. In his town, the numbers are 14 of the top about 70 (they don’t have 100 employees there!) are police officers. Only 5 police officers make over $100K and the top earner makes $137K, the average is “only” $85K, close to the county household average at least. Number wise his town looks best, but in fairness to others, he is in the smallest town. In my opinion, Peter gave the least impressive response, but his honestly is noteworthy. Peter’s immediate reaction/response was essentially “we, the people of Atlantic Highlands, chose to have a safe community and that comes at a cost we accept”. Ouch. Peter seemed to defend the salaries/benefits as necessary in order to maintain and uphold the law. In my humble opinion, I fear that Peter deals with such large numbers on a daily basis in his work at Moodys that maybe $140K/yr or $176K/yr doesn’t seem like a “big number” to him. I don’t think Peter sees the cost of individual government workers as the problem I think it is, maybe you agree with Peter, maybe for once you agree with me.

Ryan answered last. In his town, the numbers are 57 of the top 100 income earners are police, 30 officers make over $100K/yr with the top earner at  $154K/yr and the average at $93K. Oddly enough, Ryan couldn’t go into too many details because it sounds like he is TheMan right now doing the negotiations in Manalapan. He seemed to indicate we may read about him in the APP for his bold efforts, I’d be curious to see/hear the details – I think it could be a huge draw for Ryan if he’s really make a drastic impact, and gets it done before the 14th. Ryan, despite working in a school, seems to also “get it” that public worker costs are too high. One thing I noted is that Ryan relied heavy on talking about shared services and how they would/could/should save money — but if the county worker pay isn’t reduced, then adding more county workers just means a larger county budget.

There was a question/statement made about the need for photo IDs for voters due to vote fraud in Asbury. The hard-liners might be mad at me, and the ACLU too, but part of me really agrees with her and the need for a photo ID to vote — I can’t even buy Spray Paint at Home Depot without a photo ID, or get a cell phone, or buy a beer or pack of cigs – seeing as voting is more important than all of those things — it makes sense to me, but I’m like a liberal or something now, you got it, so mind me.

There was a question asking what two items you’d really like to get done/what you’d focus on. It was the usual stock answers — cut spending, lower taxes, the nursing home program, etc. I don’t know that I recall hearing “address the waste at Brookdale”, “put Fort Monmouth to good use”, etc. For me the answers were non-spectacular/non-memorable. Maybe another event goer can help out here if they heard something noteworthy/memorable.

Then came the BEST question, by far, in my opinion, from Ocean Twp Club President and Committee Vice Chair Joe Hadden. His point/question was simple and, again, great. 4 years ago in 2008, Obama was at the top of the ticket and John Curley lost because of the top of the ticket — how are you the candidate going to raise the money, get your name and message out and compete with Obama?

Serena noted her connections to Meridian and it’s size/potential donor base. She also noted she’s a chair(?) of Bayshore Hospital and seemed VERY confident that she could raise a lot of money from “outside of the usual” sources. She also claims to have about 5000 doors in Holmdel and she claims to have knocked on those doors 5-6 times over the past few years. Sh did a great job giving the impression that she has the ground game, and the money, to run a good campaign.

Ryan implied “I know people” and “I’ve been elected a few times”. There were no specifics on exactly who and how he’d get the job done. As one of the younger guys, I’d have to guess he has more energy to go — and as a school worker, I assume he has at least the summer off to knock on doors.

Bob also implied “I know people” and noted he raised a lot of money for his mayor runs and spent a lot of his own money too. Bob, having run as an independent, must know how to organize and run a ground game, or pick the right people to help him — having run as an independent, his “team-work” ability to run with Curley, and then Arnone, is worth questioning in my opinion.

Peter essentially said “I have my team picked and ready to go on the 15th to win” He assures all Republicans win top to bottom in November. Again, no exact information who/how he’ll get it done, but he has confidence. I have to think via Moodys, he likely has some good potential donors.

There was also a question about Agenda 21. As expected, no Republican supports it or any other measure against private property rights.

Short on time — Christine then let me get a second question in — I noted that Freeholder Clifton is now Assemblyman Clifton and Freeholder Christie is now Governor — so seeing as this office may be a stepping stone to higher office — do you care to make a statement about your views on 2A rights, abortion and Gay Marriage.  Christine cut me off, because of time constraints, and asked me to pick one issue. None of the candidates are NRA members, all claim to support 2A rights. Bob Walsh says he’s coming to the shooting range with me one of these days — win or lose – I’m going to hold him to it, and if any other Republicans want to take a trip to the range, let me know/be my guest.

Getting to a conclusion — here are my Random Thoughts of the “problems” (as I see them) with each candidate:

Walsh’s problem, is mainly that he comes off as a bit of clown at times which I think turns people off easily at first glance and is an easy item to attack him on. When he tries to come across as a softy, he slows down his speech, looks down, it just seems phony at times. I also need more information on his actions over public workers as his town has the worst/highest police pay numbers, by far. Did he really do the things he claims and did any of things really stick/make a difference? The effort (if accurate) is note worthy regardless.

Serena’s problem, is that she allowed Walsh, multiple times, to overshadow her/interrupt her. She needs to be able to demonstrate that she can debate/argue her points with public workers who abuse the taxpayers and the system as a whole as well as battle Democrats come November — and not just have others talk louder/longer over her, taking on Bob would be good proof of an ability to take on those evil Ds. Other than that, I think she’d do just fine, and far better that say a Democrat like 33 and retired for life on the public dime after 4 short years of “work” State Police officer Bill Shey’s… not that I’m bitter/angry/jealous or anything that I (hopefully) have 40+ years of work left until I drop dead….

Doyle is out for me personally. He seems like a really smart, nice guy, who deals with large numbers on a daily basis. I don’t think he views or understands that $180K (base) for a police officer or $220K for a corrections officer is a high salary in a county where household (combined) average is $80K. He might be a financial wiz, but it’s the smaller costs that need to be addressed IMHO. Simple dopes like me think $180K/yr is a lot of money, I’m not convinced Peter finds $180K/yr to be “a large number”. And I understand that saying “you’re taking a 50% pay cut!” to a corrections officer is much easier said than done, but I do think any one of the others would at least THINK the numbers are absurd (Bob may say it); it doesn’t seem like cutting pay would cross Peter’s mind as he doesn’t seem to think $180K is a problem that needs to be addressed. I’d certainly appreciate being proven wrong here, and his town has numbers on his side, but his response seemed troubling to me, or maybe I mis-understood and another forum goer could give their impressions/understanding.

Green’s problem is also a personality issue, as well as that he is a public worker himself (social worker in a school). I don’t know how well he’d fit in with the other members of the board and that he is a beneficiary of the public employment system seems to imply that he isn’t likely to advocate for a paycut for himself/his fellow public workers, I could be wrong. Again, he gives the usual line “lets cut the nursing home!” but that’s an easy/obvious one, does he have the courage and ability to take on the bigger issues — the trustees at Brookdale, the Corrections officers, Judges? I think with more self-confidence in his delivery/approach, and if he can pull out a win over the PBA/public salaries in his town, he’d have a real strong run, unfortunately, I don’t know that the details of his work against public worker pay will be available/on his side before the 14th.

Of course, this is all just my opinion, my *quick* little notes after a lot of research and a few hours of listening. To answer your question, if I had to vote today, I might vote Bob Walsh while thinking “maybe I should have voted Serena” but today this is the best I could do. Since I don’t have to vote until the 14th, maybe I’ll see Serena again and she’ll really stand out and not allow herself to be overshadowed, and she would win me over, because she has a certain appeal/personality that I think fits in well/best on the board, as long as she can also stand alone. Or perhaps by the 14th, Ryan Green will have cut his public worker pay in half in which case there is no contest, he gets my vote, and i’ll donate significantly to campaign immediately.  

The caveat to all of this — Bob and Serena each have a few people backing them who I really like and whose opinions I really trust and value. It’s a testament to the great candidates and deep bench we have to choose from when good, hard working, like-minded Republicans, who really stand for the right things every time, are supporting different candidates. I really respect the input and opinions of these few key people, one side or the other is going to be disappointed, but in the end, I’m going to make my choice based on the little things I see and hear — and I offer all of this as something for you to consider, not to tell you who to vote for.

And as a final note, as a private sector guy who is fortunate to be able to decide who is hired and who is fired from his own staff, (ie: if I don’t think you’ll fit in, I don’t hire you) — I have to say, as always, that John, Tom, Gary and Lillian’s opinion of who THEY want to work with and who would work best with them is paramount. It helps none of us to force them to work with someone they don’t think they will like or be able to work with. Equally important, love him or be on the fence about him (because I don’t think anyone should hate him) Chairman Oxley’s opinion is valuable and important to consider as the Chairman is constantly working in this county and state and has eyes and ears all over with a great understanding of the people and issues.

In either case, don’t take my word for it — get to the Monmouth County Affiliated Republican Club’s event on the 13th (http://www.monmouthrepublican.org/calendar.asp#a511), meet the candidates, chew their ears off (not literally or they won’t be able to listen to our complaints later) and then make a smart, informed decision based on your own issues and concerns in Colt’s Neck on the 14th..

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Frank Pallone’s New Years Message

A New Year, A New District, Same Old Republican Antics

With each New Year we find ourselves reflecting on the past and setting goals for the coming year. 

2011 was a year of tragically partisan politics in DC. The new Republican majority made it clear that fulfilling their backward social agenda was more important than putting Americans back to work. Rather than advancing any legislation that would continue the American recovery, they spent the entire year trying to roll back health care reform, proposing changes to Medicare and Social Security that would effectively end both programs as we know them, and manipulating the facts, trying to convince Americans that common sense environmental protections are hurting the economy.

As we enter into 2012 I re-new my commitment to you that I will continue to fight to protect Social Security and Medicare and stand strong against the Tea Party controlled Republican leadership. Most importantly, I, along with my Democratic colleagues, will work to implement our Make it in America agenda to put Americans back to work and ensure a sustainable recovery for our American economy.

2012 promises to be a year of many changes.

Some of these changes were made clear last week when the new boundaries of our Congressional districts were finalized. I continue to be disappointed that New Jersey lost a Congressional seat.  We must not forget the lesson learned from this census  and continue to fight for an accurate count looking forward to the 2020 census. 

The new map poses challenges for our Party, but I am committed to my service to the residents of the 6th district and am eager to get to work. I am saddened that the new map moved towns that I am proud to represent into other districts, but am excited at the opportunity to introduce myself to residents of newly included towns, earn their votes and represent them in the new Congress. 

We will be hitting the ground running with my 2012 campaign and I ask that you take a minute to sign up here to get involved. There is plenty of work to be done and, with your help, I have no doubt that we will celebrate a tremendous victory for our party in November, when we re-elect President Obama, re-elect Senator Menendez,  regain a  Democratic majority in the House and win offices throughout our state, county and local governments. 

Thank you for you help in 2011 – your efforts for resulted in solid victories for the Democratic Party in the legislative elections, sending a clear message to Governor Christie, and a reminder to anyone who doubted it, that New Jersey is a Blue State. Let’s continue the hard work and move to even more victories in 2012. 

Happy New Year and many wishes that 2012 brings health and happiness to you and your family.

Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr.

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Santorum, After Iowa

By Robert Costa, National Review Online

Des Moines, Iowa – One hot August night in Ames, Rick Santorum stood on the mat-covered basketball court at Iowa State University’s Hilton Coliseum. As pop-country songs played softly over the arena’s loudspeakers, he huddled with his wife, Karen. Few people noticed him, and his handlers, if he had any, were elsewhere. Reporters breezed past the couple, hustling to chat with big-name strategists working for Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty.

A couple steps away, under a cavern of Klieg lights, Sean Hannity of Fox News bantered with Michele Bachmann, the Minnesota congresswoman, who was widely expected to sweep the upcoming straw poll. Santorum, surveying the scene, scowled. As he waited for Bachmann to finish the interview, he tapped his foot, like a backup player itching to get into the game. Once again he had participated in a Republican primary debate, and once again he was a bench-warmer.

Minutes after the televised spar, here he was, in a post-debate “spin room” stuffed with political junkies, and he was ignored – an also-ran, a B-list pol waiting to appear on cable. The proud, boyish-looking former Pennsylvania senator was miffed. “This is unbelievable,” he told Karen, shaking his head. “Two questions in the beginning, and I had to wave my hand to get them.”

Five months later, on a bitterly cold January morning in central Iowa, Santorum’s summer doldrums have largely evaporated. All week, as he has greeted burly voters, many of them decked in Carhartt jackets, he has been swarmed by hundreds of media types – print reporters, network producers, camera-toting Swiss bloggers – out in force to cover every move of the man who, quite suddenly, has shaken up the GOP presidential scramble.

But Santorum’s sustained buzz in Iowa’s small diners and Pizza Ranch restaurants is not due in any way to his celebrity or his charm. His usual outfit – single-color, slightly pilled sweater-vests over a pressed white shirt – is the look of the ill-at-ease soccer dad, not the confident frontrunner. His remarks are always delivered rapid-fire, are frequently testy, and are too often focused on long-forgotten legislative yawners. Regardless, Iowans have flocked to him at the eleventh hour, partly because they’ve soured on Bachmann and Gov. Rick Perry, and partly because he is the last alternative to Mitt Romney left, the nice-enough guy who has visited all 99 counties.

That’s just fine with Santorum, who tells me that he is confident that Republicans will nominate him, a “reliable conservative,” rather than “settle” on Romney. But as Iowans prepare to caucus, Romney’s well-organized and lavishly funded campaign looms over the Pennsylvanian’s upstart effort – the Death Star to Santorum’s X-wing fighter. Whatever the outcome tonight, the former Massachusetts governor will be a formidable competitor in the months ahead, as will Texas congressman Ron Paul, who has the money and ground game to stay in the hunt. And the rest of the field, should they choose to carry on, will give Santorum headaches, knocking him as they fade.

Of course, such a scenario depends on Santorum finishing in Iowa’s top tier, near or above Paul and Romney. The latest polls hint at this happening, but in this tumultuous primary season, most every reporter is wary of trusting any last-minute temperature-taking of the conservatives among the cornfields. Still, Santorum looks poised for a good night, and should he pull it off the real question becomes: What’s next?

To get some answers, I recently spoke with John Brabender, Santorum’s own Karl Rove – the senior strategist who has been with him since his first House race in 1990, when he toppled Democrat Doug Walgren, a seven-term incumbent from the Pittsburgh suburbs. Brabender tells me to keep an eye on seven factors as the Iowa HQ closes and the plane for Manchester is fueled.

Santorum will make a play for the Granite State: “We’re not like these other campaigns that look at New Hampshire, surrender, and say ‘We can’t be competitive there; we’re going to the South.’ We think South Carolina is extremely important, and we’re the only ones who’ve won a straw poll there. But we think that to be a legitimate presidential candidate, you have to, at the very least, be willing to compete in each region of the country,” Brabender says. “And that includes the Northeast. We’re not expecting to walk into every place and feel like we have to win, but by going to New Hampshire, it lets us continue a dialogue with the country. That’s where the press is, that’s where people are paying attention, and we want to show we have national strength.”

Santorum staffers are prepping for the long haul: “We knew this day would come,” Brabender says. “There is this perception that the senator, duffel bag in hand, has been wandering around Iowa, but behind the scenes, there is a lot going on.” In coming days, many of the top Iowa field staffers will be shifted to new roles in other early primary states, taking the turnout strategies and outreach techniques they honed in Iowa to South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Florida. “We’re not an expensive campaign, not a huge-bureaucracy campaign,” so there is flexibility in terms of personnel, he says. Regarding payroll, “we don’t need to bring in the same amount as other campaigns.”

New hires will begin in the finance department: “We’re probably going to make a few small hires,” Brabender says, and they will mostly be money raisers, “due to the uptick in donations that has really picked up in recent weeks.” Beyond that, “you’re not going to see some wholesale expansion. The biggest mistake we think we could make right now is simply trying to become the other candidates, running the same type of model that’s outdated. You can be sure we’re not going to do that.”

Santorum, more than ever, is at ease: Even Santorum’s confidants acknowledge that he can become frustrated and flustered at times. Republicans saw this side of him during the early stages of the primary, when he would complain about the lack of attention. Now that he’s ticked up in the polls and spent countless days crisscrossing Iowa, he’s “in the zone,” Brabender says. The candidate is peaking at the right moment. “He’s hitting his stride,” Brabender tells me. “The crowds are getting bigger, and when that happens, he feeds off of it. More than the typical candidate, he finds a way to ride that kind of energy, and you see him doing that right now.”

Santorum is comfortable as an outsider: When he lost his 2006 reelection bid by 18 points to lackluster Democrat Bob Casey Jr., Santorum’s political career nearly ended. He went from being a member of the Senate GOP leadership to a political nobody. Five years later, as he surges in the polls, Brabender says that loss is shaping Santorum’s perspective in innumerable ways, but most importantly in how it buoys his ability to speak about issues as both a former insider and a Beltway outsider. “He thinks it was actually beneficial for him to get out of Washington for a while,” Brabender. “It turned out to be a huge benefit as he began to look at a presidential run, since he came into this with fresh eyes, not as someone in a position of power.”

The family is “all in” after Iowa: Santorum’s large, growing family is slowly coming back into the spotlight, Brabender says, and his wife and children joined him on the trail in Iowa on Monday and will be with him all day today. In coming months, look for the older Santorum children to continue to show up at their father’s side, supporting him as he stumps. “Their son, John, delayed going to college this year to be part of the campaign, and their daughter Elizabeth is taking a year off from college to be part of the campaign, playing significant roles.”

The inner circle remains the same: “It’s not a big group,” Brabender says. “Hogan Gidley works at my firm, and he’s the communications director. He directs a small communications team. You have Mike Biundo, who’s from New Hampshire; he’s the campaign manager. You have Nadine Maenza, who’s the finance director and who’s been with the senator since the 1990s. There is also Mark Rodgers, Santorum’s former chief of staff, who works in a senior advisory role. And unlike many campaigns, we keep Rick and Karen as part of the strategic team.” There is also, he claims, little drama. “So many of us have been with Rick for many years, and there’s nothing like you’ve read on Politico about other campaigns and their infighting. We mostly spend our time looking over historical polling data for Santorum, seeing what we can apply to this race.”

“We all started together in Pennsylvania,” Brabender says, commenting on Santorum’s senior team. “And just as Rick grew, we all grew in sophistication, but none of us has ever lost our roots. At 4:15 p.m. on Sunday, you can be sure that we were all finding a place to watch the Steelers game.” Later tonight, they’ll all be tuned to the same channel, this time watching the caucus returns. On Sunday, the Steelers beat the Cleveland Browns. In a few hours, Brabender expects to be cheering once again.

– Robert Costa is a political reporter for National Review.

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Romney wins Iowa caucuses by eight votes

By Lynn Campbell, Hannah Hess and Andrew Thomason, IowaPolitics.com

DES MOINES — It was an Iowa caucus night that came down to the wire, with former
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum
running neck-and-neck for first place in the contest for the Republican
presidential nomination..
At 1:36 a.m. Wednesday, the Republican Party of Iowa declared Romney the winner
by just eight votes over Santorum, the dark-horse candidate who ran his campaign
on a shoestring budget. With all of the state’s 1,774 precincts reporting,
Romney received 30,015 votes to Santorum’s 30,007. Percentage-wise, the two tied
with 25 percent of the vote.

GOP officials said the caucuses do not provide an opportunity for a recount when
there’s a close vote, because it’s an event run by the political party, and not
the government.

The virtual tie led both candidates to make their speeches in advance of knowing
the final results of the state’s first-in-the-nation presidential nominating
contest. The photo finish likely will give both Santorum and Romney momentum
going into the Jan. 10 New Hampshire primary.

“Game on!” declared Santorum, who was Iowa’s most frequent visitor this caucus
cycle, spending about 100 days in the state but remaining at the back of the
pack until a last-minute surge around Christmas.
“Thank you Iowa for the great send-off you’re giving to us and the other winners
of this campaign,” Romney gushed, as he took the stage at Hotel Fort Des Moines
to congratulate his Republican competitors and his own campaign.
Romney vowed to head to battle in New Hampshire, and to defeat President Barack
Obama. in November in what he called an “election about the soul of America.”

For Santorum, Tuesday’s results were a near repeat of what former Arkansas Gov.
Mike Huckabee did four years ago: A social conservative candidate coming from
behind to win Iowa’s first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses.

The crowd at Santorum’s party at the Stoney Creek Inn in Johnston grew larger
and more enthusiastic as the night drew on. They chanted, “Go, Rick! Go, Rick!!”
and “We pick Rick! We pick Rick!” as they saw results coming in on TV. Showing
their evangelical side, they also sang “Amazing Grace” and “God Bless America”
as they waited.

Evangelical voters were key behind Santorum’s success. Santorum was endorsed
Dec. 20 by Iowa social conservative leaders Bob Vander Plaats and Chuck Hurley,
after a campaign in which such voters were sharply divided on whether to support
Santorum, Texas Gov. Rick Perry or Minnesota U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann.

“I kind of believe in what he says, that we shouldn’t settle on a candidate,”
said Jeremy Masterson, 33, of Prairie City, who attended Santorum’s post-caucus
party. “I believe in his conservative values. That’s something we’ve kind of
gotten away from here recently. Plus, the way he did it, the way he started from
the ground up in visiting all 99 counties, it really tells me that he supports
the people.”

But Steve Scheffler, a Republican National Committee member from West Des Moines
who’s president of the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition, told IowaPolitics.com
that he doesn’t believe the endorsements were the reason for Santorum’s surge.
“Even before endorsements, he was coming up in the pack,” Scheffler said. “He
laid a groundwork a long time ago. At the end of the day, people have a lot of
respect for candidates who actually try to come and win their vote.”
For Romney, Tuesday’s win secures him as a national front-runner heading into
the months-long process to secure the Republican nomination for president.
“We’re going to change the White House and get America back on track,” he
declared.
Kim Schmett of Clive, a former Polk County Republican chairman and congressional
candidate who said he went to see most of this year’s GOP presidential
candidates 10 to 15 times, said it was Romney’s experience as a business leader
that made him decide to support Romney a week or two ago.
“He has the best chance to win,” Schmett said. “There’s too much at stake of
where our government is headed, to not win this election. His skill set is
almost perfectly matched for what our country needs at the moment.”
An Iowa win was the outcome that Romney had hoped for in the 2008 campaign, when
he spent more than $10 million in Iowa and campaigned in all of the state’s 99
counties, only to finish second to Huckabee in the caucuses.
That cycle, Romney fought for the caucuses with 52 full-time staffers, but this
time, he had only five, he told the crowd of 200 supporters who were invited to
join his victory celebration.
Romney only spent about 20 days in Iowa during the 2012 caucus campaign and much
less money, although his spending was boosted by the super PAC, Restore Our
Future, which ran TV ads attacking former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich of
Georgia. Combined, Romney and his super PAC spent more than $1.5 million on
2,246 ad spots in the Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Quad-Cities markets,
according to an analysis by IowaPolitics.com.

“Many of Romney’s critics lambaste him for not paying enough attention to Iowa,
not enough days visiting here in the last year,” said former Iowa House Speaker
Chris Rants, R-Sioux City. “But tonight Romney will see the fruits of the labor
he put in four years ago.”
Rants, a former senior adviser to Michigan U.S. Rep. Thad McCotter who last year
briefly sought the GOP nomination for president, said Republicans want a
candidate they trust. But he said even more so then four years ago, they also
want a candidate who can win.
Texas U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, who was considered a contender to win, on Tuesday
translated his loyal base of supporters and large, enthusiastic crowds into a
strong third-place finish with 21 percent of the vote.
“It may make people take him more seriously on a national stage,” said Dianne
Bystrom, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at
Iowa State University. “It will give him a boost, keep him in the campaign
longer. I don’t think he’ll end up being the national nominee. He’s the ultimate
anti-government candidate.”
Paul, who had attracted large crowds throughout the campaign, on Tuesday night
addressed a crowd of several hundred supports, many of them young, at the
Courtyard Marriott hotel in Ankeny shortly after learning that he came in third
in the caucus. The Texas congressman said even though he brought home the bronze
medal, his campaign pillar of very limited government won.
“Those are the issues that we have brought front and center,” Paul said.
“They’re out there. They’re not going away.”
Paul’s promise to cut whole federal government departments and end the war in
Afghanistan are why Joe Stevens voted for Paul Tuesday.

“He’s got a plan to balance the budget, to cut spending,” Stevens said. “I think
those are key.”
Paul promised the roaring crowd that he will keep up his campaign.

“I think there’s nothing to be ashamed of, everything to be satisfied (with),
and be ready and raring to move on, on to the next stop,” he said.
The Texas congressman had long complained that the media wasn’t giving him the
attention he was due, despite a close second-place finish in the Aug. 13 Ames
Straw Poll, steadily growing public support in opinion polls and crowds as large
as 1,000 that turned out to see him, especially on college campuses.
Many doubt whether Paul, who previously ran for president as a libertarian in
1988 and as a Republican in 2008, can go on to secure the Republican nomination
for president. Fellow Republicans have been critical of his advocacy for ending
all wars and bringing U.S. troops home.
Yet political analysts pointed out that while the caucus campaign has featured a
“flavor of the month” ranging from Bachmann to Perry, former Godfather’s Pizza
CEO Herman Cain and Gingrich, support for Romney and Paul have remained steady
at 20 percent or higher.
Since 1972, no candidate that has finished worse than third in Iowa has gone on
to win a major party presidential nomination. The 2000 Iowa winners, Democrat Al
Gore and Republican George W. Bush, and the 2004 Iowa winners, Democrat John
Kerry and incumbent Bush, won their party’s nominations.
Other results Tuesday night:

Gingrich finished fourth in the Iowa caucuses with 13 percent of the vote.
“There will be a great debate in the Republican Party before we are ready to
have a great debate with (President) Barack Obama,” Gingrich said, while
promising to press onward. He praised and congratulated Santorum for running a
“positive” campaign and warned voters not to nominate Paul because of his
“dangerous” foreign policy views.

Perry will return home to reassess his campaign after a disappointing
fifth-place caucus finish, he announced Tuesday night. “I’ve decided to return
to Texas, assess the results of tonight’s caucus and determine whether there is
a path forward in this race,” Perry told supporters at his campaign’s vote night
headquarters.

Bachmann conceded a sixth place finish with 5 percent of the vote late Tuesday
night, but sounded optimistic about the future of her campaign. She referred to
her first-place Ames Straw Poll win in August and thanked the people of Iowa for
“launching us on the path to victory.” Bachmann suggested there could be
“another Michele in the White House” in 2012, referring current occupant First
Lady Michelle Obama.

The 2012 Iowa caucus campaign featured wild fluctuations in front-runners. More
than 40 percent of likely Iowa Republican caucusgoers were undecided in the past
week, saying they could change their minds about whom to support, according to a
recent poll.
A few weeks ago, Santorum was at the back of the pack. But five polls released
during the past week showed Santorum surging. He first appeared in polls in
third place behind Romney and Paul. The latest polls showed him moving ahead of
Paul in the final days before the caucuses.
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad told IowaPolitics.com that he knew Santorum would do
better than expected because he spent more than 100 days campaigning here and
visited all 99 of Iowa’s counties. Other political insiders and analysts warned
in the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s caucuses that Santorum could pull off a
caucus-night surprise.
Santorum continued campaigning until the last minute. He visited four caucus
sites Tuesday night in Johnston, Clive and West Des Moines before heading to his
post-caucus party.
See a map of the caucus results:
http://www.iowapolitics.com/index.iml?Article=257182

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All eyes on Iowa — for now

By Matt Kittle, IowaPolitics.com

DUBUQUE, IOWA — Just off the first exit of the U.S. 151 Bridge that connects
Wisconsin and Iowa, just inside the limits of Iowa’s oldest city, it was
business as usual early Tuesday afternoon at Mystique Casino.

Hundreds of gamblers at scores of slot machines were trying their luck.

The casino’s next door restaurant neighbor, Houlihan’s, was mostly quiet — a few
stragglers or late arrivals from the afternoon lunch crowd and, perhaps
surprisingly, very little talk of politics.

It seemed like just another day on Dubuque’s former City Island, but today the
eyes of the nation, the world, were affixed on this city of about 60,000
residents and its state of just more than 3 million — a state that has a
significant say in the dialogue of American democracy.

“I guess it goes back to its normal self” on Wednesday, said Jason Ehlers,
Houlihan’s manager, reflecting on the glare of media attention Dubuque and Iowa
have entertained in the months leading up to the state’s first-in-the-nation
presidential caucuses. He seemed resigned to the idea of how fleeting fame can
be.

After Tuesday night, when Iowa decides its favorite Republican presidential
candidate at the middle schools, colleges, hotels and other public and private
buildings making up the 1,774 caucus sites statewide, the national media
attention retreats to New Hampshire and the next political battleground.

“We’ll get by,” Ehlers said of the expected media void.

But Tuesday night, Iowa shines.

Getting ready

Matt Giese, chairman of the Dubuque County Republican Party, said he was
concerned Tuesday afternoon that all goes without a hitch Tuesday night at the
county’s four caucus sites.

Dubuque County’s GOP, like its brethren statewide, opened up an additional
caucus site to make room for what is expected to be a heavy turnout, thanks to
the clear weather and surging political interest.

Florida’s decision to push up its presidential preference primary to Jan. 31,
forced Iowa’s hand and complicated planning, Giese said.

“I hope people don’t get too frustrated if the parking isn’t the best,” Giese
said. “That’s the hand we were dealt.”

He didn’t sound worried about Dubuque County Republicans. After all, Giese said,
this isn’t “their first rodeo.”

Across town, Steven Brody, executive director of Dubuque County Right to Life,
said he wasn’t making any endorsements or predictions. The organization, part of
a vocal and active network in the party’s conservative base, doesn’t take sides.

Brody said he was advising caucusgoers to vote their consciences. He said he
doesn’t care for the political wisdom that says Iowa Republicans should forget
their basic convictions and go with the candidate with the best chance to beat
President Barack Obama.

“We are kind of tired of hearing people say put your issues aside for the good
of the party,” Brody said. “We felt we’ve been burned before.

“We know it didn’t work in 2008,” he said of GOP’s support of U.S. Sen. John
McCain, R-Arizona, no darling of the anti-abortion movement.

Perhaps that idea of voting conscience over expedience is why Rick Santorum has
climbed so high in the latest polls, some showing a statistical tie with top
Iowa caucus contenders former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas U.S. Rep.
Ron Paul.

Santorum, a former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania and seen as among the
strongest social conservatives in the field, has been a staunch opponent of
legalized abortion.

Rallying the troops

Just off Kennedy Road, in a busy retail district, the Dubuque County Democratic
Party office was mostly quiet. But the Democrats had their own caucuses and
political business to take care of late Tuesday.

While their presidential candidate is set, Iowa Democrats are expected to host
caucuses statewide, mostly to re-energize the troops for the battle ahead.

Obama is scheduled to speak via video camera to Democrats statewide, urging the
same kind of grassroots, volunteer campaign that carried him to the White House
in 2008.

“The Obama campaign has tried to make its volunteer organization friend to
friend, neighbor to neighbor,” said Ken Kraus, a member of the Dubuque County
Democrats and the Obama 2012 drive. “That’s what’s been so strong about it.”

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Iowa high school voters fired up for Ron Paul

By Hannah Hess, IowaPolitics.com

WEST DES MOINES — A chant of “Ron Paul” surged through Valley High School on
Tuesday, about seven hours before the start of the Iowa Caucus.

Some 700 high school seniors packed the bleachers for the two-hour “Rock the
Caucus” assembly, sponsored by Rock the Vote, a nonprofit group devoted to youth
voter registration.

The students heard final pitches from Republican presidential candidates Paul, a
U.S. representative from Texas; former Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum; and
Minnesota U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, as well as four of former Massachusetts
Gov. Mitt Romney’s sons — Tagg, Matt, Josh and Craig. Democratic Party
Chairwoman Sue Dvorsky spoke on behalf of President Barack Obama.

Dvorsky urged the crowd to show its support by caucusing for Obama, although he
is running unopposed for the party’s nomination. Iowa launched Obama to victory
Jan. 3, 2008, she said.

The students received voter-registration cards, allowing them to vote in the
Tuesday night caucus. Paul elicited the the most applause, and he was the only
candidate bestowed a chant.

“He’s the only man who, I think, speaks his mind,” said Alex Franks, 17, of West
Des Moines, one of the hundreds of students who attended the rally.
Franks said she plans to vote for Paul in a suburban Des Moines Republican
caucus as well as the general election, should he become the Republican nominee.
Iowa allows teens to vote in the caucuses provided they turn 18 in time for the
November election.

Franks said she likes the 12-term congressman’s libertarian views on freedom and
personal liberty.

“I think we need to bring back the independence of our country, and I think he’s
doing a good job with that,” she said.

Paul on Tuesday promised to keep young people out of unnecessary combat, to
protect their privacy on the Internet and to restore the value of the dollar.

He touted an endorsement from pop music singer Kelly Clarkson. Paul said
Clarkson, the first “American Idol” winner, got a boost in record sales after
she gave him her support.
“Young people like individuals who will stick to principles, and in Washington,
sometimes the two parties mesh together …. and it’s not too infrequent
that I feel obligated to vote by myself,” Paul said during his 10-minute speech.

Santorum, who is seeing a surge in recent polls of probable Iowa Republican
caucus-goers, drew big applause during his address to the students.

Santorum placed third in an Insider Advantage poll of 729 probable Iowa
Republican voters conducted by the Georgia-based polling company Jan 1. He was
the first choice for 18 percent of the voters; Romney and Paul tied for first,
each registering 22 percent.
Surrounded by six of his seven children and his wife, Karen, Santorum pledged to
“restore the family.”

From the bleachers, three students waved Santorum’s “Faith, Family and Freedom”
campaign signs.
Cassie Crose and Sierra Smith, both 18, of West Des Moines, said they would
support Romney in the caucuses, as their parents are caucusing for him.
Tagg Romney, the eldest of Romney’s son’s, asked how many of the students
planned to vote in the Republican caucuses. The crowd seemed divided.
“It’s pretty much split between Ron Paul or Obama,” said Conner Feldman, 18, of
Windsor Heights and a Ron Paul supporter.

The 2012 Iowa Democratic Caucuses begin 6:30 p.m. Tuesday; the Republican
Caucuses start at 7 p.m.
See photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/iowapolitics/sets/72157628702446791/
See video of Paul and youth supporters:
See the Insider Advantage poll: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/docs/2012/InsiderAdvantage_Iowa_0102.pdf

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O’Scanlon: Red Light Camera Industry’s Own Video Challenges Assertions – It’s About the Money, Not Safety

A video disseminated by American Traffic Solutions (“ATS”) depicts a series of crashes and near misses at intersections chosen to participate in New Jerseys five-year red-light camera pilot program. The mission of the five-year pilot program is to determine the effectiveness of the installation and utilization of traffic control signal monitoring systems. Under the program, a traffic control signal monitoring system utilizes cameras and vehicle sensors, which work in conjunction with a traffic control signal to produce images of vehicles disregarding a red signal and running a red light”. Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon thinks the ATS video is proof positive of the resounding failure of the program.

“Red-light cameras are intended to deter drivers from running red lights, or so goes the argument from supporters of the cameras,” explained O’Scanlon (R Monmouth/Mercer). This video showed what I have always believed, red-light cameras do not stop people from running red lights because most drivers do not make a conscience decision to run a red light.

“Drivers who run red lights are distracted by a bad day at work, a sick child, or a bad nights sleep,” O’Scanlon continued. “No camera or fine, regardless of the amount, is going to change this. What really stops people from running red lights is the same thing that has stopped them for as long as cars have been on the road -the fear of serious injury or death!

“If one looks at the video objectively it is easy to see that virtually all of the incidents depict the situation I outline above. These people are not likely reckless scofflaws playing Russian roulette with their lives and those of others. These people simply weren’t aware they were going through a red light. Laws and fines won’t stop these momentary lapses in peoples’ awareness if fear of death hasn’t done so already” said O’Scanlon. “We need to increase safety as much as possible through sound engineering of intersections and proper light timing. This will give us a demonstrable increase in safety. Of course it will mean a lot less revenue for the towns currently participating in the demonstration project, but these are ill-gotten gains to begin with.”

New Jersey‘s red-light camera pilot program began in 2008, since then 25 municipalities have signed on to the program.

For More Information: http://www.app.com/videonetwork/1350739560001/NJ-Crashes-Captured-By-Red-Light-Cameras-12-28-11-

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Hundreds pack candidate events on caucus eve; Romney brushes off Occupy protesters

By Lynn Campbell, IowaPolitics.com

CLIVE — Hundreds of people jam-packed candidate events in hotels, businesses and
restaurants for a final glimpse of the 2012 Republican presidential hopefuls in
the hours leading up to Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses.
At least 600 people filled Competitive Edge in Clive, an advertising specialty
manufacturing company that makes signs, for a late-night, caucus-eve rally with
former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
South Dakota U.S. Sen. John Thune was there, along with Republican Party of Iowa
Chairman Matt Strawn, former Iowa Gov. Robert Ray and several state lawmakers.
Media from Korea, Italy and Spain came to see the spectacle, as did a couple
from Texas and a class of 46 high school students and 10 teachers from North
Bend, Ohio.
“Clive event biggest pre-#iacaucus single candidate ever been to,” Iowa Senate
Republican spokesman Don McDowell said on Twitter. “Had…dare I say it…a
general election feel to it!”
The interest and enthusiasm on caucus eve could bode well for turnout at Tuesday
night’s 1,774 precinct caucuses. Republicans expect turnout to be higher than in
the 2008 Iowa Republican caucuses, which set a record with more than 118,000
participants.
Four polls released in the past week showed that Romney, who has only spent
about 16 days in Iowa this caucus cycle, is the front-runner favored to win Iowa
and give him momentum going into the primaries for New Hampshire on Jan. 10,
South Carolina on Jan. 21 and Florida on Jan. 31.
In the final day before the caucuses, Romney stuck to his playbook of focusing
on the economy, saying that he’d get rid of regulations that kill American jobs.

A handful of protesters connected with the Occupy Wall Street movement tried to
disrupt the event by shouting “Mic check!” and calling on Romney to stop the war
on the poor. But supporters drowned them out by chanting, “Mitt! Mitt! Mitt!”
Romney took the disruption in stride. He thanked his supporters and laughed.
“Isn’t it great to live in a country where people can express their views and
dissatisfaction?” Romney asked. “Isn’t it great country? I love it. Make it loud
and clear. And I’ll tell you one thing, when President Obama is here, I hope
we’re in the audience making the same sounds about his policies. Let’s make sure
we hear our voice loud and clear.”

Three people were arrested at Romney’s event Monday night. Twelve others were
arrested earlier in the day at the Democratic National Committee’s “war room,”
according to David Goodner, one of the Occupy organizers in Iowa. He said there
have been 62 arrests in the past seven days as part of the group’s efforts to
“Occupy Iowa Caucuses.” However, the group has said it will not disrupt Tuesday
night’s precinct caucuses.

Close on Romney’s heels to finish in the top three at the Iowa caucuses are
Texas U.S. Rep. Ron Paul and former Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, whose
last-minute surge has propelled him from the back of the pack to an anticipated
top-three finish.
At a much smaller venue Monday evening, dozens of people squeezed body-to-body
at the Pizza Ranch restaurant in Altoona to see Santorum, Iowa’s most frequent
visitor who has spent about 100 days campaigning here.
Santorum — who has openly acknowledged that he’s run his campaign on a
shoestring — argued to Iowans that he’s electable. He said he’s won elections in
the swing state of Pennsylvania and has spent lots of time in New Hampshire and
South Carolina, as well as in Iowa.
But Santorum also said the effects of his last-minute surge won’t show up in
campaign finance reports due later this month, which will cover donations made
to his campaign through Dec. 31.
“Money isn’t going to win this election. If that was the case, I’d be below
every other candidate and I wouldn’t even be close,” Santorum said. “When we
report our financial picture, it’s going to be embarrassing except in the last
four, five days, we’ve raised more money than we have in the last three or four
months. We’ve done very, very well and we hope to do a lot better after
(Tuesday) night.”

Until Sunday, Norman and Janet Gustafson, both 71 of Pleasant Hill, were
undecided about whom to support for the Republican nomination for president.
They said they were really impressed by former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain
before he suspended his campaign. They liked former U.S. House Speaker Newt
Gingrich, and even considered Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
“We’ve been everywhere,” Janet Gustafson said.
But on New Year’s Day, the couple decided to vote for Santorum because they said
he’s both a social and fiscal conservative.
“He’s not a man with a lot of money, so he does it kind of the Iowa way,” Norman
Gustafson said. “We’ve had enough money influence in Washington, the way that it
is. So if he can come up this way and not be owned, that’s a positive.”
Paul, who is known for his loyal followers and often has generated large crowds
among youth at Iowa’s college campuses, was scheduled to speak Tuesday morning
at Valley High School in West Des Moines for a “Rock the Caucus” assembly.

The Texas congressman’s “whistle stop” tour across the state Monday attracted
more than 700 people in Des Moines, 350 in Davenport, 300 in both Cedar Rapids
and Cedar Falls and 200 in Mason City, according to his campaign.

See caucus results Tuesday night:
http://www.google.com/elections
http://www.iowagop.org
http://www.iowapolitics.com/

Watch a video of Romney reacting to Occupy protesters at Iowa caucus-eve rally:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsqVRqWEc6A
Watch a video of Santorum saying his campaign’s 2011 finances are embarrassing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL7usJO8jsE
See a slide show of photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/iowapolitics/sets/72157628690887761/show/
Listen to Romney’s speech:
http://www.iowapolitics.com/1009/120102Romney_speech.mp3
Listen to an interview with Norman and Janet Gustafson:
http://www.iowapolitics.com/1009/120102Norman_and_Janet_Gustafson.mp3

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