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Part Of Romney's Foreign Itinerary: Raising Money
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is on a weeklong trip in which he's scheduled to meet with three prime ministers, give two speeches and attend the opening ceremonies of the London Olympics. On a more practical level, he'll also raise some campaign cash.
This trip is designed to highlight how Romney would fix the failings he sees in President Obama's foreign policy.
Romney opened his attack Tuesday while still in the U.S. In an address to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Reno, Nev., he lit into the Obama administration's relationship with Israel.
"Since I wouldn't venture into another country to question American foreign policy, I will tell you right here — before I leave — what I think of this administration's shabby treatment of one of our finest friends," he said.
On Sunday night in Jerusalem — scheduled in between a day of religious fasting and a day of high-level meetings — is a Romney fundraising dinner. Tickets start at $50,000 per couple.
Fundraising Abroad
"I think that there's been an incredible response to Gov. Romney's fundraiser," says Jonny Daniels, an Israeli political consultant with close ties to the Republican Party. "I know dozens of people that are flying out to Israel from the United States, literally for a few days, just to be in Israel when the governor's there."
He says the travelers include leaders of the Republican Jewish Coalition and other members of the GOP elite.
"Which, in fact, in terms of what Gov. Romney's doing, strengthens his ties with these people," Daniels says. "Enables them to be with him not just for a fundraiser, but to be with him in a day in a place that they call home."
The Jerusalem event comes after Romney holds a pair of fundraisers in London on Thursday — a reception priced at $2,500 per person and a dinner costing $25,000 and up. Both are aimed at donors in the banking industry.
There's a little awkwardness involved. Originally, Barclays CEO Bob Diamond was going to be one of the hosts. But since then, the bank has paid $450 million in fines to settle charges that it rigged the LIBOR, the rate that international banks charge for short-term loans to one another. The bank faces a criminal investigation in England, and Diamond has resigned as CEO.
Still, another of Romney's fundraising hosts is Patrick Durkin, the top lobbyist in Barclays' U.S. operation. He's also a Romney campaign bundler — a solicitor of contributions.
The nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics says Durkin has previously raised more than $1 million.
Durkin and the Romney campaign both declined comment for this story.
Americans Overseas
Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen, a liberal group that criticizes big money in politics, says Romney "is obviously raising huge sums of money from across the country and apparently from across the world, but he is focusing very heavily on the Wall Street sector."
Weissman says neither candidate nor donors seem deterred by the LIBOR scandal or other problems that have rolled through the financial sector.
"So I suppose it's no worse to be doing that in London than it is to be doing it in New York, but it's a sad state of affairs," he says.
Now, all of these events are raising money from American citizens and permanent residents.
"Best estimates are that there are 6 [million] or 7 million American citizens who live outside the U.S.," says Rob Carolina, chairman of Democrats Abroad United Kingdom.
He points out that it's illegal to solicit political money from anyone who isn't a citizen or a green-card holder. And he says the law is taken seriously.
"I'm typically asked to produce my passport at the time a contribution is made. Or alternatively, if a contribution is made online, it's become commonplace to ask people to scan and submit a copy of their passport for records," he says.
Carolina says Americans overseas are often eager to do more in politics than just vote.
And as campaign budgets keep pushing upward, politicians from would-be congressmen to would-be presidents are looking overseas — especially to London.
In the last presidential campaign, the visitors to London included Republican Rudolph Giuliani, Democrat Dennis Kucinich, former President Clinton and future first lady Michelle Obama.
Two weeks ago, the Obama campaign held a $250-per-person reception. And last July, Romney attended a reception in London that records indicate grossed about $73,000.
http://www.npr.org/2012/07/25/157381528/part-of-romneys-foreign-itinerary-raising-money
This trip is designed to highlight how Romney would fix the failings he sees in President Obama's foreign policy.
Romney opened his attack Tuesday while still in the U.S. In an address to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Reno, Nev., he lit into the Obama administration's relationship with Israel.
"Since I wouldn't venture into another country to question American foreign policy, I will tell you right here — before I leave — what I think of this administration's shabby treatment of one of our finest friends," he said.
On Sunday night in Jerusalem — scheduled in between a day of religious fasting and a day of high-level meetings — is a Romney fundraising dinner. Tickets start at $50,000 per couple.
Fundraising Abroad
"I think that there's been an incredible response to Gov. Romney's fundraiser," says Jonny Daniels, an Israeli political consultant with close ties to the Republican Party. "I know dozens of people that are flying out to Israel from the United States, literally for a few days, just to be in Israel when the governor's there."
He says the travelers include leaders of the Republican Jewish Coalition and other members of the GOP elite.
"Which, in fact, in terms of what Gov. Romney's doing, strengthens his ties with these people," Daniels says. "Enables them to be with him not just for a fundraiser, but to be with him in a day in a place that they call home."
The Jerusalem event comes after Romney holds a pair of fundraisers in London on Thursday — a reception priced at $2,500 per person and a dinner costing $25,000 and up. Both are aimed at donors in the banking industry.
There's a little awkwardness involved. Originally, Barclays CEO Bob Diamond was going to be one of the hosts. But since then, the bank has paid $450 million in fines to settle charges that it rigged the LIBOR, the rate that international banks charge for short-term loans to one another. The bank faces a criminal investigation in England, and Diamond has resigned as CEO.
Still, another of Romney's fundraising hosts is Patrick Durkin, the top lobbyist in Barclays' U.S. operation. He's also a Romney campaign bundler — a solicitor of contributions.
The nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics says Durkin has previously raised more than $1 million.
Durkin and the Romney campaign both declined comment for this story.
Americans Overseas
Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen, a liberal group that criticizes big money in politics, says Romney "is obviously raising huge sums of money from across the country and apparently from across the world, but he is focusing very heavily on the Wall Street sector."
Weissman says neither candidate nor donors seem deterred by the LIBOR scandal or other problems that have rolled through the financial sector.
"So I suppose it's no worse to be doing that in London than it is to be doing it in New York, but it's a sad state of affairs," he says.
Now, all of these events are raising money from American citizens and permanent residents.
"Best estimates are that there are 6 [million] or 7 million American citizens who live outside the U.S.," says Rob Carolina, chairman of Democrats Abroad United Kingdom.
He points out that it's illegal to solicit political money from anyone who isn't a citizen or a green-card holder. And he says the law is taken seriously.
"I'm typically asked to produce my passport at the time a contribution is made. Or alternatively, if a contribution is made online, it's become commonplace to ask people to scan and submit a copy of their passport for records," he says.
Carolina says Americans overseas are often eager to do more in politics than just vote.
And as campaign budgets keep pushing upward, politicians from would-be congressmen to would-be presidents are looking overseas — especially to London.
In the last presidential campaign, the visitors to London included Republican Rudolph Giuliani, Democrat Dennis Kucinich, former President Clinton and future first lady Michelle Obama.
Two weeks ago, the Obama campaign held a $250-per-person reception. And last July, Romney attended a reception in London that records indicate grossed about $73,000.
http://www.npr.org/2012/07/25/157381528/part-of-romneys-foreign-itinerary-raising-money
I, for one, deeply care what the British tabloids think of Mitt Romney.
It really might swing my vote to President Obama.
Dear British Tabloids,
Thank you very much for posting your insightful thoughts on presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney. Consider me an Obama supporter now! How could I have been so wrong?!?
Sincerely,
~LMNO~
It really might swing my vote to President Obama.
Dear British Tabloids,
Thank you very much for posting your insightful thoughts on presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney. Consider me an Obama supporter now! How could I have been so wrong?!?
Sincerely,
~LMNO~
Romney trip begins in shambles
London (CNN) -- If only Mitt Romney could turn the Olympic torch on the newspaper headlines in London.
He's the "Party Pooper" in the Daily Mail, "Nowhere Man" in the Times of London and "Mitt the Twit" in The Sun.
This was not the storyline Romney and his team wanted when they journeyed overseas for a trip designed to burnish the GOP contender's foreign policy credentials.
Romney has yet to publicly acknowledge the outrage he set off in London when he appeared to question the city's "disconcerting" problems in gearing up for the Olympic Games.
In an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan on Thursday, Romney chuckled when he was asked about the criticism.
Romney's Olympics false start
Romney's London blunders
Romney off to a rocky start in London
Romney's Olympic comments cause stir
Piers discusses Romney press backlash
"Well, I'm delighted to see the kind of support that has been around the torch for instance. I watched last night on BBC an entire program about the torch being run across Great Britain. And the kind of crowds. I guess millions of people that turned out to see the torch. That's what you hope to see," Romney told Morgan.
Asked about the controversy on NBC's "Today" show, Romney again sidestepped the question but declared London prepared.
"After being here a couple of days it looks to me like London is ready," Romney said.
The uproar in Britain reached its crescendo Thursday evening when London Mayor Boris Johnson whipped up a crowd of 60,000 revelers at a pre-Olympics celebration with a taunt for the Republican presidential candidate. Johnson is a Tory, theoretically putting him near Romney on the same conservative end of the political spectrum.
"There's this guy called Mitt Romney who wants to know if we are ready. Are we ready? Yes we are," Johnson shouted at what sounded like a political rally, for President Obama.
Meanwhile on Twitter, the hashtag #RomneyShambles was trending on both sides of the Atlantic.
For instance, @Pawelmorski's Tweet read: "Americans: This Mitt person is some sort of American Borat, right? #romneyshambles"
The hashtag is a play on "omnishambles," from the BBC TV series "The Thick of It," a satire of British government.
"It led most of the networks' news shows, and the message was clear: This fellow is not ready for primetime," said presidential scholar Larry Sabato with the University of Virginia's Center for Politics.
The British media also seized on Romney's disclosure after his visit with Prime Minister David Cameron that he had met Sir John Sawers, head of the British Intelligence agency MI6. Such meetings are typically not made public, a government spokesman told London's Telegraph newspaper.
Romney: Olympic snafus 'disconcerting'
"Sir John meets many people, but we don't give a running commentary on any of these private meetings," the spokesman said.
Former Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman, a top Republican surrogate for the Romney campaign, had his doubts about any long-lasting damage to the GOP's likely nominee.
"Britain is a strong ally. This governor is about strengthening America's relationship with allies not undercutting them," Coleman said in an interview on CNN's "Starting Point," a running GOP attack theme against Obama.
The former senator pinpointed other opportunities for Romney on the next legs of his trip, Israel and Poland.
"The governor will be in Poland. They had the rug pulled out from them on the missile defense," Coleman said. "Obama's ratings in Israel are in single digits," he added.
Aaron David Miller, a distinguished scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, believes Romney can redeem his trip while in Israel.
"He knows and likes [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and can convey quite naturally that he understands that Israel is a small country with a dark past living on the knife's edge," Miller said.
"Quite simply, Obama has failed to communicate that, and has given his opponent an opening," he said.
Setting the table for his visit to Israel, Romney issued a warning to Iran that he would consider military action to prevent the Islamic republic from building a nuclear weapon.
"The military option should be evaluated and available if no other course is successful," Romney said in an interview with Israel's Haaretz newspaper.
Back in the United States, the Romney campaign was busy capitalizing on new data showing the nation's economy had only grown by a disappointing 1.5% in the second quarter of the year.
"GDP -- Grossly Disappointing President," tweeted top Romney strategist Eric Fehrnstrom.
In the long marathon to November, Sabato said the gold medal issue for American voters is likely to be the economy, not foreign policy.
"Think of the string of gaffes on both sides in the past few months. Every single one was supposedly a game-changer. None has been," Sabato said.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/27/politics/romney-london-troubles/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
London (CNN) -- If only Mitt Romney could turn the Olympic torch on the newspaper headlines in London.
He's the "Party Pooper" in the Daily Mail, "Nowhere Man" in the Times of London and "Mitt the Twit" in The Sun.
This was not the storyline Romney and his team wanted when they journeyed overseas for a trip designed to burnish the GOP contender's foreign policy credentials.
Romney has yet to publicly acknowledge the outrage he set off in London when he appeared to question the city's "disconcerting" problems in gearing up for the Olympic Games.
In an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan on Thursday, Romney chuckled when he was asked about the criticism.
Romney's Olympics false start
Romney's London blunders
Romney off to a rocky start in London
Romney's Olympic comments cause stir
Piers discusses Romney press backlash
"Well, I'm delighted to see the kind of support that has been around the torch for instance. I watched last night on BBC an entire program about the torch being run across Great Britain. And the kind of crowds. I guess millions of people that turned out to see the torch. That's what you hope to see," Romney told Morgan.
Asked about the controversy on NBC's "Today" show, Romney again sidestepped the question but declared London prepared.
"After being here a couple of days it looks to me like London is ready," Romney said.
The uproar in Britain reached its crescendo Thursday evening when London Mayor Boris Johnson whipped up a crowd of 60,000 revelers at a pre-Olympics celebration with a taunt for the Republican presidential candidate. Johnson is a Tory, theoretically putting him near Romney on the same conservative end of the political spectrum.
"There's this guy called Mitt Romney who wants to know if we are ready. Are we ready? Yes we are," Johnson shouted at what sounded like a political rally, for President Obama.
Meanwhile on Twitter, the hashtag #RomneyShambles was trending on both sides of the Atlantic.
For instance, @Pawelmorski's Tweet read: "Americans: This Mitt person is some sort of American Borat, right? #romneyshambles"
The hashtag is a play on "omnishambles," from the BBC TV series "The Thick of It," a satire of British government.
"It led most of the networks' news shows, and the message was clear: This fellow is not ready for primetime," said presidential scholar Larry Sabato with the University of Virginia's Center for Politics.
The British media also seized on Romney's disclosure after his visit with Prime Minister David Cameron that he had met Sir John Sawers, head of the British Intelligence agency MI6. Such meetings are typically not made public, a government spokesman told London's Telegraph newspaper.
Romney: Olympic snafus 'disconcerting'
"Sir John meets many people, but we don't give a running commentary on any of these private meetings," the spokesman said.
Former Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman, a top Republican surrogate for the Romney campaign, had his doubts about any long-lasting damage to the GOP's likely nominee.
"Britain is a strong ally. This governor is about strengthening America's relationship with allies not undercutting them," Coleman said in an interview on CNN's "Starting Point," a running GOP attack theme against Obama.
The former senator pinpointed other opportunities for Romney on the next legs of his trip, Israel and Poland.
"The governor will be in Poland. They had the rug pulled out from them on the missile defense," Coleman said. "Obama's ratings in Israel are in single digits," he added.
Aaron David Miller, a distinguished scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, believes Romney can redeem his trip while in Israel.
"He knows and likes [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and can convey quite naturally that he understands that Israel is a small country with a dark past living on the knife's edge," Miller said.
"Quite simply, Obama has failed to communicate that, and has given his opponent an opening," he said.
Setting the table for his visit to Israel, Romney issued a warning to Iran that he would consider military action to prevent the Islamic republic from building a nuclear weapon.
"The military option should be evaluated and available if no other course is successful," Romney said in an interview with Israel's Haaretz newspaper.
Back in the United States, the Romney campaign was busy capitalizing on new data showing the nation's economy had only grown by a disappointing 1.5% in the second quarter of the year.
"GDP -- Grossly Disappointing President," tweeted top Romney strategist Eric Fehrnstrom.
In the long marathon to November, Sabato said the gold medal issue for American voters is likely to be the economy, not foreign policy.
"Think of the string of gaffes on both sides in the past few months. Every single one was supposedly a game-changer. None has been," Sabato said.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/27/politics/romney-london-troubles/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
Oy vey, mishegas is right !
Vance: I was referring particularly to ROMNEY not to every CEO. Go back and slowly read my reply. Read what is actually there.
Vance: I was referring particularly to ROMNEY not to every CEO. Go back and slowly read my reply. Read what is actually there.
How long does it take you to come up with this stuff?
Seriously - does it come right off the top of your head o do you have to think on it a while?
Seriously - does it come right off the top of your head o do you have to think on it a while?
At least Romney will visit Israel.
No being a CEO has nothing to do with your father or bank account. A million/billion dollar company is not going to just hand the company over to just some guy.
We don't know how Obama did in college, he will not release that info but it was demanded Bush do so. Many people become a success coming from poor backgrounds. He is not the exception to the rule.
No being a CEO has nothing to do with your father or bank account. A million/billion dollar company is not going to just hand the company over to just some guy.
We don't know how Obama did in college, he will not release that info but it was demanded Bush do so. Many people become a success coming from poor backgrounds. He is not the exception to the rule.
Romney in Israel - mishegoss!
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