Romney Charms Rotarians

By Gregory W. Wallace (gww@primaryinsider.com)

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—Mitt Romney pulled out the best of his charms before the Portsmouth Rotary, cracking jokes and throwing compliments to gathered business leaders.

“What you do in the private sector is harder and less forgiving than what goes in the governmental sector,” Mr. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, said. “You see, if you lose money in the private sector, if you spend more money than you take in year after year you’ll go out of business. If you make a major strategic mistake of some kind, if you harm your customers in some way, you won’t be around, you could lose your job, you could lose other people’s jobs, you could lose the lending capacity of the banks that helped you get started. There’s a huge consequence to falling into error in the private sector. In government, people tend to just kick the can down the road and to borrow more money and to pass on the obligations to the next generation. So what you do is less forgiving.”

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Romney Empathizes With Economic Challenges

By Gregory W. Wallace (gww@primaryinsider.com)

ROCHESTER, N.H.—Mitt Romney met with sympathy a group of struggling small business owners and aspirants here on Thursday afternoon.

Businesspeople take chances, he told the roundtable, but should not have to contend with the uncertainty in government over-regulation.


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Obama Responsible for Deepening Recession and Slowing Recovery, Romney Says

By Gregory W. Wallace (gww@primaryinsider.com)

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—Mitt Romney has been dogged by his uncertain criticism of President Barack Obama’s handling of the economy, but on Thursday, he seemed to want to set the record straight.

“I think the recession was made worse as a result of his policies and I think the recovery was made worse,” Mr. Romney told reporters in Portsmouth before speaking to the local Rotary club.

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Giuliani Sets September Deadline

By Gregory W. Wallace (gww@primaryinsider.com)

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—With his New Hampshire visit today, speculation swirls about the intentions of Rudy Giuliani: will he run, will he not run, and when will he make those intentions known.

Politico's Maggie Haberman interviewed the former New York Mayor by phone today, and reports that his comments are “suggesting nothing imminent after the New Hampshire trip he's making today and tomorrow:”

‘I think there’s an obvious timeline, which would be the end of the summer,’ said Giuliani, who ran for president in 2008, during the phone interview. ‘I got to get this decided by September.’

Asked how likely it is that he’ll ultimately join the already crowded race, Giuliani refused to say. ‘That's too much teasing,’ the Republican said, ‘and I’m too far away from making a decision.’

Mr. Giuliani is set to visit the seacoast this hour, not far from where Mitt Romney will also be campaigning.

Paul’s First N.H. Ad

By Gregory W. Wallace (gww@primaryinsider.com)

Rep. Ron Paul, Republican of Texas, goes on television in New Hampshire and Iowa with this ad, Politico reports:

The 60-second spot, made with all the flair of a Hollywood movie preview, is part of a six-figure ad buy in the early-voting states, just the latest step forward in the Texas congressman’s increasingly serious campaign.

“In the ‘80s, they did it to Reagan,” a narrator says. “A debt ceiling compromise: Democrats promising spending cuts and delivering only tax hikes. The ‘90s brought more compromises.”

The ad warns that “the next chapter will be written,” and images of President Barack Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi flash across the screen as the narrator says, “We know where they stand. But will [our] party leaders repeat the mistakes of the past? Will they choose compromise or conviction? One candidate has always been true. Ron Paul: Cut spending, balance the budget, no deals. Standing up to the Washington machine, guided by principle. Restore America now.”

This comes as Mr. Paul is scheduled for a Granite State swing this weekend.

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Pawlenty Lands Former Romney Committee Member

By Gregory W. Wallace (gww@primaryinsider.com)

Tim Pawlenty, the former governor of Minnesota, will announce support from an influential former Romney backer, the Union Leader reports.

Former state senator and gubernatorial candidate Bruce Keough was chair of Mitt Romney’s New Hampshire steering committee in 2008, but has become disenchanted with the former Massachusetts governor.

He says Mr. Pawlenty has been through tough times and can lead this country through tough times. Mr. Keough joins the campaign as a New Hampshire steering committee member and national policy committee member.

“Right now,” Mr. Keough told the Union Leader, “we have a front-runner, but most people are really not questioning the depth of their support for him. But I think that given Mitt Romney's handicaps as a potential nominee, people will raise those questions in the coming weeks and months.”

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Romney, Giuliani In State Today

By Gregory W. Wallace (gww@primaryinsider.com)

Today’s political calendar has driven speculation about one presidential contender for weeks.

Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor, returns to New Hampshire today while reportedly considering a second presidential run. He speaks at the Seacoast Republican Women’s Luncheon in Hampton, then attends a house party in New Castle and a forum at the Manchester Harley-Davidson dealership.

Mitt Romney returns to the Granite State today with an economic message. The former Massachusetts governor tapes a WMUR program this morning, then speaks to the Portsmouth Rotary club, tours a Rochester Realty firm, and hosts a town hall meeting in Derry this evening.

While Mr. Romney is in the race, speculation swirls about Mr. Giuliani, who sought the 2008 nomination. His strategy of bypassing some early states and focusing on Florida proved unsuccessful. In recent New Hampshire visits, Mr. Giuliani has worked to repair relationships, including spending time with newspaper editorial pages. His efforts reached a level of success in early June: a paper which endorsed him in 2008, then criticized his bypass strategy, in an editorial last month suggested Mr. Giuliani could be forgiven.

“Having now admitted his folly, Foster’s Daily Democrat believes voters should give ‘America’s mayor’ a second look,” the paper editorialized.

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