Barbara Opens "Ask Mitt Anything" NH Campaign Event

CITIZENS FOR LIMITED TAXATION
and the
Citizens Economic Research Foundation

Barbara Opens "Ask Mitt Anything" NH Campaign Event

Elm Street Middle School
Nashua, NH
Sunday, January 6, 2008

Barbara was asked by the Romney campaign to come up to Nashua, NH, and introduce Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts and current Republican candidate for President of the United States, at a campaign event. Barbara is a member of the Romney Fiscal Discipline Advisory Committee, chaired by U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (SC).

When we arrived early, the media was busy setting up their cameras and equipment, voters had already begun to arrive, and Romney campaign volunteers were hustling to bring more chairs into the Elm Street Middle School cafeteria, then moving in cafeteria benches as the crowd kept filling the room.

We were escorted to front-row seats at the platform where Candidate Romney would hold his meeting-in-the-round, soon to begin taking questions from the growing audience. When he arrived at 12:30 from a previous event, Barbara was invited to a private room to meet with Mitt. The cafeteria by then had become wall-to-wall standing room only.

When the Romney family entourage, accompanied by U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) and Barbara, entered the arena and stepped up onto the platform, the crowd closed in and cheered. Mitt introduced his family who were along, then handed the microphone off to Barbara.

Barbara spent about ten minutes telling New Hampshire voters of how she'd called Salt Lake City, Utah, just after the Winter Olympics and left a message on Mitt's answering machine asking him to come home and run for governor in 2002 — how the state needed "a grown-up in the corner office." Then she told the audience of what he was able to accomplish (repeal of the retroactive capital gains tax, etc.) and — more importantly — with his veto what he was able to prevent in a Democrat-controlled state Legislature. Finally she handed off the microphone to the candidate, who thanked her for all she's done over the decades for the taxpayers of Massachusetts. It was somewhat surprising how well-known and appreciated Barbara is in New Hampshire. After the event, many approached her with their personal thanks — many were displaced Bay Staters who'd emigrated north to "live free or die" trying.

— Chip Ford

— See news reports below my photos —

News reports of the event (excerpts)

The Boston Globe
Political Intelligence
Sunday, January 6, 2008

Mitt's Massachusetts Posse
By Lisa Wangsness, Political Reporter

NASHUA, NH -- A crew of allies from south of the border joined Mitt Romney on the campaign trail today.

Among those at an Ask Mitt Anything here today were Romney's former lieutenant governor, Kerry Healey; Ron Kaufman, the state GOP's national committeeman and a top Romney adviser; state Representative Paul K. Frost, a Republican from Auburn; House Minority Leader Brad Jones and Barbara Anderson of Citizens for Limited Taxation.

The Massachusetts crew proved useful in helping Romney use the state that elected him governor as a foil for his conservative platform. Romney declared that if she moved to New Hampshire -- which has no sales, income or capital gains tax -- Anderson might "just die and go to heaven."

Romney also introduced Jones to the crowd.

"Can you imagine being a Republican in the State House of Massachusetts?" he said, as the crowd laughed. "He's my hero; he's the best."

The Boston Herald
Sunday, January 6, 2008

New Hampshire Report
By Holly Robichaud

The Romney rally was interesting. He entered the rally via a roped off entrance. He did not work the crowd. You could not reach out and touch him like the other candidates we had seen. Romney spoke along with Barbara Anderson of Citizens for Limited Taxation.

National Public Radio
All Things Considered
Sunday, January 6, 2008

With 2 Days to Go, Non-Stop Campaigning in N.H.
by Tovia Smith

With New Hampshire's primaries just two days away, the presidential candidates blanketed the state this weekend in a near non-stop frenzy of rallies, debates and speeches.

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, the former governor of neighboring Massachusetts, wasted no time trying to sell himself as a favorite son and exploit what he hopes will be his home field advantage. In the past, New Hampshire voters have been kind to candidates from Massachusetts: former Gov. Michael Dukakis, former Sen. Paul Tsongas and Sen. John Kerry have all won the state's Democratic primary.

Romney is hoping his familiarity — and his conservative fiscal stance — will appeal to voters in the "live free or die" state. He brought up his friend and anti-tax crusader Barbara Anderson to the stage on Sunday to remind voters of the uphill battles he has fought in Massachusetts, such as opposing a retroactive capital gains tax. It's a storyline that resonates with many New Hampshire voters, such as Steve Presstack.

"It can't be an easy thing to do, to be a Republican in a Democratic state," Presstack said of Romney. "Just to get elected was amazing."

The Manchester Union-Leader
Monday, January 7, 2008

Romney supporters strike back at his foes
By Suzanne Bates

NASHUA – A day after former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was at the center of attacks at a Republican debate, some of his supporters struck back at his Republican opponents.

At a crowded "Ask Mitt Anything" event at Elm Street Middle School yesterday, one man asked Romney how he would shrink the size of the federal government, but only after he threw a not-too-veiled barb at one of Romney's opponents, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

"I'm from Arkansas, and I wanted to say we've had one too many Presidents from Arkansas already," he said.

Another woman threw a jab at Sen. John McCain, who, at the debate, made comments about Romney changing his opinion on issues.

"Listening to the debate last night, I was very concerned because Sen. McCain kept saying that you were the candidate of change. What's wrong with changing your mind? Is it a bad thing?" she asked.

Romney responded with a defense of his change from being pro-choice to pro-life on abortion, then went on to attack McCain's response to a question on a Sunday morning talk show, where McCain said he wasn't wrong to vote against President George Bush's tax cuts and that he would do it again.

"He's consistent, but he's wrong," said Romney. "I'll take being right over being consistent any day of the week."

Romney got huge applause from the audience when he revisited his disagreement with McCain on immigration.

"Sen. McCain and many others like him feel that all those that have come here illegally, once you put the criminals aside, everybody else should be able to stay here for the rest of their lives," he said. "In my opinion, that's a form of amnesty. In my opinion, that is wrong. It will only encourage more illegal immigration."

After the event, voter Sharon Fake from Amherst said she had been fluctuating between voting for McCain and Romney, and was impressed with McCain after going to one of his events in Peterborough. But she said after watching the debate and listening to Romney, she would vote for Romney.

She called McCain's behavior at the debate "childish," and said Romney, under attack, "acted very presidential."

Nick Zoda of Nashua, who is supporting Romney in tomorrow's primary, said he wasn't bothered by the other candidates going after Romney in the debate.

"I thought he got beat up fairly well, but I think he held his ground fairly well," he said. "McCain and Huckabee, they're smelling the possibility of victory and they're going after the man they have to beat."

Zoda, who works in Massachusetts, said he was impressed with Romney's ability to get things done, and that he likes Romney's fiscal conservatism.