2012 Election Game: Campaign Thread

[Donerail]

The week of October 3-9 begins now.

The New York Times

Polling Update

Iowa (Republican)
Huckabee: 14%
Romney: 13%
Daniels: 12%
Cain: 11%
Thune: 9%
Paul: 8%
Bachmann: 7%
Bush: 7%
Hutchison: 6%
Cheney: 4%
Corker: 2%
Huntsman: 1%
Pataki: 1%
Someone Else/Not Sure: 5%

Iowa (Democrats)

Obama: 77%
Sanders: 12%
Undecided: 11%

Presidential Primaries Heat Up

It is impossible to say who leads in the Republican primary in Iowa - at least 5 candidates are very close to the lead, and several more are within striking distance. It's anyone's game. Meanwhile, among the Democrats, Senator Bernie Sanders has launched a primary challenge to incumbent President Barack Obama - whether or not this challenge is successful or not remains in the air.

Debate Questions
Tonight's debate question (for all candidates) is: What is your campaign's policy regarding the Federal Reserve?


This turn will be open 48 hours. Please PM me for endorsements (endorsements and news stories start next turn).

[Donerail]

The week of October 10-16 begins now.

The New York Times

Polling Update

IOWA

Huckabee: 16%
Romney: 15%
Daniels: 12%
Cain: 12%
Paul: 8%
Thune: 8%
Hutchison: 7%
Bush: 6%
Bachmann: 6%
Cheney: 4%
Corker: 3%
Pataki: 2%
Huntsman: 1%
Someone Else/Not Sure: 3%

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Romney: 21%
Paul: 11%
Daniels: 11%
Cain: 10%
Huntsman: 8%
Pataki: 7%
Bush: 7%
Hutchison: 6%
Huckabee: 5%
Thune: 4%
Cheney: 3%
Corker: 3%
Bachmann: 2%
Someone Else/Not Sure: 3%

Democrats Over, Republicans Just Getting Started

Although Sen. Bernie Sanders has announced his withdrawal from the 2012 primary race, the Republican race is still heating up. A strong effort by Gov. Romney has led to his campaign leaping in the polls, while other contenders, such as Gov. Mike Huckabee, Gov. Mitch Daniels, and pizzaman Herman Cain all strongly competing. Rep. Ron Paul has a dedicated base of support, and veteran Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison appears to be doing well too. Sen. Bob Corker, a lesser-known name, is running a fairly competent campaign, and Govs. Pataki and Huntsman are focusing on New Hampshire - it remains to be seen if this will pay off. Sen. John Thune had a rather negative fundraising report, however, and Rep. Michele Bachmann claimed that the President was 'anti-American'. Vice President Dick Cheney is special.

Endorsement Watch

For Romney: Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV), Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ), Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
For Paul: Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), Rep. Barry Goldwater, Jr. (R-CA), Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI), Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC), Ms. Kelly Clarkson, Mr. Snoop Dogg, Mr. Joe Perry, Ms. Aimee Allen.
For Obama: Gov. Howard Dean (D-VT)
For Daniels: Gov. John H. Sununu (R-NH), Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (R-AL).
For Huckabee: Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC), the New Hampshire Union Leader.
For Cain: Mr. Steve Forbes
For Corker: Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Gov. Bill Haslam (R-TN), Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN).

Analysis: Romney picked up some big names this week, while Paul got a lot of endorsements, but most being only representatives. Obama secured Gov. Howard Dean against a potential primary challenge, while Daniels picked up a big NH and a big national name. Huckabee secured a newspaper endorsement and a South Carolina one, while Cain picked up another entrepreneur. Corker received a few, but all are Tennesseeans.

Debate Questions
Tonight's debate question (for all candidates) is: How would your administration address China?


This turn will be open 48 hours. Please PM me for endorsements.

[Donerail]

You'll get an update tomorrow. Major debate tournament on Friday plus FCAT.

[Donerail]

The week of October 17-23 begins now.

The New York Times

Polling Update

IOWA

Romney: 17%
Huckabee: 17%
Daniels: 13%
Cain: 13%
Paul: 8%
Hutchison: 8%
Bachmann: 8%
Thune: 7%
Corker: 4%
Pataki: 1%
Huntsman: Negligible
Someone Else/Not Sure: 3%

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Romney: 24%
Daniels: 13%
Paul: 12%
Cain: 12%
Huntsman: 10%
Pataki: 8%
Hutchison: 7%
Huckabee: 5%
Thune: 3%
Corker: 2%
Bachmann: 1%
Someone Else/Not Sure: 3%

Field Narrows,

Gov. Romney's campaign continues to lead in the polls, widening their lead in New Hampshire and pulling even in Iowa. With Cheney and Bush out, some of their supporters are moving to Romney, with others going to Daniels, Hutchison, or Herman Cain - Cain is also picking up more support from the conservative wing of the party, enamored with his 9-9-9 plan. Michele Bachmann returned to the trail with great fanfair, and has seen a rise in Iowa.

Endorsement Watch


George H.W. Bush: KBH


Nancy Reagan: KBH


Tom Latham: KBH


Rick Perry: Herman Cain


The Quayles: Herman Cain


Andrew Napolitano: Ron Paul


Rick Scott: Mike Huckabee


Brian Sandoval: Mitch Daniels


Tim Pawlenty: Mitch Daniels


John E. Sununu: Mitt Romney


Bob Dole: Mitt Romney


Charlie Bass: Mitt Romney


Scott Browm: Mitt Romney


Orrin Hatch: Mitt Romney


Charlie Crist: Jon Huntsman


Adam Hasner: Jon Huntsman

Debate Questions
Tonight's debate question (for all candidates) is: Health care?

Debate Wrapup
Romney performed well in this debate, as did Daniels and Huntsman. Herman Cain came out strong in this debate, promoting his 999 Plan with an enthusiastic message of American prosperity. Huckabee's aggressive attack on the Administration and Paul's free market rhetoric were also notable. KBH seems to be positioning herself as a voice of moderate reason as well.

Who won the debate?
Romney: 21%
Daniels: 20%
Huntsman: 17%
Cain: 14%
Huckabee: 8%
Paul: 7%
Bachmann: 5%
Corker: 3%
Thune: 3%
Pataki: 2%


This turn will be open 48 hours. Please PM me for endorsements. Obama, you don't need to post anymore until the general. Jeb can endorse later.

[Donerail]

The week of October 24-30 begins now.

The New York Times

Polling Update

IOWA

Huckabee: 18%
Romney: 16%
Daniels: 14%
Cain: 14%
Paul: 10%
Bachmann: 10%
Hutchison: 10%
Corker: 4%
Pataki: 1%
Huntsman: 0%
Someone Else/Not Sure: 3%

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Romney: 22%
Daniels: 15%
Paul: 13%
Cain: 12%
Huntsman: 11%
Pataki: 8%
Hutchison: 8%
Huckabee: 5%
Corker: 2%
Bachmann: 1%
Someone Else/Not Sure: 3%

SOUTH CAROLINA

Huckabee: 16%
Cain: 14%
Romney: 14%
Daniels: 13%
Bachmann: 11%
Hutchison: 10%
Corker: 9%
Paul: 8%
Huntsman: 1%
Pataki: 1%
Someone Else/Not Sure: 3%

Huckabee vs. Romney, Huntsman vs. Daniels

Gov. Romney and Gov. Huckabee, the two leading candidates, have finally begun the attack, and it's vicious. Huckabee is portraying Romney as a 'Massachusetts Moderate' unacceptable to the base, while Romney uses Gov. Huckabee's record to present him as a 'false conservative'. Meanwhile, Gov. Huntsman is attacking Gov. Daniels' record on the economy, while Daniels has countered effectively. Cain & Corker have demanded that the candidates focus on attacking the real opponent, however - President Obama.

Endorsement Watch


Allen West: Michele Bachmann


Louie Gohmert: Michele Bachmann


Paul Broun: Michele Bachmann


John Thune: Kay Bailey Hutchison


Donald Trump: Herman Cain


Thomas Sowell: Herman Cain


Haley Barbour: Herman Cain


Richard Lugar: Mitch Daniels


Michael Scheuer: Ron Paul


Jesse Ventura: Ron Paul


Richard Hanna: Jon Huntsman


Tom Ridge: Jon Huntsman


IRL: Jon Huntsman


John Boehner: Mitt Romney


Tom Coburn: Mitt Romney


Jan Brewer: Mitt Romney

Debate Questions
Tonight's debate question (for all candidates) is: How will your presidency deal with Israel and Palestine?

Debate Wrapup

Last night's debate did not focus on Obamacare - there was a general consensus that it wasn't a good thing. Instead, smaller differences dominated. Gov. Daniels gave a detailed answer about his record, which Gov. Huckabee piggybacked off of and compared Daniels' approach to Romney's health care record in Massachusetts. Romney somewhat successfully drew a distinction between his Massachusetts plan and Obamacare, but was the focus of attacks from almost all opponents - although his answers were solid, his attackers got a lot more screen time. Michele Bachmann came out with a strong attack on almost everything in the President's record, sure to give her more support with the base, while Herman Cain said that he would be presenting an alternative plan shortly, designed to be as catchy as his tax reform plan. Rep. Paul, a practicing physician, drew on his medical experience to detail his healthcare plan, and was seen as an expert in the field. Sen. Corker expressed his support for interstate healthcare competition in a pretty solid answer, and Sen. Hutchison discussed free market principles, but they were somewhat forgettable in the sea of big personalities.

Who won the debate?
Paul: 19%
Daniels: 17%
Huckabee: 16%
Bachmann: 11%
Romney: 11%
Cain: 10%
Corker: 6%
Huntsman: 5%
Hutchison: 4%


This turn will be open 48 hours. Please PM me for endorsements.

[Donerail]

Buddy Roemer for President: Free To Lead

Campaign Staff:
Campaign Manager: Carlos Sierra
Press Secretary: Carlos Sierra
Chief Adviser: Bill Klotz
Political Director: William Pierce
Social Media Director: Zach Green
Communications Director: Jill Sherman
Digital Director: Morgan Martinez
Volunteer Coordinator: Joshua Chavers
Startup Coordinator: Skardon Baker
New England Director: Jim Knowlton
Advisors: Taunton Melville, Len Sanderson, Larry Lessig, Dennis Stine, Brian Silver, Mark McKinnon
Policy Director: Buddy Roemer
Speechwriter: Buddy Roemer

November 14th:
Tour of the John Deere plant, Des Moines
Meet and greet in Des Moines
Visit the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines
Meet and greet in Herrold, IA
Townhall in West Des Moines, Iowa

We've got a lot of great people in the Republican field right now. Governor Daniels, Senator Hutchison, other folks, and I know, I know, I'm gonna have to be running against them in this primary, and I know that this might not be the nicest race ever, with so crowded a field. But friends, there's something different about this campaign. That something is how we're running it. I've won elections for both the House of Representatives and Governor of Louisiana - I know how a campaign is typically run. And this campaign is going to throw all that out the window. No PAC money. No Super PACs. No corporations. And no lobbyists. This is a serious campaign, but this isn't going to be funded by the same old sources, the same old special interests. The Roemer campaign is going to be your campaign - the campaign of the 98% who don't donate to Presidential campaigns. The people who aren't the head of a Fortune 500 corporation or a Wall Street bank or a labor union or a big insurance group. Not all of us get military defense contracts or have our own oil corporations.

And that's why we have this gridlock in Washington, that's why we have this corruption, that's why we have this do-nothing Congress that gets re-elected every single year because of that corporate influence. That's not how the Roemer campaign will do business. We're going to disclose every contribution, and we're not taking any contribution over $100, and we're going to fight in this primary to make our elections fair, from Alaska to Florida, from Puerto Rico to California, from New Hampshire to Texas to right here in Iowa, we're going to fight for fairness, fight for the voices of the little guy. And then, if enough little guys join this campaign, fight for fairness, what'll we have? We'll be the big guy. And we'll have a Washington that gets something done.

November 15th:
Meeting with small business owners in Johnston, IA
Lunch with Buddy in Mitchellville, IA
Discussion of education policy with parents, teachers, and students, Polk City, IA
Townhall in Stuart, IA

November 16th:
Meet and greet in Coon Rapids, IA
Meet and greet in Guthrie Center, IA
Lunch in Jamaica, IA
Fundraiser in Des Moines, IA

November 17th:
Meet and greet in Bevington, IA
Speech at City Hall, Earlham, IA
Meet and greet in Cumming, IA
Fundraiser in West Des Moines, IA

November 18th:
Buddy Breakfast, East Peru, IA
Speech at Winterset High School in Winterset, IA
Meet and greet in Macksburg, IA
Town Hall Meeting in St. Charles, IA
Buddy Dinner in Old Peru, IA

November 19th:
Meet and greet in Woodward, IA
Chatting at the Perry Carnegie Library, Perry, IA
Meet and greet, Dexter, IA
Campaign rally, Adel, IA

America is having some problems. Don't think anyone will argue - things could be better. The one way we can make things better - money. Everybody likes money. But some people are using their money in a way that's bad for Americans - they're shipping jobs overseas. They're abusing our tax code. How much did you pay in taxes last year? [Waits for responses] That sure sounds like a lot. Guess how much General Electric, a big corporation making hundreds of billions a year paid? 0 dollars and 0 cents, and that makes 0 cents. We're shipping America's jobs and economic growth overseas through unfair trade and a mess of a tax code, creating a growing mountain of debt, but none of the big candidates is offering a real solution to unfair trade. Why? Because they've used that money to buy Washington, DC. These fat cat special interests are using their checks to write the tax code, write massive laws like Obamacare, and write the regulations that govern themselves. Corporate profits are at an all-time high. Is your economic state at an all-time high? But those guys aren't talking about it, because they need the money to run, and they get that money from that unfair trade and that institutional corruption.

The Roemer campaign is different. I'm not taking their PAC money, their bundled money, their access money. My presidency will be free of special interests, free of Washington corruption, and free to lead. I'm going to not take any money over $100 per person, and nothing from special interests or PACs. And I want you, the 98% who don't give to political candidates, to stand with me, to restore America's promise to our children and grandchildren. With your support, and that of ordinary Americans just like you, I will be free to lead a better America.

October 9th:
Service at the Prairie Center Methodist Church, Yale, IA
Meet and greet in De Soto, IA
Dinner in Van Meter, IA

Debate Response

I am a Christian, and I am pro-life. I have a strong record on abortion from my time in the U.S. House during Reagan's presidency. I co-sponsored the President's Pro-Life Bill of 1987, which prohibited the use of federal funding for abortion, and I co-sponsored the Preborn Children's Civil Rights Act of 1985, which prohibited any federal involvement in abortions - federal funds couldn't be used to encourage, reimburse, research, or insure for abortions, and anybody receiving federal funds can't discriminate against anyone based on their pro-life stances. With the exception of preserving the life of the mother and cases of rape and incest, I am fundamentally pro-life. As President, I will focus on the number one thing I can do to reduce the number of abortions in this country: under a Roemer administration, not one dollar would go towards abortion.

[Donerail]

Governor Roemer to President Obama

I'm always up for a debate.

[Donerail]

Buddy Roemer for President: Free To Lead

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November 21st:
Talk in Colburn Park, Lebanon, NH
Meet & greet at the Lebanon Public Library
Fundraiser at the Salt Hill Pub, Lebanon
Meet and greet in Enfield, NH
Townhall in Canaan, NH



Let's talk about you and me. Because 98% of you don't give a penny to elect people to the presidency or the congress. Where does the money come from? It comes from the people who aren't living like you and me - the people on Wall Street, in corporate boardrooms, running labor unions or insurance companies or the pharmaceutical industry. It comes from Big Oil, it comes from defense contractors, it comes from Super PACS, and it comes from lobbyists. These campaigns, all these campaigns, are funded by special interests. That's why we have too big to fail, that's why we scrapped Glass-Steagall, why we have insurance monopolies, protection of pharmaceutical profits, no-bid contracts to provide $675 hammers for the military, earmarks, tax loopholes, subsidies for the big corporations, and them first in line, not you or me.

And what do we get in return? We get gridlock, corruption, and a do-nothing Congress, a do-nothing Washington.

But why is my campaign any different? The Roemer Campaign is run totally different from any other. We're taking no money above $100 a person, no money from lobbyists, nothing from special interests, and nothing from these PACs. We need a campaign of main street, of small-town America, a campaign willing to come out to towns of 4,000 people like Canaan, to listen to what you have to say. Because I'm listening to you, not CEOs in some Manhattan boardroom or moneymen in DC. Because I prioritize small business above big business. And because this is a campaign of the people, free of corporate money, free of special interests, free to lead.

November 22nd:
Small business owners meeting, Dorchester, NH
Lunch with Buddy in Hebron, NH
Meet & greet in Bristol, NH
Townhall in Ashland, NH

November 23rd:
Meet and greet in Holderness, NH
Meet and greet in Plymouth, NH
Lunch in Franconia, NH
Townhall in Bethlehem, NH

November 24th:
Meet and greet in Littleton, NH
Speech in Lisbon, NH
Meet and greet in Bath, NH
Townhall in Woodsville, NH

November 25th:
Breakfast with Buddy, Haverhill, NH
Boating on Lake Tarleton in Piermont, NH
Meet and greet in Orford, NH
Townhall in Lyme, NH
Rally & fundraiser at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH

November 26th:
Historical tour in Bretton Woods, NH
Lunch at Munroe's Family Restaurant, Carroll, NH
Meet and greet, Whitefield, NH
Townhall, Jefferson, NH

November 27th:
Service at St. Johns United Methodist Church, Lancaster, NH
Lunch in Stark, NH
Meet and greet in North Stratford, NH
Dinner in Colebrook, NH

Debate Response

There are certainly people on this stage with more experience than me. I won't win the length-of-resume game, but the experience I gained over the course of my career serves to make me qualified to be president. I graduated from Bossier High, a public high school in a little city just outside of Shreveport. I graduated from college and then went into the private sector, working for my father's family business and later going into finance. I got my first taste of politics in the Louisiana Constitutional Convention, where I helped to modify the Louisiana Constitution in order to create a better government. I later entered the House of Representatives, the people's house, where, although I was a Democrat, I fought against the liberal Democratic leadership and supported the policy of one of America's greatest Presidents, Ronald Reagan. We cut taxes and helped support democracy worldwide. I later challenged corrupt incumbent Edwin Edwards in the gubernatorial election, and though little-known I ran a grassroots campaign promising to slay the dragon and establish good government, and we came from last place in the polls to first, a model that I hope will work again. As governor, I presented a proposal to slash spending, abolish programs, and shrink the size of the state government. I also invested heavily in education, a priority we need to focus on in order to remain economically competitive with nations like China. I reformed campaign finance, a major goal of my campaign. And I was praised by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry for making our state more competitive compared to others, and after my term as governor, I returned to the private sector, specifically dealing with international trade. And it's from my experience, in the private sector, in the House with President Reagan, and in reforming the government of Louisiana that I gained the experience necessary to be President of the United States.


During the week, Governor Roemer took some time off from campaigning to appear via satellite on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. An edited transcript of Buddy's remarks there appears.



It's great to be on tonight with you, Bryant. It's great to take a break from the campaign trail and just chat about sports. For so long I followed baseball, but with the Captains leaving Shreveport… I guess I'm a Zephyrs fan now. But yeah, it's great to have this quick interview with you - while I'm busy on the campaign trail, one of the things I've always taken time out to do, a few minutes, is fantasy baseball. Got a league with some friends from Louisiana. And of course I love to sit down on weekends and watch football - specifically my Saints.

But one of the things I'd like to talk about, since one of the major issues my campaign is addressing is campaign finance reform, is the intersection of both of them. Now, I haven't crunched the numbers for baseball yet, but there's an interesting intersection of football and politics. And what you find is that this is actually a source of some pretty big money for both sides. Players - [Giants safety] Antrel Rolle gave $20000 to the Dems this cycle so far, and [Saints guard] Jahri Evans gave $35K. You've also got people like [Cowboys owner] Jerry Jones giving lots to the Republicans - but though you'd expect owners to be a pretty conservative bunch, and people like Jones and [Cardinals owner] the Bidwells are examples of that, you also have people like [Tampa Bay owners] the Glazers gave $70K to the Dems. You also get state breakdowns - the Cowboys and the Texans give a lot to local Republicans, but the owners of the Colts give a lot to the local Dems, even though Indiana's a pretty Republican state. It's really quite interesting to track how the players line up. There's also a few players who gave to Ron Paul already, more than you'd expect. Money in politics is my big issue, and to be able to talk about it through the lens of professional sports - it feels like it isn't even campaigning. But the point is - there's a lot of political money here, and the influence of these big guys on the process is heard.

Thanks for having me on the show, Bryant.

[Donerail]

Buddy Roemer for President: Free To Lead

[/center]

Week of November 28 - December 4: Coos & Carroll and more New Hampshire


November 28th:
Snowmobiling with Buddy, Pittsburg, NH
Lunch at The Balsams, Dixville Notch, NH
Meet & greet (with some fundraising) in Berlin, NH - discovering the difference between Berlin and Louisiana French
Meet and greet in Shelburne, NH
One-on-one discussions with voters, Sargent's Purchase, NH

November 29th:
Morning breakfast in Jackson, NH
Meet and greet in North Conway, NH
Lunch in Conway, NH
Meet and greet in Albany, NH
Townhall in Madison, NH

November 30th:
Meet and greet in Eaton, NH
Meet and greet in Effingham, NH
Lunch in Wakefield, NH
Townhall in Brookfield, NH

December 1st:
Meet and greet in Wolfeboro, NH
Fundraising event in Ossipee, NH
Meet and greet in Tuftonboro, NH
Townhall in Moultonborough, NH

December 2nd:
Breakfast with Buddy, Sandwich, NH
Meet and greet in Tamworth, NH
Lunch in West Ossipee, NH
Townhall in Milton, NH

December 3rd (with Angus King)
Meet and greet in Farmington, NH
Lunch in New Durham, NH
Meet and greet in Strafford, NH
Townhall in Barrington, NH
Rally in Rochester, NH

December 4th (with Angus King)
Service at the Berwick United Methodish Church, Berwick, ME/Somersworth, NH
Lunch in Rollinsford, NH
Rally in Dover, NH
Fundraiser dinner in Durham, NH


During the week, Governor Roemer made an appearance on CNBC to discuss economic policies. A cropped transcript appears below.



The polls continually show that jobs is Americans' number one issue, but we can't do jobs yet - we can't do budget reform, tax reform, immigration, healthcare, banking until we reform campaign finance and get the special interests out. But to discuss jobs - we need to promote fair trade and get people and businesses to buy goods made in America. I'm not a free trader - China is a black hole for manufacturing jobs. It's affecting American wallets. Then we need to go back to campaign finance reform to get the outsourcers and their representatives out of politics. We also need to realize that jobs are created in American small businesses. Big companies, the top 100, have fired 2.9 million Americans over the past few years. Our jobs come from small businesses. And the way our small businesses flourish is through getting rid of these regulations - not all of them, we need speed limits, clean air and water and such, but we do need to help our small businesses.

I'm a banker, I owned a small bank. And we needed three people just to keep up with the regulations we were under. Small business is what we need to win. We also need to speed up patents - the average patent pending makes three new jobs, and there are more than a million pending. And we need to lose our addiction to foreign oil. Natural gas has 20% of the carbon footprint and can be made right here at home, cheaply, fast, and inexpensively with millions of new jobs.  And China - we need to set standards to level the playing field. No products made by forced or child labor, nothing with no minimum standards - those get banned, restricted, or penalized. My test for those are: if this plant couldn't open here, in New Hampshire, or in Iowa where I was a couple weeks ago, or in my home state of Louisiana, why should we buy those products from China? We also need real bank reform - scrap too-big-to-fail, get Glass-Steagall back. We also need to simplify our tax code - if you remember Steve Forbes, I liked his idea of a flat tax, no exemptions or deductions except maybe one for families, and after that a 17% flat rate. Phase it in over a few years to make sure it doesn't affect the market drastically. We need a holistic policy to attack all these issues.

Look, my point is this: we have a system in place, and it's not working. We really do need some change and some new ideas, some certainty in Washington. I brought certainty to Louisiana, and after four years as Governor we saw our 12% unemployment rate be cut in half and our bond rating got raised five times. I know how to do this, and we need a leader with proven experience in getting economic growth.


Angus King Endorses Buddy Roemer



What this nation needs is a leader. One who will propose the right economic policies to create jobs here in America, and one that will bring real reform to Washington. I'm not seeing that on either side of the aisle a lot, which is why I'm running for US Senate as an independent. But I see that in Buddy Roemer. He's the real reformer in the race, and he's the one who will bring real change to DC.

Kinky Friedman Endorses Buddy Roemer



Most of the candidates for the Republican nomination seem to have humor bypasses. If you're a politically correct person, you should vote for one of them. You have to be politically correct to be a politician, and most of them are. But Buddy - he's not like them. He cares about America and wants to fix what's wrong with it. We're the richest country in the world but we have schools and healthcare and stuff that's falling behind the rest. That makes no sense. We need some big changes, and Buddy's the one who'll do that. His ideas are a helluva lot better than the others' and he's the one who'll throw the money-changers out of the temple. Besides, he can't screw things up any worse than they already've been. So why the hell not?

[Donerail]

Buddy Roemer for President: Free To Lead

[/center]

Week of November 28 - December 4: Gettin that major newspaper endorsement


December 5th:
Meet and greet, Pittsfield, NH
Lunch with Buddy, Epsom, NH
Meet and greet, Allenstown, NH
Townhall, Pembroke, NH

December 6th:
Breakfast with Buddy, Hooksett, NH
Rally at the University of New Hampshire School of Law in Concord, NH
Meeting with members of the New Hampshire State Legislature, Concord, NH
Meet and greet in Hopkinton, NH
Townhall at New England College in Henniker, NH

December 7th:
Meet and greet in Bradford, NH
Meet and greet at the College of Saint Mary Magdalen in Warner, NH
Lunch in Sutton, NH
Townhall in Newbury, NH

December 8th
Meet and greet in New London, NH
Rally at Colby-Sawyer College New London, NH
Meet and greet in Danbury, NH
Townhall in Andover, NH

December 9th:
Service at the Franklin United Methodist Church, Franklin, NH
Meet and greet in Hill, NH
Lunch in Northfield, NH
Townhall in Canterbury, NH

December 10th:
Meet and greet in Boscawen, NH
Lunch in Salisbury, NH
Meet and greet in Webster, NH
Townhall in Barnstead, NH

December 11th:
Breakfast in Gilmanton, NH
Lunch in Belmont, NH
Meet and greet in Tilton, NH
Rally in New Hampton, NH


Debate Response



Being President is a very difficult, a very complex job, and as we've seen, in this administration, in the last, and in almost all the Presidents we've had, we've seen that we really can't anticipate what's going to hit us next - we don't know what we don't know. Right now, my biggest focus, and the focus of most of the voters, is reducing unemployment and getting Americans back to work, and I have a proven record of job creation as Governor of Louisiana - but what if that's not the biggest concern? What if we have a sudden health care crisis, or, God forbid, another terror attack? I've been a Governor, a Representative, and a banker in the private sector, but I've never been a psychic, and I can't say what I don't know because the challenges I could face could vary immensely. But what I do know, is that I have the experience, and the leadership, to confront any challenges that this nation may encounter over the course of my presidency.


Appearance on Hardball with Chris Matthews, to discuss health care



Let me make this clear: I don't support the individual mandate, and I don't support Obamacare - I believe the mandate is unconstitutional. What does make sense is preventing insurers from discriminating based on pre-existing conditions, I'd keep that, but scrap the mandate. And the way you prevent the market from collapsing, the way you prevent a system where premiums go up with unhealthy people entering and healthy ones leaving, is by breaking the monopolies. That's not going to get me anywhere, of course - first call I got in Congress was an insurance PAC, they're big givers, but we've got 50 monopolies in this country. You've got 50 different monopolies raising prices and lowering choices, and the first step in health reform is letting the market actually operate, get rid of this favor the insurance companies bought, make them compete, and right now you just don't have that choice. You need more choices, and you just don't have it - the market is so contorted right now. Now, I may not have been in insurance, but I was in the banking business, and we were improving prices and services if we had a multitude of banks, like the small banks I ran in Louisiana, and not just a few behemoths that everyone buys from. Same with insurance.

Discussion of campaign strategy on Fox Report



Well Shep, I think the campaign strategy I'm pursuing is different from the other candidates, and that it has to be in order to win. I am limited by the $100 contribution limit, and not taking money from PACs or anything, so you're not going to see large-scale fancy TV ads from this campaign like you are from the others. But what you are going to see is getting local - going out to small town America, getting to know average Americans. I'm not holding big fundraisers, because $100 from a rich man is the same as $100 from an average American. What my campaign is is really trying to reach those voters who may not always vote in primaries, who may not be that interested in the process, since it's my firm belief that meeting someone, talking to them, does far more to get them involved than any 30-second commercial ever can. So you're going to see us continue to move forward with our campaign of communicating with small-town America.

[Donerail]

Buddy Roemer for President: Free To Lead

Week of December 12th - 18th: Big Shocker: More New Hampshire


December 12th (with Ambassador and Dartmouth grad Stephen W. Bosworth)
Meet and greet, Meredith, NH
Meet and greet, Center Harbor, NH
Townhall, Gilford, NH
Rally, Laconia, NH

December 13th (with Bosworth)
Breakfast with Buddy, Alton, NH
Meet and greet in Belmont, NH
Townhall in Sanbornton, NH

December 14th (with State Senator Bob Odell):
Meet and greet in Springfield, NH
Meet and greet in Plainfield, NH
Lunch in Cornish, NH
Rally in Claremont, NH

December 15th (with Odell):
Rally in Charlestown, NH
Meet and greet in Acworth, NH
Meet and greet in Lempster, NH
Townhall in Washington, NH

December 16th (with Odell)
Service at the Newport United Methodist Church, Newport, NH
Meet and greet in Goshen, NH
Rally in Unity, NH
Townhall in Langdon, NH



Major speech on recent events, to be broadcast on MSNBC, CNN, and whoever else.

It's great to be here in Unity, New Hampshire, and that's what I want to talk about today - Unity. Specifically, party unity. With this massive battle between Governor Huckabee and Governor Daniels, what we need to focus on is unity. While a healthy debate is essential to party strength, and we should air the differences between our visions of conservatism, we should not make the mistake of violating Ronald Reagan's Eleventh Commandment - thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican. We need party unity if we want to focus on our goal in November - we want to defeat Obama, not ourselves; he is the real problem, and I'll say this now - anyone in this field would be leaps and bounds above the current administration. Moderate, conservative, libertarian, whatever you're campaigning as, from Paul to Daniels to Huckabee, all would be better than Obama's liberalism, and that's what we need to focus on - presenting a viable, conservative contrast to the current policies. On unity.

December 17th:
Meet and greet in Marlow, NH
Lunch in Alstead, NH
Meet and greet in Walpole, NH
Townhall in Westmoreland, NH

December 18th:
Breakfast in Chesterfield, NH
Lunch in Hinsdale, NH
Meet and greet in Winchester, NH
Townhall in Richmond, NH


Debate Response



Really, as to whether we should bail out the Euro, that depends on the situation at the time. If it wouldn't have much of an impact on America's economic fortunes, then I would support that money being used on something different - like investments in our infrastructure or education, or tax cuts for middle-class Americans, and letting Europe deal with Europe's problems. However, we really can't afford to fall back into another recession: if it's absolutely necessary to act, I would do so. But unless it's absolutely necessary to protect the American taxpayer and that's the best way we can spend our money, Europe needs to fix their own problems so we can focus on ours. Fundamentally we should protect the American economy - if this is how we can do it, then we should, but if it's not, and right now it's not, then we certainly shouldn't.


ENDORSEMENTS

Former VP Candidate Pat Choate



I'm proud to offer my support to Governor Roemer in this race. My job is studying long-term US economic policy, I'm an economist, and the candidate who is going to do the most for promoting jobs here in America is Buddy Roemer.

Stephen W. Bosworth



The best candidate out of all of these ones is Gov. Roemer. He's got a head on his shoulders - he'll be good in the complex world of foreign affairs. I have a long experience in foreign affairs, from Korea to the Philippines to Tunisia to Japan, and Gov. Roemer will be the best of em all, both at promoting global stability and international trade for American industries.

Bob Odell



I'm proud to offer Gov. Roemer my endorsement. Not many candidates make their way out to my little town of Lempster, but Governor Roemer has, and he's done the same for dozens of other small towns - he's reaching out to small-town America, and that's something I really respect, which is why I offer him my support in this primary election, and I do believe that he can do really well in this state of New Hampshire.

[Donerail]

Buddy Roemer for President: Free To Lead

Week of December 19th - 25th: New Hampshire


December 19th-22nd
Events in Cheshire County, maybe a few in Hillsborough.

December 23rd-25th
Christmas in Louisiana.


Debate Response



I don't believe in affirmative action for the same reason a lot of people support it - equality. To me, equality means that everyone gets a fair shot, a fair go at it, regardless of race, sex, whatever. Perhaps there's some room for affirmative action based on the quality of your education and such, but as a small business owner, I wanted the absolute best candidate for the job - and our colleges and government jobs should go to the best.


OOC: Sorry about the quality of this; on vacation on my phone and the hotel doesn't have reception so I can't get online much/for very long.

[Donerail]

Buddy Roemer for President: Free To Lead

Week of December 26 - January 3: Reintroducing myself to Iowans voters - busy days


December 26th:
Rally in Davenport, IA
Meet and greet, West Burlington, IA
Meet and greet, Ottumwa, IA
Townhall in Creston, IA



Hello again, Iowa! I'm Governor Buddy Roemer, and I'd just like to say how great it is to be back in the American heartland. Don't think I've forgotten about y'all! I've been a little busy in New Hampshire and elsewhere, true, but I'm focusing on spreading my message of real reform of a broken Washington to everywhere I can, and I'll be spending the next week here in Iowa to try to get that message out to as many people as I can. Won't be easy - not without the big donors and the Super PAC money that my opponents have and I don't - but I'll do my best to reach out to as many people as I can, visiting cities as big as Des Moines to ones as small as Calmar, up in northeastern Iowa, bit less than a thousand people there - and I believe that the people here will be really receptive to my message. Not a lot of folks round here want to have big moneymen buying their elections. They want protections for the common man, for main street, and those policies would be pursued by a Roemer administration - and the ones that would create a clear contrast between my candidacy and that of President Obama in November. And don't tell anyone, but I have a feeling that we're going to do a lot better here than the polls say, once we get our message out, and once I start going, from block to block from town to town, talking to ordinary Americans about how we can make our country great again.

December 27th:
Breakfast in Council Bluffs, IA
Lunch in Sioux City, IA
Rally in Sioux City, IA
Meet and greet in Sheldon, IA
Townhall in Estherville, IA

December 28th:
Meet and greet in Mason City, IA
Lunch in Calmar, IA
Meet and greet in Waterloo, IA
Townhall in Cedar Rapids, IA

December 29th:
Meet and greet in Marshalltown, IA
Lunch in Iowa Falls, IA
Meet and greet in Fort Dodge, IA
Townhall in Ankeny, IA

December 30th
Service at First United Methodist Church, Des Moines, IA
Lunch in Indianola, NH
Meet and greet in Pella, IA
Meet and greet in Grinnell, IA
Dinner in Oskaloosa, NH
Townhall in Mount Pleasant, IA

December 31st:
Coffee in Mount Vernon, IA
Lunch in Cedar Rapids, IA
Rally in Cedar Rapids, IA
Dinner in Dubuque, IA
Rally in Dubuque, IA
Townhall in Decorah, IA



Job creation? Well, here's how I know about job creation - I created jobs. As Governor of Louisiana we cut unemployment in half, but more than that, I'm a small business owner, I have a bank down in Louisiana that's been pretty successful and has created a bunch of jobs. I built my own business, and I can take that experience in job creation to the White House. As the CEO of a bank, I have to choose which companies and people to give loans to, and which ones don't make the cut, aren't good investments. So you won't get a big waste of taxpayer dollars like Solyndra. But when I get to the White house, one of the main things I'd do is focus on trade. Right now we've got this thing for free trade, and I'm not totally for free trade - free trade needs to be between free countries, and some countries like China simply aren't. So we need smart trade, reform trade policies. We also need some tax reform - not so much just cutting rates, but simplifying the system. Getting rid of deductions and loopholes that let the super-rich hide their money away from taxes - well, GE paid no taxes last year, and they're making a hell of a lot more than you or I - and making the system cleaner, simpler, make it so the special interests can't hide in our million-word tax code, and so that everyone pays a fair, low rate. And then you've got energy independence - there are thousands of jobs in the energy sector, just waiting to be unlocked. There are many many ways that we can create jobs, right here, but no way we can do that if our politicians continue to be the same lobbyist-owned guys we've had again and again. We need a real change, and that's what I'm offering.

January 1st:
Breakfast in Waverly, IA
Meet and greet in Storm Lake, IA
Lunch in Sioux City, IA
Rally in Sioux City, IA
Meet and greet in Orange City, IA
Townhall in Sioux Center, IA

[Donerail]

This ad is set to air on local TV stations in the Des Moines, Cedar Rapids-Waterloo, Davenport-Quad Cities, and Ottumwa-Kirksville media markets - and two days from now will be appearing in the Burlington and Boston media markets.


New :30 Roemer Ad: The Candidate They Don't Want You To Hear

[Image of Obama, clip of lots of money, image of Hillary Clinton, zoom on Capitol Hill]

Roemer VO: You know who the largest corporate giver is to corporations in Washington?

[Video of Roemer on Morning Joe, then zoom on Goldman Sachs sign]

Roemer: Goldman Friggin Sachs

[Image of Roemer]

Male VO: Meet the candidate.

[Clip of Roemer on Dylan Ratigan]

Roemer: Washington is bought and sold.

[Photos of Roemer talking to people at various events]

Male VO: They don't want you to hear.

[Clip of Roemer on Lawrence O'Donnell, cut to images of money and White House]

Roemer: Special interests control Washington DC

[Old Congressional photo of Roemer, then Roemer for Governor ad from '88]

Male VO: He's been a Congressman, and a Governor.

[Clip from Ratigan]

Dylan Ratigan: They don't seem to want you in the conversation

[Clip of money avalanche]

Who hasn't taken any special interest money.

[Stop Corporate Greed sign, march, Roemer on CBS news]

Roemer VO: Wake up America, they've stolen your government

[America Needs Buddy for President 2012 logo, buddyroemer.com text]

Male VO: Learn more at Buddy Roemer dot com

[Swap logo for picture of Roemer]

Roemer VO: I'm Buddy Roemer, and I approve this message

[Donerail]

Roemer Campaign Schedule: IOWA!!!

January 2: Iowa


-Morning coffee & scones with Buddy at Revelations Cafe, Fairfield, IA - with an appearance on Morning Joe (appropriate appearance for such a venue).
-Chatting with people at the Quilt Country Family Restaurant for lunch in Lamoni, IA.
-Townhall in Davenport, IA
-Rally in Dubuque, IA

January 3: Caucus Day!
-Breakfast in Fayette, IA

The other candidates are choosing to spend their mornings in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, and Davenport. Not me. Cause here in the Roemer campaign, we're not just focused on getting as many people as we can to the polls just to pull a lever. We're really focused on getting our message out, to people all across this great nation. And if that means I'm here eating my main street special with y'all at Boike's Trailside Inn instead of appearing via satellite on some morning show, I'm okay with that. Because y'all aren't just numbers in a computer - you're Terry and Bob and Norman and Leo and Bill. It's been great meeting all y'all and talking about what you care about, here in Fayette. Remember to get out and vote tonight, I'd really appreciate it.

-Walking down Main Street in Cedar Falls, IA, talking to small business owners and workers about protecting American jobs, and listening to what their concerns are.
-Discussion of education reform with students at Iowa State University.
-Townhall at the Simon Estes Riverfront Amphitheater - stand up and ask Buddy anything.
-Rally at the University of Iowa (some details below - Bosworth, Choate, and King all appear, with a musical intro from Kinky Friedman).
-Late-night flight to New Hampshire

Pat Choate campaigns with Buddy

My job is as an economist. I've written nine books on economics, Ph.D. in economics, worked as the Commissioner of Economic Development for the State of Tennessee, a Senior Economist in the Office of Management and budget, and Director of the Southern Regional Office of the Economic Development Administration. I've taught economic at George Washington University. Point is - I know economics. My career has been in job creation. And that's why I'm proud to endorse the number one candidate in this election for creating jobs: Governor Buddy Roemer. Now, you may not have heard of him. Buddy was the Governor of Louisiana for four years. At the beginning of his term unemployment was sky-high, worse than we have it now. After his term? Cut in half. And after he'd done what he needed to do, he went right back to creating more jobs, with the small bank he runs down in Louisiana - a bank that didn't take a dime of federal bailout money. Buddy Roemer is a small businessman with a proven record of job creation, and he's this economist's number one choice for President.

Roemer's Speech in Iowa City

I'd like to thank Pat for introducing me. What this campaign is, is free to lead. We're not taking any money above $100. No PAC money, no Super PAC money, no corporate money, no lobbyist money - only money from people like you. So far, we've taken on no debt, and we've got money in the bank. Running this campaign like I intend to run the country. And running this country will be hard work. We have problems - not enough jobs, trade issues, an unreadable tax code, an unsustainable budget. A new President would have to create a plan - an energy strategy, a strategy to re-vitalize small businesses, fix healthcare, address the banking system, and tackle immigration reform. But they can't do that, they can't change the status quo, without tackling those who like the status quo. The special interests. They don't want change, and they're spending billions in this campaign to keep it that way. They give billions to people who can return that gesture with loopholes and pork-barrel spending. They own the parties. 98% of Americans give no money, not a penny, to presidential campaigns. All that money comes from big banks, corporations, big contractors, Super PACS, and lobbyists. Not from people like you or me. We're seeing corporations make five billion dollars and pay not a cent in federal income taxes - who here made less than five billion and paid a lot more than that? All of you! They're the cause of the gridlock, the corruption, this do-nothing Congress! Before we can get action on those critical issues, we need to take control of the system. We, the people, need to overrule the special interests, say that we're in charge, not them. So get out tonight, next week, and all the way till election day, and vote for the candidate that'll really reform our system.


Also, this ad will be showing in the targeted markets over these two days.

[Donerail]

Quasi-victory speech

Well, friends, we've done it. Virtually unknown, trailing a bit behind margin of error in the polls, gone from last to… not quite first, but we've jumped past two candidates from where the pundits and polls said we were. We showed em tonight - the talking heads have been saying that "Roemer's got no shot, no way he wins, no lobbyist money? No PAC money? Only taking money from ordinary folks?" Well I think they've been decisively disproven today. This is a serious campaign with a serious chance of winning - the other candidates can outraise me massively, but tonight we showed them that no matter how much money we raise, the common man can still have a say! We're going to go on to New Hampshire - we got some practice in for New Hampshire here, beating both candidates who lead in the polls there! [Applause] And after that, we're going to go on to South Carolina, on to Nevada, on to Tampa, and then we're going to go all the way to take back Washington!

[Donerail]

Roemer Campaign Schedule: New Hampshire

Roemer Press Conference

Reporter: Governor Roemer, are the results in Iowa more of a disappointment or a celebration?

Roemer: Well, obviously we could've done a couple percentage points better, but going in in last and ending up beating the two people who are leading in New Hampshire is pretty damn good.

Reporter: How are you expecting to do in New Hampshire?

Roemer: Well, we entered Iowa polling at 2%, last place, and ended up getting more than double that and jumping over two people. No promises, but if we could double our score in Iowa and we're polling at 10% in New Hampshire, you do the math.

Reporter: Will your campaign make an effort in South Carolina?

Roemer: Yes, yes - with three other Southerners in the race it won't be easy, but we will take the fight to South Carolina, and you'll see a heavy campaign presence there in the weeks leading up to the primary.

January 4th (with King)
Meet and greet in Dover, New Hampshire
Rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Meet and greet in Stratham, New Hampshire
Townhall in Raymond, New Hampshire

January 5th (with King)
Meet and greet in Chester, New Hampshire
Lunch in Derry, New Hampshire
Townhall in Salem, New Hampshire
Rally in Merrimack, New Hampshire



Great to meet y'all today. Haven't been to this part of the state recently, but y'all are as friendly as the rest of em - and just as receptive to my message of getting corruption out of politics. And this campaign will be working across the entire state, and the entire nation, to get that message out.

January 6th (with Odell and Bosworth)
Meet and greet in Goffstown, New Hampshire
Rally in Concord, New Hampshire
Rally in Laconia, New Hampshire
Townhall in Littleton, New Hampshire



People have questioned how serious this campaign is. Well, those people have been pretty quite since Iowa! Look at who's leading the polls in this state: Kelly Ayotte and Jon Huntsman. But look at the Iowa results, and look who beat Ayotte and Huntsman - me! This is a serious campaign, with a serious message, and if the polls in this state are any indication, we're going to do quite well here.

January 7th (with Bosworth and Choate)
Rally in Berlin, New Hampshire
Meet and greet in Woodsville, New Hampshire
Meet and greet in North Haverhill, New Hampshire
Townhall in Lebanon, New Hampshire

January 8th (with Choate and Odell)
Rally in Claremont, New Hampshire
Rally in New London, New Hampshire
Meet and greet in Warner, New Hampshire
Townhall in Henniker, New Hampshire
Townhall in Rindge, New Hampshire


Also, this ad will be showing in the targeted markets (Burlington, Portland, maybe Boston) over this week.

[Donerail]

Roemer Debate Response



The most important part of this issue is medicinal use - using marijuana to help sick people. When I was in Congress, I co-sponsored a bill that would transfer marijuana to a Schedule II drug, meaning that it's acceptable to distribute to hospitals and pharmacies in order to treat diseases like glaucoma or cancer. When I was Governor of Louisiana I signed a bill allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana for paralysis, glaucoma, or cancer. So I would fully support legalizing medical marijuana nationwide. As for recreational use - there are some things that the national government has under their purview, things like national defense, relations with foreign governments, that's all Washington DC. Things like recreational marijuana laws, those sort of things are under state purview, and as President I would honor that.

[Donerail]

Roemer Campaign Schedule

Today, we vote! Today, the voters of New Hampshire have a choice. We can choose the same old establishment candidates. We can choose the same old, same old, last 4 years, same as the 4 before that, same as however long. Or we can choose to make a change. We have the votes to do it! This campaign beat the two people leading in the polls here in Iowa, and we can do just as well here tonight. We have the opportunity to send a message tonight. Send a message to the establishment in Washington that the 98% of us who don't donate to political candidates have decided that enough is enough. We the people should run Washington, not the special interests. And we have a powerful opportunity tonight to stand up to the special interests, stand up for what we the people want, and show the party establishments that they aren't the ones in control anymore. We are. And today we can show it.


January 9: New Hampshire



Rally in Keene, New Hampshire with State Sen. Bob Odell.
Meet and greet in Nashua, New Hampshire alongside Mr. Pat Choate.
Dinner and question time with Buddy in Manchester, New Hampshire
Appearance on the Colbert Report.

January 10: New Hampshire



GOTV rally in Durham, New Hampshire with Gov. Angus King.
Working GOTV in Plymouth, New Hampshire, including TV appearances, with State Sen. Bob Odell.
Meeting and discussions with students at Dartmouth alongside Ambassador Stephen W. Bosworth in Hanover, New Hampshire
Watch results in a local restaurant in Hanover
Speech on the results in Hanover


We're also going to begin to roll out this ad, and of course running the one I described last time.

[Donerail]

A couple of months ago, back around Thanksgiving, d'y'all know how much I was pulling in the polls in this state? Around 1% - less than margin of error. Now we're up to 14% - and that's still more than we got in any poll of the state. We haven't had anywhere near the funds the other candidates have had. We haven't taken any PAC money, any lobbyist money, any special interest money, and we're still here today, with 14% of the vote. And that really shows that when you get out there, talk to ordinary people, they really are angry with the system as it is now, and they will come out and vote. And we're going to continue on - on to South Carolina and Nevada, and make sure they get this message as well. And then, hopefully, we can go all the way to Tampa and Washington - after such a solid showing here, who knows what we can do next? But what I do know is that we're going to be competing, we're going to be spreading our message, and we're going to be appearing in the debates as the best way to get our name out. We can win this campaign!

[Donerail]

Roemer Campaign Schedule: January 11-15

January 11: South Carolina
-Breakfast on the beach in Myrtle Beach, SC 
-Meet and greet in Conway, SC
-Townhall in Kingstree, SC 
-Rally in Florence, SC with Pat Choate and Kinky Friedman

January 12: South Carolina
-Meet and greet in Hartsville, SC
-Lunch in Sumter, SC
-Rally in Columbia, SC with Pat Choate and Kinky Friedman
-Townhall in West Columbia, SC



Corporate profits are at an all-time high - but why aren't jobs here? It's because they're sending the jobs overseas at the expense of American families. This unfair trade is stealing our jobs and stifling economic growth, and creating this debt - and we need to keep borrowing to maintain our standard of living. But the guys with the big checks and the special interest money don't want change, they're getting enriched by it at the expense of Main Street America. We need real reform of our campaign finance, get the special interests out, and then we can turn to real reform of our trading system and getting American jobs back.

January 13: South Carolina
-Meet and greet in Cheraw, SC
-Lunch in Lancaster, SC
-Townhall in Rock Hill, SC
-Dinner in Union, SC

January 14: South Carolina
-Breakfast in Gaffney, SC
-Rally in Spartanburg, SC with Pat Choate and Kinky Friedman
-Townhall in Tigerville, SC
-Rally in Greenville, SC with Pat Choate and Kinky Friedman



How do we create jobs? It's simple. Deregulate small businesses so they can grow. Become energy independent - that's a million new jobs. Reduce federal spending. Seal our borders but allow legal immigration. Reform the tax code - lower rates and simplify. It's simple. Why isn't it happening? Because the boys at the top are living so well they've forgotten the rest of America. But I haven't. I'm asking the 98% of you who don't currently give to a political candidate to stand with me, to restore American's promise for our children and grandchildren.

January 15: South Carolina
-Meet and greet in Central, SC
-Rally in Clemson, SC with Pat Choate and Kinky Friedman
-Meet and greet in Pendleton, SC
-Townhall in Anderson, SC



Who am I? A former Governor, former Congressman, and a successful community banker coming back after 16 years of private life, to confront this institutional corruption and the loss of our crucial manufacturing base, to change that system, make our tax code fair, and challenge that corruption. But my path forward can't be done alone. I've made a pledge to only accept donations of $100 or smaller, so I'll need all of you to stand with me against the special interests if we really want to get things done. That campaign limits means I listen to you - not the special interests. And it makes me free to lead America.  


Alan Keyes endorses Buddy Roemer



When you look at which candidate has experience building a small business, which one strongly opposes abortion, the one that'll cut taxes, the one that wouldn't have gone to war in Iraq - you get one answer, and that's Buddy Roemer.

Campaign Business

Statement in response to Senator Hutchison
Governor Roemer agrees with Senator Hutchison and will not be engaging in personal attacks on other candidates. We must not violate Ronald Reagan's 11th Commandment - a focus on the issues is essential, and we must present a united front if we are to defeat President Obama in the fall.

Statement on the Vice President

I'm sorry to hear the news about the Vice President. Although we were on opposite sides of the aisle, I've always had great respect for Joe Biden - he wasn't one of them, y'know? He didn't take any special interest money, and he'd always go back to his state, almost every day, to hear about their concerns. He was one of the best, in the Senate, and I really do respect him as a person. Best wishes to him, and I hope he makes a full recovery. I'll keep him, and his family, in my thoughts and prayers.

New Ad: "Making People Angry" (To air in SC)



Some pundits say that I'm not a good politician, because I say things that make some people angry. They're right, I do. Made some people in Washington angry when I refused to take a Congressional pay raise, passed by the politicians, for the politicians. I thought the country needed to tighten its belt. I made the bureaucrats in Baton Rouge angry when I said I'd scrub the state budget. I made the polluters angry when I said that those who pollute the air and water should pay to clean it up. Clean it up or get out, I said. I made the education bureaucrats angry in Louisiana when I said I'd brick up the top three floors of the education building - cut the consultants and pay the teachers. I notice my opponents don't make very many people angry. That doesn't surprise you, does it? Politics as usual? I don't like American politics. I love America. And I love America enough, to make some people angry.

[Donerail]

Roemer Debate Responses

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That sounds like a great idea - as Governor 24 years ago I passed a bill giving our veterans coming home a preference in state hiring, that's something I support the Congress doing now across the country. The President is Commander-In-Chief of the military, and I view that responsibility as more than just ordering them into battle - it's making sure that, when they come home, they're able to be successful. Under the Roemer administration Congress would declare war, not the President - less wars means more people able to work, and checks and balances would mean that any wars we do fight are well thought-out and we're able to provide for these people once we do so. Having Congress declare war also means more people know about it - this nation is a nation at war right now, over in places like Afghanistan, but we don't really feel it, not like we did in the past when we were at war in Vietnam. The American public is disconnected, and if they're more connected and more aware of the sacrifices that are being made to keep them safe it'll make our business owners more likely to offer incentives all on their own. And finally, and this fully addresses the question, we really need to view it as the government providing for these soldiers after their time of service as well as during. One of the first bills I passed in Congress was creating a VA hospital in Shreveport, Louisiana. I was so proud of that - that's a commitment we've made to our troops, that when they come home they will have the best quality health care. That's the commitment we've made, and we need to continue to refine it, to include job training, to include even better healthcare, to include everything we can to repay these men and women for what they've given for our country.

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With a Republican Senate and a Republican House, I think it'd be very possible, especially if you presented a counterplan designed to cut health care costs. I fully want the government to supply us information, tell us what foods are healthy, tell us the healthy things to do, but what the government needs to do is give us knowledge. We're a smart people and we'll figure out what's best for ourselves, but we shouldn't be mandating health care. If we have a system of competition and choice, where we have a variety of insurance choices and we can pick the choice that works best for Buddy Roemer, or for Mitch Daniels, or for Mike Huckabee - cause even though we're all standing together on this stage tonight, we might not have the same health needs and require the same insurance policy. As President I will be presenting a counterplan to Obamacare - call it Roemercare if you want - that'll provide information, knowledge, choices, and competition by removing the insurance monopoly and making them compete across state lines, tort reform, remove the protection for pharmaceutical companies from price discounts, incentives to health care providers for lowering costs while maintaining quality. But the number one thing is to repeal Obamacare, written by pharmaceutical companies and lobbyists, and replace it with a system allowing those things I mentioned, and have the law be written, not by special interests, but by doctors, patients, and nurses. A whole different approach, starting with the people, will get the cost of healthcare down and down fast.

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Pretty easy one - I would have gotten in earlier than I did. If I had a few more weeks to campaign in New Hampshire and Iowa I think we could've gotten higher than 5th - 4th, 3rd, or higher. I'd just really want to be spending more time on the ground getting our message out.

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Simple, we don't have amnesty. We secure our borders and prevent illegal immigration, and those businesses that violate immigration laws should be held accountable. We are a nation of immigrants, I acknowledge and respect that, but we are a nation of legal immigrants. But the way I preserve jobs for American citizens, is by having a green-card program allowing workers to come for jobs that American workers aren't available for, and you hold the card-holder and company responsible for the conduct and presence of the worker with fines for violations and non-acceptance into the program for repeat violators. And holding businesses accountable - give a six-month grace period where they won't be punished for hiring illegal immigrants, then after that have fines for discovery of illegal immigrants working for US companies. Now, I said that we wouldn't have amnesty - I think we should be sifting through that with a fine net, allow a committee to interview any illegal immigrant that authorities think may have a case for not being deported, be it military service in the US, or being highly-skilled, that would be rare but it'd be good for America.

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My position is very simple, and it's the position I've consistently held. I co-sponsored the President's Pro-Life Bill of 1987, Reagan's bill, which prohibits the use of federal funds for abortion. That'd be my number-one focus as President on this issue - ensuring that our tax dollars don't go to paying for abortions, reimbursing, researching, or paying for insurance that pays for abortions. No taxpayer money for abortions!

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Ensuring a positive relationship between the Presidency and Congress is difficult - simply because for the Presidency to get anything accomplished the Congress needs to act, and we haven't been seeing a lot of acting out of Congress. Most of the reforms to Congress I'd like to see enacted I believe would go a long way towards making the body a lot more function and a lot more willing to work with the President and each other to get things done - including little things like monthly off-the-record bipartisan events, and bipartisan seating, just to get the parties working together and not solely trying to undermine each other each other. But as to what I specifically would do to better my relationship with legislators - I would take something from the British Parliament, where they have a regular questioning of their Prime Minister, and implement that here. Every month, I'd appear, with my cabinet, in either the House or the Senate for questions, discussions, and debate on the issues - televised, with questions from both sides. Having the Presidency be accessible for any legislator to question will go a long way towards that.

[Donerail]

OOC: Gonna be gone for three weeks with little to no internet access. I have, of course, allowed myself an opening to return, in a manner.

Buddy Roemer Withdraws

Well, we've done good. But after a wonderful campaign, I don't see any route forward to winning the nomination. I want to thank my family - my wife, my children, my sisters and brothers, as well as my campaign manager, Carlos Sierra, and all the others on Team Roemer - you know who you are, and that includes the thousands of volunteers, who gave up your time and energy to help push this campaign forward.

And I'm proud of what we did. We fully disclosed every donation, none above $100, none from any PACs, Super PACs, corporations, or lobbyists. Over our admittedly brief run, we've beaten the top two winners in South Carolina, as well as Congressman Paul and Governor Huckabee. We took on no debt, and we ended this campaign with a surplus, thanks to the donations, on average less than $50, from Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, from all 50 states. We're still polling at 5% nationally.

This nation is at risk. Job prospects are inadequate, our trade isn't smart or fair, our tax code is unreadable; our budget, unsustainable; our healthcare, unhealthy. We have no energy strategy, no small business strategy, our banks are too big to fail, and our immigration system is still broken. We must take the battle to the special interests who don't want change from the status quo, and are spending billions to keep it their way, who have the incumbents bought, who are trading favors and information and jobs for amendments, legislation, and earmarks. They own the politicians and the parties, and it's wrong.

We've seen people - what people? Not the 98% who don't give to these campaign. Wall Street, the corporations, the labor unions, Big Oil, Big Defense, Super PACs, lobbyists, not average Americans - they're the ones who invented too big to fail, who killed Glass-Steagall, who created these insurance monopolies, these profit protections, these contracts, these earmarks, these $675 hammers for the military, paying no income taxes and getting subsidies - that's got to change. That's what's causing this gridlock, this corruption, and this do-nothing Washington. Campaign finance reform is necessary to break from our addiction to special interest money.

And that's what I plan to do. Now that I am no longer a candidate, I can spend my time enacting reform, lobbying for the American people rather than corporate clients. We will highlight this corruption, find solutions, build coalitions, and fix this mess. It won't be easy. A fight against powerful entrenched enemies is never an easy one. But we must win. It'll take a team effort, and it'll require setting aside our differences on other issues to achieve real reform: contribution reform, reapportionment reform, and term-limit reform. This can't be and isn't a 'me' effort. It must be a 'we' effort. This'll take people from both political parties: both of which have members addicted to special interest money, joined at the billfold, who don't want reform. But both parties have people who are willing to work together to change that.

Join us. Don't be afraid. We'll put together a new organization, using the power of the people and new media to achieve our goals, and we'll work with others to build this team of reform, re-energizing our republic.

Thank you for standing with me. And, if I can ask you one final thing: don't give up. Don't lose hope. Together, we will continue to reform our country, and make America great again. Although this campaign is ending… we are just getting started.

Campaign Postscript

Governor Roemer will be issuing his endorsement in the Republican primaries at a later date, probably in mid-March.