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Bonus Quote of the Day

December 1, 2016 at 8:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“You have never, ever in your career seen a serious adult who’s wealthy, independent, has been a presidential nominee, suck up at the rate that Mitt Romney is sucking up.”

— Newt Gingrich, quoted by the Daily Beast.

Filed Under: Trump Transition Tagged With: Mitt Romney

Romney Proves Trump Right All Along

November 30, 2016 at 4:50 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rick Klein: “Mitt Romney may or may not be selected as Donald Trump’s secretary of state. But Romney has already performed a valuable service for Trump – by proving him right, about Romney, and about the broader political class. Romney is according extraordinary deference and respect to a man he famously labeled ‘a phony, a fraud’ just months ago…. Trump can now be nice to a man he once said wasn’t very smart, now that Romney has eaten crow along with his frog legs. But it leaves Romney where Trump suggested he belonged from the start: as a politician whose words don’t really matter.”

“If Romney’s words from the campaign had meaning, how could he be swayed by the words Trump has uttered, or even his early actions, now? Trump’s rise was powered by his big called bluff on the political process – that he always knew voters think politicians’ words had no real meaning. Romney surely has the best of intentions in wanting to help and to serve the next president. But he is making Trump seem more right by the day.”

Filed Under: 2016 Campaign Tagged With: Mitt Romney

Why Is Mitt Romney Doing This?

November 30, 2016 at 12:05 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Chris Cillizza: “The terrific answer is that Romney still feels a call to public service. That the same motivation that drove him to run for governor or take over the failing Salt Lake City Winter Olympics or even run for president — a desire to make things better and a belief he can do so — is what compels him to make nice with someone that, from a personal perspective, he clearly holds in utter contempt. Under this theory, Romney believes the best way to preserve his vision for the country and its role in the world — and protect those things from potentially harmful decisions by Trump — is to insert himself between the president-elect and the world. That only by going into the Trump administration can he keep really bad things from happening.”

“The terrible answer for Romney is that this willingness to subjugate his personal views about Trump is all in service of an overarching ambition for power that has defined his life. Romney critics — and those are the people pushing this theory — point to his past flip-flops on such issues as abortion and gay marriage as evidence that when a deeply held belief comes up against Romney’s ambition, ambition always wins. So, Romney wants to be secretary of state more than he hates Trump. It’s that simple a calculation.”

Filed Under: Trump Transition Tagged With: Mitt Romney


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Romney Dines with Trump

November 29, 2016 at 10:11 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President-elect Donald Trump had dinner with Mitt Romney in New York City tonight.

Said Romney: “These discussions I’ve had with him have been enlightening, and interesting, and engaging. I’ve enjoyed them very, very much.”

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Feel free to leave a caption for the photo in the comments.

Filed Under: Trump Transition Tagged With: Donald Trump, Mitt Romney

Trump Said to Be Still Considering Romney

November 28, 2016 at 10:14 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “Romney plans to have a private dinner Tuesday with Trump, who is said to be intrigued by the notion of reconciling with one of his fiercest Republican antagonists — even as he also weighs rewarding the loyalty of former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani with one of the administration’s most prized jobs or selecting a decorated military officer in David H. Petraeus.”

“Trump is looking for assurances that Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee who has championed a muscular and at times interventionist foreign policy, could be trusted to defend and promote Trump’s markedly different worldview in capitals around the globe, the people familiar with the president-elect’s deliberations said.”

Filed Under: Trump Transition Tagged With: Mitt Romney

Trump Will Meet with Romney Again

November 28, 2016 at 11:29 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Donald Trump is meeting with Mitt Romney again on Tuesday, amid an ongoing brawl within his inner circle about the 2012 GOP nominee’s suitability to be secretary of State,” The Hill reports.

“Along with Romney, whose meeting was revealed in a transition team conference call on Monday morning, the president-elect will be meeting with other contenders for the high profile post.”

Filed Under: Trump Transition Tagged With: Mitt Romney

GOP Lawmaker Slams Romney

November 28, 2016 at 8:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) slammed Mitt Romney as an “ego-maniac,” Politico reports.

Said Collins: “Well, I mean, what do I know about Mitt Romney? I know that he is a self-serving, ego-maniac who puts himself first, who has a chip on his shoulder, that thinks he should be president of the United States.”

He added: “I mean, there’s no love lost between me and Mitt Romney. I’ve called him a loser for the last six months, even though I supported him.”

Filed Under: Trump Transition Tagged With: Chris Collins, Mitt Romney

Romney Must Apologize If He Wants Appointment

November 25, 2016 at 6:14 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Donald Trump’s transition team wants Mitt Romney to publicly apologize for railing against the president-elect during the campaign if he hopes to become the next Secretary of State, Fox News reports.

Filed Under: Trump Transition Tagged With: Mitt Romney

Conway Joins Attacks on Romney

November 24, 2016 at 1:09 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“It has been a tough couple of days for Mitt Romney. After the former Massachusetts governor and 2012 GOP nominee met with President-elect Donald Trump, it was rumored — and then stated explicitly by Vice President-elect Mike Pence — that Romney was being considered for Secretary of State,” Politico reports.

“And it’s been all downhill from there, as Trump supporters and surrogates have piled on, slamming Romney for his attacks on Trump during the GOP primary and his refusal to endorse Trump. Now Kellyanne Conway, a senior transition adviser and Trump’s campaign manager, has joined the fray.”

Filed Under: Trump Transition Tagged With: Mitt Romney

Huckabee Says Picking Romney Would Be a Mistake

November 23, 2016 at 12:44 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Mike Huckabee warned Presidential-elect Donald Trump against picking Mitt Romney to be his secretary of State, saying it would be an insult to his voters, The Hill reports.

Said Huckabee: “There’s only one way that Mitt Romney can be considered for a post like that, and that is if he goes to a mic in a very public place and repudiates everything he said in that famous Salt Lake City speech and everything he said after that — Donald Trump wasn’t fit, that he lacked character.””

Filed Under: Trump Transition Tagged With: Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney

Romney Meets with Trump

November 19, 2016 at 5:17 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Donald Trump met with Mitt Romney, once a fierce critic of the president-elect who is now being floated as a potential pick for secretary of state, on Saturday afternoon, setting aside the friction between the two men and signaling a willingness by Trump to entertain different points of view on foreign policy,” the Washington Post reports.

Romney said the men had a “very thorough and in-depth discussion” regarding “the various theaters in the world where there are interests of the United States of real significance.”

Trump said of the meeting: “It went great.”

Politico: “Romney and Trump talked for roughly an hour and 20 minutes, and the two emerged to talk briefly with reporters.”

Filed Under: 2016 Campaign Tagged With: Mitt Romney

Would Romney Accept a Position from Trump?

November 18, 2016 at 9:01 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

First Read: “Mike Flynn, Steve Bannon, Jeff Sessions — none of these are surprises. They were either top figures on the campaign or key surrogates. A surprise would be Mitt Romney, who will be visiting with Trump over the weekend and who reportedly is being considered for secretary of state. If he’s offered State, can a patriotic citizen really say no? But if Romney says yes, he then owns Trump, and his confirmation hearing (frankly any State confirmation hearing) is going to get bogged down with questions about Flynn. So joining a Trump admin comes with a little something extra.”

“But can Romney say no? Does he risk looking small, looking like he won’t put country above politics? And many a Trump skeptic might rationalize that it’s better to keep an eye on his team from the inside than worrying and catcalling from the outside. Bottom line: Who knows if this Romney to State idea is real or just a ruse. But if he’s offered, it’s a complicated decision, made more complicated due to Flynn’s appointment.”

Rick Klein: “Trump is talking to Mitt Romney about becoming Secretary of State seems like a blatant attempt to use Romney now – in the transition period – and not use him later. Trump’s disdain for Romney is matched by Romney’s for Trump; these are not rivals, they are political enemies whose worldviews on matter foreign and domestic are starkly and often completely different.”

Filed Under: Trump Transition Tagged With: Mitt Romney

Romney Will Discuss Joining Trump Cabinet

November 17, 2016 at 4:17 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President-elect Donald Trump will meet this weekend with one of his fiercest critics: 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney, a senior Republican source told CNN.

The two men are set to meet this weekend to discuss “governing moving forward” and potentially a role for Romney in Trump’s Cabinet.

CNBC says Romney will discuss the secretary of state position with Trump.

Filed Under: 2016 Campaign Tagged With: Donald Trump, Mitt Romney

Suddenly, Romney Looks Good to Democrats

August 24, 2016 at 9:57 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Associated Press: “Horrified by the prospect of Trump in the White House, Obama and his party have changed their tune about Romney. As they denounce Trump as ‘unhinged’ and unfit, they’re getting nostalgic about the 2012 Republican nominee they now describe as principled, competent and honorable.”

“It’s a sharp reversal from four years ago. Back then, Democrats spent hundreds of millions of dollars portraying the former Massachusetts governor as a callous, unpatriotic, pet-abusing caricature of the uber-rich.”

“Yet as Trump is proving, everything in politics is relative.”

Filed Under: 2016 Campaign Tagged With: Mitt Romney

Are Republicans Nostalgic for Mitt Romney?

July 11, 2016 at 12:00 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Henry Gomez: “They lost in 2012 with Mitt Romney, a rich guy who clumsily talked of how he enjoyed firing people and, in so many words, dismissed 47 percent of voters as losers. Months of soul-searching followed. Pretty much everyone agreed on a kinder, gentler, more-inclusive approach.”

“So the answer is Trump? A rich guy who fired people on his own reality TV show? Who gleefully bestows the “loser” label on anyone who dares to cross him? Who reminds you of the racist uncle at Thanksgiving dinner?”

“To say it wasn’t supposed to be this way is an understatement. One reason Republicans chose to hold their convention in Cleveland: To show they had found their soul.”

Filed Under: 2012 Campaign, 2016 Campaign Tagged With: Mitt Romney

Romney Says His Family Wanted Him to Run

June 30, 2016 at 6:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Mitt Romney revealed that he decided not to mount an independent presidential bid despite pleas from his wife and kids to jump in the race, Politico reports.

Said Romney: “My wife and kids wanted me to run again this time, interestingly enough. I got an email from one of my sons yesterday that said, ‘You’ve got to get in, dad. You’ve got to get in.'”

Filed Under: 2016 Campaign Tagged With: Mitt Romney

Trump Falls Into the Same Trap as Romney Did

June 20, 2016 at 8:14 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 25 Comments

“In the 2012 presidential campaign, June was a pivotal month for President Obama’s re-election efforts. Mitt Romney had emerged from a slashing primary race close to broke, looking to get to the nominating convention so he could reset his candidacy and get an infusion of cash,” the New York Times reports.

“While there is little that is similar between the candidacies of Mr. Romney and Donald J. Trump, the result may end up being the same.”

“Mr. Romney was defined by a brutal series of television ads aired by both Priorities USA, the super PAC supporting Mr. Obama, and his campaign. Mr. Romney, in those renderings, was a heartless corporate raider who talked about liking to fire people who did not provide good services, and whose private equity firm feasted on the modest-wage jobs of hard-working people. Mr. Romney never recovered.”

Filed Under: 2012 Campaign, 2016 Campaign Tagged With: Donald Trump, Mitt Romney

Romney Blames Also-Rans for Letting Trump Win

June 12, 2016 at 9:26 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 76 Comments

“Mitt Romney laid into the large and rambunctious group of 2016 Republican candidates here on Saturday, arguing that they deserved a share of blame for the rise of Donald Trump,” Politico reports.

“By spending months attacking each other and ignoring Trump, he argued, they made a severe tactical error that allowed Trump — who Romney has criticized as a ‘con man’ and a ‘fraud’ — to escape unharmed.”

Said Romney: “Their biggest failure was attacking each other and not the frontrunne. Just politically, I thought that move was not right for them.”

Filed Under: 2016 Campaign Tagged With: Mitt Romney

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About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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