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Aug. 28, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Romney stumps for McCain

Crowd hopes former governor gets call to be vice presidential nominee

By PAUL HARASIM
REVIEW-JOURNAL
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Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney greets supporters at a rally Wednesday for Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain at the Henderson Convention Center.
Photos by K.M. Cannon.



Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, right, greets Nevada Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki at a rally Wednesday for Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain at the Henderson Convention Center.

Sen. John McCain hasn't decided who his running mate will be, but it was clear Wednesday at a rally for him in Henderson whom the Republicans there support for vice president -- Mitt Romney.

Elected officials, including Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., state Assemblyman Lynn Stewart and Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, repeatedly asked a crowd of more than 1,000 packed into the Grand Ballroom of the Henderson Convention Center whether they would support a McCain-Romney ticket.


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    • "Yes!" the answer came back with a fervor unusual for a crowd made up of many who would qualify for Social Security.

    When Romney appeared in a crisp suit and tie, he did so to chants of "Mitt, Mitt, Mitt."

    Unlike the other speakers, however, the former Massachusetts governor never talked about becoming McCain's running mate.

    And in an interview with the Review-Journal before the rally, Romney, 61, was equally circumspect.

    "I really don't know any more than you do about who he's going to pick," Romney said of McCain.

    He said he did not know whether, in picking a running mate, McCain was taking into account the fact that some Americans said during the primaries they could never vote for someone of the Mormon faith. That experience, he said, did not distress him.

    "I do not like to focus on the few," he said, adding that he believes most Americans do not let religion or race decide their vote. "We must remember we now have an African-American running for president."

    McCain is expected to announce his choice for a running mate Friday.

    Romney, who in January won the Republican primary caucuses in Nevada, said in the interview that none of the Republicans running for president questioned whether the man who eventually will become the GOP nominee had the experience to do the job.

    He noted that both Sen. Joe Biden, now Sen. Barack Obama's pick for vice president, and Sen. Hillary Clinton, who lost a close race for the Democratic nomination to Obama, questioned the 47-year-old's readiness for the nation's highest office.

    "I happen to agree," Romney said. "He's a charming fellow with a lovely family who needs 10 to 15 more years in the Senate."

    Though Romney acknowledged that during the primaries he criticized stances that McCain once had taken on immigration and the Bush tax cuts, he also said McCain's former positions could help him in the general election.

    Romney has said all illegal immigrants should be sent back to their home countries before they are allowed to apply for citizenship, a largely unpopular position among Hispanics.

    McCain's failed immigration bill, supported by a large majority of Hispanics, would have forced illegal immigrants to pay a fine and learn English but would have allowed them to stay in the United States.

    McCain initially had voted against the Bush tax cuts, which lowered the tax burden on higher-income Americans. Romney has always supported the cuts.

    Though McCain, 71, has now taken a tougher stance on immigration and supports keeping the Bush tax cuts in place, Romney suggested that the Republican nominee's earlier positions would resonate with voters who prefer someone who has an independent or maverick streak on issues.

    Before the rally, Romney met with a small group of social conservatives.

    He told them that with McCain in the White House, they could rest assured that they had an anti-abortion president who believed that marriage should only be between a man and a woman.

    "He's not going to put activist judges on the Supreme Court," he said.

    Jeff and Priscilla Campbell were on hand for the pre-rally session with Romney. Jeff Campbell said he is a Teamster who is against the protectionism that he thinks Obama espouses.

    Priscilla Campbell said Romney "would be excellent with McCain.

    "The one thing I really like is that neither McCain nor Romney are for repealing the Bush tax cuts," she said.

    During his speech at the rally, Romney said that he has been disturbed that leaders at the Democratic convention never talk about "the greatest threat facing the civilized world," which he said is "radical, violent Islam."

    "I was in Denver, and they never talked about it," he said.

    McCain recognizes the terrorism that springs from radical Islam, Romney said, and will govern accordingly. The Arizona senator will work to root out those who are "evil," he said.

    Romney chided Obama for his willingness to meet with leaders of countries who are enemies of the United States.

    McCain, he said, will get the leaders of democracies around the world together to find the best ways to deal with rogue nations.

    As Republican leaders have done with regularity in recent weeks, Romney said Obama's energy plan doesn't go far enough.

    "Conservation and alternative energy is fine," he said. "But he doesn't include offshore drilling or building more nuclear power plants."

    Both McCain and Obama want to bring the troops home from Iraq, Romney said.

    "The difference is McCain will bring them home in victory," he said.

    Romney suggested the United States is "on the cusp of victory" now because of the surge, an increase in troops that Obama opposed and McCain favored.

    Contact reporter Paul Harasim at pharasim@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2908.

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    Rob wrote on August 29, 2008 05:49 AM: If McCain dosen't pick Romney as his VP pick, Im not voting for him because MCain is to liberal.


    oh joe wrote on August 28, 2008 06:08 PM: All the "hating Mormons?" You're kidding, right? All you do is spew hatred toward Mormons. And when they point you out for the bigot you are, you claim they are hateful. Wow, that is the height of hypocrisy.

    Only Mormons support Romney? Another joke, right? You've had several people post on here that are not Mormon and support Romney. There were millions of people who voted for him. They weren't all Mormon, joe. They couldn't have been. You are not to be taken seriously when you make such ignorant comments.

    Make Mormonism mainstream? Yet another laugher. Like any politician could, or even would try to that. Fact is, joe, Mormons believe people should be allowed to worship how they choose. Apparently, that's not how you feel.

    joe, your hatred for Mormons skews everything you say. And your credibility suffers greatly for it.


    joe wrote on August 28, 2008 03:53 PM: Look at all the joe hating Mormons. I am not anti Romney, I just don't get why only Mormons support him. Once he is in office just wait and see how he tries to push his agena on the country and try to make Mormonism mainstream.


    McCain = AntiWomen wrote on August 28, 2008 01:45 PM: With the election of McCain, especially if Romney is his running mate, women will no longer have control over their reproductive rights. I'm not talking about abortion, I'm talking about Bush's attempt at classifying birth control as abortion, which will no doubt be followed thru by McCain were he to be elected president.

    So my sisters, make sure that if you're done having babies, or don't want any at all, you get those tubes tied within the next couple of months. Soon we will no longer be able to have convenient, affordable access to the birth control method of our choice.

    OR, vote Obama/Biden. They have more important things to take care of other than denying us the right to do as we choose with our uterus.


    jessica mendoza wrote on August 28, 2008 12:53 PM: ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,,,,,,,,,............gooooooooo mccain!!!!!!!!!!!!!...............................................


    abc wrote on August 28, 2008 11:54 AM: I was there. Romney gave a great speech, as always. It was substantial and without the 'uh...'s" and fluff that fill Obama's dialogues.

    Joe, you objecting to a group having the right to restrict membership, based on demographics? Yet you probably don't object to people being systematiclly and legally denied jobs, promotions, scholarships... based on their demographics/race (as the democrats prefer)?!
    Obamanation is simply not even close to being qualified for the US presidency. Obama has accepted the racist (and wrong) views of his reverend and his wife for a very long time and these views are far more disturbing than the membership policies you refer to. btw, I am not lds or a member of the religious right or even close to senior citizenship.


    Joe is my hero wrote on August 28, 2008 11:43 AM: Joe, what took you so long to comment. I mean someone beat you to the post at 3am. As soon as I knew romney spoke last night, I just said too myself, I wonder how long it will take Joe and all the anti-mormon blogs to roll in now. Of course, you did not disappoint.

    And just for the record, only 7% of nevada is mormon. So those of you who like to blame mormons for whoever gets elected, need to find another hobby. It takes alot more than 7% to win an election. Maybe you should be blaming the other 93%.


    Mormon Nevada? wrote on August 28, 2008 11:39 AM: To the real Joe:

    Just how is Nevada Mormon? What's the percentage of Mormon's here? Do you even know? I'll wager it's far less than the majority of the population. So there must have been a lot of people from other religions voting for Romney.

    And Max, the word is "lose" not "loose." You are exposing your ignorance there, big guy, the kind of ingorance that leads to intolerance, kind of like Leonard.


    Hey mike wrote on August 28, 2008 11:32 AM: Cult leader? You mean like the pope? Or practically, by definition, any religion?

    Give me a break.


    joe wrote on August 28, 2008 11:31 AM: joe, you are a bigot, through and through. Your act is tired. "Blah blah blah, I hate Mormons, blah blah blah, Ol' Joe Smith, blah blah blah, Brigham Young had a bunch of wives, blah blah blah, I used to be a Mormon now I'm not, blah blah blah." For someone trying to leave the religion behind, you're not doing a very good job of it.

    joe, just out of curiosity, what religion are you? You never say. Why? Are you afraid folks will start taking pot shots at your beliefs? What's good for the goose, after all....


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