Romney faces off with reporter

isn't it worse that he's not paid by the campaign? that means that when he travels withor spends time on the campaign he's paid by somebody else, i.e., his lobbying firm, Dutko Associates...hmmm

It amazes me to see how different blogs and papers report the very same story. I thought the guy was being a jerk. Mitt answered his question - no, the guy is not running Romney's campaign. And he answered that directly. Show me a politician who would have handled it better than he did.

Bias upon bias. Will the Globe never cease? What happened to professional journalism and unbiased reporting? This excerpt from Fred Barnes' article in the Weekly Standard is telling:

"In case you hadn't noticed, the media loathes Romney and likes McCain. Reporters think Romney is a stiff and a phony. They give McCain credit for straight talk, though not as much credit as they gave him in 2000.
Anyway, this allows McCain to call reporters "jerks" and other playful names. They know he's joking. On Fox News yesterday, McCain said he needs not only "Republican, Democratic, libertarian, vegetarian" votes, but also "Trotskyites. I know there's still Trotskyites around because I travel with the media on the bus."
If Romney had said that, the press would have pilloried him."

Watching the CBS clip of the exchange, this situation exemplifies Governor Romney's leadership. Governor Romney handled Mr. Johnson's criticism with poise and eloquence. Romney showed his mettle by not losing his temper and quickly identifying key differences between Kaufman's role as an unpaid advisor and the role of "someone running his campaign." Moreover, he returned to the big picture with a clear illustration of how his campaign has left him independent and not in debt to any special interests. Mitt Romney is the man that I want leading this country—he can think and lead on his feet without cue cards and an advisor telling him what to say and think.

Another Romney lie. Stop trying to pretend that you're wearing white to Washington, Mitt. You've been courting DC since you stepped into office. Please stop trying to pretend. You look foolish.

If he's an advisor, he's working in your campaign, paid or not paid.

Watching the CBS clip of the exchange, this situation exemplifies Governor Romney's leadership. Governor Romney handled Mr. Johnson's criticism with poise and eloquence. Romney showed his mettle by not losing his temper and quickly identifying key differences between Kaufman's role as an unpaid advisor and the role of "someone running his campaign." Moreover, he returned to the big picture with a clear illustration of how his campaign has left him independent and not in debt to any special interests. Mitt Romney is the man that I want leading this country—he can think and lead on his feet without cue cards and an advisor telling him what to say and think.

Ya and Romney saw his father walk with Martin Luther King. Romney has a way of stretching the truth so that he even believes his lies. Romney is and always has been a phony, flip-flopper and devoid of character and ethics.
I lived in Massachusetts when he ran for the governorship and he lied to the people on many important social issues, abortion, gay rights, stem cell research, etc, just to get elected. Why do people think he wouldn't lie even more to get elected president.

Bravo! A reporter showing some gonads and calling out lying politicians. I love it! Let's see more of it.

I am a SC voter, who is favoring Mitt Romney. I desperatley need to know how the people of MA feel about him. I realize that MA is a big democratic state, but politics aside... How did he do as Governor? Do you feel he will be a great President? Will he make good on his promises to cut spending & taxes? Will he be tough on terrorists? Am I in the wrong place asking these questions?

I don't believe him being mormon would affect anything, unlike many of my fellow south carolinians. The reason I feel he is the best choice are his business accomplishments, and the olympics. Just wondering if he was a good governor.

thanks for your help!

As a former reporter, I have noticed obvious bias in Glen Johnson's reporting of the Romney campaign.

He used the loaded word "anemic" to describe a crowd at a Romney campaign stop that had around 150 supporters.

Look at his articles about Romney. They use terms and phrases to convey weakness or doubt about the future of the campaign.

It is clear now with this latest episode that Johnson has an agenda beyond objective reporting.

The AP should remove this poor excuse for a journalist from his asignment.

I am a SC voter, who is right favoring Mitt Romney. I desperatley need to know how the people of MA feel about him. I realize that MA is a big democratic state, but politics aside... How did he do as Governor? Do you feel he will be a great President? Will he make good on his promises to cut spending & taxes? Will he be tough on terrorists? Am I in the wrong place asking these questions?

I don't believe him being mormon would affect anything, unlike many of my fellow south carolinians. The reason I feel he is the best choice are his business accomplishments, and the olympics. Just wondering if he was a good governor.

thanks for your help!

What a surprise that a former Globe reporter is trying to pick a fight with Romney over a complete non-story. Get a grip Johnson and report on the issues facing the country and how the candidate's respond to those issues. If you're going to attack Romney for having an ex-lobbyist, then I expect to see you attacking Hillary and Barack as well. Fat chance.

The globe is getting a bit carried away with the romney gotch-ya type reporting that seems to be built on a premeditated theme followed by some poor reporting. i am by no means a romney guy but this paper is getting ridiculous.

first it was the campout by the guy's lawn to see if the company hired at immigrant employees. hello? can't trace every man in the assembly line from the fruitpicking to stop and shop. They gonna say he can't drink orange juice either?

the other day they left out a quote by romney defending his action on emission controls in MA while governor. while he did do a fair bit of pandering to michigan, i think he probably wants to invest in Detroit and is concerned about the environment. the globe reporter was on a clear mission to make him look like a flip flopper. Then omits a quote for romney's point of view which essentially pointed out that he was implementing what the Legislature required.

before all credibility is loss, take note of your journalism principals people

correction - day after michigan primary!.

Correction: Because of an editing error, a Page One story yesterday about Mitt Romney campaigning in Michigan omitted an important paragraph. In the story, Seth Kaplan, vice president of the Conservation Law Foundation, a Boston environmental group, said emissions standards imposed by Romney in Massachusetts in December 2005 were tougher on automakers than the federal standards Romney is now decrying in Michigan. "The positions are inconsistent, to put it mildly," Kaplan said.

The omitted paragraph said: Romney noted state law required him to follow California's lead on auto emissions and he also "felt that that was the right thing to do for Massachusetts."

Once again, the Boston Globe-Democrat will stop at nothing to impugn and damage the character of Mitt Romney. It’s too bad that the Globe-Democrat finds it impossible to be objective when covering the '08 campaign and specifically Mitt Romney. I've had it with the coverage and the personal vendetta that current and former Globe-Democrat employees have on Mitt Romney. Seriously, what’s the beef? Is that he’s probably the most qualified GOP candidate in this year’s field? Is because Deval Patrick has been an utter failure and you need to take out your anger with him on a successful governor like Romney? Is it his squeaky clean image? I really don’t understand why you guys have such a problem with this guy. Mitt Romney is a guy who is credible, honest, and an all round good guy.

The only answer is that the Globe-Democrat and its employees are so brainwashed with liberalism that they will stop at nothing to damage the character of anyone who isn’t a crazed moonbat liberal like themselves. The visceral hatred of Mitt Romney is so obvious and transparent and shouldn’t come to any surprise in why the Globe-Democrat continues to lose circulation and creditability among readers. I'm sure all the people at the Globe-Democrat were cheering when this clown attacked Romney. It’s so sick and sad...

Thank God someone finally has the guts to do their job. Reporters have to question the veracity of these potential leaders. Madden trying to mock Johnson by saying "act professionally" is hilarious. That's exactly what he was doing.

This reporter is an AP "reporter"? Where is journalism going?

The note that it is an ex-Globe reporter explains a few things.

I am a MA guy but not a big Romney fan. It always seems the Boston globe reports a gotchya-like job that is based on some theme that they then go try to support with the weakest points.

Take the famous lawn mowing bust. even if you're the most hard-line anti-immigrant person, do you really think it is possible to avoid all contact with an illegal? Globe thinks so through its report that romney hired a company to do his lawn. Guess he should have researched the employees of that company and all future applicants. Also, Mitt, don't drink orange juice, i hear that's a job associated with immigrants.

The other day they omitted his comments in another opinion driven "report" claiming romney flip flopped on auto emissions. forgot to get his statement into their report but they got it in the corrections section the next day - after the michigan primary. better late than never!

The simplest way to see how these boston reporters are biased can be seen in the headlines. Best ex: day after the NH primary, headline was as follows:

Clinton edges Obama in N.H.; McCain topples Romney

hillary won by 3%, mccain by 5%. what's a 7% differential - blowout?

i am so tired of the biasness.

As a former reporter, I have noticed obvious bias in Glen Johnson's reporting of the Romney campaign.

He used the loaded word "anemic" to describe a crowd at a Romney campaign stop the other day that had around 150 supporters.

Look at his articles about Romney. They use terms and phrases to convey weakness or doubt about the future of the campaign.

It is clear now with this latest episode that Johnson has an agenda beyond objective reporting.

The AP should remove this poor excuse for a journalist from his assignment.

As a former reporter, I have noticed obvious bias in Glen Johnson's reporting of the Romney campaign.

He used the loaded word "anemic" to describe a crowd at a Romney campaign stop the other day that had around 150 supporters.

Look at his articles about Romney. They use terms and phrases to convey weakness or doubt about the future of the campaign.

It is clear now with this latest episode that Johnson has an agenda beyond objective reporting.

The AP should remove this poor excuse for a journalist from his assignment.

Mister Loophole is at it again it seems... "I meant 'I "saw" daddy with MLK figuratively".... do we really want at least 4 years of this in Washington?

At last, Romney allows his vicious side to peek out .He is an angry person hiding behind an endless phony smile. I hope the people of this country can now wake up to his true, deceptive nature. He's a phony and he's smarmy. He hides behind word games.He leads people to believe he has nothing to do with Lobbyists, yet works closely with them regularly.
He told (implied to) all the poor desperate unemployed people of Michigan, that If he were elected, he could bring [automotive] jobs back to the state. Thats a terrible lie told to suffering Americans, preying on their vulnerabilities, just to get votes. He fooled them- he told them what they wanted to hear. What's next for Mitt?What truth will he twist next?

Right! Mitt Romney is a McKinseyist. A believer in consultants and strategems for achieving efficiency within a corporate structure. This usually equates to reducing jobs as well as assets to make consultants and other high-stake share holders rich.....at the expense of middle class as well as blue collar jobs. The people in Michigan who gave him the Republican primary are the very ones that people like Mitt Romney put of jobs. For the sake of liniing their own pockets. Mitt Romney is also someone who will say anything to achieve his own ambitions. Anyone voting for this kind of person is being duped. Unless of course you are a rich, corporate side Republican. The man is the very essence of flip flopping. Kerry couldn't hold a candle to this guy on flip flopping and saying whatever it takes to get him where he wants to go.

People would do well to remember that Romney is a businessman. In that context, he knows what sells and how to sell it. As such, he allows himself to be handled as a product that is being strategically marketed from one state to the next.

You can be certain he will be on topic with the most effective and marketable message in each state as the primaries progress. Just don't expect the messages to be the same. What sells in Michigan won't necessarily sell in Texas or Calaifornia. In other words, he will tell the people in front of him what they want to hear so they'll buy the product.

Right now, because the product needs to appeal to the core of the party to get them to buy it, Romney is a conservative Republican. If he wins the Republican nomination, the product will change and Romney will become a moderate in order to appeal to more voters in the final election.

The only problem with the Romney candidacy is that is isn't really rooted in any positions. Other than his commitment to product marketing stratrgy, it's hard to say what the man really stands for.

I don't begrudge people supporting and voting for him. I do, however, caution his supporters from being too specific in conversations with friends about why they support him. That way, it will be less embarassing when Romney's positions change... errr... are updated based on research.

But hey... when it comes to a continually updated new and improved product, Romney is the standard bearer! Buy... errr... Vote Romney! LOL

The only reason for being for lobbyists is to bribe politicians to push their agendas. It is way past time for the voters of this country to demand that politicians eliminate lobbyists.

I find it fascinating that so many people in this great country are so uniformed, prejudiced and religiously bigoted. When you look for a person to be the President of the United States and leader of the free world, it goes beyond all the useless rhetoric that fills the media airwaves and the bickering that we see from the candidates and even people who leave comments on internet blogs. It is a matter of talent and real ability. Talent to lead a nation is made up of several characteristics which include: Proven leadership, perceptiveness, honesty, hard working, loyalty, knowledge, moral integrity, and faith. We need a leader who looks acts and IS capable and well qualified to lead us in the right direction. Someone we can call a friend to freedom, and prosperity for all Americans. We need someone who cares, and can lead us out of the problems we have got ourselves into. No one man or woman can do that. We elect a person to lead us there in an effort together. So, let’s really think this through and put the person who can do this in the White House. A person faithful to his beliefs, happily married to the same woman his whole adult life, a true family man with the strength and talent to get us there, Mitt Romney is it, and he stands alone.

I saw the raw footage of the confrontation, and Romney was professional, the reporter was not. Romney definitely won the debate of whether Kaufman is running his campaign or not. I'm all for good reporting, but this guy was just being a jerk.

Go Mitt! He got to the heart of the matter.

He makes honest mistakes such as the Dr King march claim, but the main idea is true. His father marched 3 days later in support of Dr King. The main idea was that his father was a strong supporter of civil rights.

Occasional flip, but no flop.

The reason the media loathes Mitt Romney is because he has conservative values. I would prefer that he had more conservative values. McCain, Rudy, and Huckabee are Republican in name only. Fred is a conservative but he does not have the business leadership that Mitt Romney has. If McCain, Rudy, or Huckabee is the party nominee, I will be voting Democrat. At least I will know the enemy instead of just wondering day to day.
As far as the face off with reporters, I believe that Mitt Romney has the intelligence to answer questions honestly.
Reporters on the whole are extreme liberals with no brain.
"If you're not a liberal at twenty you have no heart, if you're not a conservative at forty you have no brain." ~ Winston Churchill

I have become a political junkie, as the campaigning has gone global from Ireland to Kenya......Why? A good queston, and there are ceratinly sound answers from all sides of the political spectrum....Furthermore, we as citizens listen, view, and read carefully all that the perveyors of political news availiable...At least that is what I do.

Now specifically to Mitt Romney it is apparent that the liberal pundants... are not at all objective in reporting....Look at their newspaper headlines, listen to their lead in to news stories, thier omission of Romney in story line "trailers"It is very apparent to me that the liberal media "the drive bys" that is a catchy chacterication of those that have an agenda. are extremely biased...With all that is put out by these so called "jounalists" these liberal perveyors....one would have to be blind not to not to recognize that they do have an agenda....."raw' hate of the man...and as a result they are cuting themselves off at the knees..and disparaging their own creditibility...
They resort to character assasination. Why do they not just report straight forward and let the electorate make decisions for themselves....Why?.....hard for me to really understand.....one suggested reason.....Why is Huckabee not subjected to the same.....because......I believe......He is a weaker candidate....to run against their liberal heir apparent...be it Hillalry or Obama...I could go on and on......

If you're not a liberal at twenty you have no heart, if you're not a conservative at forty you have no brain." ~ Winston Churchill

Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservative. ~John Stuart Mill

After viewing the clip twice, I still can't understand the headlines this has been generating. Romney did not get "testy", or "angry", it wasn't a "heated" exchange, "snit", "spat" or "tussle". The former governor was calm, measured, and did not interrupt--in fact, he stopped when Johnson interrupted him to let Johnson continue. What is telling about this story is ABC's and the other news outlets' bias in how it was described. We've all seen it happen, but here is proof positive--watch the video clip, then read the headlines. Scary!!

As an immigrant, I have been surprised and even shocked by the bias of the American media and people. I watch how people attack Mitt Romney based on his religion and his wealth which he earned as a result of hard work and wise investment. In the 21st century, I can still see the existence of persecution, only with a different form. Some people used the words and phrases with hatred to attack him, just like people did to the Mormons in the past. They are none but a group of fault-finders with very narrow-mind...
Why can't you treat him just like what you do to other candidates? After listening to Mitt, I think he is a man of higher ideals, intelligence, and ability. He does not need your unfair criticism, based on what he believes and what he earns.