OK, so you probably know by now that I wasn’t able to see Mitt Romney on Friday in Dana Point. However, Jon Fleischman did. While I was out in the cold, he was in on all the action… And yes, Fleischman now has his account of the Romney fundraiser up on FlashReport.

Here are some of Romney’s “Greatest Hits” from Friday’s swanky fundraiser. For more videos, go to Jon’s blog.

More after the flip…

Romney on the “War on Terror”

Romney on the “Source of American Strength”
[And no, you commie-loving pinko lib’ruls, it’s not taxes or big guv’munt or ‘dem San Francisco values… hehe ; ) ]

California Romney Chairman Mike “Darth” Schroeder and OC GOP Chairman Scott Baugh on why they love Mitt:

And finally, an excerpt from the interview with Mitt Romney. Jon Fleischman talks with Romney about health care:

Jon: Well, what would you say to, because I’ve talked to a lot of conservatives who are concerned about the Governor’s proposal which he, again, says is mirrored after yours, when they pass a law that requires people to have healthcare insurance and kind of the idea that that flies in the face of the notion of individuals taking responsibility for their own action and kind of putting the state involved in putting mandates on people.

Mitt: Well, my proposal in Massachusetts was people either pay for their own healthcare and demonstrate their ability to pay by having a sufficient health savings account or other savings account or they buy insurance, because currently in this country if someone does not have health insurance and they don’t have money of their own, then they go to the hospital and they get free care. And that’s not an option that should be available to people who can afford insurance. So I agree that — and I want to make personal responsibility mean that people either pay for their own healthcare or they buy insurance, one or the other. But no more showing up and expecting other people to pay your way. That’s not personal responsibility. That’s the welfare state. And currently what we have, and I think this is something that people don’t often appreciate, currently what we have in most of America and in California, like Massachusetts, is a sick setting, where people don’t buy insurance, even those who can afford it don’t buy insurance and go get free healthcare. And that’s simply not personal responsibility.

To see the rest of the interview, and to see more videos, go to FlashReport. And thanks to Jon Fleischman for covering the event from the inside. : )

Why doesn’t the Republican Party like its own voters? Why won’t the GOP candidates talk to the people who will be making a huge decision next February? Why do the candidates only come to Orange County for the big money, and avoid everyone who could not possibly afford to join the big money at these extravagant fundraisers?

Yesterday, something nasty arrived in lovely Dana Point. OK, something BESIDES the fog and the cold. No, Mitt Romney came to town for another big money fundraiser.

(More after the flip…)

Yesterday, Romney hobnobbed with some of Orange County’s most powerful people. Perhaps he raised as much money this time as he did last time…

But what about all those Republicans who can’t afford these ultra-expensive fundraisers? (And no, not ALL Republicans in Orange County are ultra-rich.) What about the average voters who just want to ask Romney about his position on the Iraq War, or his tax policy, or what he thinks about immigration? Do they have to pay $2,300 just to ask Mitt that question?

When I arrived at the St. Regis yesterday afternoon, I was alone and afraid. I felt like a stranger in a strange land, as I was looking the other side of the driveway at all these glamorously rich people being escorted out of their Rolls Royces and Bentleys and Mercedes. I could not even approach the front entrance to the hotel lobby, as I was afraid that security would toss me out of there, and throw me so far that I’d land right in the middle of all the snarling traffic on PCH. I was out of my place, and I could see it and feel it all around me.

Yes, I know that I probably SHOULD HAVE FELT OUT OF PLACE at the St. Regis last night. I was one of those “commie-loving pinko Demonrats” who was hoping to ask Romney about his “kaleidoscopic view” of the war, as well as his flip-flops on such issues as choice, LGBT rights, and supporting “Demonrats”. OK, so I was hoping to stir up a little trouble over there last night…

But what about about all the middle-class Republican voters who might have the same questions that I do? Are they not allowed to question their own leaders? This problem is not just with Romney, but with the entire slew of Republicans who come here for money, but never stay to talk to real people about real issues. On the GOP side, it seems like this race has become a type of “aristocratic primary” where only the rich and well-connected can participate, while everyone else is stuck out in the cold, alone and afraid, trying to look in.

I guess it’s somewhat like the way the GOP has governed this nation for the last six years. But will anyone be able to crash these gates and let the common folks into the GOP primary process?

I’ll be in Dana Point on Friday to track down Mitt Romney as he hits up the big Orange County Republican donors for money. So how about you? It would be great if we had a Southern California group that tracks down these Presidential hopefuls as they visit the super-rich donors and spend time with them, and it would be even BETTER if this group were to ask these candidates why they don’t talk to all the rest of us about their plan to get out of Iraq, or about their plan to provide health care coverage to the 47 MILLION PEOPLE in this nation who have none, or simply why they spend all this time with a select few when ALL OF US plan to be voting next February as well…

(More after the flip)

So why don’t we start one ourselves? Can you join me in sending a message to ALL THE CANDIDATES that they need to pay attention to ALL THE VOTERS in California? And can we especially send a message to these GOP candidates visiting our fine state that we won’t support ANYONE next year who plans to continue this war in Iraq? We the people need to step up and make our voices heard, and I hope you can join me on Friday when we try to do precisely that.

I’d like for all of us to meet earlier in the afternoon to prepare to confront Romney. Do any of you in the Dana Point/Laguna Niguel area have any suggestions of nearby areas to meet up? I’d love for us to meet up beforehand, and finalize our plan of attack as we specifically confront Romney about his “kaleidoscopic view” of the war that he supports when it suits his purpose, yet refuses to send his own family members to fight in. I look forward to meeting up with many of you on Friday as we send a “very special message” to Mitt.

So can I count on you progressive activists in Southern California to join me at the St. Regis Resort on Friday to give this message to Mitt?