Mass. GOP

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - Members of the Massachusetts Republican delegation reacted Tuesday to news that vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's 17 year-old daughter is pregnant by saying that it shows the Palin family faces the same challenges many American families cope with.Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R)

Despite former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Belmont) being passed over for the job, the Massachusetts Republican delegates gave Palin, the governor of Alaska, high marks Monday, and said Tuesday that Bristol Palin's pregnancy didn't change that opinion.

"Families across American deal with challenges daily," Jack Roy, a delegate from Haverhill, told PolitickerMA.com. "They are facing a challenge and we should respect their privacy."

Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R) at the Massachusetts GOP Delegation Breakfast: Politicker Photo

 BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- In a warmly received speech laced with humor, Mitt Romney stressed the importance of a strong opposition party and this year's presidential election Tuesday.

Romney, the Bay State's most recent Republican governor, told the Massachusetts Republican delegation at their breakfast that it is essential for the Massachusetts Republican Party to grow and point out the ruling Democratic Party's mistakes.

"It is important in a Democracy to have a voice that points out the weaknesses in the opposition party," Romney said to a packed room. "Somebody has to point out where things have gone awry. Someone has to point out where progress is not being made. Someone has to point out where correction needs to occur."

The former governor also said that Republicans are pivotal to Massachusetts because the Bay State media favors Democrats.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - As the Massachusetts Republican delegation congregated for the first time for the Republican National Convention this morning in the midst of what is becoming a highly partisan and increasingly personal presidential race something unexpected happened: they gave the Democratic National Convention high marks.

"Even though I am a supporter of John McCain," said Doug2008 DNC Convention Bennett, a Boston delegate, "I think they did a great job."

State Rep. Robert Hargraves (R-Groton) said the convention was "well orchestrated" and Kevin Jourdain, a delegate from Holyoke said it was "well organized."

"Seemed like they did what they needed to do," Jourdain added.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - With most of the Republican National Convention being put on hold Monday, the Massachusetts GOP will kick off the event with a breakfast at the Crowne Plaza hotel focusing on those in Hurricane Gustav's path.

On Sunday, the Republican Party stripped the convention schedule of most Monday events as news that Hurricane Gustav, a category 3 storm, is projected to hit the coast of Louisiana this morning.

Rob Willington, the executive director of the Massachusetts GOP said the party's delegation will meet for a breakfast Monday morning for remarks from party chairman Peter Torkildsen. The delegation will then focus on those in Gustav's path.

"We are keeping it low key," Willington told PolitickerMA.com. "Our hearts and prayers are with the families fleeing their homes."

The Massachusetts Republican Party had only praise for presumptive GOP presidential nominee John McCain's choice of  Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate.

"Sarah Palin is a terrific pick for John McCain and the entire country," Chairman Peter Torkildsen said in a statement.

"Sarah Palin took on the old-boy network in Alaska and won.To change Washington, it's going to take a team of Mavericks who have a record of accomplishment in shaking up the status quo."

DENVER -- The Massachusetts Republican Party took a page out of the national GOP’s playbook Monday night, criticizing Gov. Deval Patrick’s primetime speech as all sparkle and no substance.

In a statement, Massachusetts GOP Chairman Peter Torkildsen tied Patrick (D-Milton) to presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama (Ill.) and leveled the same charge against Patrick that the Republican National Committee and their presumptive nominee, U.S. Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), has at aimed at Obama.

“Tonight, Deval Patrick spoke in Denver, but he might have well as spoken in Hollywood,” Torkildsen said, “because what he talked about had no basis in reality and no relation to his own dismal record of broken promises.”

Like their national counterparts, the Massachusetts Republican Party is focusing on U.S. Sen. Joe Biden's past criticism of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

"It would be hard to find a harsher critic of Senator Obama's lack of experience than Joe Biden," MassGOP Executive Director Rob Willington said. "This pick only highlights what the people of Massachusetts are beginning to realize: Barack Obama is not ready to be president."

The campaign of Republican presidential nominee John McCain was quick to release an ad highlighting some of Biden's criticism of Obama when they were rivals in the 2008 Democratic contests.

Obama and Biden will make their first joint appearance as a presidential ticket today in Springfield, Ill. at 3 p.m. EST. 

Massachusetts Republican Party Executive Director Rob Willington said there was little discussion of who presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain will choose as his running mate at a GOP conference last week, despite Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a front runner for the position, speaking at the event.

Willington attended the GOPAC leadership summit in Washington D.C. last week. GOPAC, the motto of which is "preparing a new generation of young Republicans to lead America," focuses on new teaching candidates to use new campaign tools and developing the GOP farm system by focusing on mayors and other local and statewide positions.

Pawlenty, who is widely rumored to be on McCain's short list, addressed the summit, but Willilngton told PolitickerMA.com that there was "no VP talk."

"I don't think anyone wants to play the guessing game," he added.

The Massachusetts Republican Party called on the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers late Monday to initiate disbarring proceedings for state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson.

The move comes on the heels of news last Friday that Wilkerson (D-Boston) had reached an agreement with Attorney General Martha Coakley (D-Medford) that included paying $10,000 to settle several campaign finance violations dating back to 2000. By taking part in the agreement, Wilkerson acknowledged violations had been made.

"Sen. Dianne Wilkerson has violated the law numerous times," Rob Willington, executive director of the Massachusetts GOP, said in a statement. "This most recent agreement to pay a $10,000 fine for violations of campaign finance law is further proof that she should no longer practice law."

Responding to Oregon Republican Sen. Gordon Smith mentioning their work together in an effort to highlight his bipartisanship, U.S. Sen. John Kerry responded by tagging Smith as a lockstep Republican.

Sen. John Kerry (D-Boston)"Gordon Smith is my friend but the problem is that when it's come time to vote in the Senate he's been a much better friend of George Bush," Kerry (D-Boston) said. "Voting with George Bush ninety percent of the time just isn't good for the people and issues I've fought for over a lifetime."

In the ad, Smith, who is running neck-and-neck with Democratic challenger Jeff Merkley in recent polls, touts his work with Kerry on prevents foreclosures and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) on fuel efficiency.