From the DPVA, referring to this ("Jim Gilmore to join Mitt Romney, Bill Bolling & Keith Fimian"):
It was just last summer that Jim Gilmore's failed bid for President came to an abrupt and unceremonious end. At the time, Gilmore was polling at 1% or less in all of the polls and he still carries over $140,000 in debt from the contest.During his campaign, Gilmore blasted frontrunners John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Rudy Giuliani, dubbing the three "Rudy McRomney" and tearing apart their records. Gilmore took special aim at Mitt Romney, calling Romney a "liberal politician [from] the Northeast" who used his wealth to convert into a 'Conservative'. Gilmore even went so far as to accuse Romney of buying his way into the Presidential race: "One thing I don't have to have -- I don't have to have a hundred million dollars to convert myself into being a conservative."
Gilmore lambasted Romney for not sharing the "core conservative values" of his party and accused Romney of flip-flopping: "I didn't pretend to be one thing one day and then another thing another day." Throughout the campaign, Gilmore claimed that Romney repeatedly opposed core conservative values to win his elections, reminding voters that he was once an "Independent", and that "he was no Reagan Republican".
Gilmore bragged to reporters: "My record's as clear as crystal and I'm not going to shift now so that I can get elected President. I am the real thing and that's what I am ...and I don't think it costs much money to do that."
You're right, Mr. Gilmore, your record is as clear as crystal, and so are your campaign tactics. The Washington Post noted at the time that you had "raised less than 1 percent of what Romney did during the first three months of the year" and with virtually no staff, you decided to gain ground over your opponents "through a simple strategy: attack, attack, attack -- and hope the rest start attacking one another as well."
Now, one year later, you are welcoming Rudy McRomney to Virginia in the hopes that he will help your struggling Senate campaign, which has been defined by your negative attacks and inability to bring people together. Some things never change.
Gilmore Said Romney Repeatedly Opposed Core Conservative Values to Win His Elections. "Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney both repeatedly opposed core conservative values to win elections in New York and Massachusetts[.] [Gilmore YouTube Video, 3/2/07]Gilmore Called Romney a Liberal from Massachusetts. "We knew Mitt Romney was in the race, and he's very wealthy, we understand all that but Mitt Romney's been a liberal politician in the northeast and it's all on videotape. He supported Paul Tsongas for the President of the United States and when he was asked why he did that, he said he was an Independent. And then when was asked again in 1994, he said he was no Reagan Republican. The question today is, can he convert himself wildly over to become an evangelical candidate? We just don't think he can." [Human Events Interview, 3/23/07]
Gilmore Said Romney, Giuliani, and McCain Are Not Conservatives. During a presidential campaign stop at a GOP "unity dinner" in Des Moines, Gilmore said "Rudy McRomney is not a conservative and he knows he is not a conservative." [Rocky Mountain News Blog, 4/26/07]
Gilmore Accused Romney of Flip Flopping. Discussing the Republican presidential primary, Gilmore said "I didn't pretend to be one thing one day and then another thing another day. " [Lou Dobbs Tonight, CNN, 12/20/06]
Gilmore's Strategy to Won the Presidential Campaign: "Attack, Attack, Attack." During the presidential campaign the Washington Post reported "With almost no money (he raised less than 1 percent of what Romney did during the first three months of the year) and almost no staff (he says he has a single "field man" in Iowa), Gilmore has decided to gain ground in the crowded field of 10 candidates through a simple strategy: attack, attack, attack -- and hope the rest start attacking one another as well." [Washington Post, 5/16/07]