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$20 Million and Not a Dime to Spare

April 03, 2007 1:10 PM

ABC News' John Berman Reports: On the campaign trail in New Hampshire, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, the newly minted king of Republican presidential fundraising, hasn't been asked by many Granite Staters about his record-shattering $20 million haul.

Dashing from Keene to Manchester, to Derry and back, Romney is riding a wave of glowing press through five events Tuesday, yet there's some evidence that the campaign hasn't gotten around to cashing all those big checks.

Having held the inaugural 'Ask Mitt Anything' forum at the Colony Mill Market Place in Keene, the contender stopped for a bite and some votes at the Peterborough Diner in Peterborough, N.H.

Munching on the Diner's classic blueberry pie (reportedly his favorite), Romney wisely avoided Diner lunch specials such as 'Hillary's Wrap', instead shaking hands and chatting with locals alongside son, Tagg, (who, say witnesses, also has tremendous hair) and his eldest granddaughter.

But at the conclusion of his visit, the $20 million dollar man made a startling realization: he had no cash.

It seems Romney, claiming only 55 cents in his pockets, did not have enough money to pay the Diner's seemingly reasonable $3.25/slice fee.  (Fortunately the businessman turned politician did not opt for pie a la mode -- that, according to the Peterborough Diner's website would have cost him $3.95). 

The Salt Lake Olympic savior called out to his 37-year-old son Tagg, "Can I borrow some money?"

Tagg Romney lent his father a Lincoln and the campaign went on its way.

Approxiamately 100-150 people turned out for Romney's first event of the day.  Cameras from ABC, NBC, and the CBS newsmagazine "60 Minutes" were also in tow. 

Although dared to 'Ask Mitt Anything', most in the crowd stuck to the basics to which Romney replied with Reagan-inspired quips.

Responding to a question on education, the former Governor paraphrased the 40th President to offer, "It's not that liberals are ignorant, it's just that so much of what they know is wrong."

Romney also stoked the conservative Republican crowd when taunting another favorite target; asked about U.S. power and the nation's role in the world, Romney declared, "We don't want to be the France of the 21st century."

In a brief press availability, Romney was finally asked about those boffo fundraising figures -- by the press, not the public, of course.

Romney claimed his fundraising clip reflects "growing support around the country" and joked, "Reports of my flip flops are greatly exaggerated," referring to another subject on which the public seems less concerned than the press at present.

April 3, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (2)

User Comments

Posted by: dick pairo | Apr 6, 2007 5:13:10 PM

Posted by: David87 | Jul 30, 2008 11:06:16 AM

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