Mitt Romney

In his op-ed in the New York Times today, former Gov. Mitt Romney (R) tells executives at the struggling automakers to "Get rid of the planes, the executive dining rooms — all the symbols that breed resentment among the hundreds of thousands who will also be sacrificing to keep the companies afloat."

Sounds like he's on the same page with U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman of California who earlier today asked the CEOs from the Big Three testifying at a House committee hearing to "raise their hand if they flew here commercial." When none did, he continued: "Let the record show, no hands went up. Second, I'm going to ask you to raise your hand if you are planning to sell your jet in place now and fly back commercial. Let the record show, no hands went up."

The government should not bailout the American auto-industry and should choose instead to let it fall into bankruptcy where it can restructure itself to more adequately compete in the global auto market, former Gov. Mitt Romney wrote in a New York Times op-ed Wednesday.

Romney, a Belmont Republican whose father was the president of American Motors, said by letting the industry slide into bankruptcy, auto companies can address two crucial problems.

First, their huge disadvantage in costs relative to foreign brands must be eliminated. That means new labor agreements to align pay and benefits to match those of workers at competitors likeBMW, Honda, Nissan and Toyota . Furthermore, retiree benefits must be reduced so that the total burden per auto for domestic makers is not higher than that of foreign producers.

That extra burden is estimated to be more than $2,000 per car. Think what that means: Ford, for example, needs to cut $2,000 worth of features and quality out of its Taurus to compete with Toyota's Avalon. Of course the Avalon feels like a better product - it has $2,000 more put into it. Considering this disadvantage, Detroit has done a remarkable job of designing and engineering its cars. But if this cost penalty persists, any bailout will only delay the inevitable.

More after the jump.

Former Gov. Mitt Romney is scheduled to campaign for U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss in Georgia on Nov. 21, his PAC announced Tuesday.

Chambliss, a Georgia Republican, is currently locked in a runoff race against Democratic challenger Jim Martion.

Romney is slated to appear at political rallies in Atlanta and Savannah. He will also appear at a series of private fundraisers, according to his PAC.

Jeff Beatty (R-Harwich)

Jeff Beatty, the Massachusetts GOP's nominee for U.S. Senate this year, said Monday that he is currently not seeking the chairmanship of the party, but wouldn't shut the door on any future possibilities.

"I am not pursuing it," Beatty told PolitickerMA.com. "I have had people ask me to consider it, but tomorrow will be two weeks since the election and I said I wouldn't consider anything for a couple weeks."

Beatty lost to U.S. Sen. John Kerry by 35 percentage points this year. Since the loss, his name has surfaced in some Republican circles as a possible candidate for the chairmanship following current chair Peter Torkildsen's decision not to seek re-election.

Beatty would not, however, rule out the possibility when asked if he had shut the door on a run.

Mike Huckabee is pulling no punches against his former GOP presidential rival Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney's former chief legal counsel said over the weekend that the appointment of Ben Clements, Gov. Deval Patrick's current chief legal counsel, as U.S. Attorney would be widely praised in legal circles.

"Ben Clements is a lawyer's lawyer with significant legal management experience as Governor's Chief Legal Counsel and prosecutorial talent," Dan Winslow, who is also a veteran local Republican strategist, told PolitickerMA.com. "His selection as US Attorney would be widely praised by the legal community and seen as a homerun by the president."

Several Democratic operatives told PolitickerMA.com last week that Clements should be considered for the U.S. Attorney post. U.S. Attorney's are appointed by the president and need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

For Mitt Romney, this year's election isn't over yet.

The former governor, a constant figure in discussions of the GOP's future, is encouraging his supporters in Georgia to contribute to U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss' runoff campaign and is considering visiting the Peach State, according to Romney's spokesman.

Romney also contributed $5,000 to U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman's recount fund on Tuesday.

"Holding those seats will be critical in terms of keeping the Democrats from getting a filibuster-free Senate," Eric Fehrnstrom, Romney's spokesman, told PolitickerMA.com.

Former Gov. Mitt Romney has contributed $5,000 to U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman's recount fund, the New York Times reports.

Coleman is currently facing a recount in his race against Democrat Al Franken. Just more than 200 votes separate the candidates as of Monday, with Coleman in the lead. The recount is slated to begin on Nov. 19 and could take as long as a month.

Former Gov. Mitt Romney, who is often the subject of speculation surrounding a possible 2012 presidential run, significantly trails Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in a recent survey of who Republican voters see as the frontrunner for 2012.

The Rasmussen poll, conducted the day after the election and released on Friday, showed that 64 percent of 1,000 likely Republican voters would support Palin over Romney, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist.

Romney came in third with 11 percent, behind Huckabee's 12 percent. Palin also leads Romney in favorability ratings amongst the Republicans in this survey. 

Check out the results after the jump.

Charley Manning, a longtime Bay State GOP operative and friend of Mitt Romney, said over the weekend that he doesn't think the former governor will run for president again in 2012, as political analyst Seth Gitell notes on his blog Gitell.com.

Gitell appeared on 96.9 WTKK-TM with Manning, who worked on Romney's 1994 U.S. Senate campaign and 2002 gubernatorial campaign, over the weekend. Asked if he sees Romney running in 2012, as many news sources are already speculating, Manning said he doesn't see it happening.

"I'd be surprised if Mitt ever ran again for president," Manning said. "I sure don't think it was the best experience of his life."