Mitt+Romney



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= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =Who is Mitt Romney?=

Elected in 2002, Governor Romney organized a dramatic reversal of state fortunes and a period of economic expansion. Without raising taxes or increasing debt, Romney balanced the budget every year of his administration. In doing so, he closed a nearly $3 billion budget gap inherited when he took office. Romney managed to speed up the Massachusetts economy by eliminating waste, updating the local government, and activating economic reforms to encourage growth in Massachusetts.

At the beginning of his term, Massachusetts was losing thousands of jobs every month. By the time he left office, the unemployment rate was lower, hundreds of companies had expanded or moved to Massachusetts and the state had added approximately 60,000 jobs from the low point of the recession.

One of Romney's top priorities was reforming the education system so that young people would have the knowledge to pursue good paying jobs in the global economy of the future. In 2004, he established the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship Program to reward the top 25 percent of Massachusetts high school students with a four-year, tuition-free scholarship to any Massachusetts public university or college. He has also developed a package of education reforms, including higher pay for teachers, an emphasis on math and science instruction, new intervention programs for failing schools and English classes for foreign-speaking students. In 2006, Governor Romney proposed and signed into law a private, market-based reform that ensures every Massachusetts citizen will have health insurance.

Governor Romney was elected to the Chairmanship of the Republican Governors Association by his fellow Governors for the 2006 election year, and he raised a record $27 million for candidates running in State House contests around the U.S.

Romney first gained national recognition for his role in turning around the 2002 Winter Olympics. Romney left behind a successful career as an entrepreneur when he took over as President and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee.

Governor Romney has said he felt compelled to assume the seemingly impossible task of rescuing the Games by both the urgings of his wife, Ann, and by the memory of his father, George Romney, who had been a successful businessman, three-term Governor of Michigan, and a tireless advocate of volunteerism in America. In his three years at the in Salt Lake, Romney erased a $379 million operating deficit, organized 23,000 volunteers, galvanized community spirit and oversaw an unprecedented security mobilization just months after the September 11th attacks, leading to one of the most successful Olympics in our country's history.

Prior to his Olympic service, Mitt Romney enjoyed a successful career helping businesses grow and improve their operations. From 1978 to 1984, Mr. Romney was a Vice President at Bain & Company, Inc., a leading management consulting firm. In 1984, Romney founded Bain Capital, one of the nation's most successful venture capital and investment companies. Bain Capital helped guide hundreds of companies on a successful course, including Staples, Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Domino's Pizza, Sealy, Brookstone, and The Sports Authority. He was asked to return to Bain & Company as CEO several years later in order to lead a financial restructuring of the organization. Today, Bain & Company employs more than 2,000 people in 25 offices worldwide. Governor Romney has been deeply involved in community and civic affairs, serving extensively in his church and numerous charities including City Year, the Boy Scouts, and the Points of Light Foundation. He was also the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in 1994. He received his B.A., with Highest Honors, from Brigham Young University in 1971. In 1975, he was awarded an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was named a Baker Scholar, and a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School.

Mitt Romney finally won the "gold" in the January 15 primary, as he so enthusiastically puts it, and the result is a Republican Presidential battle that is more confusing than ever. Mr. Romney has definite bragging rights with his victory, resulting in a save for his campaign. He was able to win in his native state, but to do so, he had to convince Republican voters of all stripes. He helped himself by stressing the economy in a state that has lingered behind U.S. growth for years. Mr. Romney can't stop jobs from leaving the state, no matter how often he claims he can. But the economic message suits the former entrepreneur better than his previous reinventions as a social conservative and a Tom Tancredo immigration restrictionist.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120045531986293771.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries=yhoofront

=Willard's Campaign Trail=

Dec 06, 2007 Governor Mitt Romney's "Faith In America" Address

"Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone."

January 30, 2008 McCain beat Romney in the Florida primary.

January 30, 2008 [|Republican Presidential Debate at the Reagan Library] February 1, 2008 [|Maine Caucuses] February 5, 2008 [|Super Tuesday]


 * **__Primary__** || **__Status__** || **__Votes__** || **__Vote%__** || __**Delegates**__ ||
 * Florida || 2nd place || 598,188 || 31% || 0 ||
 * South Carolina || 4th place || 67,132 || 15% || 0 ||
 * Michigan || WINNER! || 337,847 || 39% || 24 ||
 * New Hampshire || 2nd place || 75,343 || 32% || 4 ||
 * Arkansas || 3rd place || 28,726 || 14% || 1 ||
 * Arizona || 2nd place || 154,071 || 34% || 0 ||
 * New York || 2nd place || 168,631 || 28% || 0 ||
 * Georgia || 3rd place || 289,734 || 30% || 0 ||
 * New Jersey || 2nd place || 158,625 || 28% || 0 ||
 * California || 2nd place || 790,515 || 34% || 3 ||
 * Alabama || 3rd place || 103,285 || 18% || 0 ||
 * Tennesee || 3rd place || 129,722 || 24% || 9 ||
 * Illinios || 2nd place || 253,502 || 29% || 2 ||
 * Oklahoma || 3rd place || 83,018 || 25% || 0 ||
 * Massachusetts || WINNER! || 255,248 || 51% || 22 ||
 * Connecticut || 2nd place || 49,851 || 33% || 0 ||
 * Missouri || 3rd place || 172,564 || 29% || 0 ||
 * Utah || WINNER! || 255,218 || 90% || 36 ||
 * Delaware || 2nd place || 16,344 || 33% || 0 ||
 * Florida || 2nd place || 598,188 || 31% || 0 ||
 * South Carolina || 4th place || 67,132 || 15% || 0 ||
 * Michigan || WINNER! || 337,847 || 39% || 24 ||
 * New Hampshire || 2nd place || 75,343 || 32% || 4 ||
 * Indiana ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * **__Caucuses__** || **__Status__** || **__Votes__** || **__Vote%__** || __**Delegates**__ ||
 * Nevada || WINNER! || 22,649 || 51% || 18 ||
 * Wyoming || WINNER! || 8 || 67% || 9 ||
 * Iowa || 2nd place || 29,949 || 25% || 12 ||
 * Minnesota || WINNER! || 25,850 || 41% || 36 ||
 * Alaska || WINNER! || 5,126 || 44% || 12 ||
 * Colorado || WINNER! || 33,288 || 60% || 22 ||
 * Montana || WINNER! || 625 || 38% || 25 ||
 * North Dakota || WINNER! || 3,490 || 36% || 8 ||
 * West Virginia || 2nd place || 521 || 47% || 0 ||
 * Maine || WINNER! || 2,362 || 52% || 18 ||
 * Kansas ||  ||   ||   ||   ||

=Romney's opinions on today's issues:=

Abortion:
Believes Roe v. Wade should be overturned so that the issue of abortion can be returned to the American people and their elected representatives at the state and federal level. Supports Supreme Court ruling upholding the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act. [|**Watch Romney speak about abortion**]

Economic Stimulus:
Stated at South Carolina campaign event on January 17, 2008: "I do believe it makes sense for Congress to take immediate action. The consequence of the economy falling into a recession is one which can be calculated in large numbers for the government, but in very important, heartfelt changes for the families of America, and preventing recession is an important responsibility of government. There is an opportunity to do that, and I believe that an economic stimulus plan is in order and that it should be acted upon immediately" Would make sure Bush tax cuts are permanent. Would make middle-class savings tax-free. Would roll back tax rates for all Americans. Would oppose any increase in social security taxes. Would lower the corporate tax rate. [|**Watch Romney speak about the economic stimulus**]

Education:
Supports No Child Left Behind. Will improve NCLB by giving states that meet or exceed testing requirements additional flexibility in measuring student performance. Will also improve the law by focusing more attention on individual student progress, rather than the overall progress of schools. Focus efforts on fields of math and science. Believes in school choice. Will provide a tax credit to help defray the educational expenses of parents who home-school their children. [|**Read more about Romney's education policies**]

Energy:
Establish energy independence at a top administration priority. Increase federal spending on research, development, and demonstration projects. Shift federal priorities to emphasize issues of energy security. Accelerate construction of new nuclear power plants. Pursue domestic sources of energy, including opening ANWR to oil and natural gas development. [|**Read more about Romney's energy policies**]

Environment:
Stated during a 2007 GOP debate: "…Is global warming an issue for the world? Absolutely. Is it something we can deal with by becoming energy independent and energy secure? We sure can. But at the same time, we call it global warming, not America warming. So let's not put a burden on us alone and have the rest of the world skate by without having to participate in this effort. It's a global effort, but our independence is something we can do unilaterally." Would support more drilling offshore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Would bring clean energy technology to market. Would promote clean, efficient uses of existing fossil fuels [|**Romney on the environment**]

Free trade:
Would launch a "Reagan Zone of Economic Freedom" that would include U.S. free-trade partners that commit to open markets and "playing by the rules." It would act as an alliance working together internally in the World Trade Organization and elsewhere to push reforms and work cooperatively in areas like labor and the environment. [|**Read more about Romeny's economic policies**]

Guns:
As governor, signed into law a permanent ban on assault weapons. Supported the 1994 federal assault weapons ban. Supported the Brady Bill requiring waiting periods for handgun purchases, but says it is no longer needed due to instantaneous background checks. Joined the NRA as a lifetime member in 2006. [|**Watch Romney speak about guns**]

Health care:
Supports covering the uninsured without raising taxes or creating a government-controlled system. Encourages states to develop their own plans to cover the uninsured using market-based approaches. Supports providing greater financial assistance to help uninsured Americans buy private insurance. As governor, signed into law a universal health care plan that requires all residents to have health insurance, with premiums tied to income and subsidies for the poor. [|**Watch Romney speak about health care**]

Homeland security:
Issued the following statement regarding the president's remarks on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA): "When al Qaeda calls into America, we should be listening… I agree with the president that we must use every tool at our disposal to keep America safe." Has stated: "The key to effective homeland security … is intelligence, finding the attackers before they attack, gathering and analyzing tips, monitoring suspects, wiretapping, surveillance…. It's aided measurably by the Patriot Act, perhaps our most effective new tool." Supports doing "whatever it takes" to protect America from terrorists, stating: "…if it means we have to go into a mosque to wiretap or a church, then that's exactly where we're going to go because we're going to do whatever it takes to protect the American people." [|**Read more about Romney's security policies**]

Housing:
Opposes a widespread government bailout. Believes mortgage companies and the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, which regulates mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, should be held accountable. Called for a "very aggressive effort" by both sides to help mortgagees keep their homes and put a premium on helping mortgage holders who are able to make initial monthly payments. [|**Watch Romney speak about the mortgage crisis**]

Immigration:
Opposes Bush-backed guest worker plan, saying it goes too far in expanding future immigration levels. Calls for a better system for employers to verify legal status of workers. Opposes allowing illegal immigrants to gain legal status apart from existing procedures available to all non-citizens. Opposes in-state tuition breaks for illegal immigrants. As governor, authorized use of state police for immigration enforcement. [|**Watch Romney speak about immigration**]

Iran:
Would push for tougher sanctions on Iran. Does not believe the United States should be engaging Iran in direct, bilateral negotiations over their nuclear weapons program. States on his Web site, "the military option remains on the table" regarding Iran. [|**Read more about Romney's Iran policy**]

Iraq:
Supported Bush veto of Iraq war spending bill that would have withdrawn most U.S. troops by March 2008 at the latest. Opposes troop withdrawal. Supported the president's plan for additional troops in Iraq. [|**Watch Romney speak about Iraq**]

Same-sex marriage:
Opposes same-sex marriage. Opposes civil unions, though had supported a Vermont-style civil unions law for Massachusetts. [|**Watch Romney speak about same-sex marriage**]

Social Security:
Will oppose any proposed increase in Social Security taxes. States: "If you just change the index from the wage index to the CPI that we're so used to … that would pretty much solve the problem of our Social Security burden." Supports the idea of private retirement accounts. [|**Watch Romney speak about Social Security**]

Stem cell research:
Opposes federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. supports a method called "altered nuclear transfer" which does not destroy embryos. Opposes creating new embryos for research purposes. Would allow research on embryos from fertility clinics, but opposes federal funding of such research. [|**Watch Romney speak about stem cell research**]

Taxes:
Supports making Bush tax cuts permanent. Did not support or oppose the Bush tax cuts as governor. Has not endorsed the proposal supporters call the "Fair Tax," which would repeal income taxes and other taxes and abolish the Internal Revenue Service and replace them with a national retail sales tax. Says the economic impact would have to be studied before instituting such a major change to the tax system. Would eliminate estate taxes and taxes on interest dividends and capital gains. Signed a pledge not to raise taxes. [|**Watch Romney speak about taxes**]

=02/07/2008 - Mitt Romney suspends his campaign.=

=**Mitt Romney's farewell address:**=

//"I want to begin by saying thank you. It's great to be with you again. And I look forward to joining with you many more times in the future.//
===//"Last year, CPAC gave me the sendoff I needed. I was in single digits in the polls, and I was facing household Republican names. As of today, more than 4 million people have given me their vote for President, less than Senator McCain's 4.7 million, but quite a statement nonetheless. Eleven states have given me their nod, compared to his 13. Of course, because size does matter, he's doing quite a bit better with his number of delegates.//===

//"To all of you, thank you for caring enough about the future of America to show up, stand up and speak up for conservative principles.//
===//"As I said to you last year, conservative principles are needed now more than ever. We face a new generation of challenges, challenges which threaten our prosperity, our security and our future. I am convinced that unless America changes course, we will become the France of the 21st century – still a great nation, but no longer the leader of the world, no longer the superpower. And to me, that is unthinkable. Simon Peres, in a visit to Boston, was asked what he thought about the war in Iraq. 'First,' he said, 'I must put something in context. America is unique in the history of the world. In the history of the world, whenever there has been conflict, the nation that wins takes land from the nation that loses. One nation in history, and this during the last century, laid down hundreds of thousands of lives and took no land. No land from Germany, no land from Japan, no land from Korea. America is unique in the sacrifice it has made for liberty, for itself and for freedom loving people around the world.' The best ally peace has ever known, and will ever know, is a strong America.//===

//"And that is why we must rise to the occasion, as we have always done before, to confront the challenges ahead. Perhaps the most fundamental of these is the attack on the American culture.//
===//"Over the years, my business has taken me to many countries. I have been struck by the enormous differences in the wealth and well-being of people of different nations. I have read a number of scholarly explanations for the disparities. I found the most convincing was that written by David Landes, a professor emeritus from Harvard University. I presume he's a liberal – I guess that's redundant. His work traces the coming and going of great civilizations throughout history. After hundreds of pages of analysis, he concludes with this://===

//"If we learn anything from the history of economic development, it is that culture makes all the difference. Culture makes all the difference.//
===//"What is it about American culture that has led us to become the most powerful nation in the history of the world? We believe in hard work and education. We love opportunity: almost all of us are immigrants or descendants of immigrants who came here for opportunity – opportunity is in our DNA. Americans love God, and those who don't have faith, typically believe in something greater than themselves – a 'Purpose Driven Life.' And we sacrifice everything we have, even our lives, for our families, our freedoms and our country. The values and beliefs of the free American people are the source of our nation's strength and they always will be.//=== ===//"The threat to our culture comes from within. The 1960's welfare programs created a culture of poverty. Some think we won that battle when we reformed welfare, but the liberals haven't given up. At every turn, they try to substitute government largesse for individual responsibility. They fight to strip work requirements from welfare, to put more people on Medicaid, and to remove more and more people from having to pay any income tax whatsoever. Dependency is death to initiative, risk-taking and opportunity. Dependency is a culture-killing drug. We have got to fight it like the poison it is.//=== ===//"The attack on faith and religion is no less relentless. And tolerance for pornography – even celebration of it – and sexual promiscuity, combined with the twisted incentives of government welfare programs have led to today's grim realities: 68% of African American children are born out-of-wedlock, 45% of Hispanic children, and 25% of White children. How much harder it is for these children to succeed in school and in life. A nation built on the principles of the Founding Fathers cannot long stand when its children are raised without fathers in the home.//=== ===//"The development of a child is enhanced by having a mother and father. Such a family is the ideal for the future of the child and for the strength of a nation. I wonder how it is that unelected judges, like some in my state of Massachusetts, are so unaware of this reality, so oblivious to the millennia of recorded history. It is time for the people of America to fortify marriage through Constitutional amendment, so that liberal judges cannot continue to attack it.//=== ===//"Europe is facing a demographic disaster. That is the inevitable product of weakened faith in the Creator, failed families, disrespect for the sanctity of human life and eroded morality. Some reason that culture is merely an accessory to America's vitality; we know that it is the source of our strength. And we are not dissuaded by the snickers and knowing glances when we stand up for family values, and morality, and culture. We will always be honored to stand on principle and to stand for principle.//=== ===//"The attack on our culture is not our sole challenge. We face economic competition unlike anything we have ever known before. China and Asia are emerging from centuries of poverty. Their people are plentiful, innovative and ambitious. If we do not change course, Asia or China will pass us by as the economic superpower, just as we passed England and France during the last century. The prosperity and security of our children and grandchildren depend on us.//=== ===//"Our prosperity and security also depend on finally acting to become energy secure. Oil producing states like Russia and Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Iran are siphoning over $400 billion per year from our economy – that's almost what we spend annually for defense. It is past time for us to invest in energy technology, nuclear power, clean coal, liquid coal, renewable sources and energy efficiency. America must never be held hostage by the likes of Putin, Chavez, and Ahmadinejad.//=== ===//"And our economy is also burdened by the inexorable ramping of government spending. Don't focus on the pork alone – even though it is indeed irritating and shameful. Look at the entitlements. They make up 60% of federal spending today. By the end of the next President's second term, they will total 70%. Any conservative plan for the future has to include entitlement reform that solves the problem, not just acknowledges it.//=== ===//"Most politicians don't seem to understand the connection between our ability to compete and our national wealth, and the wealth of our families. They act as if money just happens – that it's just there. But every dollar represents a good or service produced in the private sector. Depress the private sector and you depress the well-being of Americans.//=== ===//"That's exactly what happens with high taxes, over-regulation, tort windfalls, mandates, and overfed, over-spending government. Did you see that today, government workers make more money than people who work in the private sector? Can you imagine what happens to an economy where the best opportunities are for bureaucrats?//=== ===//"It's high time to lower taxes, including corporate taxes, to take a weed-whacker to government regulations, to reform entitlements, and to stand up to the increasingly voracious appetite of the unions in our government.//=== ===//"And finally, let's consider the greatest challenge facing America – and facing the entire civilized world: the threat of violent, radical Jihad. In one wing of the world of Islam, there is a conviction that all governments should be destroyed and replaced by a religious caliphate. These Jihadists will battle any form of democracy. To them, democracy is blasphemous for it says that citizens, not God shape the law. They find the idea of human equality to be offensive. They hate everything we believe about freedom just as we hate everything they believe about radical Jihad.//=== ===//"To battle this threat, we have sent the most courageous and brave soldiers in the world. But their numbers have been depleted by the Clinton years when troops were reduced by 500,000, when 80 ships were retired from the Navy, and when our human intelligence was slashed by 25%. We were told that we were getting a peace dividend. We got the dividend, but we didn't get the peace. In the face of evil in radical Jihad and given the inevitable military ambitions of China, we must act to rebuild our military might – raise military spending to 4% of our GDP, purchase the most modern armament, re-shape our fighting forces for the asymmetric demands we now face, and give the veterans the care they deserve.//=== ===//"Soon, the face of liberalism in America will have a new name. Whether it is Barack or Hillary, the result would be the same if they were to win the Presidency. The opponents of American culture would push the throttle, devising new justifications for judges to depart from the Constitution. Economic neophytes would layer heavier and heavier burdens on employers and families, slowing our economy and opening the way for foreign competition to further erode our lead.//=== ===//"Even though we face an uphill fight, I know that many in this room are fully behind my campaign. You are with me all the way to the convention. Fight on, just like Ronald Reagan did in 1976. But there is an important difference from 1976: today, we are a nation at war.//=== ===//"And Barack and Hillary have made their intentions clear regarding Iraq and the war on terror. They would retreat and declare defeat. And the consequence of that would be devastating. It would mean attacks on America, launched from safe havens that make Afghanistan under the Taliban look like child's play. About this, I have no doubt.//=== ===//"I disagree with Senator McCain on a number of issues, as you know. But I agree with him on doing whatever it takes to be successful in Iraq, on finding and executing Osama bin Laden, and on eliminating Al Qaeda and terror. If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror.//=== ===//"This is not an easy decision for me. I hate to lose. My family, my friends and our supporters – many of you right here in this room – have given a great deal to get me where I have a shot at becoming President. If this were only about me, I would go on. But I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, I feel I must now stand aside, for our party and for our country.//=== ===//"I will continue to stand for conservative principles. I will fight alongside you for all the things we believe in. And one of those things is that we cannot allow the next President of the United States to retreat in the face evil extremism.//=== ===//"It is the common task of each generation – and the burden of liberty – to preserve this country, expand its freedoms and renew its spirit so that its noble past is prologue to its glorious future.//=== ===//"To this task, accepting this burden, we are all dedicated, and I firmly believe, by the providence of the Almighty, that we will succeed beyond our fondest hope. America must remain, as it has always been, the hope of the Earth.//===