Mitt Romney

From Conservapedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney

Willard "Mitt" Romney (born March 12, 1947), served as the governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and was a Republican candidate in the 2008 presidential election. If he had been elected, he would have become the first Mormon president. Romney first gained national recognition for his role in turning around the 2002 Winter Olympics. With the 2002 Games mired in controversy and facing a financial crisis, Romney left behind a successful career as an entrepreneur to take over as President and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee. As governor, Romney balanced the budget every year in his administration without raising taxes or increasing debt. He also created over 60,000 new jobs and brought conservative change to the liberal state of Massachusetts. Romney dropped out of the race for the 2008 Presidential Election and endorsed Senator John McCain on February 14, 2008. Romney's name has been mentioned as a running mate for McCain.

Contents

Personal

Ann Lois Davies and Willard Mitt Romney
Ann Lois Davies and Willard Mitt Romney

Romney's stable marriage appeals to conservative audiences who are unhappy with John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, and Fred Thompson's divorces. In fact, Romney's wife, Ann, has even made it a point to highlight this difference, commenting at one GOP event that the difference between her husband and the other Republican candidates is that "he's had only one wife."[1]

Romney is the son of former Michigan Governor and presidential candidate George Romney, a "Rockefeller Republican,"[2] Many Massachusetts Republicans do not connect the father's politics with the son's, much like Presidents George Herbert Walker Bush and George Walker Bush.

Political Views

Abortion

"I am pro-life. I believe that abortion is the wrong choice except in cases of incest, rape, and to save the life of the mother. I wish the people of America agreed, and that the laws of our nation could reflect that view. But while the nation remains so divided over abortion, I believe that the states, through the democratic process, should determine their own abortion laws and not have them dictated by judicial mandate." (Boston Globe, Mitt Romney Editorial, July 26, 2005) [3]

Despite having a largely pro-life record as governor, in a 1994 debate with Senator Edward Kennedy, Romney said that abortion should be legal, declaring that "regardless of one's beliefs about choice, you would hope it would be safe and legal." "Many years ago, I had a dear, close family relative that was very close to me who passed away from an illegal abortion", Romney said. "It is since that time my mother and my family have been committed to the belief that we can believe as we want, but we will not force our beliefs on others on that matter. And you will not see me wavering on that."[4]

In his campaign literature for the 2002 Massachusetts gubernatorial election, Romney expressed a willingness to defend that State's pro-choice status quo.[5]

Civil Unions

Romney is opposed to the idea of gay marriage, however he has voiced support for domestic partnership benefits and equal rights for homosexuals.[6]

Economic Agenda

As President, Governor Mitt Romney promised to pursue a conservative, pro-growth economic agenda. Governor Romney's number one economic priority would be to grow the economy — helping to create good jobs, raise incomes and preserve American strength. He says he would work to rein in excessive government spending and reform entitlements. To ensure America's continued economic growth, he promises to cut taxes — such as the Death Tax, savings taxes, corporate taxes and marginal tax rates.

Governor Romney says he would also promote trade, bring market forces to bear in health care, pursue national tort and liability reform, eliminate excessive regulations that put a burden on our economy and strengthen American families.

Immigration

Immigration has been an important part of our nation's success. The current system, however, puts up a concrete wall to the best and brightest, yet those without skill or education are able to walk across the border. We must reform the current immigration laws so we can secure our borders, implement a mandatory biometrically enabled, tamper proof documentation and employment verification system, and increase legal immigration into America. [1]
On 5/24/07, Romney spoke about how he was tolerant about gays and then he discussed the current illegal immigration bill before Congress:
He expressed less tolerance for illegal immigrants, and said he and President Bush have a difference of opinions on a bill that would provide a path toward legalization for an estimated 12 million people unlawfully in the country. "He has his view, and other people have their views and I have my own," Romney said. "This is for all intents and purposes a form of amnesty in that everyone who is here illegally today will be able to stay under this bill." The bill is unfair to people who are trying to come to the country legally, he said. People here illegally should be able to apply to come to the United States, but under the same terms as everyone else and behind those who have already applied. "I don't think that we're going to round up 11 or 12 or however many million people and bus them out of the country. That's not what I'm talking about," Romney said. "Those who committed felonies, of course, would be deported. Those who require government assistance to stay here would surely need to get off government assistance and ultimately could not remain here on government assistance."[2]

Stem Cell Research

Mitt Romney supports the right of scientists to research on embryos created during fertility treatments.[3]

2008 Presidential Campaign

Main Article: Mitt Romney 2008 Presidential Campaign

As chairman of the Republican Governors Association, Mitt Romney spent a lot of time in 2006 campaigning across the country for Republican gubernatorial candidates. While he did not run for reelection as governor, in 2004 Romney set up a federal political action committee (PAC) called the Commonwealth PAC, which raised 2.71 million during the 2006 election cycle. On January 3, 2007, his next-to-last day in office as governor of Massachusetts, Romney filed to form a presidential exploratory committee with the Federal Election Commission. He officially announced his candidacy for President about a month later. Romney was the first candidate in either party to start running television and radio ads. The ads focused mainly on his record as governor, running the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics, and his work as a very successful businessman. Romney's five sons had been actively campaigning for their father, traveling around in a campaign bus called the "Mitt Mobile, A Five Brothers Bus."

Romney won the Michigan primary on January 16th, 2008, with 39% of the vote, edging out McCain with 30% and Huckabee with 16%. Romney was favored to win in the state of his birth, where his father, George Romney was governor from 1963-1969. After losing both the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary (to Huckabee and McCain, respectively), Romney won a low-publicized Wyoming caucus. On January 19, Romney easily won the Nevada caucuses by 37 percentage points when there were seven candidates on the ballot, however, on that same day he placed a distant fourth in the South Carolina primary. After a disappointing performance on Super Tuesday, Romney announced the suspension of his campaign on Thursday 7th February. He expressed his wishes not to divide the Republican party and later endorsed Senator John McCain of Arizona.

Ames Straw Poll

On August 11, 2007, Mitt Romney won the Ames Straw Poll. He received 31% of the vote at the Straw Poll, a larger margin than then-Texas Governor George W. Bush received in 2000. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee came in second with 18%.

Fundraising

Mitt Romney had done well in fund raising. During his first fund raiser as a presidential candidate, he raised 6.5 million dollars when his goal was to raise 1 million. During the first quarter Romney raised more money then any other Republican presidential candidate with $23 million. However, a substantial portion of his funds ($17 million) came from his own personal wealth. [4]

Endorsements

Congressional

Governors

Talk Radio

References

  1. ↑ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/08/AR2007060802781_pf.html
  2. ↑ Lisa McGirr,Suburban Warriors (book), Copyright 2001, Princeton University Press, p. 141, 222.
  3. ↑ America's Culture and Values mittromney.com
  4. ↑ http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/07/03/clarity_sought_on_romneys_abortion_stance/?page=2
  5. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20021218005104/www.romneyhealey.com/issues/4
  6. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20021218005104/www.romneyhealey.com/issues/3
  7. ↑ Endorses Romney Limbaugh Endorses Romney, Melanie Hunter, CNSNews, February 05, 2008

External links

Blogs

Retrieved from "http://www.conservapedia.com/Mitt_Romney"
Personal tools