Difference between revisions of "Mitt Romney"

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[[Image:Xnmhv.jpg|right|250x250px|thumb|Mitt Romney]]
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'''Willard "Mitt" Romney''' (born March 12, 1947), served as the governor of [[Massachusetts]] from 2003 to 2007 and is a [[Republican]] candidate in the 2008 presidential election. If elected, he would 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.
 
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== Personal ==
 
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[[Image:MittRomneyYouth05.jpg|thumb|Ann Lois Davies and Willard Mitt Romney]]
 
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Currently, Romney is gaining popularity because his stable marriage attracts conservative audiences who are unhappy with [[John McCain]], [[Rudy Giuliani]], and [[Newt Gingrich]]'s many 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."<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/08/AR2007060802781_pf.html</ref>
 
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Romney is the son of former [[Michigan]] Governor and presidential candidate George Romney, a "Rockefeller Republican,"<ref>Lisa McGirr,Suburban Warriors (book), Copyright 2001, Princeton University Press, p. 141, 222.</ref>  Many Massachusetts Republicans do not connect the father's politics with the son's, much like Presidents [[George H. W. Bush|George Herbert Walker Bush]] and [[George W. Bush|George Walker Bush]].
 
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== Political Views ==
 
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===Abortion===
 
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"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)
 
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<ref>[http://www.mittromney.com/Issue-Watch/Values America's Culture and Values] mittromney.com</ref><br><br>
 
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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." [http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/07/03/clarity_sought_on_romneys_abortion_stance/?page=2]
 
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In his campaign literature for the 2002 Massachusetts gubernatorial election, Romney expressed a willingness to defend that State's pro-choice status quo. [http://web.archive.org/web/20021218005104/www.romneyhealey.com/issues/4]
 
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===Civil Unions===
 
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Romney is opposed to the idea of [[gay marriage]], however he has voiced support for domestic partnership benefits and equal rights for [[homosexuals]].[http://web.archive.org/web/20021218005104/www.romneyhealey.com/issues/3]
 
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===Economic Agenda===
 
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As President, Governor Mitt Romney says he will 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.
 
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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.
 
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====Overall Economic Priorities====
 
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*Lowering Taxes: Proposes lowering tax rates for all Americans.
 
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*Spending: Believes Washington's focus should be on cutting spending.
 
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*National Tort Reform: Supports nationwide reforms to our tort system.
 
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*Union Card Check Legislation: Supports the rights of workers to decide whether to join a union or not.
 
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*Regulatory Reform and Sarbanes-Oxley: Believes the Washington regulatory burden is too high.
 
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===Immigration===
 
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<blockquote>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. [http://www.mittromney.com/Issue-Watch/Immigration]</blockquote>
 
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*[http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070323/NEWS09/703230396/-1/politics Des Moines Register: Romney: Reform Immigration, Allow Students To Stay]
 
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*[http://www.iowapolitics.com/index.iml?Article=91722 IowaPolitics.com: Romney Touts Strong Stance On Illegal Immigration]
 
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:On 5/24/07, Romney spoke about how he was tolerant about Gays and then he discussed the current illegal immigration bill before Congress:
 
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<blockquote>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.
 
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"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."
 
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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.
 
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"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."[http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007May24/0,4670,RomneyGays,00.html]</blockquote>
 
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===Stem Cell Research===
 
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Mitt Romney supports the right of scientists to research on embryos created during fertility treatments.[http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/diseases/articles/2007/02/11/romneys_stem_cell_view_may_upset_the_right/]
 
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==2008 Presidential Campaign==
 
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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 have been actively campaigning for their father, traveling around in a campaign bus called the "Mitt Mobile, A Five Brothers Bus."
 
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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.
 
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==[[Ames Straw Poll]]==
 
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On August 11, 2007, Mitt Romney won the Ames Straw Poll. He received 31% of the vote at the Straw Poll, a larger margin that then-[[Texas]] Governor [[George W. Bush]] received in 2000. Former [[Arkansas]] Governor [[Mike Huckabee]] came in second with 18%.
 
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==Fundraising==
 
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Mitt Romney has 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. [http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/10/16/top_spender_romney_could_soon_run_short/]
 
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==Opinion polling==
 
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[[Image:Dude and mitt romney.jpg|right|180px]]
 
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Mitt Romney leads in all the early primary states such as [[Iowa]], [[New Hampshire]], [[Nevada]], [[South Carolina]] and [[Michigan]]. He also leads in [[Idaho]], [[Utah]] and [[Wyoming]]. However, Romney is behind Mayor Giuliani and Senator Fred Thompson by narrow margins. A poll taken August 13, 2007 in South Carolina showed Romney (17%) moving up to third place behind Giuliani (18%) and Thompson (22%), though with the margin of error all three candidates were effectively tied.
 
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==Endorsements==
 
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===Congressional===
 
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* Former [[Speaker of the House]] [[J. Dennis Hastert|Dennis Hastert]]
 
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* Senator [[Bob Bennett]] of [[Utah]]
 
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* Senator [[Orrin Hatch]] of [[Utah]]
 
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* Senator [[Larry Craig]] of [[Idaho]]
 
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* Senator [[Jim DeMint]] of [[South Carolina]]
 
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* Senator [[Wayne Allard]] of [[Colorado]]
 
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* Senator [[Judd Gregg]] of [[New Hampshire]]
 
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* Former Sen. [[Jim Talent]] of [[Missouri]]
 
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===Governors===
 
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* Missouri Governor [[Matt Blunt]]
 
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* Former Colorado Governor [[Bill Owens]]
 
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* [[Rhode Island]] Governor [[Donald Carcieri]]
 
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* Former South Carolina Governor James B. Edwards
 
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* Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld
 
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* Former Montana Governor Tim Babcock
 
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==Criticism==
 
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Romney's critics attack his inconsistent track record on issues such as [[abortion]] and [[Homosexuality|gay marriage]] to the point where he has gotten the nickname "Multiple Choice Mitt." A man dressed as a dolphin calling himself Flipper has appeared at some recent conservative gatherings to bring attention to Romney's inconsistent stands on abortion and gay marriage. Although Romney now identifies himself as pro-life and anti-same sex marriage, he claimed to be pro choice and supported same-sex rights as late as 2002. These swaps coupled with his [[Mormon]] affiliation puts him at odds with much of the Evangelical right, but a PollingReport.com chart from September 2007 indicates that Mitt was still polling at approximately 10% within the GOP primary forecasts. <ref>http://www.pollingreport.com/wh08rep.htm</ref>
 
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Mitt Romney also changed his positions on [[gun control]]. He was originally for it, but recently joined the [[NRA|National Rifle Association]], an organization opposed to it.
 
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Following the split of the first three major elections in the 2008 primaries, Ron Kaufman, a top adviser to Romney, stated that the battle between the top three candidates "is going to be like the Bataan Death March." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080116/ap_on_el_pr/republicans_analysis;_ylt=Agy5R06oAxPw90acSddkhiSs0NUE
 
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<br />The Bataan Death March resulted in the death of approximately 9,000 prisoners of war during World War II, and has been labeled as a war crime.
 
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==References==
 
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<References/>
 
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==External links==
 
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*[http://www.mittromney.com Mitt Romney for President 2008]
 
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*[http://www.ldslivingonline.com/article.php?articleId=17633 Mitt Romney: proudly, quietly Mormon]
 
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*[http://www.evangelicalsformitt.org/ Evangelicals for Mitt]
 
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*[http://sparklepony.blogspot.com/2007/03/fresh-mitt-romney-juvenalia-hot-off.html Fresh Mitt Romney Juvenalia] Pics - Comments.
 
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*[http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YjE4MmMyMzVkZjlhZGQzNzlhZjdmMDEzNjI3MzM4ZTA= Mitt Romney: “I Changed My View. Is that So Difficult to Understand?”] The candidate talks about his efforts to convince voters that his pro-life conversion is real. Byron York, National Review Online, November 20, 2007
 
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*[http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=Y2ZkMWNkZDkzOTk1YTM0NTNkNmJlZThmYjJmM2ZmOGE= Did Mitt Romney Push Poll Himself?] Mark Hemingway, National Review Online, November 19, 2007
 
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*[http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=Y2EzODZjY2UxZTRhMWE2ZDk1ZWE5MGI0ZmRjMDViZTI= Team Romney on Push-Poll Connections] After reading the Hemingway piece, Kevin Madden, Romney for President campaign spokesman replies. Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review Online, November 19, 2007
 
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*[http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MzliMDgzOWVlOGEwYThlMzc5ZDVlNzM2YjA4M2ZkYTg= Romney Stands for Faith] The candidate pushes back against push-poll attacks. Larry Kudlow, National Review Online, November 16, 2007
 
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*[http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MGQ4YmM4Y2U3Yjc3MzYzNDQwYzk3YTVjMTI5YTkwNzg= Romney’s Religion], The Editors, National Review Online, November 16, 2007
 
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==Blogs==
 
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*[http://www.mymanmitt.com/mitt-romney/ My Man Mitt]
 
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*[http://conservativesagainstromney.com/ Conservatives Against Romney]
 
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{{2008_presidential_candidates}}
 
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Romney, Mitt}}
 
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[[Category:Political people]]
 
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[[Category:2008 Presidential Candidates]]
 

Revision as of 03:13, January 17, 2008

FAllace

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