Romney Has the Right Stuff – Newsmax 2008 Article Still Rings True Today

An excellent comprehensive look at Mitt Romney as a Presidential candidate back in 2008 still rings true today.  Ronald Keesler posted an exhaustive article making a strong case for Mitt Romney back in 2008 and it is worth a review by Michigan voters before we all head to the polls tomorrow.  The bottom line is the article makes the same case that Michigan for Mitt blog has been making — Mitt Romney is a full-spectrum conservative leader uniquely experienced and prepared to restore American greatness while earning broad support from republicans, independents and some democrats in Reaganesque fashion.

First he addressed Mitt Romney’s character and core by telling us about the rescue efforts the Michigan for Mitt blog reviewed yesterday.

Then he moved on to talk about Romney’s Reaganesque demeanor:

“The fact that Massachusetts, where only 13 percent of registered voters are Republicans, could elect Romney governor by a five-point margin (50 percent versus 45 percent for his Democratic opponent) underscores his popularity among Republicans and Democrats alike.

“In an hour-long Newsmax interview at Romney’s Boston headquarters, the candidate is Reaganesque: a man with a sunny, positive disposition. On his desk he has a desk plate that states “America Is Never Stuck.”

“Romney speaks with the effortless delivery of the best news anchors…”

Next he addressed the misconceptions about Mitt’s familial fortunes:

“If the family was financially set, it had little impact on Mitt’s upbringing. Like most other kids, he had summer jobs. His sister Jane, an actress in Beverly Hills, remembers that she was allowed to buy only one new dress a year.

“I always hated the word ‘privileged’ and I never thought we were,” she says. “My dad grew up with nothing. His father went bankrupt twice when my father was a kid.”

Then he touched on values & religion:

“George Romney [Mitt’s father] died on July 26, 1995, at the age of 88. He imparted deep values to his family, values that the Mormon Church emphasizes – strong families, honesty, giving to charity, respect for human life, hard work, and clean living.

…

“…In 1994, gay marriage had not yet become a serious issue. But in 2003, when the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, in a 4-3 decision, ruled that marriage in the commonwealth would no longer be limited to unions between men and women, Romney pushed for an amendment to the state constitution that would outlaw gay marriage.

“In a recent interview in his corner office at his campaign headquarters, Romney sticks by his position condemning discrimination against gays and lesbians.

“I can tell you this, which is I believe gay individuals should enjoy tolerance and respect,” Romney says. “They should have equal opportunities in housing and employment. We shouldn’t discriminate against people based upon their sexual preference or orientation.

“At the same time, I believe that marriage should be reserved for a relationship between one man and one woman. For me, that’s not a matter of discrimination,” Romney adds.

…

“He feels passionately that the value of human life begins at conception,” says South Carolina state Sen. Jim DeMint, a Republican who supports Romney. “The idea that he might have changed his mind [on Roe v. Wade] is very appealing to me, because we’re not going to win that debate unless people change their minds and think it through.”

“Romney has vetoed bills that authorized embryo farming, therapeutic cloning, and access to emergency contraception without parental consent. He is a critic of liberal judges who legislate from the bench, and he says he would like to see the court return the abortion issue to the people to decide.

Next was Romney’s success in saving the 2002 Olympics, an issue which I personally reflected on last week:

“In 1998, Utah state leaders approached Romney about taking over the scandal-ridden 2002 Winter Olympics. More than $1 million in bribes had been paid to members of the International Olympic Committee organizers. Before the scandal erupted, the Salt Lake Olympics Organizing Committee (SLOC) had a projected shortfall of $397 million.

“Romney accepted the position and asked Fraser Bullock, one of the seven original partners of Bain Capital, to become his chief operating officer.

“Romney traveled all over the world to gather support, as he cut back on SLOC expenses…

“With Romney at the helm, the games ended with a surplus of $56 million. The surplus money went to fund future Olympics.”

Then it was on to review another one of Mitt’s successes, saving the state of Massachusetts from its financial peril:

“With the Olympics success under his belt, Romney ran for governor of Massachusetts in 2002 on a platform of fiscal conservatism, promising to erase the state’s $3 billion deficit.

“As the new governor, Romney consolidated state agencies, cut employees, and closed what he called loopholes in the corporate tax code. He also tackled the most difficult public policy issue of all, health insurance.

“With input from the Heritage Foundation, Romney came up with a way to provide universal health insurance…

“Romney’s bottom line in Massachusetts: He erased the budget deficit he inherited when he took over, just as he’d done with the Olympics.

“When Romney left office on Jan. 4, 2006, the Bay State had a balanced budget plus a “rainy day fund” – all without ever raising taxes.”

He concluded with these points:

“Romney emphasizes four priorities if elected president: defeating the jihadists, competing with Asia, stopping runaway spending, and affirming America’s culture and values.

…

“Romney said he is “very concerned about the America that my grandkids will enjoy, and your grandkids will enjoy. It can be a stronger, more vibrant nation, or it can become the France of the 21st century – starting off as the economic superpower, military superpower, ending still a great nation, but not the world’s superpower. The choices we make today will determine whether America is a more prosperous and secure place for our grandchildren. I can help do that.”

Among former presidents, Romney admires Dwight D. Eisenhower. Besides taking on communism, “He was a person whose leadership during World War II made him someone the entire nation revered and respected,” Romney says. “And there’s nothing wrong with having heroes in positions of prominence.”

Having rescued the commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Winter Olympics, Bain & Co., and his partner’s daughter, Romney could well be talking about himself.”

I invite all Michiganders to reflect on this broad spectrum of attributes that would come with a Romney presidency in contrast to the other candidates and our current President.  As Jack Welch so emphatically stated weeks ago, we are the luckiest people to have this guy running at this time.  It couldn’t seem more clear to me that our country is in dire need of a turnaround and Mitt Romney is uniquely and expertly prepared to lead such an effort.  Michigan’s native is hands-down our best chance at restoring American prosperity and greatness, so let’s get out there and vote for Mitt in the polls tomorrow and take a car full of Mitt voters with us!  

Parade Article: A Mitt Romney You Haven’t Seen Yet

Parade recently posted a heartfelt interview with Mitt Romney here.  Its worth reading all 6 pages.  The American citizenry would be well-served to elect a man with the kind of integrity, family values, and leadership experience in helping and serving among the less fortunate that Mitt Romney has embodied.

Here are some key excerpt from Mitt’s responses to questions from the interviewer, but I recommend reading the article in full:

First, the interviewer says:

Photo credit: Parade 2011

“I conversed with the loving family man who proudly showed me photos of himself sledding with grandsons and who lit up when his wife, Ann, walked into the room…

And here are some comments from Mitt Romney in the interview:

“My dad was a carpenter who never completed college, yet he went on to be CEO of American Motors and governor of Michigan. At home, he filled us with the conviction that life was not handed to us on a silver platter. He made sure my brother and I mowed the lawn, shoveled the driveway. When he ran for president and his tax returns were published, it was clear he could’ve hired a landscaper. But he decided we would learn to work with our hands…

“I thought I’d be a business guy. I had dreamed of being involved in the automobile industry because I loved cars and I grew up in Detroit. My hope was that I could become an executive at one of the car companies. Had I thought politics was in my future, I probably would have picked Michigan, not Massachusetts as the place to live. [laughs]…

“I was sent to live in France among the lower middle class. Each month I received $100 or $110 from home, probably equal to $500 or $600 a month today. With it, I had to pay for everything—rent, food, transportation. The toilet was in the hall, shared by a few apartments, and the shower consisted of attaching a hose to the sink faucet, standing in a plastic tub, and holding the hose over your head….I recognized my life was up to me, and what I became was a function not of what my father achieved or what my mother dreamt, but what I could accomplish on my own…

“Growing up in a Judeo-Christian religious foundation, one measures one’s life by the contributions one has made to God and to the children of God. As the fragility of life becomes more clear in one’s mind, the need and passion to help others becomes more of a daily motivation…

“I read the Bible. I read it with much more interest and attention, and that made me, I think, more fundamentally appreciative of the truths and wisdom that had been provided by our Creator…

“She [Ann] is the most wonderful woman I’ve ever known, an extraordinary mother, and a very caring person. People immediately identify her connection to and passion for others. She would be one of the great First Ladies…

Q: If you could use one word to describe yourself, what would it be?
A: “Devoted. Devoted to my family, my faith, and my country.”

Then the interview moved on to topics of his lifestyle, religion, and other values:

“My view is that the commandments of God—let’s take the Ten Commandments, the basis of all Judeo-Christian faiths—are not so much restricting as liberating. I think being faithful to one’s spouse is a wonderful source of passion and devotion in marriage and that paying tithes as suggested in the Book of Malachi makes one’s money less important…I’ve given away 10 percent of what I’ve earned, pretax…

“I had the occasion, as you know, to serve my church in a foreign place and to live with people who lived extraordinarily modestly. I’ve also served as a lay pastor in my church and counseled people with very modest means and provided welfare funds from the church to them. I’ve had the experience of watching people under very intense personal stress—financial, unemployment, family, and marital. Those heartbreaking experiences are what give me such conviction that we have to turn this country around economically and restore the prosperity which has always characterized the middle class in America…

Q: How would you describe your core? What are your passions?
A:  “I love this country. I love the principles upon which this nation was founded. I have a deep affection for the American people. And I was raised with a conviction that I have a responsibility as an American citizen to help the country and to help my fellow citizens.

Q: How would you break the partisan gridlock in D.C.?
A:  “By finding people who care more about the country than anything else. And I would intend not to attack the people across the aisle. When I was governor of Massachusetts, with a legislature that was 85 percent Democrat, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that if I attacked the House or Senate leaders, I’d get nothing done. I worked with the Speaker and the Senate President. We met every week in one of our three offices for an hour or two, discussed problems that the state faced, and did so off the record.”

This is exactly the kind of down-to-earth personality and leadership the people of Michigan and the rest of the country are looking for from our nation’s President.  Unwavering devotion to family, faith and country, proven over the span of his lifetime.  We find in Mitt no flipping or recent conversion to these most important foundational values that comprise the core of a moral leader.

The question is, is such unwavering devotion to these values important to republican voters?

Who gets nominated may be very telling.

Governor Romney says “All the streets are connected in America” – Contrast that with Obama

Anybody disappointed with Washington lately?  Gov. Mitt Romney had some inspiring words during an interview yesterday when asked about some of President Obama’s positions and class warfare inclinations.   The answer is compelling especially given today’s context of another failed congressional committee.  Here is his response (emphasis is mine):

“Look, we have, as a nation, an extraordinary opportunity ahead of us.  We have a new century.  This can be and must be an American century.  The only way that happens is if we pull together as a people.  I know there are people who want to divide American and think that somehow that will help their campaign prospects.  You can’t divide America.  We have to come together.  All the streets are connected in America.  We’ve got to encourage Main Street and Wall Street and the suburban streets and the urban streets.  We’ve got to come together as a people.  When President Obama was candidate Obama, he campaigned with a message of unity and change.  He just hasn’t delivered.  He’s done the exact opposite of what he promised in the campaign, and the American people want to see a leader who is not in this race for himself, but is in this race for America, and can bring us together, can work across the aisle to get America on the solid economic foundation it needs, that can turn this into the job creating machine we’ve always been, and can make it good to be middle class in America again.”

This statement demonstrates why Gov. Romney should be our next President.  Unlike out current President who takes the side of one group of Americans versus another, Gov. Romney understands that if elected he will be the President of the United States, and not a leader that pits one group of Americans against another.  As Mitt said so pointedly, “all streets are connected in America.” I can’t agree more.  This recent failure of the congressional supercommittee is certainly a failure of congress to come together and put country ahead of self, but it also points to the tone that was set in Washington in 2009.  We do need to come together, but that is a campaign promise that President Obama made but has failed to deliver.  The President is uniquely positioned to set the tone, be involved, and take responsibility for the course Washington takes.  An article over at Investors.com explains this well (emphasis is mine):

“Where has Obama been during this fiscal crunch time [super-committee deadline]?

He hasn’t been on the sidelines again. He’s been completely out of the country. He absolutely had to be in Cannes for the Group of 29.5 or whatever it’s called this month because, you know, the Euro crisis. And, then he was hosting another group of leaders in Hawaii with Michelle. And then, of course, there was the Australia trip…

Remember back in 2007-08 the inexperienced ex-state senator, who’d been in Washington all of 24 months, was going to fix the place up with Hope and Change? He was going to bring feuding folks together because this is America and we are better than this…

It took about 72 hours for newly-disputed president George W. Bush to have senior Democrat Ted Kennedy over for coffee in 2001 and the first of many what-can-we-agree-on conversations.  It took Obama more than 500 days to have Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell over...

Here’s the deal: Barack Obama was elected president of all 57 states. Not king. Not legislator-in-chief, maneuvering to make the other side look as bad as possible while minimally soiling his own hands. President means he’s supposed to be chief executive, as in chief of executing things, getting stuff done…

A real President Obama could be so much more, actually in charge of D.C. like he promised. Get those numbskulls from both sides together in that Roosevelt Room and tell them what they were gonna do to reach agreement or he was going outside to describe to the American people the kind of petty politics they all cling to.

He rolled his shirtsleeves up to get Obamacare passed because he wanted it. But now…..

True, such an assertive mediation strategy would require leadership, something we’ve never seen from this guy. He’s great at jogging onstage after a fawning intro to give a telepromptered speech. And he’s gotten really good too at blaming others for anything, everything.

The trouble with leadership is it takes courage and might just work. Which he knows. Imagine if this guy actually had the will and skill to broker an historic deal, to drive a bargain, with both sides genuinely giving something. It would help Americans get back to having faith in D.C. leaders again…

Obama is actually running against his own ineffectiveness. At least now we know why he wants no part of a genuine deal this year, why tumult and anger and finger-pointing are so much more preferable/profitable for him to impose on the political landscape for the next 350 days.

The full article is available here.

Image credit - Lisa 2010

When the President had super majorities in congress in the midst of economic despair, instead of deciding to bring everyone together of all political persuasions to get to work fixing the economy and creating jobs in a bipartisan fashion, we saw Obamacare forced through a deeply partisan and sneaky process without a real vote.  The President and many of his followers completely shut republicans, independents and democrats opposed to his health care bill out of the legislative process, all the while ignoring the will of the people who in majority were opposed.  Hardly the kind of “coming together” that we envisioned from an Obama presidency.

Gov. Romney signs Mass. health care reform. Photo credit: AP Photo/Elise Amendola

Contrast that with the way that Mitt Romney led his state as Governor.  He, a Republican Governor in a very liberal state with an overwhelmingly democratic-controlled legislature, was able to bring everyone together to repair the state’s nearly $3 billion deficit and passed a health care reform bill (with an actual vote, fancy that) with only two dissenting votes!  His effectiveness as a leader who could bring people together erased the state’s $3 billion deficit and created a surplus rainy-day fund, and his health care bill helped many uninsured Massachusetts voters get access to private sector health care while removing the burden they were creating on other taxpayers by showing up to hospitals without insurance.

So in 2012 we have a contrasted choice.  We either re-elect President Obama, a man who seeks to divide America and shut Republicans, Independents and even Democrats of his own party out of the political process when they disagree with him, or we can elect a new President, Mitt Romney, who has the proven experience in leading government effectively, even when his party was a tiny minority in the legislature.  Let’s pick the guy that believes all streets are connected in America.

Romney Interviewed on the Huckabee Show

Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee on the Huckabee Show. Fox.

After running dueling campaigns back in 2008, former Governors Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee sat down together for a Huckabee Show interview on Fox last week to discuss health care, the economy, social issues and how Mitt Romney distinguishes himself from the rest of the pack.  This candid interview is a good example of how people who may have their differences from time to time can still come together in this country, have civil conversation, and work together toward common goals.  America’s strength draws in large measure from its ability to facilitate the voice of diverse and spirited discourse, and to then move forward with well-informed decisions.  Here are two former governors who have had their differences of opinion in the past, but who both seem quite capable and willing to seek mutual understanding and have a frank and honest conversation with an end goal of moving the country forward.

The following are video segments from Romney’s interview on the Huckabee Show:

Mitt Romney on Health Care

Will Mitt Romney be a Pro-life President?

How Mitt Romney can be Distinguished from other Candidates