Mitt Romney: Difference between revisions
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Despite the controversy regarding Romney's positions, Romney has said he has kept his campaign promises. Romney vetoed a [[emergency contraception]] bill in [[July]] 2005, claiming that allowing it to pass into law would violate his "moratorium" on changes to the abortion laws. Romney's critics accuse him of grandstanding for the purpose of polishing up his [[pro-life]] credentials, for a possible run for the presidency in [[U.S. presidential election, 2008|2008]]. |
Despite the controversy regarding Romney's positions, Romney has said he has kept his campaign promises. Romney vetoed a [[emergency contraception]] bill in [[July]] 2005, claiming that allowing it to pass into law would violate his "moratorium" on changes to the abortion laws. Romney's critics accuse him of grandstanding for the purpose of polishing up his [[pro-life]] credentials, for a possible run for the presidency in [[U.S. presidential election, 2008|2008]]. |
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| ⚫ | Romney vetoed a bill in [[2004]] that would allow illegal immigrants to obtain in-state tuition rates at state colleges. Citing a $15 million negative impact to the economy and his belief that the state should not reward illegal immigration [http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/01/11/house_defeats_in_state_tuition_bill_for_undocumented_immigrants/?p1=MEWell_Pos5], Romney vowed to veto the bill again if it ever made it to his desk. In [[2005]], the bill was reintroduced to the House, backed by Representative [[Marie St. Fleur]]. The in-state immigrant tuiton bill was brought to another vote on January 11, 2006 and was overwhelmingly defeated by a total of 96-57 [http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/01/12/immigrant_tuition_bill_defeated/]. Romney applauded the decison. |
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| ⚫ | Additionally, Romney recently took a powerful position on education, advocating a nationwide focus on education through the recruitment of and better pay for math and science teachers, and allowing state governments to take control of underperfoming schools after three instead of the six-year period that is now in place. |
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| ⚫ | Speaking of the education provided to minority students, Romney said, "I really believe that the failure of our urban schools and, in some cases our suburban schools, to help minority students achieve the levels that are necessary for success in the workplace is the [[civil rights]] issue of our time." |
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===Cabinet=== |
===Cabinet=== |
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<nowiki>**</nowiki> reports to Economic Development<br> |
<nowiki>**</nowiki> reports to Economic Development<br> |
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Source: [http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=gov2subtopic&L=3&L0=Home&L1=Romney+Team&L2=The+Cabinet&sid=Agov2 www.mass.gov] |
Source: [http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=gov2subtopic&L=3&L0=Home&L1=Romney+Team&L2=The+Cabinet&sid=Agov2 www.mass.gov] |
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| ⚫ | Romney vetoed a bill in [[2004]] that would allow illegal immigrants to obtain in-state tuition rates at state colleges. Citing a $15 million negative impact to the economy and his belief that the state should not reward illegal immigration [http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/01/11/house_defeats_in_state_tuition_bill_for_undocumented_immigrants/?p1=MEWell_Pos5], Romney vowed to veto the bill again if it ever made it to his desk. In [[2005]], the bill was reintroduced to the House, backed by Representative [[Marie St. Fleur]]. The in-state immigrant tuiton bill was brought to another vote on January 11, 2006 and was overwhelmingly defeated by a total of 96-57 [http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/01/12/immigrant_tuition_bill_defeated/]. Romney applauded the decison. |
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| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | Additionally, Romney recently took a powerful position on education, advocating a nationwide focus on education through the recruitment of and better pay for math and science teachers, and allowing state governments to take control of underperfoming schools after three instead of the six-year period that is now in place. |
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| ⚫ | Speaking of the education provided to minority students, Romney said, "I really believe that the failure of our urban schools and, in some cases our suburban schools, to help minority students achieve the levels that are necessary for success in the workplace is the [[civil rights]] issue of our time." |
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==Presidential Ambitions== |
==Presidential Ambitions== |
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Revision as of 16:45, 12 March 2006
His Excellency Mitt Romney | |
|---|---|
| File:Mitt romney.JPG | |
| 70th Governor of Massachusetts | |
| In office January, 2003 – present | |
| Lieutenant | Kerry Healey |
| Preceded by | Jane M. Swift (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 12, 1947 Detroit, Michigan |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Ann Romney |
| Profession | Founder, Bain Capital |
Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is a Republican politician who has been the Governor of Massachusetts since 2003. He has stated he will not seek re-election in 2006. [1]
Prior to his political career, Romney rose to prominence as CEO and organizer of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. He is frequently considered a possible candidate for the 2008 presidential election.
Biography
Mitt Romney was born March 12, 1947 in Detroit, Michigan and is the son of former Governor of Michigan and Presidential candidate George W. Romney. Romney graduated from the Cranbrook School in Bloomfield Hills (which was then an all-male school allied with the Kingswood School, but they have now merged to become the Cranbrook Kingswood School). He met his future wife, Ann Davies (born in 1949), when she was at the Kingswood School.
After attending Stanford University for two semesters, Romney served for two and one-half years as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) in France [2]. He received his B.A. with Highest Honors and as valedictorian from Brigham Young University in 1971. In 1975, Romney was awarded an MBA from Harvard Business School and was named a Baker scholar. In 1975 he also received his JD, cum laude, from Harvard Law School.
Prior to being elected governor, Romney was a cofounder and managing partner of Bain Capital, a Boston private equity firm; the 1994 Republican nominee for U.S. Senate from Massachusetts, taking 41% of the vote versus Senator Ted Kennedy's 58% in the closest election of Kennedy's long Senate career; and from 1999 to 2002 the CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee in charge of planning the 2002 Winter Olympics, taking charge after the bribery scandal. He also sat on the board of office supply giant Staples, Inc..
Romney was elected governor of Massachusetts in November 2002 as a Republican, and is among those speculated as being very interested in seeking the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 2008. Romney is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He and Ann have been married 36 years and have five sons (Tagg, Matt, Josh, Ben and Craig) and eight grandchildren. Ann was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998.
Founder of Bain Capital
From 1978 to 1984, Romney was a Vice President of Bain & Company, Inc., the Boston-based management consulting firm. Later, as the company's CEO, he led it through a highly successful turnaround. Today, Bain & Company has 31 offices in 19 countries and over 2800 employees.
In 1984, Romney founded Bain Capital, one of the nation's most successful venture capital investment companies. Among the first companies it invested in was Staples, an office-supply store. In 1986 Staples, Inc., had one store. Today it has nearly 1,700. Bain Capital founded, acquired or invested in hundreds of companies including Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Brookstone, Domino's, Sealy and The Sports Authority.
CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee
Romney first obtained national attention with the 2002 Winter Olympics being held in Salt Lake City. In 1999 the event was $379 million in debt, and there were damaging allegations of bribery involving top officials. In an effort to avoid a major embarrassment, Romney was asked to lead the organization of the games. Under his leadership, the 2002 Winter Olympics turned into a spectacular success, clearing a profit of $100 million. Romney himself contributed $1 million, and donated his three years of pay ($275,000 per annum) to charity.
Governorship
Before the 2002 Republican primary for governor, the Republican incumbent, Jane Swift, was expected to run for governor. However, due to events under her tenure as acting governor she was seen by many Republicans as a liability who would be unable to win a general election against a Democrat. One poll taken at this time showed that Republicans favored Romney over Swift by a margin of more than 50 percentage points. With growing speculation that Romney would challenge Swift in what would be a bruising primary battle, Jane Swift decided not to seek her party's nomination.
During the general election Romney ran on a reform platform, as a major issue in the election was a serious state budget crisis. Supporters of Romney hailed his business record, especially his success with the 2002 Olympics, as that of one who would be able to bring in a new era of efficiency into Massachusetts politics. His detractors, on the other hand, cited his lack of government experience and claimed that he was ineligible to run for governor, citing issues regarding residency. The state Constitution requires seven consecutive years of residency before a run, and Romney had claimed residency in Utah as recently as 2000.
Romney was elected Governor in November 2002 over Democrat Shannon O'Brien, Green Party candidate Jill Stein, and Libertarian Carla Howell (50%, 45%, 4%, 1% respectively).
As Romney is still in the middle of his first term, his success as governor is still a subject of active debate. Proponents of the governor point towards his effectiveness in reducing government waste and moving towards a balanced budget. Upon entering office, Romney faced a $3 billion deficit. Romney balanced the 2003 budget, and he finished 2004 with a $700 million surplus. A reviving economy helped, but Romney didn't increase taxes, and he reduced spending through government consolidation and reform. Opponents say that he has supported the interests of big business over his constituents and been more interested in traveling the country to promote his political ambitions (there is speculation that he will run for President of the United States in 2008) than in being governor. Romney was selected in 2005 to head the Republican Governors' Association.
Romney has since announced, in 2005, that he will not seek reelection for a 2nd term as Governor of the Commonwealth, fueling speculation that he is preparing a run at the White House in 2008.
William Bulger
Romney also succeeded in pressuring William Bulger to resign as President of the University of Massachusetts (UMass) on September 1, 2003. William Bulger came under pressure from Romney and others to resign after he invoked his Fifth Amendment privilege not to testify when he was subpoenaed by a Congressional committee to testify about his brother, James J. Bulger, aka Whitey Bulger, one of the FBI's ten most wanted fugitives. Many supporters of the UMass system opposed Romney's attack on William Bulger, who, they said, had been a highly effective advocate for UMass and was being targeted as a formerly powerful Democrat.
Same-sex marriage
Romney was heavily involved in national and statewide attempts to block the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's November 2003 ruling that legalized same-sex marriage. He implored the General Court to pass an amendment banning gay marriage (the amendment passed the first round but failed in September 2005, and thus will not be put on the ballot — see below) and unsuccessfully went to court to try to have the marriages put on hold until the amendment's fate was decided. He did succeed in his enforcement of the "1913 law", which prohibits non-residents from marrying in Massachusetts if the marriage would be void in their home state; a decision many decried since the original purpose of the law was to block interracial marriages. The SJC is set to hear a case against the 1913 law in late October 2005.
Romney also testified to the U.S. House of Representatives, urging it to pass the Federal Marriage Amendment. In 2004, the Massachusetts House and Senate approved (the first of two necessary legislative votes, followed by a ballot referendum) a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage but allow for Vermont-style civil unions. It was struck down in the 2005 session, by a vote of 157-39, and thus will not go to the voters. In June 2005, Romney endorsed the “Coalition for Marriage and Family,” a coalition of Catholics and conservative organizations, including local organizations like the Black Ministerial Alliance and Massachusetts Family Institute as well as religious national groups like Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council. The Coalition states that it was founded as a result of “Massachusetts’ activist court [that] redefined marriage without the citizens ever having their say.” Romney threw his support behind the Coalition’s citizen petition effort — dubbed VoteOnMarriage.org — that would encourage a vote against the existing ballot amendment and replace it with another streamlined question that bans gay marriage and makes no provisions for civil unions. [3] Romney claimed that the existing ballot question confused voters who oppose both gay marriage and civil unions.
While Romney does not support Gay Marriage, he does believe that all citizens deserve equal rights, regardless of sexual orientation. Romney believes that homosexuals should have the right to a domestic partnership status that affords them the potential for health benefits and rights of survivorship.[4]
Health Care for All
As Governor, Romney has offered an initiative to provide health insurance to all citizens of Massachusetts without raising taxes.[5] Romney’s plan stresses personal responsibility in paying for coverage and provides funding for the underprivileged. The proposal would make health insurance mandatory for all state residents while providing assistance to those who are unable to afford it.[6] It also proposes penalties for people who are able to pay for their own health care but chose not to. The Massachusetts House and Senate have also filed similar plans and are working with the governor to reach a final agreement. A major difference between Romney’s proposal and versions offered by the legislature is the implementation of a payroll tax. Romney has repeatedly called the tax unnecessary and warned of the negative impact it would have on Bay State employers.[7] If Romney’s plan is approved, Massachusetts would be the first state in the nation to insure all of its citizens.
Retroactive Capital Gains Tax
On November 18, 2005 Governor Romney filed a bill to stop a retroactive capital gains tax in Massachusetts. In 2002 the state legislature raised the capital gains tax rate in the middle of the calendar year. A prudent taxpayer realized the illegality of the policy and sued the Commonwealth on the grounds that it violated the state’s constitution. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court agreed, and ruled that the legislature must implement the tax-hike on either January 1, 2002 or January 1, 2003. In November of 2005 the Democratic controlled legislature voted to push back the start date of the 2 ½ year old tax hike. This action exposed nearly 50,000 residents to 200 million dollars in additional state taxes. Romney immediately filed legislation to change the start date to January of 2003 while refunding about 250 million dollars to people who had paid at the higher rate. Calling the practice of retroaction taxation “Un-American” the Governor called upon the legislature to adopt this plan. After a strong demonstration of public support in favor of the Romney’s preference, the legislature reversed its decision.[8] On December 8, 2005 the Governor signed legislation “abolishing” the retroactive capital gains tax.[9]
Death penalty
In December 2004, Romney announced plans to file a death penalty bill in early 2005. [10] The bill, filed April 28, 2005, sought to reinstate the death penalty in cases that include terrorism, the assassination of law enforcement officials and multiple killings. The legislation would have required corroborating scientific evidence, multiple layers of review and a new "no doubt" standard of proof.
Romney's critics made the usual arguments against the death penalty, and claimed as well that Romney's complex scheme for trying capital cases (involving direct appeals to the Supreme Judicial Court) is unworkable and a waste of prosecutorial resources. It is estimated that under Romney's plan, trying a capital case could cost upwards of US$3,000,000, though it's argueable that under Massachusetts law incarcerating a convicted felon for life would be equally expensive.
Ultimately, the Massachusetts House of Representatives, which is controlled by a Democratic party supermajority, defeated the bill 99-53.
Melanie's Bill
In May of 2005 Governor Romney presented a proposal to the Massachusetts Legislature to crack down on repeat drunk drivers. Massachusetts had some of the weakest drunk driving laws of any state in the country. The state was losing 9 million dollars annually from its highway budget because existing laws were not in compliance with federal standards. Romney dubbed the legislation “Melanie’s Bill” in honor of 13-year-old Melanie Powell. Melanie was killed in 2003 by a repeat drunk driver while walking to the beach with friends. The bill included provisions that gave prosecutors greater power to go after repeat offenders with stiffer penalties. It also increased license suspensions, raised sentencing guidelines and required repeat drunk drivers to install ignition-interlock devices in their vehicles. Governor Romney urged Massachusetts residents to contact their representatives and ask them to adopt the tough new laws. Prominent members of the legislature were themselves trial lawyers and made their living defending repeat drunk drivers[11]. The House Judiciary Committee stripped many of the tough new provisions of Melanie’s Law and sent a watered-down version to an eventual conference committee.[12] The scaled back version of the legislation that reached the Governor’s desk bared little resemblance to Romney’s original plan. In response, the Governor filed amendments to restore some of the key provisions that had been omitted by the legislature. Appearing with families of drunk driving victims at State House press conferences, Romney rallied public support for Melanie’s Bill.[13] A massive outcry in favor of the Governor’s plan forced the state legislature consider Romney’s amendments. Pressured by angry constituents and negative media coverage, the House and the Senate restored many of the tough provisions included in the original legislation. In October of 2005 Romney signed Melanie’s Bill into law, creating the toughest drunk driving regulations in Massachusetts history.[14]
Abortion
During the 2002 governor's race, Romney stated he would honor a "moratorium" on abortion in which he would not attempt to change state abortion law. Although he told voters that he was personally opposed to abortion, he said he wanted to keep abortion "safe and legal in this country." In May 2005, Romney claimed his stance on abortion had changed, saying that he considered himself a "pro-life governor" who wished "the laws of our nation could reflect that view." [15]
In 1994, Romney also claimed that his views on abortion had changed, saying he became committed to legalized abortion after a relative died during an illegal abortion. At that time, Romney said that while he was personally opposed to abortion he would not force his beliefs onto others.[16]
"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 in a televised debate opposite Senator Edward Kennedy. "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." The person Romney was referring to was a teenage girl engaged to marry a member of Romney's extended family. Romney's sister Jane has said that the girl's death changed the family's perspective on the legality of abortion. "With my mom, that was a personal thing because we had a tragedy close to us -- not in our immediate family, but a young girl who actually was engaged and had an illegal abortion and died." "She was a beautiful, talented young gal we all loved. And it pretty much ruined the parents -- their only daughter. You would do anything not to repeat that."[17]
Although Romney has stated that he supports the use of unused embryos from fertility clinics for stem-cell research, he vetoed a Massachusetts bill to fund stem-cell research because the bill allowed the cloning of human embryos. The state legislature overrode Romney's veto, with many legislators feeling that stem-cell research will be important in the future to the state's biotech industry.[18].
Despite the controversy regarding Romney's positions, Romney has said he has kept his campaign promises. Romney vetoed a emergency contraception bill in July 2005, claiming that allowing it to pass into law would violate his "moratorium" on changes to the abortion laws. Romney's critics accuse him of grandstanding for the purpose of polishing up his pro-life credentials, for a possible run for the presidency in 2008.
In-State Tuition Bill
Romney vetoed a bill in 2004 that would allow illegal immigrants to obtain in-state tuition rates at state colleges. Citing a $15 million negative impact to the economy and his belief that the state should not reward illegal immigration [19], Romney vowed to veto the bill again if it ever made it to his desk. In 2005, the bill was reintroduced to the House, backed by Representative Marie St. Fleur. The in-state immigrant tuiton bill was brought to another vote on January 11, 2006 and was overwhelmingly defeated by a total of 96-57 [20]. Romney applauded the decison.
One Laptop Per Child initiative
Duplicating a successful program in nearby Maine, in September 2005, Romney submitted a bill to the legislature to deliver $100 laptops to all children in Massachusetts. This project would cost $54 million.
Additionally, Romney recently took a powerful position on education, advocating a nationwide focus on education through the recruitment of and better pay for math and science teachers, and allowing state governments to take control of underperfoming schools after three instead of the six-year period that is now in place.
Speaking of the education provided to minority students, Romney said, "I really believe that the failure of our urban schools and, in some cases our suburban schools, to help minority students achieve the levels that are necessary for success in the workplace is the civil rights issue of our time."
Cabinet
* reports to Commonwealth Development
** reports to Economic Development
Source: www.mass.gov
Presidential Ambitions
In what many viewed as efforts to kickstart his 2008 campaign for President, Romney campaigned for George W. Bush in New Hampshire and Michigan and had a prime speaking slot at the 2004 Republican National Convention. However, the speech, in spite of Republicans telling the press to "keep an eye on Romney," generated little interest, and New Hampshire and Michigan both went to John Kerry in the 2004 Presidential election. Romney's own popularity in Massachusetts slid due to a variety of reasons, including public unease over his frequent trips out of state, his campaigning for Bush against Kerry, an inability to get many of his proposals through the Democratic-controlled state legislature, and unrelenting attacks from his political foes, particularly state Attorney General Tom Reilly, a 2006 gubernatorial candidate, and state Senate President Robert Travaglini. In the 2004 general election, Romney's sponsorship of a slate of Republican candidates in traditionally Democratic districts failed, ending in a three-seat loss for the Republicans in the state legislature. News reports continue to suggest, however, that Romney has been laying the groundwork for a presidential campaign and many have speculated that Romney will run. On February 21, 2005 he spoke before South Carolina Republicans; the winner of the South Carolina primary has gone on to be the Republican nominee in every election since 1980 [21].
In June 2005 a Times Argus article quoted Romney as saying it was a "fair characterization" to say that he's testing the presidential waters, but that he was currently planning to run for governor. A final decision, he said, would be made in the fall.
In a speech to the conservative Heritage Foundation in September 2005 Romney stirred controversy when he suggested that those Muslim Mosques "that may be teaching doctrines of hate and terror" should be wiretapped to check for possible terrorist activity and that foreign students from "terrorist-sponsored states" might merit special scrutiny and surveillance. [22]
On December 14, 2005, Romney announced that he will not seek re-election in 2006, thus further fueling speculation that he will make a run for the presidency in 2008 [23]. Romney has also said that he will not make a decision on whether or not to run for president until 2007 [24].
On March 11, 2006, Mitt Romney attended the Southern Republican Leadership conference at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, TN. He finished a surprising second in the The Hotline SRLC Straw Poll.
Electoral history
- 2002 Race for Governor
- Mitt Romney (R), 50%
- Shannon O'Brien (D), 45%
- 1994 Race for U.S. Senate
- Edward Kennedy (D) (inc.), 58%
- Mitt Romney (R), 41%
Notes
- ^ Miller, John J. "Matinee Mitt." National Review, June 20 2005.
External links
- Official Website
- Politics1: P2008 - W. Mitt Romney
- Speech at the Republican National Convention, 2004 (RealPlayer required)
- Gov. Mitt Romney - 2008 Presidential Wire
- Blog for www.electromneyin2008.com
- Yahoo Group For Elect Romney In 2008
- in 2008, Will It Be Mormon in America? The Weekly Standard, 06/06/2005
- Onward, Mormon soldiers - How the Latter-day Saints could make Mitt Romney president The Boston Phoenix, March 18-24, 2005
- The Holy Cow! Candidate The Atlantic Monthly September 2005
- Bain Capital
