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When electing the President of the United States, character is important. Regardless of party, or political ideology, we must first assess if the person on the ballot has the personal integrity of a potential leader of the country. Some have suggested that Mitt Romney is part of the “elite” and unable to relate to mainstream America. However, Mitt Romney has recently illustrated a “Can Do,” attitude that made America great. That American spirit is embodied in his latest declaration that if elected President, he’d build the Keystone Pipeline “if I have to do it myself.”
Mitt is just that kind-of-a guy. Imagine if he were President how he would handle these events:
1. If Ann Romney had to ride in a wheelchair, he’d install trailer hitches on the back of both Cadillacs so she’d have something to which she could tie herself,
And Seamus could drive.
2. If ,during a Romney administration, an oil spill occurred, and dumped 4.9 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf,
Mitt, with his “Can Do” spirit, would have bet $10,000 that it wasn’t anyone’s fault.
3. If shoes had been thrown at Romney during his term as President, he’d have his secret service agent take his off and throw them back.
As a fiscal conservative, Romney would know that his own Testoni Shoes might not be recovered, as replacing those shoes would be a waste of tax-payer money.
4. If a tsunami devastated Haiti during his term as President, Romney would have had his personal trainer give swimming lessons to some of the kids in Haiti at the local YMCA.
5. If a Nuclear Reactor was damaged in Japan due to a tsunami, Romney would have sent some cookies from 7-11 to the people of Japan.
6. If Tornados swept through the Midwest, Romney would have one of his aids send a hand-written sympathy card.
7. If the car elevator in his vacation home malfunctioned, killing the chauffeur, he’d personally remove the body before calling the repairman.
8. If a young black unarmed teen were killed during his term as President, Romney would vow to eat a bag of skittles in his memory, and declare that the teen looked like each of his sons, if they were black.
9. In a Romney administration, he’d mandate that all Secret Service agents pay the agreed upon price for any services received.
10. If Romney lived in the White House, he’d only allow Caucasian men to cut the lawn, to ensure that no illegal aliens would be employed during his tenure.
11. If Romney were elected President, and Ann needed a refill on her birth control pills he would insist that the prescription be refilled by an illegal alien so they could be deported if caught.
12. If Romney were elected President, and he were in a position to nominate a Supreme Court Justice, he’d save the country a lot of money by picking a Judge who wouldn’t worry about those pesky civil rights.
13. If Romney were to secure the GOP nomination, he’s the kind of guy that would not be so foolish as to pick someone like Sarah Palin as his running mate. Unlike Palin, he reads the newspaper, and everyone knows that Charlie Sheen is the preferred candidate to Sarah Palin, by a 41-36 % margin.
Make no mistake. Sarah Palin would like to be Mitt Romney’s V.P. pick. During her brief appearance on the Today Show, she was asked a direct question by Matt Lauer regarding her thoughts about Mitt Romney’s pick for Vice President.
Matt said:
“When you were plucked from obscurity in 2008, you’d been Alaska’s governor about two years,”
“You didn’t have any real experience on the national stage, and in this era of intense media scrutiny, you took some lumps. You had mixed results, as we all know. Do you think, if Mitt Romney is the nominee, he should choose someone with more experience on the national battlefield than you had at the time?”
Attempting to defend her record Palin said:
“Well, you know, I would put up my record as a CEO of a city, of a state, as an oil and gas regulator, up against any of the other potential GOP vice presidential nominees last go-around,”
Suggesting that she has always been the “victim” of the “mainstream media” Palin said:
“I would say it doesn’t matter if that person has national level experience or not, they’re going to get clobbered by the mainstream media who does not like the conservative message. And it doesn’t matter if that person has been a known commodity to the mainstream, lamestream media or not. The GOP ticket, to tell you the truth, Matt, doesn’t know what’s coming. They don’t know what’s going to hit them in terms of double standards being applied to them and the positions that they hold, and the records that they are running on from, you know, personal family issues to anything else. There will be that double standard applied no matter who it is.”
Mitt Romney served his entire term as Governor of Massachusetts. Palin quit. Romney has a JD/MBA from Harvard. Palin earned a 4 year degree in 5 years from Idaho University in communications. Yet Sarah Palin has the audacity to “advise” Mitt Romney. She said:
“ What I would advise Mitt Romney, or whomever the nominee would be, don’t necessarily play it safe, and do just what the GOP establishment expects them to do. And that is, to get somebody kind of just going along to get along, not willing to go rogue and get up and say that we need relentless, and we need sudden reform of our government to put it back on the side of the people.”
However in case the importance of the choice of Vice President was not clear, Game Change made that clear.
The most telling indication of Palin’s chance of being picked as Romney’s running mate was an interview with John McCain. McCain laughed at the possibility of Romney picking Palin, and warned that Romney should not “rush to judgment” when picking a running mate. Watch McCain laugh at the idea of picking Palin.
If Palin is lucky, Mitt might give her a ride on the top of his car.
Rick Santorum’s Google problems are old news. Some of Mitt Romney’s car problems are old news too. Perhaps the most memorable was the report of Seamus, his Irish Setter, being strapped in his dog carrier to the top of the family station wagon for a 12 hour car ride on interstate highways, traveling at 60 or more miles per hour. The runny brown liquid dripping down the back windshield didn’t seem to phase Mitt, but Tagg, Mitt’s oldest son, thought it was “gross.” After all the kids joined Tagg in voicing their disgust, Romney did what any other “common sense conservative” would do and hosed down the car and the dog, before continuing on his journey. It was an example of what was identified by Fox News as “emotion-free crisis management.” Most reporters who have written about this incident, have suggested that Romney was heartless, and abusive to his family pet. Yet some might suggest that this episode was staged. After all, no Christian Mormon would intentionally torture the family pet. Instead maybe Romney was sending a message to terrorists around the world: “If I’d do this to my family pet, think what I’d do to you!”
The second “car problem” is the sheer number of cars owned by the Romneys. We know Mrs. Romney has at least two Cadillacs. Mitt himself has admitted to owning a Mustang,
and a couple of trucks, although he may no longer own the Dodge.
The more recent “car problem” for Mitt is the car elevator that he plans to install in his California Beach home. The elevator itself is estimated to cost $60,000.00 and the cost of the lobbyist used to expedite the approval of the permit was $20,000.
Contrast Romney’s attitude toward elevators for his cars to installation of elevators for disabled Americans. As Governor of Massachusetts, Romney was hostile to requirements for elevators imposed by the Americans Disabilities Act (ADA). In two items flagged by a Democratic operative, Romney vetoed legislation that would have improved elevators for the disabled. On another occasion, in June 26, 2006, Romney vetoed an improvement project with the price tag of $40,000, with his line item veto, preventing an elevator from being brought into compliance with standards set in the ADA. On that same day Romney vetoed another project to bring another facility into compliance with the ADA.
It is not bothersome to me that Romney is worth Millions of dollars. What bothers me is that Romney has lost touch with the reality of most American families. Just because Mitt can afford an elevator for his cars, doesn’t mean he SHOULD spend that money on such an extravagance. Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, was worth substantially more than Mitt Romney; Billions rather than Millions. At one time Sam Walton was the richest man in the world. He wore clothes from Walmart and drove a 1979 Ford Half-ton pick up truck because he needed a vehicle in which to haul his dogs.
As a child he helped his mom run a small milk business. Sam describes that “we learned how much hard work it took to get your hands on a dollar, and that when you did, it was worth something.”
Mitt Romney has been described as having created a “ coast-to-coast buffer zone of luxury.” It is not the fact that he can afford the car elevator, it is that he would spend his money on it! How could the President address the economic crisis facing our country if he can’t remember how hard it was to get his hands on a dollar, and what it was worth when he earned it?
Barack Obama may be criticized for many things, but most of us would give him an “A” in foreign policy matters. Even before he was elected, Barack attracted hundreds of thousands in Berlin. Before he was elected he spoke of a global commitment to protecting our planet from environmental devastation; feeding the hungry; helping the people of Bangladesh; and addressing the scourge of AIDS. He said, never again in Darfur. He spoke of the importance of eliminating torture world-wide, and respecting the rule of law. Barack Obama spoke of the importance of accepting people around the world regardless of the color of their skin, their religious values, or their heritage. Never before has America elected a leader that gave voice to the importance of bringing an end to discrimination, and ensuring the promise of equality and opportunity for all people as Barack Obama did. “This is our moment” he said.
Barack Obama is responsible for ending the war in Iraq, finding and killing Osama bin Laden, and supporting a united effort to end the tyranny of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya. Our President was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2009, before he had served even one year.
While the President is overseas, Mitt Romney has gone on the attack. Romney has written an article critical of Obama, calling his entire foreign policy “a sad replay of Jimmy Carter’s bungling” and claiming that Obama has “demonstrated breathtaking weakness.” He also criticized Obama for calling Russian President-elect Vladimir Putin to congratulate him on winning the presidential election earlier this year. Even John Boehner said Romney has gone too far. He explained that when the President is overseas, I think it’s appropriate that people not be critical of him or of our country.” The message of Boehner was “Country First.” Perhaps Mitt Romney didn’t like that philosophy when he ran against McCain in 2008, and he still doesn’t get it.
This blog is read by people around the world. To my surprise over 500 people from Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, France, Sweden, Netherlands, Philippines, Norway, Italy, China, Serbia, and India visit this site each day. The internet ensures a global dialogue. When we express support for our President, the world sees it. Conversely, when we express disdain for any politician, policy, or issue the world watches. It is an awesome responsibility to represent views that are considered by people around the world. It is a responsibility I take seriously, and welcome all those reading from around the world. Appreciating that our audience is truly global in nature, it is even more important than ever that there be responsibility and accountability for all that is reported. I appreciate the confidence shown by all readers from America and around the globe. I will strive to earn your respect. Malia
It appears inevitable that Mitt Romney is going to get the Republican nomination for President. Identified as the “prohibitive favorite,” Romney is the GOP candidate with the majority of delegates, the majority of the popular vote, a superior organization, “financial firepower”, and he is developing the reputation as the “most electable Republican” in the field. Of the four GOP candidates, Romney was the least offensive to many of us, as he wasn’t advocating colonization of the moon,
he didn’t have a google problem
and he wasn’t in favor of legalization of all drugs.
Because he is a Republican I assumed he was a “fiscal conservative,” and given the debt facing our country, that wasn’t a bad thing. I was wrong! The first clue was Romney’s praise for the George Bush economic disaster that President Obama inherited. Remember when Bush admitted that our “entire economy was in danger” on September 24,2008.
On that same day, John McCain declared that there was such an urgent financial crisis facing the country that he was suspending his campaign.
Again, on January 18, 2008 George Bush addressed the country, before the inauguration of Barack Obama, to announce that the risk of recession was eminent, and his solution was to cut taxes and refund money to the American people.
Even though it was George Bush’s administration that started the bank bailout program, known as the “Troubled Asset Relief Program” (TARP), almost half of voters in America, attribute TARP to the Obama Administration. It seems Mitt Romney is banking on the fact that Americans have forgotten just how bad the economy became under the Bush Administration.
Mitt Romney has credited George Bush with “keeping us out of a full scale depression.” It was Romney’s praise for the economic policies of George Bush that caused me to focus on details of Romney’s economic plan, hoping that he wouldn’t be the disaster that George Bush was. Many articles have documented the catastrophe that George Bush was for the U.S. economy.
Time magazine featured an article in January 19, 2009, looking back on the Bush administration’s disastrous economic policies. They were identified in the following categories:
Bush’s Budget Blunders
The Return to Deficits
Tax Cuts for the Rich
Financial Regulation
Telling Us to Go Shopping
Energy Policy
So given the total disaster of the Bush administration for the U.S. economy, how could Romney praise the Bush policies, and what would Romney do to improve our current crisis?
The answer is that Mitt Romney’s approach is to lower income for the U.S. by reducing taxes, and at the same time spend more money. “That can’t be right” you say? Here is what Romney has said:
1. ENTITLEMENTS
While in New Hampshire Romney railed against “President Obama’s entitlement society” but in Florida Romney declared that “we will never go after Medicare and Social Security.” To ease the concerns of retirees and those near retirement, he has said no benefit changes will apply to those over 55 and that Medicare’s market shakeup will wait until 2022. By 2022, most of the retirees will be dead, and Romney wouldn’t be President, even if he won two terms. Thus his plan is to attract all senior-citizen voters, and postpone, yet again, the painful reality of the deficit.
2. TAXES
Originally Romney said he would “maintain current tax rates on personal income.” However he has changed that plan too, announcing that he NOW favors cutting the marginal tax rates for individuals by 20%. The people in the top bracket would have their taxes reduced from 35% to 28%. This new plan has been described as a “substantial cut and quite the switch.”
3. MILITARY SPENDING
Over 50% of our current budget is devoted to military spending and service of debt on past military spending. Instead of reducing military spending, Romney is in favor of more spending. He is in favor of building more new ships, more aircraft, and growing military personel by aroung 100,000 troops.
Contrast Romney’s economic proposals of reduction in taxes, and increase in military spending, and maintaining entitlement spending, to Obama’s plan. Obama has proposed tax increases on the affluent, cuts in military spending, and prioritization on education, public works, research and clean energy.
Romney’s economic plan is clearly designed to help him win the 2012 election, but to increase the deficit. Because we have failed to enact term limits, there is no incentive for a candidate to make the difficult decisions to work toward a balanced budget. President Obama is facing his last term in office, so he is more likely to address the deficit problem in the country. Romney by contrast wants two terms in office, so his incentive is to say what people want to hear. By promising the impossible Romney characterizes himself as the “fiscal conservative.” He favors cuts during someone else’s term, in 2022, and supports spending more now, while reducing taxes. If Mitt Romney should be elected we would experience a financial tsunami, from which we could never recover. We are on the precipice of a financial disaster in America. We can’t afford to elect a politician who isn’t willing to be accountable for the economic crisis until 2022. Run away from any politician who advocates postponing making difficult choices until 2022. By 2022 the Red Cross would likely be broke too!
Headlines this morning hail Mitt Romney as the winner of the Michigan Primary. With 99% of the votes counted Romney is reported to have received 41% of the vote and Rick Santorum only received 38%. However the actual winner is yet to be determined. As of 8:30 am this morning, the number of delegates awarded to Romney and Santorum was 11 each. Michigan has 14 congressional districts and each receives two delegates. Two more delegates go to the candidate who receives the most votes. Thus there is a total of 30 delegates. With 22 of the 30 delegates awarded, it is still not clear who actually won the Michigan Republican Primary.
Given the outrageous things said by Romney and Santorum leading up to this primary, the real winner was President Obama.
Romney made memorable comments about his love of the tree height in Michigan, and tried to relate to the people involved in the auto industry by explaining that his wife drives two Cadillacs. Santorum called the President a snob for encouraging higher education. Here is what our President said.
Rick Santorum announced that the notion of the separation of church and state made him want to “throw up.” Yet even more amazing was Rick Santorum’s robo calls encouraging Democrats to vote for him. The reasoning was that Obama would more easily beat him than Mitt Romney, so Democrats should vote in the Primary for him. Think about this. Rick Santorum was encouraging Democrats to vote for him, not because they agreed with his policies, but because he was more likely to loose to Obama than Romney. The word “traitor” comes to mind. By making these robo calls, Santorum was spending campaign money to encourage a scenario where the Democratic candidate would more easily win in November. We knew Santorum had a problem with abortion, homosexuality, contraception, separation of church and state, and that he has a “google-problem.”
It now seems that he has a “Republican-problem.”
 AOL indicates with 34% of the precincts reporting, that Mitt Romney appears to be the winner of the New Hampshire primary. Here are the results so far: |
| Mitt Romney | 26,281 | 37.4% | |
| Ron Paul | 16,587 | 23.6% | |
| Jon Huntsman | 11,863 | 16.9% | |
| Newt Gingrich | 7,076 | 10.1% | |
| Rick Santorum | 6,927 | 9.8% |
There are several lessons we can learn from the Iowa caucus results:
- Romney and Santorum finished within 0.1% of each other. Perhaps the race was so close because Romney is perceived as flip-flopping on homosexuality, and Santorum was clear in his position that homosexuality is the same a bestiality.
- Perhaps not many Iowans have Googled “Santorum”.
- There is a total absence of evidence that anyone in Iowa went rogue and voted for Palin. Jon Huntsman was reported to have earned 1% of the votes, Herman Cain received “58 wasted votes”, and 135 people showed up for the caucus and voted that they had “no preference”. Given this level of detail in the reporting of the results, we can assume if anyone had “gone rogue,” we would have heard about it.
- There was a record turn out of 122,255 voters this year as compared to 119,000 last year. This might be an indication that the eight Republican candidates who received votes resulted in confusion of the Republican voters in Iowa. The fact that the “winner” received less than 25% of the votes would be a clear indication that none of the Republican candidates were sufficiently inspiring to earn a significant majority of the votes.
- Romney hasn’t held elected office since 2006 when he announced that he would not run for re-election. Due to growing dissatisfaction in the Republican Party it was anticipated that if Romney ran for re-election he would lose. In the last year of his gubernatorial term he spent all or part of 212 days out of state, laying the ground work for a presidential campaign in 2008, which he lost. Rick Santorum lost his bid for re-election to the Senate in 2006 in Pennsylvania and hasn’t held elected office since then. Although currently a Congressman, Ron Paul has announced he will not run for re-election, and he lost his race for a Senate seat. Paul ran for President in 1988 and 2008, and lost both times. He would be 77 years old by the election of 2012, and would be 81 by the end of his first term as President if he won in 2012. Newt Gingrich was a Congressman but in 1999 he was charged with 84 ethics violations, and special counsel, James Cole, found that Gingrich violated federal tax law, lied to the ethics panel, and Gingrich resigned as Speaker of the House and from elected office in 1998. Thus Newt has not held elected office for over 10 years.
Hence, the top four candidates for the Republican nomination for the office of the President are losers. Two have lost in previous attempts to become President. Santorum lost his attempt at re-election for the Senate, and Gingrich quit his position as Congressman and Speaker of the House. Perhaps Stephen Bannon in 2012 will make a sequel to the “Undefeated,” featuring these four losers.
Business week reports this morning that Mitt Romney has stated he WILL NOT release his tax returns before the Republican Primary. He has not announced if he would ever release the returns even if he were the Republican contender. Refusal to provide the returns gives rise to significant questions regarding potential conflicts of interest, and a potential personal reason for not advocating a tax increase for the wealthiest Americans. It may be old news that his wealth was derived from the dissolution of companies and resulting unemployment of their employees, but it still bothersome. If Romney becomes the front runner, transparency is something everyone should demand.
Romney doesn’t seem to feel to sorry for Newt when Newt says he is “hurt” by the Romney supporters’ ad re Newt’s history of supporting abortions in the case of rape and incest.
Certainly we can understand why Romney feels comfortable attacking Newt on this issue, when Romney told the mother of four children that she should die rather than having a life-saving abortion during her fifth pregnancy. Unlike Newt, Romney thinks women should just suck-it-up.
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