Jun 8, 2007

Just in case...

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Unfair questions for Mitt Romney

By unfair, I mean that I don't think other candidates have had to answer similar questions.

 

Abortion:

  1. George Stephanopoulos
    1. So do you now believe that abortion is murder?
    2. Should women who have abortions and doctors who perform them be jailed?
    3. If it's killing, why should states have leeway?
    4. What do you believe the punishment should be for an abortion?
  2. 2nd Debate
    1. What would you say to someone who lost a wife or a daughter to an illegal abortion if you named the Supreme Court justice who tipped the balance and over turned Roe v Wade?

 

This one wasn't so much unfair as stupid, and out of left field.

 

America:

  1. 1st Debate
    1. What do you dislike most about America?

 

These ones arn't unfair just to Mitt Romney but to all the republicans. I have not heard a reporter ask any of the democrats about the totally un-ethical Bill Clinton pardons.

  1. 1st Debate
    1. Should Scooter Libby should be pardoned?
    2. Which current cabinet official would you keep ?

 

They could totally ask any of the dems which Clinton cabinet official they would bring back.

 

Wolf got into trouble over this one with Dick Cheney also. Click on the question to see how that went over.

  1. Wolf Blitzer:
    1. Do you want to tell our viewers why you disagree with Mary Cheney?

 

Mitt and Ann Romney's Relationship:

    1. Did you and Ann have pre-marital sex?

 

Has any other candidate been asked about this? Nope. It's OK to ask Mormons different questions.

 

 

Religion

  1. 1st Debate
    1. What do you say to bishops who deny Communion to elected officials who support abortion rights? (Not too bad, but gosh).
  2. Mike Allen
    1. Why are key tenets of your faith still misunderstood ? The tenets of every faith are misunderstood. Big deal. Don't ask a politician.
  3. How is your church so successful in getting its young people to follow its teachings? Ask the church dude. You don't really want to know.
  4. Brian Lamb
    1. Who was Brigham Young? Has Rudy had to tell about the Pope Pios the 3rd?
    2. Do you have an evangelical problem? Brian, do you have a stupid problem?
  5. Wolf Blitzer
    1. How do you deal with the fact that you are a Mormon? How do you deal with the fact that you are an idiot? How do you deal with the fact that your first name is "wolf"?
  6. Jay Leno
    1. Is their enough diversity within the Mormon Church ? Does Mike Huckabee get asked about Baptist in the South supporting slavery? The Mormon church did have racist policies more recently but it never supported slavery. That is part of the conflict it had in Missouri. Mitt Romney's dad was one of the few governors (especially Republican) who actually marched with Martin Luther King. Rudy hasn't been asked if the Catholic church has a molestation problem, but because Romney belongs to a religious minority, that isn't yet politically correct to defend, you can treat him different, and make him explain the stupid things his church has done, but you don't do the same to other candidates...
  7. Chris Wallace
    1. Are you a cultist? Chris, are you an ass?
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Jun 7, 2007

School Choice and Charter Schools

School Choice and Charter Schools

School Choice and Charter Schools Press Releases

2003

2004

2005

2006

Mitt Romney believes in school choice.

Reasons to agree:

  1. "That is why Governor Romney and I support the choice that parents have made to give their children a charter school education. Charter schools are an excellent alternative for parents who are seeking more options for their child's education."

Books to Read

  1. De-Schooling Society by Ivan Illitch

Websites

  1. http://fornits.com/gatto/

The legislature passed a one-year moratorium on charter school approval as part of its Fiscal Year 2005 budget. In June 2004, Governor Mitt Romney vetoed the legislation.27 In his veto message, Governor Romney wrote, "I am vetoing this section because charter schools provide meaningful educational choices and should not be limited…. It is fundamentally unfair to penalize hundreds of students already enrolled in the schools named in this section while these issues are being resolved."28 The House of Representatives failed to override the veto on a 77-78 vote. 29

On April 1, 2004, the Federal District Court in Boston ruled for the defendants in Boyette v. Galvin challenging the state's Blaine and Religious Exclusion amendments. The Becket Fund appealed.30 Because of a change in plaintiffs, the case has a new name. Michael Wirzburger, et al., vs. William F. Galvin, Secretary of State, et al. is now in the First Circuit Court of Appeals.31

27 Massachusetts Office of the Governor, "Romney Signs $22.402B Fiscal Year 2005 'No New Tax' Budget," Press Release, June 25, 2004, at www.mass.gov/portal/govPR.jsp?gov_pr=gov_pr_040625_signing_05_budget.xml.

28 Massachusetts General Court Website, "Veto Items: Fiscal Year 2005 General Appropriations Act: Attachment B," at www.mass.gov/legis/05budget/govvetoesoutside.htm#312.

29 Kevin Rothstein, "Charter School Moratorium Fails to Survive Gov's Veto," Boston Herald, July 21, 2004, at http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=36496.

30 George Clowes, "Challenge Continues to Mass. Blaine Amendment," School Reform News, November 2004.

31 Phone conversation with Megan Anderson, The Beckett Fund, September 2, 2004.

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Romney at Heritage

I wish we could have backed up all the Romney videos before they went away from the Massachusetts website.

Can we e-mail this to as many people as we can? Can we "podcast" it?

http://www.heritage.org/Press/Events/ev091405b.cfm

Google e-mails MP3s very well.

~ Mike
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Why Ralph Likes Romney

"I worked with Mitt Romney on several projects when I lived in Boston in the late 70s and early 80s. I found him consistent, professional, and disciplined in all aspects of his life. His focus was always on making things work better. His desire for excellence included making himself better too.

He knew well how to balance all the responsibilities in his life and was never an extremist. Respectful of others and open to different points of view, he was always willing to listen and learn from divergent sources. He never forced his faith on anyone, but there was no question that his many strengths came from his strong core values. Central to these values was "doing." He lived the principle that knowledge only has value when used at the right time, in the right place, and for the right reason.

His effective leadership style fostered the learning and development of others, such that others became self-motivated, independent, and productive. He was neither arbitrary nor myopic. Yes, family and faith were central to his life, but always without hypocrisy, self-righteousness, or condescension.

By the way, his zest for learning has been misunderstood. Learning implies change, which means that as more knowledge and information become available, then positions need revision too. This is not "flip flopping," as others sometime accuse. Rather, it demonstrates the ability to find better solutions. Unlike many others, he neither pretends to know everything nor fears change. Frankly, I would fear any politician who was unwilling to learn and to change.

Those who honestly take a closer look at Mitt Romney will find good fruit coming from a good tree. Judge him by that first."

Link

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Jun 5, 2007

Questions that don't need to be asked again of Governor Mitt Romney

Actual questions asked from Mitt Romney Interviews, organized by subject. Click on the question for the answer.

This would make a great tool for anyone who is interviewing Mitt. You can see the questions that have already been asked a number of times, and which ones still need to be asked.

 http://myclob.pbwiki.com/Questions

ABC News' Iran Intel Leak

 

  1. Neil Cavuto
    1. What did you make of ABC News' Iran Intel Leak?
    2. You say releasing this info was a risk to human lives ?
    3. Do you believe ABC checked with the CIA before publishing the story ?
    4. Should ABC be punished?

 

Abortion

  1. George Stephanopoulos
    1. So do you now believe that abortion is murder?
    2. Should women who have abortions and doctors who perform them be jailed?
    3. If it's killing, why should states have leeway?
    4. What do you believe the punishment should be for an abortion?
  2. Wolf Blitzer
    1. Have you changed your opinion on Abortion?
    2. What is your current position on abortion?
    3. How do you account for your change on abortion ?
  3. 1st Debate
    1. Would it be a good day for America if Roe v Wade was repealed?
    2. Have you always been for life or effectively pro-choice?
    3. When you said that being a pro-life president entails more than just appointing strict constructionist judges, was that directed at Giuliani?
  4. 2nd Debate
    1. What would you say to someone who lost a wife or a daughter to an illegal abortion if you named the Supreme Court justice who tipped the balance and over turned Roe v Wade?
    2. Governor Romney, during this campaign, you have been criticized -- and again tonight you've been criticized -- for changing your position on some issues. You say that it's a part of learning from experience. Can you point to an area in which your learning from experience led you to change to a position that is less popular with the Republican base?
  5. Katherine Jean Lopez
    1. Were you faking it when you said you were pro-choice ?
  6. Dan Balz, David S Broder and Ruth Marcus
    1. Do you support making abortion illegal?
  7. Mary Katharine Ham
    1. What do you think about the partial-birth abortion ban ?
  8. Mike Allen
    1. What policies would you initiate to show your sincerity?
  9. 3rd Debate
    1. Why should people who oppose abortion believe you are pro-life ?

 

Ahmadinejad

  1. Neil Cavuto
    1. What did you make of Ahmadinejad warning Israel that it may be uprooted?

 

America

  1. 1st Debate
    1. What do you dislike most about America?

 

Asia

  1. Katherine Jean Lopez
    1. Governor, you recently got back from a trip to Asia. What were you doing there?
    2. Did you have qualms going to China?

 

Background

  1. Brian Lamb
    1. Why did you pick Mitt over Willard?
    2. Where were you born?

 

Books

  1. Hugh Hewitt
    1. How can you read science fiction?

 

Brain Washing

  1. Brian Lamb
    1. Well, you know, if you ever look at the history of your father and running for president, they all say the same thing, it's all the "brainwashing" comment. Why would that have been the issue? I mean, why would he have been accused of saying something stupid about being brainwashed in Vietnam?

 

Budget

  1. How could you fix the budget?

 

Bush

  1. Wolf Blitzer
    1. Do you have any problems with the president's policy on Iraq?
  2. Chris Wallace
    1. Where do you disagree with Bush on Iraq?
  3. 1st Debate
    1. Should Scooter Libby should be pardoned?

 

Business

  1. Brian Lamb
    1. What does Bain do?
    2. what impact did you have on the creation of Staples ?
    3. how old were you when the Staples thing started?
    4. What other boards have you served on?
    5. Have you had a failure that you can talk about in business?
  2. 3rd Debate
    1. Is there too much of an alliance between big oil companies and Republicans ?

 

Campaign

  1. Tom Bevan
    1. When you decided not to run again for governor, how much did your thought of running for president enter into that discussion?
    2. So how's the campaign going for you so far?
    3. What's the question you get asked most ?
  2. Mary Katharine Ham
    1. How do you turn your money advantage into a win?
    2. How do you stop overconfidence from getting into the system here?

 

Cabinet

  1. 1st Debate
    1. Which current cabinet official would you keep?

 

Character

  1. George Stephanopoulos
    1. How do you convince voters that some of these changes are sincere, coming from conviction?

 

Conservatives

  1. Robert B Bluey
    1. What are some of the things you would offer conservatives?
    2. Do you regret comments you made about Jesse Helms and Ronald Reagan?
  2. 2nd Debate
    1. Are you a clear and consistent conservative?

 

Competition , Fred Thompson, John McCain, Rudy

  1. Mike Allen
    1. What do you make of all the attention being given to Fred Thompson.
  2. Hugh Hewitt
    1. Do you look forward to his formal announcement?
  3. 3rd Debate
    1. How do you respond to Mccain's accusation that you are pandering on immigration?

 

Debate

  1. Hugh Hewitt
    1. What are the reactions around Team Romney today?
    2. How many debates between now and 2008 do you think you'll have to go through?
  2. Mike Allen
    1. What is your mission in the debate coming up at the Reagan Library, and what do you think will happen ?

 

Education

  1. Brian Lamb
    1. In you history, it includes Stanford for how long?
    2. You finished first in your class at Brigham Young University in Utah?
    3. Why did you go to Brigham Young ?
    4. How did you -- how were able to get an MBA and a law degree at the same time ?
    5. And clearly it would be why you did well and, as you know, you finished well enough to give the valedictory address -- the question I want to ask you though is why do you think you did well? Other than having a lot of brainpower, did you have an approach to education?

 

Ehud Olmert

  1. Hugh Hewitt
    1. Are you surprised at the reaction to the handling of the Hezbollah war?

 

Family

  1. George Stephanopoulos
    1. Is divorse something voters should take into account?
  2. Brian Lamb
    1. Why did your father not give you any of his inheritance?
    2. Did he have a philosophy that he didn't want to pass on a lot of money to his kids .
  3. Brian Lamb
    1. When you father thought of running for president in '64, and then actually ran for a while in '68, how old were you in those years and what did you experience during that time?
    2. You can't be born out of the country and run for president, how did that work?
    3. When did your father George Romney move to Utah?
    4. At some point I noticed you were on the Points of Light Foundation board, but you go back to either your father starting the volunteer organization that merged into Points of Light? Explain that.
  4. Greta Van Susteren:
    1. How are you different from your father?

 

Flip Flops

  1. 1st Debate
    1. Have you always been for life or effectively pro-choice?
  2. 2nd Debate
    1. Why isn't your pledge to not raise taxes a blatant appeal to the party base ?
  3. Robert B Bluey
    1. Are you a flip-flopper?

 

Gay Rights

  1. George Stephanopoulos
    1. Should gays and lesbians be able to serve openly and honestly in the military?
  2. Wolf Blitzer :
    1. Do you want to tell our viewers why you disagree with Mary Cheney ?
  3. Robert B Bluey
    1. Would you accept another endorsement from the Log Cabin Republicans if it was offered to you?
  4. Katherine Jean Lopez
    1. Have your positions on gay rights changed ?
    2. Do you want to change don't ask don't tell?
  5. 3rd Debate
    1. Do you believe that gays should be able to serve openly in the military?

 

Governorship

  1. Katherine Jean Lopez
    1. Do you regret at all not running for reelection as governor?

 

Guns

  1. George Stephanopoulos
    1. When did you join the NRA?

 

Healthcare

  1. Robert B Bluey & George Stephanopoulos
    1. Do you think the country should have a Massachusetts healthcare plan.
  2. Chris Wallace
    1. How did the president miss an opportunity when he created the Medicare prescription drug benefit?
  3. Hugh Hewitt
    1. What are you doing for the half million uninsured in Massachusetts ?
    2. Are garnishing of wages even and tax penalties part of your plan ?
    3. What is the penalty of not having health insurance?
    4. Where is the pushback coming back on this proposal?
  4. Greta Van Susteren
    1. What is your health insurance plan?
  5. 1st Debate
    1. Are you embarrassed of your health care program?
  6. 3rd Debate
    1. What do you say to conservatives who are critical of your health care plan?

 

Iraq

  1. George Stephanopoulos
    1. Do you keep Bush or let him go?
    2. But how do you explain why all that planning wasn't done ?
    3. Yet, you support the president's decision to send more troops right now ?
  2. Are you confident the surge is going to work?
  3. Bill O Reilly
    1. Would you agree that we can't stop the Iraqi from killing each other?
  4. Tom Bevan
    1. What's your impression of the job Rumsfeld did ?
    2. Do you believe it's still fixable at this point?
    3. What happens if Iraq is not successful?
  5. Chris Wallace
    1. Where do you disagree with Bush on Iraq ?
  6. Wolf Blitzer
    1. Do you have a time frame in mind?
  7. Hugh Hewitt
    1. Do you support sending more troops into that country?
  8. Robert B Bluey
    1. Do you think right now the US is losing the war in Iraq?
  9. Katherine Jean Lopez
    1. What did you make of the Iraq Study Group?
  10. Mary Katharine Ham
    1. What do you think about Harry Reid saying the war is lost ?
  11. Greta Van Susteren
    1. Would you have gone into Iraq?
    2. Do you think enough questions were asked in March of 2003 ?
  12. 1st Debate
    1. Should we be in Iraq when the American people do not victory is possible?
  13. ''2nd Debate''
    1. Can you foresee any circumstances under which you would pull out of Iraq without leaving behind a stable political and security situation?
  14. 3rd Debate
    1. Was it a mistake for us to invade Iraq?

 

Iran

  1. George Stephanopoulos
    1. Does the president have the authority he needs to take military action against Iran?
  2. Bill O Reilly
    1. Would you go to war if the Iranians say, we're going to develop a nuclear weapon, you can't stop us ?
  3. Tom Bevan
    1. Would Iran acquire nuclear weapons under a Romney administration?
  4. 3rd Debate
    1. Would you use a tactical nuclear weapons to stop Iran from developing a nuclear bomb ?

 

Immigration

  1. Greta Van Sustern
    1. Are you in favor of a fence?
  2. 1st Debate
    1. Do you support a tamper-proof work status ID card?
  3. ''2nd Debate''
    1. Governor Romney, you have also called Senator McCain's immigration plan amnesty. Are you prepared to say that sharing the stage with him tonight? And how do you explain your statement to the Lowell Sun last year in which you said, quote, 'Those that are here paying taxes and not taking government benefits should begin a process toward application for citizenship as they would from their home country.' Why isn't that amnesty as well, sir?
  4. Neil Cavuto
    1. How big of a wedge issue will immigration be among the Republican presidential candidates?
    2. Will your stance against the Mccain-Kennedy immigration bill hurt you?
  5. Ed Morrissey
    1. What is you immigration plan?
  6. 3rd Debate
    1. What would you do with the 12 million illegal immigrants who are in this country ?
    2. Why are you airing ads in spanish if you think English should be the official language ?

 

Internet

  1. Robert B Bluey
    1. Why do you think it is important to dedicate resources to the internet?

 

Islam

  1. Hugh Hewitt
    1. Which branch of Islam do you think is more of a threat?

 

Khatami visit to Harvard

  1. Hugh Hewitt
    1. Can you explain to the audience your reaction to the visa issued to the Ayatollah?
    2. What does Massachusetts typically extend to Harvard in terms of assistance when such a dignitary arrives?

 

Law

  1. Hugh Hewitt
    1. What do you think of the Supreme Court's decision on eminent domain?
  2. Sean Hannity
    1. Would you appoint judges like Scalia, Thomas, and Alito .

 

Massachusetts

  1. Brian Lamb
    1. Why did you pick Massachusetts as a place to stay after school?
    2. How did you get elected governor of the state of Massachusetts?

 

Media

  1. Katherine Jean Lopez
    1. Does the mainstream media have double standards for Republicans?
  2. Mary Katharine Ham
    1. What was your worst moments with the MSM?
  3. Governor Mitt Romney
    1. Are the Republican candidates going to insist on more mainstream journalism?

 

Miscellaneous

  1. 1st Debate
    1. Should we change our Constitution to allow foreign born citizens to become president?
  2. Brian Lamb
    1. You are 47 now?
  3. what are the big issues?
  4. Now you describe yourself as a Reagan Republican Describe the journey .

 

Mitt and Ann Romney's Relationship

  1. Greta Van Sustern
    1. Do you remember the first time you saw the governor?
    2. Why did you marry Ann?
    3. How many children do you have?

 

Money

  1. Mike Allen
    1. As someone who has enjoyed privilege throughout your life, how can you relate to the aspirations of a lot of Americans who don't enjoy similar circumstances?

 

Obama

  1. Hugh Hewitt
    1. What did you make of Obama's response to what he would do if two American cities were attacked?

 

Osama

  1. 1st Debate
    1. Is it worth moving heaven and earth and spending billions of dollars to get Osama?

 

North Korea

  1. George Stephanopoulos
    1. Is the president nuclear deal with North Korea a good one.

 

Personal

  1. Brian Lamb
    1. What's a normal day like?
    2. What time do you get up?
  2. George Stephanopoulos
    1. What's the toughest personal crisis you've ever had to face ?
    2. Are you worried that the stress of the campaign may inflame the MS ?
  3. Tom Bevan
    1. Tell me something about yourself that only people who know you well know?
    2. Who is your favorite President ?
    3. Do you like any Democratic presidents?
  4. Katherine Jean Lopez
    1. How tech savvy are you?

 

Personality

  1. Brian Lamb
    1. What type of leader are you?
    2. What would you copy from what Bush has done, if anything ?
    3. Why is Dwight Eisenhower one of your favorite presidents ?

 

Politics

  1. Brian Lamb
    1. How did you get elected governor of the state of Massachusetts?
  2. Robert B Bluey
    1. Are you a flip-flopper?
  3. Hugh Hewitt
    1. Your response to the fight between Rove, Hillary, Durbin, and Pataki ?
    2. What do you think of Massachusetts politics?
  4. For people who don't know much about you, where do you stand on the political spectrum?
  5. How do you beat Republicans who are so much better known than you are?
  6. Are you really running for vice president?

 

Presidency

  1. Wolf Blitzer
    1. Why would you like to be president?

 

Religion

  1. 1st Debate
    1. What do you say to bishops who deny Communion to elected officials who support abortion rights?
    2. Do you accept Huckabee's statement that he wasn't talking about you?
  2. Mike Allen
    1. Why are key tenets of your faith still misunderstood ?
  3. How is your church so successful in getting its young people to follow its teachings ?
  4. Brian Lamb
    1. Who was Brigham Young?
    2. Well, if you go back -- and I found the name Pratt in your background who was some circuitous route related to Joseph Smith who was one of the founders of Mormonism.
    3. Are you prepared to deal with attacks on your religion ?
    4. Do you have an evangelical problem?
    5. Has there been a mood change in the country about the importance of talking about religion?
    6. One place that I found that you almost died (His Mission)
  5. Wolf Blitzer
    1. How do you deal with the fact that you are a Mormon?
  6. Robert B Bluey
    1. Are you prepared to deal with what is bound to be attacks from the media and opponents about your religious faith?
  7. Wolf Blitzer
    1. Will evangelicals support a Mormon?
  8. Hugh Hewitt
    1. Does the country know enough about radical islam?
    2. Do you stand by your use of the word Islamic-facism ?
    3. How many times are you going to have to ask and answer these questions ?
  9. Jay Leno
    1. Is their enough diversity within the Mormon Church?
  10. Katherine Jean Lopez
    1. Will an exposé on Mormon Christmas celebrations hurt you in the primaries ?
  11. George Stephanopoulos
    1. How does your faith inform your politics?
  12. Chris Wallace
    1. Are you a cultist?
  13. 3rd Debate
    1. What would you like to say to the voters about your faith?

 

Republican Party

  1. 3rd Debate
    1. What would you do to include moderate Republicans and independents?

 

Romney administration

  1. Mary Katharine Ham
    1. What would be the role of bloggers in a Romney administration?

 

Security

  1. Chris Wallace
    1. How has the Bush administration handled this whole ports deal?

 

Sports

  1. Brian Lamb
    1. What do you think of what happened to Bode Miller and his attitude?

 

Stem Cells

  1. Wolf Blitzer
    1. Do you oppose embryonic stem cell research?
  2. 1st Debate
    1. Will you expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research?

 

Taxes

  1. George Stephanopoulos
    1. Why did you sign a pledge ruling out any tax increases?
  2. 1st Debate
  3. What tax would you like to cut?
  4. ''2nd Debate''
    1. Why isn't your pledge to not raise taxes a blatant appeal to the party base?

 

Terrorism

  1. ''2nd Debate''
    1. If three shopping centers near major U.S. cities have been hit by suicide bombers. Hundreds are dead, thousands injured. A fourth attack has been averted when the attackers were captured off the Florida coast and taken to Guantanamo Bay, where they are being questioned. U.S. intelligence believes that another larger attack is planned and could come at any time. How aggressively would you interrogate those being held at Guantanamo Bay for information about where the next attack might be? ''2nd Debate''

 

Va Tech tragedy

  1. Mary Katharine Ham
    1. Should NBC have shown the Cho video?
    2. What security changes that need to happen on college campuses ?
    3. What changes should we make to our gun control laws ?
    4. What would your stance be on a federal assault weapons ban in light of Va Tech?
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