Questions for Mitt Romney

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?

Background

Education

In you history, it includes Stanford for how long ?
You finished first in your class at Brigham Young University in Utah ?
Why did you go to Brigham Young?
How did you -- how were able to get an MBA and a law degree at the same time?
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?

Religion

Mission

One place that I found that you almost died (His Mission)

Personality

What type of leader are you?

Personalities

Personal

Divorce

Is divorse something voters should take into account ?

Source

C-SPAN BRIAN LAMB

Governor Mitt Romney and New Hampshire

I'm looking for someone from New Hampshire to help with this site: http://myclob.pbwiki.com/New-Hampshire

Governor Mitt Romney and New Hampshire

Governor Mitt Romney; NH Federation of Republican Women's Lilac Dinner; Radisson Center of New Hampshire; Manchester, NH; June 3, 2005

"He's conservative enough for my taste. I'm very strong on life issues. He made some courageous vetoes."
"I respect his experience, both at the Olympics and in dealing with an overwhelmingly Democratic legislature...I just love his whole approach to things."
- Former New Hampshire Republican House Speaker Donna Sytek
  - Sarah Liebowitz, "Romney Partygoers Like What They Hear," Concord NH Monitor, 12/22/06

Mitt Romney New Hampshire Press Releases

Mar 01, 2007; Governor Mitt Romney Announces New Hampshire Leadership Team
Mar 23, 2007; Romney for President Announces "New Hampshire Students for Romney" Campus Chairs
09-26-2006; Bruce Keough to Lead Mitt Romney's Commonwealth PAC in New Hampshire.
02-03-2003; Governor Mitt Romney puts focus on economic revitalization; welcomes Bowstreet to Mass. following cross-border move from New Hampshire

Governor Mitt Romney traveled to Concord, NH to participate in a community forum and later to Hollis, NH where he met with local residents at the Hollis Pharmacy. Romney then delivered keynote speeches at the Nashua Chamber of Commerce Business Eminence Awards Luncheon in Nashua, NH and the Hampton/Derry/Portsmouth Lincoln Day Dinner in Hampstead.

Governor Mitt Romney; NH Federation of Republican Women's Lilac Dinner; Radisson Center of New Hampshire; Manchester, NH; June 3, 2005

Governor Romney in New Hampshire

Governor Mitt Romney began his trip to New Hampshire by delivering health care policy remarks at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Romney's son Craig then joined him to visit with the Thomson Family and local residents at the Mount Cube Sugar Farm, and later to tour the Isaacson Steel Plant. The Romneys ended their day in Shelburne at a reception with Gorham area residents.

http://www.newhampshireforromney.com/

Iran seizes British navy personnel in Iraqi waters...

Click here for today's story.

Click here for Romney on Iran.

Scary stuff.

~ Mike

More of the Romney family on MySpace

See all their profiles here. Luckily all of them don't have the same taste in music as their Dad.

I saw this picture under Craig's profile.

Craig Romney

~ Mike

"Two Mitt Romney Ideas"

But I know teachers in public school who are required to pay union fees as a condition of holding their job. That strikes me as immoral, particularly since some people are opposed to labor unions in principle. I don't know a lot about the laws on this issue, but given what I know about unions and what I'd like them to be like, I have to be attracted to this idea.

Click here for a great take on Romney.

~ Mike

The Phoniest Scandal Of The Century (So Far) By DICK MORRIS Published on TheH

The Phoniest Scandal Of The Century (So Far)

By DICK MORRIS

Published on TheHill.com on March 20, 2007.

Printer-Friendly Version

When will the Bush administration grow some guts? Except for its resolute — read: stubborn — position on Iraq, the White House seems incapable of standing up for itself and battling for its point of view. The Democratic assault on the administration over the dismissal of United States attorneys is the most fabricated and phony of scandals, but the Bush people offer only craven apologies, half-hearted defenses, and concessions. Instead, they should stand up to the Democrats and defend the conduct of their own Justice Department.

There is no question that the attorney general and the president can dismiss United States attorneys at any time and for any reason. We do not have civil servant U.S. attorneys but maintain the process of presidential appointment for a very good reason: We consider who prosecutes whom and for what to be a question of public policy that should reflect the president's priorities and objectives. When a U.S. attorney chooses to go light in prosecuting voter fraud and political corruption, it is completely understandable and totally legitimate for a president and an attorney general to decide to fire him or her and appoint a replacement who will do so.

http://vote.com/mailmachpro/clink_track.php?cust_id=277153&link_id=63

The Democratic attempt to attack Bush for exercising his presidential power to dismiss employees who serve at his pleasure smacks of nothing so much as the trumped-up grounds for the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson in 1868. Back then, radical Republicans tried to oust him for failing to obey the Tenure of Office Act, which they passed, barring him from firing members of his Cabinet (in this case, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton) without Senate approval. Soon after Johnson's acquittal, the Supreme Court invalidated the Tenure of Office Act, in effect affirming Johnson's position.

But instead of loudly asserting its view that voter fraud is, indeed, worthy of prosecution and that U.S. attorneys who treat such cases lightly need to go find new jobs, the Bush administration acts, for all the world, like the kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. All Republican supporters of the administration can do is to point to Bill Clinton's replacement of U.S. attorneys when he took office. Because the president and the attorney general insist on acting guilty, the rest of the country has no difficulty in assuming that they are.

Bush, Rove, Gonzales and Co. should explain why the U.S. attorneys were dismissed by emphasizing the importance of the cases they were refusing to prosecute. By doing so, they can turn the Democratic attacks on them into demands to go easy on fraudulent voting. A good sense of public relations — and some courage — could turn this issue against the Democrats for blocking Bush's efforts to crack down on the criminals he wanted prosecuted.

In making such a big deal over the routine exercise of a presidential prerogative to fire these prosecutors, the Democrats, led by Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) may be biting off more than they can chew. Unless the administration turns and aggressively defends its decision to get rid of these particular appointees, it could be left holding the bag and defending the U.S. attorneys' decision to avoid prosecuting voter-fraud cases.

If the administration continues to follow its run-and-hide policy, it will look terrible asserting claims of executive privilege as it seeks to shield its appointees from Senate interrogation and its documents from committee scrutiny. But if it contextualizes the issue by using the specific failings of the dismissed appointees to prosecute particular cases, it will assume the high ground and its procedural objections will be seen in a more positive light by the American people. If only the administration would show some courage.

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More on gay rights

This from Wikipedia:

Romney has strongly opposed same-sex marriage and civil unions. He has continually stressed the need to "protect the institution of marriage" while denouncing discrimination against gays and lesbians. "Like me, the great majority of Americans wish both to preserve the traditional definition of marriage and to oppose bias and intolerance directed towards gays and lesbians," Romney said in 2004. (more)

On June 2, 2006, Romney sent a letter to each member of the U.S. Senate urging them to vote in favor of the Marriage Protection Amendment. In the letter, Romney stated that the debate over same-sex unions is not a discussion about "tolerance", but rather a "debate about the purpose of the institution of marriage". Romney wrote, "Attaching the word marriage to the association of same-sex individuals mistakenly presumes that marriage is principally a matter of adult benefits and adult rights. In fact, marriage is principally about the nurturing and development of children. And the successful development of children is critical to the preservation and success of our nation."

I think Garrison Keillor has recently agreed with Romney. (more)

Back to Wikipedia.org...

Romney's letter was his second attempt to persuade the U.S. Senate to pass the Marriage Protection Amendment. On June 22, 2004 he testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, urging its members to protect the traditional definition of marriage. "Marriage is not an evolving paradigm," said Romney, "but is a fundamental and universal social institution that bears a real and substantial relation to the public health, safety, morals, and general welfare of all of the people of Massachusetts."

Romney was heavily involved in attempts to block implementation of the decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court that legalized same-sex marriage in 2003. Romney criticized the decision as harming the rights of children:

" They viewed marriage as an institution principally designed for adults. Adults are who they saw. Adults stood before them in the courtroom. And so they thought of adult rights, equal rights for adults…Marriage is also for children. In fact, marriage is principally for the nurturing and development of children. The children of America have the right to have a father and a mother. (more) "

In 2004, the Massachusetts General Court attempted to address the issue of gay marriage before the implementation of the Goodridge decision. During a constitutional convention, the predominately Democratic legislature approved an amendment that would have banned gay marriage, but established civil unions. An initial amendment offered by House Speaker Thomas Finnernan that would have simply banned gay marriage without a provision for civil unions was narrowly defeated. The compromise amendment needed to be approved in a second constitutional convention to be held a year later before it would have appeared on a state election ballot. The amendment was voted down in the subsequent convention and never made it before the voters of Massachusetts.

Romney reluctantly backed the compromise amendment, viewing it as the only feasible way to ban gay marriage in Massachusetts. "If the question is, 'Do you support gay marriage or civil unions?' I'd say neither," Romney said of the amendment. "If they said you have to have one or the other, that Massachusetts is going to have one or the other, then I'd rather have civil unions than gay marriage. But I'd rather have neither." (more)

In June 2005, Romney abandoned his support for the compromise amendment, saying that the amendment confused voters who oppose both gay marriage and civil unions. The amendment was defeated in the General Court in 2005 when both supporters of same-sex marriage and opponents of civil unions voted against it. In June 2005, Romney endorsed a petition effort led by the Coalition for Marriage & Family that would ban gay marriage and make no provisions for civil unions. (more) Backed by the signatures of 170,000 massachusetts residents the new amendment was certified as a valid referendum on September 7, 2005 by Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas Reilly. The measure needs the approval of fifty legislators in two consecutive sessions of the Massachusetts General Court to be placed on the ballot. The Massachusetts legislature however declined to vote on the initiative in two consecutive sessions held on July 12, 2006 and November 9, 2006. Romney responded by joining former Boston Mayor Raymond Flynn and eight others to file a complaint with the state's Supreme Judicial Court to force the legislature to vote on the proposed amendment. The petition also asked the court to instruct the Massachusetts Secretary of State to place the referendum on the 2008 ballot if the legislature failed to vote on the amendment by January 2, 2007. (more)

On the first day that same-sex marriages were to be legal in Massachusetts, May 17, 2004, Romney instructed town clerks not to issue marriage licenses to out-of-state gay couples, except for those announcing their intention to relocate to the Commonwealth by referencing the "1913 law" (General Legislation, Part II, Title III, Chapter. 207 (Certain Marriages Prohibited), Sections 11, 12, & 13), which prohibits non-residents from marrying in Massachusetts if the marriage would be void in their home state...

The General Court in 1913 passed the three laws denying marriage rights to persons domiciled out-of-state who came to Massachusetts to circumvent their own states' anti-miscegenation marriage laws.

This is from the Wikipedia article. Does "The General Court" pass laws?

...Thus, Massachusetts was complicit in circumventing the Full Faith and Credit Clause (Article IV, Section 1) of the U.S. Constitution. Opponents of same-sex marriage similarly sought to circumvent the Full Faith and Credit Clause by passing the Defense of Marriage Act and by proposing a Constitutional Amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman.

Romney was criticized for reviving a Jim Crow era piece of legislation that had avoided being nullifed by the U.S. Supreme Court's 1967 Loving v. Virginia decision due it not saying anything about race. However, Romney's actions were justified when, in March of 2006, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court declared the statute legal under the state's constitution. (more) Romney declared the "ruling is an important victory for traditional marriage". He also stated, "It would have been wrong for the Supreme Judicial Court to impose its mistaken view of marriage on the rest of the country. The continuing threat of the judicial redefinition of marriage, here and in several other states, is why I believe that the best and most reliable way to preserve the institution of marriage is to pass an amendment to the U.S. Constitution." (more)

Romney subsequently released a statement in support of a proposed amendment to the Massachusetts state constitution defining marriage as existing only between "one man and one woman" in order to overrule the court's decision. His statement said, "the people of Massachusetts should not be excluded from a decision as fundamental to our society as the definition of marriage."

When he ran for governor in 2002, Romney declared his opposition to both same-sex marriage and civil unions. "Call me old fashioned, but I don't support gay marriage nor do I support civil union," said Romney in an October 2002 gubernatorial debate. He also voiced support for basic domestic partnership benefits for gay couples. Romney won the endorsement of the Log Cabin Club of Massachusetts, a Republican gay-rights group, who in 2005 accused him of reneging on his 2002 campaign commitment to support some benefits for gay couples.

WHICH ONES? LETS DEAL WITH FACTS PEOPLE!

He also opposed an amendment, then before the General Court, that would have banned same-sex marriage and outlawed all domestic partnership benefits for gay couples. When campaigning in 2002, Romney's stated position was that "All citizens deserve equal rights, regardless of their sexual orientation. While he does not support gay marriage, Mitt Romney believes domestic partnership status should be recognized in a way that includes the potential for health benefits and rights of survivorship."

During his 1994 campaign against Senator Edward Kennedy, Romney said that same-sex marriage "is not appropriate at this time" and pointed out that marriage was regulated under the jurisdiction of state laws. He also said his voice, as a Republican, would carry more weight on lesbian and gay issues than Kennedy's, even if they took the same position on issues like allowing gays and lesbians in the military...

This, is an oversimplification and a misrepresentation. The only quote from Romney on this issue, as far as I know, is that he believed that gays would eventually serve openly in the Military. He never to my knowledge advocated it, and I know he has never made it part of his campaign.

When seeking the campaign support of the Log Cabin Club of Massachusetts, he said, "We must make equality for gays and lesbians a mainstream concern". He also supported federal legislation that would prohibit discrimination in the workplace against homosexuals.

Defending himself against "flip-flopping" in a telephone interview on Instapundit.com's "The Glenn & Helen Show", Romney asserted he had fought discrimination. In response to a question about his 1994 Senate race debate with Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Romney dismissed his pro-choice stance and positioning of himself as a political moderate as a youthful indiscretion. At the end of the interview Romney stated, "And I'm proud that at the same time I've fought discrimination. I believe that each American deserves equal opportunity. Now that's my record and maybe that's why people on this side are dredging up 13-year old history and attacking me now".

I've seen all sorts of errors on the wikipedia article, but I find this portion pretty well written.

I don't like how this sentense, "When he ran for governor in 2002, Romney declared his opposition to both same-sex marriage and civil unions" shows up at the bottom of the page. This is one of the biggest miss-understandings about Romney there are out there. The MSM has repeated hundreds and hundreds of times, the lie that Romney has changed his position on Gay Marriage. This is not the truth. I am so tired of correcting the lie, but I can't get tired, until the MSM stops repeating the lie. Romney has not changed his gay rights stance. Romney has not changed his gay rights stance! Get it into your freaking heads! His only change, has been on Abortion.

~ Mike

Death by a thousand idiots...

Here is another example of the lie that the MSM keeps repeating about Romney.

"Critics have accused Romney of shifting his position on abortion, gun control and gay rights to suit a conservative national GOP electorate now that he's no longer governor of a liberal-leaning state."

Does it matter what critics say, if it is blatantly untrue? Should the Washington Post repeat criticisms that have no foundation in truth?

The Washington post will say, "it's not our fault, we are just repeating what others have accused Romney of." It's not our job to bring you the truth, we just report the news.

This is the problem with the media. Because they are so liberal, we can never trust them.

I just told my friend that Hillary Clinton picks her nose. If Hillary Clinton was the most conservative individual in the race, the Washington Post would say, "Critics say Hillary Clinton Picks here nose" without even looking into any evidence to support the accusation.

There is no evidence to support the belief that Romney has changed his position on gun control, and gay rights. Any reporter that quotes "critics" that accuse Romney of changing positions on these topics is wholly owned by the DNC.

~ Mike

1 comment • Edit

02:23:41 pm, Categories: 2008, 541 words

NPR

Yesterday on NPR I heard some smug, intellectually vapid, self-righteous, commentator reviewing, as the political expert, the chances of all the 2008 candidates. They were asking if any of the candidates had a "big idea". He claimed that Mitt Romney was "for abortion rights and gay rights before he was against them" and he actually laughed at what he thought was his joke, as though we haven't heard the same moronic drooling commentators repeating the same DNC slogan for how long now?

Every single person on the planet fits, on a continuum between the person who believes any birth control at all is evil, and the belief that murder of an 18 year old should be allowed. Mitt Romney went from being personally pro-life, but not imposing his view on the citizens of Massachusetts, and declaring a truce on the issue, to making a pro-life stance. This is a change in wording not policy. There are many pro-life people who believe, like Romney, that Abortion should be legal in Massachusetts.

But Romney is still for abortion rights! He believes that in the case of rape, incest, or the life of the mother, abortions should be legal. Even this is a vast oversimplification. Romney believes states should have the right to set their own policy with regard to abortion. Romney is, like every person on the planet, also against some abortion rights. H, like every other sane person on the planet, would not through a party, and give someone a nice "congratulations… good job!" if they had a late term abortion on a 9-month old fetus/baby."

So this jerk, who made a joke out of Romney's belief is laughing at everyone on the planet including himself. I have a different belief on abortion every day you ask me, just like the American public.

But the reference to being "for abortion rights and gay rights before you were against them" compares Romney to John Kerry. Is this a good comparison? How many different positions could John Kerry take on giving the president the right to declare war on Iraq? There were two possibilities: Give President Bush the right to declare war, or don't give the president the right to declare war. So John Kerry was being a complete idiot when he said that ""I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it."

No John. There were only two options with regard to funding. However on Abortion there are as many different positions as there are people. And Ms. NPR commentator, Romney has not changed his position on Civil Unions, or Gay Marriage (see above). Romney has not even changed his policy on abortion. He has just changed what he is calling himself. He did not want to call himself pro-life. Now he does. He has always been for the right of mothers to have abortions, if they were raped, had incest, or the mother's life was in danger. These are specific positions. He has never changed his position. He has just changed what he calls himself. John Kerry tried explaining actually positions. He tried taking both side of a simple policy. Romney has changed the way he talks about himself on a single very complicated issue.

~ Mike

Character matter

"Character matters "

This article says:

"...As a candidate for governor of Massachusetts, Romney supported gay unions; now he opposes them ..."

How many times do we have to keep going over this? When he ran for governor in 2002, Romney declared his opposition to both same-sex marriage and civil unions. Click here for an article from 2002 showing this FACT. Here is a message to the main stream media. Stop saying lies. Especially things that can easily be shown as lies.

~ Mike

Obama more liberal than Kucinich, analysis reveals

This is a must read for anyone who wants to see what is really going on.

WASHINGTON - The most liberal member of Congress running for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination isn't Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio.

It's Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.

And the Republican candidate who's grown less conservative over his years in Congress? Sen. John McCain of Arizona...

The study, released this month by the National Journal, a respected inside-the-Beltway research report, will help voters cut through the spin and hype of TV sound bites in coming months and judge these candidates for themselves.

Unlike TV commercials that focus on a single vote, these rankings are based on comprehensive voting records. The 2006 scores, for example, were based on as many as 95 votes on such issues as federal spending, tax cuts, the war in Iraq, embryonic stem-cell research and border security.

On the Democratic side, the analysis of "lifetime" voting records shows Obama as the most liberal with a score of 84.3 after two full years in the Senate. The most liberal score possible was 99...

The rankings differ if you look only at their 2006 scores. That year Kucinich edged Obama by one point as the most liberal, and Clinton was the least liberal, as she sought re-election and prepared to launch her presidential campaign...

The year-to-year scores can reveal consistency or change. McCain, for example, grew increasingly less conservative in recent years...

McCain got a 46 for social issues - left of center...

Most Liberal: Barak Obama is #4!

Most Conservative. Jim Demint is #1, and endorses Mitt Romney !

~ Mike

Guns and the Media and Flips

I have compiled the truth on Mitt Romney's Gun Policy. I don't mean to sound arrogant. It wasn't that hard. I just found all of Romney's quotes and actions on the issue of Gun Control, and put them in context. I let you read the record, from the raw press releases, and decide for yourself. If the media was interested in finding the truth, they would link to this information. But they are not interested in finding the truth. They are interested in creating a boxing match and charging admission to see the fights. I have seen about 5 talking heads on Fox News say that Mitt Romney has flip-flopped on gun. I thought they reported, and let us decide? But no. They have decided for us. We are too stupid to think for ourselves. Why not check out his gun control policy and decide for yourself if he has flip-flopped.

http://myclob.pbwiki.com/Media

http://myclob.pbwiki.com/Guns

http://myclob.pbwiki.com/flip-flop

Attck Launched

A new 527 is formed to broadcast lies about Mitt.

I've blogged about it, and links to the new 527 web sire are in the
post. So be aware.

http://capecodporcupine.blogspot.com/2007/03/fox-and-some-grapes.html

(apologies for any duplicates)

--
Yr. Obedient Servant,
Peter Porcupine

"I don't feel no ways tired. I come too far from where I started from"

Billary

Hillary will loose.

Don't believe me? Listen to this video.

~ Mike

Best Speech yet?

Well there is a new entry to my list of Romney speeches. Click here to go directly to see the latest CPAC speech . As always (on my site), clicking on the word Education from the text of his speech will bring you to all the Romney "Education" Press Releases and quotes and stuff that I have found so far.

Today I also added something to my criticism of Romney page. The new addition is the accusation that, " Romney raised fees in Massachusetts." Have you guys heard this? You never hear people say what fees he raised. But aren't consumption taxes better than income taxes? Besides was Romney the person who raised fees or did cities raise fees? You never hear specifics...

Besides Romney's record on taxes is the best of the 2008 candidates by far. You need to go no farther than here to see that. Look at his record from 2002 on through today. It is awesome.

Contrast that to Rudy's. NYC debt rose by $16 billion during his tenure in office to a total of $43 billion, and by the end of his term New Yorkers were paying around $6 billion a year in interest alone. His record on debt screams incompetence.

As always, I am looking for additional info! Please help me if I forgot something...

~ Mike

The Media

This article says the following:

-In his Senate race, he wrote a letter promising a gay Republican group he would be a stronger advocate for gays and their rights than his liberal opponent, Edward M. Kennedy. Now he emphasizes his opposition to gay marriage and civil unions.

Why does the media keep repeating this lie about Romney? When he ran for governor in 2002, Romney declared his opposition to both same-sex marriage and civil unions. Click here for a link to a 2002 article that explains this.

There is no change. Why is it that the media attacks Romney over non existing flip-flops, but does not attack Hillary of her support, and now opposition to the war?

It often seems that journalist would rather cause problems, than fix them . They don't even try to give an accurate portraits of what Romney believes. But this is not new. Journalist tend to over simplify things. Else why do they summarize the president's speech, when you can read the whole thing online. Why do they have to put it into their own words? Ego?

Edward R. Murrow said; "The line between investigating and persecuting is a very fine one ." I actually disagree with this. I think it is obvious when you have crossed the line into persecution. When you don't follow journalistic standards. When you don't treat all the candidates the same. When you oversimplify someone's position, when you misrepresent someone's position... these are all examples of persecution.

Thomas Jefferson has said; "Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper. Truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle." This is, of course, an exaggeration, but what would motivate TJ to say this? Newspapers are not motivated by finding truth. They are motivated by selling adds. Controversy sells readers. Newspapers promote controversy (just like Eminem). But it is more than just saying, journalist will have more stories to write about if there is more conflict is in the world . Ads are sold by conflict, but they are also sold by reassuring the reader what they already believe. Thus newspapers in liberal areas tend to attack conservatives, and newspapers in Red States tend to attack liberals. But which came first? The chicken or the egg? Did the liberal newspapers cause liberals to become liberal, or does the newspaper follow the liberals?

Others have observed that the media likes to start fights. H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956) has said; "All successful newspapers are ceaselessly querulous and bellicose. They never defend anyone or anything if they can help it; if the job is forced on them, they tackle it by denouncing someone or something else."

So the newspapers will not help us figure out who we need in 2008. They will never sit down and do a thorough analysis of both sides of each issue. They will just miss-quote and misrepresent each side just enough to keep both sides angry. So what are we to do? We should go around them. We should sit down and figure out for ourselves.

Is Mitt Romney a flip-flopper? In the next two years, you will never see the media try to figure this out. You will just hear them use whatever names they can get to stick. So lets figure it out ourselves. Please help me compile all the reasons to agree or disagree that Mitt Romney is a flip-flopper. I will, unlike the media, present both sides.

http://myclob.pbwiki.com/flip-flop

I look forward to your comments, and will add whatever people tell me to add. I won't silence you, by ignoring your logic (like the media). I will silence you buy bringing up good reasons to disagree with you.

~ Mike

Governor Mitt Romney Interviews

You know the drill by now. I present the content that I have been able to find so far, and ask if you can help me find more. I did a Google Search for "Mitt Romney Interview Transcript". I assume the first few hits were the best, but I hope I didn't miss anything. Do you have a favorite interview that I missed on my list?

~ Mike

2007

02-18-2007; George Stephanopoulos with Mitt and Ann Romney
02-15-2007; O'Reilly
02-14-2007; Conversation With Ann Romney; By KATE SNOW

2006

2/26/06; FOX News Sunday With Chris Wallace
3/19/06; C-SPAN BRIAN LAMB
5/16/06; News Conference on Flooding
09-06-2006; Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney comments on the Khatami visit to Harvard, The Hugh Hewitt Show
10-17-2006; The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer

2005

02-28-2005; Washington Post journalists Dan Balz, David S. Broder and Ruth Marcus at the National Governors Association meeting

Videos

Charlie Rose Interview Guest Host Judy Woodruff
The Almost Untold Story of Gov. Mitt Romney
March 19, 2006 Edition of C-Span's Q&A Click under Program Details for the Video and the Transcript
NBC \"Today\": Matt Lauer Interviews Gov. Romney
ABC This Week: North Korea
ABC This Week: The Iraq War
ABC This Week: On Family and Marriage
ABC This Week: Faith & Values
ABC This Week: Ann Romney's Health Challenge
ABC Good Morning America\" Ann Romney on MS
Now Playing: Instapundit.com \"Glenn & Helen Show\": The '94 Debate

Governor Romney Sends Letters Urging Divestment from Iran

Thursday, Feb 22, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Kevin Madden (857) 288-6390

Boston, MA – Today, Governor Mitt Romney released a letter sent to New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli urging that he pursue "a policy of strategic disinvestment from companies linked to the Iranian regime." Letters urging support for this policy were also sent to New York Governor Eliot Spitzer and United States Senators Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer.

In his letter, Governor Romney wrote:

"With your new responsibilities overseeing one of America's largest pension funds, you have a unique opportunity to lead an effort to isolate Iran as it pursues nuclear armament. I request that you immediately launch a policy of strategic disinvestment from companies linked to the Iranian regime. Screening pension investments and divesting from companies providing financial support to the Iranian regime or linked to Iran's weapons programs and terrorist activities could have a powerful impact. New investments should be scrutinized as long as Iran's regime continues its current, dangerous course."

Governor Romney believes that for the United States, there are few more urgent priorities than standing up to the Iranian government's dangerous actions. Eliminating financial support for this regime is a critical first step and will support future efforts.

Today's letters build on the five-point strategy to prevent a nuclear Iran that Governor Romney laid out earlier this year at the annual Herzliya Conference in Israel. As part of that strategy, Governor Romney called for further economic isolation of Iran by pursuing, in part, pension fund divestment. In January 2007, Governor Romney also helped arrange a meeting between former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Massachusetts State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill to discuss divestment of pension funds.

Governor Romney's Letters On Iran:

Letter To New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli: http://www.mittromney.com/img/pdf/Comptroller_DiNapoli_Letter.pdf

Letter To New York Governor Eliot Spitzer: http://www.mittromney.com/img/pdf/Spitzer_Letter.pdf

Letter To Senator Hillary Clinton: http://www.mittromney.com/img/pdf/ Clinton_Letter.pdf

Letter To Senator Chuck Schumer: http://www.mittromney.com/img/pdf/Schumer_Letter.pdf

Governor Mitt Romney Names Florida Statewide Finance Committee

Thursday, Feb 22, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Kevin Madden (857) 288-6390

Boston, MA – Today, Governor Mitt Romney announced that 77 men and women will be joining the Romney for President Florida Statewide Finance Committee. Serving on the Finance Committee are Romney for President National Finance Co-Chairs Boca Raton developer Mark Guzzetta and former Ambassador Mel Sembler of St. Petersburg.

"We have put together an extremely strong finance team that will help build the resources we need to campaign in the Sunshine State and across the nation, and this is just the beginning," said Governor Romney. "Each one of these men and women bring extensive experience to our efforts having worked in business and on numerous campaigns for many different candidates. I thank them for their service and look forward to working with them to provide the new, strong leadership Washington needs."

Members Of The Florida Statewide Finance Committee:

- Jorge L. Arrizurietta, Akerman Senterfitt, Miami – Chair International Policy Group, Akerman Senterfitt, Coral Gables

- William W. Bain, Founder of Bain & Co., and Co-Founder of Bain Capital, Boston & Naples

- Speaker Allan Bense, GAC Contractors, Panama City

- Ward Blakely, Jacksonville

- Ambassador J. Richard Blankenship, Global Investment Advisors, LLC, Jacksonville

- William O. Brisben, Jupiter Island

- Hoe Brown, Tampa

- M. Anthony Burns, Chairman Emeritus, Ryder System, Miami

- Al Cardenas, Tew Cardenas, Miami

- Dr. Raymond F. Caron, Orlando

- Gary Chartrand, Acosta, Jacksonville

- Herb Collins, Boston & Palm Beach

- J.D. Collins, Jacksonville

- Rod Davies, Stuart

- Henry Dean, Henry Dean & Associates, St. Augustine

- Don DeFosset, Tampa

- Dr. A.K. Desai, St. Petersburg

- J. Thomas Dodson, Ponte Vedra Beach

- Ferdinand and June Duda, Oviedo

- Chris Dudley, Southern Strategy Group, Tallahassee

- Ann Duncan, Vertical Integration, Clearwater

- Earl Durden, Rail Management Corporation, Panama City

- Llwyd Ecclestone, Jr., Palm Beach

- Kenneth Endelson, Kenco Communities, Inc., Boca Raton

- Art Falcone, The Falcone Group, Inc., Boca Raton

- Thomas M. Ferguson, Palm Beach

- Blair M. Fonda, Madison Development Group, Jacksonville

- Michael & Daryl Garfield, Global Medical Research LLC, Winter Park

- Honorable Dudley Goodlette, Coleman & Johnson, P.A./Southern Strategy Group, Naples

- David Graham, Intuition Development Holdings, Jacksonville

- David Griffin, Griffin Consulting, Tallahassee

- Mark Guzzetta, Gemstone Development Corporation, Boca Raton

- Michael & Mallory Harrell, Foley & Lardner, Tallahassee

- William Harrison, Jr., Panama City

- L. Charles Hilton, Jr., Panama City

- Mori Hosseini, ICI Homes, Inc., Daytona Beach

- Rustin Howard, Pensacola

- Lt. Governor Toni Jennings, Orlando

- Jerry & Darlene Jordan, Palm Beach

- Frederick W. Leonhardt, Gray Robinson Law Firm, Orlando

- Ometrius Deon Long, Ometrius D. Long & Associates, P.A., Winter Park

- James MacDougald, St. Petersburg

- Randall McElheney, Panama City

- Stephen J. Mitchell, Squire Sanders & Dempsey, Tampa

- Mitchell R. Montgomery, Montgomery Land Company, Jacksonville

- H. Gary & Renee' Morse, The Villages

- Bill Mullen, Palm Beach

- Lee Munder, Palm Beach

- Duane Ottenstroer, Jacksonville

- Herbert Hill Peyton, Gate Petroleum, Jacksonville

- Sergio Pino, Century Home Builders, Miami

- Honorable Van B. Poole, Dutko, Poole, McKinley, Tallahassee

- John Rakolta, Jr., Walbridge Aldinger Company, Detroit & Palm Beach

- David Rancourt, Southern Strategy Group, Tallahassee

- Jim Rathbun, Rathbun & Associates, Tallahassee

- Marc Roberts, Marc Roberts Companies, Boca Raton

- Pat Roberts, Tallahassee

- Wayne Rosen, Shores Development, Coral Gables

- Rudy Rowe III, Southland Contracting, Tallahassee

- Honorable R.Z. "Sandy" Safley, Tallahassee

- Brent Sembler, The Sembler Company, St. Petersburg

- Ambassador Mel Sembler, The Sembler Company, St. Petersburg

- James M. Seneff, Jr. CNL, Orlando

- Brian Shortsleeve, H.I.G. Capital LLC, Boston and Miami

- Vernon Smith, Ft. Pierce

- James "Jim" Stelling, Stelling Properties, LLC, Seminole County

- Stanley Tate, Tate Enterprises, Inc., North Miami

- Speaker John Thrasher, Southern Strategy Group, Jacksonville

- Ray Velazquez, Terramark Worldwide, Miami

- Dr. R. Vijay, Tampa

- Ken Wright, Shutts and Bowen, Orlando

- Jordan Zimmerman, Zimmerman Advertising, Boca Raton

Governor Mitt Romney Announces South Carolina County Chairs

Thursday, Feb 22, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Kevin Madden (857) 288-6390

Boston, MA - Today, Governor Mitt Romney announced the names of his County Chairs in South Carolina. These County Chairs will build the Romney campaign infrastructure in South Carolina and will lead the grassroots effort in the state.

"I am honored by the commitment these men and women are giving to our campaign," Governor Romney said. "We are making great progress in building an impressive organization in South Carolina. I am grateful to have them on our team and humbled by their support."

Governor Romney's South Carolina County Chairs:

Aiken County

June Cannon

Rick Osbon

Betty Ryberg

Allendale County

Julie Strong

Anderson County

Jane Jones

Bamberg County

Susan Rhoden

Barnwell County

Dan Ross

Beaufort County

Bob Holtzmacher

Berkeley County

Cheryl Ludlam

Senator Bill Mescher

Wayland Moody

Steve Querry

Bill Willcox

Calhoun County

Richard Sweatt

Ruby Sweatt

Charleston County

Daniel Dukes

Councilman Henry Fishburne

Cherokee County

Dr. Sam Swad

Chester County

Tot Kennedy

Alex Stroman

Clarendon County

Moye Graham

Colleton County

Joe Murrary

Darlington County

Scott Anderson

Dillon County

Nevell Rogers

Dorchester County

Tianna Keener

Elizabeth Miller

Edgefield County

Frank Mauer

Fairfield County

Coy Richardson

Florence County

Mary Tepper

Georgetown County

Paul Hogan

Ricky Horne

Glen O'Connell

Greenville County

Dr. Robert Barnes

Marjorie Barnes

Councilman Joe Dill

Joe Haynes

Greenwood County

James Gardner

Michelle Oxner

Randy Oxner

Horry County

Representative Alan Clemmons

Jasper County

Keith Dubose

Kershaw County

James D'Alessio

Lancaster County

Sara Fleming

Al Simpson

Laurens County

Patrick Garrison

Lee County

Charlene Privette

Lexington County

Dr. Scott Andersen

Representative Nikki Haley

Representative Chip Huggins

Tim Miller

Representative Ted Pitts

Robert Schaeffer

Irby Schultz

Bill Shealy

Verona Shealy

Shirley Smith

Ottis Smith

McCormick County

Mid Self

Newberry County

Margaret Brackett

Senator Ronnie Cromer

Betty Dominick

Alan Gardner

Charles Simmons

Oconee County

Steve Sokol

Orangeburg County

Roy Lindsey

Chester Palmer

Barbara Strickland

Pickens County

Senator Larry Martin

Johnathan Strange

Richland County

Representative Nathan Ballentine

Denise Jones

Wanda Forbes

Grace Rentiers

Saluda County

Brandy Shealy

Spartanburg County

June Bond

Marlene Saad

Sumter County

Jimmy Byrd

Union County

Les Anderson

York County

Rod Benefield

Governor Mitt Romney on the Current Environmental Debate

Friday, Feb 23, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Kevin Madden (857) 288-6390

Boston, MA – Today, Governor Mitt Romney issued the following statement on the current environmental debate:

"Governor Mark Sanford is right. Unfortunately, some in the Republican Party are embracing the radical environmental ideas of the liberal left. As governor, I found that thoughtful environmentalism need not be anti-growth and anti- jobs. But Kyoto-style sweeping mandates, imposed unilaterally in the United States, would kill jobs, depress growth and shift manufacturing to the dirtiest developing nations."

"Republicans should never abandon pro-growth conservative principles in an effort to embrace the ideas of Al Gore. Instead of sweeping mandates, we must use America's power of innovation to develop alternative sources of energy and new technologies that use energy more efficiently."

Classic Hack Job on Romney by ABC

Unfortunately I have to add another list to my "Criticism of Mitt Romney" page.

The Criticisms is "Romney is not a true Republican because he voted for Paul Tsongas."

First a clarification. Romney voted for George H. Bush in the General (final) election, but he voted for Paul Tsongas in the primaries.

Every belief has many valid reasons to agree and disagree with it. I created a page for this belief here:

Reasons to disagree (Romney was wrong to vote for Tsongas)

1. Romney was a good republican because he was very practical. In 1992 there was no Republican primary. He had two options. He could sit on the side lines and not vote (like me this last election cycle) or he could vote for the best candidate who would not likely beat Bush in the General election. Romney chose the latter. This does not make him a bad republican.
2. Paul Tsongas was a fiscal conservative.
3. Paul Tsongas was a good guy.
4. I wish every Republican would have registered as independents in 1992 and voted for Paul Tsongus. Bush would have lost anyways, but we would have had Tsongus instead of Clinton. And now Hillary Clinton. Maybe George H. Bush would have won against Paul Tsongus. Two descent guys, that had nothing to do with Hollywood instead of Bill going against H. Bush in 1992.
5. Maybe all Republicans should claim independent, so that we can vote for Hillary in the Primaries and our guys in the general election.
6. There was no GOP primary contest in 92. In 1992 Mitt Romney voted against Bill Clinton twice.
7. I am a Romney fan, but not even I think Romney was smart enough to see that Bill Clinton was a bigger liability than George H. Bush was an asset for our Country. I am not going to attribute Mitt Romney of difficult political calculus. This was very basic addition. Vote once for the guy you like best, or vote twice? Hmm, let me see…

Reasons to agree

1. A good republican would never vote for a Democrat.
2. A vote for a Democrat is a vote for the Devil himself. D is for Devil. Even if it is the just the primary and you vote for George H. Bush (like Romney) in the General election.

But now Dan Rather's ABC is looking for times that Mitt Romney has discussed the same issue on different occasions, and not used the exact same verbatim language. ABC says that according to some (top notch, infallible, always trust worthy) Boston Globe reporters Romney did not give the exact verbatim explanation of why he voted for Tsongas as his explanation on Tomorrow's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos".

According to the Boston Globe reporters, "Romney confirmed he voted for former U.S. Sen. Paul Tsongas in the state's 1992 Democratic presidential primary, saying he did so both because Tsongas was from Massachusetts and because he favored his ideas over those of Bill Clinton," the Boston Globe's Scot Lehigh and Frank Phillips wrote on Feb. 3, 1994. "He added he had been sure the G.O.P. would renominate George Bush (was their any question?), for whom he voted in the fall election."

According to ABC this is somehow contradicted when Romney says; "In Massachusetts, if you register as an independent, you can vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary," said Romney, who until he made an unsuccessful run for Senate in 1994 had spent his adult life as a registered independent. "When there was no real contest in the Republican primary, I'd vote in the Democrat primary, vote for the person who I thought would be the weakest opponent for the Republican."

Alright. Mitt Romney did not use the same exact verbatim language, so it is apparently time to turn off any logic within your brain and accuse him of changing his story. Way to go ABC.

This article, however, asks if there is any contradiction. Romney liked Tsongas better than Clinton, and didn't think that he would win over Bush. No contradiction.

But ABC twists Romney's words and they accuse him of some Machiavellian scheme to win the election for Bush, by forcing Tongas into the race. Did Romney change his story, or is ABC just trying to make something out of nothing?

Here is a comparison. Why do you love your wife? One day you say, "she is pretty." Someone asks you the next day, "She is nice." To which ABC responds, "Oh! Your a flip-flopper! You changed your story! One day you say that you are physically attracted to her, the next day you say that it is because of the nice things she does for you? It it because you are a misogynist or because you like her slave labor? Which is it?!" It is the same exact thing with Romney. One day he explained that Paul was a Social Conservative. The next day he explained how he didn't think Paul would win Bush anyways.

We knew that Dan Rather was guilty of Document-gate, but who from CBS put out this hit piece? Don't you like how no one puts their name and takes responsibility? By the way, I've posted a couple of responses, but they do not approve anything that doesn't agree with the DNC party line.

Anyways, here is my analysis of the flip-flopper charge, and here is the analysis of the flip-flopper charge directly as it applies to Romney over voting for Paul Tsongas in the primary and Bush in the General Election.

Please tell me what you think.

~ Mike

PS: MMM has a great piece over here.

"Why I Support Mitt Romney for President"

I would like to create a page with all the explanations of why people support Mitt Romney. Please e-mail me reasons why you support Mitt Romney and I will add it to this page:

http://myclob.pbwiki.com/Why-I-Support-Mitt-Romney-for-President

A

Paul Allen
Congressman Robert Aderholt

B

David M Bresnahan

E

Evangelicals for Mitt