Transforming Debate for Inclusive and Impactful Participation
Objective: To empower thousands—or even millions—to contribute meaningfully to debates by leveraging structured organization and robust evaluation criteria. Together, we can ensure every voice is heard and every idea is thoughtfully considered.
"We need to increase our investment in national defense. This means adding at least 100,000 troops and making a long-overdue investment in equipment, armament, weapons systems, and strategic defense. ... We are going to need at least an additional $30-$40 billion annually over the next several years to modernize our military, fill gaps in troop levels, ease the strain on our National Guard and Reserves, and support our wounded soldiers. ... The next president should commit to spending a minimum of four percent of GDP on national defense."
"With these extensions to the Massachusetts Military Reservation leases, we are ensuring the continued presence of the United States military – a major contributor of jobs and revenues to the Cape's economy and a key component of our homeland defense network," said Romney. "At the same time, we are protecting the region's water supply known as the Sagamore Lens, Cape Cod's sole source aquifer."
"I support our troops overseas and recognize that families across Massachusetts are making sacrifices by having their loved ones away defending our nation," Romney said. "We don't want them to also worry about paying their bills. This will help ease that burden for state employees."
"We reserve our deepest respect and admiration for those who volunteer for service and give their lives to help keep our nation secure," Romney said. "Now is the time for the people of Massachusetts to respond by offering a helping hand to the brave men and women of the Guard and their families."
"From the day that the colonists in Massachusetts took up their arms to secure their liberty to the present day, Americans have had to fight to protect the freedom that makes our country great," said Romney. "The men and women who have volunteered and who are now serving our country in the global war on terror deserve our support."
"Our men and women in uniform carry on a brave and noble tradition of service to their state and country," said Romney. "They sacrifice much through their service, and I'm pleased that through this package of benefits our state has properly recognized all that military families do to keep us safe." *
"I have to tell you. Governor Romney is the kind of guy that if you were to send to central casting and say, "hello, ah, send me someone that looks like president of the united states" you know their would be a knock on the door and it would open and their would be Mitt Romney he is tall nice looking guy and presents himself very well. And he is very smart, very competent, um, but I have to tell you that, to me, he, you know again, you go back to, well being, being, smart and competent and show-y, are those the qualifications that we as republicans want?"
In his first press conference with the Chicago media [held yesterday afternoon at the Hilton Suites Chicago in the Loop], Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney seemed at ease, disciplined and well spoken-- and he displayed a good sense of humor—an often undervalued virtue in politics. Romney is a Harvard MBA and Harvard Law School Graduate [cum laude, but unlike Barack Obama, not President of the Harvard Law Review]. He was a private sector entrepreneur, venture capitalist and turnaround artist who fixed the 2002 Olympics. After losing to Senator Teddy Kennedy in 1994, Romney found that the second time was the charm when he became Governor of Massachusetts in 2002, winning over the State Treasurer-- who Romney argued was somewhat responsible for the state's financial mess-- sound familiar?
Romney's short stint in Chicago included a late morning meeting with Mayor Daley on Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics and the problems of cities; a meeting with a half dozen or so potential donors followed by a 1:30 pm presser with about a half dozen cameras and a dozen members of the media; and then a 2:00 pm meeting with some "Republican Party activists." Then the Governor was on to St. Louis, Mo. Such is the life of a Presidential candidate. Fun, huh?
Mitt Romney began the presser with a three minute statement and then answered questions for about thirteen minutes on a wide range of topics. The questions related, but were not limited to, the Massachusetts universal healthcare insurance program that Romney promoted and passed [with some modifications by the legislature] during his 2002-06 gubernatorial tenure, the Iraq War and the emerging war funding impasse between the President and Congress, Romney’s reversal [or evolution] of positions on (a) abortion and (b) “Don’t ask, Don’t Tell,” the state of the Republican Party in Illinois and Romney’s leadership team in the Land of Lincoln. See generally here and here.
I left work a little early and drove downtown to see Romney. It was free, and I only had to pay $6 for parking.
There were about 50 people in the room before hand. Here is a bit of his speech from Jason Bonham. If you get a chance, subscribe to his videos.
Romney in Chicago
That is the back of my head with the glasses, and the white shirt.
Romney in Chicago 6/14/07 #2
The guy with the pink tie was from The Economist. He wouldn't shake Jason's hand, maybe a germ-a-phobe. One lady in the background kind of made fun of one of their questions, and I did too. I hope I didn't embarass Romney. I'm the whiney voice that said, "let him answer the question". I have no idea why I said that. I worried about it all night. Now I made the press mad at Romney supporters, but if you would have seen them you would have been annoyed too.
Here is the portion where he discussed Massachusetts.
I was very disappointed with the press. They asked the same exact questions that had been asked at the last debate, and I was embarrassed for them for the crazy way that they act (yelling, shoving, jamming their microphone in front of each other... they kind of had this crazy look in their eye as they were barking questions at Romney) and they were interrupting his answers...
When he went to shake someone else's hand, I thought he was going for mine, and I felt awkward.
Dan Rutherford was there and introduced him. Romney went around and shook most people's hands.
The AP made it sound like they had a sit down with Romney and that Romney told them what he thought about policy. It was very self serving on their part. In actuality, they were just one of the crowd shouting at him, and his answer to a vaguely worded question should not have been seen as the policy statement, that the AP tried to make it sound like...
The person who asked the “how did you arrive at your decision, was it biblically based or some other way.”
I guess he didn't get his story, and didn't write about that part.
What do you think of these press availabilities? Don't you think they should raise their hands and let Romney call on them? I wish I would have videotaped them instead of Romney, so that you can see it from his perspective. They were a weird bunch of people.
I sort of wish I would have given him my camera, to take a picture with us. One person was going to take a picture with Romney, and Romney took the camera, and turned on the flash or something...
Have you been to one of these? What were your thoughts? If you have a digital camera, I highly advise that you videotape the reporters asking the question, so that you can see the question and the answer in context.
"Someone else considering a run for the White House recently addressed the Iran issue, and you won't be surprised to find out that I don't agree with her approach.
"In a speech last night in New York City, Senator Hillary Clinton said that she needs to quote 'understand' unquote Iran better – and to help her with her education process, that we should quote 'engage Iran' unquote.
"Friends, someone who doesn't understand Iran hasn't been paying attention – at this point, we don't need a listening tour with Iran. While I support gathering intelligence about our adversaries in any way possible, engaging is not the right policy. To the contrary, economic and diplomatic isolation must be our priority.
"Indeed, she argued that our strategy of engagement with the Soviet Union during the Cold War was a model for how we could deal with Iran. Now, for all the former Soviet Union's flaws, at least they maintained a commitment to national survival. They were not suicidal. The same cannot be said about the Iranian regime. And we must stop making analogies that are disconnected from the world in which we operate.
"And someone who wants to engage Iran displays a troubling timidity towards a terrible threat."
Governor Mitt Romney
In an interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on February 17, he characterized Iran as "a genocidal nation, a suicidal nation, in some respects."
"Well," replied Romney, "it's a nation where people participate in suicide bombing and that kind of a suggestion, I think it was former President Rafsanjani who talked about Israel being a one-bomb nation, meaning they could not survive one bomb, but they, Iran, could survive one bomb. It's like, 'Are you kidding? Are you suggesting that you'd be willing to take a bomb in order to eliminate another people?' This is a nation where the genocidal inclination is really frightening and having a nation of this nature develop nuclear weaponry is unacceptable to this country and to the Middle East."
"Mitt Romney, making a passionate appeal to pro-Israel voters, declared at a major conference on Israeli security yesterday that the United States must keep Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb, and he's helping a former Israeli prime minister lobby Massachusetts to divest pension funds from companies that do business with the country ..."
On Saturday, February 3, Governor Mitt Romney will keynote the Kentucky GOP Lincoln Day Dinner. Governor Romney will make remarks on the right strategy to deal with the threat posed by Iran.
On Fox and Friends, Governor Mitt Romney said "Hillary Clinton really distinguished herself in a negative way these last couple of days by saying that she's fighting Iran by turning off lights. You know, 'Take that, Iran.' Fortunately, we have an administration who's using their strength to help convince the Russians to do the right thing in Iran, and to cut off nuclear fuel. But Hillary Clinton is not exactly burnishing her foreign policy credentials with her policy."
On Thursday, February 22, Governor Romney released a letter sent to New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli urging that he pursue "a policy of strategic disinvestment from companies linked to the Iranian regime." Letters were also sent to Governor Spitzer and Senators Clinton and Schumer.
On Tuesday, January 23, Governor Mitt Romney made remarks at the Seventh Annual Herzliya Conference on the nature of threat posed by Iran and the actions necessary to address this threat.
"The mainstream media is surprised that we're here. They wrote our obituary last fall. Course, they've written our obituary before: after Watergate, after the 82 midterm elections, after Iran-contra, and after Bill Clinton's election. The truth is that..."
On Friday, February 2, Governor Mitt Romney made remarks at The Heritage Foundation Conservative Members Retreat - a gathering of members of the conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC).
"Thank you, Ron. It's an honor to be here today. I appreciate that introduction. Thank you also Uzi Arad for all you and Ron do together to make this conference possible. It's good to be with you today at the Herzliya Conference. It's been a busy day for me today. I began..."
"Today, we can lead the world. We can and we must lead the world to do what it has sought for so many centuries-to accept different people and different cultures, to respect the inalienable rights of every child of God, and to welcome a time of peace and prosperity for all the children of our Creator."
Governor Romney: "We are faced with the horrific proposition that those who speak of genocide are developing the capability to carry it out. Radical, nuclear Jihad is the greatest threat that faces humanity. It cannot be appeased. It can only be defeated."
"Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney made a pitch for support Saturday night in Republican-leaning Kentucky, where he gained momentum by winning the endorsement of three GOP congressmen."
"In a packed Bickford's Restaurant, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney told voters last night he would use his business sense to 'take Washington apart' and make it run more effectively if elected President.
"Republican Mitt Romney portrayed himself as a Washington outsider bent on reforming government during a stop in Des Moines Tuesday, the opening day of his presidential campaign. "With a John Deere tractor in the background, the former Massachusetts governor said the federal government is in need of a transformation and argued he has the executive experience as a successful businessman and governor who could make those changes.
"Oh gosh, look at this group of friends, my goodness, thank you so much. What friends here! Boy this warms my heart to see you all here, to have my family over there to my side, my sweetheart introducing me, some extraordinary things around me. It's an honor...
In his announcement, Governor Mitt Romney made the case that he has the experience and the ability to transform the U.S. Government so that it is innovative and effective. Governor Romney addressed the need to build a New American Dream by calling on the strength of a free American people.
"It is an honor to receive this award and to be associated in a small way with the legacy of President Reagan who fought tirelessly to lift the nation."
On April 10, Governor Mitt Romney will deliver remarks at The George Bush Presidential Library Center in College Station, Texas. He will address the four changes that America must make to meet a new generation of global challenges.
Thank you for that welcome, and thank you President and Mrs. Bush for this invitation to speak at Texas A&M, a proud university with time honored traditions. I've only been here for a few hours, but spending that time with students here, I understand why you chose this place for your library.