George Romney

Mitt Romney’s Vetting Process For Vice President: Different Than For Himself!

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Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, the Republican Presidential nominee, is deep into the process of vetting potential Vice Presidential running mates.

Among those thought to be in the competition are:

Tim Pawlenty
Rob Portman
Paul Ryan
Bobby Jindal
Marco Rubio
Condoleezza Rice
Bob McDonnell
Kelly Ayotte
Chris Christie
John Thune

What is being expected of any, and all, of the above candidates?

A complete vetting, including many years of tax returns!

Hey, wait a minute here! Mitt Romney wants these people, or at least those on the short list, to give information about their finances?

If that is so, which it is, WHY is it that Mitt Romney refuses to give the American people an accounting of his finances, as well?

Why is it that potential Vice Presidential candidates must do this, and Romney will not do so?

Does Mitt Romney think he is a “privileged character”, who does not have to meet the same standards as those who might be his Number Two, and ALL presidential nominees or contenders from his father George Romney on through both Bushes, Bob Dole, John McCain, and all others?

That is the answer: Mitt Romney THINKS he is a “privileged character”, who is “entitled” to play by his own rules, and to remain secretive about his finances!

Why would he be so vehement about this, if there is nothing to be concerned about in his finances?

BECAUSE, obviously, there is a lot to hide!

But one thought crosses one’s mind: Mitt Romney handed over 23 years of financial information to John McCain in 2008, as he was on the short list to be McCain’s running mate!

So the McCain campaign has these records, and if Mitt Romney refuses to release them, they should be released against his will!

Of course, one would say that would be illegal, which, technically it would be!

And certainly, Senator McCain, being a loyal Republican, is not about to do such a thing to his fellow Republican!

But what about the thought that to refuse to reveal information that EVERY other candidate in the past 40 years has done SHOULD be seen as disqualifying someone to be President, and should actually be illegal itself!

In conclusion: Mitt Romney is trying to hide something, probably a lot, as if that were not so, why not release the financial information?

So as Vice President Joe Biden said the other day; Mitt Romney wants Latino and Hispanic immigrants to be forced to “show their papers”, but he is not willing to show his own papers!

It is a great laugh line, but also totally TRUE!

George And Lenore Romney: Would They Be Proud Of Son Mitt Romney, And How He Has Evolved?

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George Romney was the Chief Executive of American Motors Corporation in the 1950s and early 1960s, and then ran for and won the Governorship of Michigan for six years, and was Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for four years under President Richard Nixon. He was a candidate for the GOP nomination for President in 1964 and 1968, and at one point, was ahead in public opinion polls for the Presidential nomination in 1968.

George Romney lived in poverty as a young man, but became a self made millionaire, and devoted his political career to moderation in the Republican Party, bitterly fighting Senator Barry Goldwater’s nomination and campaign for President in 1964, saying it was undermining Republican values.

George Romney had a good relationship with the African American community, as HUD Secretary, and was always an activist on civil rights.

George Romney was a very decent man, who, when he ran for President, revealed 12 years of his income tax returns, making it clear that a candidate for the highest office in the land needed to be transparent about his financial matters, and that one year revelations could be very misleading.

Lenore Romney, George’s wife and First Lady of Michigan when her husband was Governor, ran for the US Senate in Michigan in 1970, losing in a landslide to distinguished Senator Philip Hart. But she ran a campaign supporting abortion rights, advocated a national health care plan, spoke up for environmental regulations of industry, and opposed continuation of the war in Vietnam.

This wonderful political couple contributed to their nation not only their political careers, but four children, with the youngest, born in 1947, being Willard Mitt Romney, now the GOP Presidential nominee.

But the problem was that they made life too easy and comfortable for their youngest child, who basically turned out to be a “spoiled brat”, who could bully a fellow student while in high school, as the leader of what could be called a “gang”, and go on to feel that he was “entitled” to what he wanted, and could avoid service in Vietnam by using his Mormon religion as an excuse, which is perfectly legitimate, but showed he had no desire to put his life on the line, since he was a privileged young man, and could evade it, and would do so!

That has been the reality of Mitt Romney’s life: to evade responsibility, to take advantage of others, to abuse workers in companies he owned, to have no conscience about what he was doing to others, while claiming to be “religious”, and demonstrating willingness to change his mind as often as possible on every issue imaginable, and therefore having no convictions or principles he would not sacrifice for his obsessive ambition to be President!

It is hard to imagine that George and Lenore Romney would be totally proud of how their son has turned out. Of course, they would love him, but it is quite likely they would be embarrassed and distressed about his moving from the center of American politics to the extreme right, something George and Lenore fought against all of their lives, They would also be distressed that he has endorsed stands against women’s rights to their control of their own bodies on the issue of contraception, all for their son to gain the backing of conservative and evangelical voters!

Face the facts: Mitt Romney is NOT George Romney, and his wife, Anne is NOT Lenore Romney, a woman of true convictions, unlike Anne, who gave up her faith to marry a very wealthy guy, agreed that her parents would not be allowed in the Salt Lake Mormon Temple for their marriage, and allowed her dad, an atheist, to be converted to Mormonism after death by baptism without his approval or knowledge!

The children are not the match of the parents in the case of Mitt and Anne Romney, sorry to say!

Is Mitt Romney A Pathological Liar?

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Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, the Republican Presidential nominee, is looking worse every day he is on the campaign trail.

Romney is demonstrating to millions of Americans that he has, sadly, what seems like a pathological liar syndrome!

He has “flip flopped” on every issue he has ever taken a stand on, since he first ran for public office in 1994 against Ted Kennedy in Massachusetts, when he said he would be to the left of Kennedy on abortion and gay rights!

He told us “RomneyCare” was good for Massachusetts, but now wishes to obliterate “ObamaCare”, despite the fact that the Supreme Court has upheld it, and it has brought great benefits to millions of Americans, who would now lose those benefits!

Romney has refused to release any tax returns except for 2010, and has delayed submitting his 2011 taxes, even though his father, George Romney, had released 12 years of tax returns back in the 1960s, and EVERY other candidate for the Presidency, including recent GOP nominees John McCain and George W. Bush did so, and even potential running mate Tim Pawlenty, the former Minnesota Governor, did a complete vetting when considered for Vice President with John McCain in 2008!

Romney has sent a large portion of his massive fortune to accounts in the Cayman Islands, Bermuda (rather than the mistake of the author, who had previously said the Bahamas), and Switzerland, and refuses to release any information about those accounts

Romney refuses also to give more details about his years at Bain Capital, about his governorship in Massachusetts, and even denies remembering the bullying of a schoolmate in high school that others remember vividly! And he also thinks that putting a dog on the roof of an automobile for many hours while on a vacation trip is something that a dog, or any pet, would automatically love!

Romney’s body language reveals so much about him, and his failure to look people or the camera directly in the eye, also reveals that he is constantly lying!

Now there are reports, not yet proven, that he and his son Tagg MIGHT have been involved in a Ponzi scheme, which, even if not proved true, cannot surprise anyone who has watched him dart back and forth when answering questions, or making daily changes in his stand on issues!

One has to say: Is this what the Republican Party, the party of Lincoln, TR, and Ike wants as the inheritor of their traditions and beliefs, which made the party a great institution historically?

Is this what the American people deserve–a conniving, open faced liar, who seems not even to know he is lying and covering up, since it seems pathological in nature?

One would have to worry about high level corruption under a Romney Presidency, since the top one percent would have a “field day”, with secretiveness, paranoia, and personal insecurity returning to the White House!

If this sounds like Richard Nixon returning, in many ways it would be, EXCEPT that Nixon, believe it or not, also had real PRINCIPLES mixed in with his faults and shortcomings,while Romney is just a very wealthy guy who wants power for power’s sake and to enrich his friends and his own pockets!

Now some might say, come on, ALL politicians are crooks, are self servers, are liars!

To which the answer is YES, MANY are, although not all! But there are levels of lying, and being self serving, and Mitt Romney is the true champion on the top of the heap in that regard!

America deserves better and can do better than Mitt Romney!

Income Tax Returns Revealed: George W. Bush–17, George Romney–12, Mitt Romney–1!

Ronald 3 Comments

Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney is coming across as extremely secretive, refusing to release any tax returns other than the one for 2010, which revealed he was worth at least $250 million, twice the wealth of the eight Presidents from Richard Nixon to Barack Obama!

Now evidence is emerging that he is, likely, MUCH wealthier than $250 million, since he has offshore accounts in many nations, more than even what was thought (Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Switzerland)!

Romney delayed his 2012 tax return to avoid controversy during the primaries, but now those records will be revealed probably in October, shortly before the election, but it seems possible he will try to delay the revelations until after the election.

But the fact that he refuses to give details about his taxes looks terrible as compared to President George W. Bush, a rich man, who revealed SEVENTEEN years of tax returns in 2000.

Also, Mitt’s dad, Governor George Romney of Michigan, while running for the Presidency in 1968, revealed TWELVE years of tax returns.

So why cannot Mitt reveal NOW more than ONE year? How about it, Mitt?

The Urgency Of Mitt Romney To Be Transparent About His Life

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When a person decides to run for President, he opens himself up to the American people, and we have a right to know as much as we can about his background , his history, his beliefs, and his agenda.

Of course, no one is tied down to what he says his agenda is, as circumstances and events will shape a lot of what occurs during his administration, if he is elected President.

But being honest, frank, transparent, is always the better way, as we value someone who comes across as not secretive, not deceptive, not manipulative.

Sadly, Mitt Romney, the presumptive GOP nominee for President, particularly after victories in New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, now needs to prove that he is not secretive, deceptive and manipulative, the impressions he has left in the battle for the nomination over the past year.

Therefore, if he wants us to take him seriously, and decide if he deserves to be President, he must come forward with information in precise terms about the following:

Romney needs to tell us about his Mormon faith, how he views it, what he thinks of its shortcomings and the criticisms made of it, as many wonder about a religion often considered a cult. We have a right to know how much his faith will govern his decision making and his world view.

Romney needs to reveal his investments, if any, based on reports, that he has in the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, Monaco, or Swiss banks, and why he chose to invest there, rather than in US banking institutions.

Romney needs to explain his family history, and the truth about his father, instead of claiming how poor his dad, George Romney, was, and how Mitt pulled himself up all on his own without any help from family, a story that is seen as a myth. He needs to stop denying his heritage and his wealth and advantages inherited from being the son of the chairman of American Motors and the Governor of Michigan in the 1960s.

Romney also needs to tell us what his agenda is on foreign policy, how he plans to relate to the outside world. And he needs to tell us what kind of Supreme Court appointments he would wish to make, and how he sees the law and the Constitution, in specific details. And he needs to stop evasion as a tactic, as he will be confronted with it during the campaign by media investigation, and certainly by President Obama in the three televised debates. We have a right to know if he wished to govern as a moderate or a conservative.

Since he insisted that Obama should be forthcoming on his plans after the election, he must be willing to do the same, and be totally transparent in all regards, something he has not done so far.

If he is not transparent, then he will lose the election. If he is transparent, and we find the information unacceptable, then he will lose. But better to lose on transparency than the lack of it. To have an image of being honest, frank, and transparent, is always preferred, and a good character lesson for the nation at large!

Modesty And Humility: Not Traits Of Mitt Romney, As Compared To Wealthy Presidents!

Ronald 3 Comments

Mitt Romney was born with a “silver spoon” in his mouth to a father who was a success story in the auto industry.

Mitt Romney had the opportunity to attend Harvard for a law degree and a business degree.

Mitt Romney was able to use personal contacts, through his wealthy family, to multiply the wealth of the Romney family.

Mitt Romney grew up with an attitude of entitlement, that he was ordained to lead because of his family connections and business contacts.

Mitt Romney is not the first modern President to have similar advantages.

Theodore Roosevelt had these advantages. So did Franklin D. Roosevelt,. John F. Kennedy, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush.

But none of the above wore their wealth quite like Mitt Romney!

All of them engaged in politics more than Mitt Romney, who took the route of the least government service and experience, a minimum four years as Massachusetts Governor.

All of the other wealthy Presidents at birth had their own character flaws and shortcomings as we all do.

But none of them were cocky and arrogant, at least in public, quite like Mitt Romney is!

And none of their wives quite acted as Ann Romney is displaying, also an attitude of entitlement and arrogance!

It is one thing to be wealthy. It is another thing to boast about it, to emphasize it, to be cocky and arrogant, and act as if one is entitled!

What Mitt Romney and Anne Romney lack is a sense of modesty and humility!

The other Presidents tried very hard to make the American people forget their personal wealth and status, although, of course, it was there for all to see!

But Mitt and Anne Romney exude wealth, and make it out to be a virtue they wish to publicize.

And no one really likes a wealthy person who acts this way. It is not a nice character trait to brag or to boast.

Rather, it is nice when one goes out of his or her way to divert attention to one’s wealth, and to show concern for average Americans who are not so fortunate.

So Theodore Roosevelt showed concern with labor rights.

So Franklin D. Roosevelt showed concern about the poor during the Great Depression.

So John F. Kennedy planned a War on Poverty, and concern about racial discrimination.

So George H. W. Bush showed concern about the problems of the disabled and handicapped.

So George W. Bush showed concern about health care prescription costs for senior citizens.

How has Mitt Romney displayed concern for those less fortunate than himself?

The answer is that he has NOT displayed concern for anyone less fortunate, wanting to see the auto industry collapse, as just the tip of the iceberg as to his lack of care about how ordinary people are affected in their daily lives. He has displayed lack of concern about labor rights, the plight of the poor, discrimination against Hispanics and Latinos, and the cutting of Medicaid for the disabled and elderly.

This man has no “heart”, and while one who is cynical might argue that the other wealthy Presidents were just putting on a facade of concern, the old saying goes: Action speaks louder than words!

Mitt Romney: Obama Needs To Tell Us His Future Plans In Office, But I Will Not Do The Same! The Double Standard!

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Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, the likely Republican Presidential nominee, has been highly critical of President Barack Obama over a comment made to Russian President Dmitry Medveded about needing some time until after the upcoming election before he could follow through on plans for agreements.

Romney lambasted Obama, and insisted that he needed to fully reveal all plans, both foreign and domestic, as the American people were entitled to know what his agenda was for the next four years.

In the short run, that seemed to make some sense, but now the hypocrisy of Mitt Romney has emerged, as he was at a Palm Beach, Florida gathering of extremely wealthy people last night, and was unwilling to allow media in to listen.

But some information leaked out anyway, including the general idea, but not specified in detail, that Romney intended to end the Department of Housing and Urban Development cabinet agency, which his own father, George Romney, had headed under President Richard Nixon. He also mentioned a desire to combine other cabinet agencies, but said no details would be given to the American people before the election.

Romney has also talked in broad generalities about foreign policy changes, including a threat to attack Iran, but does not wish to be specific in any way.

So what Mitt Romney is saying is:Trust me, and give me power!

But he insists that Obama must be very specific and out in the open about everything he might be planning.

If such was to be a requirement of any Presidential candidate or President, then all past candidates have violated such a stipulation. That is not the way government works, Mr. Romney, and particularly since you have a double standard, that Obama must reveal everything, but you do not have to, the answer is that you have, for the umpteenth time, totally lost credibility!

Obama, Biden, And Romney: Income Tax Time!

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President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have finished and released information about their federal income tax returns, but Mitt Romney has asked for a delay in filing for six months!

Obama made far less in 2011, due to declining book sales, with his income being about $790,000, his taxes $162,000, and his effective tax rate being 20.5 percent.

Joe Biden, never well to do at any point of his life, reported income of $379,000, taxes of $88,000, and an effective tax rate of about 23 percent.

Both gave substantially higher percentages to charity than Romney, Rick Santorum, or Newt Gingrich reported in 2010.

Romney has what is believed to be $23 million in income from investments, with expected taxes of over $3.2 million, meaning a tax rate of about 15 percent, and in the past only about 10 percent charity, mostly to his own Mormon Church.

By delaying his 2011 tax returns, Romney only makes it a bigger deal closer to the election, and the call for him to release tax returns as extensive as he supplied John McCain in 2008 when he was considered for Vice President, will grow by leaps and bounds, particularly with the fact that his father, George Romney, gave tax information for about 20 years before his run for President in 1968! Why can’t Mitt be as forthcoming as his dad was 44 years ago?

And of course, whoever is the Vice Presidential nominee, will also have his or her taxes, effective tax rate, and charity contributions analyzed and exposed!

All this is not good for the Romney campaign, and it will be difficult to overcome the fact that Romney would be the wealthiest President ever upon taking office, more than George Washington was at the end of his life, with the certainty that someday, Romney will, just by investments, be the first billionaire President ever by the end of his life, if he serves in the Oval Office!

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, Barack Obama, And Mitt Romney

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The first accomplishment of Barack Obama as President was the signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act for women in February 2009.

This is one of the proudest moments in Obama’s Presidency, but Mitt Romney and his staff seemed to be unaware of the facts of the law yesterday, when asked about whether the Republican Presidential nominee supports continuing the law.

After having endorsed the passage and signing of a repeal of equal pay for women in Wisconsin by Governor Scott Walker, Romney was caught off guard, and only late yesterday, did the campaign say he was supportive of the Ledbetter Act.

But is he? He NEVER seems to know what he is for or against, and it changes daily for Mitt Romney!

It is infuriating to watch Mitt squirm on EVERY ISSUE!

What it comes down to is that Mitt Romney is only committed to FOUR things in his life:

They are:

His ego.
His constant acquisition of wealth, and desirous of keeping it secret.
His passionate desire to be President of the United States even though he has no idea of what he stands for, and is a true “wild card”.
His family (notice this is listed last, as it seems to be to most observers who are harsh on Romney’s motivations)!

This man has no soul! He is the best example of an evil, greedy capitalist, obsessed by money and power, without any intention to do good for the American people, but instead only for himself and the small ruling class of the top one percent!

IF George Romney was here today, he would NOT be proud of his son’s greed, materialism, selfishness, and egotism!

This is NOT what we need in an American President in the times we live in!

Romney will be punished in November, and richly deserve it!

Can Mitt Romney Survive A Loss In Michigan Primary? His “Competition” With George Romney’s Image And History!

Ronald 2 Comments

The biggest crisis in Mitt Romney’s privileged life is coming in Michigan, the state of his birth, the state which elected his father George Romney Governor for three terms in the 1960s, the state which he fundamentally abandoned when he called for the ordered bankruptcy of the auto industry, the state in which there has been a major turn around and drop in unemployment due to the intervention of the federal government to help General Motors and Chrysler survive. General Motors has seen its best growth in 25 years, and Michigan and the Midwest, as bad as they are in economic terms, are far better off because of what Barack Obama did, as opposed to what Romney wished to do for the area–NOTHING!

Romney is about to be paid back in spades, as the odds are now heavy that he will lose his “home state” to Rick Santorum, who can relate to blue collar workers on a fundamental basis, as compared to the filthy rich Romney who has no clue as to the struggles of auto workers or anyone else, and lives off investments but can joke about being “unemployed”!

If Romney loses the Michigan Primary, he is doomed, and will not be able to survive and win the nomination. And even if, by some intervention by “establishment” forces on Wall Street, he gets the nomination, he will have a flaw that will be enough to cause his defeat in November. He is simply too plastic, to stiff, too elitist, for the average American, and by catering to the extreme right in his rhetoric, he is causing the loss of major groups of voters–women, Hispanics and Latinos, African Americans, labor, the struggling middle class, independents, conservative Democrats, gays, etc. Does anyone NOT get the point?

Mitt Romney is NOT electable; he may have the lifelong desire to be what his father failed to be–President of the United States! But in a way, he is competing with a ghost, as George Romney was a much more genuine candidate, a man who knew what it was like to be poor, a man who really built up the auto industry, rather than live off buying up companies and firing workers, and making money on the resale of those companies.

George Romney was genuine, compassionate, principled, and honest to a set of values! Mitt Romney is none of these attributes of his father!

In a way, this reminds us of the struggle between father and son of George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush, another case of son trying to overcome the achievements of the father, but never matching up in any way, shape or form.

The difference is THIS time, it is not going to work out that this country has to deal with the psychological effects of the father-son battle for supremacy, as Mitt Romney is NOT going to be President of the United States, and is highly unlikely, as things stand now, to be the GOP nominee chosen at the Tampa Republican National Convention in August.

It is actually humiliating and embarrassing to see Romney trying to pander to Michigan now, talking about his old high school, the height of the trees, loving the lakes of the state, loving cars and Detroit! Such phoniness and catering to voters who know better than to be suckered by a rich guy who does not care about the “very poor”, the middle class, but only the rich, despite his protestations to the contrary!