Mitt+Romney



-Katie McKenzie

Mitt Romney biography - Ryan Shoemaker

[|Biography]

On The Issues: (From Mitt Romney Central) -Ryan and Katie **The Economy** **Education** **Foreign Policy** **Health Care Reform** **Immigration** media type="youtube" key="kdnZZJDw9FE" width="425" height="385"-Ryan and Katie **Same-Sex Marraige** **Abortion**
 * The private sector is where real job growth takes place, not government bureaucracies.
 * Unleashing the power of free markets is key to our economic prosperity.
 * Taxes should be lower for ALL Americans.
 * The death tax should be eliminated and Bush tax cuts made permanent.
 * Our corporate tax rate needs to be more competitive and business friendly.
 * The capital gains tax rate should be reduced to encourage investment.
 * A level-playing field for American products in foreign markets is necessary.
 * Education is a civil right.
 * Teachers unions have far too much power and influence.
 * Parents and communities should have greater ability to influence change in local schools.
 * Good teachers should be rewarded with a higher salary.
 * School choice and the number of charter schools should be expanded.
 * The Department of Education can help take the focus off of teacher’s unions.
 * Instituted the John & Abigail Adams award in Massachusetts, which gives top 25% of high school students free tuition to any public in-state college.
 * Strongly stand by our allies such as Israel, Poland, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Columbia, etc.
 * Promote and defend democracy throughout the world.
 * Stop Iran from developing or acquiring nuclear weapons.
 * Work with moderate Muslims to defeat Jihadism.
 * Don’t enter into treaties or agreements that will not be honored or put the U.S. at a disadvantage.
 * Never publicly announce military withdrawal dates from a theater of action.
 * Allow our allies a faster path to becoming NATO members.
 * Health insurance needs to apply market-based dynamics to decrease costs.
 * States should be able to construct a plan that fits their specific situation.
 * Allow insurance plans to be purchased across state lines to increase competition.
 * Health insurance should be portable so that someone does not lose their insurance if they change jobs.
 * Tort reform is a vital part of health care reform.
 * Enhance health savings accounts, not eliminate them like ObamaCare will do.
 * Utilize innovations, such as electronic medical records, to increase efficiency and reduce costs
 * Securing the border is priority number one.
 * Those who have come to the United States illegally should not be given amnesty or an easier path to citizenship over those already in line.
 * An employer verification system must be implemented to ensure jobs are not given to illegal immigrants.
 * Illegal immigrants should be required to return to their home country.
 * Giving tuition breaks to the children of illegal immigrants needs to stop.
 * Federal funding for cities who consider themselves sanctuary cities should be reduced.
 * The United States needs to be made more appealing to legal immigrants.
 * Ending illegal immigration only strengthens legal immigration.
 * Marriage should only be between a man and a woman.
 * Supports a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman.
 * In favor of recognizing domestic partnerships that include the opportunity for shared health benefits and rights of survivorship.
 * Every child deserves a father and a mother.
 * Life begins at conception.
 * Roe v Wade should be immediately overturned so that states can decide abortion laws.
 * Supports the ban on partial birth abortions.
 * Should eventually have a constitutional amendment protecting lives of the unborn.
 * Federal money should not be used to support abortions.

RomneyCare vs. ObamaCare -Ryan **-**Romney vetoed significant sections of the bill including the employer penalty for not providing health insurance **-**Romney favored an “opt out” provision from the mandate **-**No federal gov. insurance option **-**Intended as a market driven solution to healthcare || **-****Whole bill was 2,074 pages** **-**Very broad regulation of the insurance industry including an employer penalty for not providing health insurance and no "opt out" provision **-**Leaves open the option of creating single-payer gov. insurance in the future **-**Intended as a step toward gov. run insurance || **-**Romney balanced the state’s budget first, then passed healthcare law **-**No cuts to Medicare benefits **-**Modest cost to state (only added 1% to state budget) || **-****Increased taxes by $500 billion** **-**Despite massive federal gov. debt, Obama still passed Obamacare **-**Cuts Medicare by $500 billion **-****Overall costs unknown!** || **-**Strong special interest support **-**Very popular among the public in Massachusetts **-**Strong consensus of approval was built in the state to support the law **-****Consensus was built to support an individual mandate** || **-****Absolutely no bipartisan support** **-**Very controversial and divided special interest groups **-**Unpopular in nation overall **-****No consensus was built to support a mandate** || **-**Regardless of how the Supreme Court rules on Obamacare, Romneycare will remain constitutional || **-**Potentially unconstitutional **-**Supreme Court has yet to rule on 10th amendment limitations of federal gov. power in regard to this law || **-****Through collaboration and discussion, Massachusetts created a consensus among stake holders to support the new law** || **-**Federal gov. “one-size-fits-all” plan **-****Doesn’t take into account that each state is unique in important ways such as:** 1)Vastly different debt levels between states (some states can’t afford new spending on health care) 2)Some states have three times the percentage of uninsured citizens (Much greater costs will be imposed on states with a larger percentage of uninusured citizens) 3)Conservative states will reject implementation of federal gov. plan. ||
 * || **RomneyCare** || **ObamaCare** ||
 * **Overall Size and Scope** || **-****Whole bill was 70 pages**
 * **Costs** || **-****No new taxes!**
 * **Popularity** || **-****Very strong bipartisan support**
 * **Constitutionality** || **-**Constitutional
 * **Federalism** || **-**A state solution to a state problem

media type="youtube" key="XQYg9dTE0vo" width="425" height="350" align="left" -Ryan Shoemaker __**Mitt Romney Tweet of the Week:**__ "Thanks everyone for watching the #CNBCDebate. If you haven't yet, download my full jobs plan here: [|Jobs Plan] - Katie McKenzie

__**Mitt Romney Tweet of the Week:**__"The President has run out of ieas. Now, he's running out of excuses. And 2012 will be the year he runs out of time" -Ryan Shoemaker

Mitt Romney biography- Ryan Shoemaker [|Biography]

__**Mitt Romney Tweet of the Week:**__ "What is [|@**BarackObama**] ’s plan for America now that our debt has passed $15 trillion? More borrowing and spending." -Katie McKenzie

Polls: [|Romney and Gingrich at the top of the polls]- Ryan Shoemaker

-Ryan and Katie

-Ryan and Katie
 * Trend of preferences of California Republicans for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination**
 * || Late November 2011 || September 2011 || June 2011 ||
 * Mitt Romney || 26% || 30% || 30% ||
 * Newt Gingrich || 23% || 7% || 8% ||
 * Herman Cain || 9% || 4% || 7% ||
 * Ron Paul || 5% || 7% || 8% ||
 * Rick Perry || 35 || 22% || 6% ||
 * Michele Bachmann || 3% || 7% || 5% ||
 * Rick Santorum || 2% || 1% || 2% ||
 * Jon Huntsman || 1% || 3% || 1% ||
 * Other || 2% || 3% || 15% ||
 * Undecided || 26% || 16% || 18% ||

". [|@**BarackObama**] Mr. President, take a break from the personal attacks and answer this critical question: Where are the jobs?" -Ryan and Katie
 * __Mitt Romney Tweet of the Week:__**

= IOWA CAUCUS = -Ryan and Katie
 * Winner || Romney || Santorum || Paul || Gingrich || Perry || Bachmann || Huntsman || Cain ||
 * Votes || 30,015 || 30,007 || 26,219 || 16,251 || 12,604 || 6,073 || 745 || 58 ||
 * % || 25% || 25% || 21% || 13% || 10% || 5% || 1% || -- ||
 * Delegates || 13 || 12 || -- || -- || -- || -- || -- || -- ||

= NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY = -Ryan and Katie
 * || Romney || Paul || Huntsman || Gingrich || Santorum || Perry || Bachmann ||
 * Votes || 97 ,532 || 56, 848 || 41, 945 || 23, 411 || 23, 362 || 1, 766 || 349 ||
 * % || 39.3% || 22.9% || 16.9% || 9.4% || 9.4% || 0.7% || 0.1% ||
 * Delegates || 5 || 3 || 2 || -- || -- || -- || -- ||

-Katie McKenzie //Romney relaxes with his clan in the Belmon, Mass., home of oldest son Tagg. Clockwise from left: Mitt Romney; granddaughter Allie; her parents, Jen and Tagg; Craig and Mary Romney with son Miles; Ann Romney holding Parker, Miles's brother.// Mitt Romney has sailed through every debate in the past six months, but to many voters, he’s still a faraway figure. We know the former Massachusetts governor can rattle off facts and figures without uttering a single “oops,” but who is he offstage? Sitting down with him at the warm, spacious home of his son Tagg last month, I saw two sides of Mitt Romney. During our interview, there was the pragmatic CEO who surrounds himself with strong people, including Democrats, and considers every angle of an issue before making a decision or answering a question. But as the photographer set up for the shoot, I conversed with the loving family man who proudly showed me photos of himself sledding with grandsons and who lit up when his wife, Ann, walked into the room. If he can emerge triumphant from the upcoming primaries and gain the GOP nomination, his ability to win the White House may rest on his ability to be as comfortable in public life as he is surrounded by his family. //George Romney with Mitt in 1957.// //Mitt Romney and his wife Ann.// //The Republican presidential candidates–Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Romney, Herman Cain and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich–at a debate in November.// //Mitt (back row, center) with the Staples board in 1989.// //Mitt and Ann with their 16 grandchildren in 2010.'// Let’s say you become president and you’re trying to reach a bargain on deficits. The other side says, “We’ll reform retirement, but you need to budge on revenue.” Your party says, “No way.” What would you do? If you’re climbing a mountain and encounter a cliff, you don’t scramble against it—you look to the left or right to see if there’s a way around. It means saying, “You’ve got your principles. I’ve got mine. Let’s see if we can both honor them and achieve our objective.”
 * Americans know your policy positions, but they don’t know you well as a person. Tell me how your father, George, influenced you.** My dad was a carpenter who never completed college, yet he went on to be CEO of American Motors and governor of Michigan. At home, he filled us with the conviction that life was not handed to us on a silver platter. He made sure my brother and I mowed the lawn, shoveled the driveway. When he ran for president and his tax returns were published, it was clear he could’ve hired a landscaper. But he decided we would learn to work with our hands.
 * Did he get you up early in the morning to go do the chores?** Yeah, the early morning chores began with the snow shoveling. We had a long driveway and a lot of snow in Michigan. The lawn mowing was not early in the morning. That was Saturdays. We had many, many seedlings of pine trees he planted on the bank around our home, and I was required twice a week to water all of these seedlings and then pull the weeds out from around them. We had a large flower bank or a vine bank in the backyard, which required constant weeding, the task I disliked the most.
 * Did he give you your drive?** You know, I don’t know whether that comes from DNA or from one’s home, or perhaps the combination. I do recall that I argued with my parents, not just about the social things I might want to do, but about business or government or politics. I recall my father taking me to American Motors to show us the clay models of the next automobiles that were going to be introduced three and four years down the road, my saying that they weren’t attractive enough, that they didn’t look as good as the competitors’ models, and he and I arguing. That was when I was 12 or 13 years old. He chuckled at that kind of confrontation from someone so young.
 * Did your father ever give you advice about politics?** He said, “Don’t ever get involved in politics if you require winning an election to pay your mortgage or if your kids are young—you don’t want money to shape your views, and you don’t want your kids’ heads turned by the attention politicians sometimes receive.”
 * And?** I happened to think that I would never be in a position financially to follow his advice—meaning I never thought I’d be independent of a salary—and therefore never anticipated being involved in politics. The furthest thing from my mind was that I would run for political office.
 * Really? That isn’t something a lot of presidential candidates say.** I thought I’d be a business guy. I had dreamed of being involved in the automobile industry because I loved cars and I grew up in Detroit. My hope was that I could become an executive at one of the car companies. Had I thought politics was in my future, I probably would have picked Michigan, not Massachusetts as the place to live. [//laughs//] And yet I paid a great deal of attention to the political process and was concerned about policies that I thought were counterproductive. So when Ted Kennedy was running in a race where he was virtually unopposed, I decided to run just to try and set him or the public straight on the failings of his policies. I must admit, I didn’t think there was much prospect of actually winning. I’m smart enough to realize that a Republican in Massachusetts is unlikely to beat Ted Kennedy.
 * Your eldest son, Tagg, has said that the 30-month mission you went on for your church in 1966 shaped who you are today.** I was sent to live in France among the lower middle class. Each month I received $100 or $110 from home, probably equal to $500 or $600 a month today. With it, I had to pay for everything—rent, food, transportation. The toilet was in the hall, shared by a few apartments, and the shower consisted of attaching a hose to the sink faucet, standing in a plastic tub, and holding the hose over your head.
 * Did it help you become self-sufficient?** Yes. I recognized my life was up to me, and what I became was a function not of what my father achieved or what my mother dreamt, but what I could accomplish on my own.
 * It was a good growing up experience?** It was a good growing up experience. I made friends and had social experiences with people who lived in the apartment building I lived in and recognized the extreme value of education, the amazing advantage of being born in America and a passion for the principles that make America the land of opportunity. I think most people going through college consider it just something that you do that’s kind of fun and entertaining and engaging, but the relevance to one’s life is not clear. If you go to a foreign place, particularly if you’re living with people of very humble financial circumstances and you see the impact of education and the power of freedom and opportunity that we enjoy in America, you become motivated. It concentrates the mind.
 * How did the 1968 car accident in France [in which a vehicle crossed into Romney’s lane, seriously injuring him and killing a passenger] change you?** It brought a seriousness to my life—a recalculation of what was important and a recognition of life’s fragility. Young people think bad things won’t happen; I recognized that bad things can happen to me and those I love.
 * That’s interesting when you talk about fragility. Did it make you have a sense of being accountable every day as opposed to thinking, "I just can take it easy?" After Ronald Reagan was shot, it deepened his sense of commitment.** I think for me it deepened my sense of purpose. Growing up in a Judeo-Christian religious foundation, one measures one’s life by the contributions one has made to God and to the children of God. As the fragility of life becomes more clear in one’s mind, the need and passion to help others becomes more of a daily motivation. **Tagg suggested that those six years starting from France going through your Brigham Young education also deepened your commitment to and understanding of your religious life and the LDS experience.** Well, I didn’t know much about my church before I served as a missionary. [//laughs//] You see these young fellows on their bikes with their name badges on, and you assume they’re all experts in their faith, but starting off, they don’t know as much as they might have hoped. I learned a great deal about my faith and the teachings of my church. At the same time, one learns a great deal of one’s self. I read the Bible. I read it with much more interest and attention, and that made me, I think, more fundamentally appreciative of the truths and wisdom that had been provided by our Creator.
 * You’d already met Ann by the time you left for France, right?** That’s right. It’s hard to explain, but we fell completely and totally in love. I was 18 and a senior in high school. She was a sophomore. I told her I didn’t want to go on my mission, that I wanted to go to college and get married to her. She wasn’t a member of our church yet, but she said, “No, you must go on your mission. That’s your family heritage.” I did, but the thought of losing her was a source of great anxiety. [//laughs//]
 * Did you talk often on the phone while you were away?** No, we wrote weekly, but we were not to talk but once or twice a year.
 * Under the rules of the church?** Under the rules of the church. I was fortunate that she went to Grenoble, France, to study for a semester abroad, and I got to see her when she came through Paris. I was, of course, there with a missionary companion.
 * A male missionary companion?** Yeah, so we were always chaperoned.
 * You mean that even when you saw her you had a male companion around?** Oh yes, of course, yes. As a missionary, you’re never alone. You’re always supposed to be with your companion. It keeps us out of trouble, I’m sure. It saves the church a lot of headache. **Did you ever get a “Dear John” letter from her?** I got a letter toward the end of my mission saying she’d met someone she liked, though not as much as me. So I was pleased when I saw her waiting at the airport with our families. Immediately we knew we still had the same feelings for each other. On the ride home, she and I were in the third row of this station wagon. I said, “Do you want to get married?” She answered, “Absolutely.” [They wed on March 21, 1969.]
 * You two came through a crisis almost 30 years later when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).** I think that was one of the most difficult experiences that we shared together. We knew that she was getting tingling on one leg and numbness on one leg, one side of her body. We made an appointment with a neurologist, and we went to his office where there were these brochures. One was about ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and the other was about MS. We were looking at each other with great trepidation. I said to Ann, “If it’s MS, we’ll be just fine. I can deal with anything that’s not terminal.” We went in and he performed a series of neurological tests, and it was clear something was very wrong. She became very emotional and cried, and we hugged and expressed our feelings to one another and prepared for a very different life. We anticipated as her condition worsened that she would soon be in a wheelchair, and we looked to see about putting an elevator in the house so she could get from the first to the second floor. Then, through a series of very fortunate events—a superb doctor here in Boston, her horseback riding, the power of prayer—these things combined to allow her to recover her physical strength. She now is virtually without physical impairment, but we recognize that that’s in part the nature of the disease. It is a relapsing, remitting disease for some, where it gets bad and then it gets better. But she’s had no significant physical symptoms since about 2002.
 * What kind of First Lady do you think she would be?** She is the most wonderful woman I’ve ever known, an extraordinary mother, and a very caring person. People immediately identify her connection to and passion for others. She would be one of the great First Ladies.
 * She’s been supportive of your campaign?** Not just supportive—insistent. I was reluctant after 2008 to run again. She was very committed to my doing it and pushed me for six months to a year to proceed.
 * And she pushed you to go to France. Did she also urge you to run against Ted Kennedy in 1994?** Yes. I think at least 90 percent of my life could be explained as Mitt trying to impress Ann. [//laughs//]
 * Why has she pushed you?** I think she has more confidence in me than I have in myself. She believed that my business experiences in start-ups and turnarounds, in the Olympics, and as a Republican governor in a Democratic state prepared me uniquely to help the country in a troubled time. And that I have a responsibility to serve. As she calls on that sense of duty, I’m defenseless.
 * If you could use one word to describe yourself, what would it be?** Devoted. Devoted to my family, my faith, and my country.
 * When you’re not campaigning, how do you like to spend Sundays?** When the whole family’s together, we start with a big breakfast. Ann makes batter for pancakes, and I flip them. Then we go to church for three hours. In the afternoon, we’ll watch a football game, tell stories, wrestle, read, take walks. If we’re in New Hampshire, we have a little manmade beach where we dumped some sand next to the lake. We sit down there all day, and the kids play in the sand and they swim in the water and we swim back and forth to the swim platform. We have a little 25 horsepower outboard that the grandkids can drive. I go with them around the lake. There is nothing I enjoy as much as just watching my grandchildren and my children. It’s been that way since we first started having children.
 * Do you engage in prayer every day?** We have a blessing on the food and a prayer at mealtime.
 * How about in your daily life? How does your religion shape you?** Coming from a Judeo-Christian foundation, one again has a sense of purpose. One recognizes the value of integrity and honesty and the need to make a difference.
 * Mormons are not permitted to smoke, drink alcohol or coffee, or have premarital sex. Has it been hard to follow these rules?** My view is that the commandments of God—let’s take the Ten Commandments, the basis of all Judeo-Christian faiths—are not so much restricting as liberating. I think being faithful to one’s spouse is a wonderful source of passion and devotion in marriage and that paying tithes as suggested in the Book of Malachi makes one’s money less important.
 * Do you tithe on a regular basis?** Yes. I’ve given away 10 percent of what I’ve earned, pretax.
 * That means you’ve given millions of dollars to your church so far?** Absolutely.
 * Your net worth is an estimated $250 million. How can you connect with the people struggling to get by?** Americans have looked to people like Dwight Eisenhower, F.D.R., and the Kennedys, who all had unusual experiences that were needed for the times they served. In the U.S., the very poor are provided a safety net, which must be maintained. The very rich are doing fine. The middle class is suffering. It is for the great majority of Americans, the 90 percent in the middle, that I’m running for president.
 * How as a candidate or as a president can you show that you understand what life is like for people at the edge?** I had the occasion, as you know, to serve my church in a foreign place and to live with people who lived extraordinarily modestly. I’ve also served as a lay pastor in my church and counseled people with very modest means and provided welfare funds from the church to them. I’ve had the experience of watching people under very intense personal stress—financial, unemployment, family, and marital. Those heartbreaking experiences are what give me such conviction that we have to turn this country around economically and restore the prosperity which has always characterized the middle class in America. **Do you have a way to talk directly to people who are from all different backgrounds and classes so you can understand them?** I have town meetings on a regular basis in various states. Campaigning puts you face to face with people across the country, and you get a chance to hear their concerns. Attending church on Sundays, I meet people of all different backgrounds and experiences. The most isolated part of my life has been running for president. [//laughs//] When you’re in a normal work environment, it’s quite different.
 * You’ve touted your experience in turning around companies, but some opponents have argued that you achieved success by shutting down a number of businesses.** Democrats sometimes live in a Pollyanna world where every business succeeds. Anyone who works in the real economy knows that batting a thousand is nearly impossible. I’ve been chief executive in four settings, all successful. But when investing in other people’s companies—we invested in over 100 companies, creating tens of thousands of jobs, and some failed. It’s a heartache to know people lost savings and jobs. But I’m proud of the fact that we were more successful than not. Now, let me note, there’s a big difference between running my own business or for my own enterprise. Bain and Company the consulting firm, Bain Capital the investment company, the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, and the state of Massachusetts—those were the four chief executive spots that I’ve had. There’s a very big difference between actually being the leader of an enterprise that’s your responsibility and investing in someone else’s business, such as Staples. I got to be part of the Staples experience as a board member and investor but the people who really built Staples were Tom Stemberg, Leo Kahn, and a management team that was assembled there.
 * Right. But you learned there that the role of government is to create an environment where companies can compete and thrive?** Yes. The Democratic opposition reveals its extraordinary naïveté when it tries to assert that all businesses will be successful. The truth is, businesses will not all succeed, and the nature of our free enterprise system has as one of its downsides that some businesses fail. It’s an upside that the best succeed and lift others to better employment and higher standards of living. The job of government is to encourage the functioning of the private sector such that it lifts the incomes and wellbeing of all citizens.
 * Who are your role models as president? I’ve read that you asked your grandkids to call you Ike.** [//laughs//] That’s right. Ann and I were Ike and Mamie. Ann’s still Mamie, but they’ve switched me to Papa. As for other presidents, I recognize Ronald Reagan’s exceptional capacity to educate Americans about the challenges they faced and the sacrifices needed. At the same time, I recognize in him a capacity to engage the opposition. Rather than attack them, he cheerfully pointed out the weaknesses of their arguments and tried to co-op the best that came from their ideas and to work collaboratively where possible. He did that in a highly effective way both internationally and domestically. But there was no question that he would stand by his principles. And I have great affection for George Bush. I’m talking about 41—although I also like 43—and his extraordinary preparation both as a private sector leader and then having been head of the CIA and the RNC. This is a man who had a broad series of experiences which allowed him to stare down the Communist regime. We forget that he was the man that was there when the Soviet Union finally collapsed. And he was an individual that did not exalt in the failure of others.
 * You’ve been attacked by the left and the right. The White House’s David Plouffe said you had no core; George Will called you a “pretzel candidate.” Do these attacks sting?** Well, one, I don’t read them [//laughs//]. Secondly, I wrote a book, //No Apology//, in 2010 that laid out my views on the issues. That’s what I believe. I know there will be an effort on the part of some to distract the American public from the significant issues, which are, domestically, the failure of this administration to reboot our economy and, internationally, the growth of entities that wish to reshape the world in their image—namely, the jihadists, an emerging China, a soon-to-be-nuclear Iran unless we take corrective action, and a resurgent Russia. America faces extraordinary challenges, and there are some people who would rather divert attention from those issues to secure their long-term tenure in the White House.
 * How would you describe your core? What are your passions?** I love this country. I love the principles upon which this nation was founded. I have a deep affection for the American people. And I was raised with a conviction that I have a responsibility as an American citizen to help the country and to help my fellow citizens. **As governor, you brought in some Democrats to work with you. Would you do the same as president?** I’d bring in people with the experience and skills I thought the nation needed. And if they went off in directions that conflict with my principles and policies, I’d remove them.
 * How would you break the partisan gridlock in D.C.?** By finding people who care more about the country than anything else. And I would intend not to attack the people across the aisle. When I was governor of Massachusetts, with a legislature that was 85 percent Democrat, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that if I attacked the House or Senate leaders, I’d get nothing done. I worked with the Speaker and the Senate President. We met every week in one of our three offices for an hour or two, discussed problems that the state faced, and did so off the record.
 * Is there anything else you’d like Americans to know about you?** What I enjoy most in life is being with my family—my five sons [Tagg, 41; Matt, 40; Josh, 36; Ben, 33; Craig, 30] and 16 grandkids.
 * It sounds like you truly cherish your time together.** Some people bring work home. They eat dinner and then they go into the study and work. When I came home, I put the briefcase by the door and didn’t look at it till the next morning. For me, life is what happens away from work. Life is about family. I recognize that if I get elected to the office I seek, family time will be dramatically cut back. It will be my time to serve. -Katie McKenzie

[|Poll: It's still Romney vs. Paul in Iowa] Posted by [|CNN Political Unit] **(CNN)** – Mitt Romney and Ron Paul remain neck-and-neck in Iowa among likely Republican caucus-goers, according to a poll released Saturday by the state's largest newspaper. The Des Moines Register [|poll] showed Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, with 24% and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas with 22%. The No. 3 spot went to former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania with 15%, followed by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich with 12%, Texas Gov. Rick Perry with 11% and Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota with 7%. The poll was conducted Tuesday through Friday but results from just Thursday and Friday considered separately showed Santorum in second place with 21% and Paul third with 18% while Romney remained steady at 24%. The Register poll is the last major one expected before Tuesday's caucuses, when the first votes of the 2012 race will be cast. A senior Romney strategist told CNN that the "mood is positive" and that Team Romney is "a confident campaign, but not an arrogant one," adding that "the campaign is taking nothing for granted." The latest poll follows an NBC/Marist poll and a CNN/Time/ORC International poll released earlier in the week that showed a close contest for the No. 1 spot between Romney and Paul. The NBC [|survey] released Friday showed Romney with 23% support and Paul with 21%. Santorum received 15% followed by Perry with 14% and Gingrich with 13%. Six percent indicated they would back Bachmann. Wednesday's [|CNN results] of likely GOP caucus participants indicated Romney and Paul statistically tied for the top spot, with 25% and 22% respectively. It also showed a surging Santorum with 16% support and a waning Gingrich with 14%. Perry received 11% followed by Bachmann at 9% and Huntsman at 1%. The Des Moines Register poll released shortly before the state caucuses in 2008 closely mirrored the eventual election results. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee topped the December poll with 32% and went on to with the contest with 34% of the vote. Romney's poll figures also closely mirrored the election results. He garnered 26% in the poll compared to 25% in the January contest. The Register poll surveyed 602 likely caucus goers between Dec. 27 and Dec. 30 with a sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. The sampling error for the final two days of polling was plus or minus 5.6 percentage points.

-Katie McKenzie and Ryan Shoemaker

= Mitt Romney celebrates New Hampshire primary victory = == Mitt Romney's victory in New Hampshire's Republican presidential primary strengthens his standing before the South Carolina and Florida votes. More conservative candidates falter as libertarian Ron Paul and moderate Jon Huntsman Jr. place second and third. == Mitt Romney speaks during his primary night party at Southern New Hampshire… (Justin Sullivan, Getty Images)  [|January 10, 2012]  | By Mark Z. Barabak and Paul West, Los Angeles Times  Reporting from Manchester, N.H. — Mitt Romney rolled to a convincing victory in the New Hampshire primary, taking a broad stride toward capturing the GOP presidential nomination as the contest heads south for a pair of potentially make-or-break contests. The win Tuesday gave Romney a one-two sweep in the leadoff voting of the 2012 campaign, a first for any Republican apart from a sitting president, as the race moved to South Carolina and Florida. -Katie McKenzie and Ryan Shoemaker
 * [[image:http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2012-01/67292856.jpg align="center" caption="Mitt Romney speaks during his primary night party at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, N.H." link="@http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2012-01/67292856.jpg"]]

=Mitt Romney’s Florida Republican primary speech (full text, video) = By //Mitt Romney’s prepared remarks after his Florida Republican primary win:// Mitt Romney tonight delivered remarks in Tampa, Florida. The following remarks were prepared for delivery: Thank you all. To the people of Florida tonight, thank you for this great victory. There are fewer candidates than when the race began, but the three gentlemen left are serious and able competitors. And I congratulate them on another hard-fought contest in this campaign. Primary contests are not easy – and they’re not supposed to be. As this primary unfolds, our opponents in the other party have been watching. They like to comfort themselves with the thought that a competitive campaign will leave us divided and weak. But I’ve got some news for them: A competitive primary does not divide us; it prepares us. And when we gather here in Tampa seven months from now for our convention, ours will be a united party with a winning ticket for America! Three years ago this week, a newly elected President Obama faced the American people and said that if he couldn’t turn the economy around in three years, he’d be looking at a one-term proposition. We’re here to collect. Since then, we’ve had 35 months of unemployment over 8 percent. Under this President, Americans have seen more job losses and more home foreclosures than under any President in modern history. In the last ten days, I met a father who was terrified that this would be the last night his family would sleep in the only home his son has ever known. I’ve met seniors who thought these would be their best years and now live day to day worried about making ends meet. I’ve met Hispanic entrepreneurs who thought they had achieved the American Dream and are now seeing it disappear. In his State of the Union Address, the President actually said, “Let’s remember how we got here.” Don’t worry, Mr. President, we remember exactly how we got here! You won the election! Leadership is about taking responsibility, not making excuses. In another era of American crisis, Thomas Paine is reported to have said, “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.” Mr. President, you were elected to lead, you chose to follow, and now it’s time for you to get out of the way! I stand ready to lead this Party and our nation. As a man who has spent his life outside Washington, I know what it is like to start a business. I know how extraordinarily difficult it is to build something from nothing. I know how government kills jobs and, yes, how it can help. My leadership helped build businesses from scratch. My leadership helped save the Olympics from scandal and give our athletes the chance to make us all proud. My leadership cut taxes 19 times and cast over 800 vetoes. We balanced every budget, and we kept our schools first among fifty states. My leadership will end the Obama era and begin a new era of American prosperity! This campaign is about more than replacing a President. It is about saving the soul of America. President Obama and I have two very different visions of America. President Obama wants to grow government and continue to amass trillion dollar deficits. I will not just slow the growth of government, I will cut it. I will not just freeze government’s share of the total economy, I will reduce it. And, without raising taxes, I will finally balance the budget. President Obama’s view of capitalism is to send your money to his friends’ companies. My vision for free enterprise is to return entrepreneurship to the genius and creativity of the American people. On one of the most personal matters of our lives, our health care, President Obama would turn decision making over to government bureaucrats. He forced through Obamacare; I will repeal it. Like his colleagues in the faculty lounge who think they know better, President Obama demonizes and denigrates almost every sector of our economy. I will make America the most attractive place in the world for entrepreneurs, for innovators, and for job creators. And unlike the other people running for President, I know how to do that. President Obama orders religious organizations to violate their conscience; I will defend religious liberty and overturn regulations that trample on our first freedom. President Obama believes America’s role as leader in the world is a thing of the past. He is intent on shrinking our military capacity at a time when the world faces rising threats. I will insist on a military so powerful no one would ever think of challenging it. President Obama has adopted a strategy of appeasement and apology. I will stand with our friends and speak out for those seeking freedom. President Obama wants to “fundamentally transform” America. We want to restore America to the founding principles that made this country great. Our plans protect freedom and opportunity, and our blueprint is the Constitution of the United States. Together, we will build an America where “hope” is a new job with a paycheck, not a faded word on an old bumper sticker. The path I lay out is not one paved with ever increasing government checks and cradle-to-grave assurances that government will always be the solution. If this election is a bidding war for who can promise more benefits, then I’m not your President. You have that President today. But if you want to make this election about restoring American greatness, then I hope you will join us. If you believe the disappointments of the last few years are a detour, not our destiny, then I am asking for your vote. I’m asking each of you to remember how special it is to be an American. I want you to remember what it was like to be hopeful and excited about the future, not to dread each new headline. I want you to remember when you spent more time dreaming about where to send your kids to college than wondering how to make it to the next paycheck. I want you to remember when you weren’t afraid to look at your retirement savings or the price at the pump. I want you to remember when our White House reflected the best of who we are, not the worst of what Europe has become. That America is still out there. We still believe in that America. We still believe in the America that is a land of opportunity and a beacon of freedom. We believe in the America that challenges each of us to be better and bigger than ourselves. This election, let’s fight for the America we love. We believe in America. Thank you. And God bless America.

-Ryan Shoemaker and Katie McKenzie

= Trump endorses Romney =  By ** Mark Preston **and ** Alan Silverleib **, CNN updated 7:07 AM EST, Fri February 3, 2012    Trump to Romney: Go get 'em   **STORY HIGHLIGHTS** **(CNN)** -- Celebrity business magnate Donald Trump endorsed Mitt Romney for president Thursday, telling reporters he will not mount an independent campaign if Romney is the Republican nominee. Trump, who has repeatedly flirted with the possibility of his own White House bid, revealed his decision in Las Vegas two days before Nevada's Saturday caucuses. "It's my honor, real honor, to endorse Mitt Romney," Trump said, with Romney and his wife standing nearby. Calling Romney "tough" and "smart," Trump said, "he's not going to continue to allow bad things to happen to this country." Romney responded by praising Trump for "an extraordinary ability to understand how our economy works and to create jobs" and for being "one of the few who has stood up to say China is cheating" in international trade. It was unclear whether Trump's decision will have any impact on the Republican race. A Pew survey last month found that 64% of definite and likely GOP voters said an endorsement from the reality television star would make no difference to them. In the survey, 13% said it would make them more likely to back a candidate, while 20% said it would actually make them less likely. "Endorsements rarely sway voters," Republican strategist Alex Castellanos said. But "the Trump endorsement undermines (Newt) Gingrich's argument that it is just the Washington establishment that is out to stop him and nominate Romney. Trump is the ultimate outsider." Trump was not always so positive regarding Romney's record. During an interview on CNN's "State of the Union" in April, Trump criticized Romney for eliminating jobs while in the private sector. "He'd buy companies. He'd close companies. He'd get rid of jobs," Trump told CNN Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley. "I've built a great company. My net worth is many many times Mitt Romney." Asked what changed since then to bring his endorsement of Romney, Trump told CNN later Thursday that his past comments were "political talk." "That was a long time prior to my getting to know him," Trump said of Romney. "But I have gotten to know him and he's a terrific guy. I don't know if he really comes out like he really is in person. He's a warm, smart, tough cookie and that's what this country needs. We need somebody that's tough, that will stop China and OPEC and all these other nations from just ripping us up. And i think he can do it." Perhaps in reference to Trump's earlier comments, Romney said Thursday after thanking Trump for the endorsement, "I spent my life in the private sector, not quite as successful as this guy but successful nonetheless." News of Trump's endorsement of the Republican front-runner came as the GOP candidates stumped for votes across Nevada and Romney continued to wrestle with fallout from a CNN interview in which the former Massachusetts governor said he wasn't "concerned about the very poor." [|Poll: Romney's big lead in Nevada] "We have a safety net" for the very poor, Romney told CNN's Soledad O'Brien on Wednesday. "If it needs repair, I'll fix it. I'm not concerned about the very rich; they're doing just fine. I'm concerned about the very heart of America, the 90%, 95% of Americans right now who are struggling, and I'll continue to take that message across the nation." Pressed by O'Brien, Romney noted that the poorest Americans have access to food stamps, Medicaid and housing vouchers. "You can choose where to focus," he said. "You can focus on the rich; that's not my focus. You can focus on the very poor; that's not my focus. My focus is on middle-income Americans." Romney later insisted that his words were taken out of context and reiterated the full context of the quote, which was meant to stress his focus on the middle class. "You've got to take the whole sentence, (or else) it sounds very different," he said. "We have a safety net for the poor. ... If there are people that are falling through the cracks, I want to fix that." The comment, however, sparked a new round of debate over an emerging narrative of Romney as a plutocrat unaware of the needs and concerns of ordinary Americans. It also evoked memories of previous controversial Romney statements, such as when he said he likes firing people who provide poor service. [|Gingrich hammers Romney over 'poor' comment] Romney is "reinforcing the image of the national party that is elite (and) out of touch," said Mark McKinnon, a former campaign adviser to George W. Bush and John McCain. "That's why he's having such problems with independent voters. ... Unless the Republicans turn that around, they cannot win this election." Gingrich, the former House speaker, has blasted Romney for the remark over the past two days, declaring Wednesday that he is "fed up with politicians in either party dividing Americans against each other." On Thursday, Gingrich said that "we should care about the very poor -- unlike Governor Romney. But I believe that we should care differently than Barack Obama. Both Governor Romney and Barack Obama seem to believe that a 'safety net' is all the poor need. I don't believe that. What the poor need is a trampoline so they can spring up and quit being poor." [|Gingrich press secretary fights off Trump questions] Regardless of the extent of Romney's verbal miscue, the former governor is now the clear Republican front-runner. A national poll released Wednesday showed an immediate benefit for Romney, putting him in first place at 31% compared to 26% for Gingrich, 16% for Santorum and 11% for Paul. The Gallup daily tracking poll had Gingrich ahead of Romney after the former speaker won the January 21 South Carolina primary. Romney cemented his status as the GOP leader with an overwhelming victory in Tuesday's Florida primary. Romney won the primary with 46% of the vote, compared with 32% for Gingrich, 13% for Rick Santorum and 7% for Ron Paul, according to the Florida Department of State. The victory gave Romney all 50 of Florida's convention delegates and, more important, new momentum heading into a series of caucuses and primaries building up to Super Tuesday on March 6, when 10 states will hold nominating contests. <span style="color: #004276; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">[|Zakaria: Why I can't wait for the Republican convention] Gingrich's campaign asked the Republican Party on Thursday to allocate the 50 Florida delegates on a proportional basis, rather than the winner-take-all format that gave them to Romney. In a letter to the Republican National Committee, the Gingrich campaign argued that an RNC rule says early primaries and caucuses must award delegates proportionally. However, party rules say the issue can be addressed only at the August nominating convention in Tampa, Florida. Santorum also has expressed support for Florida to change its system, but the Florida Republican Party chairman, Lenny Curry, said in a statement Thursday that won't happen. "Florida was winner-take-all before election day, we were winner-take-all on election day, we will remain winner-take-all," Curry's statement said, adding: "It is a shame when the loser of a contest agrees to the rules before, then cries foul after losing."
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline;">** NEW: ** Trump said he previously criticized Romney before getting to know him
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline;">The value of a Donald Trump endorsement of Mitt Romney is unclear
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rick Santorum agrees with Newt Gingrich that Florida delegates should be proportional
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Republican candidates are campaigning in Nevada, which holds its caucuses Saturday

-Katie McKenzie and Ryan Shoemaker

Mitt Romney Tax Return: = Mitt Romney Tax Returns Released: Paid Just 13.9% Rate In 2010, Had Swiss Bank Account = First Posted: 01/24/2012 12:24 am Updated: 01/25/2012 1:07 pm

By Steve Holland and Kim Dixon TAMPA, Fla./WASHINGTON, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney released tax records on Tuesday indicating he will pay $6.2 million in taxes on a total of $42.5 million in income over the years 2010 and 2011. Bowing to increasing political pressure to provide more detail about his vast wealth, the former private equity executive released tax returns indicating he and his wife, Ann, paid an effective tax rate of 13.9 percent in 2010. They expect to pay a 15.4 percent rate when they file their returns for 2011. Romney's tax rate is below that of most wage-earning Americans because most of his income, as outlined in more than 500 pages of tax documents, flows from capital gains on investments. Under the U.S. tax code, capital gains are taxed at 15 percent, compared with a top tax rate of 35 percent for wage earners. Romney released the tax returns after a week in which his chief rival for the Republican presidential nomination, former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich, questioned whether Romney was hiding information about his finances and cast him as being out of touch with most Americans.

Gingrich's attacks on Romney helped him upset the former Massachusetts governor in the South Carolina primary on Saturday. Since then, Romney has vowed to be more aggressive in returning fire. He has launched a series of attacks questioning Gingrich's character, judgment and lucrative work as a Washington consultant, and released his tax returns to try to nullify Gingrich's criticisms on that front. The tax rates Romney reported paying could add fuel to a national debate over the fairness of the tax code, and coincides with broader concerns about income inequality symbolized by the Occupy Wall Street movement. Romney's campaign officials stressed that his tax rate is based mostly on income from investments that are held in a blind trust. Romney's holdings include an undisclosed amount in funds based in the Grand Cayman Islands and other overseas entities. Romney advisers stressed that the holdings in the Caymans - along with those in a Swiss bank account that was closed in 2010 after an investment adviser decided it could be politically embarrassing to Romney - were reported on tax returns and were not vehicles to avoid taxes. They also stressed that Romney, whose holdings are in three blind trusts, makes no decisions as to how his money is invested. Regardless, the emerging picture was of a man of great means who contributes mightily to charity. The documents showed he and his wife contributed $7 million in charity over the two years, much of it going to his Mormon church. That represents more than 15 percent of the Romneys' income for those years. Romney, whose estimated net worth is $190 million to $250 million, is among the wealthiest Americans ever to seek the presidency. Top campaign officials and the director of Romney's blind trust, Brad Malt, briefed Reuters on the details ahead of a more general release of the information Tuesday morning. Campaign counsel Ben Ginsberg, asked why Romney was not releasing tax records for the years in the 1980s and 1990s in which Romney made his fortune at private equity firm Bain Capital, said the two years covered by the tax returns should give a broad picture of Romney's financial situation. "We're not going to get into the game of once you give them something, they demand more," Ginsberg said. "This is a fulsome release and we're proud of it." The tax issue may have been a factor in Romney's loss to Gingrich in South Carolina. It became a distraction to Romney's campaign, and Romney's fuzzy answers on when and if he would release his records aggravated the problem. First he said he might release them, or might not. When the questions kept coming, he said he would put them out in April, after his 2011 forms were completed. Only after he was defeated in South Carolina did his aides say he would release them this week. Gingrich has released his returns for 2010, but has not released an estimate for last year, as Romney did. Long considered the front-runner for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, Romney was staggered by Gingrich's lopsided win in South Carolina, and is looking to regain enough momentum to defeat Gingrich in Florida, which votes on Jan. 3 - Katie and Ryan

Feb 14, 2012

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,;">Are the Maine GOP caucus results in doubt?
[|CAPTION] By Robert F. Bukaty, AP

**Updated 5:02 p.m. ET** What is it with GOP presidential caucuses and the counting of those results? The //Bangor Daily News// in Maine reports "pressure is on" the state Republican Party to "reconsider its weekend declaration that Mitt Romney won" the Maine caucuses. Romney edged out Ron Paul by 194 votes. Several Maine towns were not included in the vote totals released Saturday, Feb. 11, because they did not hold their caucuses by that date. The newspaper's town-by-town review found that some communities voting before Feb. 11 -- such as Waterville and those in Waldo County -- weren't included in vote totals. There were issues with the vote count in Iowa and Nevada, which each held caucuses instead of primaries. Washington County, the easternmost county in the United States, is going to hold caucuses this Saturday, Feb. 18. The GOP chairman there says he's going to petition the state Republican Party to include those votes, and he's expecting a big turnout. "We're going to release the numbers to the media, the campaigns and the party," Chris Gardner, the Washington County (Maine) GOP chairman told USA TODAY. "The media and the campaigns don't need the state party to do the math." Paul's campaign has been saying since Saturday that the Texas congressman could end up winning more delegates than Romney when all is said and done. The caucuses were only the first step in the process, and convention delegates weren't awarded last weekend when the straw poll results were announced. The Paul campaign issued a statement expressing the "outrage" about the vote delay in Washington County, which was caused by a snowstorm. Gardner said in our interview that he had no indication from the state Republican Party that Washington County wouldn't be part of the official vote if towns decided to hold off on caucuses because of the weather. And for the record, he is a Mitt Romney supporter. "The state party was well-intentioned with what they were trying to do," Gardner told USA TODAY. "They're a little caught up in the pomp and circumstance and need to pay attention to ... an inclusive process." Gardner says including all Maine communities -- regardless of when caucus votes were held or will be held -- in the final GOP presidential tally is only the right thing to do. "Other people are trying to make this about the candidates," he said. "Here in Washington County, it's about the process."

-Ryan and Katie

Mitt's Tweet of the Week: After 3 years, the only thing [|@**BarackObama**] ’s stimulus has produced is a series of broken promises. media type="youtube" key="TSDNq96qXO8" height="360" width="640"

-Katie and Ryan

=<span style="color: #154a77; font-family: kepler-std-1,kepler-std-2,sans-serif; font-size: 38px;"> Mitt Romney Delivers Remarks to AIPAC Policy Conference =

Mitt Romney | March 6, 2012 Thank you for the opportunity to address the AIPAC Policy Conference. And thanks to Teddy and Ed, who have been great friends, supporters, and teachers over the years.

I regret that my Super Tuesday travel schedule prevents me from being with you in person. But while I can’t be with you, I stand with you. I share your commitment to a strong and secure Israel. And I salute your tireless work to strengthen our alliance.

This year, we are gathering at a dangerous time for Israel and for America. Not since the dark days of 1967 and 1973 has the Middle East faced peril as it does today. This is a critical moment. America must not – and, if I am President, it will not – fail this defining test of history.

The current administration has distanced itself from Israel and visibly warmed to the Palestinian cause. It has emboldened the Palestinians. They are convinced that they can do better at the UN – and better with America – than they can at the bargaining table with Israel.

As President, I will treat our allies and friends like friends and allies.

In recent days and weeks, we’ve heard a lot of words from the administration. Its clear message has been to warn Israel to consider the costs of military action against Iran. I do not believe that we should be issuing public warnings that create distance between the United States and Israel. Israel does not need public lectures about how to weigh decisions of war and peace. It needs our support.

Israel’s democratically elected leaders will always be welcomed and respected by my administration. Israel’s current prime minister is not just a friend; he’s an old friend. We worked together over 30 years ago at the Boston Consulting Group. He is a leader whose intellect and courage I admire – and whose family’s sacrifice I profoundly respect. In a Romney administration, there will be no gap between our nations or between our leaders.

I have seen Israel by land and by air. I have seen its narrow waist, and its vulnerability to positions on the Golan Heights. I have spent time with families in Sderot who have been terrorized by rocket barrages from Gaza. I have walked the streets of Jerusalem, seen schools pocked by rifle rounds fired from the foreboding hills that nearly surround it. I would never call for a return to the ’67 lines because I understand that in Israel, geography is security.

I have studied the writings and speeches of the jihadists. They argue for a one-state solution—one all-dominating radical Islamist state, that is. Their objective is not freedom, not prosperity, not a Palestinian state, but the destruction of Israel. And negotiating and placating such jihadists will never, ever yield peace in the Middle East.

I recognize in the ayatollahs of Iran the zealot refrain of dominion. Their passion for the martyrdom of Arab youth is matched only by their cowardice in avoiding it for themselves. Nuclear ambition is pursued by Iran to dominate, to subjugate, and to obliterate. A nuclear Iran is not only a problem for Israel; it is also a problem for America and the world.

We may not know when Iran will secure sufficient fissile material to threaten the world, but the IAEA warns that that the hour is fast approaching.

In the Gulf, Iran prepares to close the Strait of Hormuz, to hold hostage 20 percent of the world’s oil. In their nuclear laboratories, they prepare the means to hold hostage the entire planet.

Iran has long engaged in terrorism around the world, most recently in Georgia and in Thailand. In Washington, DC, Iran plotted to assassinate the Saudi ambassador by bombing a Georgetown restaurant. Iran has deployed Hezbollah and Hamas and armed the insurgents of Iraq and Afghanistan, killing our sons and daughters. They war against America.

Yet, the current administration has promoted a policy of engagement with Iran. The President offered to sit down with Ahmadinejad during his first year in office without preconditions. He sat silent as Iranian dissidents took to the streets of Tehran, not wanting to disrupt the potential opportunity for dialogue with Iran’s fanatical tyrants. This President not only dawdled in imposing crippling sanctions, he has opposed them.

Hope is not a foreign policy. The only thing respected by thugs and tyrants is our resolve, backed by our power and our readiness to use it.

Of course, the administration’s naïve outreach to Iran gave the ayatollahs exactly what they wanted most. It gave them time. Whatever sanctions they may now belatedly impose, Iran has already gained three invaluable years.

There are some in this administration who argue that Iran’s leaders are “rational,” and that we can do business with them. The President speaks of common interests. Let me be clear: we do not have common interests with a terrorist regime. Their interest is in the destruction of Israel and the domination of the Middle East. It is profoundly irrational to suggest that the ayatollahs think the way we do or share our values. They do not.

I will bring the current policy of procrastination toward Iran to an end. I will not delay in imposing further crippling sanctions, and I will not hesitate to fully implement the ones we currently have. I will make sure Iran knows of the very real peril that awaits if it becomes nuclear. I will engage Iran’s neighbors. I will station multiple carriers and warships at Iran’s door. I will stand with the Syrian people who are being mercilessly slaughtered. I know that the fall of Assad would not only be an important victory for liberty, but also a strategic blow to Tehran.

As President, I will be ready to engage in diplomacy. But I will be just as ready to engage our military might. Israel will know that America stands at its side, in all conditions and in all consequence.

Of course, American strength abroad depends upon our strength at home. My economic plans will buttress our capacity to project power. And as President, I will repair and strengthen our military. President Obama wants to shrink our Navy, our Air Force, and our contingent of fighting men and women. I will expand them. A military in retreat invites adventurism by the world’s worst actors, just as we are seeing today. A strong and superior military is the best ally peace has ever known. I do not seek military superiority solely for the purpose of winning wars. I seek it to prevent wars.

As President, peace will be my solemn goal. A peace based not on empty assurances, but on true security and defensible borders. This will require American strength, and a demonstration of our resolve. That’s why, as President, my first foreign trip will not be to Cairo or Riyadh or Ankara. It will be to Jerusalem.

We will make clear to the world that Israel’s continued existence as a Jewish state is a vital national interest of the United States.

I believe the right course is what Ronald Reagan called “peace through strength.” There is a reason why the Iranians released the hostages on the same day and at the same hour that Reagan was sworn into office. As President, I will offer that kind of clarity, strength, and resolve.

In a Romney administration, the world will know that the bond between Israel and America is unbreakable – and that our opposition to a nuclear Iran is absolute. We must not allow Iran to have the bomb or the capacity to make a bomb. Our enemies should never doubt our resolve and our allies should never doubt our commitment.

This is a critical time, and AIPAC has a vital voice. Together, let’s achieve peace for the region and ensure a secure future for Israel – and America.

God bless America, and God bless our friendship with Israel.

-Katie and Ryan Romney on CNBC: Primaries Have Made Him ‘Tougher’ Published: <span class="cnbc_sbhd_comp" style="color: #42505e; font-size: 12px;">Monday, 5 Mar 2012 | 4:00 PM ET <span class="cnbc_sbhd_comp" style="color: #42505e; font-size: 12px;">By: [|Michelle Fox] <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> [|**Mitt Romney**] told CNBC said Monday the bruising primary season has only made him “tougher” and better prepared him to take on **President Barack Obama**. 

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> “There’s an advantage to going having done this twice, by the way. First time through you learn some lessons; second time through you’re also continuing to learn.”“I’m more ready to go after the president than I was before I started,” Romney said in an interview with Larry Kudlow a day before 10 states hold Super Tuesday contests. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">However, a new [|**NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll**] found that the combative primary season is actually hurting the Republican Party and its candidates. Four in 10 adults say the GOP nominating process has given them a less than favorable impression of the Republican Party. Romney said it’s just part of the process. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">“Anyone would love to be coronated, if you will, the nominee of their party, but that doesn’t happen. We go through a rough and tumble process of sorting things out. I think it makes us tougher,” he said on "The Kudlow Report." <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The poll also found that **Obama’s** job approval has risen to 50 percent. Forty percent believe the economy will improve during the next year. Kudlow said that news has contributed to a new “conventional wisdom” that the election is over since Romney’s main issue is the economy. Romney insisted that is not the case. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">“We sure hope the economy gets better, but this has been the slowest recovery since Hoover,” [|**Romney**] said. “This president has failed us. … Incomes have not risen. Gasoline prices are high. The idea that everything’s fine out there in America comes from people who are detached from America.” <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The former Massachusetts governor isn’t giving the president credit for the auto industry’s come back either. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">“Thank heavens they’ve come back, but they had to go through that bankruptcy process just like a lot of other industries that get in trouble that have overpromised to their distribution network,” he said. “That’s why they’ve come back.” [|Interview]

-Katie and Ryan

= Romney Regains Stride With Victories in 2 States = <span style="color: #909090; display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 0.9em; text-align: right;">Mark Blinch/Reuters <span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 1.1em;">Mitt Romney greeted supporters before his speech at primary night rally in Novi, Mich., on Tuesday. [|More Photos »]

=
<span style="color: #808080; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 1em;">By [|JEFF ZELENY] ======

<span style="color: #808080; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 1em;">Published: February 28, 2012
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — __ [|Mitt Romney] __ fought back a vigorous challenge from __ [|Rick Santorum] __ in Michigan on Tuesday, narrowly carrying his native state, and won the Arizona primary in a pair of contests that reasserted his control over the Republican presidential race as it advances to critical Super Tuesday contests next week. His victory over Mr. Santorum here in Michigan was far from commanding, but it was most likely sufficient to dampen the rising clamor from across the Republican Party about his ability to win over conservatives and connect with voters. The tussle with Mr. Santorum highlighted ample concerns about Mr. Romney, but his win spared his campaign from deep turmoil. “I stand ready to lead our party to victory and our nation back to prosperity,” Mr. Romney told a jubilant crowd of supporters. “It’s a critical time in America.” The victory by Mr. Romney in Arizona, which awarded him the state’s entire allotment of 29 delegates, was overshadowed by the battle in Michigan. He prevailed in the statewide popular vote by four percentage points, relying on large margins in the counties around Detroit where he spent his childhood, but the fight for delegates was closer. Michigan awards its 30 delegates by Congressional district, which meant Mr. Santorum would either leave Michigan with nearly the same number as Mr. Romney or only slightly fewer. Mr. Santorum beamed when he took the stage before a cheering crowd in Grand Rapids and reminded his supporters of how far he had come. “A month ago they didn’t know who we are,” Mr. Santorum said, moments after calling Mr. Romney to concede. “They do now.” As the Republican presidential nominating fight enters its third month, the race remains far from deciding the nominee who will challenge President Obama. A dozen primaries and caucuses will take place over the next week, dominated by Super Tuesday, when more than 400 delegates will be at stake. Representative __ [|Ron Paul] __ of Texas spoke Tuesday evening from Virginia, a state where only he and Mr. Romney qualified for the ballot next week. Having built an extensive network of supporters in caucus states, including several holding contests on Super Tuesday, Mr. Paul pledged to stay in the race, declaring that his campaign is “still winning a lot of delegates, and that’s what counts.” __ [|Newt Gingrich] __, who did not actively campaign in Michigan or Arizona, is hoping to revive his candidacy next week in Georgia and Tennessee. His allies are airing a new “super PAC” television advertisement on his behalf starting Wednesday, aggressively taking on Mr. Romney across several Southern states. It was not an overstatement — at least in the view of many Republicans — to say that Mr. Romney’s candidacy was on the line in Michigan, far more than in the previous eight contests this year. He was born here, and his father, George, is fondly remembered for his service as governor nearly a half-century ago. Four years ago, Mr. Romney won the state by nine percentage points. But after losing a string of contests to Mr. Santorum, Mr. Romney was hardly greeted with warmth and affection here. A place that his advisers hoped would offer an easy victory turned into a fierce battleground, with Mr. Santorum’s popularity among social conservatives, as well as his working-class appeal, threatening to complicate Mr. Romney’s path to the nomination. The Republican electorate here, along with elsewhere across the country, is different from the one Mr. Romney encountered in 2008. His candidacy is facing tests that he did not go through during his first presidential bid. In the primaries on Tuesday, the Romney campaign relied on the same coalition of voters who have consistently supported his candidacy during the seesawing series of Republican primaries and caucuses. He did best among older voters, better-educated voters and higher-income voters in Michigan and Arizona. When Mr. Romney accepted victory, he kept his sights squarely on Mr. Obama. He did not mention Mr. Santorum or any of his rivals as he attempted to remind Republicans of his electability. “Our campaign is about more than just replacing a president,” Mr. Romney said. “It’s about restoring the promise of America.” [|Arizona Results »] ||||~ CANDIDATE Updated Feb. 29 100% reporting
 * ~ PCT. ||
 * < [[image:http://i1.nyt.com/projects/assets/election_2012/images/candidate_photos/mitt-romney/mitt-romney_38.jpg]] ||< Romney ||> 47.3% ||
 * < [[image:http://i1.nyt.com/projects/assets/election_2012/images/candidate_photos/rick-santorum/rick-santorum_38.jpg]] ||< Santorum ||> 26.6 ||
 * < [[image:http://i1.nyt.com/projects/assets/election_2012/images/candidate_photos/newt-gingrich/newt-gingrich_38.jpg]] ||< Gingrich ||> 16.2 ||
 * < [[image:http://i1.nyt.com/projects/assets/election_2012/images/candidate_photos/ron-paul/ron-paul_38.jpg]] ||< Paul ||> 8.4 ||
 * < [[image:http://i1.nyt.com/projects/assets/election_2012/images/candidate_photos/others/others_38.jpg]] ||< Others ||> 1.5 ||

[|Michigan Results »] ||||~ CANDIDATE Updated Feb. 29 99% reporting -Katie and Ryan
 * ~ PCT. ||
 * < [[image:http://i1.nyt.com/projects/assets/election_2012/images/candidate_photos/mitt-romney/mitt-romney_38.jpg]] ||< Romney ||> 41.1% ||
 * < [[image:http://i1.nyt.com/projects/assets/election_2012/images/candidate_photos/rick-santorum/rick-santorum_38.jpg]] ||< Santorum ||> 37.9 ||
 * < [[image:http://i1.nyt.com/projects/assets/election_2012/images/candidate_photos/ron-paul/ron-paul_38.jpg]] ||< Paul ||> 11.6 ||
 * < [[image:http://i1.nyt.com/projects/assets/election_2012/images/candidate_photos/newt-gingrich/newt-gingrich_38.jpg]] ||< Gingrich ||> 6.5 ||
 * < [[image:http://i1.nyt.com/projects/assets/election_2012/images/candidate_photos/others/others_38.jpg]] ||< Others ||> 2.9 ||

=<span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 240%;">**SUPER TUESDAY RESULTS:** =

Win ||~ Lead Win ||~ Lead Win ||~ Lead Win || [|Republican Primary Map] -Katie and Ryan Delegate Count as of Super Tuesday -Ryan and Katie >>U.S. News and World Report: " Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is edging closer to a full-scale attack on surging rival Newt Gingrich ."-- Mitt Romney vs. Newt Gingrich?
 * ~  ||~   ||~ Romney ||~ Santorum ||~ Gingrich ||~ Paul ||
 * ~  ||~ RPT. ||~ Lead
 * < Alaska || 100% || 33% || 29% || 14% || 24% ||
 * < Ga. || 100% || 26% || 20% || 47% || 7% ||
 * < Idaho || 100% || 62% || 18% || 2% || 18% ||
 * < Mass. || 99% || 72% || 12% || 5% || 10% ||
 * < N.D. || 100% || 24% || 40% || 8% || 28% ||
 * < Ohio || 100% || 38% || 37% || 15% || 9% ||
 * < Okla. || 100% || 28% || 34% || 27% || 10% ||
 * < Tenn. || 99% || 28% || 37% || 24% || 9% ||
 * < Vt. || 96% || 40% || 24% || 8% || 26% ||
 * < Va. || 100% || 60% || – || – || 40% ||
 * < Wyo. || 26% || 56% || 30% || 0% || 2% ||
 * Before March 6 || 203 ||
 * Super Tuesday || 212 ||
 * New Total || 415 ||
 * Mitt Romney Goes After Newt Gingrich**

By Kenneth T. Walsh | US News – Wed, Nov Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is edging closer to a full-scale attack on surging rival Newt Gingrich. [|In an interview] with Bret Baier on Fox News last night, Romney called Gingrich "a lifelong politician"--a serious accusation at a time when many voters are upset with Washington and the status quo. Romney, a former venture capitalist and ex-governor of Massachusetts, said Gingrich is "a good man" but made sure to refer to him as "Speaker Gingrich," a reference to his service as speaker of the House of Representatives in the 1990s, one of the ultimate insiders in the capital. [|[See a collection of political cartoons on Mitt Romney]] Romney said Gingrich has spent "30 or 40 years in Washington" while Romney was learning how to create jobs in the private sector. "I think I'd stand by far the best shot of replacing President Obama among the Republicans in the field," [|Romney told Fox.] Without mentioning Gingrich by name, he said some politicians have changed their views on important issues such as global warming and cap-and-trade measures to reduce harmful emissions. That's what Gingrich has done. This remark was designed to defuse critics who say that it is Romney who has flip-flopped on too many issues, including abortion and immigration. [|[See a collection of political cartoons on immigration.]] Romney also repeated his criticism that Gingrich is endorsing a form of amnesty for some illegal immigrants who have lived in the United States for many years. Romney's remarks last night marked a significant departure for him. He has up to now assiduously focused his criticism on President Obama and what Romney calls the current administration's failure to improve the economy and create jobs. By attacking Gingrich, he is making a strategic shift in order to raise or renew doubts about the former speaker now that the first nominating caucuses in Iowa and the first primary in New Hampshire are only several weeks away. -- Livia & Griff

>> Mitt Romney's new ad shows his change of focus. He is on a mission to highlight his savy business skills and committment to cut spending. I think his main goal is to appear more prepared because he's a business man, while Gingrich is simply a "life-time politician.media type="youtube" key="wgIlUIPp9TA" height="315" width="560"-- Livia & Griff

>> With Herman Cain having now ended his bid for the republican nomination, Mitt Romney & Newt Gingrich are, so far at least, the top two rivals in line to win. However during election time, a lot can change, quickly, as we have seen. -- Livia O'Neal

>> Mitt Romney is suceeding in New Hampshire...

=Mitt Romney pounds pavement in New Hampshire push= By Deb Price | AFP – 10 hrs ago Mitt Romney went door-to-door in high-stakes New Hampshire on Saturday, where voters repeatedly asked him how he would out-run Newt Gingrich, his top rival for the Republican nomination. Romney, who has seen the spotlight and his frontrunner status fade in a series of recent polls, appealed directly for support in the face of his latest threat -- the steady surge in veteran Republican Gingrich 's popularity. John Merrick, whose home was among about a dozen that Romney stopped by, quipped from the comfort of his front steps to the presidential hopeful, "Newt Gingrich just went out the back door." The joke highlighted the one question that Romney has to confront -- how he will respond to Gingrich, a former US House of Representatives speaker who is suddenly knocking down the door in the race to take on President Barack Obama. Gingrich leads in polls in such early voting states as Iowa, which holds its caucuses on January 3, and South Carolina and Florida, who hold their contests in late January, 10 months out from the November 2012 election. Romney, however, maintains a big lead in New Hampshire, which holds its first-in-the-nation primary on January 10. He was governor of neighboring Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007. Romney is pitching himself as a successful businessman who knows how to create jobs. But he has been dogged by criticism that he has "flip-flopped" on key issues and by wariness among some evangelical Christians because of his Mormon faith. A series of Republican challengers have risen to threaten Romney, only to sputter out. The most recent was former Godfather's Pizza chief executive Herman Cain, who suspended his campaign Saturday in the wake of allegations of adultery and sexual harassment, effectively ending his tilt at the presidency. But, with the first votes in the Republican nomination battle being cast in just over four weeks, Romney spent the morning at a rally firing up about 200 volunteers to make phone calls and knock on doors. Asked whether he could win a two-person contest if the most conservative Republicans coalesce around Gingrich, Romney simply said: "Absolutely." Avoiding barbed criticism of Gingrich, he added: "Over the past year, as you know, there have been various people who surged, and I've been steady throughout the storms. I hope to be the last person standing." Gingrich got a boost when he received the endorsement of New Hampshire's influential conservative newspaper, Manchester's Union Leader. A Rasmussen Report poll of likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters, conducted on November 28, found Romney ahead, with 34 percent, followed by Gingrich at 24 percent, a gain of 16 points in just a month. Romney, who is airing his second TV commercial in New Hampshire, said his goal for Saturday was for volunteers to make 20,000 calls and knock on 5,000 doors. "(New Hampshire) is a primary to be won by the person who is willing to put in the effort and use the shoe leather to get the job done," he said. At the rally, Romney, dressed in jeans and speaking from the bed of a pickup truck, was joined by former New Hampshire governor and backer John Sununu. Mary Kay Belland, a 62-year-old medical records coder from Derry, N.H., was among rally-goers ready to give Romney her vote and time. "This will be the first time I've volunteered for a candidate," Belland said. "I really believe he has the best ideas. I like his business background, and I believe he can work with Congress." Others were undecided. "We're blessed in New Hampshire to get to see the candidates up close and frequently," said Steven Count, a 48-year-old salesman from Brookline, N.H., who said he's narrowed down his choice to Romney, Gingrich or Ron Paul. In a sign of his lack of conviction, however, Count, confessed to wearing a Romney knit cap handed out by volunteers only because he was cold. David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, described New Hampshire as "Romney's firewall." "If he were to lose New Hampshire, there isn't a recovery point, even with all the money he has," Paleologos said. But Linda Fowler, a politics expert at Dartmouth College, said Romney should prevail over Gingrich, who has far less money and organizational strength, though she noted that voters were still "going from candidate to candidate." "I don't think Gingrich is the person they'll want. And Gingrich only has five weeks to put together a campaign in Iowa and New Hampshire," she said.-- Livia O'Neal

>> MITT ROMNEY BIO


 * Willard Mitt Romney was born in Detroit, Michigan on March 12, 1947.
 * His parents were George W. & Lenore Romney.
 * George was the 43rd Governor of Michigan (1963-1969).
 * Mitt was the youngest of 3 kids.
 * When he was 5, the Romneys moved to Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
 * He is a 6th generation Mormon.
 * Romney attended Stanford for a year before departing to France in 1966 to become a Mormon missionary. He remained for 30 months.
 * When he returned, he began attending Brigham Young University, where his high school sweetheart, Ann Davies, also attended.
 * In 1969 Romney & Davies were married.
 * They had
 * After graduating from Brigham Young, he attended graduate school at Harvard University for business.
 * Romney went to work for Bain & Co. and quickly climbed the ladder.
 * In 1978, he became VP and most respected consultant at Bain.
 * Finally, he decided to branch out on his own and he created a spin-off investment firm, Bain Capital, from which he became very wealthy.
 * He was hired as president of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee in 2002 to prepare for the 2002 Winter Olympics, which was held in Salt Lake City.
 * Romney had been thinking about entering politics for a while.
 * In 1993, Romney changed his political affiliation from independent to republican.
 * Finally, in 1994, he ran for the Massachusetts Senator position against Democrat Ted Kennedy.
 * He lost to Kennedy.
 * After the Olympics, Romney decided to run for governor of Massachusetts. He won and became the 70th governor on January 2nd, 2003.
 * Romney passed the Massachusetts health reform law in 2006, A.K.A. RomneyCare, which requires all residents of the state to buy health insurance or face tax penalties.
 * He ran for the 2008 presidential election, though he was not very nationally known.
 * Being deemed a “flip flopper”, Romney withdrew from the race when McCain began to lead him.
 * Afterwards, he put all his support behind McCain.
 * Mitt Romney is currently seeking the republican nomination for the 2012 election.
 * He has continued to rise in the polls, in part due to his smooth debate performance.
 * During the debates, he has exhibited a confident and laid back attitude, especially while fending off frequent attacks from Rick Perry. However, you have to remember that, of late, the debates have set a significant amount of pressure on Rick Perry and Michelle Bachman, letting him slide under the radar easier -- Livia O'Neal

>> Mitt Romney says he is NOT a flip-flopper!!! media type="youtube" key="SvxDzS7B774" height="315" width="560"

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, addressing a perceived weakness while also attacking a rival, is set to air a new ad in early voting Iowa and New Hampshire rebutting the suggestion he is a flip-flopper in part by highlighting his long marriage. The spot, named “Leader,” implicitly contrasts Romney with rival Newt Gingrich, who is leading in the polls in Iowa, has been married three times, and admitted to infidelity. And it addresses the flip-flopper accusation by featuring a debate answer in which Romney noted his 42-year marriage, 25-year career at Bain Capital, and lifelong membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “I think people understand that I’m a man of steadiness and constancy,” says Romney. [|The ad] opens with shots of a young Romney interacting with his wife, Ann, and their sons. It then shifts to Romney speaking at a GOP debate in November. While critics have accused him of shifting positions on everything from abortion to tax policy, Romney rebuts that by looking at his personal - not his political - life. The ad’s concluding shot is one of Romney holding hands with his wife. Details were not immediately available on the size of the ad buy. Romney is not the only candidate starting to talk about his church on the campaign trail. Texas Governor Rick Perry released [|a 30-second ad] today, which is focuses on his faith and attacks President Obama for actions such as allowing gays to serve openly in the military. “I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a Christian, but you don’t need to be in the pew every Sunday to know there’s something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school,” Perry says in the ad. ~Shira Schoenberg can be reached at sschoenberg@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @shiraschoenberg.~ --Livia O'Neal

>>Romney says that Obama does not "understand America"... December 7, 2011, //2:06 pm// =Romney Faults Obama’s Focus on ‘Entitlement’= By [|ASHLEY PARKER] Stephen Crowley/The New York Times Mitt Romeny addressed the Republican Jewish Coalition Forum in Washington, D.C. [|Mitt Romney] used an address before the Republican Jewish Coalition on Wednesday to draw a contrast between himself and [|President Obama], accusing the president of seeking to transform the nation into both an “appeasement” and an “entitlement” society. “American prosperity is fully dependent upon having an opportunity society — I don’t think President Obama understands that,” Mr. Romney told the crowd. “I don’t think he understands why our economy is the most successful in the world. I don’t think he understands America.” Mr. Romney’s speech, which also focused on the importance of keeping Israel as a strong ally, served as something of a rebuttal to a speech Mr. Obama gave Tuesday in Kansas, in which [|the president warned] that a trickle-down economic policy simply did not work. “A merit-based opportunity society is one that gathers and creates a citizenry of pioneers — a people who invent, who build, who create,” Mr. Romney said. “And as these people exert the effort, and take the risks inherent in inventing and creating things, they employ and lift the rest of us, creating prosperity for all of us. The rewards they earn don’t make the rest of us poorer — they make us all better off.” His view ran counter to Mr. Obama’s assertion a day earlier that while trickle-down economics appeals to the nation’s “rugged individualism and our healthy skepticism of too much government,” it is not an effective economy policy. “That theory fits well on a bumper sticker,” Mr. Obama said, to laughter. “But here’s the problem: It doesn’t work. It has never worked. It didn’t work when it was tried in the decade before [|the Great Depression]. It’s not what led to the incredible postwar booms of the ‘50s and ‘60s. And it didn’t work when we tried it during the last decade.” Mr. Romney’s counter-argument — that the president “is seeking to replace our merit-based society with an entitlement society” — offers a glimpse of the dueling economic visions the two men would offer should Mr. Romney become the Republican nominee. “And in an entitlement society, everyone receives about the same rewards, regardless of the education they pursue, regardless of their effort, regardless of the willingness they have to take risks,” Mr. Romney said. “You see, they replace opportunity with certainty, certainty that everyone in the entitlement society will enjoy nearly the same rewards. Well, there’s another certainty — we’ll all be poor.” [|David Axelrod], a strategist for the president, told reporters in Manhattan that Mr. Romney’s use of the term “entitlement nation” was deeply offensive. In his address, Mr. Romney kept his focus largely on the president, though in recent days he has found himself fending off a challenge from [|Newt Gingrich], who, in the latest [|New York Times/CBS News Poll] was rated more favorably than the other six Republican candidates by voters who say they are likely to attend the party’s caucuses in Iowa. But Mr. Romney did make a point of invoking his “42-year marriage” during the remarks, a line that seemed somewhat out of place in a foreign policy address and that appeared to be a subtle dig at Mr. Gingrich, who has been married three times. Referring to his years as the governor of Massachusetts, as well as his time heading the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, Mr. Romney said: “My perspective is informed by those experiences, and of course by the defining constants in my life —my 42-year marriage to my wife, Ann, the life that we built with our five sons, five daughters-in-law and 16 grandkids, and of course the faith that sustains us.” In addition to economics, Mr. Romney drew another contrast with Mr. Obama on Israel, reiterating a promise he made at a foreign policy debate last month that his first foreign trip as president would be to Israel. “I will reaffirm as a vital national interest Israel’s existence as a Jewish state, and I want the world to know that the bonds that exist between Israel and the United States are unshakeable,” Mr. Romney said. Mr. Romney also warned against what he called Mr. Obama’s “appeasement strategy abroad.” “Appeasement betrays a lack of faith in America, in America’s strength, and in America’s future,” he said. “Like others among the Washington elite, he believes America’s role as the leader of the world is a thing of the past, that this is going to be a post-American century, perhaps an Asian century.” Mr. Romney added: “He seems to be more generous to our enemies than he is to our friends, and that is the natural tendency of someone who is unsure of their own strength, or of America’s rightful place as a leader of the world. The course of appeasement has long been the path chosen by the weak and the timid, and history shows that it is a path that a nation chooses at its own peril.” Ben LaBolt, a spokesman for Mr. Obama’s re-election campaign, accused Mr. Romney of changing his tactics to reflect the views of some of his fellow Republicans. “In a transparent shift in strategy, Mitt Romney today echoed Newt Gingrich, [|Herman Cain] and [|Sarah Palin] in stating that middle-class Americans who are struggling – no matter if they work hard and play by the rules – are at fault for the challenges they face,” Mr. LaBolt said in an e-mail. “Instead of believing that Americans are greater together, he believes the middle class and those fighting to enter it are on their own.” -- Livia O'Neal

>> FAMILY MAN... George & Lenore Romney ( Mitt’s Parents) Mitt with His Parents Mitt & His wife, Ann

Mitt Romney’s 2008 Campaign Poster

Mitt Romney’s 2012 Campaign Poster

Bain & Company Logo

Bain Capital ( off-branch company that Romney created)

>> Mitt Romney is accused of being out of touch with the middle class by making a $10,000 bet with Rick Perry...

Win McNamee/Getty Images

The multimillionaire GOP presidential hopeful is being criticized for trying to make a $10,000 bet with rival Rick Perry during ABC's televised GOP debate in Iowa.
Multimillionaire **Mitt Romney** is again being accused of being out of touch with middle-class America after Saturday night's televised GOP debate in Iowa.

After rival **Rick Perry** claimed Romney had supported national healthcare reform in a passage in his book, //No Apology//, that had been removed in the paperback edition, Romney fired back. He brought in healthcare reform to Massachusetts as governor--similar to President **Barack Obama**'s national healthcare proposal--but he denies ever saying his healthcare plan in one state could work nationwide. "Rick, I'll tell you what: $10,000 bucks? Ten thousand bet?" Romney said, extending his hand to shake on the bet. Perry paused before responding, "I'm not in the betting business, but I will show you the book." Pundits weighed in after the debate, and opted to focus more on Romney's audacity to wager such a nominal figure as opposed to the content of the bet itself. "For someone to go and throw around a $10,000 bet, just goes to show even more that he's not the same level as the people of Iowa or the country," **Alice Stewart**, a spokeswoman for another candidate, **Michele Bachmann**, told ABC. After Romney attempted to make the wager, his offhanded remark went viral online, with "#what10kbuys" trending on Twitter. "That's the language of Wall Street and not the language of Main Street Iowa," **Robert Haus**, co-chairman for Perry's Iowa campaign, told reporters after the ABC debate. "I don't know anybody that carries that kind of money around with them," said Iowa house majority leader **Linda Upmeyer** (**Newt Gingrich**'s Iowa campaign chairwoman). "When I make a bet with somebody, it's usually for the five dollars I have in my hand and we lay it down and we bet." Another rival candidate, **Jon Huntsman**, who did not participate in the Iowa debate Saturday, created the website 10kbet.com after the debate. The site, complete with articles, videos and tweets, seeks to explain why "Mitt Romney Owes Rick Perry $10,000." Romney has failed to connect with some voters, partly because of his enormous net worth. While fundraising for the 2008 campaign, Romney reportedly spent $42 million of his own money. seeks to explain why "Mitt Romney Owes Rick Perry $10,000." Romney has failed to connect with some voters, partly because of his enormous net worth. While fundraising for the 2008 campaign, Romney reportedly spent $42 million of his own money. candidate, **Jon Huntsman**, who did not participate in the Iowa debate Saturday, created the website 10kbet.com after the debate. The site, complete with articles, videos and tweets, seeks to explain why "Mitt Romney Owes Rick Perry $10,000." Romney has failed to connect with some voters, partly because of his enormous net worth. While fundraising for the 2008 campaign, Romney reportedly spent $42 million of his own money.-- Livia O'Neal
 * Eric Fehrnstrom**, Romney's press spokesman, said the former Massachusetts governor was only trying to make a point, not make a serious bet. "I've made bets with friends and family for one million," Fehrnstrom said. He added that Romney only made the bet to prove that Perry wouldn't take it, saying, "This guy was wrong. It was a phony allegation."

media type="youtube" key="uTpgTKAL_4k" height="315" width="560" Griff Kubic

>> Donald Trump officially announces that he will endorse Mitt Romney-- February 2, 2012 in Las Vegas. Livia O'Neal

>> **Mitt Romney's Very Poor Answer on 'Very Poor'**
By Rick Klein | ABC OTUS News – 22 hrs ago Mitt Romney's **[|post-Florida interview]** where he expressed a lack of concern about the "very poor" was an instant-clanker, certain to be revived alongside similar only slightly out-of-context quotes about Romney liking being able to fire people and the personhood of corporations. But to many a conservative ear, that soundbyte wasn't the worst part of his answer. That fact speaks to the difficulty Romney will continue to have in wooing his party's conservative base - and provides a window into the animating philosophy of a candidate who's running on his Mr. Fix-It credentials. The part that really grated on conservative activists and thought leaders was his rationale for why he's not particularly concerned about the plight of the poor. Romney went on to explain - and explain, and explain as the day went on - that the poor are and should be taken care of by the "safety net" of federal programs. "I said I'm not concerned about the very poor that have the safety net, but if it has holes in it, I will repair them," Romney said. To many conservatives, this is simply the wrong answer for a Republican to give. It's Democrats who rely on a social safety net, they argue. Republicans who believe in pro-growth conservative policies like to say their ideas will help everyone and don't divide based on class, much less rely on government programs. "This is bad," conservative columnist and commentator Charles Krauthammer said Wednesday night on Fox News Channel's "Special Report." "The real problem here is that he doesn't have a fluency with conservative ideas. … The moral case for conservative economics is that our policies are going to help everybody, including the poor." "The poor, after all, have food stamps and Medicaid," **added conservative blogger Erick Erickson.** "But don't worry. //If// the safety net is broken, Patrician Mitt Romney will fix it so the poor can stay comfortably poor." Romney remains overwhelmingly likely to win the Republican nomination. But the Republican base remains overwhelmingly likely to be suspicious of Romney, because of an ideology that seems rooted in his background as a problem-solver far more than in conservative doctrine and principles. This may help Romney in the general election. But his rivals are pouncing in the primary. "What it shows of Gov. Romney is that he looks at the poor differently. That being poor is a disability," Rick Santorum said Wednesday. Newt Gingrich today was even more direct: "I'm for replacing the safety net with a trampoline." -- Livia O'Neal >> Video of Trump endorsing Romney media type="youtube" key="nmwzGMmGcJw" height="315" width="560" -- Livia O'Neal
 * Tweeted** anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist: "Hey Romney: Conservatives care about the poor. They are first victims of statism. We want them to have jobs, savings, property: become Rs."

=>> **Mitt Romney Kisses The Conservative Ring (The Note)**= By Michael Falcone | ABC OTUS News – Fri, Feb 10, 2012 Four years ago Mitt Romney took the stage at an annual gathering of conservatives in Washington, DC and told his audience that he had to "stand aside, for our party and for our country." Today, rather than ending his quest for the presidency, he returns to the Conservative Political Action Conference as the likely - if somewhat weakened - front-runner for the Republican nomination. And he has some work to do. ABC's Jonathan Karl took to the halls of CPAC yesterday and didn't hear a lot of enthusiasm for Romney. "I am not a fan," one man told him, adding that he'd never met a "true die hard Romney supporter." [|http://abcn.ws/x4ANL6] Even so, as Karl noted on "Good Morning America" today, many of the same reluctant conservatives also viewed Romney as the inevitable nominee. The former Massachusetts governor needs to lock in this segment of the Republican base if he's going to capture the nomination and have a shot at beating President Obama in November. And he's taking steps to do it. As The New York Times reports today, Romney met with a small group of influential conservative leaders yesterday: "three dozen evangelical organizers, conservative writers and Tea Party activists were in the room at the Marriott Wardman Park, and the largely friendly group politely grilled him over nuts and soda about his positions on social issues and pressed him on his surprising losses during Tuesday's presidential contests." [|http://nyti.ms/xF3YNq] When he addresses the full conference later this afternoon, he's planning a back-to-basics pitch. "What I'll say in my speech is first describe the challenge that we face as a nation and the conservative choice that has to be brought forward," Romney said in an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity last night, "but secondly, I'll look at my record and describe my record as governor." Despite the anticipation, be wary of over-interpretation of Romney's speech and his reception at the conservative confab. He still has three weeks to get his message across and fine tune his strategy for the next two primary states - Michigan and Arizona, both of which look ripe for a Romney win. That said, the fact that eight contests into 2012 we're still talking about how Romney can't figure out how to sell himself to conservatives is remarkable. Two of Romney's rivals - Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich - will also be on hand at CPAC today. Santorum, in particular, is hoping to capitalize on his campaign's wins in three primary states as he appeals to the activist crowd. "It's funny he's not talking about his record," Santorum told reporters in Tulsa, Okla. yesterday. " Governor Romney 's campaign has been about serially tearing down opponents, without offering any kind of vision for what he wants to do for this country." [] -- Livia O'Neal =>> **CPAC: Mitt Romney wins straw poll of conservative activists**= By Michael A. Memoli February 11, 2012, 1:46 p.m. Reporting from Washington— [|Mitt Romney] won a presidential preference straw poll of party activists at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, giving him a morale boost after a trio of losses earlier in the week that suggested the Republican base was still cool to the tentative front-runner.
 * By MICHAEL FALCONE (** [|@michaelpfalcone] **) and AMY WALTER (** [|@amyewalter] **)**

Romney was the choice of 38% of the 3,408 CPAC attendees who voted in the poll, and [|Rick Santorum] finished second with 31%. [|Newt Gingrich] won 15% and [|Ron Paul] had 12%.

Romney, Santorum and Gingrich addressed the conference on Friday. In his speech, Romney described himself as having been a "severely conservative" governor and a Washington outsider.

On Tuesday, Santorum won caucuses in Minnesota and Colorado, and a primary in Missouri. None of those contests awarded convention delegates, but the results nonetheless halted momentum for the former Massachusetts governor after wins the week before in Florida and Nevada.

Paul won the straw poll at the 2011 gathering. The CPAC sponsor, the American Conservative Union, made changes to how the poll was conducted after criticism that supporters of Paul tilted the result by registering attendees for a single day solely for the purpose of voting.

Sen. [|Marco Rubio] of Florida, who addressed the conference on Thursday, was the lead choice among attendees for vice president, with 34%.

//michael.memoli@latimes.com// //twitter.com/mikememoli// Copyright © 2012, Los Angeles Times -- Livia O'Neal

=>> **Poll: Obama over 50% vs. Mitt Romney.** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"> =

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">By [|MJ LEE] | 2/6/12 6:35 AM EST Updated: 2/6/12 2:12 PM EST

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">=====President Barack Obama holds a clear lead over Mitt Romney in a hypothetical general election match-up, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.=====

=
Among all Americans, Obama leads Romney 52 to 43 percent, whereas among registered voters, the president has a narrower edge over Romney, 51 to 45 percent. This is the first time that Obama has more than 50 percent of the votes in a match-up against Romney among all Americans since July, when the president led the GOP candidate, 51 to 44 percent.=====

=
But the president has progress to make in instilling economic confidence in Americans — asked which candidate can be trusted to do a better job in handling the economy, 48 percent of the general population picked Romney over 45 percent that picked Obama. The Republican front-runner also fared better job creation, narrowly beating Obama 47 to 45 percent, as well as the handling of the federal budget and deficit, 51 to 41 percent.=====

=
The survey also showed, however, that people trust Obama will be a better champion of the middle class than Romney, 55 to 37 percent. Also, 56 percent of the general population said they trust that the president would do a better job handling international affairs compared with just 37 percent that picked Romney. Similarly, the majority said the president’s handling of terrorism will be better than Romney’s, 56 to 36 percent.=====

=
The president has been making a strong case for the so-called “Buffett Rule,” which would have the wealthy pay a higher rate of taxes – 72 percent indicated in the poll that they support raising taxes on Americans with annual incomes over one million dollars. Unfortunately for Romney, a whopping 66 percent said they believe his federal tax rate of about 14 percent was not fair.=====

=
“The writers make the point that the ballot match-up between President Obama and Governor Romney is the first time Obama has ever received more than 50 percent of the vote among registered voters,” Romney campaign pollster Neil Newhouse wrote. “Well, there’s a good reason why. The poll introduced specific negative information about Governor Romney immediately prior to asking the ballot match-up against President Obama.”=====

=
Newhouse noted that immediately preceding the Obama vs. Romney match-up, the poll introduced information about the GOP candidate – including the suggestion that he “cuts jobs,” “benefited from opportunities that are not available to other people” and “is not paying his fair share of taxes” – resulting in a “tainted” ballot.=====

The Washington Post-ABC News poll was conducted Feb. 1-4 among 1,000 adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">>>Mitt Romney's personal website is-- [|www.mittromney.com].

-- Livia O'Neal =**>> Mitt Romney wins narrow victory over Ron Paul in Maine’s Republican caucuses.**= Romney visits a caucus site in Maine Saturday (Robert F. Bukaty/AP) Mitt Romney scored a narrow victory over Ron Paul in Maine's Republican presidential caucuses Saturday, avoiding an embarrassing setback in his bid for the GOP nomination. Romney received 39 percent of the vote to Paul's 36 percent. Rick Santorum finished third, with 18 percent, and Newt Gingrich finished fourth, with 6 percent. Maine's 24 delegates are not allocated by the results of the caucuses, but Romney and Paul stepped up their efforts to win the state in recent days, trying to score an important symbolic victory. For Romney, who won the state easily--with 52 percent of the vote--in 2008, a win in Maine could help him rebound from Tuesday's three-state loss to Rick Santorum. Turnout was low: Only 2,290 people voted for Romney, 1,996 voted for Paul, 989 voted for Santorum, and 349 voted for Gingrich. For Paul, the state was a chance to prove he could actually win a statewide contest during the 2012 campaign, after disappointing finishes in Iowa and Nevada—two states where, along with Maine, Paul dedicated lots of time, money and effort. The race was long a showdown between Romney and Paul, as Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich chose not to compete in the state. Romney advisers initially regarded Maine as an easy victory and indicated their candidate wouldn't spend much time in the state. But Romney made a last-minute visit to the state on Friday, and on Saturday he visited two caucus sites—something he has rarely done on Election Day in other states. The race now shifts to two key states that are considered a must-win by the Romney campaign: Arizona and Michigan, which will hold primaries on Feb. 28. -- Livia O'Neal

> **Mitt Romney: Past Is Prologue** <span style="color: #7d7d7d; font-family: Georgia,Times,;">By Michael Falcone | ABC OTUS News – 5 hrs ago (Image Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) <span style="font-family: Georgia,Times,;">**By MICHAEL FALCONE (** [|@michaelpfalcone] **) and AMY WALTER (** [|@amyewalter] **)** <span style="font-family: Georgia,Times,;">On the campaign trail in Michigan this week, it seemed like the automobile bailout was just yesterday. <span style="font-family: Georgia,Times,;"> Mitt Romney, a native son of the state whose family has long ties to the industry, spent the better part of the week re-litigating his position on the bailout rather than offering a broad brush vision for the future. And yesterday he was confronted with the news that General Motors earned $7.6 billion in profits in 2011. <span style="font-family: Georgia,Times,;">At a campaign event, Romney said he was "delighted" by GM's success and continued to promote his own support of a managed bankruptcy rather than the government bailout. <span style="background-color: #00ffff; font-family: Georgia,Times,;">"I love the businesses of this state, I love the auto industry. I want to see it thrive and grow," Romney said. "I'm glad it went through a managed bankruptcy process, which I recommended from the very beginning, to shed unnecessary costs and get its footing again. I'm delighted it's profitable." [] <span style="font-family: Georgia,Times,;">Just a few days ago, in a Detroit News Op-Ed, Romney called the bailout "crony capitalism on a grand scale." He wrote, "The president tells us that without his intervention things in Detroit would be worse. I believe that without his intervention things there would be better." <span style="font-family: Georgia,Times,;">And as he battles a momentum-driven Rick Santorum, even Romney's newly-minted endorser, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, was appealing to voters to stop "dwelling" on the former Massachusetts governor's stance on the bailout. <span style="font-family: Georgia,Times,;">"Instead of spending any time talking about the past, I would rather be asking all the candidates the question, 'What are you going to do to drop the unemployment rate in half?'" Snyder said at a Lincoln Day Dinner in Detroit. "That's what our citizens really care about, not the auto bailout, but, what are we going to do to do more and better jobs for the future?" <span style="font-family: Georgia,Times,;">But it looks like Romney is going to be spending more time on what he did years ago as he heads to Utah this weekend to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Salt Lake City Olympic Games, which he ran. <span style="font-family: Georgia,Times,;">As the Washington Post's Rosalind Helderman notes, "Romney has a complicated relationship with federal funding. As the head of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, he led an aggressive effort to win hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid for the struggling Winter Games." <span style="font-family: Georgia,Times,;">It's a point that the Democratic National Committee is making in a hard-hitting new web video. The spot accuses Romney of failing to note that Olympics received what the DNC calls a "$1.3 billion federal bailout." The video even features old interviews with Romney backer Sen. John McCain calling the Olympics a "rip off of the taxpayer" and a "national disgrace." WATCH: [] <span style="font-family: Georgia,Times,;">Romney mentions his leadership of the Olympic Games on the campaign trail all the time, but if his opponents have their way, they will once again force him to defend his past. <span style="font-family: Georgia,Times,;">-- Livia O'Neal

<span style="font-family: Georgia,Times,;">>> **Michigan is No Firewall for Mitt Romney** <span style="color: #7d7d7d; font-family: Georgia,Times,;">By National Journal Staff | National Journal – 5 hrs ago

<span style="font-family: Georgia,Times,;"> Michigan, where Mitt Romney was born and raised and where his father served as governor, should have been the candidate’s firewall against conservative insurgents who would deny him the Republican nomination. But it’s not working out that way. <span style="font-family: Georgia,Times,;"> “He’s fighting for his political life in this state,” said pollster Richard Czuba, who’s firm Glengariff Group conducted a [|poll for the //Detroit News//] and WDIV-TV published on Thursday. <span style="font-family: Georgia,Times,;"> The poll shows Rick Santorum leading Romney 34 percent to 30 percent, which is barely inside the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. Santorum is viewed favorably by 68 percent of likely primary voters, while 22 percent have an unfavorable opinion. Romney's favorability rating is also 68 percent, with 23 percent having an unfavorable opinion. <span style="font-family: Georgia,Times,;">But Romney's favorability is considerably softer than Santorum's: Just 21 percent of likely voters say they have a "very favorable" impression of Romney, while 39 percent say the same of Santorum. As Czuba put it, "right now Michigan is not Mitt Romney's firewall." [|Read more]. <span style="font-family: Georgia,Times,;">//—Steven Shepard and Jill Lawrence// <span style="font-family: Georgia,Times,;">//-- Livia O'Neal//

<span style="font-family: Georgia,Times,;">//>>// **Santorum Catches Up With Romney in New Poll** February 14, 2012, //7:11 AM// <span style="color: #808080; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">//By [|DALIA SUSSMAN] // <span style="color: #909090; display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 1em; text-align: right;">Matthew Ryan Williams for The New York Times <span class="caption" style="color: #666666; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 1.1em;">Rick Santorum speaking at a campaign event in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on Tuesday. After his surprise triple victories in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri, Rick Santorum has begun soaring among Republican primary voters, erasing Mitt Romney’s lead in the race for the party’s presidential nomination. A New York Times/__ [|CBS News] __ poll released Tuesday morning showed Mr. Santorum surging among Republican primary voters nationwide, lifted by support among conservatives, evangelical Christians and Tea Party supporters. In the new poll, 30 percent of Republican primary voters say they support Mr. Santorum, compared with 27 percent for Mr. Romney. While Mr. Santorum’s lead is essentially a tie with Mr. Romney because it is within the margin of sampling error, it reflects a significant jump for him from earlier polls. The two other major candidates are further behind, at 12 percent for Ron Paul and 10 percent for Newt Gingrich. Mr. Gingrich’s numbers have fallen sharply since his win in South Carolina on Jan. 21. In the __ [|last poll by The Times and CBS News about a month ago,] __ when voters were asked a slightly different question, just 16 percent said they preferred Mr. Santorum while 21 percent backed Mr. Gingrich. Leading the field back then was Mr. Romney, with the support of 28 percent of Republican primary voters. The poll is the latest example of the tremendous instability that has marked the Republican nominating contest, in which candidates have repeatedly shot up in popularity and then plummeted. Mr. Santorum’s bump is largely fueled by increased support from self-described conservatives, evangelical Christians and Tea Party supporters. The poll shows Mr. Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, backed by nearly four in 10 voters from each of these groups; last month, no candidate was the clear favorite among these voters. At the same time, another result in the poll underscores the race’s continuing fluidity. A majority of voters (six in 10) who expressed a candidate preference said they could still change their mind – down from 74 percent who said so a month ago, but enough to potentially mix things up again. __ [|Two polls released] __ on Monday, by the Pew Research Center and Gallup, also showed Mr. Santorum’s sharp advance in the field. The nationwide poll is based on telephone interviews conducted Feb. 8-13 on landlines and cellphones with 331 Republican primary or caucus voters, and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus five percentage points. Additional results from this poll will be available after 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at NYTimes.com.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,Times,;"> -- Livia O'Neal

media type="youtube" key="TEoyKTNdhGc" height="315" width="420" Griff Kubik

Romney won both primaries in Arizona and Michigan. While Michigan was supposed to be a cakewalk for Romney, it proved to be very costly and challenging to come away with the win, barely squeaking by with a 3.2% lead over Rick Santorum. This is almost a loss for Romney since the state awards its 30 delegates proportionally. Currently, Romney and Santorum have received an equal number of pledged delegates from the state, 13 each, while 4 remain unpledged. The results of the Michigan primary are as follows: Romney - 41.1% Santorum - 37.9% Paul - 11.6% Gingrich - 6.5% Part of the reason of such a narrow margin of victory can be attributed to the collaboration of democrats in the state that got together (with many independents too) and voted for Santorum to create disarray in the primary. Exit polls said that 1 out of every 10 voters was democratic, and 3 out of every 10 was an independent. Of these democratic voters, only 18% voted for Romney, while over half of them voted for Santorum.

In Arizona, Romney won big. In this winner-take-all primary, Romney won every congressional county, and won the primary overall with 47.3% of the votes, with Santorum coming in second at 26.6%. This win secured 29 delegates for Romney. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Romney 47.3% <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> Santorum 26.6% <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Newt Gingrich 16.2% <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> Ron Paul 8.4%

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Griff Kubik []

=**Mitt Romney, The Inevitable?**=

According to a new Quinnipiac University poll out this morning Romney leads Rick Santorum among likely Republican primary voters, 34 percent to 31 percent.
===The numbers have flipped since Friday when another Quinnipiac poll showed Santorum ahead of Romney, 35 percent to 31 percent and it represents a 10-point difference from last month when Santorum held a 36 percent to 29 percent lead over Romney.=== ==="To borrow from the book of Berra, Yogi that is: It's deja vu all over again for Gov. Mitt Romney," said Quinnipiac pollster Peter Brown. "Just as he did in Florida and Michigan, Romney has erased a sizable deficit a week before the primary to grab the momentum in the final 24 hours."=== ===It's not a done deal yet, but a Romney win in Ohio - a rust-belt state that border's Santorum's stronghold of Pennsylvania - could end up being one giant leap toward securing the nomination for Romney.=== ===It's not that Santorum and New Gingrich aren't well-positioned to win states tomorrow night. Santorum has a shot in Tennessee and Oklahoma and Gingrich remains ahead in the polls in Georgia, but for Santorum, in particular, a loss in a state as hard-fought as Ohio could prove to be a fatal blow.=== ===Super Tuesday also comes at a moment when many top Republicans are beginning to indicate that they're ready to close the curtain on this year's primary drama. Already top figures in the party establishment are rallying around Romney, including Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, who both endorsed him yesterday.=== -- Livia O'Neal

=Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum in dead heat in Ohio= Mitt Romney has caught up to Rick Santorum in Ohio, says the two latest polls. Is this a repeat of Michigan? By Steve Holland and Jeremy Pelofsky, Reuters / March 5, 2012 A Reuters/Ipsos poll found Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, is tied with Santorum at 32 percent support from likely voters in the Ohio Republican primary, the most important of the 10 state nominating contests on Tuesday. Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator who is a social conservative with a strong blue-collar message, had been leading in polls in the economically hard-hit Midwestern state by double digits in recent weeks. RECOMMENDED: The 10 Richest Presidents: Where would Romney rank? Santorum needs an Ohio win to prove he remains a threat to Romney after losing Michigan and Arizona to him last week. But Romney's five straight victories in Maine, Michigan, Arizona, Wyoming and Washington state have given him a burst of momentum despite some serious reservations about him from conservatives who have flirted with a variety of alternatives. Senior Romney aide Eric Fehrnstrom was cautious about Romney's prospects in Ohio, saying the campaign was more concerned about getting enough delegates to eventually seal the nomination. "I don't think any state is a must-win. I think the only must-do on a candidate's checklist is getting 1,144 delegates," he told reporters on Romney's plane. Adding to his momentum in the race to become the challenger to Democratic President Barack Obama in the Nov. 6 election, Romney picked up the endorsement of Eric Cantor, the conservative No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives. Cantor is from the Super Tuesday state of Virginia, where only Romney and libertarian Representative Ron Paul are on the ballot because Santorum and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich failed to meet all the requirements for qualifying. -- Livia O'Neal

=**Mitt Romney Super Tuesday Results 2012: Candidate Returns Home After Long Stretch Of Campaigning**= By KASIE HUNT 03/ 6/12 11:47 PM ET BOSTON — Mitt Romney says he doesn't get nervous on primary nights. He doesn't have a lucky tie. And the best part about Super Tuesday, he and his wife said before the results came in, was heading back to Boston and eating dinner with one of their five sons. "Oh, boy, we're headed home," Romney said as he stood in the aisle of the campaign charter plane that has carried him to Ohio, Idaho, Washington state and back to Ohio in the past week alone. Romney made the comments as he and his wife, Ann, made a rare visit to the national press corps traveling on his plane as it waited on the tarmac to take him to Belmont, Mass., where they raised their children and have a house. It was hours before returns started coming in from critical Ohio, where the race was too close to call until late in the night – and Romney advisers were clearly nervous about the results, repeatedly asking for updates and leaving the celebration in a Boston hotel ballroom almost immediately after the candidate wrapped up his speech. "I'm not going to let you down. I'm going to get this nomination," Romney told the hometown crowd Tuesday night, well before results in critical Ohio were clear. He'd been on the road for two straight months, having last slept here on Jan. 6, right before New Hampshire's primary four days later. Massachusetts voted Tuesday along with nine other states that, together, handed him a significant number of delegates and set him on the path to becoming the GOP nominee. "It's been a long road getting to Super Tuesday, let me – let me be honest," he told the cheering crowd in Boston. Despite his strong campaign organization and financial advantage, the results Tuesday night promised a long road still ahead. Votes were still being tallied late into the night, and rival Rick Santorum notched victories in Tennessee, North Dakota and Oklahoma. "Tomorrow, we wake up and we start again. And the next day, we'll do the same," Romney said. "And so we'll go, day by day, step by step, door by door, heart to heart. There will be good days. There will be bad days. Always long hours, never enough time to get everything done."

For 25 minutes earlier in the day, the Romneys chatted casually with reporters, a remarkable moment for a campaign that until now has held the national media at arm's length. The moment was part of a tentative transition as Romney looks ahead from his role as the nominal frontrunner in the GOP nomination fight to a general election against President Barack Obama. On most days, Romney gets on and off the front of the plane as reporters climb on and off the back, taking photographs from many rows behind. He has held question-and-answer sessions with the press corps on the plane, and sometimes hands out lunch or snacks. But not often. Now, the candidate – as well as his advisers – are making a clear push to build a stronger relationship with the media and recover from a series of comments by Romney that made the wealthy former Massachusetts governor seem out of touch. These days, the campaign is working to show the human side of a candidate who aides say is warm, funny and down-to-earth in private – and provide a little bit of context to go with the scrutiny that's set to get much more intense as Romney moves toward becoming the GOP nominee. To that end, the chat session at the back of the plane was followed by a formal press conference outside a Massachusetts polling place. "There will always be in the world of media people who will find clip sentences to try and say something that you didn't mean to say," Romney told a bank of cameras there. "That's just the nature of the process." No cameras were permitted by the campaign staff to film Romney on the plane, and reporters were prohibited from reporting much of what he said as a condition for getting access to him – as is often standard during presidential campaigns. The difference was plain: He told personal stories, spoke more slowly and cracked easy jokes when he knew it wouldn't be used in stories. At his news conference, answers were quick. He avoided specifics, saying he wanted to win in Massachusetts, his home state, but offered no predictions about states where the contests were closer. He refused to comment again on Rush Limbaugh's crude criticism of a Georgetown law student – on Friday Romney had called the remarks "not the language I would have used" – saying only that he planned to focus his campaign on jobs and the economy. "I think we'll pick up a lot of delegates," was all Romney would say about Tuesday night. "This is a process of gathering enough delegates to become the nominee, and I think we're on the track to have that happen." -- Livia O'Neal

Incumbent President Barack Obama is running uncontested in most states for the 2012 Democratic presidential nomination. He is expected to receive all delegates in most states. ||
 * =**REPUBLICAN PRIMARIES / CAUCUSES March 6, 2012 (SUPER TUESDAY)**= ||
 * || [[image:http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.e/img/3.0/election/2012/03_candidates/story_bios/candidates-90x90/obama_desktop_90x90.jpeg caption="Barack Obama"]] || Barack Obama
 * || [[image:http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.e/img/3.0/election/2012/03_candidates/story_bios/candidates-90x90/obama_desktop_90x90.jpeg caption="Barack Obama"]] || Barack Obama


 * STATE BY STATE COUNT || **Visit CNN's Democratic delegate scorecard »** ||

**Entrance Polls** || || **Romney** || 4,285 || 32% || 8 || **99%** reporting ||
 * || Race || Status || Candidate || Votes || % || Del* || Est. % In ||
 * **Alaska** CaucusesUpdated 11:13 p.m. EST, Mar 7, 2012
 * ^  ||   || **Santorum** || 3,860 || 29% || 7 ||^   ||
 * ^  ||   || **Paul** || 3,175 || 24% || 6 ||^   ||
 * ^  ||   || **Gingrich** || 1,865 || 14% || 3 ||^   ||

**County:** **Table** | **Map** **Exit Polls** ||  || **Gingrich** || 424,976 || 47% || 53 || **99%** reporting ||
 * ||  || Race || Status || Candidate || Votes || % || Del* || Est. % In ||
 * **Georgia**PrimaryUpdated 11:13 p.m. EST, Mar 7, 2012
 * **Georgia**PrimaryUpdated 11:13 p.m. EST, Mar 7, 2012
 * ^  ||   || **Romney** || 233,297 || 26% || 20 ||^   ||
 * ^  ||   || **Santorum** || 176,080 || 20% || 3 ||^   ||
 * ^  ||   || **Paul** || 58,982 || 7% || 0 ||^   ||

**County:** **Table** | **Map** **Entrance Polls** ||  || **Romney** || 27,514 || 62% || 32 || **89%** reporting ||
 * ||  || Race || Status || Candidate || Votes || % || Del* || Est. % In ||
 * **Idaho** CaucusesUpdated 11:13 p.m. EST, Mar 7, 2012
 * **Idaho** CaucusesUpdated 11:13 p.m. EST, Mar 7, 2012
 * ^  ||   || **Santorum** || 8,115 || 18% || 0 ||^   ||
 * ^  ||   || **Paul** || 8,086 || 18% || 0 ||^   ||
 * ^  ||   || **Gingrich** || 940 || 2% || 0 ||^   ||

**County:** **Table** | **Map** **Exit Polls** ||  || **Romney** || 265,110 || 72% || 38 || **99%** reporting ||
 * ||  || Race || Status || Candidate || Votes || % || Del* || Est. % In ||
 * **Massachusetts** PrimaryUpdated 11:13 p.m. EST, Mar 7, 2012
 * **Massachusetts** PrimaryUpdated 11:13 p.m. EST, Mar 7, 2012
 * ^  ||   || **Santorum** || 44,255 || 12% || 0 ||^   ||
 * ^  ||   || **Paul** || 35,037 || 10% || 0 ||^   ||
 * ^  ||   || **Gingrich** || 16,990 || 5% || 0 ||^   ||

**Entrance Polls** || || **Santorum** || 4,510 || 40% || 11 || **76%** reporting ||
 * ||  || Race || Status || Candidate || Votes || % || Del* || Est. % In ||
 * **North Dakota**CaucusesUpdated 11:13 p.m. EST, Mar 7, 2012
 * **North Dakota**CaucusesUpdated 11:13 p.m. EST, Mar 7, 2012
 * ^  ||   || **Paul** || 3,186 || 28% || 8 ||^   ||
 * ^  ||   || **Romney** || 2,691 || 24% || 7 ||^   ||
 * ^  ||   || **Gingrich** || 962 || 8% || 2 ||^   ||

**County:** **Table** | **Map** **Exit Polls** ||  || **Romney** || 456,513 || 38% || 35 || **97%** reporting ||
 * ||  || Race || Status || Candidate || Votes || % || Del* || Est. % In ||
 * **Ohio** PrimaryUpdated 11:13 p.m. EST, Mar 7, 2012
 * **Ohio** PrimaryUpdated 11:13 p.m. EST, Mar 7, 2012
 * ^  ||   || **Santorum** || 446,225 || 37% || 19 ||^   ||
 * ^  ||   || **Gingrich** || 175,554 || 15% || 0 ||^   ||
 * ^  ||   || **Paul** || 111,238 || 9% || 0 ||^   ||

**County:** **Table** | **Map** **Exit Polls** ||  || **Santorum** || 96,759 || 34% || 14 || **99%** reporting ||
 * ||  || Race || Status || Candidate || Votes || % || Del* || Est. % In ||
 * **Oklahoma**PrimaryUpdated 11:13 p.m. EST, Mar 7, 2012
 * **Oklahoma**PrimaryUpdated 11:13 p.m. EST, Mar 7, 2012
 * ^  ||   || **Romney** || 80,291 || 28% || 13 ||^   ||
 * ^  ||   || **Gingrich** || 78,686 || 27% || 13 ||^   ||
 * ^  ||   || **Paul** || 27,572 || 10% || 0 ||^   ||

**County:** **Table** | **Map** **Exit Polls** ||  || **Santorum** || 205,012 || 37% || 27 || **96%** reporting ||
 * ||  || Race || Status || Candidate || Votes || % || Del* || Est. % In ||
 * **Tennessee**PrimaryUpdated 11:13 p.m. EST, Mar 7, 2012
 * **Tennessee**PrimaryUpdated 11:13 p.m. EST, Mar 7, 2012
 * ^  ||   || **Romney** || 154,911 || 28% || 15 ||^   ||
 * ^  ||   || **Gingrich** || 132,072 || 24% || 8 ||^   ||
 * ^  ||   || **Paul** || 49,801 || 9% || 0 ||^   ||

**County:** **Table** | **Map** **Exit Polls** ||  || **Romney** || 23,866 || 40% || 9 || **99%** reporting ||
 * ||  || Race || Status || Candidate || Votes || % || Del* || Est. % In ||
 * **Vermont** PrimaryUpdated 11:13 p.m. EST, Mar 7, 2012
 * **Vermont** PrimaryUpdated 11:13 p.m. EST, Mar 7, 2012
 * ^  ||   || **Paul** || 15,277 || 25% || 4 ||^   ||
 * ^  ||   || **Santorum** || 14,214 || 24% || 4 ||^   ||
 * ^  ||   || **Gingrich** || 4,926 || 8% || 0 ||^   ||

**County:** **Table** | **Map** **Exit Polls** ||  || **Romney** || 158,053 || 60% || 43 || **99%** reporting ||
 * ||  || Race || Status || Candidate || Votes || % || Del* || Est. % In ||
 * **Virginia** PrimaryUpdated 11:13 p.m. EST, Mar 7, 2012
 * **Virginia** PrimaryUpdated 11:13 p.m. EST, Mar 7, 2012
 * ^  ||   || **Paul** || 107,480 || 40% || 3 ||^   ||

-- Livia O'Neal =Mitt Romney Faces Tough Upcoming Primary Schedule= By Matthew Jaffe | ABC OTUS News – 10 hrs ago
 * Special Notes * Del* - The delegate column shows the most recent estimated number of pledged delegates from this state.
 * Candidates ||
 * Candidates ||

Mitt Romney may have [|won the most states and the most delegates on Super Tuesday], but the next 10 days of the Republican primary are unlikely to prove nearly as fruitful for the GOP frontrunner. The primary heads south, with a slew of Southern and Midwestern states voting in the coming days. On Saturday, it's Kansas. On Tuesday, Alabama and Mississippi. The following Saturday, Missouri. Even if in Boston today Romney's campaign is touting that it is all but impossible for Santorum to win enough delegates to secure the party's nomination outright, the next week is shaping up to be a [|string of victories for the former Pennsylvania senator]. "We are in this thing!" Santorum exclaimed in a speech Tuesday night. Look no further than a few of the Super Tuesday results for an indication of why. In Tennessee, a state that sits just to the north of Alabama and Mississippi, Santorum won 37 percent of the vote, compared with 28 percent for Romney. In fact, Romney barely managed to beat Newt Gingrich, who racked up 24 percent of the vote. What catapulted Santorum to victory there - and plunged Romney to defeat - was that when it came to understanding the problems of average Americans, 60 percent of voters opted for either Santorum or Gingrich. While more than four in ten voters said [|Romney was the candidate best equipped] to beat President Obama in the fall - nearly double Santorum's tally - the electability factor was not enough to overcome Romney's shortcomings on the empathy factor. Like Tennessee, where 73 percent of voters on Tuesday identified themselves as evangelical, both Alabama and Mississippi are states with large portions of evangelical and very conservative voters, groups that have sided with Santorum in the primary. In 2008, for instance, [|evangelical voters]made up 77 percent of the vote in Alabama and 69 percent of the vote in Mississippi. Expect a similar story in Kansas and Missouri. The best comparison for those states is what happened Tuesday in Oklahoma, where 72 percent of voters said they are evangelical. Santorum was an easy winner there, too, with 34 percent of the vote. Romney finished with 28 percent, while Gingrich took 27 percent of the vote. The Midwest has been good to Santorum in the campaign to date. In addition to Oklahoma and Tennessee, he has won Iowa, Minnesota, Colorado and North Dakota. By comparison, Romney has only won his native state of Michigan and, apparently, a narrow, nail-biting victory in Ohio by the slimmest of margins: 38 percent to 37 percent over Santorum. Missouri, in fact, already held a primary last month, but it was known at the time that it would not affect the state's delegate allocation in favor of caucuses in March. In a likely preview of what is to come next week, Santorum won the primary. If Santorum has a concern in the coming days, it may be more Gingrich than Romney. On Wednesday Santorum's Super PAC - the Red, White and Blue Fund - called for Gingrich to exit the race, arguing that Santorum could have won both Ohio and Michigan if the former House Speaker had not been on the ballot and that what is needed is "a true head-to-head race" so voters can choose between "a consistent conservative in Rick Santorum or Mitt Romney." However, Gingrich has vowed to fight on, claiming that he does not think enough of Santorum's chances to warrant leaving the race. "If I thought he was a slam dunk to beat Romney and to beat Obama I would really consider getting out," Gingrich said on The Bill Bennett Show. "I don't." Gingrich's campaign is now focusing strictly on the two upcoming southern states - Alabama and Mississippi - with spokesman R.C. Hammond saying Wednesday that the Georgia native has to win both those states to stay credible in the race. "We're staying in this race because I believe it's going to be impossible for a moderate to win the general election," Gingrich said at a rally Wednesday in Montgomery, Ala. Gingrich's continued presence in the race is good news for Romney, even if the former Massachusetts governor is still unlikely to win any of the southern states. The longer Gingrich continues to siphon votes from Santorum, the better for Romney's chances. In addition to Romney's lead in delegates won, he also boasts a heftier war-chest than any of his rivals. Romney's campaign announced Wednesday that it had hauled in $11.5 million last month, over $2 million more than Santorum. But Romney may have to endure a difficult next ten days before the Republican primary calendar eventually starts to work in his favor. Not until Illinois holds its primary on March 20 is there a state where Romney will be favored. And not until states like Maryland, Connecticut and Delaware vote on April 3 will Romney be able to put together any type of extended winning streak. -- Livia O'Neal