Difference between revisions of "Mitt Romney"

Latest revision as of 13:45, 6 December 2024

Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney has an impressive personal, educational, professional, and public service background.

Early Life

Born on March 12, 1947, in Detroit, Michigan, he attended an all-boys' school and then Stanford before serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] in France. After his mission he attended Brigham Young University where he was valedictorian of his class in 1971. He then went on to receive his MBA from Harvard and was named a Baker Scholar. He also received his Juris Doctorate (law degree) from Harvard Law School.

In 1969, while attending BYU, Mitt Romney married his wife Ann, whom he had met in high school. They have raised five sons together.

Professional Career

After finishing school, Mitt Romney was "a co-founder and managing partner of Bain Capital, a Boston Private Equity firm; the 1994 Republican nominee for U.S. Senate from Massachusetts . . . and from 1999 to 2002 the CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee in charge of planning the 2002 Winter Olympics, taking charge after the bribery scandal. He also sat on the board of office supply giant Staples."[1]

Political Life

In November 2002, Mitt Romney was elected governor of Massachusetts as a Republican. Mitt Romney ran on a reform platform, since the state budget was in serious crisis. "Supporters of Romney hailed his business record, especially his success with the 2002 Olympics, as that of one who would be able to bring in a new era of efficiency into Massachusetts politics."[1] His opponents claimed that his lack of previous government experience made him unequal to the task but voters disagreed.

Mitt Romney worked to reduce spending through government consolidation and reform and did not increase taxes. Through his efforts and helped by a reviving economy he turned the $3 billion deficit into a $700 million surplus by 2004.

Opponents of Mitt Romney claim that he supports big business over the average man and has been more interested in traveling to promote his political career than in being governor of the state.

Mitt Romney was a candidate for the 2008 Presidential Elections. After the February 5, 2008, "Super Tuesday" primaries, he had won 4 million votes to John McCain's 4.7 million. However, John McCain had garnered over half the votes needed to win the Republican nomination to Romney's one-sixth. Romney had promised to take the election all the way to the convention, refusing to bow out. However, he gave a stirring speech shortly after the primaries, declaring that for the good of the party, he was suspending his campaign. Conservatives had barely caught his vision and were just beginning to rally around him. His final address was given at an assembly of the Conservative Political Action Committee "describing challenges to our national security, to the economy, and to the culture."[2] It was a fearless call for conservative cultural values to be upheld, and a warning that America stands on the brink of losing its greatness, if conservative values are abandoned. (For the text of Romney's final speech, click here.)

Mitt Romney's greatest obstacle, as well as his greatest asset, is his membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Because of the conservative beliefs of the the Church, he appeals to the conservative Christians of the nation. For the same reason many Christians would not vote for Mitt Romney because he is Latter-day Saint, and the Latter-day Saint religion is considered by many to be outside mainstream Christianity.

Many evangelical leaders felt that they could support Mitt Romney, despite religious differences, as a presidential candidate depending on who was running and where each candidate stood. "Romney's appeal to evangelicals might slacken if a competent evangelical or Catholic with social views similar to Romney's were in the race; on the other hand, Romney's stock with evangelicals might go up if he were pitted against candidates holding more liberal social views, regardless of their religion."[2] The entrance of Mike Huckabee, a Baptist minister, into the presidential race galvanized evangelicals. Though he failed to garner as many delegates as Romney, he remained in the race when Romney dropped out. Huckabee won delegates in states with large populations of evangelical Christians.

Commentaries on Romney's decision to abandon the 2008 race for the presidency suggested that conservative support came too late to catapult him to the forefront of the race. His name recognition increased remarkably during the early months of the campaign, and conservative figures were just beginning to rally around him when he dropped out. Commentators have speculated that Romney has established himself well enough to create a base for a future run for the Presidency.

A Closer Look at His Bid for the White House

An article in the Deseret News on May 27, 2011, discussed Mitt Romney's plans to formally announce his candidacy for the U.S. Presidency for 2012. [1] The announcement was planned for June 2nd in New Hampshire, where Romney was already leading in the polls, where he owns a house, and where his performance as governor of Massachusetts was well-known. Romney planned to spend the following day campaigning in Iowa, where he began his candidacy in 2008 and where he then lost to Mike Huckabee, the evangelicals' favorite.

By summer 2011, Romney was the frontrunner in the GOP pack of candidates.

Romney struggled to show his personal side during the campaign and was at his best when talking business. He lost the presidential election to incumbent Barack Obama by a slim margin but ample electoral votes.

An article in the Washington Post appearing after the election, titled "A Good Man, the Right Fight" showed how Romney succeeded against huge odds in every way but the win:

He bested the competition in debates, and though he was behind almost every candidate in the GOP primary at one time or the other, he won the nomination and came very close to winning the presidency.

He raised more money for the Republican Party than the party did. He trounced Barack Obama in debate. He defended the free-enterprise system and, more than any figure in recent history, drew attention to the moral case for free enterprise and conservative economics.

Romney brought the fight to the Democrats and made the rational, persuasive case for entitlement reform that conservatives have so desperately needed. It’s safe to say that the entitlement discussion will never be the same.

On Nov. 6, Romney carried the majority of every economic group except those with less than $50,000 a year in household income. That means he carried the majority of middle-class voters. While John McCain lost white voters younger than 30 by 10 points, Romney won those voters by seven points, a 17-point shift. Obama received 4 1/2 million fewer voters in 2012 than 2008, and Romney got more votes than McCain.

In the debates and in sweeping rallies across the country, Romney captured the imagination of millions of Americans. He spoke for those who felt disconnected from the Obama vision of America. He handled the unequaled pressures of a campaign with a natural grace and good humor that contrasted sharply with the angry bitterness of his critics.

Members of the Church throughout the world took a deep breath and wondered whether the "Mormon Moment" might be over. The restored gospel of Jesus Christ made great strides in helping people see the fruits of the religion, even if they did not manage to grasp its tenets or beliefs. Romney, charitable and service-oriented, a true family man with high ideals he has never broken, was an inextinguishable light on the hill for the Church of Jesus Christ.

After the Presidential Election

After his failed bid for the White House, Romney kept a low profile for a period of time. In 2012, Time included Romney in their list of the 100 most influential people in the world. He spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at National Harbor, Maryland, on March 15, 2013. His speech was considered to be an effort to pass the torch of leadership in the Republican Party to a new generation of conservatives. He also hosted a Republican Party retreat at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah, during the summer of 2013. He joined Solamere Capital as chairman, the Boston-based equity firm that his son Tagg started with Spencer Zwick five years earlier.

On January 24, 2014, Netflix premiered a 92-minute documentary that Greg Whiteley made by spending six years following Romney’s two presidential campaigns. The documentary is praised for its in-depth look at his campaigns as well as the pressure of campaigns in general. It also met with some criticisms for its primary focus on his interactions with his family rather than on the behind-the-scenes strategies.

In early 2014, Romney had several high-profile public appearances, fueling speculation that he would run again in the 2016 presidential election. He announced that he would not run, indicating that he had made that clear the morning after his 2012 loss.

At the end of February 2014, Romney attended a fundraiser for the Republican Governors Association meeting in Boston this week to show support for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie as he fights to weather the fallout from the George Washington Bridge lane-closure scandal.

Romney's book, No Apology: The Case for American Greatness (2010), debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list. He coauthored Simple Truths for an Abundant Life: From One Generation to Another (2019) with his wife, Ann.

Senator Romney

On February 16, 2018, Romney announced that he was running for the U.S. Senate from Utah after longtime senior senator Orrin Hatch announced he was retiring. At the state Republican nominating convention held on April 21, 2018, Romney received 1,585 delegate votes (49.12 percent), narrowly finishing second to state Rep. Mike Kennedy, who secured 1,642 delegate votes (50.88 percent). Since neither Romney nor Kennedy garnered the necessary 60 percent of delegate votes to claim the convention endorsement, the two candidates competed in a June 26 primary election. In the primary, Romney defeated Kennedy by a margin of 71.7–28.3 percent.[2] In the election, Romney prevailed over Democratic candidate Jenny Wilson with 62.6 percent of the vote. He became the third person to have served as governor of one state and senator from another state.

On February 5, 2020, Romney became the first senator in U.S. history to vote to remove from office a president from the same party during the final day of President Donald Trump's impeachment trial. His vote garnered what has been termed "impeachment fallout," not only from President Trump, but from his constituents. In Utah, his job approval ratings dropped 10 points overall (from 46% to 35%).[3] In an interview with the New York Times, Romney said, "I know there'll be consequences and I just have to recognize that and do what you think is right." He predicted that the consequences would be "unimaginable." He also said, "There's an old Protestant hymn that we sing in our church 'Do what is right, let the consequence follow.' I'm sure I'm doing the right thing; I don't know that I can weigh the consequence at this stage, but it's going to be substantial. . . . Not voting my conscience in order for me to have a better political and personal benefit would subject my own conscience to its censure. So I don't have a choice there. This for me is fundamental to my oath to God and fundamental to how our country must work, which is that people have to be seen as honest in fulfilling the oath that they take."[4]

While in Florida soon after his vote, he had people shout at him "Traitor!" and "Stick with the team!" However, by more than a 10-point margin, registered voters nationwide approved of Romney's decision to break with his party and vote to convict President Donald Trump on one of the articles of impeachment against him, according to a Morning Consult/Politico poll conducted after his vote. Half of the voters surveyed said they approved of Romney's vote to find Trump guilty of abuse of power, while 39 percent said they disapproved and 10 percent said they didn't know or didn't have an opinion.

On September 13, 2023, Romney announced he would not seek a second term and called for a “new generation of leaders.” At a news conference on Wednesday afternoon, Romney invoked his own age as part of the move to retire. "It's time for guys like me to get out of the way," he told reporters.

In his recorded statement, he said, "I have spent my last 25 years in public service of one kind or another. At the end of another term, I'd be in my mid-eighties. Frankly, it's time for a new generation of leaders. They're the ones that need to make the decisions that will shape the world they will be living in."[5]

On Wednesday, December 4, 2024, Mitt Romney delivered his final Senate speech. Senators from both parties requested floor time Wednesday to recognize Romney for his work on bipartisan legislation, his unifying leadership and his character. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell spoke just before Romney, praising the outgoing senator for a “long and honorable career on the national political stage.” He said Romney’s lone term in the Senate was a fitting “capstone to a life in public service.” “With the wisdom to discern where to devote his attention, he managed to cram more into six years, and many colleagues fit in 12 or 18,” McConnell said.[6]

“Observers might have wondered what more a distinguished public servant like Mitt Romney had to prove in coming to Washington and putting up with the demands of this (Senate) body,” McConnell said. “But that would be misunderstanding the way our friend has ordered his life. It wasn’t about what he had left to prove, but what he had left to give.”

McConnell said that Romney showed “when you ground yourself in firm beliefs, the winds of politics are easier to weather.” He closed by quoting “a particularly moving hymn from Mitt’s church”: “Do what is right, let the consequence follow; battle for freedom and spirit and might; and with stout heart, look ye forth ‘til tomorrow; God will protect you, then do what is right.”

Romney concluded his remarks with:

"Now, it's customary to end remarks with these words: God bless America. That has never seemed jarring or out of place to me, because Americans have always been fundamentally good. From our earliest days we have rushed to help neighbors in need. . . . We welcomed the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. We've respected different faiths, as our first president confirmed to Muslims and Jews. United We Stand is a fitting refrain. As the leader of the free world, our sons and daughters have fought time and again for liberty, and our treasure has buoyed freedom fighters around the globe. Like all people, we've made mistakes, some grievous, but often our mistakes have come from misguided understanding. God has blessed America because America is good. There's some today who would tear at our unity, who would replace love with hate, who deride our foundation of virtue, or who debase the values upon which the blessings of heaven depend. Now I've been in public service for 25 years. I've learned that politics alone cannot measure up to the challenges we face. A country's character is a reflection not just of its elected officials but also of its people. I leave Washington to return to be one among them and hope to be a voice of unity and virtue. For it is only if the American people merit His benevolence that God will continue to bless America. May He do so is my prayer."

• Deseret News, "Sen. Mitt Romney pledges to be ‘voice of unity and virtue’ in farewell speech"

• Deseret News, "‘What would Mitt Romney do?’: Senators praise outgoing colleague’s character, wit"

Notes

1. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
2. Eastland, Terry. "In 2008, Will It Be Mormon in America?" 06/06/2005, Volume 010, Issue 36

Other interesting articles about Mitt Romney:

*Learn about Mitt Romney's donations to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

• Video: The Impact of Religion on Mitt Romney's campaign
• Romney accepts "Canterbury Medal for Religious Freedom"
• Address "Freedom requires religion" delivered at Metropolitan Club NYC May 8, 2008
• Mitt Romney is early GOP frontrunner for 2012 presidential election
• Why evangelicals should vote for a Mormon for president - May, 2011

External Links

• Basic beliefs and practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints