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Mitt Romney is fucking Satan.
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{{Infobox_Governor
|name=Mitt Romney
|image=Romney1.JPG
|caption=
|order=70th
|office= Governor of Massachusetts
|term_start= ], ]
|term_end= ], ]
|lieutenant= ]
|predecessor= ] (acting)
|successor= ]
|birth_date= {{birth date and age|1947|03|12}}
|birth_place= ], ]
|nationality= ]
|spouse= ]
|children= 5
|alma_mater=], ]
|party= ]
|religion= ] (])
}}
'''Willard Mitt Romney''' (born ] ]) was the 70th ]. Elected in 2002, Romney served one term and did not seek re-election in 2006; his term expired ], ].<ref>Phillips, Frank and Helman, Scott. ''The Boston Globe'', December 15, 2005), retrieved October 28, 2006.</ref> He is a candidate for the ] nomination in the ].<ref> ''Boston Globe,'' February 13, 2007</ref>

He is a former ] of ], a ] firm, and the co-founder of ], a ] investment firm. He also served as president and CEO of the ] held in ].

==Biography==
Born on ], ] in ], ], Mitt Romney is the son of former Michigan Governor and ] ] and 1970 U.S. Senate candidate ]. His name "Willard" was after hotel magnate ], his father's best friend. <ref name="willard">Wheaton, Sarah. "" ''The New York Times'', ] 2007.</ref> Mitt, his middle name, comes from a relative who played football for the Chicago Bears. <ref name="mitt"> "] 2007.</ref>

Romney married his high school girlfriend ] in 1968. Both are members of ], commonly known as ], though Ann was raised ].<ref> ''ABC News'', June 15, 2007. Retrieved September 18, 2007.</ref> They have five married sons (Tagg, Matt, Josh, Ben and Craig)<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/08/AR2007060802781.html|title=Romney brothers dish on Dad|author=Jose Antonio Vargas| publisher='']''|page=A01|date=2007-06-09|accessdate=2007-11-24}}</ref> and eleven grandchildren.

Romney's great-grandparents were ] who fled to Mexico in 1884 after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld various anti-polygamy laws in 1879.<ref name="polyroots"> ''Associated Press,'' ] ]</ref> Romney's father, George Romney, was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, and the family moved to the United States in 1912<ref name="polyroots"/> after the outbreak of the ].
<ref name="ancestors"> ''Salt Lake Tribune,'' ] ]</ref><ref>http://www.epcc.edu/nwlibrary/borderlands/19_mormons.htm</ref>

Romney is a former ] and ] in his church, and he attends a ] regularly. As a devout Mormon, he does not ] or smoke. He's also a proponent of ], saying that he ] from sex until marriage and has since remained faithful to his wife of 39 years.<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-02-12-romney-cover_x.htm</ref><ref>http://www.ldsmag.com/books/070316presidents.html</ref><ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/10/60minutes/main2787426.shtml</ref>

===Early life and education===
Mitt Romney graduated from the Cranbrook School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan (now ]). After attending ] for two quarters, Romney served in ] for 30 months as a ] for the ].<ref>Miller, John J. "" ''National Review, June 20 2005.- </ref> In June of 1968 Romney was involved in a serious car accident while driving fellow missionaries in southern France. Another vehicle hit Romney's car head on; the fault for the accident, which left one person dead, has been attributed to the driver of the other vehicle.<ref>Paulson, Michael. "" ''Boston.com News, June 24 2007.- </ref>

After his mission service Romney began attending ], where he graduated as ], earning his ] '']'' in 1971. In 1975, Romney graduated from a joint ]/] program coordinated between ] and ]. He graduated '']'' from the law school and was named a ] for graduating in the top five percent of his business school class.<ref>Hugh Hewitt, ''A Mormon in the White House'', March 2007</ref>

===Business career===
After graduation Romney went to work for the ], where he had interned during the summer of 1974.<ref>Lewis, Raphael and Helman, Scott. ''Boston Globe'', ] ], retrieved ], ].</ref> From 1978 to 1984, Romney was a vice president of ], Inc., another Boston-based ] firm. In 1984, Romney left Bain & Company to co-found a Bain & Company spin-off ] investment firm called ].<ref>Pappu, Sridhar. , ''The Atlantic Monthly'', September 2005, retrieved ], ].</ref> During the 14 years he headed the company, Bain Capital's average annual internal rate of return on realized investments was 113 percent,<ref name="MrPowerPoint" /> making money primarily through ].<ref name="howmakemoney">{{cite news |first=David|last=Kirkpatrick|title=Romney’s Fortunes Tied to Business Riches |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/04/us/politics/04bain.html?ex=1338609600&en=55a03ad8230fe973&ei=5088 |publisher=] |date=] |accessdate=2007-08-18 }}</ref> He invested in or bought many well-known companies such as ], ], ], ] and ].<ref> from BizJournals.com</ref>

In 1990, Romney was asked to return to Bain & Company, which was facing financial collapse. As CEO, Romney managed an effort to restructure the firm's employee stock-ownership plan, real-estate deals and bank loans, while increasing fiscal transparency. Within a year, he had led Bain & Company through a highly successful turnaround and returned the firm to profitability without layoffs or partner defections.<ref name="MrPowerPoint"> Rees, Matthew. ''The American'', ], ], retrieved December 16, 2006.</ref>

Romney left Bain Capital in 1998 to head the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games Organizing Committee.<ref> ''Commonwealth of Massachusetts'' (Official web page of Governor Romney) (no date) via ''The Internet Archive'' (retrieved July 22, 2007) Mitt Romney</ref>

He and his wife have a net worth of between 190 and 250 million ].<ref name="personalworth">{{cite news |first=Jim |last=Kuhnhenn |title=Romney Worth As Much As $250 Million |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6847438,00.html |publisher=] |date=] |accessdate=2007-08-13 }}</ref>

===CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee===
<!-- Unsourced image removed: ] torch to ] ] at the State Department.]] -->
Romney served as president and CEO of the ] held in ]. In 1999, the event was running $379 million short of its revenue benchmarks. Plans were being made to scale back the games in order to compensate for the fiscal crisis.<ref>{{citenews | first=Steve | last=Carp | coauthors= | title= Romney's efforts credited for saving Salt Lake Games |date=], ] | publisher= | url=http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2001/Jul-22-Sun-2001/news/16571104.html | work=Las Vegas Review Journal | pages= | accessdate = 2007-04-20 | language = }}</ref> The Games were also damaged by ] involving top officials, including then Salt Lake Olympic Committee (SLOC) President and CEO ]. Joklik and SLOC vice president ] were forced to resign.<ref> ''CNN.com'', January 8, 1999, retrieved October 28, 2006.</ref>

On ], ], Romney was hired as the new president and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee.<ref name="Fire Within"> Call, Jeff ''BYU Magazine'', Winter 2002, retrieved October 28, 2006.</ref> Romney revamped the organization's leadership and policies, reduced budgets and boosted fundraising. He also worked to ensure the safety of the Games following the terrorist attacks of ] by coordinating a $300 million security budget.<ref> Rice, Lewis. ''Harvard Law Bulletin'', Spring 2002, retrieved October 28, 2006.</ref> Despite the initial fiscal shortfall, the Games ended up clearing a profit of $100 million, not counting the $224.5 million in security costs contributed by outside sources.<ref>{{citenews |date=], ]| url=http://www.deseretnews.com/oly/view/0,3949,30000033,00.html</ref><ref>{{citenews | first= | last= | coauthors= | title= SLOC plotting how to dole out Olympics profits
|date=], ] | publisher= | url=http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=1433186&type=news | work=Associated Press | pages= | accessdate = 2007-04-20 }}</ref>

Romney contributed $1 million to the Olympics, and donated the $825,000 salary he earned as President and CEO to charity.<ref>Eastland, Terry ''The Weekly Standard'' June 6, 2005, retrieved October 28, 2006.</ref> He wrote a book about his experience called '']'' (ISBN 978-1-59698-514-8).

==Massachusetts political campaigns==
=== Campaign for United States Senate, 1994 election===
In 1994, Romney won the Massachusetts Republican Party's nomination for ] after defeating businessman ] in the primary.<ref>Gizzi, John ''Human Events Publishing,'' May 17, 2004; retrieved October 29, 2004</ref> Romney's mother had run for the Senate in 1970.<ref>{{citeweb | title= The Real Romney? |date=], ] | publisher= YouTube| url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9IJUkYUbvI&eurl= | accessdate = 2007-06-17 }}</ref> Some early polls showed Romney close to the Senator ]. One '']''/]-TV poll taken after the ], ] primary showed Romney ahead 44 percent to 42 percent, within the poll's sampling ].<ref>Gordon, Al. ''Newsday'' (Nassau and Suffoklk edition), pg. A04, October 2, 1994; retrieved October 29, 2006.</ref> Kennedy, who typically faced only "token" GOP opposition for his senate seat was more vulnerable than usual in 1994, in part because of the unpopularity of the Democratic Congress as a whole and also because this was Kennedy's first election since the ] in Florida, in which Ted Kennedy had taken some public relations hits regarding his character. ] ] traveled to Massachusetts to campaign for Kennedy.{{Fact|date=August 2007}}

After Romney touted his business credentials and his record at creating jobs within his company, Kennedy ran campaign ads showing an Indiana company bought out by Romney's firm, Bain Capital, and interviews with its union workers who had been fired and criticized Romney for the loss of their jobs, one saying, "I don’t think Romney is creating jobs because he took every one of them away."<ref>{{citenews | first=Mike | last=Hall | title= Romney’s ‘Business Experience’: Firing Workers, Hiring Them Back at Lower Wages |date=], ] | publisher= AFL/CIO Blog| url=http://blog.aflcio.org/2007/05/31/romneys-business-experience-firing-workers-hiring-them-back-at-lower-wages/ | work=AFL/CIO | accessdate = 2007-06-17 | language = English }}</ref> Although both Kennedy and Romney supported the ] rights established under ], Kennedy accused Romney of being "multiple choice" on the issue, rather than "pro choice" (a shot at what he stated were Romney's flip flops on the issue). According to figures in ''] 1996'', which relies on official campaign finance reports, Romney spent over $7 million of his own money, with Kennedy spending more than $10 million from his campaign fund, mostly in the last weeks of the campaign (this was the second-most expensive race of the 1994 election cycle, after the ] vs. ] Senate race in ]).<ref>{{citenews | first=Jerry | last=Miller | coauthors= | title= Record Fundraising |date=], ] | publisher= | url=http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Try=No&Page=\Politics\archive\200004\POL20000424d.html | work=CNSNews | pages= | accessdate = 2007-04-20 | language = }}</ref> Kennedy won the election with 58 percent of the vote to Romney's 41 percent, the smallest margin in Kennedy's nine elections to the Senate through 2006.<ref>Taranto, James ''The Wall Street Journal'' Saturday, December 31, 2005; retrieved October 29, 2006.</ref>

===Campaign for Governor, 2002 election===
{{main|Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 2002}}
{{seealso|2002 Mitt Romney residency issue}}
In 2002, Republican Lieutenant Governor ] was expected to campaign for the governor's office. Swift had served as ] after Republican Governor ] resigned upon being appointed ]. Swift was viewed as an unpopular executive, and her administration was plagued by political missteps and personal scandals.<ref>Associated Press. ''The Daily Texan'', April 11, 2001; retrieved October 29, 2006.</ref> Many Republicans viewed her as a liability and considered her unable to win a general election against a Democrat.<ref>Frank, Mitch. ''Time Magazine,'' Mar. 21, 2002; retrieved Octover 29, 2006.</ref> Prominent GOP activists campaigned to persuade Romney to run for governor.<ref>Berwick Jr., Bob and Roch, Lisa Riley. '']'', February 22, 2002; retrieved November 1, 2006.</ref> One poll taken at this time showed that Republicans favored Romney over Swift by more than 50 percentage points.<ref> ''Cable News Network,'' March 19, 2002; retrieved October 30, 2006.</ref> Swift decided not to seek her party's nomination.

] officials claimed that Romney was ineligible to run for governor, citing residency issues. The ] requires seven consecutive years of residency prior to a run for office. Romney claimed residency in ] from 1999 to 2002, during his time as president of the Salt Lake City Olympic Committee. In 1999 he listed himself as a part-time Massachusetts resident.<ref><!--review for best method to handle AP sources-->Mcelhenny, John (Associated Press) ''Portsmouth Herald", Tuesday, June 18, 2002, retrieved November 1, 2006.</ref> The ] filed a complaint with the Massachusetts State Ballot Law Commission, which eventually ruled that Romney was eligible to run for office. The ruling was not challenged in court.<ref> Belluck, Pam. ''New York Times'' (Abstract) (Page A-17, Col. 4), June 26, 2002, retrieved November 1, 2006.</ref>

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.<ref> ''PBS Online News Hour'' (No Date); retrieved November 1, 2006.</ref> Romney contributed $6.3 million to his own campaign during the election, at the time a state record.<ref> Brian C. Mooney ''Boston Globe''; August 22, 2006, Retrieved November 20, 2006. </ref> Romney was elected Governor in November 2002 with 50 percent of the vote over Democratic candidate ], who received 45 percent of the vote.<ref> 'CNN.com''; retrieved November 1, 2006.</ref>

==Governor of Massachusetts, 2003–2007==
{{main|Governorship of Mitt Romney}}
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Romney was sworn in as the 70th governor of Massachusetts on ], ]. Upon entering office, Romney faced a projected $3 billion deficit, but a previously enacted $1.3 billion capital gains tax increase and $500 million in unanticipated federal grants decreased the deficit to $1.2 billion.<ref>, Factcheck.org, July 9, 2007</ref>

Through a combination of spending cuts and lower taxes, and removal of tax loopholes the State had a $700 million surplus by 2006.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9441455 | title=Mr Smooth of Massachusetts | work=The Economist |date=2007-07-07}}</ref>
Romney supported raising various fees by $500 million per year, including raising fees for driver's licenses, marriage licenses, and gun licenses.<ref name="taxreform">{{cite news |url= http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Mitt_Romney_Tax_Reform.htm | |title= Mitt Romney on Tax Reform| work=Ontheissues.org|accessdate=2007-06-17}}</ref> Romney increased the state gasoline tax by 2 cents per gallon, generating about $60 million per year in additional tax revenue.<ref name="mooney"/> Romney also closed a tax loopholes that brought in another $181 million from businesses over the next two years;<ref name="mooney"/>
The state legislature with Romney's support also cut spending by $1.6 billion, including $700 million in reductions in state aid to cities and towns. <ref>{{cite web|url =http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/12/18/property_taxes_still_on_rise_in_mass/?page=full | title = Property taxes still on rise in Mass. | work =Matt Viser, Boston Globe | December 18, 2005 | accessmonthday = December 7| accessyear = 2006 }}</ref> The cuts also included a $140 million reduction in state funding for higher education, which led state-run colleges and universities to increase tuition by 63%.<ref name="mooney"/> Romney sought additional cuts in his last year as Massachusetts governor by vetoing nearly 250 items in the state budget. All of those vetoes were overturned by the legislature.<ref>{{cite news | title= Romney's vetoes seldom stood| work=DANIEL Barrick, Concord Monitor| date=2007-05-03| url=http://concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070503/REPOSITORY/705030311}}</ref>

According to an analysis by the Tax Foundation, the state and local tax burden in Massachusetts increased from 10 percent to 10.6 percent of per capita income during Romney's governorship.<ref name="mooney">{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/specials/romney/articles/part6_main/?page=full |title=Taking office, remaining an outsider |last=Mooney |first=Brian |date=June 29, 2007 |accessdate=2007-07-03 |work=Boston Globe}}</ref>

On ], ], Romney signed the ] which mandates nearly all Massachusetts residents to buy health insurance coverage or else face a substantial penalty in the form of an additional income tax assessment. The bill also establishes means-tested state subsidies for people without adequate employer insurance and who make below an income threshold by using funds previously designated to compensate for the health costs of the uninsured.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/prem/200606u/nj_crook_2006-06-27 |title=The Massachusetts Experiment |last=Crook |first=Clive |work=The Atlantic |date=2006-06-27 |accessdate=2006-11-21}}</ref> <ref> Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Acts of 2006 (Session Laws), Chapter 58. Retrieved January 2, 2007.</ref> <ref> Dembner, Alice. Boston Globe. January 19, 2007. Retrieved January 19, 2007.</ref> He vetoed 8 sections of the health care legislation, including an employer assessment<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/11/04/house_approves_healthcare_overhaul/ | title=House approves healthcare overhaul: Tax at odds with plans by Romney, Travaglini | author=Scott S. Greenberger | publisher='']'' | date=2005-11-04 | accessdate=2007-11-24}}</ref> <ref></ref> and provisions providing health coverage to senior and disabled legal ]s not eligible for federal Medicaid.<ref>http://www.thetranscript.com/headlines/ci_3706699</ref> <ref>http://news.bostonherald.com/localPolitics/view.bg?articleid=134877</ref> The legislature overrode all eight vetoes. Romney's communications director Eric Fehrnstrom responded saying "These differences with the Legislature are not essential to the goal of getting everyone covered with insurance."

At the beginning of his governorship, Romney opposed same-sex marriage and civil unions.<ref>
McElhenny, John. ''Daily Collegian'' October 16, 2002. Retrieved December 10, 2006.</ref> <ref> ''Romney for Governor 2002.'' Retrieved December 11, 2006.</ref> Faced with the dilemma of choosing between same-sex marriage or civil unions after the November 2003 ] decision legalizing same-sex marriages (]), Romney reluctantly backed a state constitutional amendment in February 2004 that would have banned same-sex marriage but still allow civil unions, viewing it as the only feasible way to ban same-sex marriage in Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/02/23/romneys_stance_on_civil_unions_draws_fire/ |title=Romney's stance on civil unions draws fire |last=Phillips |first=Frank |date=February 23, 2005 |accessdate=2006-12-08 |work= }}</ref> In May 2004 Romney instructed town clerks to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but citing a 1913 law that barred out-of-state residents from getting married in Massachusetts if their union would be illegal in their home state, <ref>{{cite web|url=http://writ.news.findlaw.com/grossman/20060410.html|title=Will the State of Massachusetts Ever Permit Same-Sex Out-of-Staters to Marry?|publisher=]}}</ref> <ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/news/specials/gay_marriage/articles/2004/05/21/history_suggests_race_was_the_basis/ |title=History suggests race was the basis |last=Greenberger |first=Scott S. |date=May 21, 2004 |accessdate=2006-12-08 |work=The Boston Globe }}</ref> no marriage licenses were to be issued to out-of-state same-sex couples not planning to move to Massachusetts. In June 2005, Romney abandoned his support for the compromise amendment, stating that the amendment confused voters who oppose both same-sex marriage and civil unions. Instead, Romney endorsed a petition effort led by the Coalition for Marriage & Family that would have banned same-sex marriage and made no provisions for civil unions.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/06/17/romney_backs_new_effort_to_prohibit_gay_marriages/ |title=Romney backs new effort to prohibit gay marriages |last=Lewis |first=Raphael |date=June 17, 2005 |accessdate=2006-12-08 |work= }}</ref> In 2006 he urged the U.S. Senate to vote in favor of the ].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.mass.gov/Agov2/docs/20060602_Marriage_Letter.pdf |title=Letter to the US Senate |last=Romney |first=Mitt |date=June 2, 2006 |accessdate=2006-12-08 |work=mass.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://judiciary.senate.gov/testimony.cfm?id=1234&wit_id=3608 |title=Testimony of Honorable Mitt Romney, Governor, Massachusetts |date=June 22, 2004 |accessdate=2006-12-08 |work=US Senate Committee on the Judiciary}}</ref>

On ], ], Romney announced that he would not seek re-election for a second term as governor.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/12/14/romney_to_announce_he_wont_seek_re_election/ |title=Romney to announce he won't seek re-election |last=Phillips |first=Frank |date=2005-12-14 |accessdate=2006-11-21 |work=Boston Globe}}</ref> Romney left office with a favorability rating of 43%. <ref>http://wbztv.com/local/local_story_137120921.html</ref>

Romney filed papers to establish a formal exploratory presidential campaign committee the next to last day in office as governor.<ref>Estes, Andrea; and Helman, Scott.
''Boston Globe. January 4, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2007.</ref> Romney's term ended ], ].

== Campaign for United States President, 2008 election ==
{{Future election candidate|Willard Mitt Romney}}
{{main|Mitt Romney presidential campaign, 2008}}
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]
Since the ], Romney had been discussed as a potential 2008 presidential candidate.<ref>Bradley, Nina ''MSNBC'', August 29, 2004; retrieved October 29, 2006</ref> On ] ], two days before he stepped down as governor of Massachusetts, Romney filed to form a presidential ] with the ].<ref>
{{cite web
| url = http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/fecimg/?_27039324113+0
| title = FEC statement of candidacy
| accessdate = 2007-10-21
}}</ref><ref> ''New York Times,'' January 4, 2007. Retrieved January 4, 2007.</ref> On ], ] Romney formally announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for president in 2008.

In ], ], Romney won the ] with 31% of the vote.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293003,00.html</ref> His closest rival in the Straw Poll, ], received 18% of the total vote. <ref>http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aj67AMOxCXYo&refer=us</ref> ], ], and the then-unofficial candidate ], did not attend. Romney also won the Illinois Straw Poll with 40.35% of the vote, with ] coming in 2nd with 19.96% of the total vote.<ref>http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/08/16/mitt-romney-wins-illinois-straw-poll/</ref>

Romney has been criticized for comparing his sons' campaign service to service in the military. Said Romney, "one of the ways my sons are showing support for our nation is helping to get me elected.” Neither Romney nor his five sons have served in the military.<ref>http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/08/questions-about-romneys-sons-and-military-service/</ref> Romney later apologized and said he misspoke and that there is no comparison to the sacrifice that military persons make.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293030,00.html</ref>
]; September 3, 2007]]

Another criticism of Romney is that he is the Republican version of ]. Former NY Mayor Rudy Giuliani, one of his main rivals, accused Romney of 'flip-flopping' on issues<ref>http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/10/10/ghosts-of-2004-in-latest-giuliani-romney-skirmish/</ref>. For example, Romney is seen to have changed his views on gay rights because of his previous support for Bill Clinton's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy". <ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/08/us/politics/08romney.html?_r=1&oref=slogin|title=Romney’s Tone on Gay Rights Is Seen as Shift|author=Michael Luo|publisher=''The New York Times''|date=2007-09-08|accessdate=2007-11-24}}</ref>. Also like Kerry, Mitt Romney is financing much of his campaign with his own personal fortune, contributing over $17 million to the campaign<ref>{{cite web| url=http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/finances/index.html | title=Mitt Romney's campaign finances | publisher=''The New York Times'' | accessdate=2007-11-24}}</ref>.

As of September 2007, ] show that Romney has electoral support in the key early states of Iowa<ref>]</ref>,
and
New Hampshire<ref>]</ref> as well as polling strongly in Nevada<ref>]</ref>,
Michigan<ref>]</ref> (which may be a key early state), Utah<ref>]</ref> and Idaho<ref>]</ref>.

==Political positions==
{{main|Political positions of Mitt Romney}}
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Mitt Romney's political positions have evolved considerably over the course of his political career. As a candidate for office in Massachusetts, Romney repeatedly claimed to hold liberal or moderate views on social issues such as abortion and gay marriage. As a candidate for the Republican nomination for President, Romney has expressed views more in line with traditional conservative ones on social issues, and now portrays himself as a social conservative.

Romney has explained his changing views as a process of evolution. He contends that he has gradually come to agree with the conservative position on numerous social issues. Critics of Romney, on the left and the right, are less flattering and portray Romney as an opportunist. Democratic Massachusetts Congressman ], once said of Romney “The real Romney is clearly an extraordinarily ambitious man with no perceivable political principle whatsoever. He is the most intellectually dishonest human being in the history of politics.” Fellow Republican Presidential candidate Senator ] also criticized Romney, saying "Maybe I should wait a couple of weeks and see if it changes because it's changed in less than a year from his position before."

Romney now believes that ''Roe v. Wade'' should be overturned and believes a constitutional amendment is appropriate when America is ready for it and that abortion is wrong except to save the life of the mother.<ref>http://www.mittromney.com/Issue-Watch/Values</ref> Romney has made pro-choice comments in the past, but now says he has reversed his position.<ref>http://www.mittromney.com/Issue-Watch/Values</ref>

As governor of Massachusetts, Romney opposed amending the constitution to codify only traditional marriage, believing it unnecessary. He changed his mind in 2003, however, when the ] ruled in favor of legalized same-sex marriage, Romney lobbied for a state constitutional amendment.<ref>{{citenews | first=Frank | last=Phillips | coauthors= | title= Romney's stance on civil unions draws fire |date=], ] | publisher= | url=http://www.boston.com/news/specials/gay_marriage/articles/2005/02/23/romneys_stance_on_civil_unions_draws_fire/ | work=LifesiteNews | pages= | accessdate = 2007-04-20 | language = }}</ref>

Romney supported the invasion of Iraq<ref>{{citenews | first=Amy| last=Lorentzen| coauthors= | title= Romney:U.S. is angry about Iraq|date=], ] | publisher= Houston Chronicle| url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5007252.html | work=American Spectator | pages= | accessdate = 2007-04-20 | language = }}</ref>, and supports the ], though in Summer 2007 he said that it was still too early to gauge its success.<ref>https://www.mittromney.com/News/Press-Releases/Iraq_Statement_1_10_07 Press release from official Mitt Romney website</ref> Upon hearing the ] of ], Romney reemphasized his agreement with current policy in Iraq and has called for a "Surge of Support" for the military. Romney has called for increased military spending to at least 4% of the United States ] and wishes to increase the size of the military by at least 100,000 troops<ref>http://mittromney.com/News/In-The-News/Defense_Energy_Research_Spending</ref>.

Romney has focused on tax relief for "middle income Americans" and has advocated eliminating the ] for all those who earn less than $200,000 per year. <ref> {{citenews|url=http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&products_id=200399-1&tID=5 |work=CSPAN|title=Mitt Romney Iowa Straw Poll Speech |date=2007-11-08}}</ref> Romney has also advocated eliminating the ],<ref>{{citenews |publisher=Boston Globe| date=2007-08-10|title = Romney rolls through business plan in hopes of winning Iowa | http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/08/10/romney_rolls_through_business_plan_in_hopes_of_winning_iowa/}}</ref> signed a pledge to oppose "any and all efforts" to increase income taxes,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/politics/candidates/articles/2007/01/05/romney_finds_no_new_taxes_promise_suits_him_after_all/ |title = Romney finds 'no new taxes' promise suits him after all | last = Helman | first = Scott | work = Boston Globe | date = 2007-01-05}}</ref> and promises to control spending by Congress.

Romney currently supports the ], ], and sentencing under the ].<ref>{{citenews | first=Raphael | last=Lewis | coauthors= | title= Romney files death penalty bill |date=], ] | publisher= | url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/04/29/romney_files_death_penalty_bill?pg=full | work=Boston Globe | pages= | accessdate = 2007-04-20 | language = }}</ref><ref>{{citenews | first=Maria | last=Sacchetti | coauthors= | title= Romney plan would greatly boost charter schools |date=], ] | publisher= | url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/02/01/romney_plan_would_greatly_boost_charter_schools/ | work=Boston Globe | pages= | accessdate = 2007-04-20 | language = }}</ref><ref>{{citenews | first= | last= | coauthors= | title= Mitt Romney on crime |date=, ] | publisher= | url=http://www.ontheissues.org/Crime.htm | work=OnTheIssues | pages= | accessdate = 2007-04-20 | language = }}</ref>
Romney has called for secure borders through reforming current immigration laws. Romney welcomes increased ] and supports implementing a mandatory biometrically enabled, tamper proof documentation and employment verification system. Romney said that he would like to see illegal immigrants register with the government and apply for citizenship.<ref>http://www.mittromney.com/Issue-Watch/Immigration</ref> Romney supports the use of ]<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8NKiz18k4o</ref> but says that he opposes the use of ] during prisoner ].<ref> {{citenews|url=http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&products_id=200399-1&tID=5 |work=CSPAN|title=Mitt Romney Iowa Straw Poll Speech |date=2007-11-08}}</ref>

==Electoral history==
*'''2002 Race for Governor, Massachusetts'''
**Mitt Romney (R), 50%
**Shannon O'Brien (D), 45%
**] (J), 3%
**] (L), 1%
**Barbara Johnson (U), 1%
*'''1994 Race for U.S. Senate, Massachusetts'''
**] (D) (incumbent), 58%
**Mitt Romney (R), 41%
**Lauraleigh Dozier (L), 0.7%
**William Ferguson, 0.2%

== See also ==
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]: the Story of America's Presidents and the LDS Church

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Sisterlinks|Mitt Romney}}
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;Official
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* Campaign videos and advertisements.
* Campaign videos and exclusive interviews with Romney sons
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;Speeches, multimedia and transcripts
* Video from ''The Boston Globe''
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;Interviews
* interview by ] on ]
* Interview by Fox News's Sean Hannity
* by ]
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* Guest Host Judy Woodruff
* video and transcript
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;Databases and information
* voter information supplied by the Massachusetts Democratic Party.
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* campaign finance reports and data
* campaign contributions
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*{{dmoz|Regional/North_America/United_States/Society_and_Culture/Politics/Candidates_and_Campaigns/Presidential/2008/Candidates/Romney,_Mitt}}
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;Media coverage
* from CNNMoney.com
* ''The Boston Globe,'' June 24, 2007 through July 1, 2007. A seven part series of articles with photo galleries.
* from TIME.com
* '']'', ] ]
* '']'', ] 2006
* '']'', March 2006
* '']'' ] 2006
* Reuters, ] ]
*, '']'', September, 2005
* '']'', ] ]
*Hugh Hewitt, ''A Mormon in the White House?: 10 Things Every American Should Know about Mitt Romney'', Regnery Press, 2007. ISBN 159698502X
*Ana Marie Cox, , ], Jun. 27, 2007

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Revision as of 05:08, 28 November 2007

Mitt Romney is fucking Satan.