Or, if you are already a subscriber Sign in. Other options. Close drawer menu Financial Times International Edition. Search the FT Search. World Show more World. US Show more US. The smart money is that Romney votes to convict a second time. There is something quite unexpected, however, in his willingness to defy the would-be legacy of Trumpism. Eight years after winning the Republican presidential nomination, Romney appears willing to govern, if not like a conservative Democrat, then a bit like John McCain during his walkabout phase in the early s.
In previous campaigns, beginning with his effort to unseat Ted Kennedy, Romney affected a certain disdain for politics and its grubby inducements. By the time he stirred himself to run for Senate, he could no longer plausibly deny his ambitions; when you willingly subject yourself to cross-country flights for the honor of casting a cloture vote, your vocation is clear. Romney has made as many burnt offerings as necessary to the gods of the American Right, even forsaking his own universal health care program as the cost of transforming himself from Massachusetts squish to post-Bush conservative.
Such stratagems make it all the more puzzling that he has now flitted back to the Rockefeller wing of the Republican Party, likely as a caucus of one. Very few figures in modern American politics have found themselves so estranged from the mainstream of their party so soon after serving as its standard-bearer. In terms of party nominees, perhaps only George McGovern found himself as isolated as Romney is now.
All those L s—getting pasted by McCain and not being offered a V. And yet he has done things few could have imagined possible in , when he won his first race. A decade later, in , he ran for a seat in the U. Senate in Massachusetts, but was defeated by longtime incumbent Ted Kennedy.
Romney stepped into the national spotlight in , when he took over as president of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee. He helped rescue the Winter Olympic Games from financial and ethical woes, and helmed the successful Salt Lake City Games in Romney parlayed his success with the Olympics into politics when he was elected governor of Massachusetts in He also signed into law a health-care reform program to provide nearly universal health care for Massachusetts residents.
After serving one term as governor, Romney declined to run for re-election and announced his bid for the U. Romney continued to keep his options open for a possible future presidential run. He maintained much of his political staff and political action committees, and raised funds for fellow Republican candidates. At a farm in New Hampshire on June 2, , Mitt Romney announced the official start of his campaign for the presidential election. During his campaign, Romney took many standard Republican positions on taxes, the economy and fighting terrorism, while consistently and vocally criticizing his opponent, Democrat President Barack Obama.
Specifically, Romney denounced President Obama's health-care reform program—a stance that earned him criticism from the press, as the president's health-care plan was similar to the Massachusetts plan that Romney supported as governor. Additionally, throughout the presidential race, critics charged Romney with changing his position on several key issues, including abortion; Romney had supported Roe v.
Wade —the U. Supreme Court decision upholding a woman's right to an abortion—while campaigning for a Senate seat in , but maintained an ardent pro-life stance throughout his campaign for the presidency. From the start of his campaign, Romney emerged as the frontrunner for the Republican nomination. In January , Romney scored a decisive victory in the New Hampshire Republican primary by capturing more than 39 percent of votes. As the race continued, Rick Santorum became his greatest competition, winning several states.
However, Romney secured a substantial lead in the number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination. In April , Romney benefited from a narrowing of the field when Santorum announced that he was suspending his campaign. That left only Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich as Republican competitors, with Gingrich soon throwing in the towel as well. Romney's campaign met with negative publicity in July , when President Obama's campaign ran ads claiming that his opponent was the head of Bain Capital until , not , as was previously stated.
Senate Utah on June 26, The table below details the campaign finance reports by Kennedy and Romney as of April 1, Source: Federal Elections Commission , "Campaign finance data,". Romney declined to run for president in Prior to his final decision, Romney stated on September 8, , "Let me tell you, it was a great experience running for president.
I loved that. But my time has come and gone. I had that opportunity. I ran, I didn't win. On June 25, , Easley wrote, "Romney is working to connect select candidates with his vast political network, urging the party to learn from his past mistakes, attacking Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and taking forceful stances on controversial issues.
Romney ran for President of the United States in Barack Obama ran and won re-election on the Democratic ticket. Other candidates that appeared on the ballot received less than 0. Romney formally announced his run for U. Romney was elected as Governor of Massachusetts on November 5, Romney ran for U. Senate in He was defeated by Edward Kennedy D. Among constitutional principles which must be reestablished are these:. The corporate tax cut will encourage real wage growth; the only way to raise real wages is for businesses to grow, compete with other businesses for employees, and raise the wages they offer to recruit.
The tax cut will thus not only let people keep more of their wages, it will help raise their wages. While I would have voted for the Act, had I been in the Senate at the time it was being drafted, I would have fought to make it revenue neutral rather than adding to the deficit. I will work with like-minded senators who will oppose a budget process that prevents effective debate, amendments, and spending caps.
I will look to eliminate ineffective and wasteful programs and to reform entitlements for people under 55 years of age. I will work with other like-minded senators to refuse to bend to such a tactic. Public Land With two-thirds of Utah held as public land, it is my priority to obtain greater local and state involvement in decision-making and management of public lands.
I support multiple use of these lands and will work to prevent excessive land grabs by presidents and federal bureaucrats. The Antiquities Act and the Endangered Species Act should both be reformed to require state approvals and local involvement.
The State of Utah should assume management responsibility for select public lands when economically feasible, initially on a pilot basis. The number of visas for crop, livestock, and dairy workers should be decided on the state level rather than the federal level.
I support the utilization of all our energy resources including gas, coal, wind, nuclear, geothermal, hydro, and solar. The decision to send troops into a foreign country must be made only when a substantial American interest is at stake. This should be a very high hurdle.
We should maintain clear superiority in conventional military capabilities and at least parity in nuclear capabilities. American military strength is the best friend peace has ever known. We must promote our values of freedom and free enterprise through our diplomacy, economic ties, alliances and other soft power tools. When nations attack our infrastructure, elections, technology, or vital interests, we should retaliate and punish their behavior with appropriate and meaningful measures.
Immigration I support legal immigration. I respect and welcome those who have followed the law and have made the United States their home. Our nation is stronger and more vibrant by virtue of a strong legal immigration system. The legal immigration system should be merit based, giving applicants credit for such things as English fluency, having a trade or technical skill, personal savings, and advanced degrees so these individuals may become assets to their communities and prosper in our country.
I firmly oppose illegal immigration. I support measures to secure our national borders. I support a simplified legal status verification system that will allow an employer to know whether a prospective employee is in the United States legally and that will sanction employers who nevertheless hire people here illegally.
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