Romney tells west Mich. businessmen he’ll fight unions - ”I’ve taken on union bosses before,” Romney said before hundreds at a furniture manufacturer. “I’m happy to take them on again.” […] Romney kicked off his “welcome home rally” with a meeting with 10 business, economic and political leaders, who advised Romney of things on their wish list: less regulation, more certainty, more state power, less spending and right-to-work legislation. One business owner asked Romney to sign an executive order on Day 1 to end a provision that federal work be done by union labor. “You’ll have that,” Romney said. || Note: The King of Bain ‘kicked off’ his welcome home rally with the one percenters, promising to fight for their concerns, which in many cases includes reducing wages and benefits!
When Romney Courted The Unions- in 2002 the former Governor was actively courting the labor vote. Romney prominently featured on his campaign website a call for union members to vote for him because he would invest in infrastructure, adjust the minimum wage annually to inflation, and have labor be a critical factor in developing the state.
In Michigan, Romney has successfully clawed his way past the fanatical Cardinal Santorum (Jesus’ proxy here on Earth) to hold a lead of 32%. Soon we’ll find out if Michigan Republicans prefer a plutocracy or a theocracy.
Mitt Romney now barely leading in Michigan after spending twice as much as Santorum– A new snap poll from Michigan firm Mitchell Research & Communications Inc. shows former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney retaking the lead in the state with 32 percent of voters polled on Monday, President’s Day. Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum took 30 percent, while former House Speaker Newt Gingrich got nine and Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) sees seven.
With Rick Santorum’s radical views on the role of religion in public life under fire not just from those of us on the left but also Mitt Romney’s allies in the Republican establishment, here’s an easy prediction for tomorrow’s debate: How Santorum handles the “are you a religious fanatic and/or would you govern as one?” question will define the debate. Thanks to Newt Gingrich’s famous outburst, John King might not have the guts to open the debate with that question, but there’s no way he can avoid asking it without looking like a total idiot. When he does, if Santorum betrays even a hint of defensiveness in his answer, it could be a disaster for his candidacy. On the other hand, if he goes on the attack against his critics, it could send starbursts flying throughout the GOP and presage a mad rush to his candidacy like the one Gingrich experienced in South Carolina.
Will the typically angry, low-info, resentful, cheering-for-executions-and-deaths-of-the-uninsured teabaggy audience applaud louder for an American Theocracy as envisioned by the little mullah, or for an American Plutocracy as plotted by the King of Bain? Tune in!
February 22, 2012: 8pm ET on CNN – Live Stream Location: Mesa Arts Center in Mesa, Arizona Sponsor: CNN and the Republican Party of Arizona Participants: Romney, Santorum, Paul, Gingrich
Mitt Romney speaking in Detroit. (Photo: Byron York )The Internet is having fun with photographs of Mitt Romney giving his big speech on the economy to an empty arena today. But put that aside. The real news is in the speech itself, which is the clearest articulation of Romney’s fiscal plan that he’s yet offered. When Romney said he “wasn’t concerned about the very poor,” he wasn’t kidding. He’s using the policies they depend on most as a piggy bank for tax cuts. – Is this why Mitt Romney’s stadium is empty? | Ezra Klein
Cutting subsidies from Amtrak and Planned Parenthood is the equivalent of President Obama promising to close loopholes for corporate jet owners. It’s red meat for the base, but a rounding error in context of the budget.
Romney’s real savings come in the next section. He’ll “send Medicaid back to the states and cap that program’s rate of growth,” and then “do the same for other programs, like food stamps, housing subsidies and job training.”
Sending the programs back to the states is a red herring. The key bit for deficit reduction is capping their rates of growth. Which is to say, cutting their rates of growth. Which is to say, cutting them.
What Romney is essentially proposing to do is finance a massive tax cut by cutting Medicaid, food stamps, housing subsidies and job training. In other words, the neediest Americans — and, to a lesser degree, federal workers — will be financing a massive tax cut.
ANALYSIS: In Almost Every Primary, Romney Wins Big Among The Rich, Loses The Working-Class Vote - In both states, Romney won among those making more than $100,000 by 14 points, even though he lost among all other income demographics. This trend occurs in virtually every state that has voted thus far. A ThinkProgress analysis of exit/entrance polls from the 14 states that have conducted them shows that Romney consistently does best among those earning more than $100,000 or $200,000 a year, while more often than not losing among middle- and working-class voters. The only states where this wasn’t true were Massachusetts, his home state where he served as governor, and Virginia, where Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich weren’t even on the ballot.
MITT ROMNEY does have a lengthy economic plan, but it amounts to the same thing Republicans always advocate (there’s no ‘special insight’ from all Mitt’s ‘business’ experience): tax cuts, particularly on the wealthy; spending cuts in domestic programs; eliminating regulations; free trade; undermining labor unions, and so on. The closest thing to an innovative idea is the creation of a “Reagan Economic Zone,” which presumably will create wealth through the repeated incantation of the great one’s name. Which is just the point: if Mitt Romney’s experience in private equity gives him such unique understanding of the economy, why is what he proposes exactly what you’d hear from any Republican who spent his working life in government? It’s partly because Romney is a Republican, and things like tax cuts and reductions in regulation are just what Republicans believe. But maybe it’s also because when it comes to the things government can do to affect the economy, being a businessman doesn’t give you such special insight after all. — Paul Waldman, Prospect.org
“I want to make sure that we keep America a place of opportunity, where everyone has a fair shot. They get as much education as they can afford…” —Mitt Romney on Wednesday, advocating for a class-based society of higher education, based on the wealth a person was born into as opposed to an individual’s talent and intelligence.
New America: The math genius who’s poor shouldn’t go to college, but should spend his/her life shining the shoes of people like Romney’s sons (or Mitt and Marie Antoinette themselves) who are born with trust funds and inheritances. Because, let’s be honest, who among us couldn’t “afford college” without financial help from programs or services like student loans, scholarships, and grants? Not all of us can borrow money for college from our parents.
And what a great way to enslave entire generations into a minimum wage existence — to the great advantage of corporations and the one percent.
You don’t get to know how much Mitt Romney is worth — or where he keeps his money. Via Political Wire: “Mitt Romney’s investment portfolio “has included an offshore company that remained invisible to voters as his political star rose,” the AP reports.”
“Based in Bermuda, Sankaty High Yield Asset Investors Ltd. was not listed on any of Romney’s state or federal financial reports. The company is among several Romney holdings that have not been fully disclosed, including one that recently posted a $1.9 million earning — suggesting he could be wealthier than the nearly $250 million estimated by his campaign.”
“The omissions were permitted by state and federal authorities overseeing Romney’s ethics filings… But Romney’s limited disclosures deprive the public of an accurate depiction of his wealth and a clear understanding of how his assets are handled and taxed.”
This is how the wealthiest become even wealthier: earn money in America, offshore it to other countries to avoid taxes. THAT’S HOW AMERICA WORKS!
Investigation: Mitt Romney’s Offshore Accounts, Tax Loopholes, and Mysterious I.R.A. | Vanity Fair – “For all Mitt Romney’s touting of his business record, when it comes to his own money the Republican nominee is remarkably shy about disclosing numbers and investments. Nicholas Shaxson delves into the murky world of offshore finance, revealing loopholes that allow the very wealthy to skirt tax laws, and investigating just how much of Romney’s fortune (with $30 million in Bain Capital funds in the Cayman Islands alone?) looks pretty strange for a presidential candidate.”
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Romney tells west Mich. businessmen he’ll fight unions - ”I’ve taken on union bosses before,” Romney said before hundreds at a furniture manufacturer. “I’m happy to take them on again.” […] Romney kicked off his “welcome home rally” with a meeting with 10 business, economic and political leaders, who advised Romney of things on their wish list: less regulation, more certainty, more state power, less spending and right-to-work legislation. One business owner asked Romney to sign an executive order on Day 1 to end a provision that federal work be done by union labor. “You’ll have that,” Romney said. || Note: The King of Bain ‘kicked off’ his welcome home rally with the one percenters, promising to fight for their concerns, which in many cases includes reducing wages and benefits!
When Romney Courted The Unions - in 2002 the former Governor was actively courting the labor vote. Romney prominently featured on his campaign website a call for union members to vote for him because he would invest in infrastructure, adjust the minimum wage annually to inflation, and have labor be a critical factor in developing the state.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzhy5qNouC1qf10tro1_500.png)
