Sunday, November 13, 2011

99 Facts About Mitt Romney

Original Link: http://thinkprogress.org/romney-facts/

Economy


1. As head of the investment company Bain Capital, Mitt Romney laid off thousands of workers.
[CBS News, 01/28/2008]
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2. Mitt Romney's advice on the foreclosure crisis: "Don't try and stop the foreclosure process."
[Mother Jones, 10/18/2011]
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3. The former Bain Capital managing director said of Mitt Romney's tenure: "We had a scheme where the rich got richer."
[Los Angeles Times, 12/16/2007]
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4. Mitt Romney set up shell companies in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda to avoid U.S. taxes.
[Los Angeles Times, 12/19/2007]
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5. Mitt Romney calls Obama's payroll tax cut that would save middle class/lower income families $1,500 a year "temporary little band aids."
[Yahoo! News, 10/18/2011]
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6. Mitt Romney's first budget as governor included $240 million in fee increases.
[Meet the Press, 12/16/2007]
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7. As governor, Mitt Romney made it more expensive to use an ice skating rink, register a boat, take the bar exam, and transport hazardous waste.
[Associated Press, The Boston Globe, 08/28/2007]
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8. Mitt Romney's plan for a "middle class tax cut" would provide zero benefits to 73.9 percent of the middle class.
[ThinkProgress, 10/14/2011]
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9. In 2008, Mitt Romney proposed a $233 billion "stimulus package" to boost the economy.
[USA Today, 01/20/2008]
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10. Under Mitt Romney's leadership, Massachusetts ranked 47th among the 50 states in job creation.
[ThinkProgress, 06/2/2011]
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11. During Mitt Romney's tenure, Massachusetts' job growth was at 0.9 percent, far behind the national average of over 5 percent.
[ThinkProgress, 06/2/2011]
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12. A Northeastern University economist found that Massachusetts lagged on virtually every economic indicator while Mitt Romney was in office.
[ThinkProgress, 06/2/2011]
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13. Mitt Romney has proposed tax cuts for the rich and corporations that would cost $7.8 trillion over 10 years.
[ThinkProgress, 09/7/2011]
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14. Mitt Romney boasts a record for creating private-sector jobs, but as governor, state employment grew twice as fast as the private sector.
[ThinkProgress, 09/6/2011]
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15. Mitt Romney called the Occupy Wall Street movement "dangerous."
[ThinkProgress, 10/4/2011]
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16. Mitt Romney's top economic adviser Greg Mankiw said the "offshoring" of American jobs was a good thing.
[Washington Post, 02/11/2004]
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17. Mitt Romney called for taxes on the poor, saying low-income Americans having no income tax liability is "a problem" that will "kill the country."
[ThinkProgress, 09/21/2011]
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18. Mitt Romney called the auto bailout "tragic." After it succeeded his campaign claimed he "had the idea first."
[ThinkProgress, 05/25/2011]
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19. Back in 2002, a spokesman for Mitt Romney derided an anti-tax pledge as "government by gimmickry." He signed the Americans for Tax Reform pledge in 2011.
[ThinkProgress, 06/29/2011]
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20. Mitt Romney admits he couldn't reduce Massachusetts' multi-billion dollar budget deficit without new revenue.
[The Boston Globe, 04/6/2003]
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21. Mitt Romney would repeal the Dodd-Frank bill, which regulates the risky practices that led to the 2008 crisis.
[ThinkProgress, 08/25/2011]
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22. Mitt Romney, who lambasts the "failures" of government-backed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, profits from investments in the firms.
[ThinkProgress, 09/20/2011]
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23. Mitt Romney: "Corporations are people, my friend."
[ThinkProgress, 08/11/2011]
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24. In 1996, Mitt Romney called the flat tax a "tax cut for fat cats." In 2011, Romney said "I love a flat tax."
[New York Times, 10/24/2011]
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25. Mitt Romney supports privatizing Social Security.
[ThinkProgress, 09/8/2011]
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26. Mitt Romney defended his belief that we "should consider a higher retirement age" for Social Security and Medicare to preserve tax breaks for corporations.
[ThinkProgress, 08/11/2011]
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27. Mitt Romney signed a budget that cut K-12 spending by $181.6 million (4 percent) and higher education spending by $100 million (10 percent).
[The Boston Globe, 10/24/2005]
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28. Mitt Romney said he wants to "get the federal government out of education."
[ThinkProgress, 09/23/2011]
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29. As governor, Mitt Romney vetoed a minimum wage increase to $8 an hour.
[The Boston Globe, 08/1/2006]
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Foreign Policy



30. Mitt Romney said he "cannot see that a Cabinet position would be justified" for an American Muslim.
[Politico, 11/27/2007]
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31. Mitt Romney opposes troop withdrawal from Iraq.
[ThinkProgress, 10/21/2011]
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32. Mitt Romney says the U.S. should cede humanitarian aid and global leadership to China: "We ought to get the Chinese to take care of the people."
[ThinkProgress, 10/19/2011]
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33. Mitt Romney vowed to increase the size of the military by 100,000 troops.
[Associated Press, 10/8/2011]
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34. Mitt Romney said that catching bin Laden would be "insignificant" and it's "not worth moving heaven and earth."
[New York Times, 05/3/2007]
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35. Mitt Romney wanted "bombardment" of Iran.
[New York Times, 10/26/2007]
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36. Mitt Romney advocated doubling the size of Guantanamo.
[ThinkProgress, 08/22/2011]
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37. Mitt Romney says Obama's worst foreign policy mistake is the START treaty, a modest treaty originally negotiated by Reagan to ensure nuclear stability between the U.S. and Russia.
[ThinkProgress, 07/6/2010]
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38. Many of Mitt Romney's foreign policy advisers helped push the U.S. into war with Iraq.
[ThinkProgress, 10/6/2011]
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39. In 2008, Mitt Romney said if a Democrat won the White House it would mean "attacks on America."
[ThinkProgress, 02/7/2008]
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40. Mitt Romney says it was "entirely possible" that Saddam did have WMDs.
[ThinkProgress, 05/8/2007]
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41. Asked if Iraq was a mistake, Mitt Romney said "Well, the question is kind of a nonsequitur."
[Media Matters, 06/6/2007]
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42. Mitt Romney named Walid Phares, a radical Islamophobe tied to a militia that committed atrocities, to his foreign policy team.
[The New Republic, 10/24/2011]
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43. Mitt Romney won't say whether he thinks waterboarding is torture.
[Democracy Now, 11/29/2007]
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Environment



44. Mitt Romney criticized President Obama for a nearly identical green energy program Romney set up in his state. Three of the six companies the Massachusetts fund invested in are now defunct or struggling.
[Politico, 10/26/2011]
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45. Mitt Romney opposes regulating carbon dioxide and other gases linked to climate change.
[ThinkProgress, 08/26/2011]
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46. Mitt Romney supports drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
[The Boston Globe, 12/13/2005]
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47. Mitt Romney considers liquid coal a "clean" technology, though it emits more greenhouse gasses than oil.
[USA Today, 09/27/2007]
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48. Mitt Romney stalled and eventually withdrew from a multi-state "pollution pact" that would cap plants' carbon emissions.
[The Boston Globe, 12/10/2005]
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49. Mitt Romney said the Clean Air Act doesn't apply to carbon emissions.
[ThinkProgress, 07/18/2011]
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50. Today, Mitt Romney says a cap and trade program would have "devastating results for people across the planet." In 2005, Romney said he was "convinced" that cap and trade was "good business."
[ThinkProgress, 05/20/2011]
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51. Mitt Romney's energy policy adviser works for a lobbying firm for a major coal company.
[ThinkProgress, 09/12/2011]
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52. Mitt Romney supports unlimited coal and oil production.
[ThinkProgress, 05/20/2011]
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Social Issues



53. Mitt Romney supports penalties for doctors who perform an abortion.
[ThinkProgress, 10/3/2011]
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54. Mitt Romney wants to see Roe v. Wade overturned.
[Meet The Press, 12/16/2007]
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55. Mitt Romney used to say he was pro-choice, and now he's "avidly pro-life."
[Sioux City Journal, 12/27/2007]
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56. Mitt Romney would "absolutely" support a state constitutional amendment to define life as beginning at conception, which would restrict women's right to an abortion.
[ThinkProgress, 10/3/2011]
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57. In 2005, Mitt Romney vetoed a measure that would have increased access to emergency contraception by allowing pharmacists to provide the pill without a prescription.
[ThinkProgress, 07/29/2011]
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58. Mitt Romney pledged to expand a Bush-Era policy of permitting doctors to deny women access to contraceptives.
[ThinkProgress, 09/6/2011]
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59. Top Mitt Romney legal adviser Robert Bork said women "aren't discriminated against anymore."
[ThinkProgress, 10/17/2011]
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60. Mitt Romney drafted a bill to exempt a religious group from nondiscrimination rules, allowing it to ban gay couples from adopting children.
[Associated Press, 03/14/2006]
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61. In the 1990s, Mitt Romney told the Log Cabin Republicans that he'd be better than Ted Kennedy on gay rights.
[ThinkProgress, 06/8/2011]
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62. Mitt Romney has signed the National Organization for Marriage anti-gay campaign pledge, calling for a federal amendment outlawing same-sex marriage.
[ThinkProgress, 08/4/2011]
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63. Mitt Romney on Don't Ask, Don't Tell's end: "I believe it should have been kept in place until conflict was over."
[ThinkProgress, 06/13/2011]
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64. Mitt Romney refused to condemn the booing of a gay soldier at a GOP debate.
[ThinkProgress, 10/4/2011]
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65. Mitt Romney suggested the government should continue to subsidize religious organizations that discriminate against gay couples in the adoption process.
[ThinkProgress, 09/6/2011]
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66. Campaigning in 1994, Mitt Romney said "I don't line up with the NRA." Today, Mitt Romney is a lifetime member of the NRA.
[Time, 05/10/2007]
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67. Mitt Romney criticized Ted Kennedy for not being tough enough on guns.
[The Boston Globe, 08/27/1994]
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68. Mitt Romney falsely claimed he was endorsed by the NRA in 2002.
[Washington Post, 12/16/2007]
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69. Mitt Romney blamed pornography for the Virginia Tech shooting.
[Fox News, 07/5/2007]
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Health Care



70. Mitt Romney's former health care consultant, an MIT economist, claimed the former governor is being "dishonest" when he says he didn't have to raise taxes in order to pay for Romneycare.
[ThinkProgress, 10/14/2011]
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71. Mitt Romney said he supported the Ryan Republican budget plan that would effectively end Medicare.
[ThinkProgress, 04/25/2011]
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72. Mitt Romney's first act as president would be to allow all states to opt out of health reform through executive action, which would be illegal.
[ThinkProgress, 03/23/2011]
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73. Mitt Romney would repeal the broad prohibition against denying coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions.
[ThinkProgress, 05/13/2011]
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74. Mitt Romney claims Massachusetts is not a model for health reform, after saying in 2009 his state "is a model for getting everyone insured."
[ThinkProgress, 04/8/2010]
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75. Mitt Romney criticizes "Obamacare" but it is functionally identical to Romneycare.
[ThinkProgress, 01/19/2010]
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76. Mitt Romney reversed his campaign position, enacting abstinence-only sex education in schools.
[The Boston Globe, 06/30/2007]
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77. Mitt Romney's health care advisers played a key role in drafting the Affordable Care Act.
[ThinkProgress, 03/5/2010]
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Immigration



78. Mitt Romney: "I'm running for office, for Pete's sake, I can't have illegals."
[Politico, 10/19/2007]
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79. Mitt Romney initially supported the Bush plan for a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants. He later denounced it.
[Washington Post, 02/4/2008]
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80. Mitt Romney was endorsed in 2008 by radical anti-immigrant activists like Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) and Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
[ThinkProgress, 03/5/2010]
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81. The landscaping company Mitt Romney used to tend his mansion for 10 years employed illegal immigrants.
[ThinkProgress, 04/26/2011]
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82. Mitt Romney criticized Rick Perry for providing government benefits to undocumented immigrants, but Romneycare provided free health care to undocumented immigrants.
[Los Angelus Times, 10/23/2011]
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Politics



83. As of October 2011, Mitt Romney has raised more than five times as much money from Wall St. employees as Obama, raising $1.5 million.
[ThinkProgress, 10/16/2011]
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84. A leaked strategic document from Mitt Romney's 2007 campaign lists "perfect hair" among the candidate's flaws.
[The Boston Globe, 02/27/2007]
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85. Mitt Romney said he finds "it hard to disagree with Rush Limbaugh on topics."
[ThinkProgress, 03/9/2010]
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86. Mitt Romney in 2004: "From now on, it's me me me."
[The Boston Globe, 06/30/2007]
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87. Whenever the Massachussets House challenged Mitt Romney, they overrode his vetoes 99.6 percent of the time.
[The Boston Globe, 06/30/2007]
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88. Mitt Romney in 2008: I "love" George W. Bush.
[ThinkProgress, 01/3/2008]
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89. Mitt Romney refused to pardon an Iraq war veteran's BB-gun conviction but called Bush's commutation of Scooter Libby's prison sentence "reasonable."
[ThinkProgress, 07/4/2007]
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90. Tea Party billionaire David Koch hosted one of Mitt Romney's first fundraisers for his 2012 campaign.
[ThinkProgress, 03/15/2011]
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91. Mitt Romney considers himself "in sync" with the Tea Party.
[Reuters, 08/18/2011]
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Other



92. Mitt Romney's beach house has a "nonliving area" that is twice the size of the average American home.
[ThinkProgress, 08/29/2011]
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93. Mitt Romney plans to bulldoze his 3,000-square-foot $12 million home in California to replace it with one four times its size. Romney also owns a $10 million estate in New Hampshire.
[ThinkProgress, 08/21/2011]
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94. Mitt Romney feels Americans' pain because he's "also unemployed." Romney was worth $250 million in 2008.
[ThinkProgress, 06/16/2011]
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95. Mitt Romney's Olympics office refused to give free or discounted tickets to family of firefighters who died in 9/11, though it provided tickets to Utah legislators.
[The Boston Globe, 06/28/2007]
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96. Mitt Romney made millions investing in companies that did business in Iran.
[CNN Money, 07/12/2007]
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97. Mitt Romney falsely claimed he saw his father march with MLK Jr.
[The Boston Phoenix, 12/21/2007]
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98. In 2007, Mitt Romney briefly declared his favorite book was Scientology classic Battlefield Earth, though he quickly changed it to Mark Twain's Hucklebery Finn.
[ThinkProgress, 07/5/2011]
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99. Mitt Romney won't release his tax returns.
[ThinkProgress, 10/11/2011]
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