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Romney book a 2012 trial balloon
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03/02/10 11:02 AM ET
In the first seven pages of his book “No Apologies,” Mitt Romney hits all the talking points a politician needs for a successful campaign.
He has the obligatory family hardship story (his father’s rise from poverty to head of the American Motors Corporation – and becoming governor of Michigan); religion (his grandfather was persecuted for being a Mormon); his failed presidential campaign (but he reminded readers of his Michigan primary win); his private sector experience (helping the launch of Staples) and his heading the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics.
Michigan, where Romney grew up, is the early focus of the book. He mentions being governor of Massachusetts on page 11.
The criticism starts on page 25, where he argues President Barack Obama has been on an “American Apology Tour” throughout the world. “President Obama has positioned himself as a figure transcending America instead of defending America,” he notes.
Romney writes: “Never before in American history has its president gone before so many foreign audiences to apologize for so many American misdeeds, both real and imagined. … There are anti-American fires burning all across the globe; President Obama’s words are like kindling to them.”
Romney’s book, which hits stores on Friday, outlines his vision of America and will be seen as a 2012 trial balloon. After all, it criticizes the current White House occupant, defends Republican ideas and touts Romney’s resume in both the private and public sector. Romney hasn’t announced he’ll make another presidential run (he hasn’t denied it either) and “No Apologies” will be seen as a preliminary step in outlining a campaign strategy.
It will also get him media coverage. Among his scheduled appearances: a Tuesday morning stop on ABC’s “The View,” David Letterman’s chair on Tuesday evening and a speech at the National Press Club on Friday.
There’s not a lot of personal information in the book (we do learn Romney’s favorite TV show as a child was “Davy Crockett”). And he does use a few anecdotes about his wife and children to illustrate his ideas on healthcare and education.
As for the major domestic issues:
He defends President George W. Bush and former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on the bailout, writing “it wasn’t to bail out Wall Street but rather to attempt to keep the entire financial system from failing.” He adds: “It did in fact keep our economy from total meltdown.” He also praised then presidential candidate John McCain for voting in favor of the bailout.
After the praise, however, comes the criticism. Romney writes that the TARP “as administered by Secretary Timothy Geithner was as poorly explained, poorly understood, poorly structured and poorly implemented as any legislation in recent history.”
He notes: “Secretary Paulson’s TARP prevented a systemic collapse of the national financial system, Secretary Geithner’s TARP became an opaque, heavy-handed, expensive slush-fund.”
Of the healthcare debate he writes: “The real tragedy was that it wasn’t the sort of bipartisan and genuine search for solutions that I experienced in Massachusetts in 2006 and 2007. Our reforms in Massachusetts didn’t produce a perfect system, just one that was much better than what had been there before.”
Romney is also critical of the campaign finance system: “In the post McCain-Feingold world of campaign finance, union CEOs have become the 800-pound gorillas. … No other type of organization I know of is allowed to collect political funs in the way that unions do.”
He has the obligatory family hardship story (his father’s rise from poverty to head of the American Motors Corporation – and becoming governor of Michigan); religion (his grandfather was persecuted for being a Mormon); his failed presidential campaign (but he reminded readers of his Michigan primary win); his private sector experience (helping the launch of Staples) and his heading the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics.
Michigan, where Romney grew up, is the early focus of the book. He mentions being governor of Massachusetts on page 11.
The criticism starts on page 25, where he argues President Barack Obama has been on an “American Apology Tour” throughout the world. “President Obama has positioned himself as a figure transcending America instead of defending America,” he notes.
Romney writes: “Never before in American history has its president gone before so many foreign audiences to apologize for so many American misdeeds, both real and imagined. … There are anti-American fires burning all across the globe; President Obama’s words are like kindling to them.”
Romney’s book, which hits stores on Friday, outlines his vision of America and will be seen as a 2012 trial balloon. After all, it criticizes the current White House occupant, defends Republican ideas and touts Romney’s resume in both the private and public sector. Romney hasn’t announced he’ll make another presidential run (he hasn’t denied it either) and “No Apologies” will be seen as a preliminary step in outlining a campaign strategy.
It will also get him media coverage. Among his scheduled appearances: a Tuesday morning stop on ABC’s “The View,” David Letterman’s chair on Tuesday evening and a speech at the National Press Club on Friday.
There’s not a lot of personal information in the book (we do learn Romney’s favorite TV show as a child was “Davy Crockett”). And he does use a few anecdotes about his wife and children to illustrate his ideas on healthcare and education.
As for the major domestic issues:
He defends President George W. Bush and former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on the bailout, writing “it wasn’t to bail out Wall Street but rather to attempt to keep the entire financial system from failing.” He adds: “It did in fact keep our economy from total meltdown.” He also praised then presidential candidate John McCain for voting in favor of the bailout.
After the praise, however, comes the criticism. Romney writes that the TARP “as administered by Secretary Timothy Geithner was as poorly explained, poorly understood, poorly structured and poorly implemented as any legislation in recent history.”
He notes: “Secretary Paulson’s TARP prevented a systemic collapse of the national financial system, Secretary Geithner’s TARP became an opaque, heavy-handed, expensive slush-fund.”
Of the healthcare debate he writes: “The real tragedy was that it wasn’t the sort of bipartisan and genuine search for solutions that I experienced in Massachusetts in 2006 and 2007. Our reforms in Massachusetts didn’t produce a perfect system, just one that was much better than what had been there before.”
Romney is also critical of the campaign finance system: “In the post McCain-Feingold world of campaign finance, union CEOs have become the 800-pound gorillas. … No other type of organization I know of is allowed to collect political funs in the way that unions do.”
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