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Mitt Romney 2012 presidential campaign

The 2012 presidential campaign of Mitt Romney officially began on June 2, 2011, when former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney formally announced his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination for President of the United States, at an event in Stratham, New Hampshire. Having previously run in the 2008 Republican primaries, this was Romney's second campaign for the presidency.

Mitt Romney for President 2012
Campaign2012 Republican primaries
2012 U.S. presidential election
CandidateMitt Romney
70th Governor of Massachusetts
(2003–2007)
Paul Ryan
U.S. Representative for Wisconsin's 1st district
(1999–2019)
AffiliationRepublican Party
StatusAnnounced: June 2, 2011
Presumptive nominee: April 25, 2012
Official nominee: August 28, 2012
Lost election: November 6, 2012
Headquarters585 Commercial Street
Boston, Massachusetts
Key peopleMatt Rhoades[1] (manager)
Beth Myers,[2] Peter Flaherty[3] and Eric Fehrnstrom[4] (advisors)
Stuart Stevens (strategist)
Ashley O'Connor (director of advertising)
Rich Beeson (political director)
Lanhee Chen (policy director)
Gail Gitcho[5] (communications director)
Andrea Saul[6] (press secretary)
Spencer J. Zwick (finance chair)[7][8][9]
Kathryn Biber (general counsel)
Lindsay Hayes (speech writer)[10]
Neil Newhouse (pollster)
ReceiptsUS$483,452,332 (December 31, 2012[11])
Slogan
Website
Mitt Romney 2012

He filed his organization with the Federal Elections Commission as an exploratory committee and announced the organization in a video message on April 11, 2011. He became the party's presumptive nominee with his victory in the Texas primary on May 29, 2012.

On August 11, 2012, in Norfolk, Virginia, Romney announced that Paul Ryan, the long-time U.S. Representative for Wisconsin's 1st congressional district, would be his running mate for vice president. (Later, in October 2015, Ryan was elected Speaker of the House.)[12][13]

On August 30, 2012, in Tampa, Florida, Romney formally accepted the Republican Party's nomination at the 2012 Republican National Convention.[14]

Romney's campaign came to an end on November 6, 2012, upon defeat by incumbent President Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential election.[15] Romney received 60,933,500 votes, or 47.2% of the total votes cast, winning 24 states and 206 electoral votes.

Had he won, Romney would have been the first Michigan native to serve as president (as Gerald Ford was born in Nebraska), the first Mormon president, and the second governor of Massachusetts to do so, after Calvin Coolidge. Ryan would have been the first vice president from Wisconsin.

Six years later, in November 2018, Romney was elected as U.S. Senator from Utah.

Background edit

After the 2008 election, Romney built a strategy for the 2012 presidential campaign and saved PAC money to underwrite salaries and consulting fees for his existing political staff[16] and to build up a political infrastructure for what might become a $1 billion campaign three years hence. He also had a nationwide network of former staff and supporters eager for him to run again.[17] He continued to give speeches and raise campaign funds on behalf of fellow Republicans.[18] Romney declined a lucrative job as head of a hedge fund, and instead began a yearlong self-education on foreign and domestic issues.[19]

Romney finished first in the CPAC straw poll in 2009[20] and second in 2010 and 2011,[21][22] won the Southern Republican Leadership Conference straw poll in 2010,[23] and won the New Hampshire Straw Poll in 2011.[24]

Romney released his 2010 tax return in early January 2012, along with a partial 2011 return which he promised to release in whole upon its completion.[25][26] During the presidential campaign, he decided not to disclose additional returns citing the matter as a distraction from more important issues.[27]

Despite his preparations, Romney remained unconvinced on whether to run again. In December 2010 he asked his immediate family to vote on a 2012 campaign. Unlike the unanimous support before the 2008 campaign, this time 10 family members voted against another try; only Romney's wife Ann and one son voted in favor, and Romney told family members that he would not run again. In the spring of 2011, his wife and political allies persuaded him to change his mind, telling Romney that they believed he could fix the economy.[19]

Campaign formation edit

Exploratory committee edit

Before a slower start to the presidential campaign by all contenders than four years previous, on April 11, 2011, Mitt Romney announced by means of a video recorded that day at an athletics field at the University of New Hampshire that he had formed an exploratory committee as a first step for a potential run for a Republican presidential campaign, saying, "It is time that we put America back on a course of greatness, with a growing economy, good jobs and fiscal discipline in Washington."[28]

Formal announcement edit

Romney formally announced his candidacy for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination at an outdoor gathering in Stratham, New Hampshire, on June 2, 2011.[29][30] In his announcement speech, he pledged to make the U.S. economy the main focus of his campaign, saying "My number one job will be to see that America is number one in job creation."[31]

Fundraising edit

On May 16, 2011, the Romney campaign announced that it had raised $10.25 million "in connection with today's call day fundraiser in Nevada."[32] This was hailed in the media as "an impressive one day total."[33][34] Thereafter, however, the Los Angeles Times reported that "the amount actually represented pledges gathered earlier and tallied that day, not just funds actually taken in by the campaign."[35] Later, it was discovered that Romney had actually raised $2.403 million on May 16, about a quarter of the claimed amount.[36][37]

 
Romney speaks with patrons at a Senate Coney Island Restaurant in Livonia, Michigan, during a campaign stop, June 9, 2011.

For the entire second quarter, the campaign expected to raise only about $20 million, less than the $44 million raised in that period in 2007 but still more than any of the other Republican candidates.[35] By the end of June, Romney's campaign raised $18.5 million, which was $14 million more than U.S. Representative Ron Paul, who came 2nd in funding amongst Republican candidates.[38]

By the end of March 2012, Romney had raised $88 million, far more than his nearest Republican rival, Ron Paul ($36 million).[39] President Barack Obama had raised $197 million, more than twice as much as Romney, and the Obama campaign had nearly 10 times as much cash on hand (over $100 million compared to Romney's $10 million). By the end of April, Romney was far outstripping Obama in large-value campaign contributions from individual donors: most (62%) of Romney's contributions were at the legal limit of $2,500, compared to 16% of Obama's.[40] Obama fared better among small-value donors, with almost half (43%) of his donations at $200 or less, compared to only 10% of Romney's.[40]

Romney was also supported by the Super PAC called Restore Our Future. As of the end of February 2012, Restore Our Future had raised over $43 million.[41]

In an article about 2016 Presidential election fundraiser Mary Pat Bonner, 2012 campaign finance chair Zwick was mentioned in regards "fund-raising fees paid by Mr. Romney's [2012] campaign committees to limited liability companies established by Mr. Zwick: about $34 million, according to campaign disclosure reports".[42]

By April 2012 Romney's financial supporters included Julian Robertson of Tiger Management, Louis Moore Bacon of Moore Capital Management, John Paulson of Paulson & Co., Steven Allen Schwarzman, of The Blackstone Group and Paul Singer of Elliott Management Corporation.[43]

Campaign staff and policy team edit

  • Matt Rhoades, Campaign Manager. Rhoades was communications director of Romney's '08 campaign. He also was a deputy communications research director for the Republican National Committee during the 2006 election cycle, and a research director for the 2004 Bush campaign.[44]
  • Chief of staff to the executive director, Kelli Harrison
  • Advisers, Beth Myers, Peter Flaherty and Eric Fehrnstrom
  • Strategists, Stuart Stevens and Russell Schriefer, partners and principals at the Stevens & Schriefer Group (SSG). The pair were media consultants on Romney's 2007–08 campaign. They also served as part of the media group on the 2004 George W. Bush presidential campaign, and previously on Bush's 2000 campaign.[44]
  • Political director, Rich Beeson. Partner at FLS Direct and previously the RNC director for the 2008 election cycle.[44]
  • Communications director Gail Gitcho. Former communications director to Scott Brown and national press secretary for the RNC.
  • Digital director Zac Moffatt. Former co-founder and partner of Targeted Victory, a Republican digital strategic consulting firm.
  • Lanhee Chen, policy director. Chen was chief domestic policy adviser during Romney's 2008 campaign for president. Visiting scholar at the University of California's Institute of Governmental Studies. Previously deputy campaign manager and policy director on California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner's campaign for governor, 2009–10, and senior counselor to the Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services.[44]

Foreign Policy and National Security Advisory Team edit

Romney's foreign policy special advisors were drawn largely from the previous Republican administration. Of the 24 foreign policy advisors, 17 served in the Bush-Cheney administration.[45]

Co-chairs of Romney advisory committees edit

Economic policy:

Justice advisory:

Labor policy:

Urban policy:

Health care policy:

Campaign for the party nomination edit

Mitt Romney was one of many competing for the role of Republican nominee for president.

CPAC Straw Poll edit

Romney won the 2012 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Straw Poll in February with 38% of the vote. The poll is traditionally considered an important barometer of the sentiments of conservative activists. [citation needed] The New York Times wrote that the Romney campaign was busing in students from along the East Coast to support Romney.[47] Rick Santorum finished second in the straw poll with 31%.[48] Politico reported that the Romney campaign bought CPAC registration tickets to the conference, while the Santorum campaign did not.[49]

Iowa caucuses edit

 
Iowa Republican caucus results by county. Orange indicates counties won by Romney.

Initially, Romney was declared the winner of the 2012 Iowa Republican caucuses, surpassing rival candidate Rick Santorum by eight votes.[50] Upon official vote count, Santorum was found to have obtained thirty-four more votes than Romney and was declared the winner. Former Iowa Republican Chairman Richard Schwarm stated, "I think people realize it's a tie."[51] The day final results were announced, "Governor Romney called Senator Santorum to congratulate him on the Iowa results," said Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul.[52]

New Hampshire primary edit

The weekend ahead of the New Hampshire primary on January 10, Romney participated in two debates, which Reuters said Romney "weathered well." Newt Gingrich attacked Romney with allegations that he had destroyed companies and fired workers while working for Bain Capital.[53] Romney won the New Hampshire primary with 39.3 percent of the vote.[54][55]

South Carolina primary edit

The South Carolina Republican primary was scheduled for Saturday, January 21, 2012. Several polls showed Romney having a slight lead over Gingrich in South Carolina.[56] Gingrich continued to criticize Romney for causing job losses, Rick Perry referred to Romney's role at Bain Capital as 'vulture capitalism',[57][58] and Sarah Palin stated that Romney needed to prove that Bain actually created 100,000 jobs as Romney has claimed.[59][60] The negative advertising campaign was mainly sponsored by "Winning Our Future", the super PAC that supports Gingrich.[61][62] During debates in Myrtle Beach and Charleston, Romney came in second place in the primary with 28% of the vote, behind Newt Gingrich with 40% of the vote, but ahead of Rick Santorum (17%) and Ron Paul (13%).[63]

Florida primary edit

Polls taken immediately after the South Carolina primary showed Newt Gingrich in the lead but polls released a few days later placed Romney in first place.[64][65] At least 200,000 Floridians voted via absentee ballots or early voting, a factor thought to favor Romney who aggressively campaigned in Florida in early January.[66] Romney participated in both of the four-man debates that were held on Monday, January 23 and Thursday, January 26.[67]

Romney released tax returns for 2010 and estimates for 2011.[68] He showed income over that period of $42.5 million. His effective tax rate for 2010 was 13.9 percent, and he estimated that it would be 15.4 percent for 2011. About $13 million of his income was in "carried interest" and hence eligible for favorable tax treatment under a provision that Democrats have sought to end. It was also disclosed that Romney had investments in the Cayman Islands and previously had a Swiss bank account until it was closed in 2010.[69][70]

On January 31 Romney won the 2012 Florida primary with 46% of the vote.[71]

Nevada caucuses edit

The Nevada Republican caucuses were held on Saturday, February 4. Less than 33,000 Republicans took part in the Nevada caucuses, which proportionally awards 28 Republican delegates. Romney won 50% of the caucus-goers, followed by Gingrich at 21%, Paul at 19%, and Santorum at 10%. Romney won 14 delegates, whereas Gingrich, Paul, and Santorum were awarded 6, 5, and 3 delegates respectively.[72]

 
Romney campaign logo during the primaries and prior to selection of Paul Ryan as running mate

Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri edit

Rival candidate Rick Santorum surprised observers by winning all the three of the states holding votes on February 7. Romney lost to the former Pennsylvania senator by 5 points in the Colorado caucus, finished third with 17% behind Ron Paul and Santorum in the Minnesota caucuses, and, in a contest that did not actually award any delegates and did not include Newt Gingrich on the ballot, lost the Missouri primary to Santorum by a 30-point margin.[73]

Maine edit

Romney was initially declared the narrow winner of the Maine Caucus, but the results were subject to a recount after several counties were not counted.[74] Romney was confirmed to have won following the recount.[75]

Michigan and Arizona edit

Michigan and Arizona held their presidential primaries on Tuesday, February 28, and allocated 29 and 30 Republican delegates, respectively.[76] CNN moderated a Republican primary debate in Mesa, Arizona on February 22, 2012.[77] The Arizona Republican primary is 'winner-take-all'[78] and the Michigan Republican delegate results are allocated proportionately among the candidates by voting district. Romney won the Michigan primary narrowly, and won the Arizona primary by a wide margin.[79]

Washington State edit

The state of Washington held their caucuses on Saturday, March 3, with Mitt Romney gaining momentum going into 'Super Tuesday'. Later, Washington held their state GOP convention June 2, 2012 giving Romney at least 34 delegates for the Republican National Convention.[80]

Super Tuesday edit

The largest number of states in the Republican Primary race voted on March 6, 2012, with Romney winning six states (Alaska, Idaho, Massachusetts, Ohio, Vermont, Virginia); Santorum winning three states (North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee); and Gingrich winning Georgia.[81]

Presumptive presidential nominee edit

 
Vote share for Romney, by county. Darker colors mean higher voter percentage. Black indicates no votes were cast for Romney.

After Super Tuesday, Santorum won in Kansas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi, while Ron Paul won the Virgin Islands Caucus. However, Romney maintained a solid lead with wins in Guam, Hawaii, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Illinois, Wisconsin, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and the Northern Mariana Islands. As a result, Santorum dropped out on April 10. After Romney won the April 24 Delaware primary, Gingrich dropped out on May 2 in a move that was seen as an end to the nomination contest and resulted in the Republican Party declaring Romney the presumptive nominee. While Ron Paul never officially dropped out, he stopped campaigning on May 14.

By April 2012, in the absence of viable alternatives to Romney for the Republican nomination, polls showed Romney gaining on Obama's earlier double-digit lead in a hypothetical head-to-head general election contest.[82] However, polls (both nationally and in battleground states like Florida and Ohio) also showed that for most of those who said they would vote for Romney, the primary motivator was hostility toward Obama rather than affirmative support for Romney.[82][83] On April 25, 2012, the Republican National Committee (RNC) declared Romney the party's presumptive nominee.[84] On May 29, Texas held their 2012 Republican primaries, which Romney won. The subsequent accumulation of the state's 155 delegates was enough to secure Romney the party's nomination assuming at least 34 unpledged delegates voted for him, which was very likely. After wins in California and several smaller states on June 5, Romney exceeded 1144 pledged delegates, giving him absolute certainty of the nomination and making the June 26th Utah Primary, the last contest of the cycle, purely symbolic. In July Romney described an Obama recess appointment as "Chicago-style politics at its worst", introducing the meme into the rhetoric of the 2012 campaign[85][86][87][88][undue weight? ]

On August 28, 2012, delegates at the Republican National Convention chose Mitt Romney as their presidential nominee against President Barack Obama.[89] This formal nomination set up a two-month final race to the elections on November 6.[90]

General election campaign edit

The general election campaign began in earnest on Labor Day, September 3, 2012.[91]

Bain Capital edit

Romney's record at Bain Capital and Bain's investments were a prominent issue, with Romney arguing his tenure at Bain demonstrated management and leadership skills that created thousands of jobs. Political opponents have argued that under Romney, some investments at Bain increased investor profits at the expense of middle-class workers who were laid off.[92][93] Romney took a leave of absence from Bain Capital in February 1999 to manage the Salt Lake City Olympics. Romney remained named on company documents while reorganization of Bain and according to SEC filings, he continued to be the "sole shareholder, sole director, Chief Executive Officer and President" of Bain for 3 additional years.[94] This discrepancy was reported by The Boston Globe in July 2012[95] and used by Obama[96] and his campaign in its ads that Romney was responsible for the activities of Bain Capital during that period, from 1999 to 2002.[97] According to Bain, Romney played no active role despite his name being on the required filings.[98][99] FactCheck.org examined the issue and reported that Romney did leave Bain in 1999.[100] A report by Glenn Kessler of The Washington Post [101] reported that there is little or no basis for the assertions by an Obama campaign staffer of criminal charges or civil liability with respect to the SEC filings.[101] Romney's campaign cried foul and Romney personally demanded an apology which was refused by the Obama campaign.[97][102][103]

In June 2012, former President Bill Clinton said that Romney, in having served as governor and having had a "sterling business career", met the basic qualifications to perform the essential functions of the presidency.[104][105] Clinton also warned that Romney's economic proposals were "wrong-headed" and that a Romney presidency would be "calamitous" for the country and the world.[106][107]

International trip edit

In July 2012, Romney undertook an international trip as the presumptive nominee of the Republican party, visiting the United Kingdom, Israel, and Poland to meet heads of state, and also to raise funds.[108][109][110][111]

In London, his comments in an NBC interview in which he referred to "disconcerting stories" over security concerns regarding readiness of the London 2012 Olympic Games were widely viewed as undiplomatic by the British press and leading politicians.[112][113][114] British Prime Minister David Cameron defended the Olympic security preparations: "We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest most active bustling cities anywhere in the world. Of course it's easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere. I visited Naypyidaw recently, in Burma, they've got six-lane highways and no cars on them. This is a busy, bustling city so inevitably you're going to have challenges." While Cameron's aides stated he didn't intend a jibe at Romney or Salt Lake City, the British press seized upon the "middle of nowhere" remark, construing it as an allusion to Utah where Romney had managed the Olympics in 2002.[115][116]

In Jerusalem, Romney discussed the possibility of a military strike against Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres. He also discussed foreign policy regarding Iran with Israeli opposition Leader Shaul Mofaz.[117] Romney said that the U.S. has a "solemn duty" to prevent Iran from harming Israel.[118] He made no public promise that he would attack Iran's nuclear facilities if elected, but he reiterated that no option should be off the table in seeking to end Iran's nuclear program, although he hoped that diplomatic measures and economic sanctions would be successful.[119] Romney called Jerusalem the capital of Israel,[119] and later said that he would plan to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but would decide the timing of the move in consultation with the government of Israel.[120][121] The Palestinian Authority and other Palestinian organizations denounced Romney's remarks about the political status of Jerusalem, which they hope will become the capital of a future Palestinian state, as well as Romney's refusal to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (he met instead with PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad).[122] Some Palestinian leaders were also offended by remarks Romney made during a fundraiser, when he suggested that cultural differences[123] and "the hand of providence"[124][125] help explain why Israelis are more economically successful than Palestinians, and why similar economic disparities exist between other neighbors, such as the United States and Mexico, or Chile and Ecuador.[126] A senior aide to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called the remarks racist,[125][127] as did American political scientist Angelo Falcón, president of the National Institute of Latino Policy.[128] The Embassy of Mexico in the United States also rejected Romney's comments, noting that Mexico currently has a higher economic growth rate and lower inflation than the United States.[129] Romney later denied that his comments had been directed against "Palestinian culture or the decisions made in their economy."[126][130][131]

In Warsaw, Romney called Poland a model of small government and free enterprise whose example other states should emulate. He praised Poland for rejecting "the false promise of a government-dominated economy" and for seeking to "stimulate innovation, attract investment, expand trade, and live within its means."[132] Romney also thanked the Polish people for supporting the U.S. in many conflicts. Romney briefly mentioned Russia, listing the country alongside Syria, Venezuela and Belarus, as examples of countries where "the desire to be free is met with brutal oppression".[133] When American journalists tried to question Romney during a visit to Warsaw's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, his campaign spokesman told journalists: "Kiss my ass. This is a holy site for the Polish people," and told a reporter to "shove it".[134] The spokesman later apologized for the outburst.[135] In Gdańsk, Solidarność co-founder and former Polish President Lech Walesa endorsed Romney for president,[136][137] but Solidarność's current leadership distanced itself from the event and criticized Romney as hostile to unions and labor rights.[138]

NAACP speech edit

Romney accepted an invitation[139] to address the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on July 11, 2012.[140] On the issue of creating jobs, Romney said, "If our goal is jobs, we have to stop spending over a trillion dollars more than we take in every year. So to do that, I'm going to eliminate every non-essential, expensive program I can find. That includes Obamacare, and I'm going to work to reform and save --" Romney was cut off by prolonged boos from those in attendance.[141][142] Romney later attended a fundraiser in Hamilton, Montana and reflected on the booing he received at the NAACP event, "Remind them of this: if they want more stuff from government, tell them to go vote for the other guy – more free stuff. But don't forget, nothing is really free."[143]

Vice presidential selection edit

 
Mitt Romney with Paul Ryan after introducing him as his running mate for the 2012 presidential election, in Norfolk, Virginia, on August 11, 2012.

According to the book Double Down, Romney's campaign narrowed down his list of potential nominees for Vice President to former Governor of Minnesota Tim Pawlenty, United States Senator from Ohio Rob Portman, eventual 2016 presidential candidates Senator Marco Rubio from Florida and Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey, and longtime U.S. Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.[144] A vet of each candidate was conducted at a high level of secrecy and dubbed "Project Goldfish". The vetting team, led by experienced Republican operative Beth Myers, gave each member of the short list a fish-themed nickname: "Lakefish" for Minnesotan Pawlenty, "Pescado" for Hispanic Rubio, "Filet-O-Fish" for Ohioan Portman, "Fishconsin" for Janesville native Ryan, and finally "Pufferfish" for the stout Christie.[145]

Having returned from his overseas tour of the United Kingdom, Israel, and Poland, Romney planned a bus tour of Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida with his then-yet to be announced running mate.[citation needed]

On August 10, 2012, it was announced that Romney would introduce his running mate on August 11, 2012, in Norfolk, Virginia, after touring the USS Wisconsin,[146][147][148][149] leading several news sources to speculate that his choice would be Ryan.[150]

Shortly after 7 a.m. on August 11, the Romney campaign officially announced Ryan as its choice for vice president through its mobile app titled "Mitt's VP".[13] This decision made Ryan the major parties' first-ever vice-presidential candidate from Wisconsin.[151]

"You didn't build that" edit

External videos
  Video of relevant Obama quote
  Full Remarks at Roanoke, VA (full transcript) July 13, 2012.

On July 13, 2012, Obama gave a speech in Roanoke, Virginia, that contained the phrase "you didn't build that":[152]

There are a lot of wealthy, successful Americans who agree with me — because they want to give something back. They know they didn't — look, if you've been successful, you didn't get there on your own. You didn't get there on your own. I'm always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something — there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there.

If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business — you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn't get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet. The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together.

Republicans claimed that the statement was indicative of Obama's support for big government.[153] The Obama campaign said the statement was taken out of context, while Romney replied that 'the context is worse than the quote'.[154][155] The Republican National Committee released a web ad with the full text of what Obama said titled, "The More Context You Get, The Worse It Sounds."[156]

The following Monday, July 16, Mitt Romney spoke about the "you didn't build that" statement in a campaign stump speech in Pennsylvania, saying:

To say that Steve Jobs didn't build Apple, that Henry Ford didn't build Ford Motors, that Papa John didn't build Papa John Pizza ... To say something like that, it's not just foolishness. It's insulting to every entrepreneur, every innovator in America.[157]

The Obama campaign, Factcheck.org, and Politifact disagreed with that characterization, noting that the sentence immediately preceding the "you didn't build it" line referred to roads and bridges and the speech concluded with Obama applauding the hard work of individuals in the creation of their own businesses. Politifact rated Romney's attack as false.[158]

In its analysis, Factcheck.org said:[159]

There's no question Obama inartfully phrased those two sentences, but it's clear from the context what the president was talking about. He spoke of government — including government-funded education, infrastructure and research — assisting businesses to make what he called "this unbelievable American system that we have." In summary, he said: "The point is … that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together."

Factcheck.org concluded their analysis by acknowledging that Romney provided a more complete account in a July 17 speech. Regarding government infrastructure and support, Romney stated:

You really couldn't have a business if you didn't have those things. But, you know, we pay for those things. Alright? The taxpayers pay for government. It's not like government just provides those to all of us and we say, "Oh, thank you government for doing those things." No, in fact, we pay for them and we benefit from them and we appreciate the work that they do and the sacrifices that are done by people who work in government. But they did not build this business.

The Romney campaign followed with events with small business owners in multiple states (Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Virginia, Ohio, Iowa, Missouri, North Carolina, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Nevada), along with an attack ad.[160] A new part of the Romney campaign website was created[161][162] and merchandise related to the statement was produced.[163]

Convention and post-convention bounce edit

The 2012 Republican National Convention was held from August 27–30. It featured appearances by Ann Romney, Chris Christie, Paul Ryan, Clint Eastwood, and Mitt Romney.

While Romney's overall polling gains from the GOP convention were modest, the convention did improve his "likability" rating, even though he continued to trail Obama in this widely considered "critical" category.[164] This was followed by a larger bounce in Obama's favor after the Democratic convention.

Cairo and Benghazi attacks edit

On September 11, 2012, the U.S. embassy in Cairo, anticipating possible unrest over an anti-Muslim film that had allegedly been produced in the United States, released statements denouncing "the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims" and calling respect for religious beliefs of others "a cornerstone of American democracy".[165] Hours later, U.S. diplomatic missions in Cairo, Egypt and Benghazi, Libya were attacked. After the attack the U.S. embassy in Cairo tweeted, "This morning's condemnation (issued before our protests began) still stands. As does our condemnation of unjustified breach of the Embassy."[165] In her initial remarks to the press, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated, "I condemn in the strongest terms the attack on our mission in Benghazi today."[166][167] Romney, apparently unaware of the chronology of the events that had unfolded, released a statement saying, "It's disgraceful that the Obama Administration's first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks."[168]

By the following day, it had been confirmed that the U.S. ambassador to Libya had been one of several Americans killed in the Benghazi attack.[165][166] In a televised press conference and an interview, Romney again asserted that the administration had been wrong to, in his view, sympathize with the attackers and apologize for American values rather than to condemn the attackers' actions.[169] Romney's remarks were widely criticized by media sources regarding the course of events and by political commentators for leaving Romney open to the appearance of seeking to gain personal political advantage from a national tragedy.[169][170][171] Republicans initially distanced themselves from Romney's comments, but as he came under increasing criticism for the timing and nature of his comments, several conservative politicians defended his remarks.[169]

Vote mobilization problems edit

Romney replaced the traditional GOTV system with the centralized Project Orca. The project failed to mobilize 40,000 volunteers in key states during the election day.[citation needed]

Media issues edit

First TV advertisement and questions about context edit

In his previous campaign, Romney had begun television advertising in March 2007. In the 2012 cycle, however, his first advertisement did not air until November 2011. The 60-second spot, which was broadcast in New Hampshire, was widely criticized for using a quotation from Obama out of context. It included a clip of Obama apparently saying, "If we keep talking about the economy, we're going to lose." It did not disclose that Obama, speaking in the 2008 campaign, had been quoting an email from an aide to his opponent, John McCain, which concerned McCain's campaign strategy, not Obama's.[172]

The Romney campaign defended the ad. According to The Boston Globe, "Romney aides even said they were proud of the reaction and suggested that the ad was deliberately misleading to garner attention." Romney campaign adviser Eric Fehrnstrom stated: "It was all very deliberate. We want to engage him on the subject he wants to avoid, which is his failure to create jobs and get this economy moving again."[173] In an article on the Romney campaign website, communications director Gail Gitcho wrote "Three years ago, candidate Barack Obama mocked his opponent's campaign for saying 'if we keep talking about the economy, we're going to lose.' Now, President Obama's campaign is desperate not to talk about the economy."

Fact checking organization Politifact gave the Romney campaign a "pants on fire" rating for "distorting Obama's words, which have been taken out of context in a ridiculously misleading way,"[174] while another fact-checking organization, FactCheck.org, declined to assess whether that particular clip in the Romney ad was misleading, and instead said: "We won't quibble with the spot's main message, which is that Obama has failed to fix the economy. That's true enough." According to The New York Times, when the Obama camp put material on television that made "no effort to put any of Mr. Romney's statements into context", the Romney campaign responded by saying that Obama was trying to distract Americans from real issues such as high unemployment.[175]

Work requirement for welfare edit

In July and August 2012, Romney ran a recurring ad claiming that President Obama wanted to remove the work requirement for welfare recipients. Multiple news outlets and fact checking agencies rated the Romney ad false, Politifact assigning it the rating of "pants on fire."[176][177][178] FactCheck.org stated: "A Mitt Romney TV ad claims the Obama administration has adopted 'a plan to gut welfare reform by dropping work requirements.' The plan does neither of those things." [179] Factcheck.org elaborated that the waivers will not "inherently" gut the work requirements, because a lot will depend upon what kind of waivers states propose; moreover, "the way the administration implemented the new policy has not helped", because of questions about whether Congress ever granted to the president any legal authority to issue the waivers.[179]

Dog incident edit

In 2007, the Boston Globe reported that, in 1983, Romney transported his pet dog Seamus on the roof of their automobile. Newt Gingrich aired an anti-Romney attack ad that featured the story,[180][181] while Rick Santorum stated it was relevant as an issue of character.[182]

Etch A Sketch edit

Eric Fehrnstrom, a top aide to Romney, was asked by comedian and political commentator John Fugelsang on CNN how their campaigning would change if and when Romney wins the Republican nomination. He answered it would be like an Etch A Sketch to shake-up and start over. Immediately, Santorum and Gingrich took the opportunity to say Romney flip-flops and was not a true conservative. Each held up an Etch A Sketch toy as a visual aid to their audiences. Ron Paul created a short ad saying "this is petty when we have $15 trillion in debt, 12 million unemployed, and USA at war."[183] Following the incident the Ohio Art Company saw a 30% increase in sales of Etch A Sketches.[184]

Mitt Romney explained the words of his advisor by saying, "A general election campaign takes on a different profile. The issues I'm running on will be exactly the same. I was a conservative Republican governor, and I'll be running as a conservative Republican nominee."[185] A poll by Pew Research Center taken in the days after the event found that a majority of voters were unaware that the comment had even been said, with a plurality of those that had heard of it saying that it had no effect on their opinion of Romney.[186]

Little Face Mitt and other memes edit

Many[who?] called the 2012 presidential election the first real social media election, and the number of memes it engendered reflects that. Notable contributions included a Bad Lip Reading video, a campaign similar in scope to the campaign for the neologism "santorum" which aimed to create an alternate definition (or homophone) for "romney" that referred to "defecating in terror", and also the binders full of women gaffe. Perhaps most popular was the "Little Face Mitt" meme, which was created on August 22 by humorist Reuben Glaser. It showed a depiction of Romney with his facial features "shrunken" within an ordinary-scale blank outline of his face; the result resembled a Dick Tracy comic-strip villain. Within its first four days it had garnered the attention of Gawker,[187] UPROXX,[188] CollegeHumor,[189] BuzzFeed,[190] PostSecret,[191] Mother Jones,[192] Funny or Die[193] and MSNBC's Alex Wagner.[194] An Obama staffer claimed they were later used as desktop backgrounds on computers in his 2012 reelection headquarters in Chicago.

At the end of its four-month tenure, Little Face Mitt had also been covered in The Huffington Post,[195] Complex magazine,[196] Mashable,[197] Boing Boing[198] and many local print publications and online news websites. Glaser was also interviewed by the Washington Examiner,[199] The New York Times, The Daily Dot,[200] The Young Turks[201] and in articles from as far away as France[202] and Germany.[203] The International Business Times[204] credited Little Face Mitt and its images as being one of the best political memes ever and described its notoriety as a "foray into the internet's lexicon" for Mitt Romney, and as "immortality".

Tax returns edit

Due to pressure from political rivals during the Republican primary campaign, Romney released an incomplete 2010 tax return[205] in early January 2012, along with an estimate of the 2011 return.[25][26] During the presidential campaign, he declined to disclose additional returns citing the matter as a distraction from more important issues, despite calls to do so by Democrats and several notable Republicans.[206]

Republicans who urged Romney to release his tax returns include former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour, Michael Steele and Bill Kristol. George Will said "The cost of not releasing the returns are clear. Therefore, he must have calculated that there are higher costs in releasing them." Republican strategist Matthew Dowd said, "There's obviously something there, because if there was nothing there, he would say, 'Have at it.' So there's obviously something there that compromises what he said in the past about something."[207][208]

In response to claims made to the contrary, Romney said that he never paid less than 13% in taxes over the past 10 years.[209]

Romney stated in a Parade magazine interview that he didn't want to release his tax returns because he would like to keep his tithing to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints private,[210] though he has publicly released his tithing percentages for 2010 (7%) and 2011 (12%).[211]

For their 2011 tax returns, the Romneys paid nearly $2 million in taxes on an income of $13.7 million for an effective tax rate of 14.1%. They gave almost $4 million to charity, but only claimed $2.25 million in deductions in order to maintain his campaign pledge to pay at least 13% of his income in federal taxes.[212][213] The summary prepared by PwC stated the Romney's effective tax rate paid had averaged 20.2% from 1990 to 2009.[214]

Doctored Video Controversy edit

MSNBC anchor Andrea Mitchell showed an edited video clip of Romney at a rally in Pennsylvania. In the edited version, Romney says how amazing ordering a sandwich with a touch screen device at a Wawa convenience store is. Andrea Mitchell claimed that his apparent enthusiasm belied that he might be out of touch with many Americans who would eat at a restaurant like Wawa's very regularly. Controversy arose when it was revealed that the clip was edited to remove the portion which showed Romney relating the story of an optometrist he met, who had faced an extensive amount of paperwork from the post office to change his address. Romney was commenting on his efficient experience at Wawa's to highlight his belief that the private sector is often more efficient than government, a point that was not evident without the full context of his remarks.[215][216]

Video of private fundraiser edit

On September 17, excerpts from a video recorded on hidden camera were published by Mother Jones showing Romney speaking at a private $50,000-a-plate fundraiser held at hedge fund manager Marc Leder's mansion in Boca Raton, Florida.[217] The magazine learned of the video from James Earl Carter IV, a Democratic opposition researcher (and a grandson of former U.S. president Jimmy Carter), who found the video online and got the videographer in touch with a writer at the magazine.[218] On March 13, 2013, on MSNBC's The Ed Show, Scott Prouty, a bartender at the event, revealed himself as the videographer.[219]

External videos
  "Mitt Romney on Obama Voters", Mother Jones.

47% comment edit

In the video, recorded May 17, Romney responded to a question about his campaign strategy, saying:

There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That's an entitlement. The government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what. And I mean the president starts off with 48, 49... he starts off with a huge number. These are people who pay no income tax. Forty-seven percent of Americans pay no income tax. So our message of low taxes doesn't connect. So he'll be out there talking about tax cuts for the rich.... My job is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives. What I have to do is convince the 5–10% in the center that are independents, that are thoughtful, that look at voting one way or the other depending upon in some cases emotion, whether they like the guy or not.[220][221][222]

Responses edit

In a press conference convened the night of the video's publication, Romney told reporters that while his "off the cuff" remarks could have been more eloquently stated, he had been conveying an important message: that his proposals to lower the Federal Income Tax would not be as persuasive to those who are not paying that particular tax. "The president believes in what I've described as a government-centered society, where government plays a larger and larger role, provides for more and more of the needs of individuals. And I happen to believe instead in a free enterprise, free individual society where people pursuing their dreams are able to employ one another, build enterprises, build the strongest economy in the world."[223][224] Several weeks later, Romney commented, "I was completely wrong".[225]

Conservative columnist Peggy Noonan called the Romney campaign "incompetent"[226] and "a rolling calamity",[227] and argued that the Romney campaign "needs a new CEO".[227] Columnist David Brooks wrote "[Romney is] running a depressingly inept presidential campaign. Mr. Romney, your entitlement reform ideas are essential, but when will the incompetence stop?"[228] Conservative writer Bill Kristol initially described Romney's remarks as "arrogant and stupid" (a comment he later said "might have been a tad harsh"[229]), but ultimately stood by Romney, saying, "It remains important for the country that Romney wins in November (unless he chooses to step down and we get the Ryan-Rubio ticket we deserve!)."[230] Several Republicans campaigning for seats in the 2012 election disputed or criticized Romney's remarks, including Senate candidates Linda McMahon (CT), George Allen (VA), Sen. Dean Heller (NV), Sen. Scott Brown (MA), and Gov. Susana Martinez (NM).[231] Some conservative Republicans, such as Erick Erickson and Rush Limbaugh, defended Romney's 47% remark.[232][233]

PolitiFact has rated the 47% remark as factually true, assuming Romney was referring to the federal income tax—the reasons being that many Americans were so poor as to be exempt from it, and others qualified for enough breaks and other exemptions that their tax liability amounted to zero.[234]

During the Vice Presidential Debate, after Joe Biden criticized Romney's comments, Ryan responded, "With respect to that quote, I think the vice president very well knows that sometimes the words don't come out of your mouth the right way", referring to Biden's reputation for gaffes.[235] President Obama stated in an interview with David Letterman, "My expectation is if you want to be president, you've got to work for everybody, not just for some".[236][237]

Several commentators noted that 47% was also Romney's share of the popular vote (rounded to the nearest percentage point),[238][239][240][241] a result some considered ironic.[240][241][242] Obama had led 50%–48% on election night, but the results edged toward 51%–47% as counting continued over the following weeks.[238][239][241]

Despite downplaying the original remarks during the campaign, Romney stated soon after the election that President Obama won the election by promising "gifts" to key Democratic voters such as the black and Hispanic communities.[243]

Israeli–Palestinian peace process edit

The video also showed Romney expressing doubt over whether the Palestinians were fully invested in working toward the success of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.[244] He said the Palestinians are "committed to the destruction and elimination of Israel".[245] In response, Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erekat said "only those who want to maintain the Israeli occupation will claim the Palestinians are not interested in peace."[246]

Iran edit

Another part of the video shows Romney saying:

If I were Iran, if I were Iran—a crazed fanatic, I'd say let's get a little fissile material to Hezbollah, have them carry it to Chicago or some other place, and then if anything goes wrong, or America starts acting up, we'll just say, "Guess what? Unless you stand down, why, we're going to let off a dirty bomb." I mean this is where we have—where America could be held up and blackmailed by Iran, by the mullahs, by crazy people. So we really don't have any option but to keep Iran from having a nuclear weapon.[247]

Analysts noted that a dirty bomb requires only radioactive materials, not fissile materials like those from a nuclear weapons program.[248]

Candidate statements and campaign ads on GM and Chrysler auto production in China edit

Statements by Romney and his campaign have been called false by automakers Chrysler and General Motors (GM).

During the final weeks of the campaign, the Romney campaign began to promote the idea that as a result of the Obama Administration's bailout of the automotive industry, U.S.-based auto manufacturing jobs would be outsourced to China.[249][250][251] Bloomberg News had reported on October 21 that Fiat, the majority owner of Chrysler (the maker of Jeeps), was considering restarting production lines in China that had been idle since 2009. The article quoted Fiat/Chrysler's chief operating officer for Asia as saying that Jeep production sites would be added to China rather than shifted from current production sites in North America.[252]

On October 25, Romney said at a rally in the key battleground state of Ohio, "I saw a story today that one of the great manufacturers in this state Jeep — now owned by the Italians — is thinking of moving all production to China."[251] Within hours, Chrysler responded, saying in part:[249][251][253]

Despite clear and accurate reporting, the take has given birth to a number of stories making readers believe that Chrysler plans to shift all Jeep production to China from North America, and therefore idle assembly lines and U.S. workforce. It is a leap that would be difficult even for professional circus acrobats. Let's set the record straight: Jeep has no intention of shifting production of its Jeep models out of North America to China.(emphasis in original)

Two days later, on October 27, Romney began airing a television ad in Ohio that said, "Obama took GM and Chrysler into bankruptcy, and sold Chrysler to Italians who are going to build Jeeps in China."[251] Media observers noted that the campaign had taken the highly unusual step of releasing the ad without announcing the release to the press.[249][251] Chrysler's CEO Sergio Marchionne responded, saying that the claim that production of Jeeps would be transferred from the U.S. to China, leaving U.S. factories idle, was completely false.[249][251] He also said that not only would Jeep production lines remain in operation in the U.S. but Chrysler would be investing $500 million to expand production at the Toledo, Ohio Jeep plant.[249]

In spite of the denials by the auto manufacturer, the Romney campaign subsequently began airing a new radio ad in Ohio that repeated the false claim that Jeep would be cutting Ohio jobs in order to expand into China.[249][254] The radio ad also said that the other auto manufacturer that had received government assistance during the auto manufacturer crisis, GM, was moving 15,000 American jobs to China.

A GM representative denounced the Romney ad, saying, "We've clearly entered some parallel universe during these last few days.... No amount of campaign politics at its cynical worst will diminish our record of creating jobs in the U.S. and repatriating profits back to this country."[255]

In December, Politifact described Romney's Jeep comments as their "Lie of the Year" for 2012.[256]

As of 2018, the Ohio automobile factory at the center of the dispute, Toledo Complex, remains open and employs more workers than it did in 2009. Nonetheless, Chrysler has moved some of its production elsewhere; its Jeep Cherokee line was moved into Belvidere, Illinois and Changsha, China. The Changsha factory has begun production on 8 lines of Jeep-branded vehicles, partly as a response to rising demand from China's market.[257][258][259]

General election debates edit

Romney had his first general election debate against Obama on October 3 in Denver, Colorado on domestic topics.[260] Snap polls shortly after the debate by CNN and others found that many people believe Romney did significantly better than Obama in the first debate, sometimes referred to the change in pace of the election.[261] Subsequent public opinion polls showed the debate had eliminated most of the gains in the polls that Obama had made over Romney after the two parties' national conventions.[262][263]

On October 11, Romney's running mate Paul Ryan debated Vice President Joe Biden, in the only vice presidential debate of the 2012 election cycle. Topics covered included the stimulus, the abortion debate, and foreign policy.

The second presidential debate was a Townhall on October 16. The debate was noted for its heated exchanges,[264] and had targeted discussions of Libya, immigration, and pay equity for women.[265] During the second debate, Romney was perceived to have struggled compared to his previous performance.[266] Polls conducted by CBS, CNN, and Reuters/Ipsos found a plurality of voters who believed Obama had done better.[267][268][269] During the debates Romney said that he would charge China with currency manipulation. China responded that it would show "gradual progress and voluntarily reform China's exchange rate regime".[270]

The third and final debate between Romney and Obama was held two weeks before election day, on October 23 in Boca Raton, Florida. The topics discussed included a variety of foreign affairs and domestic policy issues.[271] According to The Guardian, Romney "appeared unsure at times and occasionally stumbled over his lines as if struggling to remember his briefing notes."[272] Many viewers also noted that Romney was perspiring,[272][273] which reminded some Twitter users of Richard Nixon's 1960 presidential debate.[274] Instant polls by Public Policy Polling, CNN, and CBS showed that more viewers felt Obama had won the debate than felt that Romney had.[272]

Election day activities edit

An attempt to apply security through obscurity to protect Romney's voting day smartphone based project ORCA ran aground when the system crashed under the full load of coordinating a nationwide election day effort.[275] Another disadvantage of the ORCA system was that unlike Obama's Narwhal, ORCA only counted known voters and so predicted a Romney sweep, even as Obama's volunteers were bringing in voters that the Romney campaign had not expected.[276]

Post-campaign matters edit

Romney "seems preoccupied with the futures of members of his campaign staff" and is working on a "system to organize the 400 résumés of those staff members whose paychecks will run out in 21 days."[277] The Romney campaign has arranged for "severance pay through the end of November" for some members of his campaign staff.[277]

Romney transition website edit

The Romney transition website briefly appeared online on November 7, 2012. Its catchphrases were "Smaller, Simpler, Smarter" over "Believe in America". Blogger Taegan Goddard took screenshots[278] of the site while it was live, showing pages linked from the front page headed "The President-Elect" (with details about "The Inauguration"), "Believe in America", "Newsroom", and "Join the Administration". The site had been prepared by Blue Host, a web-hosting company based in Utah, whose owner confirmed that the site had been prepared for Romney.[279]

"Readiness Project" edit

The Romney campaign, in accordance with the Pre-Election Presidential Transition Act, had made extensive pre-election plans for a potential transition, called the "Romney Readiness Project"[280][281] should he be elected president. Former governor of Utah Mike Leavitt was selected in June 2012 by Romney to lead the planning for the project, which included a "200-day plan"[280][281] outlining the legislative agenda of the first 200 days of a Romney administration. Leavitt, along with Beth Myers and Bob White, had formed a list of ten candidates for each Cabinet position to aid Romney in making appointments to those positions. The operation included task forces for transitioning specific areas of the federal government. Activities undertaken by the Readiness Project included preparing policy briefings for civil servants at federal agencies, which would be delivered by "parachute teams" following the election; creating a list of candidates to fill the several hundred political appointments made by the President; coordinating with the Obama administration for the transfer of occupancy of presidential residences, including the White House and the Number One Observatory Circle; liaising with the United States Armed Forces for the assumption of National Command Authority and launch control of nuclear weapons; and developing a post-election communications plan, which reportedly included a 1,000-word victory speech Romney would deliver.[282][283] These included "landing"[281] teams to be deployed to governmental agencies two weeks post-election and "beachhead"[281] teams to guide the transition following Romney's would-be inauguration on January 20.[281] The transition planning effort was divided into four segments, two of which were executed: the "readiness phase", which lasted from June until the 2012 Republican National Convention and the "planning phase", which lasted from the convention until election day. Two additional phases were planned, but were not executed owing to Romney's loss: the "transition phase" and the "hand-off phase", both of which would have occurred post-election and would have culminated in the transition team's plan for the first 200 days following Romney's would-be inauguration as president.[284] On the evening of the election, the Readiness Project's transition website, declaring Romney's victory, was accidentally pushed live, but was quickly taken down again. The site was built by a Utah-based web development company, SolutionStream.[285]

In accordance with the Pre-Election Presidential Transition Act of 2010, the project was provided with office space by the General Services Administration (GSA) beginning in September 2012, two months prior to the election.[282][283] The offices of the Readiness Project were shuttered and completely cleared within three days following Romney's defeat. Total spending by the Readiness Project between its inception and dissolution was $8.9 million, with all of the funds appropriated by the U.S. government.[283]

In May 2013, the organization formerly responsible for the Romney transition preparation, "R2P", released a report detailing the preparations for a potential Romney administration. In the report, specific aspects of the transition were described, including post-election, pre-inauguration "corporate-style" management seminars for appointees/nominees and a restructuring of the Executive Office of the President to satisfy Romney's preferences, along with a PowerPoint presentation prepared to brief a President-elect Romney in the days immediately following the election.[286] In 2013, Leavitt published a 138-page case study of the Readiness Project, Romney Readiness Project 2012: Retrospectives and Lessons Learned.[287]

Explanations for the loss edit

In interviews after the election, Romney said of his loss, "The president's campaign, if you will, focused on giving targeted groups a big gift. He made a big effort on small things."[288]

Robert Draper in the New York Times Magazine summarized interviews with technology savvy young Republicans to conclude that the Romney campaign's inability to understand and use modern technology caused Romney to lose a winnable election. "Criticism begins with the candidate—a self described data-driven chief executive who put his trust in alarmingly off-the-mark internal polls." In contrast, the Obama campaign repeatedly and exhaustively polled and directed the actual expressed day-to-day shifting opinions of the electorate through such technological mediums as Reddit, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. "Romney's senior strategist, Stuart Stevens, may well be remembered by historians . . . as the last guy to run a presidential campaign who never tweeted" to get out the vote and to elicit real-time electorate feelings from all ethnic groups, all gender persuasions, and from rich and poor.[289]

See also edit

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Bibliography edit

External links edit

  • Mitt Romney 2012 official campaign website
  • . The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on April 22, 2012.
  • Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
  • at NewsMeat
  • Press releases as Governor of Massachusetts 2003–2007
  • . The Boston Globe. 2007. Archived from the original on June 30, 2007.
  • Mooney, Brian C. (May 30, 2011). "Romney and health care: In the thick of history". The Boston Globe.{dead link|date=March 2024}}
  • Mitt Romney; et al. (September 1, 2011). (PDF). Romney for President, Inc. ASIN B005LEY5Q0. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 12, 2011.
  • Robert Draper (November 30, 2011). "Building a Better Mitt Romney-Bot". The New York Times.

mitt, romney, 2012, presidential, campaign, 2012, presidential, campaign, mitt, romney, officially, began, june, 2011, when, former, massachusetts, governor, mitt, romney, formally, announced, candidacy, republican, party, nomination, president, united, states. The 2012 presidential campaign of Mitt Romney officially began on June 2 2011 when former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney formally announced his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination for President of the United States at an event in Stratham New Hampshire Having previously run in the 2008 Republican primaries this was Romney s second campaign for the presidency Mitt Romney for President 2012Campaign2012 Republican primaries2012 U S presidential electionCandidateMitt Romney70th Governor of Massachusetts 2003 2007 Paul RyanU S Representative for Wisconsin s 1st district 1999 2019 AffiliationRepublican PartyStatusAnnounced June 2 2011Presumptive nominee April 25 2012Official nominee August 28 2012Lost election November 6 2012Headquarters585 Commercial StreetBoston MassachusettsKey peopleMatt Rhoades 1 manager Beth Myers 2 Peter Flaherty 3 and Eric Fehrnstrom 4 advisors Stuart Stevens strategist Ashley O Connor director of advertising Rich Beeson political director Lanhee Chen policy director Gail Gitcho 5 communications director Andrea Saul 6 press secretary Spencer J Zwick finance chair 7 8 9 Kathryn Biber general counsel Lindsay Hayes speech writer 10 Neil Newhouse pollster ReceiptsUS 483 452 332 December 31 2012 11 SloganWebsiteMitt Romney 2012 He filed his organization with the Federal Elections Commission as an exploratory committee and announced the organization in a video message on April 11 2011 He became the party s presumptive nominee with his victory in the Texas primary on May 29 2012 On August 11 2012 in Norfolk Virginia Romney announced that Paul Ryan the long time U S Representative for Wisconsin s 1st congressional district would be his running mate for vice president Later in October 2015 Ryan was elected Speaker of the House 12 13 On August 30 2012 in Tampa Florida Romney formally accepted the Republican Party s nomination at the 2012 Republican National Convention 14 Romney s campaign came to an end on November 6 2012 upon defeat by incumbent President Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential election 15 Romney received 60 933 500 votes or 47 2 of the total votes cast winning 24 states and 206 electoral votes Had he won Romney would have been the first Michigan native to serve as president as Gerald Ford was born in Nebraska the first Mormon president and the second governor of Massachusetts to do so after Calvin Coolidge Ryan would have been the first vice president from Wisconsin Six years later in November 2018 Romney was elected as U S Senator from Utah Contents 1 Background 2 Campaign formation 2 1 Exploratory committee 2 2 Formal announcement 2 3 Fundraising 2 4 Campaign staff and policy team 2 4 1 Foreign Policy and National Security Advisory Team 2 4 2 Co chairs of Romney advisory committees 3 Campaign for the party nomination 3 1 CPAC Straw Poll 3 2 Iowa caucuses 3 3 New Hampshire primary 3 4 South Carolina primary 3 5 Florida primary 3 6 Nevada caucuses 3 7 Colorado Minnesota and Missouri 3 8 Maine 3 9 Michigan and Arizona 3 10 Washington State 3 11 Super Tuesday 3 12 Presumptive presidential nominee 4 General election campaign 4 1 Bain Capital 4 2 International trip 4 3 NAACP speech 4 4 Vice presidential selection 4 5 You didn t build that 4 6 Convention and post convention bounce 4 7 Cairo and Benghazi attacks 4 8 Vote mobilization problems 5 Media issues 5 1 First TV advertisement and questions about context 5 2 Work requirement for welfare 5 3 Dog incident 5 4 Etch A Sketch 5 5 Little Face Mitt and other memes 5 6 Tax returns 5 7 Doctored Video Controversy 5 8 Video of private fundraiser 5 8 1 47 comment 5 8 1 1 Responses 5 8 2 Israeli Palestinian peace process 5 8 3 Iran 5 9 Candidate statements and campaign ads on GM and Chrysler auto production in China 6 General election debates 7 Election day activities 8 Post campaign matters 8 1 Romney transition website 8 2 Readiness Project 9 Explanations for the loss 10 See also 11 References 12 Bibliography 13 External linksBackground editAfter the 2008 election Romney built a strategy for the 2012 presidential campaign and saved PAC money to underwrite salaries and consulting fees for his existing political staff 16 and to build up a political infrastructure for what might become a 1 billion campaign three years hence He also had a nationwide network of former staff and supporters eager for him to run again 17 He continued to give speeches and raise campaign funds on behalf of fellow Republicans 18 Romney declined a lucrative job as head of a hedge fund and instead began a yearlong self education on foreign and domestic issues 19 Romney finished first in the CPAC straw poll in 2009 20 and second in 2010 and 2011 21 22 won the Southern Republican Leadership Conference straw poll in 2010 23 and won the New Hampshire Straw Poll in 2011 24 Romney released his 2010 tax return in early January 2012 along with a partial 2011 return which he promised to release in whole upon its completion 25 26 During the presidential campaign he decided not to disclose additional returns citing the matter as a distraction from more important issues 27 Despite his preparations Romney remained unconvinced on whether to run again In December 2010 he asked his immediate family to vote on a 2012 campaign Unlike the unanimous support before the 2008 campaign this time 10 family members voted against another try only Romney s wife Ann and one son voted in favor and Romney told family members that he would not run again In the spring of 2011 his wife and political allies persuaded him to change his mind telling Romney that they believed he could fix the economy 19 Campaign formation editExploratory committee edit Before a slower start to the presidential campaign by all contenders than four years previous on April 11 2011 Mitt Romney announced by means of a video recorded that day at an athletics field at the University of New Hampshire that he had formed an exploratory committee as a first step for a potential run for a Republican presidential campaign saying It is time that we put America back on a course of greatness with a growing economy good jobs and fiscal discipline in Washington 28 Formal announcement edit Romney formally announced his candidacy for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination at an outdoor gathering in Stratham New Hampshire on June 2 2011 29 30 In his announcement speech he pledged to make the U S economy the main focus of his campaign saying My number one job will be to see that America is number one in job creation 31 Fundraising edit On May 16 2011 the Romney campaign announced that it had raised 10 25 million in connection with today s call day fundraiser in Nevada 32 This was hailed in the media as an impressive one day total 33 34 Thereafter however the Los Angeles Times reported that the amount actually represented pledges gathered earlier and tallied that day not just funds actually taken in by the campaign 35 Later it was discovered that Romney had actually raised 2 403 million on May 16 about a quarter of the claimed amount 36 37 nbsp Romney speaks with patrons at a Senate Coney Island Restaurant in Livonia Michigan during a campaign stop June 9 2011 For the entire second quarter the campaign expected to raise only about 20 million less than the 44 million raised in that period in 2007 but still more than any of the other Republican candidates 35 By the end of June Romney s campaign raised 18 5 million which was 14 million more than U S Representative Ron Paul who came 2nd in funding amongst Republican candidates 38 By the end of March 2012 Romney had raised 88 million far more than his nearest Republican rival Ron Paul 36 million 39 President Barack Obama had raised 197 million more than twice as much as Romney and the Obama campaign had nearly 10 times as much cash on hand over 100 million compared to Romney s 10 million By the end of April Romney was far outstripping Obama in large value campaign contributions from individual donors most 62 of Romney s contributions were at the legal limit of 2 500 compared to 16 of Obama s 40 Obama fared better among small value donors with almost half 43 of his donations at 200 or less compared to only 10 of Romney s 40 Romney was also supported by the Super PAC called Restore Our Future As of the end of February 2012 Restore Our Future had raised over 43 million 41 In an article about 2016 Presidential election fundraiser Mary Pat Bonner 2012 campaign finance chair Zwick was mentioned in regards fund raising fees paid by Mr Romney s 2012 campaign committees to limited liability companies established by Mr Zwick about 34 million according to campaign disclosure reports 42 By April 2012 Romney s financial supporters included Julian Robertson of Tiger Management Louis Moore Bacon of Moore Capital Management John Paulson of Paulson amp Co Steven Allen Schwarzman of The Blackstone Group and Paul Singer of Elliott Management Corporation 43 Campaign staff and policy team edit Matt Rhoades Campaign Manager Rhoades was communications director of Romney s 08 campaign He also was a deputy communications research director for the Republican National Committee during the 2006 election cycle and a research director for the 2004 Bush campaign 44 Chief of staff to the executive director Kelli Harrison Advisers Beth Myers Peter Flaherty and Eric Fehrnstrom Strategists Stuart Stevens and Russell Schriefer partners and principals at the Stevens amp Schriefer Group SSG The pair were media consultants on Romney s 2007 08 campaign They also served as part of the media group on the 2004 George W Bush presidential campaign and previously on Bush s 2000 campaign 44 Political director Rich Beeson Partner at FLS Direct and previously the RNC director for the 2008 election cycle 44 Communications director Gail Gitcho Former communications director to Scott Brown and national press secretary for the RNC Digital director Zac Moffatt Former co founder and partner of Targeted Victory a Republican digital strategic consulting firm Lanhee Chen policy director Chen was chief domestic policy adviser during Romney s 2008 campaign for president Visiting scholar at the University of California s Institute of Governmental Studies Previously deputy campaign manager and policy director on California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner s campaign for governor 2009 10 and senior counselor to the Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services 44 Foreign Policy and National Security Advisory Team edit Romney s foreign policy special advisors were drawn largely from the previous Republican administration Of the 24 foreign policy advisors 17 served in the Bush Cheney administration 45 Cofer Black previously director of the CIA s Counterterrorist Center CTC under presidents George W Bush and Bill Clinton 46 and coordinator for counter terrorism under President George W Bush Black currently serves as chairman of Total Intelligence Solutions Christopher Burnham Under Secretary General of the United Nations for Management for the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Under Secretary of State for Management for Condoleezza Rice during the George W Bush administration Connecticut State Treasurer from 1995 to 1997 Michael Chertoff Secretary of Homeland Security under George W Bush co author of the Patriot Act Eliot Cohen Counselor to the United States Department of State under Secretary Condoleezza Rice from 2007 to 2009 Norm Coleman United States senator from Minnesota from 2003 to 2009 John Danilovich former US ambassador to Costa Rica and later Brazil former head of Millennium Challenge Corporation Paula Dobriansky 3rd Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Eric Edelman Under Secretary of Defense for Policy under George W Bush Michael Hayden director of NSA and later CIA under George W Bush Kerry Healey Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts under Romney from 2003 to 2007 Kim Holmes vice president Foreign and Defense Policy Studies and director The Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies Robert Joseph senior scholar at the National Institute for Public Policy Robert Kagan foreign policy commentator at the Brookings Institution John F Lehman Secretary of the Navy under Ronald Reagan member of the 9 11 Commission Walid Phares national terrorism expert Pierre Richard Prosper United States Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues Mitchell Reiss president of Washington College Dan Senor former spokesperson for the Coalition Provisional Authority during Iraq occupation Jim Talent former U S Senator from Missouri Vin Weber former U S Representative from Minnesota s 2nd Congressional District Richard S Williamson 17th Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Dov Zakheim foreign policy advisor to George W Bush Ileana Ros Lehtinen U S Representative from Florida s 18th Congressional District Mario Diaz Balart U S Representative from Florida s 21st Congressional District Lincoln Diaz Balart former U S Representative from Florida s 21st Congressional District Co chairs of Romney advisory committees edit Economic policy R Glenn Hubbard dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Business where he is also the Russell Carson Professor of Finance and Economics Gregory Mankiw professor of economics at Harvard University Jim Talent former U S Senator from Missouri Vin Weber former U S Congressman from Minnesota s 2nd Congressional District Justice advisory Robert Bork judge of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Mary Ann Glendon professor of law at Harvard University and former United States Ambassador to the Holy See Richard E Wiley former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission and founder of Wiley Rein LLP Labor policy Peter Schaumber former chairman of the National Labor Relations Board William Kilberg partner with Gibson Dunn amp Crutcher and lead counsel to Boeing in a complaint brought by the National Labor Relations Board challenging Boeing s decision to open a new plant in Charleston South Carolina Veterans policy Anthony Principi the 4th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs under George W Bush Jim Nicholson the 5th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs under George W Bush Trade policy Carlos Gutierrez the 35th United States Secretary of Commerce under George W Bush Rod Hunter senior vice president of international advocacy for Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America PhRMA John Herrmann former member of the National Security Council Law enforcement William Barr Attorney General under George H W Bush Michael Mukasey Attorney General under George W Bush George J Terwilliger III Deputy Attorney General under George H W Bush Mark Filip Deputy Attorney General under George W Bush Alice S Fisher former assistant attorney general under George W BushUrban policy Rick Baker former mayor of St Petersburg FL Health care policy Scott Atlas the David and Joan Traitel Senior Fellow at Stanford University s Hoover Institution Tom Barker partner at Foley Hoag LLP Scott Gottlieb resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute Paul Howard director of the Manhattan Institute s Center for Medical Progress Avik Roy senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute Tevi Troy Deputy Secretary of the Health amp Human Services HHS under George W Bush Campaign for the party nomination editMitt Romney was one of many competing for the role of Republican nominee for president CPAC Straw Poll edit Romney won the 2012 Conservative Political Action Conference CPAC Straw Poll in February with 38 of the vote The poll is traditionally considered an important barometer of the sentiments of conservative activists citation needed The New York Times wrote that the Romney campaign was busing in students from along the East Coast to support Romney 47 Rick Santorum finished second in the straw poll with 31 48 Politico reported that the Romney campaign bought CPAC registration tickets to the conference while the Santorum campaign did not 49 Iowa caucuses edit nbsp Iowa Republican caucus results by county Orange indicates counties won by Romney Initially Romney was declared the winner of the 2012 Iowa Republican caucuses surpassing rival candidate Rick Santorum by eight votes 50 Upon official vote count Santorum was found to have obtained thirty four more votes than Romney and was declared the winner Former Iowa Republican Chairman Richard Schwarm stated I think people realize it s a tie 51 The day final results were announced Governor Romney called Senator Santorum to congratulate him on the Iowa results said Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul 52 New Hampshire primary edit The weekend ahead of the New Hampshire primary on January 10 Romney participated in two debates which Reuters said Romney weathered well Newt Gingrich attacked Romney with allegations that he had destroyed companies and fired workers while working for Bain Capital 53 Romney won the New Hampshire primary with 39 3 percent of the vote 54 55 South Carolina primary edit The South Carolina Republican primary was scheduled for Saturday January 21 2012 Several polls showed Romney having a slight lead over Gingrich in South Carolina 56 Gingrich continued to criticize Romney for causing job losses Rick Perry referred to Romney s role at Bain Capital as vulture capitalism 57 58 and Sarah Palin stated that Romney needed to prove that Bain actually created 100 000 jobs as Romney has claimed 59 60 The negative advertising campaign was mainly sponsored by Winning Our Future the super PAC that supports Gingrich 61 62 During debates in Myrtle Beach and Charleston Romney came in second place in the primary with 28 of the vote behind Newt Gingrich with 40 of the vote but ahead of Rick Santorum 17 and Ron Paul 13 63 Florida primary edit Polls taken immediately after the South Carolina primary showed Newt Gingrich in the lead but polls released a few days later placed Romney in first place 64 65 At least 200 000 Floridians voted via absentee ballots or early voting a factor thought to favor Romney who aggressively campaigned in Florida in early January 66 Romney participated in both of the four man debates that were held on Monday January 23 and Thursday January 26 67 Romney released tax returns for 2010 and estimates for 2011 68 He showed income over that period of 42 5 million His effective tax rate for 2010 was 13 9 percent and he estimated that it would be 15 4 percent for 2011 About 13 million of his income was in carried interest and hence eligible for favorable tax treatment under a provision that Democrats have sought to end It was also disclosed that Romney had investments in the Cayman Islands and previously had a Swiss bank account until it was closed in 2010 69 70 On January 31 Romney won the 2012 Florida primary with 46 of the vote 71 Nevada caucuses edit The Nevada Republican caucuses were held on Saturday February 4 Less than 33 000 Republicans took part in the Nevada caucuses which proportionally awards 28 Republican delegates Romney won 50 of the caucus goers followed by Gingrich at 21 Paul at 19 and Santorum at 10 Romney won 14 delegates whereas Gingrich Paul and Santorum were awarded 6 5 and 3 delegates respectively 72 nbsp Romney campaign logo during the primaries and prior to selection of Paul Ryan as running mate Colorado Minnesota and Missouri edit Rival candidate Rick Santorum surprised observers by winning all the three of the states holding votes on February 7 Romney lost to the former Pennsylvania senator by 5 points in the Colorado caucus finished third with 17 behind Ron Paul and Santorum in the Minnesota caucuses and in a contest that did not actually award any delegates and did not include Newt Gingrich on the ballot lost the Missouri primary to Santorum by a 30 point margin 73 Maine edit Romney was initially declared the narrow winner of the Maine Caucus but the results were subject to a recount after several counties were not counted 74 Romney was confirmed to have won following the recount 75 Michigan and Arizona edit Michigan and Arizona held their presidential primaries on Tuesday February 28 and allocated 29 and 30 Republican delegates respectively 76 CNN moderated a Republican primary debate in Mesa Arizona on February 22 2012 77 The Arizona Republican primary is winner take all 78 and the Michigan Republican delegate results are allocated proportionately among the candidates by voting district Romney won the Michigan primary narrowly and won the Arizona primary by a wide margin 79 Washington State edit The state of Washington held their caucuses on Saturday March 3 with Mitt Romney gaining momentum going into Super Tuesday Later Washington held their state GOP convention June 2 2012 giving Romney at least 34 delegates for the Republican National Convention 80 Super Tuesday edit The largest number of states in the Republican Primary race voted on March 6 2012 with Romney winning six states Alaska Idaho Massachusetts Ohio Vermont Virginia Santorum winning three states North Dakota Oklahoma Tennessee and Gingrich winning Georgia 81 Presumptive presidential nominee edit See also Republican Party vice presidential candidates 2012 nbsp Vote share for Romney by county Darker colors mean higher voter percentage Black indicates no votes were cast for Romney After Super Tuesday Santorum won in Kansas Louisiana Alabama and Mississippi while Ron Paul won the Virgin Islands Caucus However Romney maintained a solid lead with wins in Guam Hawaii American Samoa Puerto Rico Illinois Wisconsin Maryland the District of Columbia and the Northern Mariana Islands As a result Santorum dropped out on April 10 After Romney won the April 24 Delaware primary Gingrich dropped out on May 2 in a move that was seen as an end to the nomination contest and resulted in the Republican Party declaring Romney the presumptive nominee While Ron Paul never officially dropped out he stopped campaigning on May 14 By April 2012 in the absence of viable alternatives to Romney for the Republican nomination polls showed Romney gaining on Obama s earlier double digit lead in a hypothetical head to head general election contest 82 However polls both nationally and in battleground states like Florida and Ohio also showed that for most of those who said they would vote for Romney the primary motivator was hostility toward Obama rather than affirmative support for Romney 82 83 On April 25 2012 the Republican National Committee RNC declared Romney the party s presumptive nominee 84 On May 29 Texas held their 2012 Republican primaries which Romney won The subsequent accumulation of the state s 155 delegates was enough to secure Romney the party s nomination assuming at least 34 unpledged delegates voted for him which was very likely After wins in California and several smaller states on June 5 Romney exceeded 1144 pledged delegates giving him absolute certainty of the nomination and making the June 26th Utah Primary the last contest of the cycle purely symbolic In July Romney described an Obama recess appointment as Chicago style politics at its worst introducing the meme into the rhetoric of the 2012 campaign 85 86 87 88 undue weight discuss On August 28 2012 delegates at the Republican National Convention chose Mitt Romney as their presidential nominee against President Barack Obama 89 This formal nomination set up a two month final race to the elections on November 6 90 General election campaign editSee also Political positions of Mitt Romney The general election campaign began in earnest on Labor Day September 3 2012 91 Bain Capital edit Main article Bain Capital Romney s record at Bain Capital and Bain s investments were a prominent issue with Romney arguing his tenure at Bain demonstrated management and leadership skills that created thousands of jobs Political opponents have argued that under Romney some investments at Bain increased investor profits at the expense of middle class workers who were laid off 92 93 Romney took a leave of absence from Bain Capital in February 1999 to manage the Salt Lake City Olympics Romney remained named on company documents while reorganization of Bain and according to SEC filings he continued to be the sole shareholder sole director Chief Executive Officer and President of Bain for 3 additional years 94 This discrepancy was reported by The Boston Globe in July 2012 95 and used by Obama 96 and his campaign in its ads that Romney was responsible for the activities of Bain Capital during that period from 1999 to 2002 97 According to Bain Romney played no active role despite his name being on the required filings 98 99 FactCheck org examined the issue and reported that Romney did leave Bain in 1999 100 A report by Glenn Kessler of The Washington Post 101 reported that there is little or no basis for the assertions by an Obama campaign staffer of criminal charges or civil liability with respect to the SEC filings 101 Romney s campaign cried foul and Romney personally demanded an apology which was refused by the Obama campaign 97 102 103 In June 2012 former President Bill Clinton said that Romney in having served as governor and having had a sterling business career met the basic qualifications to perform the essential functions of the presidency 104 105 Clinton also warned that Romney s economic proposals were wrong headed and that a Romney presidency would be calamitous for the country and the world 106 107 International trip edit In July 2012 Romney undertook an international trip as the presumptive nominee of the Republican party visiting the United Kingdom Israel and Poland to meet heads of state and also to raise funds 108 109 110 111 In London his comments in an NBC interview in which he referred to disconcerting stories over security concerns regarding readiness of the London 2012 Olympic Games were widely viewed as undiplomatic by the British press and leading politicians 112 113 114 British Prime Minister David Cameron defended the Olympic security preparations We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest most active bustling cities anywhere in the world Of course it s easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere I visited Naypyidaw recently in Burma they ve got six lane highways and no cars on them This is a busy bustling city so inevitably you re going to have challenges While Cameron s aides stated he didn t intend a jibe at Romney or Salt Lake City the British press seized upon the middle of nowhere remark construing it as an allusion to Utah where Romney had managed the Olympics in 2002 115 116 In Jerusalem Romney discussed the possibility of a military strike against Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres He also discussed foreign policy regarding Iran with Israeli opposition Leader Shaul Mofaz 117 Romney said that the U S has a solemn duty to prevent Iran from harming Israel 118 He made no public promise that he would attack Iran s nuclear facilities if elected but he reiterated that no option should be off the table in seeking to end Iran s nuclear program although he hoped that diplomatic measures and economic sanctions would be successful 119 Romney called Jerusalem the capital of Israel 119 and later said that he would plan to move the U S embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem but would decide the timing of the move in consultation with the government of Israel 120 121 The Palestinian Authority and other Palestinian organizations denounced Romney s remarks about the political status of Jerusalem which they hope will become the capital of a future Palestinian state as well as Romney s refusal to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas he met instead with PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad 122 Some Palestinian leaders were also offended by remarks Romney made during a fundraiser when he suggested that cultural differences 123 and the hand of providence 124 125 help explain why Israelis are more economically successful than Palestinians and why similar economic disparities exist between other neighbors such as the United States and Mexico or Chile and Ecuador 126 A senior aide to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called the remarks racist 125 127 as did American political scientist Angelo Falcon president of the National Institute of Latino Policy 128 The Embassy of Mexico in the United States also rejected Romney s comments noting that Mexico currently has a higher economic growth rate and lower inflation than the United States 129 Romney later denied that his comments had been directed against Palestinian culture or the decisions made in their economy 126 130 131 In Warsaw Romney called Poland a model of small government and free enterprise whose example other states should emulate He praised Poland for rejecting the false promise of a government dominated economy and for seeking to stimulate innovation attract investment expand trade and live within its means 132 Romney also thanked the Polish people for supporting the U S in many conflicts Romney briefly mentioned Russia listing the country alongside Syria Venezuela and Belarus as examples of countries where the desire to be free is met with brutal oppression 133 When American journalists tried to question Romney during a visit to Warsaw s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier his campaign spokesman told journalists Kiss my ass This is a holy site for the Polish people and told a reporter to shove it 134 The spokesman later apologized for the outburst 135 In Gdansk Solidarnosc co founder and former Polish President Lech Walesa endorsed Romney for president 136 137 but Solidarnosc s current leadership distanced itself from the event and criticized Romney as hostile to unions and labor rights 138 NAACP speech edit Romney accepted an invitation 139 to address the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People NAACP on July 11 2012 140 On the issue of creating jobs Romney said If our goal is jobs we have to stop spending over a trillion dollars more than we take in every year So to do that I m going to eliminate every non essential expensive program I can find That includes Obamacare and I m going to work to reform and save Romney was cut off by prolonged boos from those in attendance 141 142 Romney later attended a fundraiser in Hamilton Montana and reflected on the booing he received at the NAACP event Remind them of this if they want more stuff from government tell them to go vote for the other guy more free stuff But don t forget nothing is really free 143 Vice presidential selection edit nbsp Mitt Romney with Paul Ryan after introducing him as his running mate for the 2012 presidential election in Norfolk Virginia on August 11 2012 According to the book Double Down Romney s campaign narrowed down his list of potential nominees for Vice President to former Governor of Minnesota Tim Pawlenty United States Senator from Ohio Rob Portman eventual 2016 presidential candidates Senator Marco Rubio from Florida and Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey and longtime U S Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin 144 A vet of each candidate was conducted at a high level of secrecy and dubbed Project Goldfish The vetting team led by experienced Republican operative Beth Myers gave each member of the short list a fish themed nickname Lakefish for Minnesotan Pawlenty Pescado for Hispanic Rubio Filet O Fish for Ohioan Portman Fishconsin for Janesville native Ryan and finally Pufferfish for the stout Christie 145 Having returned from his overseas tour of the United Kingdom Israel and Poland Romney planned a bus tour of Virginia North Carolina and Florida with his then yet to be announced running mate citation needed On August 10 2012 it was announced that Romney would introduce his running mate on August 11 2012 in Norfolk Virginia after touring the USS Wisconsin 146 147 148 149 leading several news sources to speculate that his choice would be Ryan 150 Shortly after 7 a m on August 11 the Romney campaign officially announced Ryan as its choice for vice president through its mobile app titled Mitt s VP 13 This decision made Ryan the major parties first ever vice presidential candidate from Wisconsin 151 You didn t build that edit Main article You didn t build that External videos nbsp Video of relevant Obama quote nbsp Full Remarks at Roanoke VA full transcript July 13 2012 On July 13 2012 Obama gave a speech in Roanoke Virginia that contained the phrase you didn t build that 152 There are a lot of wealthy successful Americans who agree with me because they want to give something back They know they didn t look if you ve been successful you didn t get there on your own You didn t get there on your own I m always struck by people who think well it must be because I was just so smart There are a lot of smart people out there It must be because I worked harder than everybody else Let me tell you something there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there If you were successful somebody along the line gave you some help There was a great teacher somewhere in your life Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive Somebody invested in roads and bridges If you ve got a business you didn t build that Somebody else made that happen The Internet didn t get invented on its own Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet The point is is that when we succeed we succeed because of our individual initiative but also because we do things together Republicans claimed that the statement was indicative of Obama s support for big government 153 The Obama campaign said the statement was taken out of context while Romney replied that the context is worse than the quote 154 155 The Republican National Committee released a web ad with the full text of what Obama said titled The More Context You Get The Worse It Sounds 156 The following Monday July 16 Mitt Romney spoke about the you didn t build that statement in a campaign stump speech in Pennsylvania saying To say that Steve Jobs didn t build Apple that Henry Ford didn t build Ford Motors that Papa John didn t build Papa John Pizza To say something like that it s not just foolishness It s insulting to every entrepreneur every innovator in America 157 The Obama campaign Factcheck org and Politifact disagreed with that characterization noting that the sentence immediately preceding the you didn t build it line referred to roads and bridges and the speech concluded with Obama applauding the hard work of individuals in the creation of their own businesses Politifact rated Romney s attack as false 158 In its analysis Factcheck org said 159 There s no question Obama inartfully phrased those two sentences but it s clear from the context what the president was talking about He spoke of government including government funded education infrastructure and research assisting businesses to make what he called this unbelievable American system that we have In summary he said The point is that when we succeed we succeed because of our individual initiative but also because we do things together Factcheck org concluded their analysis by acknowledging that Romney provided a more complete account in a July 17 speech Regarding government infrastructure and support Romney stated You really couldn t have a business if you didn t have those things But you know we pay for those things Alright The taxpayers pay for government It s not like government just provides those to all of us and we say Oh thank you government for doing those things No in fact we pay for them and we benefit from them and we appreciate the work that they do and the sacrifices that are done by people who work in government But they did not build this business The Romney campaign followed with events with small business owners in multiple states Pennsylvania Wisconsin Virginia Ohio Iowa Missouri North Carolina Michigan New Hampshire New Mexico and Nevada along with an attack ad 160 A new part of the Romney campaign website was created 161 162 and merchandise related to the statement was produced 163 Convention and post convention bounce edit Main article 2012 Republican National Convention The 2012 Republican National Convention was held from August 27 30 It featured appearances by Ann Romney Chris Christie Paul Ryan Clint Eastwood and Mitt Romney While Romney s overall polling gains from the GOP convention were modest the convention did improve his likability rating even though he continued to trail Obama in this widely considered critical category 164 This was followed by a larger bounce in Obama s favor after the Democratic convention Cairo and Benghazi attacks edit See also 2012 diplomatic missions attacks On September 11 2012 the U S embassy in Cairo anticipating possible unrest over an anti Muslim film that had allegedly been produced in the United States released statements denouncing the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims and calling respect for religious beliefs of others a cornerstone of American democracy 165 Hours later U S diplomatic missions in Cairo Egypt and Benghazi Libya were attacked After the attack the U S embassy in Cairo tweeted This morning s condemnation issued before our protests began still stands As does our condemnation of unjustified breach of the Embassy 165 In her initial remarks to the press U S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated I condemn in the strongest terms the attack on our mission in Benghazi today 166 167 Romney apparently unaware of the chronology of the events that had unfolded released a statement saying It s disgraceful that the Obama Administration s first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks 168 By the following day it had been confirmed that the U S ambassador to Libya had been one of several Americans killed in the Benghazi attack 165 166 In a televised press conference and an interview Romney again asserted that the administration had been wrong to in his view sympathize with the attackers and apologize for American values rather than to condemn the attackers actions 169 Romney s remarks were widely criticized by media sources regarding the course of events and by political commentators for leaving Romney open to the appearance of seeking to gain personal political advantage from a national tragedy 169 170 171 Republicans initially distanced themselves from Romney s comments but as he came under increasing criticism for the timing and nature of his comments several conservative politicians defended his remarks 169 Vote mobilization problems edit Romney replaced the traditional GOTV system with the centralized Project Orca The project failed to mobilize 40 000 volunteers in key states during the election day citation needed Media issues editFirst TV advertisement and questions about context edit In his previous campaign Romney had begun television advertising in March 2007 In the 2012 cycle however his first advertisement did not air until November 2011 The 60 second spot which was broadcast in New Hampshire was widely criticized for using a quotation from Obama out of context It included a clip of Obama apparently saying If we keep talking about the economy we re going to lose It did not disclose that Obama speaking in the 2008 campaign had been quoting an email from an aide to his opponent John McCain which concerned McCain s campaign strategy not Obama s 172 The Romney campaign defended the ad According to The Boston Globe Romney aides even said they were proud of the reaction and suggested that the ad was deliberately misleading to garner attention Romney campaign adviser Eric Fehrnstrom stated It was all very deliberate We want to engage him on the subject he wants to avoid which is his failure to create jobs and get this economy moving again 173 In an article on the Romney campaign website communications director Gail Gitcho wrote Three years ago candidate Barack Obama mocked his opponent s campaign for saying if we keep talking about the economy we re going to lose Now President Obama s campaign is desperate not to talk about the economy Fact checking organization Politifact gave the Romney campaign a pants on fire rating for distorting Obama s words which have been taken out of context in a ridiculously misleading way 174 while another fact checking organization FactCheck org declined to assess whether that particular clip in the Romney ad was misleading and instead said We won t quibble with the spot s main message which is that Obama has failed to fix the economy That s true enough According to The New York Times when the Obama camp put material on television that made no effort to put any of Mr Romney s statements into context the Romney campaign responded by saying that Obama was trying to distract Americans from real issues such as high unemployment 175 Work requirement for welfare edit See also Welfare waivers In July and August 2012 Romney ran a recurring ad claiming that President Obama wanted to remove the work requirement for welfare recipients Multiple news outlets and fact checking agencies rated the Romney ad false Politifact assigning it the rating of pants on fire 176 177 178 FactCheck org stated A Mitt Romney TV ad claims the Obama administration has adopted a plan to gut welfare reform by dropping work requirements The plan does neither of those things 179 Factcheck org elaborated that the waivers will not inherently gut the work requirements because a lot will depend upon what kind of waivers states propose moreover the way the administration implemented the new policy has not helped because of questions about whether Congress ever granted to the president any legal authority to issue the waivers 179 Dog incident edit Main article Mitt Romney dog incident In 2007 the Boston Globe reported that in 1983 Romney transported his pet dog Seamus on the roof of their automobile Newt Gingrich aired an anti Romney attack ad that featured the story 180 181 while Rick Santorum stated it was relevant as an issue of character 182 Etch A Sketch edit Eric Fehrnstrom a top aide to Romney was asked by comedian and political commentator John Fugelsang on CNN how their campaigning would change if and when Romney wins the Republican nomination He answered it would be like an Etch A Sketch to shake up and start over Immediately Santorum and Gingrich took the opportunity to say Romney flip flops and was not a true conservative Each held up an Etch A Sketch toy as a visual aid to their audiences Ron Paul created a short ad saying this is petty when we have 15 trillion in debt 12 million unemployed and USA at war 183 Following the incident the Ohio Art Company saw a 30 increase in sales of Etch A Sketches 184 Mitt Romney explained the words of his advisor by saying A general election campaign takes on a different profile The issues I m running on will be exactly the same I was a conservative Republican governor and I ll be running as a conservative Republican nominee 185 A poll by Pew Research Center taken in the days after the event found that a majority of voters were unaware that the comment had even been said with a plurality of those that had heard of it saying that it had no effect on their opinion of Romney 186 Little Face Mitt and other memes edit Many who called the 2012 presidential election the first real social media election and the number of memes it engendered reflects that Notable contributions included a Bad Lip Reading video a campaign similar in scope to the campaign for the neologism santorum which aimed to create an alternate definition or homophone for romney that referred to defecating in terror and also the binders full of women gaffe Perhaps most popular was the Little Face Mitt meme which was created on August 22 by humorist Reuben Glaser It showed a depiction of Romney with his facial features shrunken within an ordinary scale blank outline of his face the result resembled a Dick Tracy comic strip villain Within its first four days it had garnered the attention of Gawker 187 UPROXX 188 CollegeHumor 189 BuzzFeed 190 PostSecret 191 Mother Jones 192 Funny or Die 193 and MSNBC s Alex Wagner 194 An Obama staffer claimed they were later used as desktop backgrounds on computers in his 2012 reelection headquarters in Chicago At the end of its four month tenure Little Face Mitt had also been covered in The Huffington Post 195 Complex magazine 196 Mashable 197 Boing Boing 198 and many local print publications and online news websites Glaser was also interviewed by the Washington Examiner 199 The New York Times The Daily Dot 200 The Young Turks 201 and in articles from as far away as France 202 and Germany 203 The International Business Times 204 credited Little Face Mitt and its images as being one of the best political memes ever and described its notoriety as a foray into the internet s lexicon for Mitt Romney and as immortality Tax returns edit See also Public release by presidential candidates Due to pressure from political rivals during the Republican primary campaign Romney released an incomplete 2010 tax return 205 in early January 2012 along with an estimate of the 2011 return 25 26 During the presidential campaign he declined to disclose additional returns citing the matter as a distraction from more important issues despite calls to do so by Democrats and several notable Republicans 206 Republicans who urged Romney to release his tax returns include former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour Michael Steele and Bill Kristol George Will said The cost of not releasing the returns are clear Therefore he must have calculated that there are higher costs in releasing them Republican strategist Matthew Dowd said There s obviously something there because if there was nothing there he would say Have at it So there s obviously something there that compromises what he said in the past about something 207 208 In response to claims made to the contrary Romney said that he never paid less than 13 in taxes over the past 10 years 209 Romney stated in a Parade magazine interview that he didn t want to release his tax returns because he would like to keep his tithing to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints private 210 though he has publicly released his tithing percentages for 2010 7 and 2011 12 211 For their 2011 tax returns the Romneys paid nearly 2 million in taxes on an income of 13 7 million for an effective tax rate of 14 1 They gave almost 4 million to charity but only claimed 2 25 million in deductions in order to maintain his campaign pledge to pay at least 13 of his income in federal taxes 212 213 The summary prepared by PwC stated the Romney s effective tax rate paid had averaged 20 2 from 1990 to 2009 214 Doctored Video Controversy edit MSNBC anchor Andrea Mitchell showed an edited video clip of Romney at a rally in Pennsylvania In the edited version Romney says how amazing ordering a sandwich with a touch screen device at a Wawa convenience store is Andrea Mitchell claimed that his apparent enthusiasm belied that he might be out of touch with many Americans who would eat at a restaurant like Wawa s very regularly Controversy arose when it was revealed that the clip was edited to remove the portion which showed Romney relating the story of an optometrist he met who had faced an extensive amount of paperwork from the post office to change his address Romney was commenting on his efficient experience at Wawa s to highlight his belief that the private sector is often more efficient than government a point that was not evident without the full context of his remarks 215 216 Video of private fundraiser editOn September 17 excerpts from a video recorded on hidden camera were published by Mother Jones showing Romney speaking at a private 50 000 a plate fundraiser held at hedge fund manager Marc Leder s mansion in Boca Raton Florida 217 The magazine learned of the video from James Earl Carter IV a Democratic opposition researcher and a grandson of former U S president Jimmy Carter who found the video online and got the videographer in touch with a writer at the magazine 218 On March 13 2013 on MSNBC s The Ed Show Scott Prouty a bartender at the event revealed himself as the videographer 219 External videos nbsp Mitt Romney on Obama Voters Mother Jones 47 comment edit See also Lucky duckies In the video recorded May 17 Romney responded to a question about his campaign strategy saying There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what All right there are 47 percent who are with him who are dependent upon government who believe that they are victims who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them who believe that they are entitled to health care to food to housing to you name it That s an entitlement The government should give it to them And they will vote for this president no matter what And I mean the president starts off with 48 49 he starts off with a huge number These are people who pay no income tax Forty seven percent of Americans pay no income tax So our message of low taxes doesn t connect So he ll be out there talking about tax cuts for the rich My job is not to worry about those people I ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives What I have to do is convince the 5 10 in the center that are independents that are thoughtful that look at voting one way or the other depending upon in some cases emotion whether they like the guy or not 220 221 222 Responses edit In a press conference convened the night of the video s publication Romney told reporters that while his off the cuff remarks could have been more eloquently stated he had been conveying an important message that his proposals to lower the Federal Income Tax would not be as persuasive to those who are not paying that particular tax The president believes in what I ve described as a government centered society where government plays a larger and larger role provides for more and more of the needs of individuals And I happen to believe instead in a free enterprise free individual society where people pursuing their dreams are able to employ one another build enterprises build the strongest economy in the world 223 224 Several weeks later Romney commented I was completely wrong 225 Conservative columnist Peggy Noonan called the Romney campaign incompetent 226 and a rolling calamity 227 and argued that the Romney campaign needs a new CEO 227 Columnist David Brooks wrote Romney is running a depressingly inept presidential campaign Mr Romney your entitlement reform ideas are essential but when will the incompetence stop 228 Conservative writer Bill Kristol initially described Romney s remarks as arrogant and stupid a comment he later said might have been a tad harsh 229 but ultimately stood by Romney saying It remains important for the country that Romney wins in November unless he chooses to step down and we get the Ryan Rubio ticket we deserve 230 Several Republicans campaigning for seats in the 2012 election disputed or criticized Romney s remarks including Senate candidates Linda McMahon CT George Allen VA Sen Dean Heller NV Sen Scott Brown MA and Gov Susana Martinez NM 231 Some conservative Republicans such as Erick Erickson and Rush Limbaugh defended Romney s 47 remark 232 233 PolitiFact has rated the 47 remark as factually true assuming Romney was referring to the federal income tax the reasons being that many Americans were so poor as to be exempt from it and others qualified for enough breaks and other exemptions that their tax liability amounted to zero 234 During the Vice Presidential Debate after Joe Biden criticized Romney s comments Ryan responded With respect to that quote I think the vice president very well knows that sometimes the words don t come out of your mouth the right way referring to Biden s reputation for gaffes 235 President Obama stated in an interview with David Letterman My expectation is if you want to be president you ve got to work for everybody not just for some 236 237 Several commentators noted that 47 was also Romney s share of the popular vote rounded to the nearest percentage point 238 239 240 241 a result some considered ironic 240 241 242 Obama had led 50 48 on election night but the results edged toward 51 47 as counting continued over the following weeks 238 239 241 Despite downplaying the original remarks during the campaign Romney stated soon after the election that President Obama won the election by promising gifts to key Democratic voters such as the black and Hispanic communities 243 Israeli Palestinian peace process edit The video also showed Romney expressing doubt over whether the Palestinians were fully invested in working toward the success of the Israeli Palestinian peace process 244 He said the Palestinians are committed to the destruction and elimination of Israel 245 In response Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erekat said only those who want to maintain the Israeli occupation will claim the Palestinians are not interested in peace 246 Iran edit Another part of the video shows Romney saying If I were Iran if I were Iran a crazed fanatic I d say let s get a little fissile material to Hezbollah have them carry it to Chicago or some other place and then if anything goes wrong or America starts acting up we ll just say Guess what Unless you stand down why we re going to let off a dirty bomb I mean this is where we have where America could be held up and blackmailed by Iran by the mullahs by crazy people So we really don t have any option but to keep Iran from having a nuclear weapon 247 Analysts noted that a dirty bomb requires only radioactive materials not fissile materials like those from a nuclear weapons program 248 Candidate statements and campaign ads on GM and Chrysler auto production in China edit Statements by Romney and his campaign have been called false by automakers Chrysler and General Motors GM During the final weeks of the campaign the Romney campaign began to promote the idea that as a result of the Obama Administration s bailout of the automotive industry U S based auto manufacturing jobs would be outsourced to China 249 250 251 Bloomberg News had reported on October 21 that Fiat the majority owner of Chrysler the maker of Jeeps was considering restarting production lines in China that had been idle since 2009 The article quoted Fiat Chrysler s chief operating officer for Asia as saying that Jeep production sites would be added to China rather than shifted from current production sites in North America 252 On October 25 Romney said at a rally in the key battleground state of Ohio I saw a story today that one of the great manufacturers in this state Jeep now owned by the Italians is thinking of moving all production to China 251 Within hours Chrysler responded saying in part 249 251 253 Despite clear and accurate reporting the take has given birth to a number of stories making readers believe that Chrysler plans to shift all Jeep production to China from North America and therefore idle assembly lines and U S workforce It is a leap that would be difficult even for professional circus acrobats Let s set the record straight Jeep has no intention of shifting production of its Jeep models out of North America to China emphasis in original Two days later on October 27 Romney began airing a television ad in Ohio that said Obama took GM and Chrysler into bankruptcy and sold Chrysler to Italians who are going to build Jeeps in China 251 Media observers noted that the campaign had taken the highly unusual step of releasing the ad without announcing the release to the press 249 251 Chrysler s CEO Sergio Marchionne responded saying that the claim that production of Jeeps would be transferred from the U S to China leaving U S factories idle was completely false 249 251 He also said that not only would Jeep production lines remain in operation in the U S but Chrysler would be investing 500 million to expand production at the Toledo Ohio Jeep plant 249 In spite of the denials by the auto manufacturer the Romney campaign subsequently began airing a new radio ad in Ohio that repeated the false claim that Jeep would be cutting Ohio jobs in order to expand into China 249 254 The radio ad also said that the other auto manufacturer that had received government assistance during the auto manufacturer crisis GM was moving 15 000 American jobs to China A GM representative denounced the Romney ad saying We ve clearly entered some parallel universe during these last few days No amount of campaign politics at its cynical worst will diminish our record of creating jobs in the U S and repatriating profits back to this country 255 In December Politifact described Romney s Jeep comments as their Lie of the Year for 2012 256 As of 2018 the Ohio automobile factory at the center of the dispute Toledo Complex remains open and employs more workers than it did in 2009 Nonetheless Chrysler has moved some of its production elsewhere its Jeep Cherokee line was moved into Belvidere Illinois and Changsha China The Changsha factory has begun production on 8 lines of Jeep branded vehicles partly as a response to rising demand from China s market 257 258 259 General election debates editSee also United States presidential election debates 2012 Romney had his first general election debate against Obama on October 3 in Denver Colorado on domestic topics 260 Snap polls shortly after the debate by CNN and others found that many people believe Romney did significantly better than Obama in the first debate sometimes referred to the change in pace of the election 261 Subsequent public opinion polls showed the debate had eliminated most of the gains in the polls that Obama had made over Romney after the two parties national conventions 262 263 On October 11 Romney s running mate Paul Ryan debated Vice President Joe Biden in the only vice presidential debate of the 2012 election cycle Topics covered included the stimulus the abortion debate and foreign policy The second presidential debate was a Townhall on October 16 The debate was noted for its heated exchanges 264 and had targeted discussions of Libya immigration and pay equity for women 265 During the second debate Romney was perceived to have struggled compared to his previous performance 266 Polls conducted by CBS CNN and Reuters Ipsos found a plurality of voters who believed Obama had done better 267 268 269 During the debates Romney said that he would charge China with currency manipulation China responded that it would show gradual progress and voluntarily reform China s exchange rate regime 270 The third and final debate between Romney and Obama was held two weeks before election day on October 23 in Boca Raton Florida The topics discussed included a variety of foreign affairs and domestic policy issues 271 According to The Guardian Romney appeared unsure at times and occasionally stumbled over his lines as if struggling to remember his briefing notes 272 Many viewers also noted that Romney was perspiring 272 273 which reminded some Twitter users of Richard Nixon s 1960 presidential debate 274 Instant polls by Public Policy Polling CNN and CBS showed that more viewers felt Obama had won the debate than felt that Romney had 272 Election day activities editMain article ORCA computer system An attempt to apply security through obscurity to protect Romney s voting day smartphone based project ORCA ran aground when the system crashed under the full load of coordinating a nationwide election day effort 275 Another disadvantage of the ORCA system was that unlike Obama s Narwhal ORCA only counted known voters and so predicted a Romney sweep even as Obama s volunteers were bringing in voters that the Romney campaign had not expected 276 Post campaign matters editRomney seems preoccupied with the futures of members of his campaign staff and is working on a system to organize the 400 resumes of those staff members whose paychecks will run out in 21 days 277 The Romney campaign has arranged for severance pay through the end of November for some members of his campaign staff 277 Romney transition website edit The Romney transition website briefly appeared online on November 7 2012 Its catchphrases were Smaller Simpler Smarter over Believe in America Blogger Taegan Goddard took screenshots 278 of the site while it was live showing pages linked from the front page headed The President Elect with details about The Inauguration Believe in America Newsroom and Join the Administration The site had been prepared by Blue Host a web hosting company based in Utah whose owner confirmed that the site had been prepared for Romney 279 Readiness Project edit Main article Planned presidential transition of Mitt Romney The Romney campaign in accordance with the Pre Election Presidential Transition Act had made extensive pre election plans for a potential transition called the Romney Readiness Project 280 281 should he be elected president Former governor of Utah Mike Leavitt was selected in June 2012 by Romney to lead the planning for the project which included a 200 day plan 280 281 outlining the legislative agenda of the first 200 days of a Romney administration Leavitt along with Beth Myers and Bob White had formed a list of ten candidates for each Cabinet position to aid Romney in making appointments to those positions The operation included task forces for transitioning specific areas of the federal government Activities undertaken by the Readiness Project included preparing policy briefings for civil servants at federal agencies which would be delivered by parachute teams following the election creating a list of candidates to fill the several hundred political appointments made by the President coordinating with the Obama administration for the transfer of occupancy of presidential residences including the White House and the Number One Observatory Circle liaising with the United States Armed Forces for the assumption of National Command Authority and launch control of nuclear weapons and developing a post election communications plan which reportedly included a 1 000 word victory speech Romney would deliver 282 283 These included landing 281 teams to be deployed to governmental agencies two weeks post election and beachhead 281 teams to guide the transition following Romney s would be inauguration on January 20 281 The transition planning effort was divided into four segments two of which were executed the readiness phase which lasted from June until the 2012 Republican National Convention and the planning phase which lasted from the convention until election day Two additional phases were planned but were not executed owing to Romney s loss the transition phase and the hand off phase both of which would have occurred post election and would have culminated in the transition team s plan for the first 200 days following Romney s would be inauguration as president 284 On the evening of the election the Readiness Project s transition website declaring Romney s victory was accidentally pushed live but was quickly taken down again The site was built by a Utah based web development company SolutionStream 285 In accordance with the Pre Election Presidential Transition Act of 2010 the project was provided with office space by the General Services Administration GSA beginning in September 2012 two months prior to the election 282 283 The offices of the Readiness Project were shuttered and completely cleared within three days following Romney s defeat Total spending by the Readiness Project between its inception and dissolution was 8 9 million with all of the funds appropriated by the U S government 283 In May 2013 the organization formerly responsible for the Romney transition preparation R2P released a report detailing the preparations for a potential Romney administration In the report specific aspects of the transition were described including post election pre inauguration corporate style management seminars for appointees nominees and a restructuring of the Executive Office of the President to satisfy Romney s preferences along with a PowerPoint presentation prepared to brief a President elect Romney in the days immediately following the election 286 In 2013 Leavitt published a 138 page case study of the Readiness Project Romney Readiness Project 2012 Retrospectives and Lessons Learned 287 Explanations for the loss editIn interviews after the election Romney said of his loss The president s campaign if you will focused on giving targeted groups a big gift He made a big effort on small things 288 Robert Draper in the New York Times Magazine summarized interviews with technology savvy young Republicans to conclude that the Romney campaign s inability to understand and use modern technology caused Romney to lose a winnable election Criticism begins with the candidate a self described data driven chief executive who put his trust in alarmingly off the mark internal polls In contrast the Obama campaign repeatedly and exhaustively polled and directed the actual expressed day to day shifting opinions of the electorate through such technological mediums as Reddit Facebook YouTube and Twitter Romney s senior strategist Stuart Stevens may well be remembered by historians as the last guy to run a presidential campaign who never tweeted to get out the vote and to elicit real time electorate feelings from all ethnic groups all gender persuasions and from rich and poor 289 See also edit nbsp 2010s portal nbsp Conservatism portal nbsp Politics portal nbsp United States portal Independent Voter Research Political positions of Mitt Romney George Romney 1968 presidential campaign Mitt Romney 2008 presidential campaign List of Mitt Romney 2012 presidential campaign endorsements Nationwide opinion polling for the 2012 United States presidential election Endorsements in the 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries 2012 Republican Party vice presidential candidate selection 2012 Republican National Convention 2012 United States presidential election Barack Obama 2012 presidential campaign Results of the 2012 Republican Party presidential primariesReferences edit Matt Rhoades Who Runs Gov Archived from the original on February 18 2015 Retrieved October 2 2011 Beth Myers Who Runs Gov Archived from the original on April 28 2012 Retrieved October 2 2011 Peter Flaherty Who Runs Gov Archived from the original on February 18 2015 Retrieved October 2 2011 Eric Fehrnstrom Who Runs Gov Archived from the original on February 18 2015 Retrieved October 2 2011 Gail Gitcho Who Runs Gov Archived from the original on February 18 2015 Retrieved October 2 2011 Henneberger Melinda Andrea Saul Who Runs Gov Archived from the original on February 18 2015 Retrieved October 2 2011 Talent and Organization Building Towards 2012 P2012 org Archived from the original on October 20 2011 Retrieved October 2 2011 Romney Key Staff and Advisers Politico Retrieved October 2 2011 Mitt Romney s inner circle The Washington Post Retrieved October 2 2011 Conroy Scott February 4 2012 Hit or Miss Romney Takes Ownership of His Speeches RealClearPolitics Retrieved March 9 2012 Candidate P80003353 Summary Reports 2011 2012 Cycle Federal Election Commission Archived from the original on October 12 2013 Retrieved July 20 2015 Montanaro Domenico Murray Mark Romney picks Paul Ryan as vice presidential running mate First Read Firstread nbcnews com Retrieved February 22 2013 a b Zeleny Jeff Rutenberg Jim August 11 2012 Romney Adds Ryan to the Republican Ticket The New York Times Lemire Jonathan Mitt Romney accepts nomination with speech declaring that Obama failed warning that America s greatness is in danger New York Daily News August 31 2012 President Barack Obama defeats Romney to win re election BBC News November 7 2012 Retrieved November 8 2012 Phillips Frank December 8 2008 Romney paves way for possible 12 run The Boston Globe Martin Jonathan June 29 2009 Mitt Romney s team awaits 2012 Politico Retrieved June 29 2009 Cannon Carl M June 2 2009 Mitt s Makeover Channeling Reagan for 2012 Run Politics Daily Archived from the original on June 5 2009 Retrieved April 12 2011 a b Barbaro Michael August 30 2012 Defeat Introspection Reinvention Nomination The New York Times pp A1 Retrieved August 30 2012 Romney picked as 2012 GOP front runner CNN February 28 2009 Ron Paul Wins Presidential Straw Poll at CPAC Fox News February 20 2010 Archived from the original on February 2 2011 Ron Paul Wins Presidential Straw Poll at CPAC Again Fox News February 12 2011 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Committee Raises 10 25 Million for Nevada Call Day Romney for President May 16 2011 Retrieved July 2 2011 Friedersdorf Conor May 17 2011 Mitt Romney s 10 Million Day The Atlantic Retrieved July 2 2011 Legum Judd July 1 2011 FACT CHECK Romney Campaign Did Not Raise 10 Million In One Day Think Progress Retrieved July 2 2011 a b Hamburger Tom June 30 2011 As filing deadline approaches presidential campaigns see slow returns Los Angeles Times Retrieved July 2 2011 Contributions For Romney For President Inc Query nictusa com Archived from the original on September 20 2011 Retrieved September 13 2011 Constantinople July 18 2011 Exclusive Romney Only Raised 2 Million on Day He Claimed He Raised 10 Million UPDATED metaWarRoom Archived from the original on August 13 2011 Retrieved September 13 2011 Kathleen Ronayne July 7 2011 Presidential Fund Raising for GOP Hopefuls Off to Slower Start Than Four Years Ago OpenSecrets Retrieved September 13 2011 Carmi Evan Ericson Matthew Nolen David Quealy 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presidential campaign Chicago Tribune Retrieved September 1 2015 Sweet Lynn July 17 2012 Romney s Chicago style attack Chicago Sun Times Retrieved September 1 2015 Warren James January 6 2012 Chicago Style Politics at Its Worst Fact Checking Romney s Jab at Obama Atlantic Monthly Retrieved April 28 2014 Cooper Helene January 6 2012 Obama Tactic Jab Congress To Hurt Rivals New York Times p A1 Retrieved September 4 2015 Caldwell Leigh Ann August 28 2012 Republican delegates nominate Mitt Romney CBS News Retrieved August 28 2012 Republicans nominate Romney at storm hit convention Reuters August 28 2012 Retrieved August 28 2012 The Timeline of Presidential Elections How Campaigns Do and Do Not Matter University of Chicago Press August 24 2012 p 20 ISBN 9780226922164 Ashley Parker May 24 2012 Both Campaigns Seize on Romney s Years at Bain The New York Times Retrieved July 19 2012 Dwyer Devin May 14 2012 Obama ad attacks Romney Bain Capital record ABC News Retrieved July 31 2012 Bain Capital Fund VI L P February 20 2001 SCHEDULE 13D Rule 13d 101 Securities and Exchange Commission Retrieved July 14 2012 Bain Capital Inc a Delaware corporation Bain Capital is the sole managing partner of the BCIP entities Mr W Mitt Romney is the sole shareholder sole director chief executive officer and president of Bain Capital and thus is the controlling person of Bain Capital Callum Borchers Christopher Rowland July 12 2012 Mitt Romney stayed at Bain 3 years longer than he stated Firm s 2002 filings identify him as CEO though he said he left in 1999 The Boston Globe Archived from the original on July 13 2012 Retrieved July 14 2012 Barack Obama BarackObama July 13 2012 Why Mitt Romney s end date at his buyout firm matters Tweet via Twitter a b Shear Michael D July 13 2012 Romney Seeks Obama Apology for Bain Attacks The New York Times Retrieved July 14 2012 Cherkis Jason July 12 2012 Mitt Romney s Own 2002 Testimony Undermines Bain Departure Claim Huffington Post Retrieved July 14 2012 Statement by Bain Mitt Romney left Bain Capital in February 1999 to run the Olympics and has had absolutely no involvement with the management or investment activities of the firm or with any of its portfolio companies since the day of his departure the statement reads Due to the sudden nature of Mr Romney s departure he remained the sole stockholder for a time while formal ownership was being documented and transferred to the group of partners who took over management of the firm in 1999 Accordingly Romney was reported as having fulfilled legal and financial capacities on SEC filings during this period Elspeth Reeve July 12 2012 Why Romney s Quit Date at Bain Matters Atlantic Wire Archived from the original on July 14 2012 Retrieved July 14 2012 Romney s Bain Years New Evidence Same Conclusion FactCheck org July 12 2012 Retrieved February 22 2013 a b Kessler Glenn July 12 2012 Mitt Romney and his departure from Bain blog by expert The Washington Post Retrieved July 14 2012 Mitt Romney 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Retrieved February 22 2013 Sanchez Raf Irvine Chris July 26 2012 Mitt Romney in London as it happened The Telegraph Retrieved August 7 2012 Romney hails US Polish ties during visit to Warsaw Associated Press via The Guardian London July 31 2012 Retrieved August 7 2012 Condon Stephanie July 26 2012 British papers blast Mitt Romney CBS News Retrieved August 1 2012 Watt Nicholas Helene Mulholland and Owen Gibson July 27 2012 Mitt Romney s Olympics blunder stuns No 10 and hands gift to Obama The Guardian London Retrieved August 1 2012 a href Template Cite news html title Template Cite news cite news a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Jones Steve July 27 2012 Romney Drops The Torch In London Policy Trip Becomes Diplomatic Obstacle about com Archived from the original on November 19 2012 Retrieved August 2 2012 Crawford Jan Gaffe Olympics Romney rankles Brits Cameron also offends CBS News July 26 2012 Stringer David Romney stirs Olympic tiff as European tour begins Associated Press July 26 2012 His aides said that was not intended as a jibe at Romney or Salt Lake City Keinon Herb July 29 2012 Iran talk dominates Romney agenda in Jerusalem The Jerusalem Post Hunt Kasie July 29 2012 Mitt Romney United States Has Solemn Duty To Block Nuclear Iran Huffington Post a b Lazaroff Tovah amp Keinon Herb July 29 2012 Romney Deeply moving to be in Jerusalem Israel s capital The Jerusalem Post Archived from the original on July 30 2012 Retrieved July 31 2012 Kessler Glenn July 31 2012 Romney s pledge to move the U S Embassy to Jerusalem The Washington Post Retrieved July 31 2012 Liptak Kevin July 29 2012 Romney says Jerusalem is Israel s capital vows to move embassy CNN Retrieved July 31 2012 Abu Toameh Khaled July 30 2012 Palestinian groups slam Romney remark on J lem The Jerusalem Post Retrieved July 31 2012 Romney Mitt July 31 2012 Culture does matter National Review Online Bloomfield Adrian Day Matthew Swaine Jon July 30 2012 Mitt Romney Israelis richer than Palestinians because of hand of providence The Telegraph London a b Sherwood Harriet July 30 2012 Mitt Romney providence comments in Israel outrage Palestinians The Guardian London Retrieved August 3 2012 a b Text of Romney s Remarks About Culture and Israel ABC News Associated Press August 1 2012 Archived from the original on August 6 2012 Retrieved August 1 2012 Mitt Romney creates fresh divisions on Israel tour with racist economic remarks National Post July 30 2012 Archived from the original on January 29 2013 Retrieved August 2 2012 Embajada de Mexico rechaza comentarios de Romney El Universal in Spanish August 1 2012 Retrieved August 2 2012 Sabate Albert August 3 2012 Mexican officials react after Romney disses Mexico s economy Univision News Archived from the original on November 30 2012 Romney s Racist Reference To Palestinian Culture FactCheck org July 31 2012 Retrieved August 1 2012 CBS News Political Hotsheet Retrieved June 1 2012 Mitt Romney Praises Poland s Economic Liberty The Huffington Post Associated Press July 31 2012 Retrieved July 31 2012 In Poland Romney heralds economic freedom CNN July 31 2012 Retrieved February 22 2013 Romney wraps up overseas tour amid tensions with media BBC July 31 2012 Retrieved August 3 2012 Mitt Romney aide in new kiss my ass gaffe The Telegraph London July 31 2012 Retrieved August 2 2012 Reston Maeve amp Mehta Seema July 31 2012 Mitt Romney recovers footing in Poland LA Times Archived from the original on August 1 2012 Retrieved July 31 2012 Parker Ashley July 31 2012 Romney Lauds Poland as an Economic Model The New York Times Retrieved July 31 2012 Hunt Kasie AP July 31 2012 In Poland Romney Gets Endorsed by Lech Walesa ABCnews Retrieved August 3 2012 Mitt Romney Addresses NAACP Convention in Houston C SPAN July 11 2012 Archived from the original on September 4 2012 Retrieved February 22 2013 Mitt Romney Addresses 103rd NAACP Annual Convention in Houston Press Room NAACP July 11 2012 Archived from the original on July 16 2012 Retrieved February 22 2013 O Brien Michael October 24 2012 NAACP crowd boos Romney for vowing to repeal health reform First Read Firstread nbcnews com Retrieved February 22 2013 Romney booed at NAACP Political Hotsheet CBS News July 11 2012 Retrieved February 22 2013 Brooks Susan July 12 2012 Free stuff The message from Romney s NAACP speech Guest Voices The Washington Post Archived from the original on April 12 2013 Retrieved February 22 2013 Sean Sullivan amp Philip Rucker October 31 2013 Obama s advisers considered replacing Biden with Clinton according to book The Washington Post Retrieved November 1 2013 Halperin Mark 2013 Chap 17 Project Goldfish Double down game change 2012 John Heilemann New York Penguin Press ISBN 978 1 59420 440 1 OCLC 837144784 From Boston to Janesville By Robert Costa The Corner National Review Online Nationalreview com August 10 2012 Retrieved February 22 2013 Allen Charlotte August 10 2012 Breaking Mitt Romney announcing VP pick at the USS Wisconsin The Washington Examiner Retrieved February 22 2013 Bailey Holly August 11 2012 Mitt Romney to announce his VP pick on Saturday ABC News Abcnews go com Retrieved February 22 2013 Zeleny Jeff August 10 2012 Romney to Announce Vice Presidential Choice Saturday Thecaucus blogs nytimes com Retrieved February 22 2013 Weekly Standard It s looking like Ryan Politico June 14 2012 Retrieved February 22 2013 Ryan joins host of Wisconsin politicians in U S limelight Archived December 8 2012 at archive today August 11 2012 Wisconsin State Journal Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event in Roanoke Virginia The White House Whitehouse gov 2012 07 13 Retrieved August 1 2012 Aaron Blake July 18 2012 Obama s You didn t build that problem The Washington Post Retrieved July 26 2012 Context is worse than the quote Real Clear Politics July 24 2012 Retrieved September 22 2012 Putting Mitt Romney s attacks on You didn t build that to the Truth O Meter Tampa Bay Times July 25 2012 Retrieved September 22 2012 Romney Obama dig in over you didn t build that furor Fox News July 25 2012 Retrieved March 2 2013 Hennessey Kathleen July 18 2012 Republicans pouncing on Obama s you didn t build that remark Los Angeles Times Retrieved August 13 2012 Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event in Roanoke Virginia The White House whitehouse gov July 13 2012 Retrieved February 22 2013 via National Archives Kiely Eugene July 24 2012 You Didn t Build That Uncut and Unedited factcheck org Retrieved July 16 2013 Sushannah Walshe July 25 2012 Romney Camp Continues You Didn t Build That Attacks with Swing State Events ABC News Retrieved August 13 2012 Romney Doubles Down On You Didn t Build That With New Website Talk Radio News Service July 26 2012 Archived from the original on January 5 2013 Retrieved August 13 2012 Built By US Romney for President Inc Archived from the original on July 31 2012 Retrieved August 19 2012 Kevin Bohn Gregory Wallace July 28 2012 Romney s son plugs Built By Us merchandise jabbing at Obama remark CNN Retrieved August 19 2012 Romney s bounce from convention looks short lived Reuters Ipsos poll Reuters September 2 2012 a b c Vasilogambros Matt September 12 2012 Timeline on Egypt and Libya undercuts Romney attack on Obama National Journal Archived from the original on September 14 2012 Retrieved September 15 2012 a b What they said before and after the attack in Libya The New York Times September 12 2012 Statement on the Attack in Benghazi State gov September 11 2012 Archived from the original on September 14 2012 Retrieved February 22 2013 Chowdhry Affan September 12 2012 Politicizing the U S embassy attack Missteps criticism abound The Globe and Mail Toronto a b c Baker Peter Parker Ashley September 12 2012 A challenger s criticism is furiously returned The New York Times Jackson Brooks Farley Robert Kiely Eugene September 12 2012 Romney gets it backward FactCheck org Kessler Glenn September 13 2012 The Romney campaign s repeated errors on the Cairo embassy statement The Washington Post Steinhauser Paul November 22 2011 Democrats say new Romney ad distorts Obama s words CNN Retrieved December 13 2012 Levenson Michael November 27 2011 Deceptive campaign ads hint at year of mudslinging The Boston Globe pp A1 Archived from the original on May 4 2012 Retrieved December 14 2011 Jacobson Louis November 22 2011 Mitt Romney ad charges Obama said If we keep talking about the economy we re going to lose PolitiFact Retrieved February 22 2013 Shear Michael D Reminders of Romney s Comments From the Obama Camp The New York Times April 11 2012 Romney s attacks on Obama and welfare deemed false by fact checkers CSMonitor com August 20 2012 Retrieved February 22 2013 Bouie Jamelle August 20 2012 Why Romney keeps lying about Obama and welfare The Plum Line The Washington Post Retrieved February 22 2013 Mitt Romney says Barack Obama s plan for welfare reform They just send you your check PolitiFact Retrieved February 22 2013 a b Eugene Kiely Rina Moss Does Obama s Plan Gut Welfare Reform Archived March 4 2016 at the Wayback Machine FactCheck org August 9 2012 James Oliphant January 12 2012 New anti Romney ad by Gingrich goes to the dog Los Angeles Times Kasie Hunt January 14 2012 Attacks on Romney getting personal Associated Press Archived from the original on January 16 2012 Amy Bingham March 19 2012 Santorum team doggedly resurrects Romney s Seamus tale ABC News New Ron Paul Ad Etch A Sketch YouTube March 23 2012 Kavilanz Parija August 30 2012 Etch A Sketch cashes in on Romney aide gaffe CNNMoney Retrieved September 9 2012 Justin Sink March 3 2012 Romney says Etch A Sketch comments misinterpreted will run as a conservative Capitol Hill Publishing Corp Trayvon Martin Killing Is Public s Top News Story Pew Research Center March 27 2012 Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan Provide Internet with Hours of Photoshopping Fun Gawker Little Face Mitt Images Capture What Election 2012 Would Be Like If Mitt Romney Had A Tiny Face UpRoxx August 22 2012 Little Face Mitt Romney collegehumor Mitt Romney With A Little Face BuzzFeed August 22 2012 PostSecret postsecret August 22 2012 Photoshopped images of Mitt Romney with a little face Can an the Obama version be far behind Tweet via Twitter Mother Jones MotherJones August 22 2012 New thing of the day Unsettling pictures of Mitt Romney with a very tiny face Tweet via Twitter The 12 Best Pictures of Little Face Mitt Retrieved July 16 2013 Alex Wagner alexwagner August 22 2012 Little Face Mitt on the campaign trail Tweet via Twitter Friar Christine August 29 2012 7 Sites You Should Be Wasting Time On Right Now PICTURES The Huffington Post The 25 Funniest Election Memes So Far Complex The 10 Best Political Memes of 2012 Mashable December 6 2012 Little face Mitt BoingBoing August 23 2012 Little Face Mitt enjoys online success Washington Examiner October 14 2012 Mitt Romney gets the shrunken head treatment The Daily Dot August 27 2012 Little Face Mitt What Does The Viral Hit Mean The Young Turks Retrieved July 16 2013 Un humoriste americain transforme la tete de Mitt Romney in French Staragora Retrieved July 16 2013 Kleingesicht Mitt Romney in German Echo Blog Retrieved July 16 2013 Latest Political Meme LittleFaceMitt Goes Viral But Is It The Best Out There PHOTOS International Business Times August 22 2012 Carter Zach Grim Ryan July 19 2012 Mitt Romney Taxes For 2010 Not Fully Disclosed The Huffington Post Retrieved March 2 2013 Michael D Shear Trip Gabriel July 18 2012 Romney Steadfast in the Face of Growing Calls to Release More Tax Returns The New York Times Retrieved July 19 2012 In the political environment that exists today the opposition research of the Obama campaign is looking for anything they can use to distract from the failure of the president to reignite our economy And I m simply not enthusiastic about giving them hundreds or thousands of more pages to pick through distort and lie about Opinion Read my lips No more tax returns Meghan Holbrook KSL com Utah August 17 2012 George Will Matthew Dowd Blast Romney For Not Releasing Tax Returns George Stephanopoulos ABC News July 15 2012 Retrieved August 17 2012 Mitt Romney seeks to end debate on his tax rate BBC News August 16 2012 Retrieved August 27 2012 Romney says his Mormon tithing shouldn t be public Thomas Burr The Salt Lake Tribune August 23 2012 Retrieved August 27 2012 Mitt Romney taxes show very high charitable giving tied to Mormon church CSMonitor com January 24 2012 Retrieved February 22 2013 Raum Tom Romney gives Dem support for tax deductions claim AP September 22 2012 Romney s taxes can t calm the Democrats New York Daily News September 22 2012 Archived from the original on November 9 2012 Retrieved February 22 2013 Mitt Romney paid 14 1 in tax in 2011 BBC News September 21 2012 Retrieved September 22 2012 MSNBC busted for editing Romney comments out of context backtracks Sorta VIDEO The San Francisco Chronicle June 19 2012 Archived from the original on June 20 2012 MSNBC s Poor Attempt to Take Down Romney by Creative Editing Yahoo News Archived from the original on June 23 2012 Retrieved January 14 2017 Man Anthony September 19 2012 Mitt Romney 47 percent video Boca Raton mogul Mark Leder at center of Mitt Romney video flap Wptv com Archived from the original on September 23 2012 Retrieved February 22 2013 Obama thanked Carter s grandson who found 47 tape Political Ticker blog CNN February 21 2013 Retrieved February 22 2013 James Carter an opposition researcher said he found the video online and got the person responsible for the tape in touch with a writer for the left leaning magazine Mother Jones Asked by CNN s Wolf Blitzer if the person who filmed the video was a guest or a waiter at the event Carter said It wasn t one of the people who had paid 50 000 to be there But I m not going to say anything more than that Weiner Rachel March 13 2013 Scott Prouty reveals himself as man who shot 47 percent video The Washington Post Retrieved March 14 2013 Corn David Romney 47 Percent Fundraiser Host Hedge Fund Manager Who Likes Sex Parties Mother Jones Retrieved February 22 2013 Michael D Shear amp Michael Barbaro September 17 2012 Romney Calls 47 of Voters Dependent in Leaked Video New York Times Retrieved September 18 2012 Associated Press September 18 2012 What Romney told donors at fundraiser in private remarks caught on hidden camera The Washington Post dead link Mehta Seema September 17 2012 Romney defends off the cuff remarks on Obama backers as victims Los Angeles Times Hunt Kasie Peoples Steve September 17 2012 Romney Nearly half believe they are victims San Francisco Chronicle Bashir Martin October 5 2012 Romney admits I was completely wrong on 47 comments MSNBC Archived from the original on October 8 2012 Retrieved October 23 2012 Time for an Intervention Blogs wsj com September 18 2012 Retrieved February 22 2013 a b Noonan Peggy September 21 2012 The Romney campaign needs a new CEO The Wall Street Journal Brooks David September 18 2012 Thurston Howell Romney The New York Times Wallace Chris September 23 2012 Gibbs defends administration s response to Libya attack Gov Walker Romney needs to show fire in the belly Fox News Sunday A Note on Romney s Arrogant and Stupid Remarks The Weekly Standard September 18 2012 Retrieved February 22 2013 Mascaro Lisa September 20 2012 Republican George Allen distances himself from Romney s 47 Los Angeles Times Retrieved February 22 2013 Condon Stephanie September 18 2012 Conservatives defend Romney s 47 percent remark CBS News Cirilli Kevin September 18 2012 Rush Limbaugh Mitt Romney s golden opportunity Politico Moorhead Molly September 18 2012 Mitt Romney says 47 percent of Americans pay no income tax PolitiFact Tampa Bay Times Retrieved August 2 2017 Strauss Daniel October 11 2012 Ryan pokes fun at Biden s gaffes while defending Romney The Hill s Video Thehill com Archived from the original on November 19 2012 Retrieved February 22 2013 Obama Mitt Romney wrong to call Americans victims BBC News September 19 2012 Retrieved September 20 2012 Gavrov Sergei October 5 2012 Mitt Romney has repented of his statements Finam FM a b Election tally update Romney gets his 47 MSNBC November 29 2012 Retrieved February 22 2013 a b Romney s final share of the vote You guessed it 47 percent Washingtonpost com November 26 2012 Retrieved February 22 2013 a b Irony alert Mitt Romney s final vote tally nears 47 percent Yahoo News Yahoo News November 21 2012 Retrieved February 22 2013 a b c Mitt Romney Finally Captures 47 of America Politics The Atlantic Wire November 26 2012 Retrieved February 22 2013 Rodriguez Giovanni April 18 2012 Will Romney Get His 47 on Thanksgiving Day As The Final Votes Come In Forbes Retrieved February 22 2013 Romney says Obama won election with promise of gifts for key groups Jindal disagrees Fox News November 15 2012 Retrieved March 14 2013 Chaggaris Steve September 18 2012 At controversial fundraiser Romney says Middle East peace is difficult CBS News Retrieved September 20 2012 Mardell Mark September 18 2012 Mitt Romney secret video reveals views on Middle East BBC News Retrieved February 22 2013 Mardell Mark September 19 2012 Obama Mitt Romney wrong to call Americans victims BBC News Retrieved February 22 2013 Opinion Romney Roots For Foreign Policy Crisis CBS Chicago Chicago cbslocal com September 20 2012 Retrieved February 22 2013 David Corn September 18 2012 SECRET VIDEO On Israel Romney Trashes Two State Solution Mother Jones Retrieved February 22 2013 a b c d e f Kiely Richard October 31 2012 Romney distorts facts on Jeep auto bailout FactCheck org Greenberg John October 30 2012 Mitt Romney says Obama s Chrysler deal undermined U S workers Politifact com Tampa Bay Times a b c d e f Kessler Glenn October 30 2012 4 Pinocchio s for Mitt Romney s misleading ad on Chrysler and China The Washington Post Trudell Craig Fiat says Jeep output may return to China as demand rises Bloomberg Retrieved October 22 2012 Chrysler Blog Jeep in China Blog chryslerllc com Archived from the original on November 3 2012 Retrieved February 22 2013 Mehta Seema October 30 2012 GM and Chrysler rebut Romney auto bailout claims Los Angeles Times Bomey Nathan Snavely Brnet October 30 2012 GM calls latest Romney auto ad politics at its cynical worst Holan Angie Drobnic Lie of the Year the Romney campaign s ad on Jeeps made in China politifact com December 12th 2012 Jeep Cherokee Will be Built in China This Year Two New Models to Follow July 19 2015 Fiat Chrysler begins Jeep Renegade production in China April 19 2016 How auto industry towns are faring a decade after the bailout November 13 2018 Presidential Debate Transcript Denver Colo ABC News October 3 2012 turner com cnn 2012 images 10 03 Associated Press October 9 2012 Obama says he had a bad night in first debate Romney pledges not to raise taxes on anyone The Washington Post Silver Nate October 9 2012 Oct 9 Romney erases Obama s convention bounce in forecast The New York Times Scott Pelley Most Rancorous Presidential Debate Ever Washington cbslocal com October 16 2012 Retrieved February 22 2013 Peoples Steve and David Espo October 16 2012 Obama Romney answer audience s questions in town hall debate newsok com Retrieved October 18 2012 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Sinderbrand Rebecca October 17 2012 Analysis Romney whiffs on some easy pitches CNN Retrieved October 17 2012 Burns Alexander October 17 2012 CBS snap poll Obama edges Romney in second debate Politico Retrieved October 17 2012 Cohen Tom October 17 2012 Obama gets the edge over Romney in a bruising debate CNN Retrieved October 17 2012 Voters say Obama beat Romney in second debate Reuters Ipsos poll Reuters October 17 2012 Retrieved October 17 2012 Pike John October 17 2012 China Denies Currency Manipulation Claims Globalsecurity org Retrieved February 22 2013 Welch William M October 22 2012 Obama Romney go on attack in final debate USA Today a b c MacAskill Ewan October 23 2012 Obama and Romney clash over foreign policy in final presidential debate The Guardian Noveck Jocelyn October 23 2012 Debate impressions A reversal in body language Boston Globe Associated Press Dunham Richard October 22 2012 And the winner is Live analysis of the foreign policy debate Houston Chronicle ORCA Mitt Romney s high tech get out the vote program crashed on Election Day Boston com November 9 2012 Archived from the original on April 8 2013 Retrieved February 22 2013 Farber Dan November 9 2012 Why Romney s Orca killer app beached on Election Day CNET Retrieved February 22 2013 a b MICHAEL BARBARO November 8 2012 For Romney All His Career Options Are Still Open Except One The New York Times Retrieved July 16 2013 Taegan Goddard November 7 2012 Hagel Says Sequester Would Freeze Promotions Archived from the original on November 8 2012 Retrieved July 16 2013 Stableford Dylan Romney transition website briefly appears online Yahoo News November 8 2012 Retrieved November 9 2012 a b Allen Mike and Jonathan Allen October 25 2012 How Mitt Romney would govern Politico Retrieved January 23 2013 a b c d e Inside the Romney Readiness Project the ambitious plans for an unrealized administration NBC News November 19 2012 Retrieved January 23 2013 a b Parker Ashley August 16 2012 Campaigning Aside Team Plans a Romney Presidency New York Times Retrieved January 22 2016 a b c Fund John January 13 2013 What was Romney Planning National Review Retrieved January 22 2016 Fund John January 21 2013 What Was Romney Planning National Review Online Retrieved January 23 2013 Eaton Kit November 8 2012 If Mitt Romney Had Won Is This What His Website Would ve Looked Like Fast Company Retrieved January 22 2016 Miller Zeke June 2 2013 Mitt Romney Inc The White House That Never Was Time Retrieved June 25 2013 Hicken Jackie May 29 2013 Blueprint outlines work former Utah Gov Mike Leavitt others did to prepare for President Romney Deseret News Retrieved January 22 2016 Mitt Romney Says Obama Won by Giving Gifts to Latino Voters Fox News Latino November 15 2012 Retrieved February 22 2013 Draper Robert February 17 2013 Can the Republicans Be Saved From Obsolescence The New York Times Sunday Magazine page MM24 Retrieved March 22 2013 Bibliography editHeilemann John Halperin Mark 2013 Double Down Game Change 2012 New York Penguin Press ISBN 978 1594204401 External links editMitt Romney 2012 official campaign website Mitt Romney announcement speech Mitt Romney acceptance speech Republican Primary 17 poll average The Wall Street Journal Archived from the original on April 22 2012 Financial information federal office at the Federal Election Commission Campaign Contributions made by Mitt Romney at NewsMeat Press releases as Governor of Massachusetts 2003 2007 The Making of Mitt Romney The Boston Globe 2007 Archived from the original on June 30 2007 Mooney Brian C May 30 2011 Romney and health care In the thick of history The Boston Globe dead link date March 2024 Mitt Romney et al September 1 2011 Believe in America Mitt Romney s Plan for Jobs and Economic Growth PDF Romney for President Inc ASIN B005LEY5Q0 Archived from the original PDF on September 12 2011 Robert Draper November 30 2011 Building a Better Mitt Romney Bot The New York Times Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mitt Romney 2012 presidential campaign amp oldid 1219800371 Vice presidential selection, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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