Romney: Obama economic stimulus plan is a failure

AP via Breitbart ^ | NOVEMBER 2, 2009

[Jet Jaguar]

Former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney says the time has come to stop the economic stimulus program, contending that it has not worked as the Obama administration planned.

Three days after the Obama White House touted the program as creating or saving some 650,000 jobs, Romney said in a nationally broadcast interview that "the stimulus that the president and the Congress passed is not what's helped the economy."

Romney said on CBS's "The Early Show" that the administration's stimulus plan "didn't work" and

[NCBraveheart]

Well, Mitt would sure as hell know about failure.....can you say Romney Care?

[N. Theknow]

Mitt Romney = The All New and Improved Captain Obvious

Nothing like showing up for the matinee movie at midnight.

[Need4Truth]

Abort porkulus, abort Obamacare, abort the cap and trade tax. Start over with something that will work.

[DavidAccord]

Mitt Romney would make a great Secretary of the Treasury.

And Tim Pawlenty will make a great President of the United States.

[Buckeye Battle Cry]

Goa way Mitt. You had an opportunity two weeks ago to loomk principlede. Instead, you waffled. Nobody cares what you have to say anymore (excluding, of course, the Rockefeller Republicans and Mittbots).

[Diogenesis]

Mitt Romney got a "C" rating from CATO.
And that was BEFORE Romney's failure of Socialized medicine matured.

"As U.S. real output grew 13 percent between 2002 and 2006, Massachusetts trailed at 9 percent.
* Manufacturing employment fell 7 percent nationwide those years, but sank 14 percent under Romney, placing Massachusetts 48th among the states.
* Between fall 2003 and autumn 2006, U.S. job growth averaged 5.4 percent, nearly three times Massachusetts' anemic 1.9 percent pace."

There is one conclusion: Romney is a PROVEN economic failure – except maybe his hotel porn videos and his “raping” of companies.

[MileHi]

Former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney says the time has come to stop the economic stimulus program, contending that it has not worked as the Obama administration planned.

Ummm, ok. You're right. Now go away, RINO.

[rae4palin]

If 2012 is between Mittens & Hussein, I’m writing in Reagan.

[shiva]

Is Rommney whistling a different tune? Could it be because of Hoffman? The writing on the wall, huh?

[chainsaw]

Romney: Obama economic stimulus plan is a failure

Likewise, Obamacare is also. Which is a national version of Romneycare, a miserable failure

[gthog61]

The fascinating aspect of the “stimulus” discussion is that by their own numbers the jobs they say were “saved or created” cost $230,000 apiece and they trumpet that like it is a good thing. I have about 4 “openings” in my apartment - where’s my $920,000?

That doesn’t even consider that the 650K is likely grossly inflated to begin with.

[Graybeard58]

Mitt Romney would make a great Secretary of the Treasury.

I wish people would stop hyping this. That would put him in the line of succession. About fourth or fifth, I'm not sure which. That's way too damn close.

[MNJohnnie]

Hey Mitt, what is your position on NY 23?

[jla]

Mitt Romney would make a great Secretary of the Treasury. And Tim Pawlenty will make a great President of the United States.

Yet DavidAccord makes a terrible prognosticator.

Our next POTUS

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Romney: “If only Obama could have gotten through a socialized
healthcare plan, like I did in MA.”

[Leisler]

Gee, that o’l Mitt, Harvard MBA, master of finance...he’s right on it, eh? ( Even fighting man Joe Biden said Porkulus didn’t work, and that was a month and a half ago.)

Mitt should just keep selling GOP Girl Scout cookies. He’s good at sales, glad handing, ‘how’s the wife and family’, that kind of stuff.

[sportutegrl]

Hass Mitt jumped on the Hoffman (NY23) bandwagon yet?

[NCBraveheart]

You ARE kidding....right?

[redgirlinabluestate]

In the four balanced budgets he signed into law, Governor Romney used the line-item veto or program reduction power to cut spending by nearly $1 Billion. Over the course of four budgets, Governor Romney made over 300 line-item reductions, 350 line-item eliminations and struck language 150 times. In total, Gov. Romney issued 844 vetoes during his administration.

Massachusetts had a $1 billion budget surplus by 2005 and the state's rainy-day fund grew to $2 billion by the end of Gov. Romney's term.

Club For Growth: Governor Romney "Imposed Some Much-Needed Fiscal Discipline On A Very Liberal Massachusetts Legislature." "[O]n balance, he imposed some much-needed fiscal discipline on a very liberal Massachusetts Legislature." (The Club For Growth, "Mitt Romney's Record On Economic Issues," Press Release, 8/21/2007)
http://www.freerepublic.com/~unmarkedpackage/#spending

[redgirlinabluestate]

Mitt Romney's September 2009 prediction (hope he's right):

"Let me make a prediction, for our cause, and for all those who speak for it with no apology, we’re about to see a comeback. Voters in New Jersey have just about had it with the high-taxers in charge of their state. And just across the Potomac River, the signs are good that we’re about to see a low-tax, pro-growth, pro-life governor of Virginia."

[Diogenesis]

What you say is opposite what the CATO Institute found
(see #7 above). Were the numbers made up by you or MLK?

[redgirlinabluestate]

Cato Institute Tax Policy Studies Director Chris Edwards: "Romney's Plan Is Entirely A Supply-Side Tax Policy. ... Every Point Is Good For The Economy." (Donald Lambro, Op-Ed, "Party Divide Wide On The Economy," The Washington Times, 10/07/2007)

Governor Mitt Romney pledges, if elected President, to cap non-defense, discretionary federal spending at inflation minus 1 percent (CPI-1%). That would save $300 billion in ten years.

Romney pledges to veto any federal budget that exceeds the cap. Mitt Romney pledges to personally lead a top-to-bottom review of federal government programs, agencies, procurement and spending to eliminate waste, inefficiency and duplication. His administration will undertake an exhaustive review of each individual federal program with the goal to eliminate and consolidate programs that are no longer useful or are bureaucratic and unwieldy. Federal spending programs do not have a right to immortality, and should not enjoy automatic increases year after year. (Romney For President, "The Romney Agenda: A Conservative Blueprint To Restrain Government Spending," Press Release, 11/15/2007)

[redgirlinabluestate]

From 2003-2005 Massachusetts Led All New England States In Economic Growth. "Massachusetts' economic growth accelerated 2.9 percent last year, best in New England..." (Robert Gavin, "Mass. Economy Grew 2.9% In '06, Best In New England," The Boston Globe, 6/08/2007)

During Governor Romney's Term, Massachusetts Per Capita Personal Income Grew By 14%, Outpacing Per Capita Personal Income Growth For The Entire United States. In 2003, Massachusetts per capita personal income was $39,442 and rose to $45,877 in 2006. (U.S. Department Of Commerce, Bureau Of Economic Analysis, "State Annual Personal Income," www.bea.gov, Accessed: 7/29/2007)

[Diogenesis]

Romney’s actual failures in Massachusetts trump
his promises now since he promises anything, always.

RINO backstabber, socialist Mitt Romney:
“Make all the promises you have to...”

---

"Romney in Seven Words"
"On Wednesday, after his loss in the New Hampshire primary, Gov. Mitt Romney returned to Boston
to lick his wounds and conduct a telephone fundraiser before heading off to his next must win state of Michigan.
ABC Radio microphones were there and they featured an audio quote from Romney in their top of the hour news broadcasts.
Romney was encouraging his phone bank volunteers with a little pep talk when he unintentionally summed up his entire campaign;
ironically hitting upon the reason why he has failed to gain any traction with conservatives despite spending the most money of any Republican.
ABC News Radio was contacted by telephone and confirmed the following quote from their report.
" Hit the phones today make all the promises you have to, and…
make sure that we get the funds that we need to keep on propelling this campaign forward with power and energy.
“Make all the promises you have to.”
That’s Romney in a nutshell.
Of all the Republicans running, he alone has sought to clarify, cover,
and indeed change past positions in an attempt to curry favor with conservatives.
In the process, Romney has developed a reputation not as a principled conservative,
but as a politician who will say almost anything and take almost any position to win votes. "

---

MINDFUL DATA FROM CATO INSTITUTE ABOUT MASS UNDER ROMNEY

"As U.S. real output grew 13 percent between 2002 and 2006, Massachusetts trailed at 9 percent.
* Manufacturing employment fell 7 percent nationwide those years,
but sank 14 percent under Romney, placing Massachusetts 48th among the states.
* Between fall 2003 and autumn 2006, U.S. job growth averaged 5.4 percent,
nearly three times Massachusetts' anemic 1.9 percent pace."

[EternalVigilance]

As usual, Romney makes an argument against unconstitutional socialistic garbage on purely utilitarian grounds, instead of on moral or constitutional grounds.

As usual, he’s criticizing the Democrats only on the basis that he could more effectively implement socialism than they are doing so.

The irony is that he is right. He could, and has. In fact, he’s without a doubt the most effective implementer of socialism at the state level in American history.

[redgirlinabluestate]

— Massachusetts Citizens For Limited Taxation Executive Director Barbara Anderson: "There was no one else out on the horizon and with the legislature almost entirely Democratic, we felt it was necessary to have a grown-up in the corner office. ... And we were right to back him. He's been a really good friend to the taxpayers." (Shawn Macomber, "Mighty Mitt Romney," The American Spectator, March 2006)

Romney Record On Cutting Taxes In Massachusetts:

CAPITAL GAINS TAXES: Governor Romney was instrumental in passing a bill abolishing a retroactive capital gains tax in the state that would have forced nearly 50,000 taxpayers to pay an additional $250 million in state taxes and fees. In addition, the new law authorized tax refunds totaling between $225 million and $275 million over four years to an estimated 157,000 taxpayers who had already paid portions of the retroactive tax. (Office of Gov. Mitt Romney, "Romney Signs Bill Abolishing Retroactive Tax," Press Release, 12/08/2005) • Video: On Fighting for Lower Taxes (a MUST SEE, learn about the clever political tactic Gov. Romney employed to get citizens involved and on his side for tax relief)

INVESTMENT TAX CREDIT: Governor Romney Signed An Economic Stimulus Package Making The 3% Investment Tax Credit (ITC) Permanent. (Office of Gov. Mitt Romney, "Romney Signs Economic Stimulus, Supplemental Budget Bills," Press Release, 11/26/2003)

BIOTECH MANUFACTURING JOBS TAX REBATE: Governor Romney Proposed And Enacted A Tax Rebate For Manufacturing Jobs Created In The Biotechnology, Life Sciences And Medical Device Fields. (Office of Gov. Mitt Romney, "Romney Signs Economic Stimulus, Supplemental Budget Bills," Press Release, 11/26/2003)

2004 SALES TAX HOLIDAY: Governor Romney Enacted The State's First-Ever Sales Tax Holiday In 2004 (Office of Gov. Mitt Romney, "Romney Promotes Tax-Free Shopping Day On Saturday," Press Release, 8/11/2004)

2005 SALES TAX HOLIDAY: Governor Romney Enacted A Second Sales Tax Holiday (Office of Gov. Mitt Romney, "Romney, Dimasi, Hart Promote Tax-Free Shopping Weekend," Press Release, 8/11/2005)

PROPERTY TAX RELIEF: Governor Romney Proposed And Signed Legislation Providing Property Tax Relief To Senior Citizens, Enabling Them To Keep Their Homes. (Office of Gov. Mitt Romney, "Romney Signs Bill to Give Seniors Tax Relief," Press Release, 11/20/2005)

VETERANS TAX RELIEF: Governor Romney Signed Legislation Providing Disabled Massachusetts Veterans With Extensive Tax Exemptions. (Office of Gov. Mitt Romney, "Romney Expands Tax Benefits for Disabled Veterans," Press Release, 8/14/2006)

COMMUTER TAX RELIEF: Governor Romney Signed Legislation Allowing Commuters To Deduct Transportation Costs From Their Income Taxes. The legislation allowed commuters who spend more than $150 a year on tolls or MBTA passes to deduct up to $750 a year in commuting expenses from their state income taxes. Joint filers could claim up to $1,500. (Office of Gov. Mitt Romney, "Governor Romney Signs $25.2 Billion FY 2007 State Budget," Press Release, 7/08/2006)

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT TAX CREDIT: Governor Romney Proposed And Enacted An Expansion Of The Research And Development Tax Credit (Jay Fitzgerald, "Gov Nearly Halves Package; Rebellious Legislators Vow To Override Stimulus Vetoes," The Boston Herald, 11/27/2003)

LOW-INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT: Governor Romney Extended The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (Jessica Fargen, "Romney Pegs Courthouses For Repair Money," The Patriot Ledger, 8/11/2004)

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS TAX RELIEF: Governor Romney Ended The Prescription Drug Tax Which Fell Disproportionately On Seniors (Office of Gov. Mitt Romney, "Romney Signs No New Tax Budget In Time For New Fiscal Year," Press Release, 6/30/2003)

HOME HEATING OIL DEDUCTION/ENERGY EFFICIENT CREDIT: Governor Romney Signed Legislation Giving Homeowners A Deduction Of Up To $800 For Home Heating Costs And Providing A One-Time Credit For Homeowners Who Purchase Energy Efficient Heating Products. (Office of Gov. Mitt Romney, "Romney Signs Legislation To Provide Energy Price Relief And Increase Conservation," Press Release, 11/22/2005)

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: Governor Romney Proposed And Enacted A Refundable Tax Credit To Promote Development At The Former Fort Devens U.S. Army Base. (Stephen Heuser, "$660M Drug Plant, 550 Jobs For Mass.," The Boston Globe, 6/02/2006)

FIRE SAFETY TAX DEDUCTION: Governor Romney Proposed And Enacted A Tax Deduction For Businesses Installing Automatic Sprinkler Systems To Enhance Fire Safety. (Office of Gov. Mitt Romney, "Romney Signs Into Law Landmark Fire Safety Legislation," Press Release, 8/17/2004)

CONFORMITY TO FEDERAL INCOME TAX CODE: Under Governor Romney, Massachusetts Was Brought Into Conformity With The Federal Code, Providing Massachusetts Taxpayers With A Range Of Credits, Exemptions and Deductions Previously Unavailable To Them. (Office of Gov. Mitt Romney, "Romney Urges Taxpayers To File For New Tax Breaks," Press Release, 1/24/2006)

MEDICAL DEVICE TAX CREDIT: Governor Romney Enacted Legislation Providing A Tax Credit For User Fees Paid By Medical Device Manufacturers to The U.S. Food And Drug Administration. (The General Court Of The Commonwealth Of Massachusetts, Chapter 123 Of The Acts Of 2006, "An Act Relative to Economic Investments in the Commonwealth to Promote Job Creation, Economic Stability, and Competitiveness in the Massachusetts Economy," 7/08/2006)

MOTION PICTURE TAX CREDIT: Governor Romney Signed Legislation Providing Tax Incentives For Movie And Television Production In Massachusetts. (Office of Gov. Mitt Romney, "'Lights, Camera, Action!' In Massachusetts," Press Release, 11/23/2005)

BROWNFIELD REDEVELOPMENT TAX CREDIT EXTENTION: Governor Romney Signed Legislation Extending The Tax Credit For Brownfield Site Redevelopment ("Campaign Notes," The Berkshire Eagle, 7/08/2006)

HISTORIC REHABILITATION TAX CREDIT: Under Governor Romney, The Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Was Created Which Provides A Tax Credit For The Renovation Of Historic Buildings (The General Court Of The Commonwealth Of Massachusetts, Chapter 141 Of The Acts Of 2003, "An Act Relative To Investments In Emerging Technologies To Promote Job Creation, Economic Stability And Competitiveness In The Massachusetts Economy")

When Gov. Romney left office in 2007, there were 600 fewer government workers employed by the state of Massachusetts than at the beginning of his term. Spending in the Governor's office dropped from $5.6 million in 2002 to $4.6 million in 2006. (Office of Gov. Mitt Romney, "Romney Transfers Funds From Governor's Office to Pay Military Benefit," Press Release, 11/03/2006) Mitt Romney never took a paycheck for his time as Governor of Massachusetts. ("Romney passes up $135K governor salary," Boston Business Journal, 12/31/2002)

[Diogenesis]

How can you use Romney Press releases from 2002 and 2003 to coverup his failures?

How about looking at what was said at the end of Bishop Romney's carpetbagging rule?

“The Massachusetts Republican Party died last Tuesday.
The cause of death: failed leadership.
The party is survived by a few leftover legislators
and a handful of county officials and grassroots activists
who have been ignored for years.
Services will be public and a mass exodus of taxpayers will follow.
In lieu of flowers, send messages to Republican voters
warning them about a certain presidential candidate named Romney.”
- Boston Herald, 11/12/2006

---

"In 2006, while Romney was chairman of the National Republican
Governors Association - a group dedicated to electing more
Republican governors - his own hand-picked Republican successor
as governor lost badly to the Democrat, despite the fact that Republicans
have held the governorship in Massachusetts since 1990. Romney largely
ignored the Massachusetts elections and spent most of the time
during the campaign out of state building his presidential campaign.
He came back and publicly campaigned for the Republican candidate
the day before the general election!
“Locally, this is a rebuke to Mitt Romney and checking out within six months
after being elected and having accomplished almost nothing,”
[Jim] Rappaport [former chairman of the state Republican Party]."
- Boston Globe, 11/8/2006

As Gov of Massachusetts, Romney managed to raise taxes on New Hampshire residents.

How Romney is that?

[ladyjane]

It’s a losing battle trying to say anything positive about Romney at this site. You’ll find more positive comments about Steele or Gingrich here than you will about Romney.