Juan Williams made two extraordinary statements on Fox News Sunday; I’ll show you here why both are flawed.


The first eyebrow raising statement is that “people don’t think Obama is beatable.” …Not true. According to the latest Rasmussen poll released just today, fifty-two percent (52%) disapprove of the President’s performance. The fact that more than 50% of people aren’t happy with the President, when the Presidential election is on the verge of commencement, is a good indicator that Obama is vulnerable and can certainly be beaten.


The second statement that Juan Williams made is nothing short of shocking — even Chris Wallace had to stop to confirm his statement. Williams claimed that Mitt Romney is too scared to run against President Obama in 2012 and is simply looking for ways to raise his speaking fees and book sales.  You can hear the incredulity in Wallace’s voice when he asked if Williams really thought that Mitt Romney wasn’t in the race yet because he’s afraid of Obama.

Mr. William’s claims are flat out misleading:

Here’s what we do know about Mitt Romney: He hasn’t received any compensation from his books, Turnaround: Crisis, Leadership, and the Olympic Games or No Apology: Believe in America. Mitt Romney isn’t the kind of person to charge a high fee for his work. Mitt Romney contributed $1 million to the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics and refused to accept the $280,000 salary for his work unless the Olympic games broke even. He also refused monetary compensation while working as Governor of Massachusetts.

We’re also scratching our heads because its not like Mitt Romney really needs the dough — we all know that Mitt’s been a bread-maker, in that sense, his entire adult life. It makes no sense that the former governor would need to increase his book sales and speaking fees. Trust me Juan, Mitt has his finances in order — not many potential 2012 contenders can say that.

Finally, the idea that Mitt Romney is afraid to go up against Barack Obama is nonsensical. Mitt Romney has been itching to go up against Obama since the day of his inauguration. Romney has been an outspoken critic of the way Obama has mishandled our country; this criticism is evidenced in Romney’s many op-eds schooling Obama on a wide range of issues such as taxes, the START Treaty, the economy, health care, foreign policy, and other important issues. Romney has become the anti-Obama.

So let’s be real here — it is Obama, not Romney, who is shaking in his boots at the mere thought of a head-to-head with the competence and brilliance of the former Massachusetts Governor.


-Jared A

A few words from Nate Gunderson:

Mitt didn’t charge 2010 candidate campaigns to join their events, but legally the candidates’ campaigns are obligated to pay his traveling expense – otherwise his costs to attend the event would be considered an in-kind donation. I’ve heard a lot of candidates were grateful for his thoughtfulness when traveling for them as he didn’t insist on flying first-class or staying in 5-star hotels, or on bringing a huge entourage.

On another note – when Mitt was doing large speeches last year to promote his book he did not charge fees for himself, but the PAC did require the institution to purchase copies of the book to give to attendees (proceeds, as mentioned went ultimately to charity). This method got his book out to a lot of people who otherwise may not have purchased it, and assisted him to #1 on the NYT bestsellers list. Sounds pretty darn smart to me.

For Romney, his books were about sharing ideas, not about earning a buck.

Final note: When Mitt left Bain Capital to go back and bail out his old business, Bain and Co., he only took the minimum token salary of $1 a year.

Part 3 in a developing series of in-depth analysis by Dr. Jeff Fuller (See part 1 and part 2)

I was saving this to be the final part in this series, but Romney’s comments over the weekend in New Hampshire made it instantly timely and relevant to this on-going discussion.

Politico got the headline right, “Mitt Romney’s Prescription for ObamaCare: Repeal it.”  I recommend reading or watching Mitt’s speech to the Carroll County GOP group in their entirety, but some specific comments stick out: 

Obamacare has to be repealed and the other programs have to be made sustainable. . . . If we re-shape each of these programs today, and repeal Obamacare, we can honor our promises to seniors, and protect our economy as well. . . .  At every turn, he and his fellow liberals sought to seize more power for Washington.  And in that cause, nothing was more misguided and egregious than Obamacare! 

Living in New Hampshire, you’ve heard of our healthcare program next door in Massachusetts. You may have noticed that the President and his people spend more time talking about me and Massachusetts healthcare than Entertainment Tonight spends talking about Charlie Sheen [link to part 1 in this series documenting all the "attention" Mitt's been getting from the White House on Health Care].  Our approach was a state plan intended to address problems that were in many ways unique to Massachusetts.  What we did was what the Constitution intended for states to do—we were one of the laboratories of democracy. 

Our experiment wasn’t perfect—some things worked, some didn’t, and some things I’d change. One thing I would never do is to usurp the constitutional power of states with a one-size-fits-all federal takeover. 

I would repeal Obamacare, if I were ever in a position to do so.  

My experience has taught me that states are where healthcare programs for the uninsured should be crafted, just as the Constitution provides. Obamacare is bad law, bad policy, and it is bad for America’s families.

Can Romney be trusted to keep this campaign promise?  Some skeptics will never be satisfied, but I challenge any reader to point out an actual instance where Romney broke his campaign promises as Governor of Massachusetts (should be pretty darn easy to do for someone who flips and flops with the political winds, eh?).  Yes, Romney has a record of keeping campaign promises and can be trusted to keep this one.

And Romney’s been consistant in his opposition to ObamaCare and calling for it’s repeal.  Immediately after passage, Romney called for it’s repeal, citing procedural and substantive reasons:

America has just witnessed an unconscionable abuse of power. President Obama has betrayed his oath to the nation — rather than bringing us together, ushering in a new kind of politics, and rising above raw partisanship, he has succumbed to the lowest denominator of incumbent power: justifying the means by extolling the ends. He promised better; we deserved better.

He calls his accomplishment “historic” — in this he is correct, although not for the reason he intends. Rather, it is an historic usurpation of the legislative process — he unleashed the nuclear option, enlisted not a single Republican vote in either chamber, bribed reluctant members of his own party, paid-off his union backers, scapegoated insurers, and justified his act with patently fraudulent accounting. What Barack Obama has ushered into the American political landscape is not good for our country; in the words of an ancient maxim, “what starts twisted, ends twisted.”

His health-care bill is unhealthy for America. It raises taxes, slashes the more private side of Medicare, installs price controls, and puts a new federal bureaucracy in charge of health care. It will create a new entitlement even as the ones we already have are bankrupt. For these reasons and more, the act should be repealed. That campaign begins today.

In May 2009, as Obama and congress were barrelling towards a health care reform bill, Romney offered 6 points of advice in an op-ed, the last of which was:

Center reforms at the state level. Open the door to state plans designed to meet the various needs of their citizens.  Before imposing a one-size-fits-all federal program, let the states serve as “the laboratories of democracy.”

In a very informative and extensive interview Romney held with Human Events Online in July 2009, headlined as “Romney Attacks ObamaCare” he says of the President’s plan:

It’s filled with so many defects it’s hard to know where exactly to begin.  . . . President Obama, out of an apparent desire to score a victory, is not willing to give health care the deliberative process it deserves. . . . [And he says regarding the "public option"] It’s a bad idea and should be rejected.

Romney also penned an Op-Ed in the USA Today in July 2009 entitled “Mr President, What’s the Rush?”

Fast-forwarding a bit, on April 7th 2010, at  the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at St. Anselm College in Manchester, Romney said:

Had they brought the federal bill to my desk when I was governor, I’d have vetoed it,” . . .  ”We solved a problem in the state with a state answer,” Romney said. “We didn’t have the federal government come in and intrude on the rights of states.” . . .  Romney said the federal government created its plan without learning from Massachusetts or any other state. “It shouldn’t have been put in place without experimentation,”

Jumping back to the last presidential election primary, in Jan, 2008, all of the major GOP nominee’s (including Romney) were against a federal healthcare plan:

Giuliani, McCain, Romney, Huckabee, and Thompson are all opposed to health care reform measures that incorporate universal coverage.  Tax breaks, high deductible plans, consumerism – all are fine, but no GOP presidential candidates support universal coverage.

Even waaaaaay back in 1993-4, Romney was against a federal ”Government Takeover of Health Care” . . . which, at the time, was known as HillaryCare.  For completeness sake, Romney also opposed HillaryCare 2.0 in 2007.

Recent headlines are starting to see the forest for the trees.  In an article titled “Voters: ‘RomneyCare’ not fatal” New Hampshire’s Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley wisely opined:  

“People get it. … They know he is opposed to Obamacare. That’s the bottom line.”

I would only add to the “bottom line” that, not only is Romney opposed to ObamaCare, he will work towards and sign a repeal of the law as one of his first actions as our new President.  You can take that one to the bank.

UPDATE:  Two weeks after this posting, Romney has upped the ante on his rejection of ObamaCare and his willingness to fight for it’s repeal.  In a brief National Review Online Op-ed on March 22nd entitled “If I Were President: ObamaCare, One Year in” he brought up a new angle that I hadn’t considered:

If I were president, on Day One I would issue an executive order paving the way for Obamacare waivers to all 50 states. The executive order would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services and all relevant federal officials to return the maximum possible authority to the states to innovate and design health-care solutions that work best for them.

As I have stated time and again, a one-size-fits-all national plan that raises taxes is simply not the answer. Under our federalist system, the states are “laboratories of democracy.” They should be free to experiment. By the way, what works in one state may not be the answer for another. Of course, the ultimate goal is to repeal Obamacare and replace it with free-market reforms that promote competition and lower health-care costs. But since an outright repeal would take time, an executive order is the first step in returning power to the states.

Powerful, pragmatice leadership, with both experience and foresight.  That’s what our country needs in the White House, and that’s what Mitt Romney has in spades!

-Jeff Fuller, M.D.
*Stay Tuned: Future installments will address topics of 1) Federalism, 2) Mandates, 3) Whether or not RomneyCare is a “success”, and 4) a head to head comparison of RomneyCare vs ObamaCare.  Previous installment titles:  ”Mitt Romney vs. Health Care: ‘The Problem’ (Or is it?)“and “Mitt Romney vs. Health Care: Why RomneyCare Makes Mitt the BEST Nominee to Face Obama”

It’s full steam ahead for Mitt Romney this weekend.

In what some consider to be the “unofficial start of his Granite State campaign”, Governor Romney delivered the keynote address to an enthusiastic audience at the Lincoln Day Dinner fundraiser for the Carroll Co Republican Committee in Bartlett, New Hampshire. The speech was live streamed.

Speaking for the first time in New Hampshire since the midterms, Romney’s speech was anticipated:

The Hill

[...]“Senator Obama campaigned hard in New Hampshire but he apparently didn’t like what he saw. He certainly didn’t learn from it,” Romney will say in the speech. “Instead of lowering taxes, he raised them. He wrapped businesses in red tape, he grew government, he borrowed trillions of dollars, and he made it clear that he doesn’t like business people very much.”

Additionally, Obama will blame the Obama administration for an insufficient economic recovery.

“He created a deeper recession, and delayed the recovery,” Romney continues in the speech. “The consequence is soaring numbers of Americans enduring unemployment, foreclosures and bankruptcies. This is the Obama Misery Index, and it is at a record high. It’s going to take more than new rhetoric to put Americans back to work—it’s going to take a new president.”
[...]

Romney also addressed Massahcusetts’ private-market insurance program. Kathryn Jean Lopez from National Review Online immediately posted those particular remarks:

Living in New Hampshire, you’ve heard of our healthcare program next door in Massachusetts. You may have noticed that the President and his people spend more time talking about me and Massachusetts healthcare than Entertainment Tonight spends talking about Charlie Sheen.

Our approach was a state plan intended to address problems that were in many ways unique to Massachusetts. What we did was what the Constitution intended for states to do—we were one of the laboratories of democracy.

Our experiment wasn’t perfect—some things worked, some didn’t, and some things I’d change. One thing I would never do is to usurp the constitutional power of states with a one-size-fits-all federal takeover.

I would repeal Obamacare, if I were ever in a position to do so. My experience has taught me that states are where healthcare programs for the uninsured should be crafted, just as the Constitution provides. Obamacare is bad law, bad policy, and it is bad for America’s families.
[...]

Read more here.

Videos of Romney’s speech:

Full transcript of the Gov’s speech can be read here.

Here’s a fun tweet from the event:

@JimMerrillNH: And @MittRomney just bought a quilt from auctioneer/Speaker Chandler for $350 -proceeds benefit Carroll CO GOP

Romney will also speak at The Club for Growth’s 2011 Winter Economic Conference this weekend.

UPDATE – In the likelihood Mitt will run for POTUS, two influential New Hampshire Republicans endorsed Mitt on the eve of his return to The Granite State:

Veteran Executive Councilor Raymond Burton of Bath and state Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley of Wolfeboro told the Primary Status they will endorse the former Massachusetts governor should he run, as is expected.

They cited his background in the private sector and experience as governor as the best formula for growing the economy, creating jobs and reducing the deficit. Neither endorsed in the 2008 presidential election.

H/t to Zeke @RightSpeak for videos.

► Jayde Wyatt

~Update from Ross

First I just want to highlight the fact that Mitt addressed entitlements head on in this speech. Gov. Christie and many others have said that no one was talking about entitlements, so we can point to this speech whenever people say that (Mitt’s book “No Apology” talks about entitlements extensively as well).

Also, the following line was one I’ve been dying to hear Mitt say for quite some time: “You may have noticed that the President and his people spend more time talking about me and Massachusetts healthcare than Entertainment Tonight spends talking about Charlie Sheen.”

Finally, check out this interview from right before Mitt’s speech.

Governor Romney is speaking at the Carroll County Lincoln Day Dinner tonight at approximately 7:00 pm (EST) . Click here to watch the speech LIVE on Facebook http://mi.tt/fvdzou

Update:
Read Jayde’s write up on the event here: Mitt Romney in New Hampshire, Delivers Keynote Speech at GOP Lincoln Day Dinner

Two “Power Rankings” of the 2012 GOP hopeful nominees have come our way in the last 24 hours.  The Washington Post‘s “The Fix” has had Romney at the top of the line for a long time running.  I’m predicting he stays there until Mitt actually wins the nomination!  The top 7 are listed below:

1. Romney
2. Pawlenty
3. Palin
4. Gingrich
5. Huckabee
6. Daniels
7. Barbour

Seperately, The Economist provided their, admittedly, rough rankings in the graphic below:

Two things initially stick out when reviewing these rankings: 

1. Romney and Pawlenty are #1 and #2 in both (and I like Mitt’s chances against a charisma-challenged candidate who still does not break above 5% in any national or early state poll).
2. The other “big name” candidates, namely, Palin, Huckabee, and Gingrich have relatively low rankings at an average of 3.5, 5, and 5 respectively. 

Although there’s a certain target that comes with being the front-runner, Mitt’s been leading the pack and wearing that target for some time now.  He’s shown that he can handle the attention and fire that comes with holding the “Pole Position.”

What was Mitt Romney doing in Atlanta, Georgia yesterday?

A whole lot of listening and a little talking.

Romney met privately with business leaders to discuss jobs and the economy. Though Romney hasn’t announced his intentions to run for president, he presumably was also strengthening his fundraising network. During the last presidential race, he came in 3rd place in the GA presidential primary with 30% of the vote.

Romney made another important stop in Atlanta and tweeted about it:

Mitt Romney: Just got a Trim at Tommy’s in Atlanta http://twitpic.com/45fama

Unbeknownst to the Gov, his tweet dispelled a brief false notion bandied about in Twitterville a few weeks ago that he spends hundreds of dollars on John Edwards-like haircuts. (We know that isn’t true – he’s Mr. Frugal!)

Politico 3/2/11

Mitt Romney stopped by Tommy Thomas’s barber shop in Atlanta on Tuesday for a trim.
[...]
Thomas charges $16 for a trim, but he offered to give Romney a cut for free — but the well-coiffed former governor refused and gave Thomas a $20 bill, telling him to keep the change.

Romney tweeted this picture of himself on Tuesday in Atlanta and said: “Brave Tommy, taming the beast with clippers and a comb.”

“He’s got a nice head of hair. He’s got the hair, he’s got the looks, got the whole package,” Thomas told POLITICO.

“We talked about just what’s going on in the economy and things like that,” he added. “Then we cut up about the weather.”

Romney’s unexpected stop lasted about 15 minutes, and he took pictures and talked politics with all of Thomas’s patrons.
[...]

(my emphasis)
Good job, Tommy! Looks like the ‘beast’ got a proper shearing…

UPDATE

Sam Olens, Georgia’s Attorney General, tweeted this today:

samolens: I had a great time at lunch today with our next President, Mitt Romney.

An interesting note… Olens won his election last November, but he had to break through one of the oldest barriers in Georgia politics to do so. He was the first Jewish candidate to win a statewide, partisan race in Georgia. Congratulations to Sam Olens! (Mitt endorsed Olens last fall.)

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Romney was busy yesterday!

We know the Gov is a master at cutting budget waste, staunchly advocates cutting government spending, and wants to stuff Uncle Sam’s credit card in the shredder. To put muscle behind supporting GOP efforts in Washington to cut spending, his Free and Strong America PAC contributed a walloping $83,500 to 40 U.S. Senate and House leaders.

Romney’s statement:

“It is important that we stand with our Republican Members of Congress and show that we support their pro-growth agenda and their efforts to reduce the size of government,” Romney said. “Now is the time for all of us to send a powerful message that Americans will no longer tolerate the Washington culture of higher taxes, higher spending, and higher debt.

To see the substantial list of those receiving donations, click here.

In addition, Romney donated $124,500 to 50 additional U.S. Senate and House Republicans in January. In just two months, his PAC’s total year-to-date generosity comes to over $200,000. Let’s keep up our support for Free and Strong America.

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News today points further to a presidential run for Gov Romney. He has hired a new Communications Director:

Andrea Saul, a veteran of political campaigns in the western US, is joining Mitt Romney’s political action committee as the Republican readies for a second presidential campaign.

In a statement today, Romney said Saul will serve as a communications adviser to the Free and Strong America PAC.

Review Saul’s substantial credentials here.

Eric Fehrnstrom has been Mitt’s right hand man in taking care of most of Romney’s communications in the past. According to the article, his focus will be more on helping Mitt develop advertising strategy and television commercials (another good Romney candidacy sign!).

Fehrnstrom tweet this morning:

Welcoming Andrea Saul to Romney PAC! Fun fact: Andrea first met Mitt when she was running surrogate ops for McCain-Palin.

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Looking ahead, Governor Romney will continue his listening tour in Florida and New Hampshire this Saturday.

► Jayde Wyatt

Update: Pump fake! Looks like it’s not going to happen Thursday.

Looks like Newt is gonna be the first to enter the horse race!

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will launch a presidential “exploratory” campaign this week, becoming the first big-name GOP candidate to take a formal step toward a White House bid.

A senior Republican official confirmed the news, first reported by ABC, to National Journal.

Gingrich already has planned two trips this month to states where the first presidential contests will take place next year: He’s scheduled an appearance in Iowa on March 7 and one in New Hampshire on March. 17.

He brings major assets — and baggage — to the 2012 campaign. But several Republicans who served with Gingrich think the pluses outweigh everything else. Read more

And so it begins…

I came across this satirical piece at JimmerPOY.com, and just had to share:

There were 25 scouts on hand to witness the jaw-dropping Jimmer Show at SDSU’s Viejas Arena on Saturday. While 24 of the scouts represented NBA teams interested in evaluating Jimmer’s basketball skills, one scout was interested in vetting the point guard from Glens Falls, NY, for a position that would take him off the court… and into the White House.

Seated among the sea of red and black, Mitt Romney and his son watched Jimmer and the BYU Cougars dominate the #4 SDSU Aztecs. Romney claimed he enjoys watching basketball and supporting his alma mater, but the anticipated 2012 presidential contender likely had different motives for attending this game.

“He wants America to get Jimmered,” an anonymous source said. “Mitt caught Jimmer-fever months ago and he strongly believes that the easiest way to the Oval Office is with Jimmer on his ticket. Jimmer as a VP candidate is a smart move.”

Read the rest here.

I wonder what’s on President Obama’s mind when it comes to the 2012 election?  Politico recently reported:

President Obama on Monday once again brought up Mitt Romney’s role in expanding health care in Massachusetts, . . .

Speaking to governors of both parties, Obama said Romney actually had a decent idea about addressing the country’s health care system. “I know that many of you have asked for flexibility for your states under this law,” Obama said at the White House. “In fact, I agree with Mitt Romney, who recently said he’s proud of what he accomplished on health care in Massachusetts and supports giving states the power to determine their own health care solutions.”

This re-emphasis by the President just re-confirms that Obama’s got Romney Fever . . . and he just can’t shake it!   And it’s obviously highly contagious since all his closest aides have it too (Axelrod, Gibbs, Daley).  In fact, the rest of that Politico article reads eerily similar to my initial post in this Health Care series “Mitt Romney vs Health care:  ‘The Problem’ (Or is it?)”

Also, since first researching that post I’ve found even more supporting data where Obama  . . .

“We thought that if we shaped a bill that wasn’t that different from bills that that had previously been introduced by Republicans — including the Republican governor in Massachusetts who’s now running for president — that we would be able to find some common ground there, and we just couldn’t.”

and Gibbs . . .

“I’ve talked about the fact that this legislation looks an awful lot like what happened in Massachusetts, and I’m sure Governor Romney hates every time I say that. “

 . . . have sought occasion to drive a wedge between Romney and the conservative/libertarian base of the GOP.  Remember, Obama has no Democratic Primary fight . . . so he can use his resources and talking points to try to effect the outcome of the GOP nomination.  So, yesterday’s comment by our President  makes the tally for this specific line of attack on Romney to 3 for  Obama himself, 2 for Gibbs, 1 for Axelrod, and 1 for Daley.  At least Obama has been able to refrain from repeating his freudian slip of calling Romney the “current Republican Nominee.”   But, his actions are still speaking louder than even those words.

Nikki Haley, the current Governor of South Carolina made headlines today when she refused to commit to endorsing any potential 2012 candidate – including Sarah Palin:

South Carolina’s new Republican governor sent a signal on Sunday that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) might not expect candidates she endorsed in the 2010 elections to necessarily return the favor in 2012.

S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley (R) said that she doesn’t feel any special obligation to Palin, who endorsed Haley at a critical juncture of last year’s Republican gubernatorial primary.

“I have not in any way endorsed, plan on endorsing at this point in time at all. I want all the candidates to come to South Carolina,” Haley said on ABC when asked if she’d endorse Palin.

“I want the people of South Carolina to get to see them the way I know them. I want them to campaign hard. And then when right time comes, I will endorse. But there’s is no one that I feel like I owe at this time,” Haley added.

Sarah Palin isn’t the only person that endorsed her in her 2010 bid to become Governor. Mitt Romney also endorsed Nikki Haley as well and wrote out a $3,500 check to her campaign. It’s important to remember that Nikki Haley endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2008 elections. The only other potential 2012 candidate is Mike Huckabee but he did not endorse Governor Haley. Instead, he supported Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer.

The article then goes on to say getting Senator Jim DeMint’s approval could be a factor in winning the primary election in South Carolina:

The endorsement of the state’s conservative icon, Sen. Jim DeMint (R), could also be particularly important in determining the outcome of the primary.

Jim DeMint has been a long time fan of Mitt Romney. In fact, he endorsed Mitt Romney during the 2008 elections as seen in the clip below (Feb 6, 2007):

Capturing these endorsements for 2012 would be a nice plus for Romney because he did not win the 2008 South Carolina primaries:

In 2008 he spent more than $2 million on TV ads in the state to win 15.3 percent of the vote, carrying none of the state’s counties

South Carolina is important because it is usually the third state to host the primaries after New Hampshire and New Jersey. It is the first primary to be held in the South.

Winning South Carolina won’t be easy for Romney. He will still have to compete with Sarah Palin (if she decides to run) and other 2012 contenders for endorsements. His faith was a factor in the last presidential elections but may not be a bigger issue in this election. However, given that South Carolina is southern, it is an issue to consider. Finally, Romney came in fourth in the 2008 South Carolina primary.

While Governor Romney will face a challenge in winning the 2012 South Carolina primaries, I think he has the advantage here. There is a substantially high probability that he that he will get the endorsements from both Nikki Haley and Jim DeMint given that they both did support Romney during the 2008 Presidential elections.

Moreover, South Carolina is hurting economically. The unemployment rate is 10.7% and is declining. Thus, the biggest issue for the people of South Carolina will be the economy. Those who live there will surely want a strong, fiscally sound conservative who can create the necessary conditions for jobs to come back and improve the economy.

In my opinion, the best candidate for South Carolina is none other than Mitt Romney.