Mitt Promises Third Bush Term

Mitt's millions may have bought himself a second-place showing at the Iowa caucuses, but he can't buy credibility. Even Republicans think Romney is telling them what he thinks they want to hear instead of what he really believes. Read more on the 2008 Republican candidates.

FOUR MORE YEARS? No Thanks!!!

Mitt Romney Means A Third Bush Term

IRAQ: NO PLAN TO END THE WAR IN IRAQ

Mitt Romney: I Wouldn't Presume To Do It Differently From Bush. During an appearance on the O'Reilly Factor, Mitt Romney said, "I wouldn't presume to present a plan different from that of the President. But I believe he was right to take on the war on terror on an aggressive front rather than a defensive front. We toppled the government ... walking away would mean a humanitarian disaster. We're there and we have a responsibility to finish the job." [O'Reilly Factor, FNC, 9/27/06]

Romney Displays "Superficial" Knowledge on Iraq. A Time Magazine column highlighted Romney's "superficial" knowledge of the war and other top issues and blasted Romney for "the brazen cynicism of his candidacy," saying "he skims the surface of issues" in a stump speech that "never mentions Iraq." In fact, on a recent swing through New Hampshire, Romney "cruised through two performances before the word Iraq perforated his balloon." When finally asked about it by a high school student, Romney "offered a welter of details… which sounded sort of knowledgeable but was actually quite superficial" before getting to the point: "he would support the President." [Time.com, 5/31/07]

HEALTH CARE: NO PLAN TO EXPAND COVERAGE AND CUT COSTS

Mitt Romney Embraced Bush's Idea of Creating Tax Benefits to Encourage Americans to Buy Private Insurance. "Like President Bush, Romney would create tax benefits for people who buy private insurance. He would also reduce the requirements that states and the federal government put on private plans." [Washington Post, 8/29/07]

SOCIAL SECURITY: PRIVATIZATION AND BENEFIT CUTS

Mitt Romney Plans "Deep Cuts" in Social Security. Romney "[I]s weighing a cut in the top individual tax rate from the current 35 percent; a reduction in the corporate income tax; and deep cuts in automatic-benefit programs such as Medicare and Social Security.[Bloomberg, 2/7/2007]

Romney Now Intrigued by Idea of Reduction in Benefits and Privatization. Romney aides say he is intrigued by the ideas of Democrat Robert Posen who served on Bush's 2001 Social Security Commission. Posen's plan calls for "progressive indexation" that maintains the current Social Security benefit formula for the poor while providing gradual benefit reductions for wealthier individuals. The plan also allows people who receive reduced benefits to put as much as 2 percent of their pay into private investment accounts. [Salt Lake Tribune, 2/7/07]

Romney Previously Promised Not to Cut Social Security. Romney said he would not cut Social Security to meet his goal of balancing the federal budget. "I don't think you go back and rewrite the contract the government has with people who've retired." [Boston Globe, 10/17/2004]

TAXES – MORE BUDGET-BUSTING FAVORS FOR THE WEALTHY AND SPECIAL INTERESTS

Mitt Romney Bragged about Support for Bush Tax Cuts. During a November 2006 press conference held in Arizona, Romney outlined differences between himself and McCain. Romney said "he was quicker than McCain to endorse President Bush's tax cuts." [East Valley Sun, 11/14/2006]

Washington Post: Romney's Tax Plan "Poorly Designed, Expensive." The Washington Post criticized Romney's tax proposal in October 2007, saying that his tax "scheme" was "poorly designed, expensive" and that Americans already have "ample opportunity to save tax-free, with an array of vehicles for retirement and education savings." [Washington Post editorial, 10/16/2007]

FACT: Vast Majority of Savings Would Benefit the Wealthy. "Critics pointed out that while many families would benefit, the vast majority of the total dollar savings would go to the wealthy, who own the most stocks, have the biggest bank accounts, and reap the most capital gains from real estate and other investments." [Boston Globe, 9/8/2007]