Here are my notes from tonight’s event. Any misinformation is the fault of the note taker.
Q: What’s on your nightstand?
We have iPod. Book: all the light I cannot see, scriptures, a lot of journals (scientific) We typically read the same thing. The write brothers red rising pierces brown.
Ann convinced mitt to run the summer games. It changed our life.
Q: You stay connected as a couple? what do you do to stay grounded?
We know what matters, what success really means. To win at life you have to be successful in other ways.
Mitt: Can’t define your life by campaigns. Our life is defined by our relationship to each other, kids etc. Politics is making a contribution with our lives. We had our 49th anniversary. It’s such a joy. By having our children young we have the energy to enjoy our life.
Q: What are you thinking about to represent Utah?
Want to change focus. Utah 29 counties 11 are shrinking. 4 counties there are more prescriptions for opioids than people. We face the challenge to help fast-growing counties. Returning to the constitution and get the federal government out of our business.
Q: How will Trade tariffs affect Utah?
China must recognize that business, as usual, will change. China has been cheating, stealing our patients. Products are artificially inexpensive. President you’ve got to change our rules or you will not have access to the biggest market of the USA.
Q: Relationship with President Trump?
In the past, I have not agreed with the President. How build a bridge go cross teasel. Make a difference.
The President respects people who say what they mean. I will call them like I see them. To get most things done in the Senate you must have a few Democrats to cross the aisle. Look for areas where we agree.
Q: How feel about junior senator?
I’m glad to hear I’m junior at age 70
Q: How feel about ‘me to’ (woman’s abuse)?
I’m glad people are getting caught. Have men recognize we must recognize the women we work with.
Q: Your feelings on immigration: daca and dreamers?
Troops go to the boards. This is not the first time it has happened. Obama and bush.
I like legal immigration. We welcome them to our shores. Our ancestors did it and current citizens are legal immigrants.
We need to top illegal immigration. That means a barrio, need a verification system, sanctions employers who don’t obey laws.
Daca young people: should have legal status. They should not be given a special (fast) pathway to citizenship. They need to get in line with the rest.
Q: What is your secret parent advice?
Ann: how do the mother and father interact with each other? Do they love and respect each other.
Mitt has never raised his voice to me. We love one other.
Most important to raise productive kids are to love your spouse (a child phycologist advised Mitt).
Ann pays a more important role in our family mitt recognized it.
I’m concerned by the growing sense of anger by either side. We are all Americans. Regan quote: it is not that the liberals are ignorant it’s just what they know is wrong.
Men to match my mountains: Irvin stone book to build America.
A bit about Mitt’s father:
How did as governor: wife; dad came from abject poverty. Grew up with Marian g Romney. Ann tell husband step up and do. Father became governor of a state, ran for president, and ran general motors.
Had an enormous impact on the children’s and grandchildren
Ann told Mitt to run elections.
Q: When mitt agreed to run Olympics?
Son told him there was nothing we had conceived to have your picture on the FrontPage of the sports section.
Q: Ann, how is your health with ms?
In remission. My job now is for those who are suffering are to lean on me. My turn to give them helping hand. And do all we can to give them cures. Have medical center to study disease. We have 250 researches working on brain disorders.
Q; would you give same speech on trump: would you say the same thing?
I like that he is targeting certain countries on the tariffs. If the president says something that is deemed abusive: I will point out that I disagree with. Integrity comes with a price. Trump is right to push against regulations. Stoop overreach of lands. Tings he accomplished for first year I’ve agreed with.
Q: of the US in the world?
Military: we need to have a high hurdle before we our men and women in harm’s way. Congress needs to be part of that decision.
It is a responsibly of free people they share our values with others. Show that free enterprise and freedom wor4ks. Use our trade and diplomacy to encourage and adopt new policies.
One reason our nations is doing so well is other parts of the country are doing well. Free enterprise is the best things in our favor.
Q: What is your hope to be your legacy?
Ann: want people to think in terms of integrity, intelligence, hope, goodness and all those wonderful virtues.
Mitt: I believe Utah values can be shared with Washington. Return to the principles of the constitution. Legislators govern our lives. We can’t keep spending more than we take in.
Believe in religious liberty.
They had a Q&A but only permitteind one shrot question for the audience. If I were to ask a question of Mitt, this is what I would say:
Congress has had a popularity ranking of 11% in the past.
Many citizens (even those who are not Trump voters) want to drain the swamp. Some news articles say that you may have opportunities offered to you that may not normally be offered to a junior senator. This could give a hint, you are part of the ‘old boy’s club.’ Past quotes from you, have identified you as a moderate.
Some delegates feel you (as a member of the ol boy’s club) would just keep the status quo of current policies similar to Senator Hatch who has decreased in popularity.
Do you plan to maintain the status quo and if not how do you plan to be different?
At another meeting with Mitt, I was able to ask a version of my question. He really didn’t answer me for him not being the same-o same-o. He just said he would follow his values.
Just got notice today that Mitt had obtain sufficient signature to bypass the delegate path of voting. So its a good chance he’ll be on the main state ballot no matter the voting of the delegates.
Just a head’s up.
Thanks for the report. Great information on where the Romney’s stand.
A state delegate posted this on delegate page:
Sylvia
Want to know how Mitt will govern? Here’s how he governed in Massachusetts? 1) Mitt instituted a health care plan for his state which was endorsed by Hillary Clinton,Ted Kennedy and Planned Parenthood which Obamacare was modeled after. It did increase access to insurance and health care to the insured but reduced access for the remaining uninsured. Also, health care costs greatly increased under Romney care and continued to skyrocket. Before, costs were $1 billion and in 2014 Massachusetts overall health spending jumped to $54 billion. 2) Mitt signed a $50 tax-subsidized abortion bill 2 years after he said that he was pro-life. 3) Mitt increased taxes and fees by close to a billion dollars and opposed the Bush Tax-cuts. 4) Mitt supported the McCain-Feingold “campaign finance reform”, McCain-Kennedy “comprehensive immigration reform” and parts of the McCain-Lieberman “carbon cap and trade” bill. This list is just a few of his liberal stances. Mitt is no conservative by a long shot.
More notes from a delegate name: lisa A
Mitt Romney held a town hall meeting for State Delegates. It was held at Skyridge High School in a classroom for 60 people but there were probably close to 80 in the room.
He was well-spoken and spoke for about 25 minutes, taking questions for about 20 minutes. Here’s what I got out of it:
He will be able to do more as a junior senator that others due to the fact that he has built up relationships with at least 40 sitting senators. He has campaigned with them, for them and even against them, but he knows them and there is mutual respect and admiration.
He does agree with most of President Trump’s first year policies.
Tax Cut which we are now seeing in our paychecks
Regulations
Outreach of Federal Government and giving back of Bear’s Ears
He believes firmly in the Constitution
He feels that MANY decisions should be given back to the States
Education
Health Care
Transportation
School Safety
He does not feel we need any new Federal gun laws
He does feel we need better background checks
He feels that some Federal Judges try to expand the realm of the Constitution to create new law and that they should follow the Constitution
As he has visited many of the rural areas of Utah, he feels that we need to increase the economic vitality of those areas, as they are exporting children who don’t return after education and those areas are dying.
He feels that Opioid abuse is a very big problem
His view on the $1.3 Trillion spending package
He said that the President signed it, but stated he would not sign something like that again
If elected, Romney would create a caucus to block another spending package unless it met with the spending cap
** Side Note: Romeny explained that 2/3 of our budget is set aside for entitlements such as Medicaid and Social Security and interest we owe. As such, that part of the budget cannot be changed. HALF of the remaining budget is spent on our defense. One solution proposed is to let our 20-something and 30-something workers know that the retirement age may be raised so that they will have something to help them in their later years.
Questions Asked:
Do you believe in the caucus system? If so, why are you going the signature route as well? He said that he hopes to win the caucus and brushed off the signature route part of the question. He said since he is in the thick of the race, he felt he shouldn’t answer.
People are concerned that you haven’t lived long enough in Utah and that you can’t represent Utah values. How do you address that? He said he has lived a total of 10 years in Utah. He went to college here, came back to Utah when he was in charge of the Olympics and he now lives here in a home he built in Holladay. He said his Utah roots are deep and that his ancestors helped settle Utah, his mother was born here and his father moved here when he was 5. He said that Utah values and concerns are in his blood.
Where are your donations coming from? Are they coming from out-of-state? He said he has not done any fundraising events and that the money is coming in via online donations. He said the reports have not been filed yet so he honestly doesn’t know where it is coming from. He said that he would not be surprised if donations were coming in from people who supported him in the presidential race and that they wanted to see him in Washington D.C.
In 2012 you said Russia was our greatest political foe and you have backed off of that statement. Why? He assured the crowd that he had NOT backed off of that statement and still feels and knows that Putin is a bad guy who has had people murdered and that they want to destroy democracy. He said that we must talk to political leaders we don’t like, such as Putin and Kim Jong-un in order to keep peace in the world and it does not mean we support their ideologies.
What are your views on Globalism vs. Protectionism? Protectionism is bad for growth. Romney said that those that cheat on Free Trade Agreements must be punished. He stated that Canada, Mexico, and EU Nations, our allies, would not be subject to tariffs and that China needed to be punished for what they did to put our steel industry almost out of business by deflating their prices until we suffered and then raising their prices.
Do you believe in term limits? He agreed that term limits are a good thing and that with his age, he didn’t feel it would be an issue (he got laughs there). He said that part of the problem is that after people are done as an elected official, they stay in D.C. as lobbyists which causes issues.
Do you believe in a Perimeter for the United States? He believes in a border wall as a good start. He then moved the discussion into immigration. Romney stated that most immigrants start as a student or tourist and they decide they want to stay. He said that there should be a pathway to legal immigration – a merit-based system, based on skills, education, experience and money they have saved. This moved into DACA and he said he “bows to Trump’s decision”. He thinks they should be given amnesty but they then should get in line for the merit system – it shouldn’t be an automatic path to citizenship. Romney then mentioned that he thinks that STATES should have a VISA system that they can issue based on worker needs. An example is that California would have a need for thousands for limited-use Visas for farm workers, but those Visas would not be valid for travel within the United States and not recognized in Utah, for example. He also said there needs to be a verification system for workers that if an applicant’s social security number came up bad, that’s it.
This was a very enlightening experience for me. It did not convince me to vote for Mitt at this time, as there are still 11 other candidates to vet. I have no doubt he would be a good Senator for Utah, but is he the best for Utah at this time? I will let you know after talking to the others.