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Subscribe to RSSTAMPA -- On a morning where job creation -- or the lack of it -- was the primary issue on the political spectrum, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney promised that his plan -- not President Obama's -- would be the one to get Americans back to work.
"My plan radically restructures the American economy to do what it's done in the past," Romney told supporters at the opening of his Florida headquarters here. "Lead the world, create jobs, drive rising incomes, and make sure that America remains the strong nation that can defend ourselves and provide a future of promise and prosperity for our kids."
Romney also attacked the president's plan, set to be unveiled before a joint session of congress two days after Romney presents his plan.
"I haven't seen his, but I saw version one, two, three, four and five of his jobs plan and last month it came out with zero new jobs," Romney said, referencing today's newest employment statistics, which had the U.S. unemployment rate holding steady at 9.1% and a net-zero number of jobs created.
While Romney today did not provide any new details on his jobs plan, he once again hinted at several elements it is likely to contain.
"I will make business taxes competitive with other nations, eliminate burdensome regulations and bureaucracy, and support America’s workers instead of its union bosses." Romney said in a breakfast time speech to Hispanic leaders, gathered for the annual Republican Hispanic National Assembly meeting.
In that speech to the RHNA, Romney also focused heavily on immigration policy, including hitting the president for not addressing the issue more forcefully.
"Three years ago, candidate Obama promised to address the problems of illegal immigration in America. He failed," Romney said. "The truth is, he didn’t even try."
Some analysts believe a focus on immigration could help Romney create contrasts with Texas Gov. Rick Perry, whose support for allowing in-state tuition for the children of undocumented immigrants in Texas has drawn conservative fire. Romney addressed the issue this morning.
"As governor, I vetoed legislation that would have provided in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrants," Romney said, "and I strengthened the authority our state troopers had to enforce existing immigration laws."
The nonpartisan Annenberg Factcheck.org notes -- and as First Read has pointed out -- that the state-trooper authorization to which Romney was referring was passed with just weeks left in his tenure as governor of Massachusetts, and was immediately rescinded by his successor before taking effect.
Romney's focus on the hot-button issue of immigration before a receptive, heavily Hispanic audience here underscores the importance of the state of Florida, in both the GOP primary, and the general election. Obama carried the state by just three percentage points in 2008; Bush won Florida in 2004, and since then the election of Republicans as governor and U.S. senator have given the GOP renewed hope of returning the Sunshine State to the red column in 2012.
Romney praised that new senator, Marco Rubio, himself a child of Cuban immigrants, as one of the country's "great leaders." In a few other nods to the largely conservative Cuban community here, he also praised GOP Sen. Mel Martinez, and mentioned derisively, as he has in previous stops, past praise given to President Obama by Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
Romney will return the state at least twice more this month, for debates here in Tampa and in Orlando. But based on the heightened importance of the state to his campaign because of the entry of Perry, he will likely to be making several more stops here.
"I think you will be the state that really sets the final compass," Romney said to his supporters at the headquarters event, just blocks from the site of next year's GOP convention. "Florida is huge."
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"Obama again in 2012"
If he would do this for the betterment of the USA ..where was the plan 2 years ago? Where was it last year or even 3 months ago? This weirdo ... is a lying piece of crap !...Those 29 dollar suit's in a bag don't fool me ..You can be wealthy but still have no class !
that plan sounds a lot like obamas plan. How does Romney plan to implement that with the congress we have. They have to remember this is not a one man show. When you have the party of no, well it is surprising when you get anything done. They have been saying no, no, no, h no for years and Romney will get them to say yes when he can't even get any support from them to begin with. Pretty words!
I'll wait to see the plan before I judge it. I don't want to listen to any politician tell me how great their plan is without telling me WHAT it is. One thing I do know... The strategy of borrow-and-spend is NOT working.
I have not seen a job created from a spending cut. I think it is impossible.
rmreal LMAO it's never been tried before. Obviously the handouts since "65" haven't been working.
It was fun while it lasted but it's over now!
Spending cuts aren't really designed to create jobs. They are designed to help reduce the deficit. Killing unnecessary regulations (EPA, others), reducing corporate taxes, and other measures are designed to help create jobs. Even the unions are pleading with Obama to get the EPA to back off because their zealous regulations are killing even union jobs.
Spending cuts sure have been tried before. They're what drove us deep into the Great Depression. But I don't expect you to know basic history.
Unfortunately, Romney thinks American Workers should be paid less than minimum wage and have no benefits !!! Hardly a "Solution" !!! Repukes just want to STAB LABOR IN THE BACK, and LAUGH ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK !!! Any American who works for a living, and that is most of us, would be CRAZY TO VOTE FOR ANY OF THESE REPUKES !!!
yes just look at texas
Don't worry Mr Romney. You will never get the chance. We need new blood up there. Not a career pol elite from either party.
The Sad Legacy of Ronald Reagan
by Sheldon L. Richman
Spending
In 1980, Jimmy Caner's last year as president, the federal government spent a whopping 27.9% of "national income" (an obnoxious term for the private wealth produced by the American people). Reagan assaulted the free-spending Carter administration throughout his campaign in 1980. So how did the Reagan administration do? At the end of the first quarter of 1988, federal spending accounted for 28.7% of "national income."
Even Ford and Carter did a better job at cutting government. Their combined presidential terms account for an increase of 1.4%—compared with Reagan's 3%—in the government's take of "national income." And in nominal terms, there has been a 60% increase in government spending, thanks mainly to Reagan's requested budgets, which were only marginally smaller than the spending Congress voted.
Taxes
Reagan came into office proposing to cut personal income and business taxes. The Economic Recovery Act was supposed to reduce revenues by $749 billion over five years. But this was quickly reversed with the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982. TEFRA—the largest tax increase in American history—was designed to raise $214.1 billion over five years, and took back many of the business tax savings enacted the year before. It also imposed withholding on interest and dividends, a provision later repealed over the president's objection.
Folks, don't be fooled - it started with Reagan and no other republican president after will be any different!!! Think about this as you watch the next Republican Debate at his hallowed library next week...
Let's take the Republican party back for middle America! Republicans will lose elections as long as they continue to offer candidates who are far right. When they return more to the middle, they will have a much better chance. If you are currently not registered as a Republican, you should seriously consider changing your voter registration at this time. You know that Obama will be running in 2012. Register Republican, so you can help determine who will run against him.
Let's take the Republican party back for middle America! Republicans will lose elections as long as they continue to offer candidates who are far right. When they return more to the middle, they will have a much better chance. If you are currently not registered as a Republican, you should seriously consider changing your voter registration at this time. You know that Obama will be running in 2012. Register Republican, so you can help determine who will run against him.
Do we really want a president "radically restructuring the American the economy?" When did the Republicans become so unabashedly socialist?
Nah not socialist re-structuring, fascist re-structuring. You know, when corporations run the government. Corporations that Mitt repeatedly refers to as people.
Oh, I see. What we know of his plan is lower taxes and less regulation. Yeah, pretty radical suggestions there. Never heard a Republican say that before.
Is it just me or have I missed any "details" of any of the "plans" ANY politician has spewed since 2008. Talk is cheap - wait - I get it - Congress and the Pres are saving our tax money after all talk is cheap! Looks like we might be better off than we think we are. Keep talking politicians you do that and you can't vote (ever seen a politician multitask. Last time I saw that the pol slapped the baby and kissed the mother and the secret service arrested her husband!
I'm tired of MY PLAN THIS AND MY PLAN THAT.
WHAT IS YOUR D--M PLAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I need to know, do you really have one?
Breaking News an explosion in San Francisco with hazardous materials. Looks like Pelosi's botox just went up.
Mitt...dude, I might have considered voting for you but you want to 'radically restructures the American economy, it ain't happening. So tell exactly how you plan on doing it.
I'm not wasting my time watching you or the other wannabes arguing with each other during the next debate. Tell us your plans or plan on being a two time loser!
It is the Republican job plan that tax cuts will create jobs. Where are the jobs? The Republican plan has failed the American people and it is time for the Republicans to step aside and let President Obama's plan for infrastructure and company incentives create jobs!
They're just going to say no and filibuster for the next 5 years of Obama.
Doesn't seem new to me. Sound like the same old policies of the last 30 yease that hae given us the large deficits high unemployment and declining wealth and prosperity....
What a pathetic and antiquated form of government we have... put a couple of TREASONOUS t-goper fascists in the House, and the entire thing comes to a grinding halt....
Thank you bush-moron, kkkarl rover, alky boehner an israelite, cantor.
...I hope I get to live long enough to see them all hang.
nightie nite kkkarl
BuddyThis~
romney is a mormon a dem and shouldnt even be in the race-he invented obama care and the good people of mass are stuck with it-anyone period who supports this idiot is not a tea party person is not a conservative and is basically a lib dem in disguise-the sooner we throw mitt the lib dem out the better we are anyone who supports this morman lib isnt a true gop'er they are a rino need to be thrown out period face it they have sisters and cousins and all kinds of relatives livin in their homes and they say the man in charge is runnin it all-truth is they are all their wives from young teens to the 50's we cant trust mitt hes one of them throw him and all the mormons out-make it happen vote tea party were takin americas back
It is difficult to accelerate out of a ditch when the Republicans have their foot on the brake.....
I like Mitt's plan to reduce unemployment: " Fire them before they're hired."
Mitt's a threat to handouts, illegals and unions he's got my vote.
Attacking unions, which are already dying, doesn't seem like anything that new. Same old GOP BS I've seen since the McCarthy era.
But Mitt- Unions are people my friend
Is Mitt going to "radically restructure" our economy in the SAME WAY he "radically restructured lives at every single company he ever got hands into? Mitt fired, fired, fired, fired people. Mitt loves money; he wouldn't know how to empathize with Middle America if his life depended on it. Romney is SO YESTERDAY!
middle america = unions LMAO, ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gary K. You're a twit.
What is Mr. Baine Capital's plan. Will it be something like the way he made most of his $250 million fortune. Buying stressed companies, firing all the employees and selling of the carcass in parts.
Anyone who would vote for this member of the Cult of Joseph Smith is a cretin.