Weekly news update from the Romney camp says Romney will appear at the FRC's Action Values Voters Summit October 4 and 5 in DC, he responded to Hillary Clinton's health care plan and blasted the recent New York City visit from Iran's president. . .
THE TUESDAY REPORT
1) Mitt Romney Joins FRC Action Values Voters Summit
WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today FRC Action announced that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney will speak in a prime-time slot at the Washington Briefing 2007: Values Voter Summit on Friday evening, October 19. Governor Romney, who finished first in the Iowa straw poll and is expected to do well in the upcoming New Hampshire primary, marks the third presidential hopeful to commit to the largest gathering of pro-family activists in the nations capital. Senator SamBrownback (R-KS) and Congressman DuncanHunter (R-CA) will also speak at the event, which is expected to draw two thousand grassroots activists from across the country. The few remaining speaking slots are expected to be taken by other candidates within the next few days.
The Washington Briefing will also hold the first-ever Values Voters Straw Poll. The straw poll will be a defining moment as candidates see where they stack up with one of the most powerful voting blocs in the country. The straw poll will begin at noon on Friday, October 19, and will conclude the next day at 1 pm. The winner of the straw poll is expected to be announced at 3 pm on Saturday.
The exciting line-up will also include over 30 speakers, including Bill Bennett, Ben Stein, Members of Congress, and a surprise special guest. Saturday evening Dr. James Dobson will be honored at a gala dinner.
The Washington Briefing 2007: Values Voter Summit is cosponsored by American Values, Focus on the Family Action, Alliance Defense Fund and High Impact Leadership Coalition. The Briefing will be held October 19-21 at the Hilton Washington Hotel in Washington, D.C. An exhibit hall, radio row, book signings, blogger row, gala dinner and much more will be packed into this three-day conference.
2) Romney Calls For United Nations To Revoke Invitation To Ahmadinejad….
Governor Mitt Romney Called On United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Calling To Bar Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad >From Addressing The General Assembly.
"The Iranian regime under President Ahmadinejad has spoken openly about wiping Israel off the map, has fueled Hezbollah's terror campaign in the region and around the world, and defied the world community in its pursuit of nuclear weapons – capabilities that make these threats even more ominous,” wrote the Governor in a letter to the Secretary-General. “As General David Petraeus testified last week, Iran is also supporting Shia militia extremists and violence that is taking the lives of American soldiers and undermining the Iraqi government."
Governor Romney believes that the Iranian regime's record demands that the United Nations "take a strong stand against Iran's President Ahmadinejad." Failure to take such a stand would be a setback to efforts to address the dangerous and deadly actions taken by Iran's leaders. If the United Nations fails to act, Governor Romney wrote that "the United States must reconsider its level of support and funding for the United Nations as we look to rebuild and revitalize effective international partnerships to meet 21st century threats."
Today's letter builds on the comprehensive strategy to prevent a nuclear Iran that Governor Romney laid out in January 2007 at the annual Herzliya Conference in Israel. As part of this strategy, Governor Romney called for the diplomatic isolation of Iran. He also encouraged public pension funds to strategically divest from any businesses associated with the Iranian regime's dangerous activities. In September 2006, Governor Romney ordered state government agencies not to support the visit of former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami to the Boston area because of the Iranian regime's dangerous actions.
Governor Romney On Fox News' "Fox & Friends" (9/18/07):
Fox News' Gretchen Carlson: "In the meantime, you are steamed about one Ahmadinejad, and he's about ready to come to New York and give another speech before the U.N. General Assembly. I find this unbelievable as well, but why are you so steamed about it?"
Governor Mitt Romney: "Well, the Secretary General of the U.N. invites Ahmadinejad to come speak to the General Assembly and you have a person who has spoken of genocide, has spoken of eliminating Israel, another member nation. It's an individual who is pursuing nuclear technology and announced just yesterday that he would provide that technology to other nations and groups that are confronting the West. So we're talking about massive proliferation of nuclear weaponry throughout the Middle East. And this is a person who then is invited to the U.N. That's absolutely the wrong course we should take. Instead, he should be indicted under the Genocide Convention. There is a genocide convention which says that if people have incited to genocide, they should be indicted. This is a person who should be shown to be a complete outlier in the world, an outcast, such that the people in Iran recognize that they've got a loony who is running their country, and that they distance themselves from him and his positions."
Fox News' Steve Doocy: "It's not surprising that the United Nations would invite a loony, as you say, because they've invited a lot of loonies over the years."
Governor Romney: "No question about that. This one perhaps rises to a level that we haven't seen in a long time because not only has he said the things I've just described, he's also provided funding which is being used to hurt our troops in Iraq and he has provided funding and resources for Hezbollah, which is a terrorist organization and has killed many, many people throughout the world. So, this guy talks about it, he does it, and now he's seeking nuclear weapons."
To watch Governor Romney address Iran, please see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4GGxIsvA5M
The Washington Times: Governor Romney "Rightly Expressed Outrage At Mr. Ahmadinejad's Presence In New York."
The Washington Times Editorial: "Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has rightly expressed outrage at Mr. Ahmadinejad's presence in New York, pointing out in a letter to Mr. Ban that the despot is supporting Hezbollah's terrorist efforts, flouting the international community through his nuclear weapons program and supporting Shi'ite militia extremists in Iraq. Mr. Romney commendably called on the United States to reconsider its participation in the U.N. should the body continue to act as a toothless overseer when it comes to Iran." (Editorial, "Ahmadinejad At The U.N.," The Washington Times, 9/18/07)
3) Romney Blasts Clinton Health Care Plan….
The New York Times (Luo, 9/17) Reports That Governor Mitt Romney Today Blasted Senator Hillary Clinton’s Health Care Plan, Which Includes High Taxes And Government Insurance.
“Our objectives in health care are to bring down the costs of health insurance for everyone and to get all of our citizens inside the system – to get them all insured. What her plan does is it relies on government. In her plan, we have government insurance instead of private insurance. In her plan, it's crafted by Washington; it should be crafted by the states. In her plan, we have government Washington managed health care,” said the Governor at a press conference in New York City. “Instead, we should rely on the private markets to guide health care. And in her plan, you see increased taxes. The burden should not be raised on the American people.”
The Governor has proposed a six step plan to overhaul health care that includes the establishment of federal incentives to deregulate and reform state health insurance markets, the redirection of federal spending on "Free Care" to help low-income citizens purchase private insurance, and the establishment of health savings account (HSA) enhancements and the full deductibility of qualified medical expenses. He also called for medical liability reform, Medicare reform, and the use of information technology in the health care industry.
4) Romney lays out his vision in new document
BOSTON GLOBE’s POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE
Posted by Foon Rhee
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2007/09/romney_lays_out.html
If you want to know Mitt Romney's vision for America, it's now as easy as a click of your mouse.
The Republican presidential contender's campaign this morning issued a compendium of his policy proposals and speeches, under the title "A Strategy for a Stronger America." It can be viewed or downloaded from Romney's website.
The sections of the document include "Confronting Radical Jihad," "Ending the Tide of Illegal Immigration," and "Winning the Global Economic Competition."
"Our future depends on our willingness to hold to the principles that have guided and built our nation," he writes in the introduction. "It depends on the character and sacrifices of the American people. And it depends on leadership to craft and implement a Strategy for a Stronger America."
