Romney Threatened While Leaving Vancouver

Governor Mitt Romney had to deal with a bit of an incident while returning from Vancouver.

Republican politician Mitt Romney was physically threatened by a violent passenger on an Air Canada flight leaving Vancouver this morning.

Mr. Romney, who has been in Vancouver since Friday for the Olympic Winter Games, did not respond to the attack. Instead, he allowed the airline crew to deal with the incident, according to his spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom.

Mr. Romney, 62, and his wife, Ann, were sitting in Row 15 of the economy section of the Embrarer 190 airplane, waiting for the plane to take off when the incident happened.

The man sitting in front of Mr. Romney’s wife dropped his seat back and when Mr. Romney asked him to move it upright for takeoff, the man became “physically violent.” Another report said that the man tried to strike Mr. Romney.

“Gov. Romney did not retaliate,” said Mr. Fehrnstrom.

Mr. Romney was not injured. The pilot returned to the gate and the passenger and his bags were removed by the RCMP.

Anyone notice that Mitt Romney was flying coach?

Romney Critical of Obama’s Defense Cuts

More criticism of the Obama Administration from our former governor…

Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney says the Obama adminstration’s push for new social spending could hurt defense programs and endanger America’s national security.

Romney, speaking to the conservative Heritage Foundation today, called Obama’s proposal to cut missile defense programs a “grave miscalculation” in light of North Korea’s provocations. The former Massachusetts governor is seen as a likely contender for the GOP’s presidential nomination.

The speech was seen as a bid to enhance his foreign policy credentials among conservative Republicans.

Romney Critical of Government Takeover of GM

Former Gov. Mitt Romney has his own idea about what the Federal government should do with its 70% stake in General Motors.

The Obama administration and the United Auto Workers should immediately distribute their stock in a restructured GM to American taxpayers, former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Sunday.

“We don’t want a president and the head of the UAW running General Motors,” Romney, a Michigan native and son of former Gov. George Romney, said in an appearance on “Fox News Sunday.”

Romney suggested that the roughly 70 percent of GM that the government could own after it emerges from bankruptcy should be immediately distributed to taxpayers, and the 17.5 percent that will go to a UAW trust fund for retiree healthcare should be handed out to UAW members.

Such a scheme is highly unlikely. The Obama administration has signaled that it wants to sell its stake as soon as possible, but wants to ensure that it recoups as much as possible of the billions of taxpayer dollars already pumped into the company. The UAW is likely to try to maximize the return it receives on its shares to boost its ability to pay for healthcare for retirees.

Romney repeated his criticism of the auto policies followed by both the Bush and Obama administrations, saying GM and Chrysler should have been pushed into a restructuring, either in or out of bankruptcy court, months ago.

It’s times like this that make me really think about how much more confident I’d be in the future of the United States’ economy if Mitt Romney was in the Oval Office today, rather than a former community organizer.

Transportation Reform Passes The Senate

It’s nice to see progress in one of the governor’s ideas to save the Commonwealth some money–even though it’s not Governor Patrick’s idea, it was Mitt Romney’s–but still, progress.

A comprehensive transportation reform bill that would ax the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and that proponents say could save up to $7 billion over the next two decades passed the state Senate yesterday and is on its way to the House.

The bill’s sponsors say it will save taxpayer cash by consolidating all other transportation agencies under one super-department called the Massachusetts Surface Transportation Agency over a three-year period.

“What we have is the most comprehensive bill in transportation that this body has seen in generations,” said Sen. Steve Baddour (D-Methuen), co-chairman of the legislative transportation committee. “I strongly believe that working with the House and administration we will once and for all reform our system and gain credibility with the taxpayers and the toll payers.”

The bill, which passed by a 39-to-1 vote, was touted in the Senate as delivering reform before asking drivers for more money. It could save more than $100 million in the first two years of implementation, according to proponents.

Romney 2012

Our former governor Mitt Romney topped the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) straw poll.

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) has chosen former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as the winner of the first Republican straw poll of the 2012 campaign.

With 20 percent of the vote, Romney finished ahead of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who received 14 percent, as well as Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, who each had 13 percent.

“For the hat trick, Mitt Romney takes his third straight straw poll,” said Tony Fabrizio, the Republican pollster who tabulates CPAC’s annual straw poll results.

Rounding out the rest of the results: former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., received 10 percent, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee received 7 percent, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford received 4 percent, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani received 3 percent, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty received 2 percent and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist received 1 percent. Nine percent indicated that they are undecided. The rest of the straw poll participants wrote in someone else’s name.