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Do not fill this in! ==Activity between presidential campaigns== Romney supported the Bush administration's [[Troubled Asset Relief Program]] in response to the [[late-2000s financial crisis]], later saying that it prevented the U.S. financial system from collapsing.<ref>{{cite news|last=Memoli|first=Michael A.|title=Romney: It was Bush, not Obama, who averted second Depression|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2012-mar-21-la-pn-romney-bush-tarp-defense-20120321-story.html|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=March 21, 2012|access-date=February 7, 2020|archive-date=February 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200207135814/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2012-mar-21-la-pn-romney-bush-tarp-defense-20120321-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Mitt Romney changes position on TARP, DNC says |url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2011/nov/30/democratic-national-committee/mitt-romney-changes-position-tarp-dnc/ |first=Molly |last=Moorhead |access-date=February 7, 2020 |publisher=PolitiFact.com |date=November 28, 2011 |archive-date=February 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200207135812/https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2011/nov/30/democratic-national-committee/mitt-romney-changes-position-tarp-dnc/ |url-status=live }}</ref> During the [[Effects of the 2008β2010 automotive industry crisis on the United States|U.S. automotive industry crisis of 2008β2010]], he opposed a bailout of the industry in the form of direct government intervention, and argued that a managed bankruptcy of struggling automobile companies should instead be accompanied by [[Loan guarantee|federal guarantees]] for post-bankruptcy financing from the private sector.<ref>{{cite news |author=Mitt Romney |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/19/opinion/19romney.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207054757/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/19/opinion/19romney.html |archive-date=December 7, 2008 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Let Detroit Go Bankrupt |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 18, 2008 }} Note that the title of this op-ed was written by the newspaper; Romney originally submitted it as "The Way Forward for the Auto Industry". See May 8, 2012, ''New York Times'' Ashley Parker blog entry [http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/08/having-opposed-auto-bailout-romney-now-takes-credit-for-rebound/ "Having Opposed Auto Bailout, Romney Now Takes Credit for Rebound"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120902082153/http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/08/having-opposed-auto-bailout-romney-now-takes-credit-for-rebound/ |date=September 2, 2012 }}.</ref> After the 2008 election, Romney laid the groundwork for a [[2012 U.S. presidential election|2012 presidential campaign]] by using his Free and Strong America [[political action committee]] (PAC) to raise money for other Republican candidates and pay his existing political staff's salaries and consulting fees.<ref name="bg120808">{{Cite news|url=https://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/12/08/romney_paves_way_for_possible_12_run/|title=Romney paves way for possible '12 run|author=Phillips, Frank|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=December 8, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081212001549/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/12/08/romney_paves_way_for_possible_12_run/?page=full|archive-date=December 12, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/corbin-hiar/money-for-love-romney-cam_b_1321624.html|title=Money for Love? Romney Campaign Gives Over $1.7 Million to Republicans|first=Corbin|last=Hiar|agency=[[Center for Public Integrity]]|work=[[HuffPost]]|date=March 5, 2012|access-date=February 18, 2020|archive-date=October 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022113235/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/corbin-hiar/money-for-love-romney-cam_b_1321624.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A network of former staff and supporters around the nation were eager for him to run again.<ref name="pol062909">{{Cite news |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2009/06/mitt-romneys-team-awaits-2012-024316 |title=Mitt Romney's team awaits 2012 |last=Martin |first=Jonathan |newspaper=[[Politico]] |date=June 29, 2009 |access-date=June 29, 2009 |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923172417/http://www.politico.com/story/2009/06/mitt-romneys-team-awaits-2012-024316 |url-status=live }}</ref> He continued to give speeches and raise funds for Republicans,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/06/02/meet-the-new-mitt-romney-same-as-the-old-mitt/|title=Mitt's Makeover: Channeling Reagan for 2012 Run|last=Cannon|first=Carl M.|author-link=Carl M. Cannon|work=[[Politics Daily]]|date=June 2, 2009|access-date=July 2, 2009|archive-date=June 5, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090605183914/http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/06/02/meet-the-new-mitt-romney-same-as-the-old-mitt/|url-status=dead}}</ref> but fearing overexposure, turned down many potential media appearances.<ref name="bg-mag" /> He also spoke before business, educational, and motivational groups.<ref>{{cite news |title=Romney's Assets Top $190 Million |author=Confessore, Nicholas|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=August 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113083649/https://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/12/romneys-assets-top-190-million/ |author-link=Nicholas Confessore |url=https://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/12/romneys-assets-top-190-million/ |archive-date=January 13, 2020}}</ref> From 2009 to 2011, he served on the board of directors of [[Marriott International]], founded by his namesake J. Willard Marriott.<ref name="ap-mi">{{Cite news|url=https://www.deseret.com/2011/1/13/20166918/mitt-romney-stepping-down-from-marriott-board-again|title=Mitt Romney stepping down from Marriott board, again|agency=[[Associated Press]]|newspaper=[[Deseret News]]|location=Salt Lake City|date=January 13, 2011|access-date=February 7, 2020|archive-date=February 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200207135811/https://www.deseret.com/2011/1/13/20166918/mitt-romney-stepping-down-from-marriott-board-again|url-status=live}}</ref> He had previously served on it from 1993 to 2002.<ref name="ap-mi" />{{#tag:ref|During most of Romney's first stint on the Marriott board, he was a member of, and for six years chair of, the board's [[audit committee]].<ref name="bn-mi">{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-22/romney-as-auditing-chairman-saw-marriott-son-of-boss-tax-shelter-defy-irs.html|title=Romney as Audit Chair Saw Marriott Son of BOSS Shelter Defy IRS|first=Jesse|last=Drucker|publisher=[[Bloomberg News|Bloomberg]]|date=February 23, 2012|access-date=March 10, 2017|archive-date=January 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150125055411/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-22/romney-as-auditing-chairman-saw-marriott-son-of-boss-tax-shelter-defy-irs.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1994, during Romney's time as chair, Marriott implemented the [[Son of BOSS]] tax shelter, which resulted in the company claiming $71 million in losses. In 2008 and 2009, federal courts ruled this use of the shelter illegal and said those losses never existed. [[PolitiFact.com]] calls a 2012 claim that Romney personally approved the shelter as "Half True".<ref name="bn-mi" /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2012/aug/13/barack-obama/obama-links-romney-infamous-tax-shelter/ |first=Jon |last=Greenberg |title=Barack Obama links Mitt Romney to infamous tax shelter 'Son of Boss' |publisher=PolitiFact.com |date=August 9, 2012 |access-date=February 7, 2020 |archive-date=February 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200207135812/https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2012/aug/13/barack-obama/obama-links-romney-infamous-tax-shelter/ |url-status=live }}</ref>|group="nb"}} [[Image:USMC-100320-M-2906G-011.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Casual photograph of Mitt Romney indoors seated and signing books|Romney signing copies of his new book ''[[No Apology: The Case for American Greatness]]'' for service members at [[Marine Corps Air Station Miramar]] in March 2010]] In 2009, the Romneys sold their primary residence in Belmont and their ski chalet in Utah, leaving them an estate along [[Lake Winnipesaukee]] in [[Wolfeboro, New Hampshire]], and an oceanfront home in the [[La Jolla]] district of [[San Diego|San Diego, California]], which they had bought the year before.<ref name="bg-mag">{{Cite news|url=https://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/articles/2009/08/30/the_long_distance_runner/|title=The Long-Distance Runner|author=Issenberg, Sasha|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=August 30, 2009|author-link=Sasha Issenberg|access-date=February 19, 2020|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303175558/http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/articles/2009/08/30/the_long_distance_runner/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="hl050609">{{Cite news|url=http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2009/05/a_granite_state.php |title=A Granite State Home Base For Romney? |author=McPike, Erin |author2=Barnes, James A. |newspaper=[[The Hotline]] |date=May 6, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090509071954/http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2009/05/a_granite_state.php |archive-date=May 9, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/02/17/2_romney_estates_hit_the_market/|title=2 Romney estates hit the market|author=Abel, David|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=February 17, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100412153930/http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/02/17/2_romney_estates_hit_the_market/|archive-date=April 12, 2010}}</ref> The La Jolla home proved beneficial in location and climate for Ann Romney's multiple sclerosis therapies and for recovering from her late 2008 diagnosis of [[mammary ductal carcinoma]] [[in situ]] and subsequent lumpectomy.<ref name="hl050609" /><ref name="ap-sd" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/12/06/ann_romney_has_surgery_to_remove_precancerous_lump/|title=Ann Romney has surgery to remove precancerous lump|author=Levenson, Michael|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=December 6, 2008|access-date=February 19, 2020|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063628/http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/12/06/ann_romney_has_surgery_to_remove_precancerous_lump/|url-status=live}}</ref> Both it and the New Hampshire estate were near some of their grandchildren.<ref name="hl050609" /> Romney maintained his voting registration in Massachusetts, however, and bought a smaller condominium in Belmont during 2010.<ref name="ap-sd">{{cite news|url=https://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/04/19/gops_romney_takes_to_life_in_new_california_home/|title=GOP's Romney takes to life in new California home|author=Johnson, Glen|agency=[[Associated Press]]|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=April 19, 2010|access-date=February 19, 2020|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305035117/http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/04/19/gops_romney_takes_to_life_in_new_california_home/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2010/08/24/romney_road_trip_may_set_stage_for_white_house_bid/|title=A 25-state midterm swing for Romney|author=Issenberg, Sasha|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=August 24, 2010|author-link=Sasha Issenberg|access-date=February 19, 2020|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304234648/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2010/08/24/romney_road_trip_may_set_stage_for_white_house_bid/|url-status=live}}</ref> In February 2010, Romney had a minor altercation with [[LMFAO]] member [[Sky Blu (rapper)|Skyler Gordy]], known as Sky Blu, on an airplane flight.{{#tag:ref|After having attended the [[2010 Winter Olympics]], Romney and wife were on board an [[Air Canada]] plane waiting to take off on a flight from Vancouver to Los Angeles when he got into a physical altercation with Sky Blu, sitting in front of him, over Sky Blu's seat not being in the upright position. Romney said that Sky Blu became physically violent and that he did not retaliate, while Sky Blu said that Romney gave him a "[[Vulcan nerve pinch|Vulcan grip]]" first and that he responded physically to that. Sky Blu was escorted off the aircraft by Canadian police but Romney did not press charges and Sky Blu was released.<ref>{{cite news |title=Romney Assaulted on Flight Leaving Olympics |first=Jake |last=Gibson |url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/02/15/report-romney-threatened-flight-vancouver/ |publisher=[[Fox News]] |date=February 16, 2010 |access-date=February 26, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100219231455/http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/02/15/report-romney-threatened-flight-vancouver/ |archive-date=February 19, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/02/19/is-vulcan-grip-rapper-sky-blu-who-tussled-with-mitt-romney-the-nerdiest-hip-hop-artist-ever/ |title=Is 'Vulcan Grip' Rapper Sky Blu, Who Tussled With Mitt Romney, the Nerdiest Hip-Hop Artist Ever? |date=February 19, 2010 |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |access-date=August 4, 2017 |archive-date=March 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180304054700/https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/02/19/is-vulcan-grip-rapper-sky-blu-who-tussled-with-mitt-romney-the-nerdiest-hip-hop-artist-ever/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Sky Blu of LMFAO claims Mitt Romney got physical first on flight from Vancouver |first=Joe |last=Tacopino |url=http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-02-19/news/27056768_1_romney-spokesman-eric-fehrnstrom-mitt-romney-claims |newspaper=Daily News |date=February 19, 2010 |access-date=October 26, 2012 |archive-date=February 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209024046/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-02-19/news/27056768_1_romney-spokesman-eric-fehrnstrom-mitt-romney-claims |url-status=live }}</ref>|group="nb"}} Romney released his book, ''[[No Apology: The Case for American Greatness]]'', in March 2010, and undertook an 18-state book tour to promote it.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/31133.html|title=Mitt Romney headed to Iowa|author=Barr, Andy|newspaper=[[Politico]]|date=January 4, 2010|access-date=January 7, 2010|archive-date=January 8, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100108010825/http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/31133.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In the book, he writes of his belief in [[American exceptionalism]],<ref name="time-no-rev" /> and presents his economic and geopolitical views rather than anecdotes about his personal or political life.<ref name="time-no-rev">{{cite news|last=Altman |first=Alex |url=http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1969266,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100306065159/http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1969266,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 6, 2010 |title=The Skimmer: Mitt Romney's 'No Apology' |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=March 3, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2010/03/02/mitt_romneys_no_apology_is_not_light_reading/ |title=In book, Romney styles himself wonk, not warrior |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=March 2, 2010 |author=Issenberg, Sasha |author-link=Sasha Issenberg |access-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304212241/http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2010/03/02/mitt_romneys_no_apology_is_not_light_reading/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It debuted atop [[The New York Times Best Seller list|''The New York Times'' Best Seller list]].<ref name="best">{{cite news |last=Zimmermann |first=Eric |url=https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/63982-romney-tops-bestseller-list-but-with-an-asterisk/ |title=Romney tops bestseller list, but with an asterisk |newspaper=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |date=March 13, 2010 |access-date=February 7, 2020 |archive-date=February 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200207135811/https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/86573-romney-tops-bestseler-list-but-with-an-asterisk |url-status=live }}</ref> Romney donated his earnings from the book to charity.<ref name="bg-discl-2011">{{cite news|url=https://www.boston.com/news/politics/articles/2011/08/13/romney_worth_between_190m_and_250m_campaign_says/|title=Romney worth between $190m and $250m, campaign says|author=Viser, Matt|date=August 13, 2011|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407083817/http://www.boston.com/news/politics/articles/2011/08/13/romney_worth_between_190m_and_250m_campaign_says/|archive-date=April 7, 2014}}</ref> Immediately after the March 2010 passage of the [[Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act]], Romney attacked the landmark legislation as "an unconscionable abuse of power" and said it should be repealed.<ref name="ap032610">{{Cite news|url=https://www.deseret.com/2010/3/27/20104871/romneycare-may-come-back-to-haunt-mitt-on-health-issue|title=Romneycare may come back to haunt Mitt on health issue|author=Johnson, Glen|agency=[[Associated Press]]|newspaper=[[Deseret News]]|location=Salt Lake City|date=March 26, 2010|access-date=February 7, 2020|archive-date=February 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200207135813/https://www.deseret.com/2010/3/27/20104871/romneycare-may-come-back-to-haunt-mitt-on-health-issue|url-status=live}}</ref> The antipathy Republicans felt for it created a potential problem for Romney, since the new federal law was in many ways similar to the Massachusetts health care reform passed during his gubernatorial tenure; as one [[Associated Press]] article stated, "Obamacare ... looks a lot like Romneycare."<ref name="ap032610" /> While acknowledging that his plan was an imperfect work in progress, Romney did not back away from it. He defended the state-level health insurance mandate that underpinned it, calling the bill the right answer to Massachusetts's problems at the time.<ref name="ap032610" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=12405439|url-status=dead|title=Health Mandate Cases to Loom Over 2012 Romney Run|author=Johnson, Glen|agency=[[Associated Press]]|work=[[ABC News]]|date=December 15, 2010|access-date=July 30, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628200536/http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=12405439|archive-date=June 28, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/03/30/romney_defends_massachusetts_health_care_law/|title=Romney defends Mass. health care law|author=Issenberg, Sasha|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=March 30, 2010|access-date=February 19, 2020|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304211817/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/03/30/romney_defends_massachusetts_health_care_law/|url-status=live}}</ref> In [[Nationwide opinion polling for the 2012 United States presidential election|nationwide opinion polling for the 2012 Republican presidential primaries]], Romney led or placed in the top three with Palin and Huckabee.<!-- that WP article has all the cites that support this statement --> A January 2010 ''[[National Journal]]'' survey of political insiders found that a majority of Republican insiders and a plurality of Democratic insiders predicted Romney would be the party's 2012 nominee.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2010/01/gop_insiders_so.php|title=GOP Insiders Sour On Palin|work=[[The Hotline]]|date=January 7, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100109234539/http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2010/01/gop_insiders_so.php|archive-date=January 9, 2010}}</ref> Romney campaigned heavily for Republican candidates in the [[2010 United States elections|2010 midterm elections]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2010/10/romney-plan-go-big-go-everywhere-043566 |title=Mitt Romney's plan: Go big, go everywhere |author=Burns, Alexander |newspaper=[[Politico]] |date=October 13, 2010 |access-date=February 7, 2020 |archive-date=February 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200207135812/https://www.politico.com/story/2010/10/romney-plan-go-big-go-everywhere-043566 |url-status=live }}</ref> raising more money than the other prospective 2012 Republican presidential candidates.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2010/10/romneys-17-million-tops-field-043607|title=Romney's $1.7 million tops field|author=Vogel, Kenneth P.|newspaper=[[Politico]]|date=October 14, 2010|access-date=February 7, 2020|archive-date=February 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200207141320/https://www.politico.com/story/2010/10/romneys-17-million-tops-field-043607|url-status=live}}</ref> Beginning in early 2011, he presented a more relaxed image, including more casual attire.<ref name="nyt030511">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/us/politics/06romney.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110307172137/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/us/politics/06romney.html |archive-date=March 7, 2011 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=To Quiet Critics, Romney Puts 2012 Focus on Jobs|author=Zeleny, Jeff|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=March 5, 2011}}</ref><ref name="pol-5chal" /> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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