NOVI – Mitt Romney was looking for a little home cooking, and he got it.
The son of former Michigan Gov. George Romney who was born and raised in Bloomfield Hills needed a win to stop surging opponent Rick Santorum and ease fears that he couldn’t take a state in which the economy is the issue. He ended up taking what many political pundits called a "must win" with 43 percent of the vote statewide and overwhelming support in Oakland and Wayne counties.
“It’s a big, big win and I just wanted to come down here and join the rally and the celebration,” Troy resident Bill McNeil said after leaving the ballroom where Romney gave his victory speech at the in Novi.
“I was a little worried earlier today when I saw the precinct I voted in empty, and there were rumors of Democrats trying to mess it up,” McNeil explained. “But I was really hoping he’d be in this race because we need a new direction.”
Romney's victory came, in part, with big margins of victory in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties. He finished with 50 percent of the vote in Oakland and again took the county by more than 20 percentage points. Unofficial results show that he swept both Bloomfield Hills precincts in overwhelming fashion and finished with 79 percent of the city's overall vote. In Bloomfield Township, Romney took all 32 precincts for roughly 71 percent of the total vote.
He won Macomb and Wayne counties each by roughly 9 percentage points.
Being from Michigan did make a difference for some new and previous Romney supporters at the polls Tuesday, but it didn’t outweigh the serious problems the country is facing compared with four years ago, said Cori Easley of Royal Oak.
“I supported him four years ago and I do now because the country is desperate for change,” she said.
Romney promised a lot of change during his primary night speech, which started shortly after Santorum spoke from Grand Rapids at about 10 p.m. A smattering of boos from the pro-Romney crowd filled the ballroom as Santorum appeared on television with rock music blaring in the background. But the jeers turned to cheers and chants of "Mitt! Mitt! Mitt!" when the former senator conceded the state.
“It was just a few weeks ago the pundits and pollsters were ready to count us out. I was confident we could come together today and take a giant step toward a brighter future,” Romney said.
“Thank you Michigan. This is the place I was born, the place where I was raised and Michiganders in this room, we consider you family.”
Romney didn’t mention Santorum or his other Republican by name and spent the rest of his speech targeting President Obama with his plans to cut taxes and reduce the federal deficit.
“My biggest priority will be about saving your job, not how to keep my own,” he pledged if voted into the White House. “Let’s finally get a tax plan that puts America back to work. I’ve got it and will put it in place.”
State Rep. Mark Ouimet, R-Scio Township, said he hoped that message resonated with Michigan residents and citizens around the country who were watching Tuesday’s results with great interest.
“The biggest thing to take away is having less government that’s more efficient and focused on the people instead of the elected officials,” he said. “I think it was a great night for the party, for Mitt Romney and a great night for our state. Tonight showed we’re on the comeback and turning things around with our governor and who we want to be our president.”
Bloomfield Township Trustee Corinne Khederian said she expected it to be a close race all night, but was confident Romney would win.
She said she attended , and sees a much different Romney than the candidate she supported in 2008.
“He was more relaxed than I’ve ever seen him and he’s confident in a way that’s really relating to people and that’s great to see,” Khederian said. “He’s getting better as a candidate.”
FYI George Bush gave everyone a tax break, the percentage decrease for middle to low income earners was larger than that given to the rich. You might remember the votes to extend the middle class tax cuts.
Next Tuesday features Ohio, a state similar to Michigan except with a bigger delegate haul and none of this "home state" nonsense...and Rick Santorum again is leading in the polls. THAT should worry the Romney-ites just a tad.
If you're doing parody, I salute you. If you're being serious, I pity you.
EE, the bad news for your side is that the circular firing squad will continue for several months. The good news for your side is that the wishy-washy Mormon with his magic underwear who baptises dead Jews looks like he might win the nomination, and he's the best you've got. The worse news for your side is that the wishy-washy Mormon with magic underwear who baptises dead Jews doesn't have a chance in hades in the general election. We do not anticipate any further good news for your side...
I don't think we make a big leap in suggesting that the uptick has to do with the employment picture combined with the lack of determination on the part of not a few to actually get out there and look for work. The SSA is notorious for adding generously to its rolls. I know from first-hand experience that SSA client servers actively look for ways to help out applicants, poking into this and that sub-head of SSA regulations to see how generous the Administration can be. This is indicative of there being a culture within the SSA that makes it see itself not as a conservator of funds but a generous donor. That perspective is part of a philosophy of government that sees that same government as the parent or guardian of the people, the benevolent Big Daddy. The SSA acquired this perspective because two political parties, when in control, encouraged this. There is no wonder why the system is broken and broke.
As for government expenses, the waste alone could support the third world including Greece and both parties are culpable.. As for my posting I don't give a duck's tailfeather what the hell you think. Keep on saluting Zach.
The "Social Security Trust Fund" is nothing. As the OMB says, "These [Trust Fund] balances are available to finance future benefit payments and other Trust Fund expenditures – but only in a bookkeeping sense.... They do not consist of real economic assets that can be drawn down in the future to fund benefits. Instead, they are claims on the Treasury that, when redeemed, will have to be financed by raising taxes, borrowing from the public, or reducing benefits or other expenditures. The existence of large Trust Fund balances, therefore, does not, by itself, have any impact on the Government’s ability to pay benefits. (from FY 2000 Budget, Analytical Perspectives, p. 337)" The only real questions are how much money the federal government is spending, and how much it is taking in. As I noted, in terms of outlays, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are more than twice the current DOD outlays. That is all that matters.
You said, and I quote, "Romney wants to expand the millitary, they suck more money than Medicare, welfare, social security put together." This is obviously and undeniably false, as I noted. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:U.S._Federal_Spending_-_FY_2011.png The web site you cite does not support your statement at all. It does however suffer from the delusion that the social security trust fund is something real, other than (as the OMB source I cited notes) just the government's promise to pay itself. Which makes as much sense as your writing yourself and IOU and calling it a "trust fund" for yourself. To see a breakdown of federal revenues, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:U.S._Federal_Receipts_-_FY_2007.png.
That silly stuff authored by Nutter yesterday or Wednesday was exposed for what it was before 1 pm on Thursday. It is only the alternative media that is exposing it, for that same media would be telling us whether any of the MSM outlets were letting the cat out of Obama's bag.
I blew the whistle on the M16 in 68 gettin the late Jules Bergman to make a comparisson. You are right the 223 round is more accurate but it is easily deflected. Closely engineered tolerances encourage jamming. In Iraq the ultra fine desert sand made short work of the M16. The round cannot penetrate cinderblock, this is why the M60 was favored. The "new" Iraq army said no thankyou to the M16. I have no knowledge of the improved A4 version but the light round is the problem. I believe a 243 closer to NATO is superior. I am sure there are other opinions. On the raptor I think the 400million may refer to the time it will be produced in larger numbers. It sure looks impressive does it not? There are many examples of military dead end spending. Pessimistically I believe the facts you see today are the myths of tomorrow. e.g. Wall Street and Bank "protections". Both parties are consumate salespersons and we are their naive subjects.