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Who Is Mike Leavitt, the Man Leading Mitt Romney's Transition Team?
The Atlantic
David A. Graham
6/4/2012
Excerpt:
"The former Bush cabinet member is a close confidant of the GOP presidential contender, but his support for a key part of Obamacare has conservatives furious.
Even as a presidential campaign fights to win the election, it has to be preparing for what comes after. For any candidate who's not an incumbent, that means choosing a transition chair who quietly sets in motion a plan for an administration, including choosing who might fill top posts, if the candidate wins.
Mike Leavitt is in the spotlight today after Politico reported that the former Bush cabinet member has been tapped to lead the transition. But his backing for part of President Obama's health-care reform law has upset conservatives, and his past support for cap-and-trade could come back to haunt him. So who is the quietly powerful Leavitt, why was he chosen, and why is he controversial?
*He's a lot like Romney. A member of a prominent Mormon family; the son of a politician; a technocratic Republican governor with a special interest in health care; a successful businessman; a cool-headed efficiency evangelist. Sure, that could be Mitt Romney, but it's also Mike Leavitt. The two men became friends when Leavitt, then governor of Utah, helped install Romney as head of the troubled Salt Lake City Olympic Games. His style as governor was much like Romney's as leader of Massachusetts: Politico describes Leavitt as "a hands-on executive who's driven more by data than by ideology, a high-energy if vanilla technocrat who reads heavily in his spare time." For Romney, who keeps a small core of like-minded, long-time lieutenants close to him, Leavitt is a perfect adviser.
*He has a long resume in Republican circles. Unlike Romney, who likes to boast that he's not a career politician, Leavitt has never been far from politics. He got his start running his father's unsuccessful bid for Utah governor. He continued to work on campaigns throughout the ensuing decades. He served an almost unprecedented three terms as Utah governor and was generally very popular. After his third term, he moved on to the Bush Administration, where he replaced Christine Todd Whitman after her tumultuous term as EPA administrator, then took over the Department of Health and Human Services for the entirety of the second Bush Administration.
*He's known as a moderate. Like Romney, Leavitt has often been described as a moderate -- a potential liability for the candidate, who has wrapped up the GOP nomination but is still seeking to convince conservatives he's one of them. For example, as EPA administrator, Leavitt was a prominent advocate of cap-and-trade rules for cutting carbon emissions. Back then, that position was attacked by environmentalists as far too lenient. Since, however, the cap-and-trade idea has become a serious taboo in the GOP. Responding to the "moderate" label, Leavitt told Politico, "That's probably by Utah standards. I'm clearly center-right."
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View the complete article at:
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/...n-team/258058/
Free Republic is running a thread titled, 'Who Is Mike Leavitt, Leading Mitt Romney's Transition Team? (making big money from Obama Care)', which was started 6/4/2012 by 'dennisw'.
The thread references the 6/4/2012 Atlantic article on the same topic, written by David A. Graham.
View the complete Free Republic thread at:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2891500/posts
The following is COMMENT #7, by 'SatinDoll' in the thread:
"Romney is a self-avowed Progressive, as well as an admirer and acquaintance of Saul Alinsky. He is a Globalist and considers himself a “World Citizen”. If that last sounds familiar, it should: that is how BHO2 refers to himself.
There is a huge, unnoticed struggle in this country between Globalists; those who are international businessmen and those who are international labor union leaders.
The U.S. military is essential for both sides as it provides the security that makes Globalization possible.
Our military is paid for by the tax revenue paid by U.S. citizens and staffed by their sons and daughters; many of those citizens no longer have jobs, as those have all been moved offshore by the above mentioned “World Citizens”.
Neither group gives a damn about the rights of individuals. The common man or woman on the street is just a “unit” to be taxed or obliterated, it matters not to them.
The last thing that either group wants is for conservatives with Bibles and guns asserting their God-given rights and demanding that Washington, D.C., changes how it does business.
We can't do much to alter who our candidates are running for President, but we sure can do much to assure our Congress is more conservative in the future."
The Atlantic
David A. Graham
6/4/2012
Excerpt:
"The former Bush cabinet member is a close confidant of the GOP presidential contender, but his support for a key part of Obamacare has conservatives furious.
Even as a presidential campaign fights to win the election, it has to be preparing for what comes after. For any candidate who's not an incumbent, that means choosing a transition chair who quietly sets in motion a plan for an administration, including choosing who might fill top posts, if the candidate wins.
Mike Leavitt is in the spotlight today after Politico reported that the former Bush cabinet member has been tapped to lead the transition. But his backing for part of President Obama's health-care reform law has upset conservatives, and his past support for cap-and-trade could come back to haunt him. So who is the quietly powerful Leavitt, why was he chosen, and why is he controversial?
*He's a lot like Romney. A member of a prominent Mormon family; the son of a politician; a technocratic Republican governor with a special interest in health care; a successful businessman; a cool-headed efficiency evangelist. Sure, that could be Mitt Romney, but it's also Mike Leavitt. The two men became friends when Leavitt, then governor of Utah, helped install Romney as head of the troubled Salt Lake City Olympic Games. His style as governor was much like Romney's as leader of Massachusetts: Politico describes Leavitt as "a hands-on executive who's driven more by data than by ideology, a high-energy if vanilla technocrat who reads heavily in his spare time." For Romney, who keeps a small core of like-minded, long-time lieutenants close to him, Leavitt is a perfect adviser.
*He has a long resume in Republican circles. Unlike Romney, who likes to boast that he's not a career politician, Leavitt has never been far from politics. He got his start running his father's unsuccessful bid for Utah governor. He continued to work on campaigns throughout the ensuing decades. He served an almost unprecedented three terms as Utah governor and was generally very popular. After his third term, he moved on to the Bush Administration, where he replaced Christine Todd Whitman after her tumultuous term as EPA administrator, then took over the Department of Health and Human Services for the entirety of the second Bush Administration.
*He's known as a moderate. Like Romney, Leavitt has often been described as a moderate -- a potential liability for the candidate, who has wrapped up the GOP nomination but is still seeking to convince conservatives he's one of them. For example, as EPA administrator, Leavitt was a prominent advocate of cap-and-trade rules for cutting carbon emissions. Back then, that position was attacked by environmentalists as far too lenient. Since, however, the cap-and-trade idea has become a serious taboo in the GOP. Responding to the "moderate" label, Leavitt told Politico, "That's probably by Utah standards. I'm clearly center-right."
......................................
View the complete article at:
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/...n-team/258058/
Free Republic is running a thread titled, 'Who Is Mike Leavitt, Leading Mitt Romney's Transition Team? (making big money from Obama Care)', which was started 6/4/2012 by 'dennisw'.
The thread references the 6/4/2012 Atlantic article on the same topic, written by David A. Graham.
View the complete Free Republic thread at:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2891500/posts
The following is COMMENT #7, by 'SatinDoll' in the thread:
"Romney is a self-avowed Progressive, as well as an admirer and acquaintance of Saul Alinsky. He is a Globalist and considers himself a “World Citizen”. If that last sounds familiar, it should: that is how BHO2 refers to himself.
There is a huge, unnoticed struggle in this country between Globalists; those who are international businessmen and those who are international labor union leaders.
The U.S. military is essential for both sides as it provides the security that makes Globalization possible.
Our military is paid for by the tax revenue paid by U.S. citizens and staffed by their sons and daughters; many of those citizens no longer have jobs, as those have all been moved offshore by the above mentioned “World Citizens”.
Neither group gives a damn about the rights of individuals. The common man or woman on the street is just a “unit” to be taxed or obliterated, it matters not to them.
The last thing that either group wants is for conservatives with Bibles and guns asserting their God-given rights and demanding that Washington, D.C., changes how it does business.
We can't do much to alter who our candidates are running for President, but we sure can do much to assure our Congress is more conservative in the future."