BRIDGE BRIEFING: Mitt Romney & Higher Education
Romney Does Not Care About College Affordability
Romney Said “College Is Not Right For Everybody.” According to Fox News, during an interview on “Hannity,” Romney was asked by Sean Hannity: “Do you think that it’s in everybody’s best interest to get a degree or are people better off going to specialized schools to become a mechanic or an electrician or a plumber? What do you think?” Romney replied “Not everybody is going to go to college, of course. And people have different courses in their life they want to pursue. College is not right for everybody. Some folks have other ambitions and want to go in different directions. So, we want people to have freedom in this country and opportunity to pursue their happiness and the way they think.” [Fox News, 2/28/12] Romney Suggested Students Facing Rising Tuition Costs Should Get A Scholarship Or Join The Military. According to a New York Times op-ed, “There wasn’t a word about the variety of government loan programs… There wasn’t a word urging colleges to hold down tuition increases… And there wasn’t a word about Pell Grants, in case the student’s family had a low enough income to qualify… Instead, the advice was pretty brutal: if you can’t afford college, look around for a scholarship (good luck with that), try to graduate in less than four years, or join the military if you want a free education.” [New York Times, 3/5/12]Supports Paul Ryan’s Plan Cutting Pell Grants For 1 Million Students
Romney Supported Federal Budget Cutting Pell Grants By 25 Percent. According to New York Times, “That may be because Mr. Romney supports the House Republican budget, which would cut Pell Grants by 25 percent or more at a time when they are needed more than ever.” [New York Times, 03/05/12]BRIDGE BRIEFING: Mitt Romney & K-12 Education
Romney Believes Smaller Class Sizes Are Harmful
Romney Thought Efforts To Reduce Classroom Size “May Actually Hurt Education More Than It Helps.” According to his book “No Apology” Romney wrote, “In The United States, then, the effort to reduce classroom size may actually hurt education more than it helps.” [Romney, No Apology, Pg. 216]Governor Romney’s Education Cuts Hurt Massachusetts and His Agenda Would Make America Less Competitive
Video and Memo: Governor Romney’s Education Cuts Hurt Massachusetts and His Agenda Would Make America Less Competitive
The Massachusetts decline from 37th to 47th in job growth under Governor Mitt Romney was not just a coincidence - his cuts to job training and higher education helped make Massachusetts less competitive. Now, Romney wants give massive new tax cuts to the wealthiest while making dramatic cuts to job training and higher education on a national level. Even with college costs increasing, Romney bragged about his cuts to higher education and his answer to a student asking about affordability was ‘shop around’ or join the military. Romney’s rhetoric on college reflects his priorities and worldview: cutting taxes for the wealthy is more important than investing in an economy that works for the middle class. Governor Romney’s record made Massachusetts less competitive and his agenda would make America less competitive.USA Today: Donors To Romney Super PAC Have Ties To For-Profit Colleges
On March 29, 2012, USA Today reported:
For-profit colleges and individuals with ties to them have donated $430,000 to a super PAC spending millions of dollars to help elect Republican Mitt Romney to the presidency — as the industry faces intense federal scrutiny over recruitment practices, educational quality and the amount of debt its students incur.
Missoulian: Rehberg’s budget plan assailed by Democrats and conservatives alike
On October 9, 2011, the Missoulian reported:
As he oversees U.S. House Republicans' draft of the federal government's 2012 health and education budgets, Montana Rep. Denny Rehberg finds himself hip-deep in the Washington, D.C., political fray, defending a $153 billion plan that's drawing fire from all sides.
Helena IR: Rehberg in the thick of budget fray
On October 9, 2012 the Helena Independent Record reported:
As he oversees U.S. House Republicans’ draft of the federal government’s 2012 health and education budgets, Montana Rep. Denny Rehberg finds himself hip-deep in the Washington, D.C., political fray, defending a $153 billion plan that’s drawing fire from all sides. The proposal — unveiled last week — would torpedo virtually all funding for the Obama Administration’s health reform law, including additional money for community health clinics across Montana; ax federal money for two dozen family planning clinics in the state; reduce funds for Pell grants that help low-income students pay college tuition; and scale back money for home-heating assistance. Those and other cutbacks have prompted Democrats to say the “Rehberg budget” unduly targets women, families, students and workers.
POLITICO: From Perry, an homage to Democratic group's Romney hit
On September 27, 2011 POLITICO reported:
"On Friday, the Democratic opposition research group American Bridge released a video headed, "Mitt's Flips: Race to the Top," which juxtaposed their tracker's footage of Romney with debate footage on the education program Race to the Top, and ended with his debate line, "words matter." Yesterday, Perry's campaign put out a video called "Romney's Race to the Flop," which contrasted debate footage with ... American Bridge tracking footage, with the logo blacked out. The kicker: "Words matter.""
TPM: Did Romney Flip Flop On ‘Race To The Top’?
"Democratic tracker American Bridge is accusing Mitt Romney of flip flopping on the Obama administration’s “Race to the Top” program, posting video of him lavishing praise on the program and then denying any association with it on Thursday."
Washington Monthly: Race to the flip-flop
"Romney told a Florida audience on Wednesday that he supports many of the provisions in President Obama’s “Race to the Top” education reform policy. Last night, just a day later, Romney denied supporting “any particular program” in the president’s policy. The clip, from American Bridge, highlights the contradicting positions plainly — what Romney was for on Wednesday he was against on Thursday. [...] The point, though, is the ugly habit Romney has of taking one position on an issue and then soon after taking the exact opposite position. In this case, the 180-degree turn on education policy took literally just one day. And then Romney has the chutzpah to boast, “I stand by my positions”?Seriously? I can vaguely understand how Romney became a leading presidential candidate. How anyone trusts his word, however, remains a mystery to me."
VIDEO: Mitt's Flips: Race To The Top
During the Fox News/Google Republican primary debate, Mitt Romney adamantly denied Rick Perry's charge that he supported the Obama administrator's "Race to the Top." Unfortunately for Mr. Romney, we have him on video praising the program the very DAY BEFORE the debate. American Bridge included the turnaround in our second "Mitt's Flips" video, a new series we started highlighting Romney's bad habit of abandoning his so-called convictions when it suits him politically. Take a look: