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From governor's son to presidential contender, a look at the life of Republican Mitt Romney.
If Mitt Romney had won the presidential election, insiders say, it’s not hard to imagine what he and his number two, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, would have been tackling on this very day.
An extensive preparation plan dubbed the "Romney Readiness Project," pulled together by the GOP nominee’s team and no longer of any use, offers detailed insight into how ready he was to take the reins, the sources told NBC News.
Romney and Ryan each had office space set aside for them at a transition office in southwest Washington, D.C., where former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt led a team of hundreds of advisers tasked with crafting an ambitious agenda for the Republican’s first 200 days in office.
Insiders describe a well-prepared transition that was ready to hit the ground running on Nov. 7, and begin the work of fashioning a Romney government.
Leavitt was in Boston on Election Day, prepared to brief Romney if the GOP nominee proved victorious.
"We built a great ship, and regrettably, in my view, we didn't sail. I think it would have been a crisp transition," Leavitt said in an interview with NBC News. "I got up every morning from the day he asked me to do this — not naively — assuming that we would be elected, and we needed to be prepared."
Charles Dharapak / AP
Former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt is seen in this June 23, 2012 file photo.
The extensive and well-prepared operation resembled the inner workings of Bain Capital, the venture capital firm founded by Romney, according to multiple sources associated with the transition, who asked not to be identified to more candidly discuss the process.
“In many ways, it felt like the West Wing,” one transition official said in praise of the professional environment.
The preparations were enabled by a 2010 law, the “Pre-Election Presidential Transition Act,” which afforded Romney (along with any other future nominees) government support and office space to begin the arduous work of planning a handover of government. Officials in the transition team were allowed use of a government email address ending in “@ptt.gov.”
The Romney campaign had prepared for a victory on Tuesday, accidentally publishing their candidate's official transition website, which included a section on how to join the Romney administration. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
Romney was the first major party nominee able to take advantage of this law, and in June he selected Leavitt, who served as Utah governor while Romney headed the Salt Lake City Olympics, to lead the effort.
Sources described Leavitt as having taken seriously Romney’s mandate to prepare a new administration. The former Department of Health and Human Services secretary told NBC News that he reviewed books and manuscripts to prepare for his role, in addition to speaking to individuals involved in transitions from the Carter through Obama administrations.
The Romney transition was divided into groups that focused on specific areas of emphasis – the economy, foreign policy, education, for instance – to help shape policy for the early days of a Romney administration, as well as personnel.
Among the plans for the transition included the formation of teams that would begin immediately working with government agencies to lay the groundwork for the new administration.
There were “landing teams” prepared to go into government agencies two weeks after the election and begin the work of handing over to a Romney administration. Separate “beachhead” teams would then be deployed into those agencies immediately following the inauguration on Jan. 20.
“They'd obviously thought about structure and process,” said one transition adviser.
Additionally, plans included the crafting of an agenda detailing what actions Romney would take — mostly to follow through with campaign promises — beginning the Thursday after Inauguration Day.
"We had the first 45 days of the administration scheduled," Leavitt said. "We felt there was a need for crisp and early action. We were literally writing executive orders. It was a federal government in miniature."
According to Leavitt, many preparations involved assembling a menu of options for Romney to enact his plans for government or to make good on campaign pledges, like labeling China a currency manipulator or allowing the construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
Rep. Raul Labrador, Columnist Tom Friedman, Former White House chief of staff John Podesta, NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell, and GOP strategist Mike Murphy share their views on what the GOP needs to do moving forward.
But Leavitt also emphasized that no decisions were ever made.
The transition’s portfolio also included the early work of approaching potential candidates to head cabinet agencies, along with prospective nominees for other positions that would require Senate confirmation. Those candidates were also vetted at a very preliminary level.
The end result was a list of 10 candidates for each cabinet post, which was pared down by Leavitt and two other campaign confidants: Beth Myers, Romney’s former chief of staff who led the search for his vice presidential nominee, and Bob White, a longtime Romney friend and associate.
The hope was to have Romney name many of his top cabinet nominees by Thanksgiving – this week, in essence. But, according to one transition source, Romney was never made privy to these rosters of would-be administration officials. The former Massachusetts governor was busy setting about the work of campaigning for the presidency.
"To my knowledge, there were no conversations between Gov. Romney and anyone about cabinet positions," said Leavitt, who explained that he opted to exercise tight control of these deliberations once campaign outsiders sought information about the process. "The number of people who knew whose names were on the pared-down lists was probably about four people."
Romney tapped Leavitt at a point in the election cycle that was comparable to Obama’s selection of John Podesta to lead his transition project four years earlier. Podesta served as White House chief of staff under Bill Clinton.
“The president asked me to do that in June after Sen. (Hillary) Clinton dropped out of the race, and I began organizing that with a group of people in early July. We had a fairly elaborate process working by late summer,” Podesta said of his experience. “By the time Election Day happened, we were fully engaged in the process of thinking through both the security transition and the economic crisis in fall of that year.”
In this archive video from before the election, Mike Allen discusses Romney campaign transition preparations on "Morning Joe."
Like much of Romney’s campaign, the transition team folded following his loss on Nov. 6. But future nominees — Democratic or Republican — might be well-served to study the work of the “Romney Readiness Project.”
Because of term limits, America will have a new president in 2016, and a transition of some kind will be necessary.
“I think it's highly appropriate,” Podesta said of the new transition process sanctioned by Congress. “It normalizes the transition, so you don't get all the political garbage about 'measuring the drapes.' It's a very complicated process, and having been on both ends of it, I think it's very important for the country to make it as seamless and professional as possible.”
Said Leavitt of the experience enabled by the new law: "One of the best things the law did was that it created an expectation that people would plan. Because you can't just become president of the United States in 77 days, and do it well."
Leave a Comment:
You know if ...if...if is such a waste of time and paying people
to report on what could have been is another useless waste of money Republicans
throw away. Why not choose a better topic ......What if George W Bush had not
been president we wouldn't be in this financial mess he put us in. Talk about
that huh! Why aren't we investigating where all the misused funds went?
Specifically detailed and traced who were the recipients. Who were those that
benefited by the BIG DEALS using tax payers money as a carte blanche. Talk
about that why don't you. No it's convenient for those in power to reflect the
accountability origin of this fiasco. Thereby staying in hiding which now has
culminated in the outrageous corruption destroying our beautiful America.
Enough !!! it's shameful the malicious veracious greedy malevolence prevalent
everywhere. Values and integrity has been infested and invaded by a terminal illness
called Greed.
Why don't the democrats ever talk about what Clinton did to this country? We spent our false home equity as income; Clinton changed the banking laws that were used to protect the people that could afford loans and FORCED banks to make loans to people that previously could not qualify for loans; fined banks that did not comply; created the environment that allowed all sorts of groups that previously were not financial institutions to become "banks". Then he had the luck of being president when we bought technology to get ready for Y2K after which the economy dropped down because so many businesses and people had pre-purchased technology. Most of our problems (certainly not all)were caused by Clinton ideas but you never heard Bush blame Clinton. Obama will forever blame Bush. What a shame for America.
See it's always the same. Instead of addressing the truth head on it gets misdirected again. George W Bush was a lousy president. He got us into a crazy radical war under the pretext of a lie
which has killed many soldiers and contract workers beheaded. You do remember
that or are Republicans going to rewrite history. Clinton acted immorally not
only to his wife but disrespected this nation and ridiculed his presidential
position. Yes he is guilty of much....BUT HE DID NOT BANKRUPT this country as
George W Bush did. His power trip and greed has crippled this nation
financially. Bush too has ridiculed this nation. How? Well Clinton was immoral
and Bush was branded as Stupid and a financial disaster. You have to accept
this and move on. Clean up the Republican Party with integral candidates that
will unite this country. I just read today Palin for 2016??? Are they crazy?
What kind of Kamikaze wish would that be? The first time Obama ran I heard so
many democrats who were going to switch and vote for McCain but choosing far
out who knows how to describe Palin crushed him. It's like some Puppet Master at
work here trying to destroy the Republican Party with these undesirable
candidates. Mitt Romney lost because he simply was a bad candidate to represent
the Republican Party. This was not a surprise to anyone the party knew it. This
is not a complicated conclusion folks. Republican need to go back to their roots
and care more about this country than their pockets.
Oh boo who...... no one at the club likes me.... even my servants are laughing at me.
Has Willard been excommunicate by the Mormons yet?
Andy: Boo who to you too. And no one in the NFC fears you any more. We, the Baltimore Ravens beat your steeler nation last night -- and my servants are laughing at you too.
Byron LeftWHO?
This article was a waste of words and paper. Do you actually want us to believe that Romney was the first person to have a plan before the election to be President? How can a transition team be pulled together without plans? What are the details of Romney's plans; because this article says nothing that we did not know?
"I want my transition team to be ready to go on January 1" spoken by President Obama in 1986.
"President-elect Mitt Romney".....
Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaa!
i would still like to see mitts tax returns........ arent they available under the freedom act you know public records i think that would be the end of the party of NO's ambitions for another 10 years although i think they will step on their dicks plenty i the upcoming congression sesions both in he senate and house. i think the party of No really didn't count on people having a memory of 4 years ago about the previous party of NO'S presidential succes' of the the bush-Cheney presidential debacle.....the party of NO thinks most americans are stupid and would like to keep them that way have a good life mitt good riddance to you nd your kind you are not good americans under any explanation
You talk like it was a landslide. Obama won by about 1.7%. He won and the country has to deal with his socialist agenda, but it was hardly a mandate.
Intelligent response Brenda, classic liberal. Don't say anything but say it loud. If you voted for the Obamanation you deserve it, the rest of us will get dragged along until 2016. We'll then have to try to beat Hillary (God forbid) or that idiot Biden....
D. Smith, you are so ignorant, referring to Obama as a Muslim. It has been proven, over and over again, that the First Family is NOT a Muslim family! If they were, Michelle would not be allowed to wear sleeveless dresses, go out without a head covering, and neither would their daughters. Barack would be compelled to respond to the daily calls for prayer and have a prayer rug in the White House. Even the most peaceful Muslim families (i.e., not radicals or extremists) follow these customs dictated by their religion.
I am SO TIRED of you dang fools who insist on dragging religiosity into every conversation, and even MORE tired of you when you can't get it right! We DO know that Romney is a Mormon; he has said so and is proud of it. Fine. Just keep the Mormon "values" and dictums out of politics. Muslims don't usually attend Christian churches and our POTUS does.
Get off it and stop listening to FOX and LImbaugh. Grow a brain . . . although it's probably too late in your life to do that. Try anyway!
Simple minded losers,,the American talaban aka the gop
Hmmm...sort of the old P L A N A H e ad placard joke in reverse - i.e. should have spent more time on the front end.
I'm glad to hear Mitt was prepared, too bad he lost.
Hey republitardrds,
We the people will vote you all out in less than 6 years,I'm glad to see youmfaksmsuffer a horrid loss,after all we had 8 years of bush the biggest debt and war spender,,,ha ha he he ho ho,dam you talaban gotta go.
You don't even know what big debt is yet.
You WRONG ! YOUR STUPID,IDOTS and I voted Republican for a short time!
Until I saw how WRONG YOU ARE ARE ON ALL COUNTS !!
Four more,years. I love it
All the tea talaban and god for,rape as holes will be voted out soon.
Should be fun to watch the suffering
Suffering is what you will be doing for the next four years.
Thought I wouldn't be posting again for a good while, but this sort of article ought to be addressed. First, I have to say how very, very lucky the country is that we will never know exactly what "ambitious plans" were in Romney's Readiness Project - very, very lucky. Now, the media needs to move "forward" and put Romney/Ryan and their plans in the shredder. Don't know if anyone else is, but I'm very tired of hearing what the losing side shoulda/woulda/coulda do. To perpetuate this RR team's vision and worrying about what the repubs are going to do is foolish. Afraid they're going to do what they did in "this" election and double down on tea bagger crazies and their equally crazy ideas. Keep your heads in the game, liberal, progressive, moderate democrats and work to keep the tea bagger faction of the repubs out of office like we were very successful in doing in 2012. That's the way to keep America on the road to recovery.
Yeah.....massive layoffs are really lucky, ain't they Baby?
If your iq is 55-90,you voted for a republitard,,ha he ho
You're confusing Republicans with libtards again.
Mitt was prepared because they thought they had this election rigged and won. The world is a much better place without the fear mongering Republican Party.
Yep......corporations dropping health insurance is a great thing, eh Johnny?
I thought it rather humorous that within hrs. of Romney losing, his worker's credit cards were cancelled. They found they couldn't even get a cab ride home using it. "Flip" thought he was going to win, not matter what. Unfortunately his campaign was far behind Barack's when it came to accurate polling and where to advertise in the media to get the best bang for your buck. Their methods were impeccable. Far ahead of the GOP.
Now I see where Governor Walker from Wisconsin is parading around the country with sights on 2016. Great. Please take this political charlatan off our hands. His prediction of creating 250,00 jobs in 4 yrs. is only about 240,00 jobs shot at this point in time. Just one of the many of his campaign promises yet to come to pass. Another Tea Party frontman tried and true!
The US credit card will be cut off soon, thanks to having no budget over Oblahblah's entire first term.
NBC and its sister networks were an effective part of the Obama campaign. Chuck Todd, Dominico and the team of water carriers were able to secure the win for Obama. The performance of sister network MSNBC would make Goebels smile as the lies and disinformation was spewing faster than cows and horses producing manure. In the end Obama was shielded from questions like Fast and Furious, Benghazi and how we now have an additional 6 trillion in debt and more people on food stamps. Yes the whores and pimps in the main stream media did their duty to mislead and not inform the citizenry. The lies and distortions about Mitt were not answered because the MSM sound chamber had chosen their man.
The road to recovery starts,with the elimination of all tea bagger talaban and god for,rape losers
Massive layoffs are not the Road to Recovery.
And isn't this like the third year of recovery under Oblahblah?
Sure can't wait to see an actual recovery.
Yeah, but remember - we blindly voted for Obama because we hate Mitt so much! We could give a sh!t about who's in office, as long as it's not Mittens and gang! I hate people with money n stuff!
; )
Your HORRIBLE PEOPLE!
STOP making up excuses for how horrible you are as people !
Yep.....much better to kill babies, isn't it?
When Conservitives Lose, America Loese!
When POS Liberals Win, America Loses!
These posts have gone from sad, to frickin' hilarious. Sadlarious.
Keep printing money...that'll fix 'er!
Fact is the mess this President had to clean up was yours. Accept it and move on.
Hahahahaha thanks for proving my point.
Blah blah blah
Mitts a faking loser just Ike all you,scum that voted for him
You lost ha ha he he ho ho.
All you simple minds republitards blow
There's a winner for ya! Hahaha
Mr. Ability......You should show more pride in yourself...Terrible ....
Son
Your mother should have aborted you boy
Is that what your father told you?
Wow... a 12 yr old lashes out...
Give the libs what they want on taxing the wealthy, its only a drop in the bucket. Ah, hell give them everything they want and soon you will see all these dumb @!$%#s shutting up about there so called leader. With his and their policies the economy and unemployment will get so out of control the republicans will assure themselves victory in the white house and both houses of congress for a long, long, long time, gauranteed.