BYU alumnus Mitt Romney will address students, staff and faculty in a BYU Forum Nov. 18 in the Marriott Center at 11:05 a.m., and his address is titled “Life Lessons from the Front.”
Romney has been in the national and global spotlight since he ran for the GOP nomination in the 2008 presidential elections and then for president in 2012.
His campaign generated support from some members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who, for the most part, hoped to see changes made to the liberal decisions of the government under President Barack Obama.
The Universe created a Facebook poll and asked users to predict Romney’s topic. Opinions were varied because he is speaking at a Forum and not a BYU Devotional.
Forty percent of respondents believe Romney would speak about religion, while 21 percent said he would talk about the economy. “Partisanship” and “foreign policy” were a few points apart, with 15 percent and 13 percent of votes, respectively.
“Running for president” came in last place, taking only 11 percent of votes.
Rampant rumors say he will run for president again, despite his own consistent denials of the idea.
Romney interviewed with radio host Hugh Hewitt in August. Hewitt questioned Romney about the 2016 elections, pressing him for an answer should “circumstances change.” (Listen to the full interview here)
Romney’s response was straightforward: “I’m not going there, Hugh. I know you’re going to press, but you know, this is something we gave a lot of thought to when early on I decided we’re not going to be running this time. And again, we said, look, I had the chance of running. I didn’t win. Someone else has a better chance than I do, and that’s what we believe, and that’s why I’m not running. And you know, circumstances can change, but I’m just not going to let my head go there.”
Romney described the possibility of running again as “one in a million” and outlined exactly what would have to happen for him to once again enter the presidential election playing field.
“Let’s say all the guys that were running all came together and said, ‘Hey, we’ve decided we can’t do it, you must do it,'” Romney said. “That’s the one of a million we’re thinking about.”
Romney might be saying he won’t run again, but that doesn’t mean the people are listening. A recent poll titled “Who Would You Most Like to See Run For President In 2016?” was conducted by Elon University of North Carolina.The poll indicated that Romney is top of the list for Republican candidate in the 2016 elections. Ben Carson and Rand Paul followed in second and third place.
The results of the poll are not meant to point-blank state that these will be the running candidates. The poll instead may indicate which individuals to follow. Hilary Clinton was the most popular choice for Democratic candidate, with Barack Obama and Elizabeth Warren as second and third choices. Independents picked Clinton first as well, followed by Rand Paul and then Mitt Romney. To see the full poll results visit www.elon.edu.
Romney may no longer be running for president, but he still makes appearances on the news, voicing his opinions and thoughts on various happenings in the government.
He recently commented on President Obama’s secretive letter to Iran’s leader, Ali Khamenei, saying he was “stunned” by the president’s action, which “in effect legitimized a nation and a leadership which is violating international norms and is threatening the world.”
The letter allegedly discusses Iran signing a nuclear agreement and consenting to work with the U.S. against the Islamic State.
Romney also had something to say about the newly elected, Republican-dominated Senate. He said Democrats lost the election not only because voters were frustrated and tired of the current government, but also because Democrats put space between themselves and President Obama.
Romney may retain an active, behind-the-scenes position with the Republican party, offering his support and expertise as the elections move forward.
Speculation about Romney extends from the presidential elections to what students can expect students to hear him speak on at Tuesday’s Forum.
Romney graduated from BYU with highest honors in 1971. He was later granted an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1975, where he was also named a Baker Scholar and received a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He was chair of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and he is a founder of Bain Capital, a private asset management firm in Massachusetts that handles approximately $80 billion in assets. He is known for his family values. His wife and five sons were active participants in his 2012 campaign.
Click here to read about Divine Comedy’s political satire about Mitt Romney.
