Residents meet, praise Romney
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Romney visits Janesville
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney visited Janesville and spoke at Monterey Mills on Monday, June 18.
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Bill Sodemann, the father of seven girls, made a joking request of the man who might be the next president of the United States.
The Janesville resident asked Mitt Romney if he would consider creating a wedding tax credit.
The exchange Monday was part of a 45-minute focus group attended by 10 residents with presidential hopeful Romney and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
There was no press and no fanfare—just the 10 residents and the two politicians who sat down at Monterey Mills for a heart-to-heart in an intimate setting.
Those in the group included:
-- A small businessman.
-- An engineer who lost his job when GM closed here and is being laid off again at the end of the month.
-- A woman who lost her job and is mired in student loans.
One in the group said banks won't give him a loan to expand his small business.
It was unclear Monday how the 10 were chosen.
Those invited said they were honored and humbled to be included.
The meeting was held before Romney took the stage to address supporters at Monterey Mills.
Romney was easy-going and down-to-earth, said several who attended the meeting. They said he was affable and had a sense of humor.
Romney wanted to hear the individual stories of those gathered, said Sodemann's wife, Kay.
Neither Romney nor Walker talked much and mostly listened.
The group talked about the national debt and the desire for smaller government. They talked about traditional family values and American ideals.
Members touched on border security, job creation, the social welfare state and the need to take individual responsibility.
Matt Magee, the owner of Magee Plumbing, said Romney asked for their names and then remembered them. He asked about their businesses, what those gathered would like to see in a president and the direction they would like to see the country take.
Magee told Romney he wanted smaller government. He said he'd like to see jobs and manufacturing return to America. He wants the government to reduce its deficit. He wants lower taxes so people can invest in their own companies and families, rather than giving it to the government who distributes it to people the government thinks needs it.
Magee said Romney "talked in a language we all could understand. He seems to know what we want, what America wants.
"I was impressed by him."
Paul Schieldt, broker/owner of The Reality Group of South Central Wisconsin, said Romney would "move us in a direction that will better the country."
Schieldt said Romney seemed to speak from his heart.
"He was very comfortable," Schieldt said. "He really dove in, asking, 'How's everything for your family?' He seemed more interested in my wife and kids."
Schieldt said a major concern for him is retaining the mortgage tax deduction to help families buy homes.
"It's something of a hot topic," Schieldt said. "It affects all families that own real estate."
John Kitching, a Janesville resident who is an engineer in Madison, said Romney was "impressive, very genuine, a good listener.
"I noticed how he (took) the content from our round table and used it in part of his talk," Kitching said. "I was pretty impressed that he was listening that intently and was able to work it in on the fly.
"It was interesting to get a feel for his personality."
One woman who attended the focus group did not want to be named because she serves on a Rock County non-partisan board.
She said group members had the "undivided attention" of Romney and Walker.
"It was an incredible experience," she said.
The woman lost her job in 2008, has not been able to find full-time work and owes on her college loans.
"He listened," she said of Romney.
"I think that speaks a lot of good leader," she said.
"A good leader will ask many people what they think, what they are experiencing, and not make policy around one or two people."
Jun 20, 2012 at 3:44 p.m.
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moderate1 said, "Truth is that before today I was going to vote for Obama again."
Yeah, right.
Jun 20, 2012 at 3:16 p.m.
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916WI, your lapse of memory of the ongoing Issa vendetta against Obama and his appointees from day one of the Obama administration is quite striking.
Don't you find it just a BIT ironic that Darrell Issa, the Republican who was arrested and charged with a gun violation, and eventually pleaded guilty to a gun violation, would now be the Republican's point man in Congress that is investigating gun running schemes that were started under the George W. Bush administration? Only in America.
"A police officer noticed a firearm in his glove compartment. Issa was charged with carrying a concealed weapon; he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of possession of an unregistered firearm, and was sentenced to six months' probation and a small fine." [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darrell_Iss... ]
Jun 20, 2012 at 2:13 p.m.
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poohboy......Your statement, "Any attempts by a criminal to impugn the integrity of others" is laughable.......Since when is requiring that documents that a committee deem relevant to an investigation be turned over to that committee "impugn the integrity" of those involved?? I think that Obama and Holder are doing a fine job of impugning their integrity all on their own! Keep trying though:)
Jun 20, 2012 at 1:34 p.m.
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More classic "it was Bush's fault"
Wow.
Jun 20, 2012 at 1:05 p.m.
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The George W. Bush administration started these "gunwalking" operations under the codename Wide Receiver. The Bush administration ensured guns would "walk" in to the hands of arms traffickers and Mexican drug cartels. [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_W... ]
Any attempts by a criminal to impugn the integrity of others should, and will, be met with recitations of that criminal's history.
Jun 20, 2012 at 12:59 p.m.
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Poohboy....The man sitting in the highest office in our country's government asserts executive privilege over documents he claims to have never seen which cover a gun running operation he said he didn't know existed. We're discussing an operation which resulted in the murder of an American LEO along with countless other Mexican nationals and you bring up the theft of a 1971 Dodge Charger that happened 40 years ago.........It's funny and really pathetic at the same time--not surprising coming from you though.......
Jun 20, 2012 at 12:41 p.m.
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Darrell Issa, the Republican chairing the committee investigating Fast and Furious is apparently no stranger to being investigated, charged and pleading guilty to crime himself.
"He claimed his unit provided security for President Richard Nixon, sweeping stadiums for bombs prior to games in the 1971 World Series, and that he received the highest approval ratings during his service.[7] However, a 1998 investigation by the San Francisco Examiner found these claims were not true, since Nixon had not attended any of that year's World Series games. The investigation also discovered that Issa was actually transferred to a supply depot after he received an unsatisfactory evaluation. According to Issa, the Examiner reporter had misunderstood an anecdote he had related.[5] A fellow soldier, Jay Bergey, claimed that Issa stole his Dodge Charger in 1971, when they were serving together. The day after he confronted Issa, the car was found abandoned on a nearby expressway. Asked about this in 2011, Issa denied it and suggested it was possible that other soldiers stole the car or that Bergey, who he claims had a drinking problem, had abandoned it himself while intoxicated." [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darrell_Iss... ]
"Twice that year he was arrested, once for alleged theft of a Maserati, which Issa says was a case of mistaken identity and the charge for which was dismissed. In another incident, he was stopped for driving the wrong way on a one-way street, and a police officer noticed a firearm in his glove compartment. Issa was charged with carrying a concealed weapon; he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of possession of an unregistered firearm, and was sentenced to six months' probation and a small fine.[5][8] Issa has said he believes the record has since been expunged." [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darrell_Iss... ]
Jun 20, 2012 at 12:09 p.m.
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vatoloco asked, "What is Obama hiding from this investigation?"
Maybe he is hiding documents that would prove George W. Bush and Dick Cheney knew all along there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Or maybe he is hiding documents that show Bush had been briefed that Al Qaeda was planning to commandeer commercial airplanes and fly them into buildings.
Jun 20, 2012 at 12:08 p.m.
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rocksolid said, "He spent more time listening than talking and I was amazed at how much he knew about each of our interests, whether it was family, the real estate market, manufacturing, or other small businesses like mine. It was pretty cool!"
Yeah, he was listening alright--to his handlers as they were giving him a 10 second rundown on each of the ten people he had to pretend to be genuinely interested in for a few minutes. Unless you've ever seen behind the scenes of a national campaign, the candidate would be able to make you feel very special, just like he does the tens of thousands of other people he'll listen to in the coming months. And when it's all over, the few names and numbers he'll remember are of those people who were his largest donors.
Jun 20, 2012 at 9:07 a.m.
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It is important that Gov. Romney to be elected so he can make some changes in the direction that Obama has taken this country. He will be able to undo some poor decisions by executive order; others will take a majority in the House and Senate to undo. It will be important to elect a majority that is willing to change the direction we have been going the past 4 years. Obama has shown he cares less about creating jobs, he just wants to buy all the votes he can with his appeasing the illegal immigrants and proponents of gay marriage and his crusade to take away from the people that have worked hard to have a better lifestyle. Our current President is ruining our country with his liberal direction coupled by this unsustainable debt and will make it extremely difficult for our children and grandchildren to have a better life than ourselves. We need Gov. Romney to restore some sanity to our country and the direction we are going.
Jun 20, 2012 at 7:34 a.m.
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Rich tax? TUS, the top 10 % of earners already pay 70% of the taxes. The bottom 50% of the takers pay none. Sounds like we already have a rich tax.
Jun 20, 2012 at 12:24 a.m.
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When Clinton had the same effect....the right called him "slick Willie."
But now the tasters of ye olde political kool aid seem to be holding their noses when they swallow.
Jun 20, 2012 at 12:15 a.m.
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rocksolid...this is so unlike you...I sense a mancrush.
Jun 19, 2012 at 7:46 p.m.
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Romney can tell you that it is all about Americans, just like all of the other politicians have.
Jun 19, 2012 at 7:39 p.m.
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Romney knows this is about Americans. Obama thinks it's all about him.
Jun 19, 2012 at 7:26 p.m.
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As far as belmans comment, consider the source!
Jun 19, 2012 at 7:01 p.m.
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I agree wislady. Belman's comment is clearly out of line.
Jun 19, 2012 at 5:55 p.m.
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belman
You should be ashamed of yourself for that comment.
Jun 19, 2012 at 5:55 p.m.
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Let's trickle-down our economics for the past 30 years and sign a no tax pledge so we never have to meet our debt obligations in full and then ask a jobs destroyer and borrower about the huge debt our nation is piling up. LOL
Jun 19, 2012 at 5:36 p.m.
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With politicians it's all a smoke screen until they get voted in. Whether republican or democrat, they have all been bought by special interest groups. Neither party has our backs.
Jun 19, 2012 at 5:28 p.m.
Jun 19, 2012 at 5:16 p.m.
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Hello: Just in case any of you are wondering, I spent most of the time that I was given letting Governor Romney know that my business customers are concerned, like I am, of the huge debt that our nation is piling up and how it leads to an uncertain future. I noted how Wisconsin, under Governor Walker, made the difficult and bold decisions to deal with our fiscal issues.
- The "wedding tax" jest took only a few seconds and was in response to Governor Romneys humerous reaction to learning of the size and make up of my family.
- Gov. Romney is one of the easiest people that I have ever met to chat with. He spent more time listening than talking and I was amazed at how much he knew about each of our interests, whether it was family, the real estate market, manufacturing, or other small businesses like mine. It was pretty cool!
Have a pleasant evening.
Bill Sodemann
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