No Apology

Last updated
No Apology:
The Case for American Greatness
MittRomney NoApology Cover lowres.jpg
Author Mitt Romney
LanguageEnglish
Subject U.S. politics
Publisher St. Martin's Press
Publication date
March 2, 2010
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardcover and Paperback)
Pages336
ISBN 978-0-312-60980-1
Preceded by Turnaround: Crisis, Leadership, and the Olympic Games  
Followed byN/A 

No Apology: The Case for American Greatness is a book by former Massachusetts governor, two-time U.S. presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Mitt Romney, detailing his vision for the United States. It was published on March 2, 2010, by St. Martin's Press. [1] The book debuted atop the New York Times Best Seller list for the week of March 12, 2010. [2] A paperback version was released in 2011. [3]

Contents

Background and themes

Romney wrote the book over a six-month period from his office in Lexington, Massachusetts, and his beachside home in La Jolla, California, studying findings from think tanks and reading treatises on global economics. [4] [5] Romney originally found a ghostwriter to produce the book, but after being dissatisfied with the early results, decided to write it himself, with the help of a research assistant. [5] [6] The title makes reference to Romney's contention that President Barack Obama had apologized for past American actions during trips abroad, and the subtitle to Romney's belief in American exceptionalism.

The book avoids anecdotes about Romney's personal or political life and focuses much of its attention on a substantive presentation of his views on economic and geopolitical matters, including his inveighing against the resurgence of populism. [4] [7] Government is seen as having some valuable roles, such as fostering innovation and expanding health insurance coverage to everyone. [4] The book largely avoids discussion of social issues. [4] [7]

Romney states generally that Americans "need to stimulate the economy, not the government." However, he defends the Bush administration's efforts through the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) that he believes "prevented a systemic collapse of the national financial system". In terms of financial regulation and tax reform, he states that "personal taxes on dividends, interest, and capital gains for all middle-income families should be completely eliminated." [8]

Romney writes about the need to expand American military programs and their funding. He recommends adding a minimum of 100,000 soldiers to the Marines and the Army specifically. He writes as well about updating America's nuclear stockpile, building a missile defense system, and researching into cyber-warfare. [8]

Promotional efforts

Romney launched a 19-state book tour to promote the volume, and also appeared on television programs such as the Today Show and The View . [9] He spoke before thousands in the hall at the Salt Palace Convention Center in one of his home states, in an event that had the feel of a presidential campaign rally, [10] much as the book itself was a blueprint for an eventual Romney run in the 2012 United States presidential election. [4] [7] Ben Smith of Politico.com reported that contractually enforced bulk purchases of the book were a part of the promotional tour plan: "his publisher, according to the document from the book tour − provided on the condition it not be described in detail − asked institutions to pay at least $25,000, and up to the full $50,000 price, in bulk purchases of the book." [11]

Commercial and critical reception

Romney said he did not expect the book would be a best seller, saying he had not written the kind of personal account that people like to read and saying he would fall far short of Sarah Palin's sales for her memoir, Going Rogue: An American Life . [4] Nevertheless, St. Martin's Press did commit to an initial printing of 200,000 copies. [4]

No Apology debuted at the top of the New York Times Best Seller list for the week of March 12, 2010. [2] The Times stated that stores were reporting bulk orders for the book. [2] The following week, the book slipped to the number four position.

Romney earned at least $100,000 from publishing the book; the money was donated to several charities, including the Joey Fund and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Sabin Children's Foundation, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute Jimmy Fund, Homes For Our Troops, and the Boston Boys & Girls Club. [12]

Conservative print/online magazine Human Events ran a positive review by Jedediah Bila. Bila wrote that the "overall tone of the text is analytical. Like any practical businessman, Romney loves his data." She highlighted Romney's ideas on energy development, healthcare reform, education reform, and expanding U.S. 'soft power' as well as 'hard power'. She concluded, "All in all, Romney's book provides a well-organized display of his stand on key issues." [8]

Three nonpartisan fact-checking outlets starkly disputed Romney's titular claim that Obama had ever staged an "apology tour". [13] [14] [15]

Paperback edition

The softcover edition of the book came out in February 2011, when Romney was nearing the June 2011 formal announcement of his 2012 presidential campaign. [16] Now with a different subtitle, No Apology: Believe in America featured a new introduction that explicitly focused on themes of the Tea Party movement such as freedom and devotion to the U.S. Constitution. [3] While much of the book's text remained unchanged from the hardcover edition, material on the 2009 stimulus package was rewritten to be more negative about the act's effects and material about what Romney saw as the differences between "Romneycare" and "Obamacare" was recast to add defenses of the former and be more aggressively opposed to the latter. [3] [17] According to PolitiFact.com, Romney engaged in "some strategic editing" by removing "a defense of state-level choice − not a pitch for a mandatory national approach." [18]

Romney staged a two-day media tour to promote the new edition, appearing on shows such as The View , Good Morning America , Piers Morgan Tonight , and the Late Show with David Letterman . [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitt Romney</span> American politician and businessman (born 1947)

Willard Mitt Romney is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer, and the junior United States senator from Utah since 2019. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and was the Republican Party's nominee for president of the United States in the 2012 election, losing to Barack Obama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FactCheck.org</span> Fact-checking website

FactCheck.org is a nonprofit website that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics by providing original research on misinformation and hoaxes. It is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, and is funded primarily by the Annenberg Foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Morris</span> American political commentator and consultant (born 1948)

Richard Samuel Morris is an American political author and commentator who previously worked as a pollster, political campaign consultant, and general political consultant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitt Romney 2008 presidential campaign</span> US presidential campaign

The Mitt Romney presidential campaign of 2008 began on January 3, 2007, two days before Mitt Romney left office as governor of Massachusetts, when he filed to form an exploratory committee with the Federal Election Commission to run for President of the United States as a Republican in the 2008 election. Subsequently, on February 13, 2007, he formally announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for president in 2008. He did so at the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan, as an emblem of American ingenuity.

The political positions of Mitt Romney have been recorded from his 1994 U.S. senatorial campaign in Massachusetts, the 2002 gubernatorial election, during his 2003–2007 governorship, during his 2008 U.S. presidential campaign, in his 2010 book No Apology: The Case for American Greatness, during his 2012 U.S. presidential campaign, and during his 2018 senatorial campaign in Utah. Some of these political positions have changed, while others have remained unchanged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Romney</span> Wife of Mitt Romney

Ann Lois Romney is an American author and philanthropist. She is the wife of businessman and politician, Senator Mitt Romney of Utah. From 2003 to 2007, Romney was First Lady of Massachusetts, while her husband served as governor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Romney 1968 presidential campaign</span> American political campaign

George Romney ran for the 1968 Republican Party nomination in the 1968 United States presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public image of Mitt Romney</span>

The public image of Mitt Romney refers to how Americans view Mitt Romney. Following his 2008 presidential campaign, Romney's personal and political appearance increased. Romney's values and affiliation with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are significant factors in his public image and "Faith in America" speech.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 United States presidential election</span> 57th quadrennial U.S. presidential election

The 2012 United States presidential election was the 57th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. Incumbent Democratic president Barack Obama and his running mate, incumbent vice president Joe Biden, were re-elected to a second term. They defeated the Republican ticket of former governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney and U.S. representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.

The following is a timeline of major events leading up to the United States presidential election of 2012. The election was the 57th quadrennial United States presidential election held on November 6, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PolitiFact</span> American nonprofit fact-checking website

PolitiFact.com is an American nonprofit project operated by the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, with offices there and in Washington, D.C. It began in 2007 as a project of the Tampa Bay Times, with reporters and editors from the newspaper and its affiliated news media partners reporting on the accuracy of statements made by elected officials, candidates, their staffs, lobbyists, interest groups and others involved in U.S. politics. Its journalists select original statements to evaluate and then publish their findings on the PolitiFact.com website, where each statement receives a "Truth-O-Meter" rating. The ratings range from "True" for statements the journalists deem as accurate to "Pants on Fire" for claims the journalists deem as "not accurate and makes a ridiculous claim".

On April 4, 2011, Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States, announced his candidacy for re-election as president. On September 5, 2012, he again became the nominee of the Democratic Party for the 2012 presidential election. Along with his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, Obama was opposed in the general election by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, along with various minor candidates from other parties. The election took place on Tuesday, November 6, 2012.

A series of political debates were held prior to and during the 2012 Republican primaries, among candidates for the Republican presidential nomination in the national election of 2012. The first debate occurred on May 5, 2011, in Greenville, South Carolina, and was hosted by Fox News, while the last debate was held February 22, 2012, in Mesa, Arizona, and was hosted by CNN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitt Romney 2012 presidential campaign</span> American political campaign

The 2012 presidential campaign of Mitt Romney officially began on June 2, 2011, when former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney formally announced his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination for President of the United States, at an event in Stratham, New Hampshire. Having previously run in the 2008 Republican primaries, this was Romney's second campaign for the presidency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 United States presidential election in New Hampshire</span>

The 2012 United States presidential election in New Hampshire took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. New Hampshire voters chose four electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, U.S. Representative Paul Ryan.

The 2012 United States presidential debates were a series of debates held during the 2012 presidential election. All four debates were sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), slated for various locations around the country in October. Three presidential debates involved the major party nominees Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, while the vice presidential debate involved Joe Biden and Paul Ryan.

Newspapers in the United States have traditionally endorsed candidates for party nomination prior to their final endorsements for President. Below is the list of endorsements in 2012, by candidate, for each primary race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitt Romney dog incident</span> 21st century US political controversy

During a 1983 family vacation, American businessman and future politician Mitt Romney drove 12 hours with his dog on top of the car in a windshield-equipped carrier. This incident became the subject of negative media attention and political attacks on Romney in both the 2008 and the 2012 presidential elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Republican Party vice presidential candidate selection</span>

On May 29, 2012, former Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts won the 2012 nomination by the Republican Party for President of the United States, and became the presumptive nominee of the party. On August 11, 2012, Romney officially announced his selection of Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan as his running mate to supporters via an iPhone app, though the selection of Ryan had already leaked to the press hours before the official announcement. Ryan was the first individual from Wisconsin to appear on a national ticket of a major party as a nominee either for President or Vice President of the United States, although third-party presidential candidate Robert M. La Follette won 16% of the popular vote in the 1924 election. The Romney–Ryan ticket ultimately lost to the Obama–Biden ticket in the 2012 presidential election.

References

  1. Romney, Mitt (2 March 2010). No Apology: The Case for American Greatness (9780312609801): Mitt Romney: Books. ISBN   978-0312609801.
  2. 1 2 3 Zimmermann, Eric (2010-03-13). "Romney tops bestseller list, but with an asterisk – The Hill's Blog Briefing Room". The Hill . Retrieved 2010-06-13.
  3. 1 2 3 Bernstein, David S. (February 10, 2011). "Mitt Rewrites Himself". The Boston Phoenix .
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Issenberg, Sasha (2010-03-02). "Mitt Romney's 'No Apology' is not light reading". The Boston Globe . Retrieved 2010-06-13.
  5. 1 2 Issenberg, Sasha (August 30, 2009). "The Long-Distance Runner". The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine .
  6. Scherer, Michael (January 24, 2011). "Mitt Romney Readies a Different Kind of Campaign". Time . Archived from the original on January 24, 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 Altman, Alex (2010-03-03). "The Skimmer: Mitt Romney's "No Apology"". Time . Archived from the original on March 6, 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-13.
  8. 1 2 3 Bila, Jedediah (March 2, 2010). "Book Review: Mitt Romney's No Apology: The Case for American Greatness". Human Events . Archived from the original on May 6, 2010. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  9. "Mitt Romney's book tour: first stop on the campaign trail?". The Christian Science Monitor . 2010-03-03. Retrieved 2010-06-13.
  10. Derek P. Jensen (2010-03-14). "Thousands of fans hail Romney in SLC". Salt Lake Tribune . Retrieved 2010-06-13.
  11. Ben Smith (2010-10-15). "How Romney made a best-seller". The Politico . Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  12. Viser, Matt (August 12, 2011). "Romney's net worth pegged at $190-$250M". The Boston Globe .
  13. "Mitt Romney said Barack Obama began his presidency with an apology tour". PolitiFact.com . August 31, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  14. Farley, Robert (August 31, 2012). "Romney's Sorry 'Apology' Dig". FactCheck.org . Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  15. Kessler, Glenn (February 22, 2011). "Obama's 'Apology Tour'". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on November 22, 2011. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  16. 1 2 Askar, Jamshid Ghazi (February 2, 2011). "Romney relishes his LDS faith in media blitz". Mormon Times .
  17. Lizza, Ryan (June 6, 2011). "Romney's Dilemma". The New Yorker . Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  18. PolitiFact.com (September 22, 2011). "Rick Perry says Mitt Romney shifted stance when he deleted health care line from his book". St. Petersburg Times .