After Defeat, Cloudy Future Ahead for Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney spent the past six years running for president. After his loss to President Barack Obama, he'll have to chart a different course.

His initial plan: spend time with his family. He has five sons and 18 grandchildren, with a 19th on the way.

"I don't look at postelection to be a time of regrouping. Instead it's a time of forward focus," Romneytold reporters aboard his plane Tuesday evening as he returned to Boston after the final campaign stop of his political career. "I have, of course, a family and life important to me, win or lose."

The most visible member of that family — wife Ann Romney — says neither she nor her husband will seek political office again.

"Absolutely he will not run again," she told the hosts of ABC's "The View" in October when asked if a loss would mean the end of Romney's political career. "Nor will I."

Romney's senior advisers refused to speculate publicly about what might be next for their longtime boss. There was a general consensus, however: The 65-year-old Romney is unlikely to retire altogether. But following his defeat, his future role in a divided Republican Party is unclear.

"He's not a guy who's going to stay still, right. He's not a guy that's just going to hit a beach, play a lot of golf. He'll do something," said Russ Schriefer, one of Romney's top strategists.

The Republican presidential nominee spent most of his career in private business. He's run for office four times, and lost all but his bid for Massachusetts governor in 2002. That year, he ran as a moderate Republican who supported abortion rights and struck a conciliatory tone on gay rights and climate change. He also ran for the Senate.

After he decided to run for president, some of those positions changed. In his two presidential campaigns, he ran as an opponent of abortion, advocated amending the Constitution to ban gay marriage and described himself as "severely conservative."

But the Republican Party's most passionate voters never fully embraced him. Romney struggled through a long and nasty primary, losing state contests to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, both of whom had long been sitting on their party's sidelines.

It wasn't immediately clear if Romney will seek an ongoing role in a Republican Party that's embarking upon a period of soul-searching. With a successful career in the private sector, he could secure a position in private business, though he is worth millions and hasn't worked a job with a regular paycheck in more than a decade. Those close to Romney also suggest he could purse philanthropic opportunities or even play a role in the Olympics after having led the 2002 Winter Games.

Frustrated conservatives may make a full return to politics by Romney, even in a supporting role, difficult on the national stage.

"What was presented as discipline by the Romney campaign by staying on one message, the economy, was a strategic error," said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List. She argued that Romney handed Obama a victory by failing to focus on a socially conservative agenda.

On the flip side, other party leaders are insisting his loss means the GOP needs to reject some of the harsh rhetoric Romney embraced on issues important to women and Hispanics. "The country is changing, and the people our party appeals to is a static group," said Republican strategist Mike Murphy.

Romney won the nomination over the course of years. While he formally ended his first presidential bid in 2008 after losing the nomination to John McCain, he went on to build a network of political support by turning immediately to raising money for candidates and officeholders in the states he would need to carry him to the 2012 nomination.

He formally launched his second presidential bid in June 2011. Many members of his senior staff were already living in Boston by that point, uprooting lives in Washington or New York to commit to Romney's campaign.

On Tuesday, that all ended. By the end, running mate Paul Ryan said Romney was "running on fumes."

As the returns rolled in and state after state was called for Obama, Romney tuned out entirely at times.

"At one point tonight, he just turned off the TV and just played with the grandkids," said longtime aide Eric Fehrnstrom, standing in the ballroom after Romney's concession speech.

President Obama wins four more years as America delivers decisive verdict

President Obama wins four more years as America delivers decisive verdict

Barack Obama promised the American people that the 'the best is yet to come" as he accepted a second term in the White House after easily beating off the challenge from his Republican rival, Mitt Romney.
With a second chance to fulfil some of the expectations that greeted his election in 2008, Obama used his soaring victory speech at a rally in Chicago – by far his best of the entire campaign – to press for a bipartisan approach to politics and returned once again to his theme of hope.
Stepping up to the lectern to the upbeat strains of Stevie Wonder's Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours, Obama told the ecstatic crowd of supporters: "Tonight in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back. And we know in our hearts that for the United States of America the best is yet to come."
In a speech that lasted more than 25 minutes, after paying emotional tribute to his wife Michelle and his daughters Malia and Sasha – as well as to his vice-president, Joe Biden – Obama returned to the message that first brought him to national attention.
"We are not as divided as our politics suggests," he said. "We're not as cynical as the pundits believe. We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions, and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are, and forever will be, the United States of America."
Obama made clear he had an agenda in mind for his second term, citing changes in the tax code, immigration reform and, as he put it, an America "that isn't threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet."
More immediately, he and Congress needed to negotiate a new fiscal plan that avoided massive cuts in defence and other domestic spending and sharp across-the-board tax increases. Obama has called for tax increases on households earning more than $250,000; House Speaker John Boehner has rejected any tax increases.
When he finished his speech, Obama was joined on stage by Biden, whom Obama called "America's happy warrior". In his remarks, he paid special tribute to his campaign team and his volunteers as the best "in the history of politics. The best. The best ever." 
"Thank you for believing all the way through every hill, through every valley," he said. "You lifted me up the whole way."
The address was the finale to a night that had begun with many of the swing states too close to call but ended with an overwhelming victory as Obama held seven of the nine battlegrounds upon which his presidency had been founded. With votes still being counted in Florida, Romney managed to secure victory in just one state, North Carolina.
After one of the most closely fought and polarised campaigns in recent history, Obama held Ohio, Virginia, New Hampshire, Colorado, Nevada, Iowa and Wisconsin.
Shortly before 1am ET, Romney phoned the president to concede. In a gracious concession speech in Boston, Romney told his supporters: "The nation, as you know, is at a critical point. At a time like this, we can't risk partisan bickering and political posturing. Our leaders have to reach across the aisle to do the people's work."
He continued: "This is a time for great challenges for America and I pray the president will be successful in guiding our nation."
Romney paid tribute to his wife, Ann, and running mate, Paul Ryan, as he said they had given everything to the campaign. "Paul and I have left everything on the field. We have given our all to this campaign. I so wish – I so wish that I had been able to fulfill your hopes to lead the country in a different direction. But the nation chose another leader.
Obama, in a speech that saw a return to the kind of oratory he produced regularly on the campaign trail in 2008, offered a practical example of the kind of bipartisanship he had in mind, saying he had offered to sit down with Romney in the coming weeks to see if they could work together.
He was gracious about Romney, talking not only about his challenger but his father, the former governor of Michigan. "The Romney family has chosen to give back to America through public service," Obama said.
Obama now has the chance to build a real legacy – his victory on healthcare reform – but also to preside over a possible US economic recovery. Obama has also promised to make immigration reform a priority along with major investment in education.
But he faces immediate challenges, not least finding a way to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff of tax rises and automatic spending cuts that are due to kick in at the end of the year. As in his first term, he will have to deal with a hostile, Republican-led House of Representatives.
Republican activists were stunned by suddenness with which victory was declared for Obama. At a so-called 'victory party' in Tampa, there was a stampede for the door when the announcement came.
Among those who remained was Brad Evans. "I really don't know what happened," he said. "He should have hit Obama a bit harder on Libya."
Summer Turner simply refused to accept reality. "I remember going to bed crying when they declared Al Gore the winner and I remember waking up and he was no longer the winner. So I don't believe it," she said.
The campaign almost throughout has been a referendum on Obama. Although there was widespread disillusionment with the slow pace of economy recovery and a high unemployment level, Americans decided to stick with the incumbent.
Historically, it would have been a disappointment for African-Americans and many white liberals if the first black presidency had ended in failure, halted prematurely.
Romney fought a largely lacklustre campaign, with only one flash, his overwhelming win over Obama in the first presidential debate on 3 October.
The Republicans now face a lengthy period of bloodletting.
While some rightwingers will argue the defeat is because Romney was not conservative enough, there is a new generation of younger Republicans such as Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio who will lead the argument for a new, inclusive coalition that will welcome women, Latinos and African Americans. Romney's running mate, Paul Ryan, unlikely to be tarnished despite running on a losing ticket, is also likely to be part of the debate.
Conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer said he had always regarded Romney as being no more than "a transitional figure".
Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential challenger in 2008 and one of the undeclared leaders of the Tea Party movement, told Fox she could not believe "the majority of Americans would do this". She added: "It's a perplexing time for many of us right now."
Romney secured at least one consolation prize when he took North Carolina, an unexpected win in the south by Obama in 2008.
The rightwing commentator Erick Erickson saw the loss of Pennsylvania as crucial. "At this point, I am thinking game over," he tweeted.
Turnout was reported to be at record levels in many states, reflecting the strength of feeling aroused by the long election campaign. There were still long queues of people waiting to vote after polls had officially closed.
Early exit polls showed the economy was the dominant issue for voters, with four out of 10 saying the economy was getting better – more than in 2008. Forty-six per cent said the country was headed in the right direction, while 52% said it was on the wrong track. More than half of those surveyed blamed the economic mess on George W Bush.
Asked about what they regarded as the biggest economic issue, 40% said unemployment, 37% rising prices, 13% taxes and 8% the housing market.
Eight out of 10 said they had made up their minds who to vote for in September, suggesting that neither Romney's victory in the first presidential debate nor Obama's widely praised handling of Sandy were major factors.
Final estimates show the election was the most expensive in US history, with Obama having raised close to $1bn and Romney more than $800m. When figures for spending by supporters – mainly by the Super Pacs – are included, the total is well over $2bn.

Armed robbers on motorbikes raid Brent Cross jeweller

Six people on three bikes rode through the centre

Robbers armed with axes and bats rode motorbikes into an indoor shopping centre in north London and raided a jewellery store.

Six people on three bikes targeted Fraser Hart in Brent Cross Shopping Centre at 10:15 GMT.
The pillion passengers got off the bikes and smashed the windows, leaving with a haul of watches and jewellery.
They fled towards Hendon Central. The bikes were found abandoned soon after near a golf course.
'Locked in' No-one was injured in the raid but an elderly man was treated for shock at the scene.
The raid happened 15 minutes after the centre opened to shoppers for the day.

  Three pillion passengers ran to the jewellery store and broke the windows

Eyewitness Claire Smalley said: "We looked out and we saw six men, two on each bike, pull up outside Fraser Hart and then they pulled out an axe and they were getting into Fraser Hart and telling everyone to stay back."
Sue Bangs from Hertfordshire, who was in John Lewis at the time, said: "It was very frightening. I could not believe it was happening.
"All the shops suddenly put down their shutters and we were locked in for a while. My heart was pounding."
Witnesses said the robbers appeared to have targeted Cartier and Rolex watches in the shop along with some other jewellery. The area of the shop that was targeted has been sealed off.
Police believe the bikes pulled up at the entrance next to New Look where the pillion passengers got off and ran towards the ground-floor jewellers and broke the display windows.
They then ran back to the waiting motorbikes and fled.
Police said they found the bikes about 15 minutes later on Ashley Walk in Mill Hill.
The suspects were dressed in dark clothing and were wearing crash helmets with the visors down.
Det Supt Mark Strugnell said: "We are appealing to anyone who may have seen the sequence of events at the shopping centre, which had only just opened its doors to its first shoppers only moments before, and to anyone who may have seen the three motorbikes being driven from Brent Cross to Mill Hill."

U.S. Presidential Election

Follow The election at BBC news.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15949569

Elton John : Your song

'Skyfall': James Bond's Latest Tight Squeeze Is Tailored for the Times

Daniel Craig's form-fitting Tom Ford suits give a sartorial nod to a new rugged man of action, says Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming.

TORONTO – If you notice Daniel Craig’s body-hugging suits getting tighter, you’re not alone.

our editor recommends

Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming, who had Craig emerge from the sea in Casino Royale in skintight swimming trunks, says his form-fitting look in the Eon Production Skyfall suits the times.
“Now I really feel Bond has been brought into the modern era,” Hemming said while in Toronto to guest-curate the Designing 007: 50 Years of Bond Style exhibition at Bell Lightbox.

STORY: 'Skyfall' Has Biggest U.K. Opening Ever for a Bond Movie

Not since an animalistic Stanley Kowalski wore that iconic T-shirt has the artful and well-planned use of fabric so conveyed to an audience pent-up sexual tension.
And not for fashion’s sake: Craig’s wardrobe serves character building in a rebooted Bond universe.
For Casino Royale, Hemming dressed a harder-edged Craig in suits from Brioni, the finest men’s tailor in Rome, for heart-pounding action sequences to show a new Bond used to hard-fought battle -- not cloak-and-dagger paper passing.
And now the Tom Ford-tailored wardrobe for Craig, first with Quantum of Solace and now Skyfall, is outfitting Bond with a sartorial nod to the rugged man of action.
“I feel now, with Tom Ford, they’re now using the tailoring to make his (Craig’s) shape more mean, more tense,” Hemming, who won the Academy Award for costume design for Topsy-Turvy, observed.
“They’re making his clothes tighter, which is more fashionable. But in making him tighter… he looks like he’s being contained in his clothes,” she added.
That restrained ensemble look recalls a suave yet sexy Sean Connery in elegant slim-cut suits from London tailor Anthony Sinclair.
“That gives the audience a sense of the character bursting out,” Hemming said of suiting up 007, while the costume designer’s creativity is allowed to run riot costuming villains and Bond Girls.
And it illustrates how costumes conceived from sketch to screen are but one element of the distinctive design that has made the James Bond franchise so successful from 1962’s Dr. No to Skyfall.
Hemming, who worked on five Bond films over 11 years with Craig and Pierce Brosnan in the lead role, said the varied illustrations, costumes and set designs in the Designing 007 underscore how the best film craftsmen have been at work on the successful global franchise for 50 years.
The Toronto exhibition, which originated at the Barbican Center in London, includes the creativity of famed Bond set designer Ken Adam.
“He would no more let them put a carpet down that he hadn’t thought whether it would be right, or use a chair. He was really an architect,” Hemming said of Adams use of space, not least in building liars from which villains launched bids for world domination, like Blofeld’s SPECTRE headquarters in a volcano to Karl Stromberg’s underwater palazzo.
“The set design of the early Bond films would be the enormous contributor to why they were successful,” she added, spreading the credit.
With Bond 24 and 25 films already in the works, yet more grand designs are in store for fans of the fictional British spy.