More Secret Romney Documents, GOP Senator on Gun Control, and More

Romney’s Secret Olympic Documents:

Mitt Romney’s tax returns are not the only thing being kept a secret from Americans. Papers related to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City have also been kept under wraps. The archival records had been donated to the University of Utah so they could “provide an unprecedented level of transparency about the historic event.” Yet, a decade after the Olympic flame was snuffed out, the documents, which include financial forms, contracts, appointment calendars and emails, remain out of public view. The records are important because they would shed light on how Romney handled and managed the Games — something that could be of interest to voters, considering he has touted his leadership of the Olympics during his presidential campaign. (Read more)

Wisconsin Senator Talks Gun Control: Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, believes the answer to the recent mass shooting at an Aurora, Colo., movie theater is not more gun control. The tea party senator said he opposed any control measure, including against larger gun magazines that carry 100 rounds of ammunition. “You simply can’t keep these weapons out of the hands of sick, demented individuals who want to do harm. And when you try to do it, you restrict our freedoms.” His suggestion: arm “responsible” people because “if a responsible individual had been carrying a weapon, maybe, maybe they could have prevented some of those deaths, some of those injuries” that resulted during the shooting. Or, perhaps the solution is to just try to keep guns out of the hands of the “sick, demented individuals” of whom Johnson speaks. After all, shouldn’t moviegoers have the freedom to enjoy a film without having to worry about who in the theater might be armed? (Read more)

Congressman Claims Shooting Comments Taken Out of Context: Rep. Louis Gohmert apologized for saying the Aurora shooting rampage happened in the context of “ongoing attacks on Judeo-Christian beliefs,” and said his remarks were taken “grossly” out of context. The tea party congressman made the comments Friday during an interview with radio host Ernie Istook. Gohmert tried to walk back his remarks over the weekend: “Ernie is a good friend and former congressman who asked for the interview long before the horror in Colorado. I had promised him a 10 minute interview and the topic scheduled for discussion was to be the economy and the president’s comments about it. Instead of the prearranged interview, Ernie asked me about the shooting in Colorado, mentioning a Washington Post column that already brought up the issue of gun control as well as asking about my own personal experience as a judge with years on the bench.” Unclear in this statement is exactly how Gohmert’s comments were taken out of context. (Read more)

California GOP Problems: The party from the state that brought you President Ronald Reagan is on the decline, and soon Republicans may be considered a minor party in California. Registered Republicans currently account for 30 percent of the state’s electorate, well behind Democrats. As if that weren’t bad enough, analysts are predicting Republicans could be third behind independents in the Golden State in six years—something that should give conservatives across the country pause. In the state, however, the news of the GOP’s decline shouldn’t come as a major surprise, given that Democrats hold all of the statewide elected offices, and they control the State Assembly and Senate by healthy margins. (Read more)

Video of the Day: Mitt Romney, please make this your campaign song, now! (BuzzFeed is right: This is “the best Mitt Romney ballad you’ll hear all day.”)

— Posted by Tracy Bloom.