Mitt Romney in five stages |The press

«Ce type deviendra président des États-Unis un jour.»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» Plus d'un partenaire du cabinet-conseil en stratégie Bain&Company ont fait cette remarque lorsqu'ils ont rencontré le jeune Mitt Romney, fils de l'ancien gouverneur du Michigan, diplômé de Harvard en droit et en gestion des affaires. Leur prédiction pourrait bien se concrétiser le 6 novembre, date du scrutin présidentiel américain. Pour le candidat républicain, une victoire sur Barack Obama représenterait, à 65 ans, l'aboutissement d'une vie façonnée par la religion, les affaires et la politique. Voici cinq des étapes les plus importantes de son parcours.

1968 - A flirt with death in France

Mitt Romney is driving a Citroën DS 21, one day in June 1968.Leaving from Paris, he led to Pau the president of the French mission of the Mormone church, of which he is the new assistant, the latter's wife and another missionary.

In the village of Bernos-Beaulac, near Bordeaux, a Mercedes led by a Catholic priest under the effect of alcohol misses a turn and hits the DS full."He died," wrote a gendarme in Mitt Romney's passport at the sight of his inanimate body.

In reality, the young American lost consciousness.He will get away with a broken arm and bruises in the face.Leola Anderson, the wife of the president of the mission, is not so lucky: she loses her life in the accident.

Once recovered from his injuries, Mitt Romney replaces Duane Anderson at the head of the Mormone Mission in Paris for seven weeks.Aged 21, he has been in France for 24 months for the proselytizing mission that young Mormons must carry out abroad or in a parish other than theirs.

Responsible for 200 missionaries, Mitt Romney manages not only to cheer up the group but also to increase the number of conversions in France.During this period, he never gives the impression of being traumatized by his flirt with death or tapped by a feeling of guilt following the death of Leola Anderson.

But the car accident nevertheless scores it deeply, if it is necessary to trust one of his very rare confidences on the subject: "It made me understand in a painful way that life is fragile, that we are hereonly for a short period and that we should take advantage of it to do important and non -frivolous things.»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»

1984 - Birth of an entrepreneur

"I left a safe job with a few friends to launch a company.It was my dream to try to build a business from nothing.We started in a small desk.»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»

When he applied for the Republican investiture for the presidential election of 2012, Mitt Romney described in these terms in 1984, of the Bain Capital investment fund, whose activities he adirned until 1999 and whichhe allowed him to raise an an $ 250 million of an $ 250 million.

The reality is however less flattering for the candidaterepublican, if we trust Michael Kranish and Scott Helman, authors of a biography entitled The Real Romney. Selon le récit de ces journalistes réputés du Boston Globe,Mitt Romney a d'abord refusé la proposition de Bill Bain, patronlégendaire du cabinet-conseil en stratégie Bain&Company, de démarrerun fonds d'investissement avec son aide. Vedette de Bain&Companydepuis 1977 et père de cinq jeunes enfants, Mitt Romney ne voulait pascompromettre son avenir en se lançant dans une affaire dont l'échecnuirait à ses finances et à sa réputation.

Selon les auteurs de The Real Romney, Bill Bain a rassuré sonprotégé en lui disant qu'il le reprendrait à Bain&Company, en casd'échec chez Bain Capital, et qu'il inventerait une histoire avantageusepour expliquer son retour au bercail.

Such a subterfuge was obviously necessary.Mitt Romney Aconnu success at the head of the Capital bath by buying and reselling businesses.Staples and Domino's Pizza are among the greatest successes of the businessman. Mais la «méthode Bain»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» lui a égalementpermis d'amasser des millions de dollars grâce à des entreprises qui ontdû licencier des employés ou fermer leurs portes.

«La pilule est parfois dure à avaler, mais nécessaire pour sauver lavie du patient»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»», s'est défendu Mitt Romney lors d'une interview en 2007.

2002 - Rescue Olympic Games

Quand Mitt Romney a qualifié de «déconcertante»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» la préparation des Jeux olympiques de Londres, en juillet, le premier ministre britannique a répliqué: «Bien sûr, c'est plus facile de tenir des Jeux au milieu de nulle part.»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»

David Cameron alluded to Salt Lake City.True, the capital of Utah is undoubtedly not as lively as that of the United Kingdom.The fact remains that the 2002 winter games have propelled Mitt Romney's political career.And, whatever David Cameron says, the organization of the Olympic Games of Salt Lake City was far from easy.

When Mitt Romney agreed to take the reins, three years earlier, the Games Organizing Committee was bathed in the middle of a scandal.Its leaders were accused of mismanagement and, above all, of having bought the vote of members of the International Olympic Committee by burying them under the gifts.

Mitt Romney arrived as a savior.With his management experience at Bain Capital, he put order within a budget of 1.32 billion.He erased the deficit.Better: the event ended with a 100 million.

Bien que ses détracteurs l'accusent d'avoir battu tous les records en siphonnant des centaines de millions en fonds fédéraux, il esttoujoursconsidéré comme le «chevalier blanc»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» qui a remis les Jeux deSalt Lakesur les rails.Mitt Romney not only proved that he was a skill;He also showed his political skills, soothing controversy about the influence of the Mormon Church Lesjeux.Discreetly, he convinced the Mormon leaders, very powerful to Salt Lake City, to play an erased role.During the declining laceremony, Mitt Romney said that he could not imagine again such an experience.However, he had already a Neouvelobjectif. «Il était évident qu'il avait des visées plus largesque lesJeux olympiques»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»», a confié plus tard le président du Comité organisateur, Robert Garff.In fact, Mitt Romney launched his campaign for the post of Governor of Massachusetts a few weeks after the Games.

2006 - «RomneyCare»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»: la réforme d'un gouverneur

It was his main achievement as a governor of Massachusetts.The law on health reform, the first of its kind to the United States, provides practically universal access to medical care thanks to government subsidies - and to the obligation, for the taxpayers of this state, to buy their own coverage.

Quand le gouverneur Romney a signé son audacieuse réforme, le 12avril 2006, il ne se doutait pas que, six ans plus tard, il traîneraitle «RomneyCare»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» comme un boulet en campagne présidentielle.

C'est que la loi du Massachusetts ressemble à s'y méprendre àl'«ObamaCare»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»», réforme honnie - et cible obligée - pour tout républicainqui se respecte.

Suddenly, Mitt Romney, who formerly affirmed that his law was a model for a national reform, was more discreet and asherently avoided the question during the republican primaries.

Democrats obviously have a good game to emphasize that the Application Promise the elimination of a national health reform...Widely inspired by his!

It was not until August that Mitt Romney began to speak Duromneycare in the media. «Je suis très fier de ce que nous avonsfait, et du fait que nous avons aidé les femmes, les hommes et lesenfants dans notre État»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»», a-t-il déclaré sur les ondes de Fox News.

His spokesperson Andrea Saul went further, in response to a democratic start-up which accused Mitt Romney of having caused the death of a factory of an investment company, Bain Capital Capital.The woman could not afford to pay the treatments against her cancer."If these people had lived in Massachusetts, under the leaplan of Governor Romney, they would have had access to health care," said Ms. Saul on Fox News.Many people lose their jobs and leuraccès in care in the economy of President Obama.»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»

2012- The metamorphosis of an unloved

The 2011 surveys did not suggest anything good for Mitt Romney.He was a favorite in the race for the republican nomination, but the former governor of Massachusetts often finished second or even third behind more or less credible candidates, such as Herman Cain, Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann, among others.

Mitt Romney was not easier in the first months of 2012.In front of rivals as little presidential as NewtgingRichet Rick Santorum, he had to release the heavy artillery will impose the activists of the Republican Party, several of whom were not conversion to their pure and Dur conservatism.

The image of Mitt Romney suffered from this fratricidal fight, which ended on May 30 when the candidate Mormon sealed his investituregre to a brilliant victory in the republican primary of Texas.According to Lessondages, the Americans mostly had an opinionnegative in Sonsujet.

The broadcast of a secret video where Mitt Romney makes contemptuous remarks out of 47% of American voters did nothing to improve his image problem.The Democrats exploited it with advertisements where they describe it as a plutocrat who made a fortune by exporting jobs in China and multiplying investments abroad.

But Mitt Romney took only one presidential debate - the first - to transform this image.By adopting a more moderate speech and defending his ideas firmly, he seduced several indecisive or independent voters and reassured the Republicans.Three weeks later, several surveys revealed that the Americans were now favorable to him in majority.

To complete his metamorphosis, Mitt Romney will obviously have to be elected to the White House.But, for an unloved politician in early 2012, what he has already accomplished is remarkable.