[Editor's Note: On Thursday, May 31, 2012 Buddy Roemer announced that he was suspending his presidential campaign in a post on his campaign website. Roemer stated: "Today, I am no longer a candidate for President of the United States. After 17 months of a wonderful campaign, the lack of ballot access in all 50 states makes the quest impossible for now...
We ran like we would serve – Free to Lead. To protect that freedom, we fully disclosed every contribution. We accepted no contributions above $100. We accepted no PAC money, no Super PAC money, no corporate money, and no lobbyist money...
America is a nation at risk. Job prospects are inadequate. Trade is neither smart nor fair. The tax code is unreadable and, I say, un-American. The budget is unsustainable. Small business must be re-vitalized. Energy has no strategy. Healthcare is not healthy. Banks are still too big to fail, and comprehensive immigration reform is a fantasy...
In truth, the two major parties are addicted to special interests and corporate money. I have said it many times: they are joined at the billfold. The two parties have been graveyards of reform too often in the past. They don’t want reform. They only want victory and reelection...
Join with us. Be unafraid. We’ll put a new organization together and will use the power of the people and new media unlike any organization has ever done with a political goal. We will ask other organizations and associations to join with us in building this team of reformers. We will re-energize our republic.
Again, thank you for standing with me. Don’t give up. Don’t lose hope. Together, we will continue to reform our country and make America great once again. We are just getting started.]
Buddy Roemer
Independent Presidential Candidate
Former Governor of Louisiana
Pro: "I'm a Methodist. I would call my position the Methodist position. We are pro-life, so we would protect the life of the mother, and protect her in cases of rape and incest."
"The Buddy System," www.slate.com, Aug. 30, 2011
[Editor's Note: In 1991, as Governor of Louisiana, Roemer vetoed an anti-abortion bill that included exceptions for rape, incest, and when the mother’s life was in danger. According to the June 15, 1991 Los Angeles Times article "Gov. Roemer Vetoes Anti-Abortion Bill,” Roemer said: "As the bill stands now, its definitions and terminology are so vague that doctors will be unwilling to risk their liberty and professional careers by terminating any form of pregnancy at all."]
None Found: ProCon.org emailed the Roemer campaign for his position to this question on Oct. 26, 2011. We made a follow up call on Jan. 31, 2012, and we sent a follow up email on Feb. 8, 2012. Although Roemer's campaign manager and policy advisor did reply to our emails, we have not yet received Roemer's position on this issue as of Feb. 14, 2012.
Pro: "How could a U.S. factory survive unfair competition from China? Let me describe it. I've been to China many times. Our factories are subject to minimum wage laws and collective bargaining that assures a high standard of living for blue-collar American workers. Chinese factories exploit the poverty of their own people, employing up to 50 workers for the same cost as one U.S. worker. Chinese children work 60 hours a week and more, paid nothing but room and board. Chinese prisoners are forced to work for nothing. Chinese factories operate with no rules and no expense to protect the health and safety of the workers nor any penalty for polluting the environment. You can see China before you get there. If necessary to destroy our factories, the Chinese government subsidizes its factories to dump goods on the American market at a price even lower than the Chinese cost. Currency manipulation, hidden trade barriers, unfair trade tactics in which the Chinese government specializes.
What happened to our American factories that did not move their operations to China? They couldn't compete with that unfair competition. They disappeared. They went broke. They folded up."
Excerpt from a speech in front of the Chinese embassy in Washington, DC, Sep. 1, 2011
Not Clearly Pro or Con: "Usually, but the danger grows of unrestricted and unverified credit swamping the entire system. Credit cards speed up transactions and are therefore good for competitiveness. The danger is the abuse of the system by two important participants: individuals and processing banks.
Individuals need balance and analysis in their use of cards. There is minimum education and maximum exposure in the current system. Processing banks have too much power signed away by the recipients of the credit. Banks are allowed by regulation and law to charge outrageous interest rates, often hidden, and to assess unbelievable fees for every service and each payment hiccup.
In truth, people with good credit are subsidizing people with bad credit by paying outrageous interest rates and allowing the insolvent to escape with no penalty.
Change necessary? Individual access to credit based upon ability to repay – nothing else."
Source: Email to ProCon.org from Buddy Roemer's Policy Advisor, Carrie Schenkel, on Feb. 10, 2012
None Found: ProCon.org emailed the Roemer campaign for his position to this question on Oct. 26, 2011. We made a follow up call on Jan. 31, 2012, and we sent a follow up email on Feb. 8, 2012. Although Roemer's campaign manager and policy advisor did reply to our emails, we have not yet received Roemer's position on this issue as of Feb. 14, 2012.
Pro: The Congressional Research Service summary of H.R. 5448, cosponsored by Buddy Roemer, states that the bill "Amends the Federal criminal code to establish procedures for the imposition of the death penalty for presidential assassination."
Con: "I just felt that the way to be president and the way to serve America's interest was to vote against the bank bailout that President Bush asked John [McCain] to vote for and Barack Obama did vote for. I asked John to consider not voting for it, to actually put the interest of the American people first. That's the change that makes me different...
For example, my bank is a small bank–-it has about $700 million dollars in assets. We have about $500 million dollars in loans. We service small businesses--we're not a retail bank. We didn't receive any bailout money, although we were eligible for it. We didn't foreclose on a single homeowner; we didn't shut down a single business."
John Thorpe, "Buddy Roemer Could Win...If Only Republicans Would Listen," buddyroemer.com, Nov. 7, 2011
Not Clearly Pro or Con: "The whole system needs to be overhauled. We've raised the debt ceiling 109 times this last century. So it's going to happen again. But what you want out of it is a reduction in spending.
I would concentrate on the small picture. I would make my $140 billion offer, cutting one percent (of the national debt), for the energy business subsidies. That's what I would make. It doesn't hurt seniors, it doesn't hurt Democrats, or poor people. You could make a case that if you have to start cutting spending somewhere, that could be the right place.
I would help the president engineer a small increase in the national debt ceiling in return for $140 billion of cuts right now. That's $1.4 trillion over ten years. He could have a debt ceiling that took part of that. I'd have no problem with that. Look, we're not going to be able to keep the debt at $14.3 trillion. But we won't give up the ceiling without spending reduction."
"Campaign Q&A: Buddy Roemer," www.salem-nh.patch.com, July 20, 2011
Con: Martin Bashir: "What was your reaction when you learned, for example, that Newt Gingrich banked almost $2 million from services to Freddie Mac?"
Buddy Roemer: "… I was dismayed, I mean, to pick on Newt a second, I mean to be in bed with the size of government, with two agencies [Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac] that ought to be disbanded. Let me say it again: they ought to be disbanded. We have spent $180 billion of the taxypayers’ money and there is no solution in sight. Disband them."
Con: "I believe in the freedom of a union, but I don’t believe in the guarantee of one. One of the reasons that we lost a lot of jobs in America is because of the intransient and aggressive nature of the unions. You know they feathered their own nest and look what happened to the automobile industry. Watch what happens to the education industry… the trouble with unions are it’s either all their way or nothing."
Interview with Tom Griffith on WMUR-TV 9 New Hampshire, www.wmur.com, June 24, 2011
Con: "We really ought to have learned our lesson about NAFTA by now. It has not been a success, not for us and not for Mexico, which is now losing jobs to China. Ross Perot warned Al Gore in that debate in '93 that there was going to be a giant sucking sound of job loss, and that's exactly what's happened. The same goes for CAFTA in Central America and the others.
These agreements didn't happen because the American people wanted them. They happened because corporate America wanted them and with the campaign-finance system we have now, corporate America can buy whatever it wants in Washington."
"Gov. Buddy Roemer Calls for Withdrawal from NAFTA, WTO," www.buddyroemer.com, Oct. 25, 2011
Con: "Elimination of all energy subsidies, including oil, gas, ethanol and unproven energy technology is key, and the Department of Energy itself would be dismantled.”
"Balancing the Budget," www.buddyroemer.com (accessed Nov. 30, 2011)
Con: "...America is in trouble. Twenty percent of its workforce – 25 million Americans – are out of work in this 'recovery,' or have quit looking, or are underemployed. We have a million fewer jobs than we did 12 years ago, and the jobs we have pay less. We have given away our manufacturing jobs. We don't make things any more. We distribute them – bad trade.
'Made in America' is an endangered species... We must level the playing field against those nations who compete unfairly, choosing to steal our best jobs while they use child labor, forced labor, prison labor, no work, safety, health or environmental standards, hidden barriers to the flow of trade and even currency manipulation."
"The Tyranny of the Big Check Speech to National Press Club," buddyroemer.com, Aug. 15, 2011
None Found: ProCon.org emailed the Roemer campaign for his position to this question on Oct. 26, 2011. We made a follow up call on Jan. 31, 2012, and we sent a follow up email on Feb. 8, 2012. Although Roemer's campaign manager and policy advisor did reply to our emails, we have not yet received Roemer's position on this issue as of Feb. 14, 2012.
None Found: ProCon.org emailed the Roemer campaign for his position to this question on Feb. 8, 2012. We have not yet received a reply with Roemer's position as of Feb. 14, 2012.
None Found: ProCon.org emailed the Roemer campaign for his position to this question on Feb. 8, 2012. We have not yet received a reply with Roemer's position as of Feb. 14, 2012.
Not Clearly Pro or Con: "Teachers must be tested, tenure must be modified, excellence must be rewarded in significant pay and work conditions improvement, principals must lead, and teacher unions cannot run the schools. High school graduation is the single most important act in a student's life in terms of adding economic value and net worth. We now rank 11th among all nations in high school graduation rates (South Korea is first). Competition and choice are two powerful antidotes to flab and irrelevance. The students need excellent teachers, and competition and choice improve their chances. Just that simple."
"Was the US Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, which allows for unlimited political contributions on the grounds of free speech, good for America?"
Pro: "Yesterday’s announcement that President Obama is formally rejecting the Keystone XL Pipeline amounts to nothing more than a ridiculous political decision that amounts to the virtual loss of thousands of American jobs that could have been created through pipeline construction – the safest method of transporting oil – and through oil refining. The simple fact is that whether we are the beneficiaries of this agreement or not, Canada will still sell their oil on the global market, and the potential for environmental damage will still exist, or even increase, if they are shipped elsewhere.
A far preferable alternative would be to keep the oil and 25,000 annual jobs here, take a step away from our addiction to oil from the Middle East...
One way or another, the United States still needs to meet energy needs in the short term. It is up to President Obama whether that need is met by Canada, our number one supplier, or by an exporter completely hostile to U.S. interests, like Venezuela. Buying our oil from within North America, from our ally, is well within the strategic interest of the United States.
Given the delays they’ve seen from our president on this issue, Canada may well choose to give up on America and build a pipeline to the sea, shipping their oil to our primary economic rival, China. Doing so will further benefit China’s economy while ours continues to suffer. Haven’t we sent enough of our jobs to China already?"
"Tap Dancing Around the Energy Issue," www.buddyroemer.com, Jan. 19, 2012
Not Clearly Pro or Con: "I enjoy having a variety of energy sources in America, produced domestically. Strengthen our dollar, lower the price of oil, and move on to other kinds of energy. I would include nuclear and I would include natural gas... nuclear can be safe but it's not safe now. We store nuclear fuels at each of these sites. I would open Yucca Mountain and store it wisely and well. I would use everything in America to be free."
"Governor Buddy Roemer on Global Warming," YouTube.com, Apr. 19, 2012
Not Clearly Pro or Con: "You know what determines the price of oil - the weakness of American currency, because we have a trade imbalance. You restore that imbalance to a balance, currency values go up, the price of oil goes down."
"Governor Buddy Roemer on Energy Independence," YouTube.com, Apr. 19, 2012
Not Clearly Pro or Con: "I think the globe is warming – beyond scientific curiosity now it’s a scientific fact. The cause of it is probably more than one thing. There are cycles in the Earth’s history where temperature rises and falls. We might be on one of those cycles. But I don’t think there is any question that man’s effect on his environment is also a factor. So we need to be commonsensical. We need to be – we need to plan out how to ameliorate, how to diffuse man’s effect. Maybe man has nothing to do with it. How can we take the risk?"
Interview with Skeptics Guide to Government, www.youtube.com, (accessed on Oct. 26, 2011)
None Found: ProCon.org emailed the Roemer campaign for his position to this question on Oct. 26, 2011. We made a follow up call on Jan. 31, 2012, and we sent a follow up email on Feb. 8, 2012. Although Roemer's campaign manager and policy advisor did reply to our emails, we have not yet received Roemer's position on this issue as of Feb. 14, 2012.
Not Clearly Pro or Con: Michael D. Shear: "Is there anything that needs to be done on gun control in the wake of that tragedy [mass shooting in Tucson, AZ on January 8, 2011]?”
Roemer: "Well it’s a Constitutional right. I mean our founding fathers kind of wrote it down …”
Michael D. Shear: "Well not necessarily, activists would say not necessarily to have a big clip with…”
Roemer: "I think restrictions on criminal use, I think enhanced penalties for the use of weapons while committing a crime, there are a lot of ways to get at this problem. But you phrased the question, Mike, at least I heard it: 'That would I take away from that farmer in West Texas his right to have a shotgun?' Of course not. Would defend it. That’s part of America."
Interview with Michael D. Shear, "Looking Toward 2012," www.nytimes.com, Mar. 17, 2011
[Editor's Note: While serving as a US Representative (D-LA), Roemer cosponsored H.R 6833 (79 KB), Firearms Ownership Rights Act of 1982. According to the Congressional Research Service summary, the bill "declares that Congress does intend to preempt any local government law which prohibits or regulates the ownership or possession of firearms or ammunition, unless the local law is created by Federal or State law.”]
Con: "Healthcare reform under President Obama fell victim to special interests, and failed to address the underlying causes of costs in the system… Buddy Roemer’s healthcare reform would eliminate Obamacare, but keep insurance coverage of preexisting conditions."
"Reforming Healthcare," www.buddyroemer.com, (accessed on Oct. 26, 2011)
Not Clearly Pro or Con: "As President, I will move us in the right direction – more choice, more competition, better health care for Americans...
Maybe it's because I’m a 40 year diabetic that I care so much about this issue. Maybe it's because I am not bought and paid for by big pharmaceutical companies or Super PAC's. But whatever the reason, I will bring real reform to the health care industry."
Not Clearly Pro or Con: "Some people come to college here in the United States, and then we kick them out. That doesn’t make any sense. I’m from a family of immigrants, and two generations later I went to Harvard. Immigration is a necessary part of America’s future, and it must be legal. But to say that we need immigration is not to say that we have an excuse to do it illegally."
"TNW Talks Tech with US Presidential Candidate Buddy Roemer," buddyroemer.com, Nov. 21, 2011
None Found: ProCon.org emailed the Roemer campaign for his position to this question on Feb. 8, 2012. We have not yet received a reply with Roemer's position as of Feb. 14, 2012.
Not Clearly Pro or Con: "Immigrants play a vital role in our economy, bringing skills and hard work to jobs that can at times be thankless. At the same time, we have a responsibility to seal our borders and ensure that those who enter our country do so legally.
Buddy Roemer would enforce immigration laws, but welcome those that are here legally and consider policies to allow illegal aliens to return to their home countries and apply for legal entry into the United States.
Immigration quotas should be adjusted based on the needs of the labor market to fill jobs, rather than working from a set number or policy."
Not Clearly Pro or Con: "I don’t think most of them [other Republican presidential candidates] would stop products made elsewhere with Iranian oil from comming into America... I don't think most of them have taken a stand on nuclear non-proliferation except to send our army somewhere - ridiculous...
I think he [President Obama] joins Bill Clinton and George W. Bush on being too little, too late, too slow, on nuclear proliferation with Iran."
"'The GOP Candidates Are Weak in Foreign Policy' - Gov. Buddy Roemer on MSNBC's Martin Bashir," YouTube.com, Nov. 22, 2011
Con: "We got into Iraq falsely. We thought it was weapons of mass destruction, they’ve yet to be found… I think we need to be a lot more careful about how we treat out neighbors and how we defend ourselves. This is costing us trillions, losing Americans lives, and not making the world a better place."
Interview on The Alyona Show, www.rt.com, Sep. 2, 2011
Not Clearly Pro or Con: "I've seen president after president hold their breath in the Middle East. Flat-footed in the Middle East, doing business with chieftains because of oil. Addiction affects you in many ways and our addiction to oil from the Middle East affects our foreign policy and could hurt our most steadfast friends, Israel."
Jennifer Keefe, "Roemer: Teamwork Is Key to Presidency," www.fosters.com, May 31, 2011
Not Clearly Pro or Con: "I believe marriage is between a man and a woman, but I think the states should have the right to define what marriage is in their own state."
Dave Tombers, "Why Are Mainstream Media Ignoring This GOP Candidate?," www.wnd.com, Oct. 21, 2011
None Found: ProCon.org emailed the Roemer campaign for his position to this question on Feb. 8, 2012. We have not yet received a reply with Roemer's position as of Feb. 14, 2012.
Con: "There are certain things that are the national government: military defense, relations with foreign governments, that’s all Washington D.C. But things like the application of marijuana laws or the application of certain work standards, those sorts of things are under state purview. I would honor that."
Pro: The Congressional Research Service summary of H.R. 2232, a bill co-sponsored by Buddy Roemer, states that the bill "Amends the Controlled Substances Act to transfer marihuana from schedule I (abuse potential, no accepted medical use) to schedule II (accepted medical use) under such Act... Establishes procedures for the production and use of medical marihuana."
H.R.2232, Library of Congress THOMAS website, Apr. 25, 1985
"Is the 2012 NDAA, which authorized arresting and indefinitely detaining suspected terrorists (including US citizens) without charge, good for America?"
Pro: "These young people of Occupy Wall Street have my total support. I have walked among them and listened. I support, with my actions, their contention that something smells of corruption in America when the few who give large sums of money to politicians receive special favors in return, while the average citizen is foreclosed-on and forgotten. They are asking questions about injustice, and special-interest control, and institutional corruption that need to be asked, that must be asked in a nation headed in the wrong direction.
The actions of the city today have confirmed the young peoples' worst fears about the establishment: They will not listen. After all, the establishment is safely protected in the tower of the top 1 percent. The rest of America has no such bailout protection, and should be outraged by the midnight raid on the Constitution and on the young with the courage to speak in public what so many feel in private."
"Buddy Roemer Slams Mike Bloomberg for Cops Clearing Occupy Wall Street- Sunshine State News," www.buddyroemer.com, Nov. 15, 2011
Con: "Well, intelligent design can be taught in schools in religion class. Evolution needs to be taught in science class.
One again, I believe in both science and religion, but I don’t mind teaching in religion things of spiritual value, things of faith. That’s where religion comes in.
Things of science ought to be taught in science class. Evolution is a thing of science. We have moderated our opinion over time, it changes over time, but it is scientifically based.
Creationism is a thing of faith. I’m a Methodist, I’m a believer, but it ought to be taught in religion class, not science class."
"Presidential Candidate Gov. Buddy Roemer Interview on Hot Science Issues," YouTube.com, May 30, 2011
Not Clearly Pro or Con: "There are some tremendous economists who've looked at social security and say, let's gradually raise the retirement age. We'll do it one month a year, for 12 years. That is a two-thirds of the way there. You don't cut any benefits and you don't raise any taxes. The second thing you might do, and there are three or four other things, would be to look at the indexing of the initial benefits, and rather than set them to wages, set them to prices… I would ask Americans one month a year, for 12 years, and we won't raise taxes, and we won't cut benefits, and it is secure for 75 years. It can be done."
"Looking Toward 2012," www.video.nytimes.com, Mar. 16, 2011
Pro: "For 160 years we did not tax our factories that used American labor and produced goods here, but we placed a heavy tariff tax on factories outside America that tried to import their products into this market.
Now we do just the opposite. We place a heavy tax on factories operating in America, but we essentially have eliminated any tax on factories that produce goods abroad and import those goods into America, flooding America with products, destroying our industries, and we allow them to do it for free – no income tax, and no tariff. We'll tax our guys, you come beat us to death! By doing this, we have not only allowed our manufacturing industries to move outside the country, we have encouraged them to leave America and go overseas. It's cheaper, and it's tax free. And now overseas where they can make even more profit than if they had stayed here and employed American labor and paid American taxes."
"Buddy Roemer on Jobs and the Economy," www.buddyroemer.com (accessed Oct. 31, 2011)
Not Clearly Pro or Con: "Buddy Roemer's plan would set the size of federal government to about 18 to 18.5 percent of GDP – currently it is at about 25.5 percent.
Income taxes would be simplified to a flat tax, with an individual exemption of $50,000. A flat tax of 17 percent would be paid on all income beyond that. This means that individuals making $50,000 or less would pay no income tax, while those making more than $100,000 would have an effective tax rate of 8.5 percent.
Elimination of the Alternative Minimum Tax, the Earned Income Credit and most deductions would be key to this plan, to simplify and standardize complicated tax laws.
Unlike other plans that have been put forward, this plan would have no national sales tax, which would have devastating effects on the economy, particularly for the poorest Americans who spend a higher percentage of their income.
As president, Buddy Roemer will work to close all tax loopholes for corporations and ensure that the tax system is fair for everyone in it."
Con: "My plan would be a progressive flat tax of 17 percent with an individual exemption of $50,000 and the elimination of most deductions. Under this plan, individuals making $50,000 or less would pay no federal taxes, those making $100,000 would have an effective tax rate of 8.5 percent, and someone making $500,000 would have an effective tax rate of 15.3 percent."
"Free Trade Only Means That America Is Giving Jobs Away for Free," buddyroemer.com, Dec. 23, 2011
[Editor's Note: As of 2011, the current top federal income tax bracket for American income earners is 35%. Buddy Roemer wants to reduce the top income tax bracket from 35% to 15.3% according to his campaign website page "Free Trade Only Means That America Is Giving Jobs Away for Free," referenced above, therefore, we have labeled him con to our question.]
Pro: "Robert Elliott - What are your thoughts on the Tea Party movement?
Buddy Roemer - They have done a great service to America by being in the thick of November's election last year when they gave the Republicans some backbone and the Dems some warning: Controlling federal spending is the battle. And it is essential that this battle be won now or the nature of our country will change to a European-style welfare state controlled by state bureaucrats. By the way, how are those Euros doing? Shrinking from excessive debt! Thanks, Tea Party."
Robert Elliott, "Interview with Republican Presidential Candidate Buddy Roemer," www.examiner.com, Sep. 3, 2011
Pro: William S. Saturn: "Do you disagree with any parts of the current U.S. Constitution?"
Roemer: "I would like to see a provision relating to money as speech with broad limits, full disclosure, and personal accountability. In that reform I would consider ‘term limits' and non-political rules for reapportionment."
"Wikinews Interviews Buddy Roemer, U.S. Republican Party Presidential Candidate," www.wikinews.org, Oct. 30, 2011
None Found: ProCon.org emailed the Roemer campaign for his position to this question on Oct. 26, 2011. We made a follow up call on Jan. 31, 2012, and we sent a follow up email on Feb. 8, 2012. Although Roemer's campaign manager and policy advisor did reply to our emails, we have not yet received Roemer's position on this issue as of Feb. 14, 2012.
None Found: ProCon.org emailed the Roemer campaign for his position to this question on Oct. 26, 2011. We made a follow up call on Jan. 31, 2012, and we sent a follow up email on Feb. 8, 2012. Although Roemer's campaign manager and policy advisor did reply to our emails, we have not yet received Roemer's position on this issue as of Feb. 14, 2012.
Buddy Roemer's Biography
Title(s):
Personal Information:
Full Name: Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer, III
Marital Status: Married (twice divorced)
Birthdate: Oct. 4, 1943
Children: Three
Birthplace: Shreveport, LA
Religion: Methodist
Involvement:
President, and CEO of Business First Bank, Baton Rouge, LA, 2005-present
Chairman of the Board and co-owner, CRSA Employment Services, LLC, 2002-present
Founder, Business Bank, Baton Rouge, LA, 1998-2004
Unsuccessful campaign for Louisiana Governor, 1995
Founder, The Sterling Group, Inc., 1992-1997
Fellow, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, 1992
Secretary, Conservative Democratic Forum, 1991
Governor of Louisiana, Mar. 14, 1988-Jan. 13, 1992
US Representative (D-LA), Jan. 3, 1981-Mar. 14, 1988
Delegate, Louisiana State Democratic Convention, 1979
Co-founder and CEO, Innovative Data Systems, early 1970s
Former President, University Village, LLC
Former Partner, FG Group
Founder and former co-chairing member, House Grace Caucus
Former Manager, Roemer Family Farm
Former Member, Board of Directors, Urban League
Education:
MBA, Banking and Finance, Harvard Business School, 1967
BS, Government and Economics, Harvard University, 1964
Graduated Bossier High School (Bossier City, LA), 1960
Affiliations and Memberships:
Campaigned for John McCain in 2008
Inductee, Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame, 2000
Other:
On Feb. 23, 2012, Buddy Roemer announced in a live video from Yowie Headquarters in Santa Monica, CA, that he was dropping out of the Republican party and becoming an independent candidate for President of the United States. He stated "The real issue is the fact that the office is bought with special interest money... When I announced for president a year ago I announced my independence... Last night the Republicans held their 23rd televised debate. I have not been invited to a single debate... I am the only candidate that has been shut out by the Republican party... Today I'm taking my campaign a step further, we're dropping out of the Republican party... and becoming an independent... Americans Elect will be my base but we're talking with the Reform Party... We're going to be independent of the partisan running of this country."
Accepted personal donations up to $100 (and not more) for his 2012 presidential campaign. Roemer does not accept contributions from corporations, labor unions, banks, and political action committees.
Had triple bypass surgery in 2005
Changed his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican on Mar. 11, 1991, becoming the first sitting governor to switch parties in modern history.
In 1991, Roemer lost a gubernatorial primary in Louisiana to former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke and former governor Edwin Edwards, both of whom were later sentenced to prison
Diagnosed with diabetes in 1973 and gives himself five insulin shots a day
Favorite baseball team is the New York Yankees
Attended Harvard University at age 16
First airplane trip was when he left for Harvard University in 1960