Romney: I Heart Tea Partiers
FF LiveBlog: As part of his book tour, Mitt Romney addressed the National Press Club today in Washington, D.C. During the Q&A, he argued that the tea partiers were a positive development for the GOP.
Q: Is the tea party movement a positive force in the GOP?
A: The Tea Party Movement is an encouraging development, because it signals that the silent majority in America is silent no more.
Posted at 1:44pm by Tim Mak; updated 1:59pm
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Q: Was the country founded on Christian principles?
A: I don't believe that America has ever held that being a Christian is part of being American. However, Judeo-Christian principles, for e.g. family values, are.
Posted at 1:56pm by Tim Mak
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Q: Do we get carried away? Does conservative rhetoric imply that we are against all government?
A: "[Conservatives] are not anti-government... to set the rules for the market to work," you need the government, says Romney.
"But where you have an opportunity to allow a function to be carried out in the private sector, it will be ... more satisfying to the [public] if you allow market dynamics" to govern.
Posted at 1:39pm by Tim Mak
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Q: Would you call Obama's health care plan 'socialist'?
A: I try to avoid incendiary words like [that]. I think the intent of [health care reform] is based on the view that government needs to control the prices for health care.
Posted at 1:37pm by Tim Mak
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Q: Had you been President in 2009, with your experience in MA, how would have you gone through Health Care Reform?
A: Two big problems: lack of coverage; health care costs. Covering people is the easier part, says Romney. The best way to get people insured, says Romney, is to leave it to the states.
I like the way we dealt with it. I think that the reform is going well, says Romney.
Cost control via government takeover doesn't work, says Romney. The way to get costs down is to get health care to "act like a market."
Posted at 1:35pm by Tim Mak
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During questions: Romney criticizes Obama: "rhetoric has to match with action."
For candidate Romney, perhaps he should think about matching rhetoric with substance.
Posted at 1:29pm by Tim Mak
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Completely vacuous speech. A disappointing rehash of a decent CPAC speech.
Posted at 1:26pm by Tim Mak
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I like you guys in the mainstream media, says Romney. We need you guys to get the facts out there.
Posted at 1:25pm by Tim Mak
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Candidate Romney's Platform:
1. End massive deficit spending.
2. End debt by making entitlements sustainable.
3. Energy independence. "Not just talk about it... We have to be serious about it." Romney quickly then switches topics without going into specifics.
4. Health care reform.
5. Education reform.
No details. Just briefly points out that we need to talk about it. Then changes the topic.
Posted at 1:21pm by Tim Mak
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This has been the most anti-investment... anti-enterprenurial [President] since the times of Jimmy Carter." What we have to do is commit ourselves to a foreign policy is to stand up on the side of those who seek freedom, rather than go on apology tours, says Romney. That was abrupt... he talked about the President's economic decisions and suddenly shifts to foreign policy.
Big applause from me when he brings up the Honduras coup, on the side of Zelaya. On the other hand: where was he when no one else was taking that position? Little late, huh?
Posted at 1:21pm by Tim Mak
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Big difference between his ongoing speech and CPAC speech: not as much clapping at the National Press Club.
Posted at 1:16pm by Tim Mak
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This is an exact rehash of his CPAC speech. He started out with the apology tour criticism, and then talked about how the first priority of failing enterprises must be "focus, focus, focus". I saw that coming a mile away. I predict that he will soon go off on his 'America is a pioneering country that's good at pioneering' theme.
Posted at 1:16pm by Tim Mak
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In contrast, Romney says Obama has gone on an "apology tour" that has appeased the blame-America crowd.
Posted at 1:14pm by Tim Mak
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Romney references Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel. Says it doesn't satisfy him, that it doesn't fully enough explain the differences between, say Israel and Palestinian areas; America and Mexico.
The Wealth and Poverty of Nations, better fits the bill, says Romney,
"Culture makes all the difference. What people believe. What they will make sacrifices for." America's pioneering spirit, the family orientation, the entrepreneurial spirit, faith in God makes America great.
Posted at 1:13pm by Tim Mak
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Romney draws parallels between private sector companies and the American government - each reflects the personalities of the founder.
"Washington Post, the Graham family... Disneyland is like the physical manifestation of Walt Disney himself... Microsoft is a shadow of Bill Gates." In that same way, Romney argues, America reflects the personalities of their founders.
"I am convinced that what happening in Washington... is slowly but surely stripping away that spirit of enterprise... if we're not careful, we could smother the source of what has made America so unique in the world."
Posted at 1:10pm by Tim Mak
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Romney opens with a joke about how his work on the Salt Lake Olympics was the only thing that would have ever garnered him a spot on the cover of the sports section.
Posted at 1:05pm by Tim Mak
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Awaiting Romney's remarks at the National Press Club. Some thought before we start: will we be seeing 'candidate Romney' or 'President Romney'? 'Good Romney' or 'Bad Romney'?
How will he address Obamacare, esp. given the similarities with his own health care reforms in Massachusetts? How can he justify Massachusetts' individual mandate to the conservative, tea party base of his party?
And beyond rhetoric, what will he have to say about American foreign policy?
Posted at 12:55pm by Tim Mak