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Romney Campaign Press Release - In Case You Missed It: Governor Romney On Fixing The Economy In Michigan And The Rest Of The Nation

January 11, 2008

Governor Mitt Romney

Fox News' "Fox & Friends"

January 11, 2008


Fox News' Steve Doocy: "What state were you guys talking about? Cause some of the time it seemed like you were talking about South Carolina. Other times it seemed like it was a Florida debate. And other times your home state of Michigan?"

Gov. Romney: "Well, I was doing a lot of talk about Michigan. Of course, Michigan is up next. And people in Michigan are really hurting. And they wonder why it is that all the politicians have a lot to say about the rest of the country but are not showing the kind of focus on the fact that Michigan is going through a one-state recession. Frankly I like Michigan. I love Michigan. It's personal to me. One thing I will do as president is make sure we end the one-state recession in Michigan."

Fox News' Brian Kilmeade: "Governor, one thing that you have possibly more than most people in this country as well as people running for president is business experience and business success. You said last night I'm not going to give up on those jobs that Michigan lost. Senator McCain says straight talk says those jobs are gone for good. You can get into detail. How you can get those jobs back for the people that you grew up?"

Gov. Romney: "Yeah, Brian. Every single job in Michigan has got to be a good job and its one we can have. I'm not giving up on the U.S. auto industry. The domestic automobile manufacturing industry is strong. It's going through some tough times. It needs help from Washington not mandates that push it under. And so I'm going to work with the leaders of labor as well as the manufacturers there to make sure that the mandates we put in place are helpful not hurtful. And I am also going to invest in basic science and technology and innovation in the automotive field, in material science, in fuel technology. We're going to rebuild Michigan's economic base. It is, if you will, one of the central points in our nation for manufacturing. And we cannot let it go."

To watch Governor Romney, please see: www.youtube.com/watch?v=poyvhpzOlVI

Governor Mitt Romney

MSNBC's "Morning Joe"

January 11, 2008

MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski: "...Governor Romney, I guess my question to you is, as we start hearing echoes of potential trouble ahead with the economy, how do you think the economy fits into this campaign or should it?"

Gov. Romney: "Oh I think the economy is going to fit in a major way. I think what you're seeing in Michigan for instance is a one-state recession which threatens to expand to the entire nation. And I think as people in this country become concerned about the future of their job, about the future of their health care insurance coverage, about their ability to meet tuition bills and so forth, people are going to start saying, which of these guys running for president understands how the economy works. And I believe I'm the only guy on the stage there that has actually worked in the private sector. I brought jobs across the country, I've worked in other parts of the country, other parts of the world rather, twenty different countries, I understand why jobs come and why they go and I will work tirelessly to strengthen our economy and my economic plan is not some pie the sky Washington-based plan, it's instead based on what I know from having worked in the world of industry. Frankly, I think it's more important to know what's going on in America than to know what's going on in Washington. I think that's going to help me."

To watch Governor Romney, please see: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EpS05ZdNhE

Governor Mitt Romney

CNN's "American Morning"

January 11, 2008

CNN's Kiran Chetry: "Michigan does have some unique elements that make it more difficult as well, including its large manufacturing sector in there. As you said the unemployment rate in Michigan is the highest in the nation. Many have called it a one-state recession. What is your solution to reverse that trend of unemployment in that state?"

Gov. Romney: "Well, Michigan has a lot of industry and a lot of experience and a highly talented workforce. And there is manufacturing going on throughout the world even here in the United States there are new facilities being built, they are just not being built in Michigan. And so what we need to do is to not just write off Michigan but to say we're going to stop sending mandates to Michigan employers that put them at a disadvantage. Number two, we are going to invest in science, technology, and innovations in Michigan which can help them develop automobiles and other products that are more competitive on a global basis. And number three we are going to have to work with manufacturing leaders as well as with labor leaders to make adjustments so they can be more competitive, removing certain legacy costs so that Michigan can have the kind of economic attractiveness that draws jobs there as opposed to having them continue to leave. It's unacceptable to say that some jobs just can't come back to Michigan. All jobs we should fight for. Every industry has every reason to believe it can survive and thrive in Michigan if we have the right kind of federal and state policies working together."

CNN's Kiran Chetry: "I believe you're referring to what governor -- Senator John McCain said yesterday when it came to the same issue at the debate. Let's listen."

Senator John McCain: "One of the reasons why I won in New Hampshire is because I went there and told them the truth. Sometimes you have to tell people things they don't want to hear along with things they do want to hear. There are jobs – lets have a little straight talk – there are some jobs that aren't coming back to Michigan. There are some jobs that won't come back here to South Carolina."

CNN's Kiran Chetry: "You take issue with that assessment that perhaps realistically speaking there are some jobs, manufacturing jobs in particular, that aren't coming back to that state."

Gov. Romney: "You know, I am not going to throw in the towel on any jobs in Michigan. Of course there are going to be different jobs in many respects. The industries have changed over the decades but Michigan can be an economic power house. It must be an economic power house, it is a center of manufacturing and technology for this country. When I grew up there, people thought about with great pride the fact that Michigan was the motor city. We're still buying cars, we're buying trucks, buying RV's, we buy tractors, we buy a lot of manufactured goods and Michigan can be a center for those goods. But we are going to have to be investing in technology, in tax-breaks, in incentives for companies to come to Michigan. We simply can't say, 'oh, it's too bad, I am aware of the problems there. Too bad they're having a one-state recession.' Frankly, if we can't solve the problems in Michigan and bring Michigan back, what we see there is going to spread to other parts of the entire country and we'll find ourselves playing second fiddle to China. That's unacceptable. We have to have a policy, an industrial policy which keeps America strong and the leader of the world."

To watch Governor Romney, please see: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIYBiI1FuB4

Mitt Romney, Romney Campaign Press Release - In Case You Missed It: Governor Romney On Fixing The Economy In Michigan And The Rest Of The Nation Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/296641

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