Mitt Romney photo

Remarks in Boston, Massachusetts Following the "Super Tuesday" Primaries and Caucuses

March 06, 2012

ROMNEY: Thank you. Wow. What a -- she is -- she is the best. And that was my son, Tagg, with her, and his wife, Jen, and their children, Allie, and Joe, and Thomas. Great to have my family here, to be back in -- in our home of Massachusetts. It's wonderful to be able to be able -- be able to go home tonight for the first time in two months. And... [applause]

What a -- Ann said it right. What -- what a great night. There are three states now tonight under our belt, and counting. We're going to get more before this night is over. We're on our way. [applause]

We're -- we're so excited to be in the Bay State tonight, celebrating with family, with friends who've worked just tirelessly on this campaign. And, of course, it's -- it's such an honor to have the citizens that I served as governor as part of our cause. Your support really means everything to Ann and me, and I'm not going to let you down. I'm going to get this nomination. [applause]

Tonight, we're -- we're doing some counting. We're counting up the delegates for the convention, and it looks good. And we're counting down the days until November, and that looks even better. [applause]

We're -- we're going to take your vote, a huge vote tonight in Massachusetts, and take that victory all the way to the White House. [applause]

AUDIENCE: All the way! All the way! All the way! All the way! All the way! All the way! All the way! All the way!

ROMNEY: Now, it's been -- it's been a long -- it's been a long road getting to Super Tuesday, let me -- let me be honest. And -- and my opponents have worked very hard. I want to congratulate Newt Gingrich on a good night in Georgia, and Rick Santorum on his good night, and -- and Ron Paul for his steadfast commitment to our Constitution and his strong support almost everywhere you go. He's got good followers. Thanks, you guys. Nice races. [applause]

Now, we -- we officially started our campaign about nine months ago, not very far from here at a farmhouse in New Hampshire. It was a beautiful spring day full of hope and promise, a day that made us all recognize once again how lucky we are to be Americans. What we launched that day was an effort not just to win more votes or more delegates -- delegates. It was the start of an effort to restore the promise of America, a promise that we know has been frayed by these difficult times. [applause]

We sounded our clarion call across the country, from airport, tarmacs, to factory floors, to door-to-door, heart-to-heart, face-to- face across the country. I met with moms and dads and teachers and students and factory workers and business owners. I've listened, and I've learned. I hope I'm a better candidate, by the way, for having done all that. And I... [applause]

I'm going to forever be grateful to you for the help that you've given me and -- and grateful also to all those people who helped me through this process and -- and taught me along the way.

I met some extraordinary folks. I met someone named Norm Burn, who, for me, exemplifies the innovative spirit that really built the country. Norm didn't go to college, didn't get an engineering degree, but he does have 100 patents in his name. And he turned a small shop in his basement into a very successful company that employs a lot of people. It's -- it's entrepreneurs like -- like Norm Burn who are going to get America's economy back on track if we can get the government out of the way. [applause]

I've -- I've met parents like -- like David McArthur -- maybe you saw him on "The Huckabee Show" -- whose children, in his case, have served their country in war. David's son was seriously injured in Afghanistan, as he described. He -- he only returned from the front lines to face a new fight, to get the medical care he needed and he surely has earned. And as I told David, I believe that to those who put everything on the line for us, we owe everything to them that they need. [applause]

You know, America's -- America's veterans, they deserve a lot better than long lines and reduced benefits. And as president, I'm going to make sure they get the care they deserve. [applause]

So -- so, in running for -- for office, I've had the chance of meeting people like Norm and David, and their stories are, of course, inspiring. But I've also met some people who are -- who are hurting under this stagnant Obama economy. And their stories are heartbreaking.

Some people have lost their jobs. Others are working two jobs just to make ends meet. Some used to be middle income, and now they're struggling again, right back where they started. As you know, the prices for gasoline and food and clothing and health care keep going up, but their paychecks stay the same, if they're lucky.

President Obama keeps telling these Americans that the recovery's here. But for them, the recession is not over. That's for sure. [booing]

You know, from -- from generation to generation in this country, Americans have always known that the future would be brighter and better. We've always believed in a tomorrow full of possibility and prosperity and security, that -- that deep confidence in a better tomorrow is the basic promise of America. But today that promise is being threatened by a faltering economy and a failed presidency.

To the millions of Americans who look around and can only see jobs they can't get and bills that they -- that they can't pay, I have a message: You have not failed. You have a president that's failed you, and that's going to change. [applause]

President Obama...

AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!

ROMNEY: You know, when he was campaigning, President Obama said he'd create jobs, but for 36 straight months, unemployment has been above 8 percent, and he's also said he'd cut the deficit in half, and he's doubled it. I mean, as you know, the debts today are too high, the opportunities are too few, and we've seen enough of this president over the last three years to know that we don't need another five of this president. That's for sure. [applause]

Look...

AUDIENCE: We need Mitt! We need Mitt! We need Mitt! We need Mitt! We need Mitt! We need Mitt! We need Mitt!

ROMNEY: This -- this -- this president's run out of ideas. He's run out of excuses. And in 2012, we're going to get him out of the out -- out of the White House. [applause]

Now, President Obama seems to believe he's unchecked by the Constitution. He's unresponsive to the will of our people. He operates by command instead of by consensus. In a second term, he'd be unrestrained by the demands of re-election. And if there's one thing we cannot afford is four years of Barack Obama with no one to answer to.

So these days, you hear the president and his team, they keep telling us that things are getting better, but 24 million Americans are still struggling for work. They're high-fiving each other in the West Wing, but, my friends, the truth is, 8 percent unemployment is not the best America can do. It's just the best that this administration can do. [applause]

Look, when I'm -- when I'm president, this America -- American economy will not be lagging behind. This American economy will be leading the world as it has and as it should and as it will do in the future. [applause]

For this...

AUDIENCE: Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt!

ROMNEY: You know, for this administration, the unemployment number is just another inconvenient statistic standing in the way of a second term, but those numbers are more than data on a spreadsheet. They're worried families and anxious faces. And tonight, I'd like to say to each of them: You are not forgotten. We will not leave you behind. Our campaign is on the move, and real change is finally on the way. [applause] [applause]

AUDIENCE: We need Mitt! We need Mitt! We need Mitt! We need Mitt! We need Mitt! We need Mitt! We need Mitt! We need Mitt!

ROMNEY: These -- these times may be tough, but our citizens still believe in the promise of America, and they deserve a president who believes in them. That's why our campaign is about more than just replacing a president. It's about restoring America's promise, and we will do it. [applause]

AUDIENCE: Go, Mitt, go! Go, Mitt, go! Go, Mitt, go! Go, Mitt, go! Go, Mitt, go! Go, Mitt, go! Go, Mitt, go! Go, Mitt, go! Go, Mitt, go!

ROMNEY: We won't settle. We won't settle for this president's new normal. I'm offering a real choice and a new beginning. I have a plan that'll deliver more jobs, less debt, and smaller government. President Obama raised the national debt. I will cut, cap and balance the budget, finally. [applause]

He passed Obamacare; I will repeal Obamacare. [applause]

He lost our AAA credit rating; I will restore our AAA credit rating. [applause]

Amazingly, he rejected the Keystone pipeline. I will approve it. [applause]

You know, he has -- he has stalled domestic energy production. I'm going to open up our lands for development so we can finally get the energy we need at a price we can afford. [applause]

Look, when it comes to the economy...

AUDIENCE: Go, Mitt, go! Go, Mitt, go! Go, Mitt, go! Go, Mitt, go! Go, Mitt, go! Go, Mitt, go!

ROMNEY: When it comes to this economy, my highest priority will be worrying about your job, not worrying about saving my job. [applause]

I've -- and, by the way, I've got a pro-growth tax plan, jobs plan that's going to jump-start the economy. President Obama wants to raise your taxes; I'm going to cut them. That starts with an across- the-board 20 percent rate cut for every American. [applause]

And, by the way, I'm also going to repeal the alternative minimum tax, and I will finally abolish the death tax. [applause]

The -- the president has proposed raising taxes for job-creators; I will cut taxes for job-creators. [applause]

The president wants to raise taxes on savings and investment. I will help middle-class families save and invest tax-free. [applause]

You know, it's interesting. After three years, this president does not have a single serious proposal for saving Medicare or Social Security. I have a plan that saves both of them, and I have the courage to put that plan on the table, and we'll win with the truth. [applause]

As president, I will get our economy back on track and get our citizens back to work. And unlike President Obama, I actually have the experience to deliver on that promise. [applause]

As you know, I spent 25 years in business. I've been the steward of an Olympics and the leader of this great state that we're all in tonight. I cut taxes 19 times here. I turned a budget shortfall into a surplus. I know how government kills jobs, and, yes, I know how it can help create jobs. I stand ready to lead our party, and I stand ready to lead our nation to prosperity. [applause]

AUDIENCE: All the way! All the way! All the way! All the way! All the way! All the way! All the way! All the way! All the way!

ROMNEY: I've -- I've said this before, and I've said it -- I'm going to say it again. This campaign is -- is not just about a name on a ballot. It's about saving the soul of America. And it's driven by an unshakable optimism that lies within the heart of every American citizen. We know that our future's brighter and better than these troubled times. We've been knocked down, we've been tested, but we don't accept that an America like this nation has limits. We know America is a land of opportunity. We still get up every morning and thank God that we're Americans. And we know... [applause]

AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!

ROMNEY: We also know that, with hard work and with strong leadership, with a president that will tell the truth, with -- with a president that will live with integrity, that our greatest days as a nation are ahead of us, thanks to the American people. And tonight, we've taken one more step towards restoring the promise of tomorrow.

Tomorrow, we wake up and we start again. And the next day, we'll do the same. And so we'll go, day by day, step by step, door by door, heart to heart. There will be good days; there will be bad days. Always long hours, never enough time to get everything done.

But on November 6th, we're going to stand united, not only having won an election, but having saved a future. [applause]

It's time -- it's time -- it's time to believe in ourselves. It's time to believe in ourselves. It's time to believe in America. And I'm asking you to join our cause. We need your energy and your conviction and your commitment. I'm asking for you to pledge your support at mittromney.com. Get online. We need your voice and your vote in this campaign. [applause]

And I'm asking you to join in the fight for our freedom and ensure that tomorrow will be better than today. Let's go forward together and restore the promise of America. Together let's fight for the America we love. Thank you, and God bless this great land. God bless the United States of America. Thanks, you guys.

Mitt Romney, Remarks in Boston, Massachusetts Following the "Super Tuesday" Primaries and Caucuses Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/300147

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