Romney Hopes Executive Experience Will Distinguish Himself

By: Scott Conroy
Topics: Mitt Romney

(CBS)

From CBS News' Scott Conroy:

TAMPA, FLA. -- As Mitt Romney tries to distinguish himself in a crowded Republican field, his campaign has suggested time and again that John McCain lacks the real-world experience required to turn around the ailing economy. Romney himself is delivering his anti-McCain message in a more understated way — by contrasting his experience as a businessman and governor with McCain's years in the Senate.

"You have that executive leadership where you learn how to pull together a team of people to listen to different ideas, to establish a course of action, to hire the people to carry out that course of action, to get budgets for it," Romney said at a press conference. " … that's what my life's been about - executive leadership. And there are others whose experience has been very different."

Romney cited Mayor Giuliani as another GOP candidate who has had that kind of experience. Asked whether McCain lacked adequate knowledge about the economy, Romney would not answer directly. But he turned to presidential electoral history to further his point.

"I'd note that in the past, there have been big contests for the presidency between senators and governors, and senators talk about all the years of knowledge they've gathered by learning about topics in the Senate, and governors talk about actually having had executive leadership and having made decisions that make a difference," Romney said. "And Americans typically side with the latter, recognizing that we don't know what the problems are going to be that are most acute in the next eight years."

Romney made his remarks after touring the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, a facility that employs over 3,500 people. During a speech to a couple hundred of those employees, Romney told of how as a young business consultant, he worked to help hospitals provide better care at lower cost.

"People were highly resistant of any idea that came from another institution, and so we ended up — as we were working with hospitals — we'd only show them data. We'd gather data from other hospitals, show them the best practice in terms of outcome and cost, just show it to them without any comment about it saying you ought to do this. We'd just show them it to them and let them come up with the idea as to what they should do and then it got adopted."

Romney recalled how he later began a venture capital company, which invested in organizing a chain of surgical centers, and learned how challenging it could be to deal with Washington.

"I found how fun it is to work with the federal government," Romney joked. "It's a kind of bureaucratic institution, which changes the rules from time to time and can make life very difficult indeed."

Scott Conroy
Scott Conroy is a National Political Reporter for RealClearPolitics and a contributor for CBS News.
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by marinepatriot January 25, 2008 6:44 PM EST: Governor Huckabee is threatening to take the lead in Alabama! Huckabee/Mccain at 27% and Romney dropping to 15%. Romney will be gone soon!

Governor Huckabee just might threaten to take the lead in Florida too after last night win in GOP debate!

Go Governor Huckabee go!

We are with you!; Reply to this comment


by swifthare-2009 January 25, 2008 5:40 PM EST: Romney has shown that he has the broadest overall support. He is the best chance we have to get someone in the White House with the intelligence and get-it-done attitude to turn our economy around and make health care more accessible for all (using the same free-market principles that make America''s health care system great).

He is a private sector success, a Washington outsider who cannot be bought by special interest money. He will not embrace the Washington political machine that works on behalf of Washington insiders first, and Americans second.

My vote is for Romney, our last best hope.; Reply to this comment


by davide73-2009 January 24, 2008 5:08 PM EST: Huckabee''s loss in SC was due to the negative attacks of the Club for Growth and Fred Thompson. He is now unlikely to win the nomination that he deserves. I can live with McCain or Giuliani. But if Mitt Romney is able to BUY the nomination, I will vote Democratic. Romney is as unprincipled as it is possible to be. He hires people to write supportive comments on these blogs to offset the sincere remarks of the Huckabee admirers. He really stinks. If you are considering voting for him, check out the following website TrueRomney.com.; Reply to this comment


by allenfuller-2009 January 24, 2008 4:22 PM EST: And for those who, like Ann Coulter (see my post below) want to outsource their thinking to the liberals (which I don''t):

Many of the liberals are gleefully rubbing their hands together at the prospect of a Romney candidacy. They can''t wait to tear him apart on many things, most especially his politically convenient "conversions" on abortion, marriage, gun rights, Reagan and more.

I''m not endorsing this line of reasoning... I''m just telling you where it leads.; Reply to this comment


by allenfuller-2009 January 24, 2008 4:18 PM EST: Oh, Ann, Ann. A great person to marshall in support of your guy Romney.

Her argument basically boils down to this: If the liberals hate him, he MUST be good.

Seriously, does ANYONE think for themselves anymore? Ann has just outsourced the thinking to the Democrats. It is stunning.

Continue to believe the one-liners that are being fed to you by the establishment and the punditocracy, panicked to keep their control. It will hurt later.

The time to think independently is NOW. I''m not saying you will necessarily come to my guy Huckabee but at least don''t continue to parrot these soundbites and arguments-by-proxy.; Reply to this comment


by allenfuller-2009 January 24, 2008 4:12 PM EST: Huckabee followed his conscience, not politics, in that case. He was wrong in that case, but turned out to be right in so many of the other cases he dealt with.

As I said before, he doesn''t have a perfect record. No one who makes hard decisions does. But he did his best and he did a *** good job at it too, if you look at the full thing in context.; Reply to this comment


by drnewknee January 24, 2008 4:07 PM EST: Anyone who supports Huckabee, Paul, or Obama needs to read these:

http://***********/2fxnwb

http://***********/32b28p; Reply to this comment


by allenfuller-2009 January 24, 2008 4:07 PM EST: HAHA. This is so funny:

"There was another governor who ignored his conscience, pardoned a murderer, and innocent life was lost. That governor''''s name was Pilate. That lesson that should have sunk deep into the heart and soul of an ordained Christian minister."

So I guess Pilate should have crucified BOTH the murderer AND the innocent person. That''s what Romney would have done.; Reply to this comment


by drnewknee January 24, 2008 4:06 PM EST: Anyone who supports Huckabee, Paul, or Obama needs to read these:

http://***********/2fxnwb
http://***********/32b28p; Reply to this comment


by allenfuller-2009 January 24, 2008 4:06 PM EST: And the telling thing about Romney in all this is that most of these falsehoods and distortions originated with him or his allies.

Huckabee''s record isn''t perfect. He had to make a lot of hard decisions. Romney often avoided the tough and controversial decisions, pushing them onto the legislature.

Overall, taking the WHOLE picture into view, I would much rather have an honest and sincere leader like Huckabee, who did what he thought best at the time even if it turned out to be controversial later-- than an insincere person like Romney, always puffing up his record, taking politically convenient positions every election cycle, and trying to avoid the controversies.; Reply to this comment