Romney on Obama Policy: "Let Them Eat Cake"

Mitt Romney speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, Friday, Feb. 11, 2011.

/ AP Photo/Alex Brandon

WASHINGTON -- Former Massachusetts governor and likely GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney harshly criticized President Obama for his economic policy at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Friday, saying modern job fairs and unemployment lines are Obama's "Hoovervilles."

The reference was to the Depression-era shantytowns built by homeless people during the presidency of Herbert Hoover.

Romney also criticized the president for saying the economic crisis could have been worse without the policies of his administration. "What's next - let them eat cake?" Romney asked rhetorically, to cheers from a wildly enthusiastic audience of conservative activists.

He added: "Excuse me, let them eat organic cake?"

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Gone unmentioned in Romney's speech was the health care law he signed as Massachusetts governor, which is similar to the health care law signed by Mr. Obama last year. Romney has struggled to articulate the differences between his law and the "Obamacare" law that has caused such outrage among conservatives.

Romney's short speech was punctuated by quips, particularly when it came to Mr. Obama's State of the Union address, which Romney said sounded like his CPAC speech from the previous year.

(Watch Romney talk about "change" at left.)

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"He sounded like he was going to dig up the first lady's organic garden and put in a Bob's Big Boy," Romney said - before stating the speech reflected just the "appearance of change."

He eventually realized, he said, that "what we're watching is not 'Brave New World.' What we're watching is 'Groundhog Day.'"

(At left, watch Romney poke fun at Mr. Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama's White House garden.)

Romney called the current economic situation a "moral tragedy of epic proportions," arguing that "liberals should be ashamed that they and their policies have failed these good and decent Americans." He criticized the Obama administration for seeking a "European-style solution to an American problem."

"President Obama has stood watch over the greatest job loss in modern American history. And that, my friends, is one inconvenient truth that will haunt this president throughout history," Romney said. He called the administration's response to the economic crisis the "most expensive failed social experiment in modern history."

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Romney also made a strong case for American exceptionalism, stating, "I will not and I will never apologize for America." He criticized the Obama administration's foreign policy on Iran and Afghanistan, arguing that "an uncertain world has been made more dangerous by a lack of clear direction from a weak president."

Romney, who ran for president in the 2008 cycle, received a warm welcome from the young conservative activists gathered for the conference, who seem to have largely gotten over their past concerns about his relatively moderate record as Massachusetts governor. But his decision not to address the health care law will raise further questions about whether he will be able to fend off criticism over the issue in a GOP primary.

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Brian Montopoli is a senior political reporter for CBSNews.com. You can read more of his posts here.

[010sonny]

Truth is wisdom and knowledge hidden amongst the debris of facts. Example Roberts Supreme Court ruling that unlimited funds from corporations are allowed to our politics ! No disclosure or Identification required ! China, Iran, England, and so on and so on can now purchase a piece of our country. Your observations and deductions on this can be made. Is this or is it not Fascism? Mussolini defined it as the incorporation of corporations to the state! Now as an observer consider the vast increase in Right Wing campaign funds for elections. Some were as much as 10 times their Left Wing opponents. Democracy For Sale by Right Wing? Observe Koch family support for Right Wing. Odd that the primary bidder for our country, via Fascism, is named Koch. !
Observe Wisconsin's Gov. Walker [R] that refuses to any negotiations with laborers. Consider Boehner [R] when confronted with his budget proposal creates job lost scenarios of 100's of thousand rather than job creations as he had promised. Brushes it aside with his infamous words of "So Be It" ! If it needs be we will shut down the government until we get our way??? Similar to Gingrich in 1994 when they did.! Observe the chaos that followed that destructive strategy.
Now you have to ask yourself ???

[jimbom121]

Poor Mitt. Even with these jokers, he can't won their straw poll. Time to go home and stock up on the hair gel.

[myth1958]

Please, Mitt: hang it up and go home. Like the rest of your ilk, you squandered a chance to uplift for a load of cheap shots, avoiding the opportunity to tell all of us how you'd do any better than this president has. He inherited disaster after disaster in the form of two wars and a recession that he couldn't have forestalled from his seat in the US Senate. Not until he beat you, Huckabee, Palin and McCain to win the office did he have the authority to tackle these glaring Republican failures - and he's done well to keep things from getting worse - propping up big banks, the auto industry while reining in Wall Street and blooming health care costs, to boot. You'll never be president, Mr Romney. Not of this country. Try governor again: that's where your ascendence limit is.

[fedup12]

It cracks me up. The republicans have had congress and the presidency most of the last 10 years and they are declaring an economic emergency now?

When they were running up the bill it was OK.

I agree someone needs to put the stops on spending but that needed to start back as far as Reagan.

[doctajim]

Such a sad inept man with no knowledge of history, such denial of the realities of American life, and such a desire for power that he will say anything (and leave out even more). Mitt - give it up - America doesn't want your leadership.

[shurch4truth]

Mitt - no matter hard hard you try you just don't come across as being real when you try and act mean like thous other Repulicans.

.....you're better at directing traffic like you did that time during the Olympics in Utah

Sarah Palin is not real mean either because always acts like she following a script.....she's probably actually nice

[lucilioness]

MITTHEW, MITTHEW, MITTHEW, GIVE IT UP! YOU WILL NEVER BE PRESIDENT. NEVER!

[rockcutr]

I have been watching and listening and reading. Consider myself quite observant and objective. I don't adhere to any political party because of what I do not see. There is not a truth teller among them. Not a single one speaks from the heart. Unless their heart is really close to their wallets and store house of political clout. These things do not serve the people. This makes all of these retorical mouthpieces of what is wrong with it all. These proveyors of instant cures by opposition cliques rather than a clear clean cooperative effort to sustain ALL the people rather than the corporations....gives all the signs of a failed unsuccessful leadership. What an evil ugly mess we are in because of all the elected...they are all to blame...not a one has proven to be even just a little bit "of the people. by the people or for the people" corporations do not fit into this...bank corporations do not fit either.
foreign despots just failed...we were giving them money why?????
Now while in the deepest debt in history...these blood sucking poly ticks
are drumming up new business to allow even more debt...
They are all out of their rabbit ass minds. We would be way better off if the Hells Angels were in charge....borders would be secure...no question to that. Foreign trade....it would be fair and equal. If you turn on the people and call it nessisary...there is something special for folks who speak thru both sides of their mouth.

[Reddbird]

Yeah, I would just like to say that these so-called "conservatives" are a disgrace to the political process, as well as such sore losers. And also, I don't get this self-serving nonsense of comparing Obama to Herbert Hoover. Nothing can be further from the truth. If anything, Obama helped avert a second Great Depression. Romney, etc. as well as their supporters don't know what they're talking about. Get over yourselves.

[noloyalisti]

This is typical right wing double speak. Blame someone else for being fiscally irresponsible. Act as if you really care about the deficit so you can get yourself elected. Because when you get in, all the riches of the corporate elite will be yours in exchange for legislative favors.

Romney means EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE of what he says, just like all conservatives.

[1pheasant1]

Are you saying President Bush had to sign the TARP legislation? No! He didn't have to sign it, but corporate welfare is acceptable to conservatives. Just don't spend any money on the 800,000 citizens who were losing their jobs every month at the end of his second term. The Republicans forget that he took a dump on capitalism when he informed our great nation that AIG was too big to fail. Sarah and John were right there to confirm to the nation that the fundamentals of our economy were strong! Now it's spin or ignore, which is what Mitt is doing in regards to health care.