Mitt Romney tells conservatives he is one of them

Mitt Romney on Friday sought to establish his conservative credentials with an influential voting bloc in his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, slamming President Obama's time in power as "the last gasp of liberalism's great failure and the turning point for the conservative era to come."

The former Massachusetts governor said he is the man to lead conservatives in that new era because he has lived their ideals and he has the right convictions.

"My family, my faith, my businesses -- I know conservatism because I have lived conservatism," Romney told an audience at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington.

The conservatives at CPAC -- touted as the "ultimate" conservative focus group by the conference hosts -- were eager to hear from the Republican presidential candidate. Ahead of Romney's remarks, a line hundreds of people deep trailed all the way through the Marriott hotel, with conservatives waiting to get inside the ballroom where he was about to speak. Once Romney took the stage, the crowd energetically chanted, "Mitt, Mitt, Mitt!"

Romney's main GOP rival, Rick Santorum, addressed the CPAC crowd earlier in the day and got a good reception with a speech suggesting Romney isn't an authentic conservative.

But in his own remarks, Romney pleased the crowd by defining America's greatness as adherence to the nation's founding principles. "The wisdom of our founding documents is that they see the nation's prosperity not as a product of government, but as the product of individual citizens, each pursuing happiness," he said.

Romney suggested that his opponents -- the president and his GOP rivals -- have strayed from those principles after spending too much time in Washington.

"Politicians are routinely elected on promises to change Washington, but when they come here, they become creatures of Washington," he said. "They begin to see government as the answer to every challenge and the solution for every problem."

Romney called Mr. Obama the "worst offender," but also took direct aim at Santorum. He didn't mention the former senator by name but alluded to his vote in support of the infamous "bridge to nowhere."

"Let me tell you, any politician that tries to convince you that they hated Washington so much that they just couldn't leave, well, that's the same politician who will try and sell you a bridge to nowhere," he said.

The former governor touted his business experience and said he tried to stay "as far away from government as humanly possible." But he also highlighted his success as a Republican governor in a liberal state.

"Even with a legislature that was 85 percent Democrat, we cut taxes 19 times and balanced the budget all four years," he said. "That experience of slimming down, cutting, eliminating -- I want to take that to Washington. I want to get my hands on Washington, D.C."

Romney threw plenty of red meat to the conservative audience, promising to preserve the Defense of Marriage Act and fight for a federal marriage amendment. He also promised a "pro- life presidency" and to "reverse every single Obama regulation that attacks our religious liberty and threatens innocent life in this country."

[batazoidz]

It is time for Mitt Romney, as our presumptive leader, to stand up for our American birthrtight like a responsible presidential candidate unlike Obama who has sought to stonewall his "natural born Citizenship qualifications over the last four years.

Since the doubts concerning Obama's, Romney's, Rubio's and Jindal's "natural born citizen" status are Constitutional in nature, the honorable thing to do is to have Mr. Romney support, as many Tea Party members do, de Vattel's definition of a "natural born Citizen," as observed in his work: 'Law of Nations, as that being a person born a US Citizen under the cloak of allegiance of its US citizen father.

We know Obama won't make such a pledge, nor will Rubio, or Jindal, but how about Romney? Will he stand up with the Tea Party as it stands up in support of its American birthright?

ex animo
davidfarrar

[Hislovestreet]

Wow, it's time for the world to see the homeless situation as it really is as many are one pay-check away from being there as well. Let's stop blaming the President, Democrats or Republicans but pull together as the great and bless nation we are and have been. Last year here in Denver, Colorado we had two men freeze to death in parks due to no place to shelter themselves.

When God, gave me this vision of His Love Street Hotel, I seriously thought that many would pitch in and help but, most did not want to get involved as they said we have no extra cash to help. Then last week I read that Americans was spending twice as much on Restaurants and just today that the Power-ball drawings revenue for tonight's drawing was over a billion dollars in sales.

What I am trying to state here is just think if we would only invested a half of tonight's sales from the lottery I could open three hotels and employe and help thousands obtain a home of their own. Please search your heart, http://Hislovestreet2012.com/

[grey4449]

Mormon Beliefs - VOTE ROMNEY



The book of Mormon is more correct than the Bible, (History of the Church, 4:461).
If it had not been for Joseph Smith and the restoration, there would be no salvation. There is no salvation outside the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 670). [the context is the full gospel including exaltation to Godhood]
There are three levels of heaven: telestial, terrestrial, and celestial, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 348). VOTE ROMNEY

[AngryBob86]

Yes, he is like many of them. He's proven himself to be a chicken hawk. He's proven that he's willing to be a cheerleader for war, but is unwilling to join up to fight that war. First, he got a "ministerial deferment" when he was gallivanting around Europe as a "missionary" for his church. Then he took a 2S deferment while he was attending Brigham Young. Finally, in 1970 he did the "Eagle Rock" when he pulled a high lottery number. Instead of doing the patriotic thing and enlisting to fight a war he believed in, he went to law school. Anyone who is capable of fighting in his country's war, is a cheerleader for that war, but is unwilling to enlist or volunteer for the draft, is in fact, a coward and a "chicken hawk" and is unfit to be Commander and Chief of our Military. We had that problem with the Bush/Cheney administration. We don't need it again.

[Tiredashell]

While on the subject of CPAC (still trying to figure out what that really stands for, maybe - cowardly politicians accepting compliments), the best information to come out of it this year is that Rep Steve King of Iowa can't get all of his poo to flush. Now that's an image we all wanted to be stuck with. Given that he is now in the lead with the greatest confessed propensity to fill the toilet, it is time for the other attendees to weigh in on how much poo they are full of.

[Tiredashell]

There is no conservative "turning point". They don't change direction. They march straight backward. The disagreement among the GOP is about distance, not direction. This is why they are having so much trouble getting behind a candidate. As a rule of thumb, progressives head forward into the unknown, whereas conservatives head backward into the known past. The progressive has to make decisions as to which way to turn at the next fork in the road, whereas the conservative only needs to know how far backward he/she wants to walk. As a result, there is typically more disagreement with progressives because of greater uncertainty of outcomes than with conservatives. However, in this case, apparently, the GOP is having great difficulty deciding which past century it wants to live in.

[jdaryyl]

Without throwing out the ad-hominem, does anyone else here find it to be angering that Ron Paul does not, and has not had any coverage from CBSNews even though he has a very good chance of winning Maine? Also, he his campaign is getting obligations for delegates? He is not going anywhere, are they ever going to cover him?

Like I said, please talk grown-up like if you can without the baseless ad-hominem attacks. Thanks!

[occupy_cbs]

Actually, CPAC is just a convergence of far-right clowns in the 3-ring GOP circus, to see who can throw the most red meat to the ultra-conservative audience.

[nearl451]

yes we are at a turning point. The Republicans are about to nominate someone more liberal than any Democrat imaginable.

[kopetzj]

Could Mitt Be It: The Strange and Terrible Tale of a Man and His Double - http://www.preludetotheendoftheworld.com/2012/02/could-mitt-be-it.html