Romney on Obama: I will "knock him on his heels"

By: Rebecca Kaplan
Topics: Campaign 2012

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks at a caucus, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012, in Portland, Maine.

(Credit: AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

SANFORD, Me. - Mitt Romney, hoping to rebound after his triple loss on Tuesday, told Maine caucus-goers here Saturday that he's their only hope of ousting President Obama.

"I'm the one person in this race who can actually beat the president," Romney said. "I will be able to debate President Obama effectively and knock him on his heels when we talk about the economy."

Romney and Ron Paul almost crossed paths at the same caucus, with Romney arriving to address several hundred participants about 10 minutes after Paul had left. The two are the only candidates competing in Maine's week-long caucuses, which were scheduled to culminate Saturday night with an announcement of a non-binding presidential preference vote.

In addition to arguing that he is the most electable candidate and the best one to beat Mr. Obama, Romney also tried to bolster his credentials as a social conservative. He attacked the president for the second day in a row over a decision to force insurance companies, rather than Catholic institutions, to provide contraceptives in their insurance policies.

Romney called the policy "deceptive" and "disingenuous," asserting that the costs will still be passed onto employees of religious institutions.

Romney has a better chance than usual to capture some social conservative votes. Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich have dominated among this group, but they have not devoted much time or money to Maine. Their supporters were hard to find among the pro-Paul and pro-Romney hordes here.

Paul, for his part, seemed to back off his promise to stay in the election through the Republican National Convention in Tampa this August.

"Well, I'm gonna stay in as long as I'm in the race, and right now I'm in the race," he said when asked if he still planned to compete through the summer.

Rebecca Kaplan
Rebecca Kaplan covers the 2012 presidential campaign for CBS News and National Journal.
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by bsvitamins1 February 12, 2012 8:51 PM EST

Only God knows how to fix this mess he will fix all the greedy people world wide.

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by savagenation February 15, 2012 11:41 AM EST: Do what this Billionaire suggested: Put the Leaders in a Ring and let THEM beat each other up, instead of sending people to die and be maimed in war!


by DebbieCorona February 12, 2012 2:35 PM EST: Oh Mitt...LOL Oh how I wish the GOP Party and not failed in offering such extreme candidates. Nothing to vote for.; Reply to this comment


by senorromney1 February 12, 2012 12:12 PM EST: Show us your birth certificate Mitt. http://www.senorromney.com; Reply to this comment


by tsigili February 12, 2012 11:35 AM EST: Grossly overstated.; Reply to this comment

by slownewsday4BO2012 February 12, 2012 5:10 AM EST

Mitt, please don't hurt our back peddling Tweaker president.
He's so skinny, weak and gay.
You'll be comitting one of those there "hate" crimes they made up.
Just kidding Mitt.
Knock him on his a$$ instead.
Har!
Romney in 2012

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by nearl451 February 12, 2012 8:41 AM EST: You and Mitt both talk tough - like Barney Fife.

And you hit just as hard too. LOL.


by nearl451 February 12, 2012 12:10 AM EST: I'll bet it's funny watching Ol' Milquwetoast Mitt practice in his dressing room before a big 'bout'.

Probably high fives himself, too. Jeeeeesh, what a champion.; Reply to this comment

by vkmo February 11, 2012 11:16 PM EST

No hope for Romney against Obama. Romney got less than 40%, his opponents got over 60%. He lost 3 states in a row and barely eked a narrow win in Maine. That's trouble for him & his party, and the opponents-- Dems will prevail!!

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by nearl451 February 12, 2012 12:08 AM EST: Caucus's don;t really count anyway. no or limited delegates selected and they are poorly attended (even worse than primaries)


by forrestt56 February 11, 2012 11:05 PM EST: The moron Romney will have to look up to even see Mr. Obamas heels.; Reply to this comment

by occupy_cbs February 11, 2012 7:57 PM EST

Seems that willard mittens romney is the shape-shifting conservative, calling himself "a severely conservative Republican governor." It is a weird linguistic formulation, and in reality, willard romney was not nearly so severely conservative a governor.

His cuts to the state bureaucracy, however, turned out to be fairly modest. After four years, he reduced the payroll of agencies under his direct control by 603 jobs, according to his administration's tally. At this rate of downsizing government, willard romney would have to serve more than fifteen hundred years as president to trim the federal work by 10 percent.

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by greco99-2009 February 12, 2012 2:53 AM EST: Mitt = 100% draft dodger.

He said his sons had 'more important things to do than serve' - like sitting around expensive hotels and doing their hair to prepare to stand on stage behind dad for 45 minutes.

First he said he was an independent who said he disliked reagan, today he is "severely conservative' and pretends he loved reagan.

My favorite mittisms - "I am the son of a carpenter" (his dad was a rich auto exec and state governor) and "I know what it is like to be unemployed" (while making 20mm per year from a tax scam). Please keep this nattering gerbil in the race - this guy makes me laugh !

by Ben37221 February 11, 2012 6:28 PM EST

Why will any one want to vote for Romney the flip-flopper and a Tax cheater?- When he bring back all the money he have been hiding in those offshore accounts in order to avoid paying taxes, then we can start the conversation.
Romney have no core, no convection. If Romney tells you it is Tuesday, all you have to do is wait a few minutes, and he will tell you it is Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and so on.
Romney thinks it is his place to tell a woman what to do with their body.

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by Ben37221 February 11, 2012 7:34 PM EST: perrish1 , have you held of the personhood law the republicans tried to pass in Mississippi, or the tea party republican attempt to defund plan parenthood? Do you know what Romney's position is on the contraceptive issue?-I know that it is not wise to ask abaout Romney's position as they are sure to change depend on who and where he is speaking.At least for now, we know he was for the personhood law, and supported the republican attempt to defund plan parenthood. When Romney support a potential law that deny women their right to contraceptive, then he is telling women how to take care of their body. When he support legislation that defunds an avenue of health care for women, then he is against womens interest.


by greco99-2009 February 12, 2012 2:48 AM EST: Cayman Islands and Swiss Accounts for Mitt.

Tax scams for wealth transfers to his kids.

Made his money by stacking the boards of companies then looting them via exorbitant 'management consulting fees' (this is not venture capitalism - it is the work of a crooked slash and burn corporate raider.