McDonnell talks up Romney at CPAC

Mitt Romney listens as Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell speaks during a campaign event at Crofton Industries on May 3, 2012 in Portsmouth, Virginia.

/ Win McNamee/Getty Images

(CBS News) ROSEMONT, Ill. - After a day of legislators competing to heap scorn on President Obama at the Chicago Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell took a novel approach: talk up the presumptive GOP nominee, Mitt Romney, as well.

"We need a change, and that change is Mitt Romney. This is a guy that is a man of faith, a man of character. A guy I know a little bit about. I'm honored to be a surrogate going around the country for Mitt Romney," McDonnell said.

"Yes, his dad was a governor, but he didn't get anything handed to him. He worked, he used his talents to do good things, and now, he's going to be our candidate. He's going to our next president because this is his record. In Massachusetts, he cut $3 billion out of the deficit in a blue state and at the same time was able to create jobs, stand up for the right to life, stand up for the Second Amendment, and get things done in Massachusetts. He turned things around at the Olympics. That's the guy that knows how to manage things, and boy we need to turn around the fiscal health of the United States of America," he told the crowd of conservatives at CPAC.

He was the first prominent speaker of the day to spend more than a sentence or two talking up Romney.

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McDonnell, like many of his fellow governors who spoke at the Friday conference, highlighted his own record as well, boasting about low unemployment, pension and education reform and budget surpluses in his own state.

But he clearly aimed to build up his own party, talking up his fellow governors around the country - McDonnell is the head of the Republican Governors Association - and telling the audience that his experienced as a retired Army officer had taught him that "the ground guys get the troops motivated and get the job done."

Of course, he didn't pass up the chance to take a few shots of his own. McDonnell opened his speech by telling the audience he was "delighted to see all of you in the private sector are doing just fine," a swipe at Mr. Obama's comments earlier Friday about the private sector.

And as he talked about Virginia encouraging the private sector, he quipped, "We think success is a good thing. Unlike some people in the White House today," as the audience chuckled.

Obama hits Republicans for lack of action on jobs
Obama backtracks on comments that private sector is doing "fine"
Romney: Is Obama "really that out of touch?"

More from CPAC Chicago:

Marco Rubio the favorite VP choice of Chicago CPAC attendees
Jindal: Obama "most liberal, most incompetent" president since Carter
Chris Christie to conservatives: "We're right and they're wrong"

[batazoidz]

'So This Is How Liberty Dies...With Thunderous Applause'

Unlike Obama, Mitt Romney should not try and hide his past. There are serious, national interests involved in understanding just how much of his family's exodus into Mexico jives with the record, or even with what some other country may be able to document...and then blackmail the President of the United States into doing their bidding.

Since 1885 until 1912, I think it is fair to say; Mormon men and their families, moved into Mexican territory, en mass, bought land, created towns, raised children, all with the expressed intent of creating a domicile residence outside of US jurisdiction, and outside of their pledge of allegiance to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. Under these conditions, even if born US citizens, their US citizenship would have been forfitied under these circumstances once they reach the age of majority.

At age of 21, Gaskell was buying land, building a house and raising a family, all activities consitant with Mexican citizenship and inconsistant with US citizenship under the second Mexican Constitution.

It is time for Mitt Romney to address this issue like a responsible presidential candidate and not try and follow in Obama's footsteps by stonewalling this issue for the next 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 simply have Mr. Romney support de Vattel's the Law of Nations publicly, and state that an Article II natural born Citizen is a person born a US Citizen under the cloak of their US citizen father's allegiance.

We know Obama won't make that pledge, nor will Rubio, or Jindal, but how about Romney? Will he take a stand in support of his American birthright -- our American birthright?

ex animo
batazoidz

[msmich]

Yeah but McDonnel what is the Mittster plans???? Do tell can we go to his web site and get of list of things that he would do differently than Obama?? This is pathetic that these Governors come out speaking for a man that has the inability to speak for himself. Just like Norquist we just need a man to hold the pen. How anyone could even consider voting for a man like Robme that can't even tell the truth about much of anything is beyond me. Kick him to the curb. Obama might not be perfect but he is 1000000 times better then this puppethead.

[Bucky4U]

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