Romney stumps for Mourdock in Indiana

Mitt Romney campaigns with Richard Mourdock who is running for Senate at Stepto's BBQ Shack in Evansville, Ind., on Saturday, Aug. 4.

/ AP Photo/Charles Dharapak

(CBS News) EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Saturday made a joint campaign stop with Indiana Senate hopeful Richard Mourdock, where he painted himself and the tea party favorite as two peas in a pod headed to Washington to change it.

"He has proven as the treasurer that he knows how to make sure to balance the books," Romney said of Mourdock, the state treasurer who knocked off six-term Republican Sen. Richard Lugar in the state's primary last May. "He's also proven as a campaigner that he can take his message to the people of Indiana, they'll support him. This is a man that I want to see in Washington to make sure that we cannot just talk about changing things, but actually have the votes to get things changed."

The joint appearance signals Romney's intention to try to win over tea party voters, the faction that was most resistant to his candidacy during the primary campaign.

(Romney trades praise with Richard Mourdock.)

Mourdock called Romney "the ultimate team player," recalling how Romney immediately endorsed Arizona Sen. John McCain after Romney ended his own presidential bid in 2008. "Politics is all about being a team. This is not a solo sport. And for that purpose alone, governor, thank you so much for coming here and supporting our candidacy today," Mourdock told a crowd of about 100 people at Stepto's BBQ Shack.

Mourdock emerged during the primary as a hardline tea party-backed conservative who is vocally opposed to legislating through compromise. After winning the primary in May, he told Fox News, "I have a mindset that says bipartisanship ought to consist of Democrats coming to the Republican point of view."

It's a strong contrast to Romney, who has been preaching bipartisanship in recent weeks. In an event in Golden, Co., earlier this week, he told a crowd, "We've got to have someone that goes to Washington that buries the hatchet and says, 'You know what, there are good Democrats, there are good Republicans that care about America. Let's work together to get the American people working, get some growth again.'"

Romney also has a fundraiser in Evansville Saturday night, that Mourdock, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and former Vice President Dan Quayle are expected to attend.

[feminist50]

What are Romeny's values, nobody knows. He flips his positions all the Yesterday he was out supporting Murdouck. His running mate Ryan believes in distinctions of rape - remember his using the term Legitimate Rape. Romney was pro choice as Governor, then severly conservative anti-choice guy who was against contraception and even supported the Blunt amendment where employers could deny contraceptive coverage through insurance based on their religious beliefs. But Romney himself drew up a contract for one of his wimpy son's surrogacy where terminating the pregnancy was an Option. So, what Mitt do we believe in?

[rayward73446]

Tea baggers and their ilk is what is causing the most problems for America. Formed by the infamous Koch brothers big money and geared to dismantle the US government from the inside, all they want is everything their way. No compromise, and no government benefits that you have paid into for your entire working life, except for members Congress who pay nothing.
The Koch brothers propaganda machines are duping voters into believing that the Tea party is out to save America, when their goal is to destroy it. Be more informed, read up on all the actions behind what is being said. The more widely you research the Koch brothers the more you will understand their motives and disinformation programs designed to gain lower wages and less taxes on corporations. Romney is tied heavily to the Koch brothers, so his actions here is no surprise, at all.

[alongawaitedfriend]

I guess Mr. Murdock thinks he is God. After all, he claims he is right 100% of the time. Who else but God can claim that?

As to Lucky12345678's comment that 10% of earners pay 70% of the income taxes, that's just common sense. What did the bank robber say when asked why he robbed banks? He said "because that's where the money is". Same thing here. The top 10% pay 70% of the taxes because that's where the money is.

[jimbom121]

Given that Romney needs independent voters, this is a strange campaign strategy.

[Justins003]

Is Richard Mourdock for real about wanting us to elect Romney for president? Everyone knows that Romney is a Trojan horse that "rich" people want to give the poor and the middle class.

[raptor-022]

Yes, it's very hard to believe that the hardline tea party-backed conservative, Richard Mourdock, vocally opposed to legislating through compromise, would be backing mitt romney, or visa-versa.

[Lucky12345678]

The top 10% of income earners already pay more than 70% of income taxes in this country. Of course this little fact does not prohibit writers like Mr. Kinsley from parroting "the rich don't pay their fair share" mantra of the Obama administration.

Is it how BIG you have grown the government, how many people are collecting food stamps, or maybe how many roads you have built or repaired using TAX payers money? By the way these roads are built by private companies using TAX payer's money collected from tax paying citizens working in the PRIVATE SECTOR! Now I'll tell you how we measure success, if you can SUPPORT yourself and your family by working and not from government handouts! But who cares if Obama wins the election...? Just as long as the Republicans win a majority in the Senate and maintain control of the House, it's a win win. Not only for the tea party, but for Republicans and the working citizens of the USA!

[jimbom121]

What have the Republicans done for the working citizens?

[raptor-022]

I certainly hope that the people of Indiana elect the moderate Dem from Indiana's 2nd Congressional District, Joe Donnelly, instead of the hardline tea party-backed conservative, Richard Mourdock, vocally opposed to legislating through compromise, so that we can have more bi-partisan legislating to fix our many problems today.

We have lost almost all of our moderates from both parties in Washington over the past few decades, and hardline ideologues have proven they are not the answer -- they are the problem!

[raptor-022]

Thinkbeforeyouwrite August 5, 2012 3:16 AM EDT
"Just another reason I cannot vote for Romney. How in the h*** does he think we are going to solve our problems with a man like Mourdock who will refuse to work with anyone who does not see things his way. To Mourdock, compromise is a dirty word and yet our country has used compromises repeatedly to solve problems"




Yes, it does appear that ideologues like Mourdock, who emerged during the primary as a hardline tea party-backed conservative, vocally opposed to legislating through compromise, are the problem and not the solution for America!

We have too many problems to be solved, and our Founding Fathers had to compromise just to get the Constitution written and ratified, so we need representatives that can work in a bi-partisan fashion.

[Lucky12345678]

I know how to end poverty, simply raise taxes on all those greedy rich people and redistribute it to all those less fortunate. That way the government will control who gets what and everyone will have a fair share!

[Deltapa]

Romney agrees with Everything and Nothing.
-------------------------
Abortion:
"abortion should be safe and legal"
"I will preserve and protect a woman's right to choose"
FLIP-FLOP
"I am pro-life"
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Health care law with personal mandates:
"If Massachusetts succeeds in implementing it, then that will be a model for the nation. I Like mandates"
FLIP-FLOP
"I will repeal Obamacare."
------------------------
Minimum wage:
"I think the minimum wage ought to keep pace with inflation."
FLIP-FLOP
"There's no question raising the minimum wage excessively causes a loss of jobs."
-------------------------
Campaign finance limits:
"I would like to have campaign spending limits."
FLIP=FLOP
"The American people should be free to advocate for their candidates and their positions without burdensome limitations."
----------------------
Auto industry bailout:
"I'm going to take burdens off the back of the auto industry."
FLIP-FLOP
"Let Detroit go bankrupt. Detroit needs a turnaround, not a check."
-------------------
The bank bailout:
"The TARP program... was nevertheless necessary to keep banks from collapsing in a cascade of failures."
FLIP-FLOP
"When government is... bailing out banks... we have every good reason to be alarmed."
-------------------