Romney: Washington As Is Can't Get Job Done
This story was written by Halley Nani, The Daily Gamecock
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney spoke on family, military and economic issues to students and supporters Wednesday night in the Russell House Ballroom.
"It was a big night last night in Michigan," Romney said. "Only a week ago we were down in polls. We came back strong."
The Republican presidential candidate said he hoped to experience a similar victory this weekend in the South Carolina primary.
In front of a sign that read "America Is Broken," Romney said the American people wanted a president that kept his promises.
"People have been promised action on issues like social security and illegal immigration," but lawmakers have not stood up for them, Romney said.
"It's time for us to take action," he said, "because Washington as it is cannot get the job done."
Romney acknowledged that top Democratic candidates such as Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., want to bring change to the government, just not the kind average Americans want.
Touching on the ongoing War in Iraq, Romney said the military needs better care and weapons for fighting militant jihadists.
Romney said "our president has kept our country safe" and Americans should want to keep the troops safe.
Aside from strengthening the military, Romney stressed the need to strengthen America's families.
Romney pointed out that all Americans need some form of healthcare, and the amount of uninsured Americans was causing a problem.
He said Americans paying for the healthcare of other Americans "is not good for us, and it is not good for them."
He also said schools in America do not perform as well as those in Europe and said teachers deserve better treatment.
Lastly, Romney spoke about the economy, an area familiar to the former management consultant.
He said in order to have strong military, plentiful jobs and healthcare, the economy in America needs to change.
"We must fight for every single good job and good industry," Romney said.
Romney said the economy needs innovation to succeed. He shared an anecdote from when he was a management consultant. During that time, he helped Thomas Stemberg found Staples.
U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., said Romney would be a candidate that would accurately represent the values of the GOP.
"We need a man that can show Republicans have a better idea," said DeMint. "People have the opportunity of a lifetime to elect a president that will stand strong for conservative values."
© 2008 The Daily Gamecock via U-WIRE