Romney nods to social issues, then returns to economy
WASHINGTON – Mitt Romney tonight began a speech to a ballroom full of Christian conservatives by reaffirming his positions against abortion and gay marriage.
“We’re united tonight in a lot of things,” the former Massachusetts governor said at the start of a 13-minute address in a downtown hotel here. “We’re united in the love we have for this great country. We’re united in our belief in the sanctity of human life. We’re united in our belief in the importance and significance of a marriage between one man and one woman.”
Romney, who wrote a portion of the speech on a legal pad during a flight from Boston to Washington late this afternoon, then turned to the economic themes that are expected to drive his recently launched presidential campaign.
The comments didn’t deviate from those he made yesterday in his campaign announcement -- or this morning during a town hall meeting in Manchester, N.H.
But he did sharpen his attacks on President Obama over a rise in the unemployment rate to 9.1 percent, and seized on comments made today by Austan Goolsbee, the president’s chief economic adviser.
“There are always bumps on the road to recovery, but the overall trajectory of the economy has improved dramatically over the past two years,” Goolsbee wrote on the White House blog.
“No Mr. President, that’s not a bump,” Romney said tonight. “That’s Americans. People unemployed are not just statistics, or bumps.”
Romney was introduced by his wife, Ann, to the Journey song, “Don’t Stop Believin.’”
Romney also downplayed his term as governor in Massachusetts, trying to cast himself as a political outsider.
“I spent 25 years in business, I was only governor four years,” he said. “I never inhaled. I’m still a private sector guy.”
Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @mviser.
About Political Intelligence
Glen Johnson is Politics Editor at boston.com and lead blogger for "Political Intelligence." He moved to Massachusetts in the fourth grade, and has covered local, state, and national politics for over 25 years. E-mail him at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen. |
