GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY ON SUPER TUESDAY
Boston, MA – Today, Americans from across this country went to the polls and cast their vote for conservative change in Washington. Tonight, as we await the results from Western states, Governor Romney made the following remarks to supporters, volunteers and the American people:
"Ann came to me and she said, 'You know, the one thing that's clear tonight is that nothing's clear.' But I think she's wrong. One thing that's clear is this campaign's going on. I think there are some people who thought it was all going to be done tonight. But it's not all done tonight. We're going to keep on battling. We're going to go all the way to the convention. We're going to win this thing, and we're going to get to the White House."
"But you know why we're doing it, we're all doing it for the same reason that is we care very deeply about, well in my case, these folks up here. In your case, the folks at your home, your kids. For me, I'm very concerned about the kind of America they're going to inherit. I want to make sure that the kind of prosperity we've known, the peace that we've always experienced, the safety that we've always felt, is part of my kids' life and theirs kids' life, and theirs indeed as well. I recognize that that doesn't just happen. Those that brought that to us paid a very heavy price to buy our peace. They built a strong military, who was without question the most capable in the world. They built a strong economy that surpassed anybody's in the world. And they also gave to us values that are enduring, like believing in hard work and education and willingness to sacrifice for the future and love of our families and love of our faith and love of our country. And because of these great values, and this great economy and our great military, we've emerged as the greatest nation on Earth. And now it's our turn to decide what we're going to give to our kids, and to their kids.
"We face extraordinary challenges. I'm convinced - and I mean this very sincerely - I'm convinced that if Washington continues on its same course, America will emerge not as the great nation of the 21st century by the end, but as a second-tier power. It'll be passed by someone else. I can't tell you who it will be, but it will be passed by someone else.
"That will not happen. We'll keep America strong because we'll hold on to the values that have always made it successful – values of Ronald Reagan and George Herbert Walker Bush and Teddy Roosevelt and other great presidents spoke about. They strengthened our military with more troops to make sure we can protect ourselves. They strengthened our families with good health care and good schools and values that are enduring. And they strengthened our economy. At the base of our ability to lead the world is a robust and powerful economy.
"Right now, things are a little shaky. You hear people say, 'Well, we're hitting a rough spot.' It's more than that. It's more than just a rough spot. There's a long-term slide that we've seen as we're competing with people around the world, Asia in particular. And as our pocketbooks are being emptied by the oil-producing states, taking more and more money every single day from us, we can't allow our economy to continue to be weakened by these other competitors.
"It's time for us to lift America, to strengthen our economy. We're going do that by keeping our taxes down, by getting regulation down, by having immigration work for us. That means stopping illegal immigration, protecting legal immigration. We're going to trade with other nations around the world, of course, but we're going to do so on a level playing field. We're going to invest in technology and innovation and be the best and the brightest with new products and new designs, and make sure that we always lead the world. This is the future of this great country.
"Now I know there are some who think that that can all be done from Washington, but when it comes time to thinking about how we're going to guide our economy, I think it's more important to know how America works than know how Washington works. And when it comes time to think about how our economy's going to build great jobs for our kids and their kids and maintain the great military we have through our economic strength, I think it's important to have a president who's actually had a job in the private sector.
"At a time like this, we recognize just how broken Washington is. We've looked at them to solve our problems, and they haven't. We asked them to solve Social Security, and they haven't done that. We asked them to balance the budget, they haven't. We asked them, as well, to rein in excessive pork-barrel spending, they haven't. We asked them to get health care that was affordable and portable for all of us, and they haven't. We asked them to get education that's the best in the world, they haven't. We asked them to live by high ethical standards and they haven't. We asked them to end illegal immigration, they haven't. We asked them to get us off of foreign oil and let us be energy independent and they haven't. It's time for the politicians to leave Washington, and for we the people to take over.
"This isn't just about the heart and soul of our party. It isn't just about which party is going to win in November. This is the about the future course of our country. This is about whether or not Washington will finally deal with the challenges we face, whether Washington is up to the task of helping solve these problems, taking advantage of opportunities, making sure that our kids and their kids live in an America that's the greatest nation on Earth. It must be. It has always been.
"The world depends upon our sacrifice, our commitment and dedication to peace and prosperity and to liberty. This is the greatest nation in the history of the Earth. We will keep it the hope of the Earth. With your help, we'll do it together. Thank you so much."
