Romney closes out the primaries by attacking Obama’s unfairness
The news from last night was not that Mitt Romney easily swept the five states that held primaries; that was assured once Rick Santorum left the race, if not before. Nor was it the prospect, which is being confirmed this morning, that Newt Gingrich would also drop out of the race as a result.
No, the news is that Romney finally gave the speech some of us have been waiting for him to give. (Click here to see a video of the speech, which lasted about 13 minutes, or here to read the prepared remarks; he didn’t stray too far from them.)
The heart of it was the contrast he drew between himself and President Obama. First, what he said about the president:
Government is at the center of his vision. It dispenses the benefits, borrows what it can’t take, consumes a greater and greater share of the economy. You know, with Obamacare fully installed, government would have control of almost half of the economy, and we would have effectively ceased to be a free enterprise society.
This President is putting us on a path where our lives will be ruled by bureaucrats and boards, commissions and czars. He’s asking us to accept that Washington knows best — and can provide all.
We’ve already seen where that path leads. It erodes freedom. It deadens the entrepreneurial spirit. And it hurts the very people it’s supposed to help. Those who promise to spread the wealth around only ever succeed in spreading poverty around. Other nations have chosen that path. It leads to chronic high unemployment, crushing debt, and stagnant wages.
And then there’s his counteroffer:
I have a very different vision for America, and for our future. It’s an America driven by freedom, where free people, pursuing happiness in their own unique ways, create free enterprises that employ more and more Americans. And because there are so many enterprises that are succeeding, the competition for hard-working, educated, skilled employees is intense, so wages and salaries rise.
I see an America with a growing middle class, with rising standards of living. I see children even more successful than their parents — some successful even beyond their wildest dreams — and others congratulating them for their achievement, not attacking them for it.
The repeated mentions of free enterprise, and the good line about congratulating people on their success rather than attacking them for it, are welcome. But here’s where Romney signaled an important theme leading to November:
This America is fundamentally fair. We will stop the unfairness of urban children being denied access to the good schools of their choice; we will stop the unfairness of politicians giving taxpayer money to their friends’ businesses; we will stop the unfairness of requiring union workers to contribute to politicians not of their choosing; we will stop the unfairness of government workers getting better pay and benefits than the very taxpayers they serve; and we will stop the unfairness of one generation passing larger and larger debts on to the next.
When an opponent — as Romney correctly said Obama would do — wants to run not on his record but on distractions and distortions and fuzzy notions of “fairness,” you hit back at what other people might consider unfair. And there is a great deal of unfairness to be found in Obama’s conventional liberal positions, some of which Romney catalogued.
This is a promising start to turning Obama’s raw populism on its ear.
– By Kyle Wingfield
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
693 comments Add your comment
Tiberius - Banned by Bookman and proud of it!
April 27th, 2012
4:15 pm
TNT, Richard Clarke’s claims, while numerous, were not always backed up with physical evidence.
That being said, claiming any president is responsible for everything that happens on their watch is rather ridiculous given the size and inherent inefficiency of our federal government.
Which of course is why we have to seriously reduce its size and scope.
md
April 27th, 2012
4:18 pm
“Still nothing but tax cuts for the wealthy and searching for a phoney excuse to attack Iraq.”
This is the kind of crap that folks have resorted to to get their point across……..hellooooooooo, EVERYBODY got tax cuts.
Not Part of Romney's "FLOCK"
April 27th, 2012
4:27 pm
A guy who was kicked off one blog…… claims others are being insulting on his blog
waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Guess he never reads any of his own post to see name calling he is known for
waahhahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Tiberius - Banned by Bookman and proud of it!
April 27th, 2012
4:30 pm
Romneys flock, I suggest you look up the term “substantial post” and get back to us.
Not Part of Romney's "FLOCK"
April 27th, 2012
4:32 pm
“We now know you’re a bunch of losers”
Someone using your name or my post proven?
Not Part of Romney's "FLOCK"
April 27th, 2012
4:36 pm
“in order to get his plan to bankrupt the Soviet Union through a Democrat-controlled Congress.”
Last I checked Reagan had a Republican Senate for the 1st six years….. So the Dems only controlled the Congress for his last two……
Just the facts………… just sayn
Tiberius - Banned by Bookman and proud of it!
April 27th, 2012
4:43 pm
Romneys flock, I suggest you look up Tip O’Neill and the role of the House and get back to us.
Not Part of Romney's "FLOCK"
April 27th, 2012
4:54 pm
Tiberius
Do not sidestep what YOU said……….
Democrats only controlled the Congress for 2 of Reagan’s 8 yrs
You either didn’t know the facts or elected to lie to prove a point…..
Which one was it?
Controlling the House does not equate to controlling Congress…………
Guess you are in need of a civics course……………
You think you like bringing noise, but in most cases thats all it is……………. noise and static
Took two minutes to find some of your BS
So you get back with us when you understand how our government works and not how YOU think it works
But have a great weekend
Tiberius - Banned by Bookman and proud of it!
April 27th, 2012
5:10 pm
Once again, Romney’s flock, I suggest you look up the constitutional role of the house of representatives and get back to us on how you think that any president can pass a bill without the approval of a Democrat controlled house.
If you wish to try to make logical arguments I suggest you consider the facts rather than picking apart someone’s wording.
Dusty
April 27th, 2012
5:18 pm
What fun! Liberals here still crying over Bush while playing Blind Man’s Bluff with Obama.
Did anyone hear them mention any of the catastrophes occuring in THIS administration? Has the economy yet risen from its deep dark grave? Have they noticed the stone of Sisyphus is rolling back again as mortgages, construction, and foreigh relations linger at the lowest levels ever? Meanwhile gasoline prices soar!!
Why, no, let us discuss Bush as though today’s failure for these last three years have nothing to do with this administration! And tomorrow? Bush did it while (in all probability) the fly-away kid will be attending a Boy Scout rally in East Podunk for a vital celebration of national importance!
Woohoo! Bush did it!! ‘Cause Clark said so. Clark Kent, that is!;
Not Part of Romney's Flock
April 27th, 2012
5:21 pm
Do not be mad at others for what your proclaim as truth………………
But still have a great weekend
you chicken chest proud
bwhahahahahahahah
Dusty
April 27th, 2012
5:30 pm
Not Part of Romney flock @ 4:54
When DNC sent your pay check, didn’t they tell you; to get a new “handle”? This one doesn’t work.
It’s kinda a reminder of that old rhyme from Mother Goose;
Flock, baby, Flock, baby, have you any wool?
No sir, no sir, I’m too busy playin’ the fool!
Real Athens
April 27th, 2012
5:44 pm
Greek mythology and Mother Goose — the basis for blogosphere.
“The 1st-century BC Epicurean philosopher Lucretius interprets the myth of Sisyphus as personifying politicians aspiring for political office who are constantly defeated, with the quest for power, in itself an “empty thing”, being likened to rolling the boulder up the hill.”
How very Romneyesque.
Dusty
April 27th, 2012
5:53 pm
Oh dear, Real Athens,
You had to explain Susyphus to your buddies after you looked it up. Good boy!
Romney has “been in power” as governor so you must be referring to Sisyphus Stimulus in Power on his first big job. Gotta be!
And Mother Goose? That’s freshman English at UGA. Give credit where credit is due. I think Mother Goose said that. Naw…it was Socrates.
Real Athens
April 27th, 2012
5:58 pm
Mother Goose is English in pre-K, “Susyphus”.
Off to the Criterium!
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
April 27th, 2012
6:04 pm
TNT: The plans were very specific
——————–
Link please.
Dr. Pangloss
April 27th, 2012
6:11 pm
From the Neocon Dictionary:
Fairness–shafting the poor and the middle class.
Freedom–smearing pig dung on the shaft used on the poor and the middle class.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
April 27th, 2012
6:17 pm
From the American Dictionary:
Greed–paying no income taxes and expecting ever-increasing government benefits.
Stupidity–voting for an Idiot Klown whose goal is to destroy the economic system that pays your government benefits.
Patriotism–doing everything in your power to ensure Idiot Klown fails.
General Motors is DEAD, Bin Laden is ALIVE If Romney had been president - Ge
April 27th, 2012
6:42 pm
Heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee
General Motors is DEAD, Bin Laden is ALIVE If Romney had been president
April 27th, 2012
6:47 pm
@Dusty
April 27th, 2012
5:18 pm
What fun! Liberals here still crying over Bush while playing Blind Man’s Bluff with Obama.
Woohoo! Bush did it!! ‘Cause Clark said so. Clark Kent, that is!;
************************************************************************
Woohoohoo.
BUSH DIDN’T?????????
GM is ALIVE
Bin Laden is DEAD
Woohoohoo
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
April 27th, 2012
6:47 pm
As part of our ongoing commitment to provide balance, we bring you work from the nation’s best conservative cartoonists.- Urinal
Which, of course, is Dana Summers of the Orlando Sentinel.
Let us peruse some of this “conservative” “news”paper’s recent editorials-
Speculators cause pain at pump
For taxpayers’ sake keep eye on business breaks
Good ol’ days voting law undermines democracy
Our Take: Hurray for the TSA
Yes, AJC, some of your readers really are that stupid.
Your liberal ones, just sayin…
General Motors is DEAD, Bin Laden is ALIVE If Romney had been president
April 27th, 2012
6:49 pm
@Tiberius – Banned by Bookman and proud of it!
April 27th, 2012
5:10 pm
If you wish to try to make logical arguments I suggest you consider the facts rather than picking apart someone’s wording.
***************************************************************
FACT:
GM is ALIVE
Bin Laden is DEAD
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
April 27th, 2012
6:51 pm
As part of our ongoing commitment to provide balance – Urinal
I did get a good belly laugh out of that^^, by the way.
MarkV
April 27th, 2012
6:55 pm
Dusty,
I am back at least for responding to your amazing insight into my psyche @2:48 pm.
“You choose to ignore the fact that the debt of this country has risen greatly under President Obama.”
How exactly do you know that I “choose to ignore” that fact? Actually, I am well aware of it.
“You choose to ignore that he is a very expensive president in his personal ventures, whether it be vacation of re-election efforts.”
Again, your clairvoyance is quite amazing. However, at this point you at least are absolutely right. I also ignore this petty argument. Would you perhaps care to calculate the percentage of the deficit due to the President’s “personal ventures,” to cost of which, I am sure, you know in detail.
“Is he too then a bad president because he has continued so many times that Bush started such as Guantanamo, troop withdrawal, security?”
Is that a critique of Obama?
“That we are facing another recession just starting again under Obama?”
A prophesy again? Can’t you wait at least until it starts?
“That construction is at a standstill and the price of homes is at lowest level?”
I am sure you can tell us exactly why it is Obama’s fault and what he should have done differently.
“That the president shows little pride in his own country?”
That, dear Dusty, I will call an outright, slanderous lie.
Tiberius - Banned from Bookman's and proud of it!
April 27th, 2012
7:21 pm
MarkV, you need to research the definition of the word “lie” and the definition of the word “opinion.
I’ll order your fainting couch while you’re busy looking them up.
Dusty
April 27th, 2012
7:21 pm
Dear MarkV
You never mention a lot of things you don’t want to think about. The debt seems to be one of them. The fact that our economy “ship” is in perilous waters and the “captain” can’t even see an iceberg in front of him is another one..
Now you can ignore all that and call it success. That is your privilege. And I mentioned the Bush items that Obama said he was going to change but then he did not. You did not seem to get that either.
Now if you have not noticed that our president goes abroad and makes apologies for our country when they are not needed, I certainly have. He makes our country seem less than important every time he goes abroad. Then he whispers to Russian diplomats like he could make good deals after he is elected again. What do you call that? Out right diplomacy with sneaky promises that have to be whispered? Intentionally or not,the president makes our country look second class. I hope he does not travel abroad any more. He should be the proudest person of this country and he isn’t.
You can call that a lie (which is rude and uncalled for) and go on acting blindly. It gives you no credit for integrity whatsoever.
Now…..BRAVES play at 7:35. Go Braves!
I am off to my favorite programs and then the KBraves at eight. Go Braves!
Dusty
April 27th, 2012
7:25 pm
To the gentleman calling himself General Motors.
Yep ……Bin Laden is Dead and it looks like the economy is next. Be alert!
——————————————-
Go Braves!! You are the bestest!!
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
April 27th, 2012
7:36 pm
The AJC’s idea of balance is to have two New York Times columnists on the editorial page on the same day, who could switch bylines and no one would notice.
Tiberius - Banned from Bookman's and proud of it!
April 27th, 2012
7:36 pm
“GM is ALIVE”
As would have been the case no matter which person had been elected President, but one would have cost us less and the financial shareholders wouldn’t have had to have been screwed.
“Bin Laden is DEAD”
Also would have happened regardless of who was in the White House.
Your point?
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
April 27th, 2012
7:40 pm
Obozo’s handlers had to talk him into wearing a flag pin. And then there was another huge argument when they told him it couldn’t be the hammer and sickle on red background.
Tiberius - Banned from Bookman's and proud of it!
April 27th, 2012
7:54 pm
If you think this is such a useless endeavor, why are you here, ?? (serious question, btw)
getalife
April 27th, 2012
7:59 pm
“Robert Reich, 04/27/12
What are the three demographic groups whose electoral impact is growing fastest? Hispanics, women, and young people. Who are Republicans pissing off the most? Latinos, women, and young people. It’s almost as if the GOP can’t help itself.” Aol
They can’t turn off the hate.
Tiberius - Banned from Bookman's and proud of it!
April 27th, 2012
8:02 pm
As a political pundit, Robert Reich makes a great former member of the Clinton cabinet.
Nothing else, however.
getalife
April 27th, 2012
8:03 pm
The speaker whining today was hilarious:
“My God, do we have to fight over everything”,
Yeah silly, there is an election going on.
Surrender crybaby.
getalife
April 27th, 2012
8:11 pm
ti,
He left out Seniors with the ryan plan ending Medicare and other cuts.
How does the gop expect to win after attacking Americans that vote?
MarkV
April 27th, 2012
8:12 pm
Dusty @7:21 pm
“You never mention a lot of things you don’t want to think about. The debt seems to be one of them.”
To the contrary, I have indicated several times that I was ready to discuss it with you anytime you wanted. You always avoided that. All you want to be saying is, there is a huge debt, Obama is to blame, the sky is falling. Let’s see what you actually know about the debt.
“And I mentioned the Bush items that Obama said he was going to change but then he did not. You did not seem to get that either.”
I asked you whether that was a critique of Obama, and you have not answered. What are you complaining about? That Obama said he would change something you agreed with, and he did not do it?
“Now if you have not noticed that our president goes abroad and makes apologies for our country when they are not needed, I certainly have.”
I call you accusation that President Obama lack patriotism rude and uncalled for. I suppose you are like your now precious Romney, when he said about the event in Afghanistan that he would say we were sorry, but he would not apologize. Why don’t you come up with actual evidence Just put up: Quote Obama when he apologized and submit your reason why he should not have.
You do not want what you write to be called a lie, but when you write that Obama “whispers to Russian diplomats like he could make good deals after he is elected again,” what do you call that? Did he say that? He did not. What do you call putting words in the mouth of somebody, words that are not true?
General Motors is DEAD, Bin Laden is ALIVE If Romney had been president
April 27th, 2012
8:46 pm
@Lil’ Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
April 27th, 2012
3:12 pm
TNT, there isn’t anything “precise” about the warnings given to our President Bush.
“al Qaeda determined to strike America”? On what day is that NOT the case?
9/11 was conceived, planned, and trained for long before our President Bush was even inaugurated.
9/11: Another Democrat mess cleaned up by Republicans.
***************************************************************************************
LIE:
9/11: Another Democrat mess cleaned up by Republicans. (if aint a lie if ‘YOU’ believe it.)
heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee
FACT:
OBAMA saved GM
OBAMA killed Bin Laden.
heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee
heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee
General Motors is DEAD, Bin Laden is ALIVE If Romney had been president
April 27th, 2012
8:51 pm
@??
April 27th, 2012
7:51 pm
Tiberius the hateful, ditzy and Barry the minewt – do you guys not have anything better to do with your lives? (serious question, btw)
***************************************************************
NO THEY DO NOT.
They are just a bunch of angry, socailly frustrated dudes who can’t get any loving.
That’s why they have a war AGAINST WOMEN.
heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
April 27th, 2012
9:16 pm
The point is under his hat.
Dusty
April 27th, 2012
9:25 pm
MarkV
Obviously you do not watch the news. Obama was whispering to the Russian president about two weeks ago. Obama had been talking to the Russian but he thought the microphone was off. He whispered to the Russian as everyone was listening about the ability he might have to make deals with the Russians after he was re-elected. The Russian president said he understood. It was sneaky and meant to be undercover. Of course, you don’t mind that.
Now, if you did not see that on TV, I cannot bring you up to date when you are obviously unaware of current happenings in Washington or don’t believe what’s in front of you.
As to the president’s promises he made before election, he has broken many of them. He was only saying what he thought people wanted to hear. He changed on Guantanamo and the troops overseas. If you don’t know that, I guess you will say I am not being honest.
When you decide to be aware of what is going on and not rush blindly to promote any action of the president, I will try to communicate with you. Otherwise, I see no point in trying. It is like talking to a post. When you find what you consider an honest blogger, keep in touch. I am not going to keep repeating what is well known just so you can deny it. A waste of time. Goodbye.
Back to the Braves who just scored another point. Go Braves.
General Motors is DEAD, Bin Laden is ALIVE If Romney had been president
April 27th, 2012
9:36 pm
@Lil’ Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
April 27th, 2012
9:16 pm
The point is under his hat.
**********************************************************************************
Where is your POINT?
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
@@
April 27th, 2012
9:38 pm
Hoping all is well with Kyle & family.
Hater – I read the editorials and participate on these boards only occasionally
BS abounds.
@@
April 27th, 2012
9:42 pm
BS on the nookie too.
SCHNIRT!!!!
Mary Elizabeth
April 27th, 2012
9:44 pm
@@: “Hoping all is well with Kyle & family.”
========================================
My sentiments, also, @@.
Real Athens
April 27th, 2012
10:30 pm
Dusty:
MarkV watches the news. So what if the president said something under his breath to another world leader. Do you honestly think that is news? It happened to be captured. Remember FDR, Stalin and Churchill posing for a picture? Yes. It was sneaky. It was meant to be undercover. So what. Have you ever been to Russia? Do you know anything about the average citizen there? If not, why inject an uninformed opinion?
As far as Obama’s broken promises you can go here:
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/
It has the GOP broken promises too.
As far as your questioning honest bloggers I have to ask: Are you the only one?
The Braves were 12-3 on their first major road trip. That’s freakin’ awesome. Hopefully, I’ll be sitting next to you at the TED during the WS.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
April 27th, 2012
10:39 pm
FDR wasn’t giving away America’s security.
Scumbag Obozo wants to give away our missile defenses.
Obozo: America-hater.
Dusty
April 27th, 2012
10:53 pm
Real Athens … THE BRAVES WON! 8-1….Luv those Braves!
What? You, too. subconscious and unknowing. FDR, Churchill & Stalin were chatting, not whispering to one another. Also FDR & Churchill were smart enough not to be caught in a compromising political position. Nope, whispering to the president of a country who seldom agrees with us but gets along with China, Iran and North Korea does not look smart or diplomatic. But you go for it.
Of course, the GOP makes mistakes. They let Obama win the White House by mistake! The country is still trying to get over that one and it aint easy!
No, I’m not the only honest blogger here. But there surely are a lot of misinformed ones (!!smile!!)
Those Braves are so much fun. Yes! Yes! sitting at the TED during the WS! You bring the snacks and wear a UGA cap and I”ll know its you..I’ll bring something to drink.. Go Braves!!
PS How do you know MarkV watches the news? Well?
Michael H. Smith
April 27th, 2012
11:56 pm
Wouldn’t it just be alot of fun for someone, some deftly clever narrator actually, to tell us of all the things
obumerObama said in 2008 thatobumerObama, for some strange reason, no longer wants to talk about now in 2012?I mean, like the hope and change that delivered a triple A credit rating down to Double A+? Or maybe how it was a national shame to raise the debt ceiling when Obama was a bombastic Senator in 2008, to Obama the bombastic 5 Trillion dollar President in 2012 blaming those same shameful spendthrift Republicans for becoming a bunch of tightwads repenting to find fiscal sobriety?
I know you guys or gals of the right thinking right mind won’t let me down, cause from what I’ve read thus far tonight it’s probably a good thing I emptied my bladder before beginning this evening’s read, so I know y’all will do better at this
oblamerObama then and now than me. Oh my sides are splitting…By the way fellow liberty loving capitalist compadres intent on restoring America to the Republic for which it once stood it’ll be alright if, as Kyle said, you invite those pesky old facts to join in?
Tiberius - Banned from Bookman's and proud of it!
April 28th, 2012
12:05 am
Day and a half since I issued the Romney policy challenge to the libs on here, and thus far its been a veritable dope-fest of responses.
Deflections, insults, name-calling, questions about why I bother to blog here (as if that wasn’t answered enough times in the past), indignation that I was trying to take over the blog and downright silliness.
Yet not one of you cowards took up the challenge.
You’ve been called out, and you have been found to be as lacking as we all knew you were. Not a shred of intellect (or intellectual honesty) among you libs.
Pathetic. But all too typical for your subspecies.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
April 28th, 2012
5:32 am
And we’re still waiting for TNT’s link to those “very specific” al Qaeda plans given to our President Bush prior to 9/11.
I’ll just go ahead and spoil the surprise. TNT lied.