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
md
April 26th, 2012
8:36 am
“When 1% of the population controls more than 60% of its wealth, the middle class goes into decline….and so does the nation!! ”
And the Straw Man lives!!!!!!!!
I can’t believe people keep throwing those numbers out there in today’s global economy……this isn’t granddads 40’s or 50’s, those numbers are purely for class warfare/political purposes.
For the reality, wealth is a global equation, and those here with money are NOT taking it from others below them……..it is NOT an either/or equation.
For truth, dig into the $500 billion ANNUAL trade deficeit to get an understanding of where the money is going……and folks, it is you the consumers that is sending it there.
Yes, that’s correct, you are sending your own money to others around the globe……and they thank you greatly.
The 1% Booogey man argument is sooooo yesterday.
Tiberius - Banned from Bookman's and proud of it!
April 26th, 2012
8:46 am
I love it when HDB and the columnists he reads chide Romney for not telling the American people what he’s going to do in his speech this week. Heard the same comment from a talking head on MSNBC, which shows you the value of that type of comment.
First and foremost, it was a victory speech. Victory speeches are written for specific policy discussions; they are written to fire up the people watching him, which it obviously did, or you libs wouldn’t be so darned worried since it was given.
Second, Romney has spent the last 9 months telling people who would listen what his policies are going to be. If you don’t like them by now you never will, so asking him to provide more of the same is a waste of his time, and yours. There’s not a chance in Hell that Romney is going to say anything to sway the partisan hacks like HDB and AmVet who blindly support possibly the worst President since Jimmy Carter in our current Disaster-in-Chief, so stop wishing for something you aren’t going to listen to anyway.
To the non-partisan independents and the GOP faithful, Romney’s speech provided the same message of hope and change that Obama promised 4 years ago, but far more eloquently than Hope & Change – the slogan, because he doesn’t have to tear a whole class of people apart and divide us into groups.
That speech scared the crap out of you libs because it was so damned good and it spoke to EVERYBODY.
Deal with it.
Jefferson
April 26th, 2012
8:54 am
Has he ever made up a bed ? Set the table and know what side the fork goes on ? Can he make ice ?
Tiberius - Banned from Bookman's and proud of it!
April 26th, 2012
8:58 am
If you were going for humor, Jefferson, you failed.
If you were going for substance, you failed as usual.
If you were going to relevance, that is impossible for you on any day.
gm
April 26th, 2012
9:07 am
Chrysler post best quarterly profit in 13 years:
Thank you President Obama had we listen to Mitt more students and parents would have been in the unemployment line, I know this is not good news for the Anti Americans on the right who want to see Americans suffer and fail.
Tiberius - Banned from Bookman's and proud of it!
April 26th, 2012
9:20 am
“had we listen to Mitt more students and parents would have been in the unemployment line”
Didn’t know we had a budding Nostradamus on Kyle’s blog.
Tell me, gm, what are the lottery numbers for this Friday going to be, given your apparent talent for predicting that which never was.
Ghengis Kahn
April 26th, 2012
9:29 am
Obama is so over. So done. The era of the welfare state is done.
shel
April 26th, 2012
9:50 am
Will Romney also stop the unfairness of Congress “getting better pay and benefits than the very taxpayers they serve”. I wish I could work as little as they do and get a 100% pension for the rest of my life not to mention their “Healthcare benefits”.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
April 26th, 2012
9:52 am
“Mitt has earned a personal fortune of over 200 million dollars and pays the same cap gains tax rates and regular income tax rates as every other American.”
———
Fixed.
And that any American pays more than 10% to the government is an obscenity.
gm
April 26th, 2012
10:11 am
With the success of Chrysler, now we are going to hear two face Mitt say I really supported them privately I did not say they should go to bankrupt”””
You have to be a complete nut job to vote for this double minded person.
md
April 26th, 2012
10:13 am
“Chrysler post best quarterly profit in 13 years: ”
And you do know that Chrysler is now owned by the Italians, right? Even more money flowing out of the country…….
Jefferson
April 26th, 2012
10:24 am
t- you know what side the fork goes on, don’t you ? But your messiah — maybe his maid will show him.
Partisay
April 26th, 2012
10:33 am
“And that any American pays more than 10% to the government is an obscenity.”
I agree. I think we should gut the military. Quit building roads. Eliminate any help to
those in need of any kind. After all, it’s their fault right? Stop all farm subsidies. If they
can’t make it without them, well too bad. Of course, don’t get involved in any wars. Because
they cost alot of money. Just look at Iraq that Bush got us into. Stop all government regulations
on all businesses. Polution? It will take care of itself.
And the best part of the speech was….”we will stop the unfairness of government workers getting better pay and benefits than the very taxpayers they serve.” BINGO! That’s right, gut those
government worker’s pay and benefits. EVERYBODY, uh, EVERY republican knows they are
worthless bureaucrats who just take up our tax money. This country can operate without them!
Or at least on half the pay.
I agree with Lil Barry Burnout….nobody should pay more than 10% to the government.
All these cuts are a good start….right Barry?
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
April 26th, 2012
10:42 am
In a $15 trillion economy, 10% is more than enough to cover the legitimate functions of the federal government. Not enough to give Democrats as much power as they greedily crave, though.
md
April 26th, 2012
10:58 am
“Eliminate any help to
those in need of any kind. After all, it’s their fault right?”
Actually……for many, the answer is yes.
1/3 currently choose to drop out of school……is that someone else’s fault??
DannyX
April 26th, 2012
11:00 am
And you do know that Chrysler is now owned by the Italians, right?
You do know that Fiat owns just 58%, right?
Guess who owns the rest? Barry Bailout will love this, the United Auto Workers! LOL!! Yep, 41%
Tiberius - Banned from Bookman's and proud of it!
April 26th, 2012
11:01 am
I’d like to see a single, substantial post by a liberal on this blog who can accurately articulate a real, stated policy of Mitt Romney’s during this election cycle and give us a detailed and thoughtful argument against it.
Not the hyperbolic rantings of Partisay, or the mind-numbing nonsense of Jefferson, or the hate-filled diatribes of AmVet.
Just pick a real Romney proposal (heck, you’ve got 50+ to choose from just on his economic plan), and make a reasoned, logical case against it.
I’m not going to hold my breath waiting.
The Fresh Prince of Bill Ayers
April 26th, 2012
11:02 am
I think that the government should seize everyone’s land, houses and money, raze it, build identical houses on identical pieces of property, and place the citizens in these government owned houses so everyone has the same. Also, I think the government take whatever money it has seized and doesn’t need to keep and divide it equally among the citizens. Oh, I also think its their job to make all races like each other. (sarc)
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
April 26th, 2012
11:13 am
Now that Chrysler is controlled by a foreign corporation, does that mean the American taxpayer won’t be on the hook for their next bailout?
gm
April 26th, 2012
11:17 am
Funny how the right nut winger were quiet when Bush and the idiot Cheney sent billions of our tax dollars to build up Iraq but hate the idea the President saved American jobs by helping the auto indust.
Please right winger, take your American flag out of your hand and put it back in the closet untill some thing dramatic happens like 911, theres no way you people are Americans with that sick menatlity.
carlosgvv
April 26th, 2012
11:21 am
Tiberius
It’s difficult to comment on a “real, stated policy of Mitt Romney’s during this election cycle” when all he’s actually given us is banal Republican double-speak. Since he is also the master of flip-flop, don’t look for any real statesman like proposals from him either. Just look for common Republican dogma.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
April 26th, 2012
11:27 am
What a surprise–initial jobless claims for last week were revised up. Fifteen weeks in a row that’s happened. I’m sure it’s just random.
Obozo: Liar.
getalife
April 26th, 2012
11:29 am
Speaking of liars, the gop ran on jobs last cycle.
Where are the jobs gop?
md
April 26th, 2012
11:29 am
“You do know that Fiat owns just 58%, right?”
Just 58%?? In the real world, that’s called CONTROLLING interest…….hellooooo.
getalife
April 26th, 2012
11:32 am
“Collective amnesia” cons.
You have it but the majority remembers.]
You lied and ran on jobs.
Admit it.
Jefferson
April 26th, 2012
11:32 am
t- are you smarter than everybody ? Smarter than Romney ?
md
April 26th, 2012
11:33 am
“Funny how the right nut winger were quiet when Bush and the idiot Cheney sent billions of our tax dollars to build up Iraq but hate the idea the President saved American jobs by helping the auto indust. ”
Didn’t save the construction industry, so what in your world does that mean??
It’s called picking and choosing winners and losers…..sure, the union folks are happy the taxpayer bailed them out, but on the other hand the folks in the construction industry aren’t too happy their tax dollars went to employ someone else…………I guess the dems are unpatriotic in your world since they hate those in the housing industry……and every other industry they DIDN’T bail out…right??
And last I checked, Congress was involved in the Iraq debacle…….but it makes for a good talking point.
Tiberius - Banned from Bookman's and proud of it!
April 26th, 2012
11:35 am
Thank you, carlos, for showing us all how shallow and lazy you really are.
You can’t name one actual policy of Romney’s because you haven’t even bothered to research him. He’s a Republican, and Republicans are all bad. That’s the extent of your intelligence in politics and government.
Big fail on your part, son.
The Fresh Prince of Bill Ayers
April 26th, 2012
11:36 am
I thought your president was going to turn his laser like focus on job creation. His job creation proposals were recycled ideas from the great depression, and quite frankly, your boy hasn’t done anything but point fingers at others and fund-raise for the last 6 months.
DannyX
April 26th, 2012
11:37 am
“He’s a Republican, and Republicans are all bad.”
Way to stick up for your fellow Republicans Tiberius!
Tiberius - Banned from Bookman's and proud of it!
April 26th, 2012
11:37 am
35 minutes and counting, and while liberals have made 5 posts, none have accepted my challenge.
Pitiful.
Simply pitiful.
md
April 26th, 2012
11:37 am
“You lied and ran on jobs.”
Might want to be careful on that one, it is a double edged sword……the dems are running on xx number of jobs having been created…….now you are saying no?
DannyX
April 26th, 2012
11:52 am
“Simply pitiful.”
Simply pitiful is right! Just google “Romney flip flops”! 1,080,000 results!
Partisay
April 26th, 2012
11:56 am
“we will stop the unfairness of government workers getting better pay and benefits than the very taxpayers they serve”
So…just wonder what you right wingers think of this line in this “great” speech. Does this sound like the “freedom” that was echoed in other parts of the speech? Does he want to cut their pay? He wants them to earn less money? How about it?
Cobbian
April 26th, 2012
11:58 am
We need to cut spending and raise taxes, both. We have been cutting taxes for 30 years on the promise that we would get this wonderful, opportunity-filled economy, and that good stuff would “trickle down.”
It hasn’t worked. “Trickle-down” does not trickle-down.
Romney just wants to do more of the same. There is nothing new here. And we will get the same result we have gotten in the past – more concentration of wealth and low-paid work for the majority.
md
April 26th, 2012
12:05 pm
“So…just wonder what you right wingers think of this line in this “great” speech. Does this sound like the “freedom” that was echoed in other parts of the speech? Does he want to cut their pay? He wants them to earn less money? How about it?”
You do understand how the system works….right?
The private sector must generate the funds to employ all those in the private sector PLUS those in the public sector……..one draining the other kills both.
getalife
April 26th, 2012
12:11 pm
Yeah md,
Our President added jobs while the gop did nothing but attack Americans.
The gop lied last election and will lie this time.
It is all you got and you know it.
Tiberius - Banned from Bookman's and proud of it!
April 26th, 2012
12:13 pm
Hour and ten minutes, and the libs are silent on the challenge. They comment on ANYTHING but substantive issues, yet when called out on that, they remain silent.
Sadly, these losers actually vote, which shows what happens when uniformed people enter the voting booth.
Partisay
April 26th, 2012
12:16 pm
You didn’t answer the question md…so is he for cutting government employees pay or not?
Partisay
April 26th, 2012
12:19 pm
And sorry Tiberius..you don’t control what other people post on here. You can demand all you want, but we will post what we want, when we want.
And have you actually looked at some of the posts by your right wing friends on here? All substance, right?
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
April 26th, 2012
12:20 pm
Unemployment is down since the GOP won the House. You’re welcome.
More Republicans, more jobs.
Fix the Mistake of 2008 for more progress.
Partisay
April 26th, 2012
12:31 pm
Wow Lil Barry Burnout…is that all it takes?
More GOP house members and unemployment goes down. And just what did the house do to make the unemployment go down? You’re actually giving them credit for that?
What about the bad statistics since they were elected…can we blame them for those?
I just didn’t know it worked that easy….
grated
April 26th, 2012
12:34 pm
Romney is the grey Richard Nixon, and is unelectable. Obama is the black JFK and is beloved by a clear majority of voters. Kyle.is.a.hack.
One original idea would be a groove, Kyle.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
April 26th, 2012
12:47 pm
And just what did the house do to make the unemployment go down?
———-
The mere presence of an America-loving majority in one chamber buoyed the spirits of the job creators. Although they can’t pass truly pro-job legislation through the Senate due to Democrat obstruction, they can stop the economy-wrecking impulses of the libtards and their Klown Prince Obozo.
For more progress, return the Senate and White House to American hands.
Ernest T. Bass
April 26th, 2012
12:51 pm
Obama is winning easily in most of the polls and the electoral map looks even better for him.
Basically Romney will have to win all the toss up states to win closely.
Obama only needs one or two of the toss ups to win and if he gets more than that it moves to landslide range.
Heck Obama is even tied with Romney in the latest Fox news poll.
Thats a great sign for Obama.
Rockerbabe
April 26th, 2012
12:55 pm
JohnnyReb: “How does that make you feel? The government using your money to pay other people’s debt?”
This has been going on for decades and was the brainchild of Congress. It was originally designed to get students into education, math and science so there would be more public school teachers and more folks in engineering and science overall, so as to also support the space and related research programs. But since, so many of the GOP wanted someone else to pay for their kids’ ivy league educations, other professions were also included in the program.
Since public teachers are now another object of the GOP’s war on women [80% of teachers are women], folks like you are complaining. And, because teaching is such a hazardous profession now days, so many leave before the first five years are up, it all seems like such a waste. And, now that the GOP and its business allies have declared war on science [evolution, global warming, tobacco related cancers, women's health, etc.] the sciences are being dragged down by politics.
What a shame. . . the need for highly skilled specialist and the debt needed for the average student to get those skills is astounding. Little good has come from the GOP’s contract on America. Just denial of the truth facing everyone on this planet, a backlash against inclusion of ALL citizens in this country, the almost out-of-reach cost of higher education, stagnation of wages and salaries and the decline of benefit package. And you are worried about the debt some lawyer got allievated of by a government program aimed at increasing the skills of Americans!
Where were you when the Congress gave the 1% all of those tax breaks that has exploded the country’s debt? Where were you when Dubya took us to two immoral, unnecessary wars and didn’t bother to activate Selective Service or fund the wars? Where were you went the corporations wrote into the tax code, whatever loopholes they wanted?
Stop worrying about some little lawyer; at least he works for living. You should be outraged about lots of other things.
Rockerbabe
April 26th, 2012
1:00 pm
Tiberius: your unnecessary sabre rattling is way past old and stale. Have you nothing to say that is sane, reasonable and illuminating? I bet you are retired and have absolutely nothing to do that is useful? Go drink some cool-aide and leave the rest of us alone.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
April 26th, 2012
1:02 pm
Lawyers “work for a living” in the same way that ticks do.
carlosgvv
April 26th, 2012
1:37 pm
Tiberius
I haven’t named one actual policy of Romney’s because he doesn’t really have a good, solid
program for leadership. His appeal is to the common people who make up the voting majority of the Republicans and, knowing this, he doesn’t have to come up with anything but smiles and empty promises. Those are the Romney facts of life, sport.
hatorade drinker
April 26th, 2012
1:47 pm
Chrysler just announced huge profits Kyle. Did you miss that one? Well, if you did, no charge for me reminding you.
I know it hurts when there is good news from somewhere in the good old USA while a communist/muslim is in charge in Washington. But choke on it anyway.