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CNN Live Event/Special

Mitt Romney Speaks at CPAC

Aired February 10, 2012 - 13:02   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ROMNEY: Thank you. Wow, great crowd. Wow. (APPLAUSE)

Thank you. Please.

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Thank you. Thank you. Please.

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Wow, great reception. Great room. Thank you. Thank you.

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First, thanks to Al Cardenas for that very warm and generous introduction. And -- and thanks to this extraordinary crowd at CPAC. We've got a great group here this year. It's been a great conference so far.

And for that I suppose we should also acknowledge President Obama. He is the conservative movement's top recruiter. It turns out...

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Turns out he really is a good community organizer.

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I just don't think this is the community he planned on organizing. But he -- but he did.

You know, today we really are poised for victory in November. The...

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The pundits -- the pundits and the pollsters are saying that we can win the election, but we have to tell the nation why we should win the election.

ROMNEY: It's up to us to prove that we're really ready to step forward and lead this country.

And this election is not just about getting more votes. Defeating Barack Obama is only one step toward our ultimate goal of saving America.

Of course...

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Of course we can defeat Barack Obama. That's the easy part.

Believe me, November 6th will be the easiest day our next president is gonna face.

This country we love is in jeopardy. And it's more than just economic statistics that we read that tell us that, it's the pain that so many of us feel in our hearts.

For three years we've suffered through the failures not only of a weak leader, but of a bankrupt ideology.

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I'm convinced that if we do our job, if we lead with conviction and integrity, that history will record the Obama presidency as the last gasp of liberalism's great failure and a turning point for the conservative era to come.

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But -- but it's not enough for us just to show how they've failed. We also have to prove how we will and deserve to lead. And so I'm here to ask you today to stand with me shoulder-and-shoulder as we go forward to fight for America.

Now, as we step forward together, now I think is a time to reaffirm what it means to be conservative and why this must be our greatest hour as conservatives.

America's like no other country in the history of the Earth. The very heart of American conservatism is the conviction that the principles embodied in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are uniquely powerful, foundational and defining.

ROMNEY: Some see the hand of providence in the crafting of these principles. Others are more likely to credit the brilliance of the founders themselves. I think a lot of us, like me, see both at play.

But conservatives all agree that departing from these founding principles would represent a departure from the greatness of America; from our mission, from our freedom, from our prosperity, from our purpose.

I -- I know that this president will never get it, but we conservatives aren't just proud to cling to our guns and to our religion. We are also proud to cling to our Constitution.

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The wisdom of our founding documents is that they see the nation's prosperity not as a product of government, but as the product of individual citizens, each pursuing happiness. The key to the success of the American experiment is this: America doesn't just exist for the people; it has been made exceptional by the people.

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It -- it's this brilliance, a free people pursuing their own dreams, achieving success in their own ways -- that's what's propelled America and has made us to be the most prosperous nation and most powerful nation in the history of the Earth.

Now, there are a lot of politicians on both sides of the aisle that have forgotten that, if they ever really understood it at all.

ROMNEY: They've fallen under the spell of Washington.

Politicians, you know, they're routinely elected by promising that they're going to change Washington. But when they came here, they became creatures of Washington. They begin to see government as the answer to every challenge and the solution for every problem. At every turn, they -- they try to substitute the heavy hand of government for free citizens and free enterprises operating in a free manner. They think government knows better and can do better than a free people exercising their free will.

And this president is the worst offender. Barack Obama is the poster child for the arrogance of government.

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And so, as I say across this country, this election really is about a battle for the soul of America. And it's going to come down to a choice: a choice between whether we want a nation to be of and by Washington or a nation of and by a free people. And we conservatives believe in freedom and free people and free enterprises.

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Now, as conservatives, we're united by a set of core convictions. Not everyone has taken the same path to get here. There are college students at this conference who are reading Burke and...

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My guess is some of you got here by reading Burke and Hayek.

ROMNEY: When I was your age, you could've told me that they were infielders for the Detroit Tigers.

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As some of you who work in think tanks or you follow the writings of some of the prominent conservative writers currently and in the past, some of you have probably worked in government or you labored on the front lines of conservative causes. I salute to all of you in achieving your vision of conservatism.

My path to conservatism came from my family, from my faith and from my life's work. I was raised in a home that was shaped by and rooted in conservative values.

My mother's father, my grandfather, came to America from England. As a teenager he was alone in this new country, but he risked it all for the chance at religious liberty and for economic opportunity.

You probably also heard about my dad and how proud I am of him. He as born to American parents who were living in Mexico, and then when he was 5 they moved back to the U.S. His dad as a contractor, but he went bust more than once. My dad grew up poor; never had the chance to finish his college degree.

But he believed in the country where the circumstances of one's birth were not (ph) a barrier to life's achievement. And so with hard work he became the head of a car company. And then he became governor of the great state of Michigan.

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The values that allowed my parents to achieve their dreams are the same values they instilled in my siblings and me. Those aren't values I just talk about, they're values that I live every day.

ROMNEY: My 42-year marriage to my wife Ann, the life we've built with our five sons...

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... the faith that's part of our life: These conservative constants have shaped my life.

And then there's business. In business, if you're not fiscally conservative, you're bankrupt.

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I mean, I spent 25 years balancing budgets, eliminating waste; and, by the way, keeping as far away from government as humanly possible. I did...

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... I did some of the very things conservatism is designed for. I started new businesses and turned around broken ones. And I'm not ashamed to say that I was successful in doing it.

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My family, my faith, my businesses; I know conservatism because I have lived conservatism.

Now, as governor of Massachusetts I had the unique experience of defending conservative principles in the most liberal state in the nation. When I...

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There are three people from Massachusetts here. I appreciate that.

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When I took office, I was facing a $3 billion budget deficit and the economy was in a tailspin. And even with a legislature that was 85 percent Democrat, we cut taxes 19 times and balanced the budget all four years.

ROMNEY: I cast over 800 vetoes.

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And I cut entire programs. I erased a $3 billion budget shortfall and left office by putting in place over $2 billion in a rainy day fund.

And by the way, if there was a program or an agency or a department that needed cutting or elimination, we did it. In fact, one of the commentators in Boston -- one of our TV commentators, once said that I didn't just go after the sacred cows, he said, "Mitt Romney went after the whole herd."

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By the way, that skill -- that skill, learned in the private sector and practiced for four years in Massachusetts -- where, by the way, I served in government, but I didn't inhale, I'm still a business guy...

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... that experience...

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... that experience of slimming down, cutting, eliminating -- I want to take that to Washington. I want to get my hands on Washington, D.C.

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Now, you may recall as well that during my term in office our conservative values also came under attack. Less than a year after I took office, the state's supreme court inexplicably found a right to same-sex marriage in the constitution written by John Adams. I presume he'd be surprised.

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I fought to have a stay on that decision, then pushed for a marriage amendment to our constitution. We lost by only one vote in the legislature. And I successfully prohibited out-of-state couples from coming to our state to get married and then going home.

ROMNEY: On my watch we fought hard and prevented Massachusetts from becoming the Las Vegas of gay marriage.

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When I am president I will defend the Defense of Marriage Act, and...

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... and I will fight for an amendment to our Constitution that defines marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman.

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During my term in office I also stood up to those who wanted to call into question the very definition of life.

I vetoed a bill that would have opened the door to cloning and to embryo farming. I vetoed a bill that would've allowed young girls to obtain access to abortion-inducing drugs. I fought for abstinence education in our schools. And I defended the right of the Catholic Church to serve the community in ways that were consistent with their conscience through adoption programs that place children in a home with a mom and a dad.

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My state was the leading indicator of what liberals will be trying to do across the country, they're trying to do right now, and I fought against long odds in a deep blue state. But I was a severely conservative Republican governor.

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I understand that -- the battles we, as conservatives, must fight because I have been on the front lines, and expect to be on those front lines again.

ROMNEY: Now, here's CPAC. I know you guys understand that. This gathering has always welcomed me and you've consistently supported me, not because of my rhetoric, but because of my record and my experience in that deep blue state.

Now, over the course of this conference, several candidates have either already spoken or will be speaking, and they'll be seeking your support to lead our country and to help us out of these troubled times.

What distinguishes us from one another is not our opposition to President Obama or even our support of conservative convictions. What distinguishes us is the nature of our life's experience, our perspective, our judgment.

This election will ultimately come down to two very different visions for America, but our more immediate choice will be between candidates of two very different backgrounds.

I spent 25 years in business; start at the bottom; went on to help create a great American success story. I led an Olympics out of the shadows of scandal and was part of helping turn around a state that was crying for leadership.

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Of course, in each of these endeavors, I worked with a team of really skilled people, but I was, after all, the chief executive. And so success or failure was laid on my shoulders. And when tough decisions had to be made, I made them.

Leadership as a chief executive isn't about getting a bill out of conference or giving a great speech. It's about setting clear goals, building a terrific team, overcoming constant adversity, and achieving results. It's about sharing credit when times are good and about taking responsibility when they're not.

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I happen to be the only candidate in this race, Republican or Democrat, who has never worked a day in Washington.

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I don't have old scores to settle or decades of cloakroom deals that I have to defend. Now, as conservatives, you've learned to be skeptical of this city and its politicians and I -- and I think you're right. My wife and I raised five boys, and one of the lessons you learn as a parent is that when you hear an excuse that just doesn't make sense, it's because it just doesn't make sense.

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And let me tell you, any politician that tries to convince you that they hated Washington so much that they just couldn't leave...

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... well, that's the same politician who will try and sell you a bridge to nowhere.

(APPLAUSE) ROMNEY: This is a moment when our country needs serious change and dramatic reform. So let me tell you exactly what kind of president I will be.

To get America back on track and to get Americans back to work, we need bold and sweeping reforms. These aren't managerial issues of changing this department or that agency. To change Washington, we're going to have to change the very relationship between government and the citizen.

And these are moral choices that'll define our nation and define us for generations to come. Let me mention a few of them.

Today, as you know, we borrow 40 cents of every dollar we spend. That's unconscionable. It's unsustainable. It's reckless. It's immoral. And it'll end under my presidency.

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I'll approach every spending decision, every budget item with these questions: Can we afford it? And if not, is it really worth borrowing money from China to pay for it?

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And on that basis, we're going to get rid of a lot of programs.

And as president, I won't just slow the growth rate of government. I will actually cut the spending of government. And I won't...

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... I won't just freeze government's share as a percentage of the total economy. I will reduce government's share as a percentage of the total economy.

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ROMNEY: And -- and without -- and without raising taxes or sacrificing America's critical military superiority, I will finally balance the American budget.

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And as I'm sure you know, that will start with the easiest cut of all: I will eliminate Obamacare.

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Let me mention a couple of other things I'll do.

I'm going to dramatically reduce the size of the federal workforce. And for the first time ever...

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... I'm gonna tie the compensation and benefits of federal workers with workers in the private sector. The principle here is really simple, and that is public servants should not get a better deal than the citizens that are paying for 'em.

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As important as it is, cutting spending and bureaucracy alone are not gonna be enough. In their current form, we're gonna have to recognize that Social Security and Medicare are unsustainable; not for the current group of retirees, but for coming generations. And we can't afford to avoid these entitlement challenges any longer.

I'm the only candidate for president who has offered a sweeping, specific plan to save Medicare and to reform Social Security.

ROMNEY: There are those who say you can't talk straight to the American people on these issues and still win an election. I say we can. We must. And I will.

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What I've proposed are sensible and critical reforms. Under my plan, no one near retirement age or currently retired will see any of the changes I'm going to describe. But people in their 20s and 30s and 40s and early 50s are going to see some changes.

And by the way, tax hikes: They're off the table. We'll...

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We're going to slowly and gradually raise the retirement age for Social Security and we'll slow the growth rate in benefits for higher- income retirees.

And then when it comes to Medicare, tomorrow's seniors should have the freedom to choose between traditional Medicare and a range of private plans. And if these...

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And if these future seniors choose a more expensive plan, then they will have to pay the additional cost.

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Take a look at the -- at the Ryan plan. We're -- we're in the same page and the same verse on that.

I know that this president and his liberal allies are going to attack me for where he's failed to lead. So be it. I'm going to stand and fight. We're going to win on this because so much depends on it.

He's going to attack us with the usual fear tactics. But we're going to remind Americans that during this president's term we have seen record high job losses and record home foreclosures.

He will not be lecturing to us on values as a man whose ineptitude and failure has created so much unnecessary pain for our fellow Americans.

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Ours will not be the easy course, but it will be the right course. And I'm confident that Americans are learning -- yearning for a president who will tell them the truth and do what's needed, not just do what's expedient.

And let me also be clear on this: My presidency will be a pro- life presidency.

ROMNEY: On day one, I will...

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... I will reinstate the Mexico City policy, I will -- I will cut off funding for the United Nations Population Fund which supports China's barbaric one-child policy...

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... I'll ensure that organizations like Planned Parenthood get no more federal support...

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... and I will reverse every single Obama regulation that attacks our religious liberty and threatens innocent life in this country.

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You know this, of course. The presidency is more than public office. It's a sacred trust. As president, I will honor that trust by assuring that America remains the greatest military power on the face of the Earth.

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I will not be cutting our military budget. It's very simple: If you don't want America to be the strongest nation on Earth, I am not your president. You have that president today.

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This election is a defining moment for America and for the conservative movement. And make no mistake: We have an opportunity for greatness. But with that opportunity, comes defining responsibility as well.

We can't use this election to re-fight past battles and reward our friends. I know that fundamental change this moment demands that we take fresh, bold, conservative leadership with real-world solutions based on real-world experience.

ROMNEY: I will come to Washington, and with your help and guidance and prayers I will change Washington. And then I will leave Washington and go back home to my family and my community that I love.

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I believe this is a moment that demands that we return to our basic values and first principles.

That's who we are as conservatives. We believe in the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence. We believe in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We know the brilliance that suggested that individuals pursuing their own dreams would make us the most powerful nation on Earth, not a government trying to guide our lives. This is who we are.

This passion we must take to the American people. This is why we're conservatives. The task before us now is to reaffirm the convictions that unite us and go forward shoulder-to-shoulder to secure the victory that America so desperately needs and deserves.

Let's do it together. Thank you.

And God bless America.

Thank you.

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