Mitt Romney Quotes (128 quotes, page 2)

Mitt Romney: 128 quotes0 likes

Mitt Romney Quotes

“My faith is the faith of my fathers - I will be true to them and to my beliefs. Some believe that such a confession of my faith will sink my candidacy. If they are right, so be it. But I think they underestimate the American people. Americans do not respect believers of convenience. Americans tire of those who would jettison their beliefs, even to gain the world.”

Mitt Romney

Source: Faith in America speech, 2007

“George Stephanopoulos: Is $100,000 middle income?

Mitt Romney: No, middle income is $200,000 to $250,000 and less.”

Mitt Romney

Good Morning America http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/09/full-transcript-george-stephanopoulos-and-mitt-romney/, 2012

“John King: FEMA is about to run out of money, and there are some people who say do it on a case-by-case basis and some people who say, you know, maybe we're learning a lesson here that the states should take on more of this role. How do you deal with something like that?
Mitt Romney: Absolutely. Every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states, that's the right direction. And if you can go even further and send it back to the private sector, that's even better. Instead of thinking in the federal budget, what we should cut — we should ask ourselves the opposite question. What should we keep? We should take all of what we're doing at the federal level and say, what are the things we're doing that we don’t have to do? And those things we've got to stop doing, because we're borrowing $1.6 trillion more this year than we're taking in. We cannot —
John King: Including disaster relief, though?
Mitt Romney: We cannot — we cannot afford to do those things without jeopardizing the future for our kids. It is simply immoral, in my view, for us to continue to rack up larger and larger debts and pass them on to our kids, knowing full well that we'll all be dead and gone before it's paid off. It makes no sense at all.”

Mitt Romney

GOP debate, , quoted in
2011

“Donald Trump lacks the temperament of be president. After all, this is an individual who mocked a disabled reporter, who attributed a reporter's questions to her menstrual cycle, who mocked a brilliant rival who happened to be a woman due to her appearance, who bragged about his marital affairs, and who laces his public speeches with vulgarity.”

Mitt Romney

2016, Remarks on Donald Trump and the 2016 race

“Not as closely as some of the most ardent fans. But I have some great friends that are NASCAR team owners.”

Mitt Romney

at Daytona 500, , quoted in [2012-02-26, Mitt Romney at Daytona 500: ‘I have some great friends that are NASCAR team owners’, Philip, Rucker, Election 2012, The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/post/mitt-romney-trades-campaign-trail-for-daytona-500/2012/02/26/gIQAMsHpcR_blog.html, 2012-07-03, ,] and * 2012-02-27
The Daily Show
Comedy Central
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-february-27-2012/indecision-2012---how-is-it-that-mitt-romney-hasn-t-crushed-this-guy-already-
2012-07-03
asked whether he follows NASCAR
2012

“Rick Perry: But, you know, I'm just saying, you were for individual mandates, my friend.
Mitt Romney: You know what, you've raised that before, Rick, uh, and you're still wrong.
Rick Penny: It was true then. And it's true now.
Mitt Romney: Rick, I'll tell you what, 10,000 bucks? $10,000 bet?”

Mitt Romney

ABC News Republican Debate, , quoted in [2011-12-10, Perry To Romney: "You Were For Individual Mandates, My Friend", Real Clear Politics, http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/12/10/perry_to_romney_you_were_for_individual_mandates_my_friend.html, 2012-10-03]
2011

“It would be impossible to reach unanimity on every aspect of our budget, but it's clear there is widespread support for the concept of change. We face a choice between either cutting waste out of government, or facing a new job killing tax increase every year from here on out.”

Mitt Romney

Press release, 2003-02-27 http://myclob.pbwiki.com/02-27-2003 2003–2007 Governor of Massachusetts

“We know that this election is about the kind of America we will live in and the kind of America we will leave to future generations. When it comes to the character of America, President Obama and I have very different visions. Government is at the center of his vision. It dispenses the benefits, borrows what it cannot take, and consumes a greater and greater share of the economy. With Obamacare fully installed, government will come to control half the economy, and we will 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.”

Mitt Romney

2012-04-24
http://electad.com/video/mitt-romney-victory-speech-after-winning-de-ct-pa-ny-pa-primaries-in-manchester-new-hampshire-april-24-2012/
Mitt Romney Victory Speech After Winning DE / CT / PA / NY / PA Primaries in Manchester, New Hampshire – April 24 2012
ElectAd
2012

“America has greatness ahead. This is a time for choosing.”

Mitt Romney

2016, Remarks on Donald Trump and the 2016 race

“I'm not a big-game hunter. I've made that very clear. I've always been a rodent and rabbit hunter. Small varmints, if you will. I began when I was 15 or so and I have hunted those kinds of varmints since then. More than two times.”

Mitt Romney

, quoted in * 2012-01-17
Has Romney been hunting since 2008 "small varmints" gaffe?
Christine Delargy
CBS News
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57359904-503544/has-romney-been-hunting-since-2008-small-varmints-gaffe/
2007 campaign for Republican nomination for United States President

“I am in favor of stem cell research. I am not in favor of creating new human embryos through cloning.”

Mitt Romney

Press conference, May 2005 http://www.heartland.org/publications/health%20care/article/16862/Massachusetts_Governor_Battles_Harvard_and_Legislature_on_Stem_Cell_Research.html 2003–2007 Governor of Massachusetts

“Bain Capital is an investment partnership which was formed to invest in startup companies and ongoing companies, then to take an active hand in managing them and hopefully, five to eight years later, to harvest them at a significant profit.”

Mitt Romney

CD-ROM marking 25th anniversary of Bain & Company, quoted in * 2012-09-27
Corn
David
w:David Corn
New Romney Video: In 1985, He Said Bain Would "Harvest" Companies for Profits
Mother Jones
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/1985-romney-bain-harvest-firms-profits-video
2012-10-03
1985

“I believe the family is the foundation of America -- and that we must fight to protect and strengthen it. I believe in the sanctity of human life. I believe that people and their elected representatives should make our laws, not unelected judges.”

Mitt Romney

Press Conference: Announcing Candidacy for Presidency, 2007-02-13 http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/13/romney.announce/index.html 2007 campaign for Republican nomination for United States President

“I'm not familiar precisely with what I said, but I'll stand by what I said, whatever it was.”

Mitt Romney

2012-05-17
Mitt Romney stands by invocation of Rev. Wright
Greg
Sargent
The Plum Line
The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/i-stand-by-what-i-said-whatever-it-was/2012/05/17/gIQADnyhWU_blog.html
2012-10-03
posed question: "When you did an interview with Sean Hannity in February, you said that you believed that Obama is trying to make America a less Christian nation. It was responding to quote that he had just played for you on the radio. Do you stand by that?"
regarding Romney saying "And I'm not sure which is worse, him listening to Reverend Wright or him saying that we must be a less Christian nation.", referring to Obama's 2006 statement, "Whatever we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation — at least, not just. We are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, and a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers."
2012

“Barack Obama is facing a financial emergency on a grander scale. Yet his approach has been to engage in one of the biggest peacetime spending binges in American history.”

Mitt Romney

[2011-04-25, Mitt Romney: Obama isn't serious about America's financial health, New Hampshire Union Leader, http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Mitt+Romney:+Obama+isn't+serious+about+America's+financial+health&articleId=b7883ad5-32f6-4d62-871c-d967005bb838, 2011-04-26]
At his writing, the United States had troops fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya.
2011

“The one by L. Ron Hubbard…I'm not in favor of his religion by any means, but he wrote a book called Battlefield Earth that was a very fun science fiction book.”

Mitt Romney

Fox News interview, , quoted in [2007-04-30, Romney Favors Hubbard Novel, Jim Rutenberg, The Caucus, The New York Times, http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/04/30/romney-favors-hubbard-novel/]
asked his favorite novel
2007 campaign for Republican nomination for United States President

“I love this country. I actually love this state. This feels good being back in Michigan. Um, you know the trees are the right height. The, uh, the streets are just right. I like the fact that most of the cars I see are Detroit-made automobiles. I drive a Mustang and a Chevy pickup truck. Ann drives a couple of Cadillacs, actually.”

Mitt Romney

2012

“[A way] one could repair Social Security... [would be to] gradually increase the retirement age. This does have a certain logic to it: the average American's life expectancy has risen by more than ten years since Social Security was created. Increasing the retirement age by even one or two years would help get the system closer to sustainability.”

Mitt Romney book No Apology: The Case for American Greatness

Source: No Apology: The Case for American Greatness, 2010, Chapter 6, pgs. 158 - 159

“My foreign policy has three fundamental branches: first, confidence in our cause, a recognition that the principles America was based upon are not something we shrink from or apologize for, that we stand for those principles; the second is clarity in our purpose, which is that when we have a foreign policy objective, we describe it honestly and clearly to the American people, to Congress and to the people of the world; and number three is resolve in our might, that in those rare circumstances, those rare circumstances where we decide it's essential for us to apply military might, that we do so with overwhelming force, that we do so in the clarity of a mission, understanding the nature of the U. S. interest involved, understanding when the mission would be complete, what will be left when it is -- what will be left behind us when that mission has been -- has been terminated.”

Mitt Romney

televised remarks, , quoted in * 2012-09-12
What They Said, Before and After the Attack in Libya
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/09/12/us/politics/libya-statements.html
2012-09-18
2012

“We have lost faith in government, not in just one party, not in just one house, but in government. It is time for innovation and transformation in Washington. It is what our country needs. It is what our people deserve…I do not believe Washington can be transformed from within by a lifelong politician. There have been too many deals, too many favors, too many entanglements -- and too little real world experience managing, guiding, leading.”

Mitt Romney

[2007-02-13, Romney formally kicks off presidential bid, MSNBC, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17128433/]
2007 campaign for Republican nomination for United States President

“The [president] is right to point to an international [jihadist] movement aimed at the collapse of the United States. He has gone after that threat in the right way and with great energy and vigor, and I applaud the fact that he has taken it on very seriously and has not considered it just a criminal action but instead a war action, which requires a military … response.”

Mitt Romney

Interview with James Taranto, December 2005.
2003–2007 Governor of Massachusetts

“Welfare without work erodes the spirit and the sense of self-worth of the recipient. And it conditions the children of nonworking parents to an indolent and unproductive life. Hardworking parents raise hardworking kids; we should recognize that the opposite is also true. The influence of the work habits of our parents and other adults around us as we grow up has lasting impact.”

Mitt Romney book No Apology: The Case for American Greatness

Source: No Apology: The Case for American Greatness, 2010, Chapter 10, pg. 251 http://books.google.com/books?id=PDpBpo5CVB4C&pg=PA251

“We are blessed with a great people, people who at every critical moment of choosing have put the interests of the country above their own.”

Mitt Romney

2016, Remarks on Donald Trump and the 2016 race

“I actually think it will be interesting to listen to the President tonight. What I'd like him to do is report on his promises but there are forgotten promises and forgotten people. Over the last four years, the President has said that he was going to create jobs for the American people and that hasn't happened. He said he would cut the deficit in half and that hasn't happened. He said that incomes would rise and instead incomes have gone down. And I think this is a time not for him not to start restating new promises but to report on the promises he made. I think he wants a promises reset. We want a report on the promises he made. And that means let's hear some numbers. Let's hear 16. Sixteen trillion dollars of debt. This is very different than the promise he made. Let's hear the number 47. 47 million people in this country on food stamps. When he took office, 33 million people were on food stamps. Let's understand why it was he's been unsuccessful in helping alleviate poverty in this country. Why so many people have fallen from the middle class into poverty under this president. Let's have him explain to the American people the 50% number. Why 50% of college graduates can't find work or work that is consistent with their college degree. The President needs to report tonight on his promises rather than try and reset a whole series of new promises that he also won't be able to keep.”

Mitt Romney

2012-09-06
http://mittromneycentral.com/2012/09/06/romney-on-obamas-speech-tonight-americans-want-a-report-on-presidents-promises/
Romney on Obama’s Speech Tonight: Americans Want A Report On President’s Promises
Mitt Romney Central
2012

“America is poised to lead the world for another century. Our technology engines, our innovation dynamic, and the ambition and skill of our people will propel our economy and raise our standard of living. America will remain as it is today, the envy of the world.”

Mitt Romney

2016, Remarks on Donald Trump and the 2016 race

“As to what to do for the housing industry specifically and are there things that you can do to encourage housing: One is, don't try to stop the foreclosure process. Let it run its course and hit the bottom.”

Mitt Romney

[2011-10-18, Romney says foreclosures should "hit the bottom", Kasie, Hunt, AP/Boston.com, http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2011/10/18/romney_says_foreclosures_should_hit_the_bottom/]
2011

“An important topic, and one which I learned a great deal about, particularly as I was serving as governor of my state, because I had the chance to pull together a cabinet and all the applicants seemed to be men. And I went to my staff, and I said, "How come all the people for these jobs are all men." They said, "Well, these are the people that have the qualifications." And I said, "Well, gosh, can't we find some women that are also qualified?" And so we took a concerted effort to go out and find women who had backgrounds that could be qualified to become members of our cabinet. I went to a number of women's groups and said, "Can you help us find folks," and they brought us whole binders full of women.”

Mitt Romney

Second Presidential Debate, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York, , quoted in
2012

“And I hear from time to time people say, hey, wait a second, we have civil liberties we have to worry about. But don't forget the most important civil liberty I expect from my government is my right to be kept alive, and that's what we're going to have to do.”

Mitt Romney

Fox News, Republican Presidential Candidate Debate, Durham, NH, 2007-09-05
2007 campaign for Republican nomination for United States President

“My business experience confirmed my belief in empowering people. For example, at Bain Capital we bought Accuride, a company that made truck rims and wheels, because we saw untapped potential there. We instituted performance bonuses for the management team, which had a dramatic impact. The managers made the plants more productive, and the company started growing, adding 300 jobs while Bain was involved. My faith in people, not government, is at the foundation of my plan to strengthen America's middle class.”

Mitt Romney

2012-08-23
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444270404577605140607907860.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Mitt Romney: What I Learned at Bain Capital
Wall Street Journal
2012

“I believe in an America where millions of Americans believe in an America that's the America millions of Americans believe in. That's the America I love.”

Mitt Romney

2012 stump speech, quoted in [2012-1-22, Steyn, Mark, The Man Who Gave Us Newt, National Review, http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/288873/man-who-gave-us-newt-mark-steyn, 2012-02-02]
2012

“Dishonesty is Trump's hallmark: He claimed that he had spoken clearly and boldly against going into Iraq. Wrong, he spoke in favor of invading Iraq. He said he saw thousands of Muslims in New Jersey celebrating 9/11. Wrong, he saw no such thing. He imagined it. His is not the temperament of a stable, thoughtful leader. His imagination must not be married to real power.”

Mitt Romney

2016, Remarks on Donald Trump and the 2016 race

“I'm torn by two perspectives in this regard. One is that the Palestinians have no interest whatsoever in establishing peace, and that the pathway to peace is almost unthinkable to accomplish. […] And I look at the Palestinians not wanting to see peace anyway, for political purposes, committed to the destruction and elimination of Israel, and these thorny issues, and I say, "There's just no way." And so what you do is you say, "You move things along the best way you can." You hope for some degree of stability, but you recognize that this is going to remain an unsolved problem. We live with that in China and Taiwan. All right, we have a potentially volatile situation but we sort of live with it, and we kick the ball down the field and hope that ultimately, somehow, something will happen and resolve it.”

Mitt Romney

on the
2012

“The idea to say that Steve Jobs didn't build Apple, that Henry Ford didn't build Ford Motor, that Papa John didn't build Papa John Pizza, that Ray Kroc didn't build McDonald's, that Bill Gates didn't build Microsoft, you go on the list, that Joe and his colleagues didn't build this enterprise, to say something like that is not just foolishness, it is insulting to every entrepreneur, every innovator in America and it's wrong.”

Mitt Romney

2012-07-17
http://hotair.com/archives/2012/07/17/videos-romney-on-the-attack-after-obamas-you-didnt-build-that-remark/
Videos: Romney on the attack after Obama’s “You didn’t build that” remark
Hot Air
referring to Barack Obama's statement, "Somebody invested in roads and bridges — if you've got a business, you didn't build that; somebody else made that happen."
2012

“We believe in a nation under God, a nation indivisible, a nation united, a nation with justice and liberty for all. And for that to happen, we're going to have to have a new president that will commit to getting America working again; that will commit to a strong military; that will commit to a nation under God that recognizes that we the American people were given our rights not by government, but by God himself.”

Mitt Romney

campaign speech at Military Aviation Museum, Virginia Beach, , quoted in [2012-09-08, Ashley, Parker, In Romney’s Hands, Pledge of Allegiance Is Framework for Criticism, The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/09/us/politics/romney-uses-pledge-of-allegiance-to-criticize-obama.html, 2012-09-18]
quoting and paraphrasing the Pledge of Allegiance
regarding a draft of the Democratic Party's national platform replacing the phrase "God-given potential" with "talent and drive"
2012

“Mitt Romney: Well, but will the people in Nevada not have to pay Nevada sales tax and in addition pay the 9% tax?
Herman Cain: Governor Romney, you're doing the same thing that they're doing. You're mixing apples and oranges. You're going to pay —
Mitt Romney: I'm —
Herman Cain: No, no, no, no. You're going to pay the state sales tax, no matter what.
Mitt Romney: Right.
Herman Cain: Whether you throw out the existing code and you put in our plan, you're still going to pay that. That's apples and oranges.
Mitt Romney: Fine. And I'm going to be getting a bushel basket that has apples and oranges in it because I've got to pay both taxes, and the people in Nevada don't want to pay both taxes.”

Mitt Romney

CNN Republican presidential debate, Los Angeles, , quoted in * 2011-10-18
Apples and Oranges: Mitt Rings Cain's Bell
Fox Nation
http://nation.foxnews.com/herman-cain/2011/10/18/apples-and-oranges-mitt-rings-cains-bell
2011-10-23
on Herman Cain's "9-9-9" tax plan
2011

“I see an America where poverty is defeated by opportunity, not enabled by a government check.”

Mitt Romney

2012-03-20
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2012/03/20/mitt_romneys_illinois_victory_speech_113565.html
Mitt Romney's Illinois Victory Speech
RealClearPolitics
2012

“There is dark irony in his boasts of his sexual exploits during the Vietnam War while John McCain, whom he has mocked, was imprisoned and tortured.”

Mitt Romney

2016, Remarks on Donald Trump and the 2016 race

“Paul Ryan combines a profound sense of responsibility for what we owe the next generation with an unbounded optimism in America's future and an understanding of all the wonderful things the American people can do. Paul also combines firm principles with a practical concern for getting things done. He has never been content to simply curse the darkness; he would rather light candles. And throughout his legislative career he's shown the ability to work with members of both parties to find common ground on some of the hardest issues confronting the American people.”

Mitt Romney

2012-08-11
http://mittromneycentral.com/2012/08/11/video-and-transcript-romney-making-his-vp-announcement/
Video and Transcript: Romney Making His VP Announcement
Mitt Romney Central
2012

“Religious tolerance would be a shallow principle indeed if it were reserved only for faiths with which we agree.”

Mitt Romney

Faith in America speech, 2007

“Corporations are people, my friend … course they are!”

Mitt Romney

Speech in Iowa, August 2011, quoted in [2011-08-12, ‘Corporations Are People,’ Romney Tells Iowa Hecklers Angry Over His Tax Policy, New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/12/us/politics/12romney.html]
2011

“If Donald Trump's plans were ever implemented, the country would sink into a prolonged recession. … As Donald Trump has offered very few specific economic plans, what little he has said is enough to know that he would be very bad for American workers and for American families.”

Mitt Romney

2016, Remarks on Donald Trump and the 2016 race

“As a result of [my campaign's] discussions and other interactions with gay and lesbian voters across the state, I am more convinced than ever that as we seek to establish full equality for America's gay and lesbian citizens, I will provide more effective leadership than Ted Kennedy.”

Mitt Romney

Letter to Log Cabin Republicans Club, 1994 http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2012/01/08/400048/marriage-equality-opponent-mitt-romney-to-gay-people-i-dont-discriminate 1994 United States Senate campaign

“It's also a symbol of a serious conflict of interest. An independent inspector general looked at this investment and concluded that the administration had steered money to friends and family – to campaign contributors. This building, this half a billion dollar taxpayer investment, represents a serious conflict of interest on the part of the president and his team.”

Mitt Romney

2012-05-31
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/05/mitt-romney-visits-solyndra-amid-attack-on-obama-jobs-record/
Mitt Romney Visits Solyndra Amid Attack on Obama Jobs Record
ABC News
About Solyndra
2012

“Isn't he a huge business success that knows what he's talking about? No he isn't. His bankruptcies have crushed small businesses and the men and women who worked for them. He inherited his business, he didn't create it. And what ever happened to? A business genius he is not.”

Mitt Romney

2016, Remarks on Donald Trump and the 2016 race

“Let ISIS take out Assad, he said, and then we can pick up the remnants. Think about that: Let the most dangerous terror organization the world has ever known take over a country? This is recklessness in the extreme.”

Mitt Romney

About Donlad Trump's statements about Syria and ISIS on 60 Minutes.
2016, Remarks on Donald Trump and the 2016 race

“Choosing education is a very good decision, not only good for the student, but also for our country. The United States was the first nation in history to recognize that public education for every citizen, regardless of class or station, was vital to its future...”

Mitt Romney book No Apology: The Case for American Greatness

Source: No Apology: The Case for American Greatness, 2010, Chapter 8, pg. 196

“I am convinced that unless America changes course, we will become the France of the 21st Century - still a great nation, but no longer the leader of the world.”

Mitt Romney

[2008-02-08, Romney suspends White House bid, BBC News, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7233537.stm]
2008

“Now, I love being home, in this place where Ann and I were raised, where both of us were born. Ann was born in Henry Ford Hospital, I was born at Harper Hospital. No one's ever asked to see my birth certificate; they know that this is the place that we were born and raised.”

Mitt Romney

On the campaign trail in his home state Michigan, at a rally near Detroit.
2012-08-24
Mitt Romney makes birth certificate quip at Michigan rally
Ewen
MacAskill
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/24/mitt-romney-birth-certificate-quip?newsfeed=true
2012-08-25
2012-08-24
Romney stirs 'birther' controversy, Akin to stay in Senate race
CNN
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/24/politics/rnc-campaign-wrap/index.html
2012

“[M]any Tea Party folks are going to find me, I believe, to be the ideal candidate.”

Mitt Romney

Town hall event in Charleston, South Carolina, December 17, 2011, quoted in [2011-12-17, Haake, Garrett, Weinberg, Ali, Romney says he could be Tea Party's 'Ideal Candidate', msnbc.com, http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/17/9519302-romney-says-he-could-be-tea-partys-ideal-candidate?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter, 2011-12-18]
2011

“Like other presidents before him, Barack Obama inherited a recession. But unlike them, he has made it worse, not better.”

Mitt Romney

[2009-12-03, Mr. President, here's how to lift our economy, USA Today, http://www.usatoday.com/NEWS/usaedition/2009-12-03-column03_ST2_U.htm]
2009