Romney announces for president

By Matt Viser

June 4, 2011

5 minutes to read

STRATHAM, N.H. ” Mitt Romney today launched his second bid for the presidency by focusing almost entirely on the economy, saying the country needs someone with a business background to fix the ailing economy that President Obama has overseen over the past 29 months.

“I”m Mitt Romney,” he said at a bucolic farm near the seacoast as hundreds of supporters vigorously waved the American flags given to them by the campaign. “I believe in America. And I”m running for president of the United States.”

But in a speech that was peppered with patriotism, Romney mostly focused on what he thinks is wrong with the current administration, blaming the president for high gasoline and food prices, falling home values, the rising national debt, and 16 million unemployed workers.

“Barack Obama has failed America,” Romney said. “When he took office, the economy was in recession and he made it worse, and he made it last longer.” “It breaks my heart to see what is happening to this great country,” Romney, speaking from a teleprompter, added at another point. “No, Mr. President, you had your chance.”

But illustrating the hurdles for Romney — a presumptive but shaky frontrunner in an unsettled Republican field — other potential candidates snatched much of the spotlight during a day that was supposed to be Romney”s alone.

Sarah Palin did what most other candidates have avoided, attacking Romney head on over mandated health coverage in his Massachusetts reform plan, and she did it after walking the Freedom Trail in the state Romney governed for four years.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani also continued stoking speculation that he”ll enter the race, and said that New Hampshire would be crucial to his strategy. And a one-time top adviser to Romney suggested that former New York Governor George Pataki enter the field, and launch a campaign from the Granite State.

“It”s a busy day in New Hampshire,” said Steve Duprey, one of the state”s Republican National Committee members. “The race has started.”

Romney, wearing black slacks and an open-collared shirt, attempted to continue portraying himself as a low-key man of the people. He walked to the Bittersweet Farm hand-in-hand with his wife Ann and immediately began serving her special chicken-and-bean chili (made the day before with 36 crockpots at campaign headquarters).

“Who wants chili?” Romney shouted.

He roamed the crowd, where parents thrust their children toward him and a Vietnam veteran shook his hand and addressed him as “Mr. President.”

John Deere tractors were placed around the property, and the bales of hay gave the candidate a stuffy nose from allergies. Aides raced around dressed in blue t-shirts with the campaign slogan, “Believe in America.”

It was all a marked departure from four years ago, when Romney announced his campaign in Deerborn, Mich., and then flew by private jet to other announcements in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Florida. It illustrated the importance that New Hampshire will play in his campaign, and just how much he”ll court voters in a state that puts more emphasis on fiscal issues than on social issues.

Romney today didn”t once mention abortion or gay marriage, and focused almost entirely on economic themes. As an indication of what Romney wants to talk about, during his 19-minute speech he mentioned America 37 times, the economy 10 times, Obama eight, taxes six, health care two and abortion zero.

Romney”s speech was also thick with his own biography, an indication that despite entering the race as one of the most well-known candidates, the campaign is trying to reintroduce him to voters.

He focused on his background as an executive at Bain Capital, as well as his tenure overseeing the 2002 Winter Olympics. But he also talked about his four-year term as governor, highlighting that he balanced the state budget without raising taxes ” but neglecting to mention that he also raised fees for a host of services.

Romney also devoted a portion of his speech to foreign policy, an area that has been a weak point for him. He criticized Obama for not speaking out sooner in support of dissidents in Iran and Libya, and said that the president was “treating Israel the same way so many European countries have: with suspicion, distrust and an assumption that Israel is at fault.”

Romney praised the decision to send additional troops to Afghanistan, but criticized President Obama”s announcement of when troops will withdraw.

“The Taliban may not have watches, but they do have calendars,”

Romney said. Romney, who did his Mormon mission in France and speaks French fluently, also railed against Obama for providing “European answers” to American problems.

“The president seems to take his inspiration not from the small towns and villages of New Hampshire but from the capitals of Europe,” he said. “With the economy in crisis, his answer is to borrow money we can’t afford and throw it at Washington bureaucrats and politicians. Just like Europe.”

Romney also reiterated a call for capping federal spending at 20 percent of gross domestic product, which has been the average during recent decades. But federal spending has increased dramatically in recent years as a result of outlays for the federal stimulus and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Spending as a percentage of GDP is expected to be 25.3 percent this year, the highest level since 1945, according to figures compiled by the Office of Management and Budget.

“My generation — your generation — will pass the torch to the next generation, not a bill,” Romney said in the speech.

Attempting to answer criticism that his health care plan in Massachusetts is too similar to the plan President Obama spearheaded for the nation, Romney reiterated his pledge to repeal Obama”s health care law.

“I took it on and hammered out a solution that took a bad situation and made it better,” he said of the Massachusetts health care law. “Not perfect but it was a state solution for a state problem.” At another point, Romney said, “If I ran through all my mistakes, Ann would love it and you”d be here all night.” But he has stood steadfastly behind his Massachusetts health care plan, including the portion that requires residents to obtain health insurance or face tax penalties.

That answer may not satisfy the Republican electorate, given the responses from two of his potential rivals.

“In my opinion, any mandate coming from government is not a good thing,” Palin said at the foot of the Bunker Hill Monument. “It”s tough for a lot of us independent Americans to accept [the mandate] because we have great faith in the private sector and our own families and our own business men and women making decisions for ourselves, not any level of government telling us what to do.””

Giuliani, speaking in North Conway, N.H., was also critical of Romney”s health care position and said he should apologize for it.

“The reality is that ObamaCare and RomneyCare are almost exactly the same,” he said. “I”d think the best way to handle it is to say, “It was a terrible mistake. If I could do it over again, I wouldn”t do it.” “

Tonight, Romney planned to attend a fundraiser for his campaign held at the Four Seasons in Boston. Tomorrow morning, he”ll be hosting a town hall meeting in Manchester, N.H., one of the first times he”ll face voters in an unscripted way, before delivering a speech tomorrow night in Washington before the Faith and Freedom Coalition.