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TranscriptofRomneysSpeechWithdrawingFromtheRaceGovernorRomneysAddresstotheConservativePoliticalActionCommitteeFebruary

7,2008

Iwanttobeginbysayingthankyou.Itsgreattobewithyouagain.AndIlookforward

tojoiningwithyoumanymoretimesinthefuture.

Lastyear,CPACgavemethesendoffIneeded.IwasinsingledigitsinthepollsandIwas

facinghouseholdRepublicannames.Asoftoday,morethan4millionpeoplehavegiven

metheirvoteforpresident,lessthanSenatorMcCains4.7million,butquitea

statementnonetheless.11stateshavegivenmetheirnod,comparedtohis13.Of

course,becausesizedoesmatter,hesdoingquiteabitbetterwithhisnumberof

delegates.

Toallofyou,thankyouforcaringenoughaboutthefutureofAmericatoshowup,stand

upandspeakupforconservativeprinciples.

AsIsaid

to

you

last

year,

conservative

principles

are

needed

now

more

than

ever.

We

faceanewgenerationofchallenges,challengeswhichthreatenourprosperity,our

securityandourfuture.IamconvincedthatunlessAmericachangescourse,wewill

becometheFranceofthe21stcenturystillagreatnation,butnolongertheleaderof

theworld,nolongerthesuperpower.Andtome,thatisunthinkable.SimonPeres,ina

visittoBoston,wasaskedwhathethoughtaboutthewarinIraq.First,hesaid,I

mustputsomethingincontext.Americaisuniqueinthehistoryoftheworld.Inthe

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historyoftheworld,whenevertherehasbeenconflict,thenationthatwinstakesland

fromthenationthatloses.Onenationinhistory,andthisduringthelastcentury,laid

downhundredsofthousandsoflivesandtooknoland.NolandfromGermany,noland

fromJapan,nolandfromKorea.Americaisuniqueinthesacrificeithasmadefor

liberty,foritselfandforfreedomlovingpeoplearoundtheworld.Thebestallypeace

hasever

known,

and

will

ever

know,

is

astrong

America!

Andthatiswhywemustrisetotheoccasion,aswehavealwaysdonebefore,to

confrontthechallengesahead.Perhapsthemostfundamentaloftheseistheattackon

theAmericanculture.

Overtheyears,mybusinesshastakenmetomanycountries.Ihavebeenstruckbythe

enormousdifferencesinthewealthandwellbeingofpeopleofdifferentnations.Ihave

readanumberofscholarlyexplanationsforthedisparities.Ifoundthemostconvincing

wasthatwrittenbyDavidLandes,aprofessoremeritusfromHarvardUniversity.I

presumehesaliberalIguessthatsredundant.Hisworktracesthecomingandgoingof

greatcivilizationsthroughouthistory.Afterhundredsofpagesofanalysis,heconcludeswiththis:

Ifwelearnanythingfromthehistoryofeconomicdevelopment,itisthatculturemakes

allthedifference.Culturemakesallthedifference.

WhatisitaboutAmericanculturethathasledustobecomethemostpowerfulnation

inthehistoryoftheworld?Webelieveinhardworkandeducation.Welove

opportunity:almostallofusareimmigrantsordescendantsofimmigrantswhocame

hereforopportunityopportunityisinourDNA.AmericansloveGod,andthosewho

donthavefaith,typicallybelieveinsomethinggreaterthanthemselvesaPurposeDrivenLife.Andwesacrificeeverythingwehave,evenourlives,forourfamilies,ourfreedomsandourcountry.ThevaluesandbeliefsofthefreeAmericanpeoplearethe

sourceofournationsstrengthandtheyalwayswillbe!

Thethreattoourculturecomesfromwithin.The1960swelfareprogramscreateda

cultureofpoverty.Somethinkwewonthatbattlewhenwereformedwelfare,butthe

liberalshaventgivenup.Ateveryturn,theytrytosubstitutegovernmentlargessefor

individualresponsibility.Theyfighttostripworkrequirementsfromwelfare,toput

morepeopleonMedicaid,andtoremovemoreandmorepeoplefromhavingtopay

anyincometaxwhatsoever.Dependencyisdeathtoinitiative,risktakingand

opportunity.Dependencyisaculturekillingdrugwehavegottofightitlikethepoison

itis!

Theattackonfaithandreligionisnolessrelentless.Andtoleranceforpornography

evencelebrationofitandsexualpromiscuity,combinedwiththetwistedincentivesof

governmentwelfareprogramshaveledtotodaysgrimrealities:68%ofAfrican

Americanchildrenarebornoutofwedlock,45%ofHispanicchildren,and25%ofWhite

children.Howmuchharderitisforthesechildrentosucceedinschoolandinlife.A

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nationbuiltontheprinciplesofthefoundingfatherscannotlongstandwhenits

childrenareraisedwithoutfathersinthehome.

Thedevelopmentofachildisenhancedbyhavingamotherandfather.Suchafamilyis

theidealforthefutureofthechildandforthestrengthofanation.Iwonderhowitis

thatunelected

judges,

like

some

in

my

state

of

Massachusetts,

are

so

unaware

of

this

reality,sooblivioustothemillenniaofrecordedhistory.Itistimeforthepeopleof

Americatofortifymarriagethroughconstitutionalamendment,sothatliberaljudges

cannotcontinuetoattackit!

Europeisfacingademographicdisaster.Thatistheinevitableproductofweakened

faithintheCreator,failedfamilies,disrespectforthesanctityofhumanlifeanderoded

morality.SomereasonthatcultureismerelyanaccessorytoAmericasvitality;weknow

thatitisthesourceofourstrength.Andwearenotdissuadedbythesnickersand

knowingglanceswhenwestandupforfamilyvalues,andmorality,andculture.Wewill

alwaysbehonoredtostandonprincipleandtostandforprinciple.

Theattackonourcultureisnotoursolechallenge.Wefaceeconomiccompetition

unlikeanythingwehaveeverknownbefore.ChinaandAsiaareemergingfrom

centuriesofpoverty.Theirpeopleareplentiful,innovative,andambitious.Ifwedonot

changecourse,AsiaorChinawillpassusbyastheeconomicsuperpower,justaswe

passedEnglandandFranceduringthelastcentury.Theprosperityandsecurityofour

childrenandgrandchildrendependonus.

Ourprosperityandsecurityalsodependonfinallyactingtobecomeenergysecure.Oil

producingstateslikeRussiaandVenezuela,SaudiArabiaandIranaresiphoningover

$400billion

per

year

from

our

economythats

almost

what

we

spend

annually

for

defense.Itispasttimeforustoinvestinenergytechnology,nuclearpower,cleancoal,

liquidcoal,renewablesourcesandenergyefficiency.Americamustneverbeheld

hostagebythelikesofPutin,Chavez,andAhmendinejad.

Andoureconomyisalsoburdenedbytheinexorablerampingofgovernmentspending.

Dontfocusontheporkaloneeventhoughitisindeedirritatingandshameful.Lookat

theentitlements.`Theymakeup60%offederalspendingtoday.Bytheendofthenext

Presidentssecondterm,theywilltotal70%.Anyconservativeplanforthefuturehasto

includeentitlementreformthatsolvestheproblem,notjustacknowledgesit.

Mostpoliticians

dont

seem

to

understand

the

connection

between

our

ability

to

competeandournationalwealth,andthewealthofourfamilies.Theyactasifmoney

justhappensthatitsjustthere.Buteverydollarrepresentsagoodorserviceproduced

intheprivatesector.Depresstheprivatesectorandyoudepressthewellbeingof

Americans.

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Thatsexactlywhathappenswithhightaxes,overregulation,tortwindfalls,mandates,

andoverfed,overspendinggovernment.Didyouseethattoday,governmentworkers

makemoremoneythanpeoplewhoworkintheprivatesector.Canyouimaginewhat

happenstoaneconomywherethebestopportunitiesareforbureaucrats?

Itshigh

time

to

lower

taxes,

including

corporate

taxes,

to

take

aweed

whacker

to

governmentregulations,toreformentitlements,andtostanduptotheincreasingly

voraciousappetiteoftheunionsinourgovernment!

Andfinally,letsconsiderthegreatestchallengefacingAmericaandfacingtheentire

civilizedworld:thethreatofviolent,radicalJihad.InonewingoftheworldofIslam,

thereisaconvictionthatallgovernmentsshouldbedestroyedandreplacedbya

religiouscaliphate.TheseJihadistswillbattleanyformofdemocracytothem,

democracyisblasphemousforitsaysthatcitizens,notGodshapethelaw.Theyfindthe

ideaofhumanequalitytobeoffensive.Theyhateeverythingwebelieveaboutfreedom

justaswehateeverythingtheybelieveaboutradicalJihad.

Tobattlethisthreat,wehavesentthemostcourageousandbravesoldiersintheworld.

ButtheirnumbershavebeendepletedbytheClintonyearswhentroopswerereduced

by500,000,when80shipswereretiredfromtheNavy,andwhenourhuman

intelligencewasslashedby25%.Weweretoldthatweweregettingapeacedividend.

Wegotthedividend,butwedidntgetthepeace.InthefaceofevilinradicalJihadand

giventheinevitablemilitaryambitionsofChina,wemustacttorebuildourmilitary

might.Raisemilitaryspendingto4%ofourGDP,purchasethemostmodernarmament,

reshapeourfightingforcesfortheasymmetricdemandswenowface,andgivethe

veteransthecaretheydeserve!

Soon,thefaceofliberalisminAmericawillhaveanewname.WhetheritisBarackor

Hillary,theresultwouldbethesameiftheyweretowinthePresidency.Theopponents

ofAmericanculturewouldpushthethrottle,devisingnewjustificationsforjudgesto

departfromtheconstitution.Economicneophyteswouldlayerheavierandheavier

burdensonemployersandfamilies,slowingoureconomyandopeningthewayfor

foreigncompetitiontofurthererodeourlead.

Eventhoughwefaceanuphillfight,Iknowthatmanyinthisroomarefullybehindmy

campaign.Youarewithmeallthewaytotheconvention.Fighton,justlikeRonald

Reagandidin1976.Butthereisanimportantdifferencefrom1976:todaywearea

nationatwar.

AndBarackandHillaryhavemadetheirintentionsclearregardingIraqandthewaron

terror.Theywouldretreatanddeclaredefeat.Andtheconsequenceofthatwouldbe

devastating.ItwouldmeanattacksonAmerica,launchedfromsafehavensthatmake

AfghanistanundertheTalibanlooklikechildsplay.Aboutthis,Ihavenodoubt.

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IdisagreewithSenatorMcCainonanumberofissues,asyouknow.ButIagreewithhim

ondoingwhateverittakestobesuccessfulinIraq,onfindingandexecutingOsamabin

Laden,andoneliminatingAlQaedaandterror.IfIfightoninmycampaign,alltheway

totheconvention,Iwouldforestallthelaunchofanationalcampaignandmakeitmore

likelythatSenatorClintonorObamawouldwin.Andinthistimeofwar,Isimplycannot

letmy

campaign,

be

apart

of

aiding

asurrender

to

terror.

Thisisnotaneasydecisionforme.Ihatetolose.Myfamily,myfriendsandour

supportersmanyofyourighthereinthisroomhavegivenagreatdealtogetme

whereIhaveashotatbecomingPresident.Ifthiswereonlyaboutme,Iwouldgoon.

ButIenteredthisracebecauseIloveAmerica,andbecauseIloveAmerica,IfeelImust

nowstandaside,forourpartyandforourcountry.

Iwillcontinuetostandforconservativeprinciples;Iwillfightalongsideyouforallthe

thingswebelievein.AndoneofthosethingsisthatwecannotallowthenextPresident

oftheUnitedStatestoretreatinthefaceevilextremism!!

Itisthecommontaskofeachgenerationandtheburdenoflibertytopreservethis

country,expanditsfreedomsandrenewitsspiritsothatitsnoblepastisprologuetoits

gloriousfuture.

Tothistaskacceptingthisburdenwearealldedicated,andIfirmlybelieve,bythe

providenceoftheAlmighty,thatwewillsucceedbeyondourfondesthope.America

mustremain,asithasalwaysbeen,thehopeoftheearth.

Thankyou,andGodblessAmerica.

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