Mitt Romney in The Associated Press

On Jobs: I know what it's like to worry about a pink slip

Romney has been accused of insensitivity on matters of wealth. He once said "I like being able to fire people" when talking about having the ability to choose service providers. He also has declared that he knew what it was like to worry about being "pink-slipped" out of a job.

This week, Romney said, "I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it," adding "My energy is going to be devoted to helping middle-income people. They're the folks that are really struggling right now."

Romney has broached the subject of the poor repeatedly on the campaign trail but until this week had been more careful in his choice of words. "I worry about the very poor and I want to make sure that our safety net is there," Romney said in New Hampshire in December, says the middle class are "the people I'm really concerned about right now."

Source: Associated Press report, "Romney triggers backlash"

On Welfare & Poverty: I'm not concerned about very poor; they have safety net

Romney told CNN: "I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it. I'm not concerned about the very rich. They're doing just fine. I'm concerned about the very heart of America, the 90-95% of Americans who right now are struggling. You can focus on the very poor, that's not my focus," he said.

Asked whether his words might strike some as odd, Romney said: "We will hear from the Democrat party the plight of the poor; we have a safety net to help those that are very poor." Romney added that he's more worried about the unemployed, people living on Social Security and those struggling to send their kids to college.

Democrats and Republicans alike pounced and the GOP front-runner quickly sought to explain his remarks. "No, no, no. You've got to take the whole sentence," said Romney, noting that his remark was consistent with his theme throughout the race, adding: "My energy is going to be devoted to helping middle-income people."

Source: Associated Press report, "Romney triggers backlash" Feb 1, 2012

On Immigration: Tuition breaks encourage illegal immigration

A bill to let children of illegal immigrants pay the same lower tuition rate at state colleges as other MA residents sparked a political sparring match between Democrats and the Romney administration. Romney chastised critics for advocating a bill he said would encourage illegal behavior. Romney said the state’s focus should be on helping legal immigrants. Giving children of illegal immigrants a tuition break would act as an incentive to draw in more illegal immigrants to Massachusetts, Romney said. Source: Steve LeBlanc, Associated Press Writer Nov 1, 2005

On Abortion: Anti-abortion views have “evolved & deepened” while governor

When he ran for governor in 2002, Romney pledged not to change the state’s abortion laws, despite his personal opposition. But his veto Monday of an emergency contraceptives bill & his comments in recent months have fueled speculation among critics that Romney is hardening his opposition to abortion and other sensitive social issues to gain support from GOP conservatives. Romney says his anti-abortion views have “evolved and deepened” since he took office, colored in part by the debate over embryonic stem cell research.

“In considering the issue of embryo cloning and embryo farming, I saw where the harsh logic of abortion can lead--to the view of innocent new life as nothing more than research material or a commodity to be exploited,” Romney wrote in an opinion piece in Tuesday’s Boston Globe. He also said he believes each state should decide whether to allow abortion, rather than having the “one size fits all” precedent of Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court case that legalized abortion.

Source: Associated Press on NewsMax.com Jul 27, 2005

On Abortion: Vetoed emergency contraception for rape victims

Massachusetts’ Legislature is overwhelmingly Democratic, and Romney’s first term as governor barely touched on the issues dear to social conservatives until recently.

In May, Romney vetoed legislation to expand stem cell research because it allowed the cloning of human embryos for use in stem cell experiments--a practice Romney said amounts to creating life in order to destroy it. The Legislature overrode the veto.

His veto of the emergency contraception measure is also likely to be overridden. That bill requires hospital emergency room doctors to offer the medication to rape victims, and would make it available without prescription from pharmacies.

Romney is on a list of possible contenders for the White House in 2008. Others include Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, Sam Brownback of Kansas and George Allen of Virginia, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Source: Associated Press on NewsMax.com Jul 27, 2005

The above quotations are from Columns and news articles distributed by the Associated Press. Click here for other excerpts from Columns and news articles distributed by the Associated Press. Click here for other excerpts by Mitt Romney. Click here for a profile of Mitt Romney.
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Page last updated: Feb 15, 2019