m******1 发帖数: 19713 | 1 Mitt Romney closed the Republican National Convention in Tampa with his
acceptance speech Thursday night, speaking the language of religious
conservatives when he promised to “honor the institution of marriage” if
elected president.
The former Massachusetts governor devoted a large chunk of the almost 40-
minute speech to his personal biography and an attempt to close his campaign
’s gap with women voters. He talked about how his father, former Michigan
Governor George Romney, supported his mother in her run for Senate, and he
made a rare public mention of his Mormon faith.
“We were Mormons and growing up in Michigan; that might have seemed unusual
or out of place but I really don’t remember it that way,” he said. My
friends cared more about what sports teams we followed than what church we
went to.”
Romney pivoted to criticize the record of President Barack Obama, saying, “
You know there’s something wrong with the kind of job he’s done as
president when the best feeling you had was the day you voted for him.”
The Republican nominee said he would focus on employment if elected. He said
he would create 12 million new jobs with tools including tax cuts, domestic
energy independence, deficit reduction, and the repeal of the health care
reform law.
“President Obama promised to slow the rise of the oceans and to heal the
planet,” he said. “My promise is to help you and your family.”
Romney offered a quick assurance to religious conservatives toward the end
of his speech. Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council,
claimed credit for authoring the party platform’s extensive plank against
marriage equality, but the candidate shied from mentioning specifics like
the federal marriage amendment or the Defense of Marriage Act, which he
supports.
“As president, I will protect the sanctity of life,” he said. “I will
honor the institution of marriage. And I will guarantee America’s first
liberty: the freedom of religion.”
The remarks capped three nights of primetime convention speeches in which
top Romney surrogates subtly acknowledged the marriage equality issue in
somewhat coded language. Vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan called Romney a
“defender of marriage” in his speech Wednesday, while Ann Romney had said
, “What Mitt and I have is a real marriage.” Former Arkansas governor Mike
Huckabee was more explicit at the podium, calling President Obama a “self-
professed evangelical” who “supports changing the definition of marriage.”
Senator Marco Rubio, who introduced Romney, also talked about the primacy of
religion to the American experience.
“We are special because we've been united not by a common race or ethnicity
. We're bound together by common values. That family is the most important
institution in society. That almighty God is the source of all we have,” he
said.
“Our national motto is ‘In God we Trust,’ reminding us that faith in our
Creator is the most important American value of all,” continued Rubio.
GOProud, the only group representing gay conservatives that has endorsed the
Romney-Ryan ticket, praised the presidential nominee’s speech in a
statement. Executive director Jimmy LaSalvia said Romney “reminded us of
exactly why this endorsement was such an easy one for our organization.”
“For far too long, the gay left in this country has been allowed to dictate
what they believe qualify as ‘gay issues,’” he said. “We think that
jobs, the economy, healthcare, retirement security and taxes are all ‘gay
issues,’ and on every single one of those issues, Mitt Romney is light
years better than President Obama.” | s**********o 发帖数: 14359 | | s*******i 发帖数: 178 | |
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