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Mitt Romney's Speech At The Clinton Global Initiative - Live Blog

Agustino Fontevecchia
This article is more than 8 years old.

Romney's speech was full of references to "free enterprise" and how American foreign aid can be channeled in a way to create long-lasting and job-creating companies, rather than by throwing good money after bad and creating only a temporary boost.  The Republican presidential-hopeful repeatedly spoke of what a "Romney Administration" would do in the global arena, opening up trade following Reagan-like policies.

He did not mention President Obama, but did say the U.S. must never apologize in the global stage.  Furthermore, he blasted Iran's Ahmadinejad, without making a direct reference to him, indicating his support for Iran.  While the speech was relatively short and not necessarily full of substance, it clearly spelled out Romney economic concepts from a global perspective: free trade and aid aimed at creating "free enterprise," which is the only way to lift people into a better level of well-being.

9:32am: Closes off his speech by saying "God Bless America," ceding the podium to President Bill Clinton, who makes no mention of Romney's speech, but kicks off the rest of the event, calling to the stage the next panelists.

9:31am: Referencing Iranian President Ahmadinejad, Romney says that "not long from here" a voice of hatred has spoken out against Israel.  Then notes that a year from now he expects to come back as President, saying the U.S. must never apologize.

9:31am: Foreign aid can't "pull the cart," explains Romney, suggesting that it is by creating free enterprise that aid can be successful and effective and, most importantly, enduring.  The Republican presidential candidate notes that the industrial revolution unleashed an incredible increase in prosperity and well-being through free enterprise, his theme of the morning.

Calling America the most prosperous nation in history, he goes into his international economic agenda.  Foster trade agreements, create the "Reagan" economic zone where countries willing to play by the rules will have a free trade area.

9:25am: Work builds self esteem, it transforms minds, it doesn't tolerate corruption, Romney says.  By fostering work and enterprise in the Middle East, Romney looks to create "prosperity PACs" to help extend property rights and the rule of law.  Romney speaks of micro-finance and then says that small and medium enterprises many times are in the middle of the funding spectrum, too big for micro-finance and too small for traditional loans.

9:24am: For American foreign aid to be effective, Romney explains, it must use the private sector to leverage the incredible amount of money that is being donated.  Speaking of what American aid would be like under a Romney Administration, the Republican candidate says that the single most important factor will be lifting people to a better life.  Romney goes into the issue of violence in the Middle East: Syria has seen the deaths of thousands of its inhabitants, the American Ambassador to Libya has recently been killed, and Iran is close to becoming a nuclear state.  What can American aid do to improve this situation and change lives, he asks.

Romney also goes into the impact of social media, referencing how through Facebook and Twitter, the Arab Spring was able to find a means of organization and diffusion that wasn't possible years ago.

9:20am: Speaks of the American people as compassionate, citing how the U.S. is many times the first at the site of a natural disaster (Haiti) and mentions Pastor Rick Warren and his missions.  Romney then goes into the subject of foreign aid and it's limited impact when compared to its size.  Romney speaks of leveraging that incredible investment through the private sector, speaks of John Deere and programs to increase agricultural production in Africa.

9:17am: The Republican Presidential candidate speaks of City Year, explains how bringing together the state and the private sector can prove successful, then adds he saw the same thing in the organization of the Salt Lake Winter Olympics.  He also praises entrepreneurship and free enterprise as the only system that allows one to become both better off financially and as people.

9:15am: Romney takes the stage, making a joke about how in this election, he's found that "a few words from Bill Clinton can do a lot of good," and that he now just needs to wait for that "bounce" in the polls, the crowd laughs.

9:13 am: President Clinton takes the stage, along with Governor Romney, and presents him by lauding City Year and his record as Governor of Massachusetts.

As the presidential campaign rages on, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and President Obama are scheduled to square off at the Clinton Global Initiative on Tuesday.  In the aftermath of the recent uprising throughout the Arab world in response to a defamatory video of the Prophet Mohammed, Obama and Romney have clashed on the crucial issue of foreign relations, with the Republican candidate blasting the President for what he considered a tepid reaction to an event of the magnitude of the first death of an American Ambassador in the line of duty in a few decades.  With the United Nations' General Assembly bringing foreign leaders to New York, both candidates are expected to address the global issues that are relevant to the U.S., from the recent uprisings to the dire state of the global economy.

