Republican Women's Voices

—excerpts from talks given at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, August 28-30, 2012

 

 ●Mia Love, Mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah and a Republican candidate for Congress

The American Dream “Mr. President I am here to tell you – we are not buying what you are selling in 2012.  Why?  Because we know that the American dream is not just my story, and it is not just your story, it is our story.  It is a story of human struggle – of standing up and striving for more.  It’s been told for over 200 years with small steps and giant leaps: from a woman on a bus to a man with a dream; from the bravery of the greatest generation to the entrepreneurs of today.  This is our story – this is the America we know because we built it.” 
           

●Kelly Ayotte, Senator from New Hampshire, Live Free or Die - New Hampshire’s motto 
Small Business “Under this Administration, the regulations are up—and the job creation is down.  President Obama’s view is clear: he actually believes that as a family business grows, the federal government should take a larger share of its earnings.  That’s punishment for expanding and creating more jobs.  I call it a “success tax.”

“That’s why Mitt Romney is running for president.  He’ll get the federal government out of the business of small business.  He’ll fight to lower and simplify taxes.  He’ll work to eliminate job-killing red tape.  And he will roll back Obamacare starting on Day One!”

●Nikki Haley, Governor of South Carolina 

Illegal Immigration “South Carolina recently passed one of the most innovative illegal immigration laws in the country.  What did this president—who has failed to secure our borders and address this issue in any meaningful way—do?  He sued us”

Voter ID  “We said in South Carolina that if you have to show a picture ID to buy Sudafed and you have to show a picture ID to set foot on an airplane, then you should have to show a picture ID to protect one of the most valuable, most central, most sacred rights we are blessed with in American—the right to vote.  And what happened?  President Obama stopped us.”

Mitt Romney “This is a man at peace with who he is, with the challenges he faces, and with what he intends to accomplish. This is a man who is not just a candidate looking to win an election, but a leader yearning to return our nation to its greatest potential.”

●Susana Martinez, Governor of New Mexico

Success  “Success, [my parents] taught me is built on the foundation of courage, hard work and individual responsibility.  Despite what some would have us believe, success in not built on resentment and fear.”

“[The promise of America] is success and success is the American dream, and that success is not something to be ashamed of or to demonize.”

I’ll be damned we’re Republicans “I was a Democrat for many years, so were my parents.  Before I ran for district attorney, two Republicans invited my husband and me to lunch, and I knew a party switch was exactly what they wanted.  So, I told Chuck, ‘We’ll be polite, enjoy a free lunch, and then say good-bye.’  But we talked about issues—they never used the words Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal.  We talked about many issues, like welfare, is it the way of life or hand up?  Talked about size of government, how much should it tax families and small businesses?  And when we left that lunch, we got in the car and I looked over at Chuck and said, 'I’ll be damned, we’re Republicans.'"

●Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of State now teaching at Stanford University

American Exceptionalism “After all, when the world looks to America, They look to us because we are the most successful political and economic experiment in human history.  That is the true basis of “American Exceptionalism.”  The essence of America—that which really unites us—is not ethnicity or nationality or religion—it is an idea—and what an idea it is:  That you can come from humble circumstances and do great things.  That it doesn’t matter where you came from but where you are going”

Class warfare “Ours has never been a narrative of grievance and entitlement.  We have not believed that I am doing poorly because you are doing well.  We have not been envious of one another and jealous of each other’s success.  Ours has been a belief in opportunity and a constant battle—long and hard—to extend the benefits of the American dream to all—without regard to circumstance of birth.

Danger of failure at home “But the American ideal is indeed endangered today.  There is no country, no not even a rising China, that can do more harm to us than we can do to ourselves if we fail to accomplish the tasks before us here at home.”

Leadership “Yes, America has a way of making the impossible seem inevitable in retrospect.  But of course it has never been inevitable—it has taken leadership, courage and an unwavering faith in our values.  Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have the experience and the integrity and the vision to lead us—they know who we are, what we want to be and what we offer the world.”

●Ann Romney, wife and mother

About Mitt Romney

“You many not agree with Mitt’s positions on issues or his politics.  Massachusetts is only 13% Republican, so it’s not like that’s a shock. But let me say this to every American who is thinking about who should be our next president:  No one will work harder. No one will care more.  No one will move heaven and earth like Mitt Romney to make this country a better place to live!”

“…as his partner on this amazing journey, I can tell you Mitt Romney was not handed success.  He built it.”

“Mitt doesn’t like to talk about how he has helped others because he sees it as a privilege, not a political talking point.”

“This man will not fail.  This man will not let us down.  This man will lift up America!”