The Romney Vision: A Record of Promoting Abstinence, Not Sex Education for Kindergarteners

Wednesday, Jul 18, 2007

A RECORD OF PROMOTING ABSTINENCE, NOT SEX EDUCATION FOR KINDERGARTENERS

"We teach sex education, but there's no portion of sex education which talks about the advantages of waiting... We're saying let's provide an opportunity for parents and school districts to add abstinence to the curriculum." - Gov. Mitt Romney (Andrea Estes And Tracy Jan, "State Widens Teaching Of Abstinence," The Boston Globe, 4/21/06)

THE ROMNEY VISION: PROMOTING ABSTINENCE EDUCATION

Gov. Romney Fought The Battle To Promote Abstinence Education In The Classroom. "Gov. Mitt Romney today announced that Healthy Futures, a health program that promotes the benefits of abstinence, has been awarded the contract to manage the state's abstinence education program for middle school students." (Office Of The Governor, "Romney Announces Award Of Abstinence Education Contract," Press Release, 4/20/06) 

- The Boston Globe: "It Will Be The First Time That The State Will Spend Federal Abstinence Education Funds In Massachusetts For Classroom Programs." "It will be the first time that the state will spend federal abstinence education funds in Massachusetts for classroom programs. The state has received $700,000 in abstinence money yearly since 1998, but the money has gone only toward a media campaign urging teens to wait before having sex." (Andrea Estes And Tracy Jan, "State Widens Teaching Of Abstinence," The Boston Globe, 4/21/06)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA: SEX EDUCATION... FOR KINDERGARTENERS?

Sen. Barack Obama Recently Told Planned Parenthood He Supports Sex Education For Kindergarteners. "Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., told Planned Parenthood Tuesday that sex education for kindergarteners, as long as it is 'age-appropriate,' is 'the right thing to do.' ... 'But it's the right thing to do,' Obama continued, 'to provide age-appropriate sex education, science-based sex education in schools.'" (Teddy Davis and Lindsey Ellerson, "Sex Ed for Kindergarteners 'Right Thing to Do,' Says Obama," ABC News' Political Radar, http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/07/sex-ed-for-kind.html, Posted 7/18/07)

Sen. Obama Mocked The Issue, Which Previously Came Up In His 2004 Senate Race. "'I remember Alan Keyes ... I remember him using this in his campaign against me,' Obama said in reference to the conservative firebrand who ran against him for the U.S. Senate in 2004. Sex education for kindergarteners had become an issue in his race against Keyes because of Obama's work on the issue as chairman of the health committee in the Illinois state Senate. '"Barack Obama supports teaching sex education to kindergarteners,"' said Obama mimicking Keyes' distinctive style of speech." (Teddy Davis and Lindsey Ellerson, "Sex Ed for Kindergarteners 'Right Thing to Do,' Says Obama," ABC News' Political Radar, http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/07/sex-ed-for-kind.html , Posted 7/18/07)

Governor Mitt Romney and Sexual Assault Press Releases

2003

• 04-02-2003; Photos of high-risk sex offenders to appear on internet
• 05-07-2003; Governor Mitt Romney creates sexual and domestic violence commission
• 06-06-2003; Governor Mitt Romney files bill to post sex offender information on web
• 11-18-2003a; Governor Mitt Romney argues for no delays in web posting of sex offenders
• 11-24-2003; Governor Mitt Romney signs sex offender changes into law

2004

• 09-20-2004; Governor Mitt Romney hails new sex offender tracking tool

2005

• 03-31-2005; Healey launches high-tech tool to track sex offenders
• 05-25-2005; Healey pushes tool to protect children from sex offenders

2006

• 01-05-2006; Governor Mitt Romney files bill to protect rights of sexual assault victims
• 01-24-2006; Healey pledges funding for sexual and domestic violence victims
• 08-01-2006; Healey hails passage of sexual assault program

Governor Mitt Romney and Sexual Assault Quotes

• "Victims of rape or sexual assault have the right to know if their attacker is carrying HIV or any other sexually transmitted disease," said Romney. "After such a devastating attack, they at least deserve the peace of mind that comes with knowing whether or not they are at an increased health risk." - Governor Mitt Romney 01-05-2006 Press Release
• "We are sending a clear message to the people of the Commonwealth: We are committed to protecting communities from dangerous sexual predators," said Romney. "While these high-risk offenders are under state supervision, we will have the capability to closely monitor their every move." - Governor Mitt Romney 09-20-2004 Press Release
• "The public has a right to know where dangerous sex offenders live and work so they can protect their children and themselves," Romney said. "During last year's campaign, one of the key planks in our criminal justice platform was more widely publicizing the whereabouts of convicted sex offenders. This action fulfills that promise." Governor Mitt Romney 04-02-2003 Press Release
• "For far too long, the subjects of domestic abuse and sexual assault remained behind closed doors and out of the public eye," said Romney. "Lieutenant Governor Healey and I are 100 percent committed to dealing forcefully and swiftly with criminals who choose to engage in these horrific acts against society." Governor Mitt Romney 05-07-2003 Press Release
• "This potential delay in giving the public wider access to photographs of our state's worst sex offenders is counterproductive," Romney said. "It ties the hands of law enforcement at a time when we should be working together to give the public the information they need to protect themselves." Governor Mitt Romney 11-18-2003a Press Release
• "Public safety is the single most important job of government," said Romney. "Once the photos of sex offenders are on the Internet individuals will have vital information necessary to protect their families at their finger tips. Families have the right to know if sexual predators are living or working in their neighborhoods." -Governor Mitt Romney 11-24-2003 Press Release

Guotes from Mitt Romney on Abstinence Education

• "In my service as Governor, I've never had anyone complain to me that their kids are not learning enough about sex in school. However, a number of people have asked me why it is that we do not speak more about abstinence as a safe and preventive health practice. Abstinence education gives young people the support they need in making the decision to postpone sexual activity until they are mature enough to handle the emotional, moral and financial responsibilities of parenthood," he said. "This is more than teaching kids to say no – it will help them preserve self-esteem and build character."
  • Governor Mitt Romney, 04-20-2006 Press Release

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Press Releases from Governor Mitt Romney on Abstinence Education

04-20-2006, ROMNEY ANNOUNCES AWARD OF ABSTINENCE EDUCATION CONTRACT

Romney, Ueberroth, Payne have advice for Chicago on 2016 Olympics bid

By Deanna Bellandi, Associated Press Writer

CHICAGO — Chicago Olympics organizers can turn to some big names with proven track records for advice on how to win the selection process and then run the 2016 Summer Games.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney rescued the scandal-plagued 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth ran the profitable 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and is chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee, and Masters tournament chief Billy Payne helped Atlanta win the 1996 Summer Games over Athens, Greece, the Olympics' birthplace.

Each recently talked to The Associated Press about what Chicago should do to win its first Olympics and then host a successful Games. Their advice was simple: make friends on the International Olympic Committee, train many volunteers and don't do it for the money.

"I hope people don't think it's a big moneymaker and a source of economic development and good for business, because that's not what the Olympics is about," Romney said. "The Olympics is about an opportunity to serve the world and to welcome the world."

By the end, many felt the Salt Lake City experience became what Romney describes. But that happened only after a bribery scandal in the selection process shook the Olympic movement to its core, resulting in many of the changes Chicago must deal with in this revamped, and supposedly cleaned up, selection process.

And Atlanta? It was unwieldy, included a fatal bombing at Centennial Olympic Park and is largely considered the most over-commercialized Olympics in the history of the modern games.

Chicago is new to the Olympic selection process, and the Chicago 2016 organizing committee can learn plenty from both the successes and failures the three American cities experienced.

With USOC guidance, the Chicago group already has reached out to leaders of the 2012 London Olympics and the Athens and Barcelona Games, Chicago 2016 spokesman Patrick Sandusky said. And Romney met with Mayor Richard Daley during a campaign visit to Chicago in April.

The road to hosting the Games begins with getting to know people in the international sporting world and on the IOC, which Payne said was necessary for Atlanta because the Southern city wasn't well-known outside the United States.

"It occurred to us early on that coming out of the blue as we did virtually unknown ... that the best way that we could compete would be to secure the trust and the friendship of the respective (IOC) members and hoping in the process to convince them that we would be great custodians of this wonderful gift which they give every four years," Payne said.

For Chicago, which has some international recognition but is largely known for its past of gangsters and slaughterhouses, that means hosting international competitions and attending major events.

This week, Daley and a small delegation of the city's Olympic organizers are in Brazil at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro - a chief rival of Chicago for the 2016 Games - where they will attend the opening ceremonies and watch events, Sandusky said.

About 5,500 athletes from 42 countries are expected to attend the Olympic-style Pan Ams, which begin Saturday and run through July 29.

For Daley, it's another chance to interact with IOC members, whose contact with bid cities has been limited by Olympic rules enacted following the Salt Lake City bribery scandal. A few days before he left for Brazil, Daley said he would talk up Chicago, its history and its diversity by touting "how great the people are, first and foremost."

"This city is a, really a secret throughout the world," he said.

Ueberroth said Chicago's high-profile mayor - whom he described as "shake your hand, make a promise, keep a promise" - is key to the city's efforts to build trust among the IOC members and eventually win the 60 votes needed to get the Games.

"They basically will vote for the people that they trust and that they know that are going to stay the course," Ueberroth said.

Other cities competing for the 2016 Games so far are Doha, Qatar; Madrid, Spain; Tokyo; and Baku, Azerbaijan. The IOC will pick a host city in 2009.

A recent misstep before the start of the Pan Am Games has Chicago organizers already trying to counter negative stereotypes about Americans.

A USOC worker last week scrawled the message "Welcome to the Congo!" on a board in the organization's Rio de Janeiro media center. The greeting, reportedly in reference to warm temperatures, was blasted by Brazilians, who didn't like having their country compared to a less-developed nation and viewed the Americans as arrogant.

The USOC apologized, and Sandusky said the Chicago delegation in Brazil was conscious of "being humble and listening."

Another issue Olympic host city hopefuls must address is whether they have the venues - or enough money to build them.

Chicago lacks some of the major Olympic facilities, including a $1 billion lakefront athletes' village and a $366 million temporary stadium. But Payne believes major construction isn't a big hurdle for a city like Chicago.

"I think that they would have confidence that the design, technological expertise that Chicago could bring to the task would be more than adequate to pull it off," Payne said, noting that Atlanta had to build a stadium and athletes' village, too.

Trouble over financing for a new stadium did complicate New York's bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics and the Games eventually were awarded to London.

Ueberroth said the government, private sector and community must come together as one to make the Games work. In Chicago, donors have raised millions of dollars to finance the city's bid, and the government has pledged millions more in financial guarantees in case the Games falter.

An Olympics can't happen without thousands of volunteers, and Romney, a millionaire businessman, said they should be treated like regular employees. Not everyone who applied to volunteer in Salt Lake City got a spot, and those who did went through rigorous training on both the work they would do and the attitude they should have.

"We tried to change the normal American attitude of, 'These are the rules and we're here to enforce them.' Instead it was, 'You were our guests; we're here to make sure you have a great time,"' said Romney, who described the Olympics as one of the great experiences in his life. "Any city who gets the chance (to host the Games) should be ecstatic."

The Associated Press

Romney For President Launches New Radio Ad, "Ann On Family"

Boston, MA – Romney for President today launched its newest radio ad, "Ann On Family." In this ad, Ann Romney talks about her devotion to her family and what it was like raising five sons. Governor Romney and Mrs. Romney strongly believe that the most important work being done in America today is the work being done within the four walls of the American home.

The ad will begin airing today in Iowa and New Hampshire. Script and audio link are below.

Script For "Ann On Family" (Radio:60):

ANN ROMNEY: "The most common question I get is 'How did you guys meet?' It's always so fun to tell that story."

ANNOUNCER: "Ann Romney talks about her husband Mitt Romney."

ANN ROMNEY: "We met in high school at a party, and we've been going steady ever since.

"We've been married 38 years. We have five sons, lovely sons, and ten grandchildren.

"I was always looking for that girl. I had to wait until my first granddaughter. Finally, I get to buy pink!

"Mitt says his greatest success is being able to say 'I've been a good father, and a good husband.'

"Sometimes, I'd be home with those five boys, and it was rough. They were, they were pretty crazy boys. And they were wild.

"He'd call home and remind me that what I was doing was much more important than what he was doing.

"Mitt says there's no work more important than what goes on within the four walls of the American home. And that's the way it was in our home.

"I'm Ann Romney, and if you see us on the campaign trail, please come up and say hello. Or, you can get on the website at MittRomney.com."

GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY: "I'm Mitt Romney and I approve this message."

ANNOUNCER: "Paid for by Romney for President. MittRomney.com."

To listen to "Ann On Family," please see: www.mittromney.com/Audio/AnnOnFamily.MP3

Trevor Whiting

Trevor Whiting has sent me an e-mail giving his reason " Why I Support Mitt Romney for President". He says:

My support for Mitt Romney is this!

• He is a problem-solver (Every thing he touches turns to gold)
• He has a good track record of "making things happen"
• Knows how to gain favor of those that may have opposite views
• strong emotional backround
• strongest sense of leadership
• accomplishments and achievements exceed other candidates
• He will help lower our taxes
• whether you like it or not the fact that he has only been married once says alot about character....and also commitment

What do you think about this list? What are your reasons?

~ Mike

The Romney Agenda: July 10, 2007

Governor Romney On The Democrats And The Economy
Governor Romney: "Succeed or fail, America would be the land of opportunity. So when Republicans talk about change, we're talking about opportunity and freedom. We're talking about people, not government. Now Democrats look beyond our heritage to the Europe of the past when they talk about change. They're thinking about big government, big welfare, big taxes, big brother. But those are the very policies that led Europe to their decline. In short, it's a big mistake. Look at how the Democrats like Hillary Clinton think about our economy. She said the other day some very interesting things, you probably saw them. She said that it is 'time to reject the idea of an "on your own" society and replace it with shared responsibility.' She says she prefers a 'we're all in it together society.' I see, out with Adam Smith, in with Karl Marx!" (Governor Mitt Romney, Remarks At The 2007 Young Republican National Convention, Hollywood, FL, 7/7/07)

Click To Watch Governor Romney Here.

Governor Romney: The American People Are The Source Of Our Strength

Governor Romney: "Conservatism, Republicanism, it's a philosophy of strength. We believe in a strong military. We believe in a strong economy. We believe in strong families and values. We believe in the American people. ... The American people, of course, are the source of our strength – hard working, educated, risk taking, opportunity loving, God fearing American people. People who are willing to sacrifice for their families. People who will give of themselves for freedom, who love America. They've always been the source of our strength and they always will be!" (Governor Mitt Romney, Remarks At The 2007 Young Republican National Convention, Hollywood, FL, 7/7/07)

Click To Watch Governor Romney Here. Governor Romney: We Must Continue To Wage War On The Terrorists

Governor Romney Says America Must Work On All Fronts To Defeat The Jihadists. "In places like Pakistan, America needs to work not just on a military front, he said. Romney proposed putting together a 'Special Partnership Force', a team of CIA agents and Army special forces to work with the local populations. 'Not just to provide guns but to help make sure that they have the rule of law, water projects, bridges built.'" (Susan Spencer-Wendel, "Romney Says Working With Moderate Muslim States Will Help In Mideast," Palm Beach Post, 7/7/07)

Click To Read The Full Article Here.

Governor Romney "Top Choice" Among Voters Identifying Terrorism As An Extremely Important Issue To Them. "Forty percent of likely Republican caucusgoers identified terrorism as extremely important in the Register's May Iowa Poll. No other issue ranked more important to Republicans. Romney was the top choice in the poll, receiving support from 30 percent of likely GOP caucusgoers, followed by McCain with 18 percent and Giuliani with 17 percent." (Thomas Beaumont, "Perception Is The Key In Dealing With Terror," The Des Moines Register, 7/8/07)

Click To Read The Full Article Here.

Governor Romney: "Senator Edwards says there isn't a War on Terror – it's only a slogan. You tell that to the people of London and Glasgow. And to the people in Bali and Malaysia, Pakistan and Lebanon, the people in Tanzania and Kenya, Saudi Arabia and Israel. Tell that to the people in New York and Boston and Washington, D.C. One thing you can count on if I'm President or any Republican is President, and that is if there's a war being waged by the terrorists, there will be war being waged on the terrorists." (Governor Mitt Romney, Remarks At The 2007 Young Republican National Convention, Hollywood, FL, 7/7/07)

Click To Watch Governor Romney Here.

Seacoast Women Named To Leadership Team

By: Chris Outcalt

Portsmouth Herald

Monday, Jul 09, 2007

"Ask a Mitt Romney supporter what it is about him they like the most, and chances are you won't hear a lot about the war in Iraq or his energy policy.

"It's not that they don't care about those issues, but they aren't the first things that come to their minds.

"'I like his straightforwardness,' said Hampton resident Cindy Blodgett, who was recently named to the former Massachusetts governor's New Hampshire women's leadership team. 'You can just stand there and talk to him.'"

...

"'His whole family is very strong,' Blodgett said. 'I think they all stand on principles, and I think we need that.'

"This past week, Romney announced that 109 women representing all 10 counties in New Hampshire would be part of his leadership team."

...

"Portsmouth resident Evelyn Marconi, who runs Geno's Chowder & Sandwich Shop, is also a member of the group.

"'He's a tremendous family man,' Marconi said. 'He stands out to be so totally honest.'"...

View Entire Article

Governor Mitt Romney's Remarks At The Young Republican National Convention

Boston, MA - Today, Governor Mitt Romney will deliver remarks at the 2007 Young Republican National Convention in Hollywood, Florida. Governor Romney will speak about his vision of meeting a new generation of challenges and strengthening America by strengthening the American people. Below is the full text of Governor Romney's remarks as prepared for delivery.

Governor Romney's Remarks To The 2007 Young Republican National Convention (As Prepared For Delivery):

"We've just come from celebrating the 4th of July. For me, it was parades in Iowa and fireworks in Idaho. You know, the kind of celebrating the Democrats usually reserve for April 15th.

"But this week, we were celebrating our nation's birthday. July 4, 1776 was an inflection point in history - a moment that set a new course for America.

"Today, we face what is sure to be another inflection point in American history. A new generation of challenges, unprecedented challenges, means that we must change our present course. Domestically, our addiction to spending and borrowing is breaching crisis proportion. Competitively, our citizens choose to buy hundreds of billions more from foreign nations than they buy from us. And militarily, we face an entirely new type of threat - violent Jihad whose sponsors seek nuclear weapons.

"To confront unprecedented challenges, we must change. Both parties claim to be the party of change, and I think both are right. But there's a big difference in the direction their change would take us.

"Republicans look to our American heritage. The 4th of July marked our independence from England. But there was more to it than that. The Founding Fathers established a nation where the people were sovereign, not the state, not the king. We would not rely on the divine right of kings, or their whimsical beneficence. We would rely on ourselves. Succeed or fail, America would be the land of opportunity. So when Republicans talk of change, we are talking about opportunity and freedom. We are talking about people, not government.

"Democrats look beyond our heritage - they look to the Europe of the past. When Democrats talk of change, they are thinking about big government, big welfare, big taxes and big brother. But those are the very policies that led to Europe's decline. In short, big mistake.

"Look at how Democrats like Senator Clinton think about the economy. She said that it is 'time to reject the idea of an "on your own" society and replace it with shared responsibility.' She says she prefers a 'we're all in it together society.' I see, out with Adam Smith and in with Karl Marx!

"Don't Democrats see that individual initiative is at the heart of America's unprecedented march to world economic leadership? Adam Smith wasn't heartless. Adam Smith saw that individual initiative would produce the greatest wealth for the entire society.

"Can't Democrats see that since the 1970's while Europe's growth stagnated, America created 57 million new jobs? Look at unemployment, look at growth - America won, Europe lost. That's why Europeans are beginning to elect conservatives. Come to think of it, with her economic plan, Hillary Clinton couldn't be elected president of France!

"Senator Clinton's economic plan goes beyond utopian visions of collective good. She also has a special program for corporate taxes: she wants to raise them. It's time, she says, to require corporations 'to pay their fair share.'

"The last time I checked, American corporations were subject to the second highest tax rates in the industrialized world, just a smidgen below Japan. In our new 'flat' world economy, many corporations can move their headquarters and their operations almost at will. Just look at the economic boom produced by Ireland's move to lower corporate taxes.

"Let's not raise taxes on the employers who create jobs and national wealth, let's lower them!

"Corporate taxes aren't the end of it. Democrats have their sights on 2011 for a record-breaking personal income tax hike. And whenever you take money away from citizens, and give their money to government, you slow down the economy.

"When Democrats talk about change, they're referring to what you'd have left in your pockets.

"I have a different answer. Let's make the Bush tax cuts permanent. Let's kill the Death Tax. And let's have a new tax rate for middle income Americans who want to save their money, who are investing in America. The tax rate on their interest, dividends and capital gains should be...exactly zero!

"Our fiscal problem is not that we are taxing too little; it is that Washington is spending too much.

"Shame on both parties in Congress for all the earmarks, the waste, the duplication, and the failure to reform entitlements. I am proud to be the first presidential candidate to have signed Grover Norquist's tax pledge. But I have made another pledge as well. If I am elected President, I will cap non-defense discretionary spending at inflation minus one percent. That alone will save $300 billion over ten years. If Congress sends me appropriations that exceed that cap, I will veto them. I don't care if it's a Republican or a Democratic Congress. I will veto.

"And I know how to veto. I like vetoes. I vetoed hundreds of spending appropriations as Governor. And by the way, if Congress doesn't want to do the cutting itself, then give me the line-item veto.

"Of course, I will do more than veto. I will personally lead a top-to-bottom review of government programs, agencies, procurement and spending. It's time to cut out the mountains of waste and inefficiency and duplication from the federal government. Only in Washington would someone think that 342 different economic development programs make sense.

"Cutting waste, streamlining, benchmarking - this is what I do. I have done it in business, I've done it in the Olympics, and I've done it in state government. I simply can't wait to get my hands on Washington!

"Funny thing, Democrats talk about raising taxes on people. We talk about cutting spending by government. For them, it's always government first, people last. Here's an inconvenient truth Al Gore won't tell you about – one thing you can count on if America elects a Democratic president is higher taxes.

"Time and again when Hillary and the Democrats see a problem, they think government first. There are 45 million people who don't have health insurance. That's not good for those people, and it's not good for everyone else either. When people who don't have insurance get sick, they go to the hospital and get free care. Free for them, that is, but expensive for you because you are the ones that pay their bills, either in your taxes or in your insurance premiums.

"The Democrats' solution? Government-managed universal healthcare. But the last thing America needs is socialized medicine - Hillary-care!

"At least Barack Obama had the courage to admit that his plan means higher taxes. It's just like P.J. O'Rourke said: 'If you think healthcare is expensive now, wait till it's free!'

"The right answer for healthcare isn't government, and the new Secretary of Health and Human Services should not be Michael Moore.

"Let's provide people with their own private, affordable and portable insurance by insisting on personal responsibility and the principles of the free market. Let's not have the same bureaucracy that ran the Katrina clean-up manage our healthcare!

"The Democrats have a plan for illegal immigration as well. It's amnesty. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and their colleagues insist that every illegal immigrant become a legal permanent resident of this country. Some people think that their position has less to do with compassion than with calculation - they hope these illegal immigrants will vote them in power forever.

"But this is not about power or politics. It is about sovereignty and security. And it is about fairness. Millions of applicants are waiting to come here legally, to be joined with family members, to bring education and skill that will strengthen our nation, not burden it. Legal immigration is a boon to our nation. We are made a greater nation when immigrants come here legally, seeking opportunity.

"Let's secure the border, install an employment verification system and tell illegal immigrants to get in line with everyone else. There should be no special pathway to permanent residency or citizenship for those who have come here illegally!

"Amnesty didn't work before and it won't work now!

"Beyond our domestic challenges, we face a very different world around us. Asia is emerging from generations of poverty. It's becoming a far more effective competitor in the marketplace than we have ever faced before. In the past, we've competed primarily with Europe. We know how to compete with Europeans - they are a lot like us. They like short work weeks and long vacations. But China and India are very different. Their workforce is almost never-ending; and it is very hard-working. Americans are buying hundreds of billions of dollars more from them than they do from us.

"The Democrats see this challenge and shrink from it. They don't think the American people can compete. They want to pull up the drawbridge to protect us. They're so pessimistic about Americans that they have been trying to scuttle free trade agreements with nations in Latin America and Central America. Are they kidding? We can't compete with Colombia?

"Our only choice is to compete.

"Fail to compete and you end up with a Soviet-style economy - laughable products, anemic standards of living and economic collapse. The answer for America is not to retreat, it is to lower the ramps and charge into the emerging Asian marketplace.

"Invest in our people. Invest in technology. Democrats fear the strength of others, Republicans believe in the strength of Americans!

"The new generation of challenges we face today includes challenges to our national security as well. Violent Jihadists are intent on replacing moderate Muslim governments with a Caliphate or Imam. And they seek the collapse of our economy, our government, and our military.

"During this last week, they sought to maim and kill innocent civilians in London and Glasgow. These were not impoverished malcontents; they were doctors serving in Britain's public health system. They were Jihadists. Theirs is a face of evil not seen in the civilized world since the gas chambers of Hitler's horror.

"I know that it is popular today to be critical of the President. And he is not above making mistakes. But we should thank him for doing everything in his power to keep us safe. Against the objections of Democrats and even some in our own party, he pushed though the Patriot Act. He made sure that someone was listening in when Al Qaeda was calling. He made sure we were interrogating terrorists to learn how we could prevent attacks on our citizens.

"When Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, was captured, he said, 'See you with my lawyer in New York.' Nope, that's not at all what he saw: he saw the CIA and our GI's at Guantanamo!

"All this talk of Jihadists, Salafi Muslims, and the War on Terror makes Democrats like John Edwards uncomfortable. Senator Edwards says there isn't a War on Terror - it's only a slogan. Tell that to the people in London and Glasgow. And to the people in Bali and Malaysia, Pakistan and Lebanon, Tanzania and Kenya, Saudi Arabia and Israel. Tell that to the people of New York and Boston and Washington, D.C.

"One thing you can count on if I am President, if there is a war being waged by the terrorists, there will be war waged on the terrorists. And we will win!

"This convergence of challenges is why I am convinced that America is at an inflection point in our history. Our over-spending, our dependence on foreign oil, the emergence of Asia, the Jihadist threat to world civilization – these challenges will force us to change. And that change will either make us stronger or it will make us weaker.

"America will either remain the world's superpower or instead become just another member of the family of nations. If we choose strength, we will be remembered by our children as a great generation. If we choose weakness, we will be remembered as something much less.

"Conservatism, Republicanism, is a philosophy of strength. We believe in a strong military, a strong economy, and in strong families and values. We believe in the American people.

"Democrats believe that government is the source of our strength. They're wrong. I love what Ronald Reagan said: 'It's not that liberals are ignorant, it's just that what they know is wrong!'

"The American people are the source of our strength - hard working, educated, risk taking, opportunity loving, God fearing, willing to sacrifice for their family and their country, freedom loving American people. They have always been the source of our strength and they always will be!

"And when you need to call on the strength of America, you don't strengthen government, you strengthen the American people.

"You strengthen the American people by letting them keep more of their own money, not by taxing them more when they earn, taxing them when they save and taxing them when they die!

"You strengthen the American people by making sure that the voice of millions of voters trumps the voice of a handful of unelected judges.

"You strengthen the American people with the world's best healthcare, the world's best schools, and the world's strongest families. We must preserve the institution of marriage - every child deserves a mother and a father!

"This is not a time for our party to shrink from conservative principles. It is a time to hold them aloft.

"We didn't suffer losses last year because we were conservative. We suffered losses because we strayed from conservative principles. Too much spending, too little ethics and a war that everyone recognizes was not effectively managed.

"The way forward is not to look left. The way forward is to look ahead. There is too much at stake to do otherwise.

"Shimon Peres, the President-elect of Israel, visited Boston not too long ago. He was asked what he thought about the conflict in Iraq.

"'First,' he said, 'I must put that in context. America is unique. In the history of the world, whenever there's been war, the nation that wins takes land from the nation that loses. That is because land has been the source of value in the world. One nation in history, and this during the last century, laid down hundreds of thousands of lives and took no land. No land from the Germans, no land from the Japanese.'

"The only land America takes is enough land to bury her dead.

"America fights for freedom - for itself and for freedom-loving people around the world.

"This is the America our parents chose, a nation that is good, a nation that is strong. And now it is time for us to choose what America will be. I know what I choose. I know what you choose. We choose a strong America that will always be the land of the free, the home of the brave and the hope of the world."