Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s speech tonight will include some lines reminiscent of Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s “7-7-7? plan – though Romney plans to talk about 5 steps.
“First, by 2020, North America will be energy independent by taking full advantage of our oil and coal and gas and nuclear and renewables,” Romney says in remarks prepared for delivery and released by his campaign.
Romney says his second point is to improve education – and give parents school choice. “When it comes to the school your child will attend, every parent should have a choice, and every child should have a chance,” Romney will say.
Third and fourth are to forge new trade agreements and to cut the deficit and “put America on track to a balanced budget,” the speech says.
“And fifth, we will champion small businesses, America’s engine of job growth,” he will say. “That means reducing taxes on business, not raising them. It means simplifying and modernizing the regulations that hurt small business the most. And it means that we must rein in the skyrocketing cost of healthcare by repealing and replacing Obamacare.”
Unlike Scott, Romney doesn’t actually put a timeframe on when those jobs will be created.
The remarks released early don’t delve deeply into specific policy proposals, though Romney will say more than what was in the released speech excerpts.
The speech also contains some biographical bits. For example, Romney talks about his church — though the word “Mormon” isn’t mentioned in the excerpted part of the speech released early.
” When we were new to the community it was welcoming and as the years went by, it was a joy to help others who had just moved to town or just joined our church. We had remarkably vibrant and diverse congregations of all walks of life and many who were new to America,” Romney says. “We prayed together, our kids played together and we always stood ready to help each other out in different ways.”
Romney will also claim to have wished that Obama had succeeded.
“Because I want America to succeed. But his promises gave way to disappointment and division,” he will say.
The full speech is expected to begin in the 10 p.m. ET hour.
by Brandon Larrabee
