Romney Rally in Chicagoland

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney rallied supporters in Chicagoland yesterday on a brief visit, making his case for strengthening our military, our economy and our families.

Very upbeat, Mitt said he looked forward to debating Hillary face to face---she would take the country on a big left turn, which could only mean higher taxes. Romney emphasized he would make the Bush tax cuts permanent to keep the economy on course, and said Americans will in the end ask:

Who will make me safe?

Who will make me prosperous?

He took a few questions, the first from a local government official on immigration and the Hispanic community. Romney referred to his Hispanic American task force and said we need to stop illegal immigration by securing our borders, protect the opportunity for legal and skilled immigration, and those who are already here illegally need to get in line, without a favored track to citizenship.

A school board member asked about NCLB. Mitt agreed we needed to continue testing, but favored giving states some flexibility. Massachusetts had already high testing standards. During his tenure as Massachusetts governor he instituted English immersion. Fourth and eighth graders scored number one in both math and science on the NAEP. (Quite an accomplishment.) Romney favors school choice.

The final question was on HillaryCare vs. the Romney health care plan: In a nutshell, government vs. private insurers even for the uninsured, $110 billion more for HillaryCare vs. utilizing existing budget resources, increased taxes vs. no tax increase, and one big plan vs. every state with its own, based on a free market approach. The objective was met to get everyone in the system.

I found Governor Romney very likable, with some good self-deprecating humor and a manner that inspired confidence. Right now he leads in both Iowa and New Hampshire, and has a good chance of winning Illinois on Feb. 5th.People were snapping pictures right and left, and I caught this one with Antoine Members, a Romney supporter and candidate for Congress in Illinois' First Congressional district, running against former radical Black Panther Bobby Rush. I went over and spoke with him. Antoine Members is a Cook County Deputy Sheriff and married father of two. Raised by a single mom, Members is a Republican for these reasons---family values and recognition that what the African American community needs is the support to make their own choices. He told me he was concerned about the accelerating crime rate among women that he's observed in the course of his job.
Related posts: Mitt the Porkbuster, Courting Conservatives, Romney: The Right Course

UPDATE: AP:

He called Clinton's policies "Hillary's house of horrors," accusing her of wanting a government takeover of health care and touting ideas she can't pay for. Clinton has proposed a universal health care plan.

A businessman, Romney also said the New York senator lacks experience running anything. Clinton is a former first lady.

From the FoxNews interview:

But I fundamentally think the people will not vote based upon someone’s gender or their race, or their religion, for that matter. I think they’re going to look at what their vision is for the future of the country, where they would take it, and whether they had the experience and skills to actually lead a nation of our scale in such a critical time.

And I think the greatest drawback beyond the direction she’d take us is that she’s never run anything. She’s never had the occasion of being in the private sector, running a business, or, for that matter, running a state or a city. She hasn’t run anything, and the government of the United States is not a place for a president to be an intern. You need to have experience actually leading and running things.

ABC7 Chicago: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney says he'll lobby to get Chicago the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Romney says if he's elected he'll also work to ensure there is ample federal support to provide security and transportation during the games.

Romney is credited with rescuing the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. He talked about bringing the Olympics back to the U.S. before a fundraiser this afternoon in suburban Chicago.

Romney says he'll reach out to those he knows in the Olympic movement and attend key events with IOC members to show government support for the games.

Romney compared it to how former British Prime Minister Tony Blair backed London's successful bid for the 2012 Summer Games.

UPDATE: New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg endorses Romney. RCP Blog.Video.