mitt-romney-interview-meet-press-nbcPresidential Candidate Mitt Romney was interviewed on NBC News Meet The Press. I won´t comment, and instead put the transcript of his interview, as I am no political analyst.

PART ONE: (Interview conducted: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7th ON ROMNEY CAMPAIGN BUS EN ROUTE TO A CAMPAIGN EVENT IN NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE. MRS. ROMNEY JOINED MITT ROMNEY FOR A PORTION OF THIS CONVERSATION.

DAVID GREGORY:
So the two conventions are now on the books. And we are really kicking off the final stretch, the fall campaign. How do you feel? Do you feel like you’re winning? Do you feel like you’re losing? Where do you think things are?

MITT ROMNEY:
I think we’re making real progress. I– I don’t think I was as well known, of course, as the president. And– and so we had a convention and I got better known. People go to see Ann and hear our story. And– and the result of that is I’m better known, for better or for worse. And that allows me to continue to hammer away on what I do to get America on the right track. And I have really two months to be able to convince people I can do a better job than the incumbent. I think I can do that. So I’m– I’m in a better spot than I was before the convention.

DAVID GREGORY:
It’s tough to beat an incumbent, as you well know. Do you feel like an underdog or do you feel like you’re right in this thing?

MITT ROMNEY:
I think it’s tough to beat an incumbent if the incumbent’s record is good. I think this incumbent has a very challenged record. And I– jobs numbers that have come out this week– as well as the– performance over the last– three and a half years suggests that this is a president that has not been able to deliver on his promises. People are– are dissatisfied with where he’s taken the country. And that gives me an opportunity which might not have been available had he– done what he said he would do.

DAVID GREGORY:
I want to ask you about the news of the day. These job numbers. Pretty anemic growth. Less than 100,000 jobs created last month. And yet it’s striking, because here you have the stock market at the highest level since 2007. I spoke to a top, prominent business leader today who said the underpinnings of the economy right now are terrific. It’s primed to take off. And, yet, we seem to be, relatively speaking, in a jobless recovery. What do you think’s going on?

MITT ROMNEY:
Nothing. It is a jobless recovery. If it’s a recovery at all. It really doesn’t look like a recovery. You’re–you’re not seeing the kind of job growth that keeps up with population growth. You’re not seeing any wage growth. So it’s– it’s not at all what a recovery’s supposed to look like.

It’s really not the kind of recovery people had expected. Normally when things go down as deeply as they did they come rebounding, but it’s now been how many months? 43 months with unemployment above 8%? And this last month, what was surprising to me was not only the anemic job growth, but that three or four times as many people dropped out of the labor force as were added as net new job holders.

I mean the– this is– this is really saying that people are having a hard finding work. It’s very, very troubling. And of course the stock market does well in part because the indication by the Fed that they’re going to print more money, pour more money into the system, says we’re likely to have down the road high inflation. And where else are you going to go? If interest rates are going to be near zero investors have to go somewhere to protect against inflation. And the stock market’s the only place to go.

DAVID GREGORY:
You don’t think the Fed oughta be any more involved at this point?

MITT ROMNEY:
Well, I don’t think that– that easing monetary policy is going to make a significant difference in the job market right now. I think what the nation needs is a change in fiscal policy. A different structure to our economic positions. And if we take the right course I believe you’re going to see this economy come roaring back, because I do believe, as you began by saying, that– that there are– many, many entrepreneurs as well as major corporations that are ready to jump. But they’re hoping to see the kind of conditions on the ground in this country, the economic conditions, the pro-business, pro-jobs conditions, that suggest it’s a good idea to invest in America again.

DAVID GREGORY:
You talk about creating 12 million jobs in your first term. I’ve seen independent– reports predicting about that many jobs under any event being created. Doesn’t that suggest that the president and his team have laid a foundation for that kind of growth to occur?

MITT ROMNEY:
Well, actually, the president has kept in place a series of policies that have made no progress against unemployment and a shrinking job market. The number of individuals that are in the job market today is at almost– well, a 30, 40 year low. People can’t find work.

If this president’s re-elected you’re going to see chronic high unemployment continue for another four years or longer. You’re going to see low wage growth, if any growth at all. And of course there’ll always be this fiscal calamity at our doorstep. A crisis potential at our doorstep; the kind that you’re seeing in– in Europe today. I– I have– there’s no question in my mind. If President Obama is reelected you’re not going to see our unemployment picture change dramatically. You’re not going to see us create the jobs we need to create or the rising incomes people need.

DAVID GREGORY:
This is just a wild guess, but I don’t think either one of you were look for any souvenirs from Charlotte, but I actually did bring one. Okay? (LAUGH) I brought one. This is a bumper sticker that I found. And it says, “Bin Laden is dead, G.M. is alive.” Obviously this is– one of the big tag lines, the bumper sticker line from the Obama computer. Why is that not a good bumper sticker for the president?

MITT ROMNEY:
Well, I don’t think that that’s going to get him the support that he wants, but of course he deserves credit for giving the order for the Seal Team Six to go after Bin Laden and take him out. That’s absolutely right. With regards to G.M. we’ll probably get a chance to take a closer look at that.

My view was General Motors should have gone into bankruptcy earlier. The president resisted that for six months. I said, “Let ’em go into bankruptcy. Help them come out. But let them go in.” And I don’t think most Americans know that G.M. went bankrupt. That they did go bankrupt. The president put them into bankruptcy.

And he finally did what I also thought was the right thing to do, but I thought it from the very beginning. And that would have saved us $20 billion or so that otherwise– would– would have been able to be invested in– in things like teachers and policemen, as well as– growing our economy.

DAVID GREGORY:
What’s the Romney-Ryan bumper sticker?

MITT ROMNEY:
Well, we got bumper stickers letting people know who we are, but it’s basically you want more jobs? You want higher income? Then vote for Romney and Ryan.

DAVID GREGORY:
Mrs. Romney– your speech was very well received around the country. You had an opportunity to talk about yourself and to talk about your husband. And to talk about how he’s connected to people in your lives and in– in your family.

There was something that caught my attention, I’m sure it caught years, from the keynote speaker of the Democratic convention, which is– sort of went to this charge that somehow neither one of you are as empathetic about what’s going on in the country to people who are out of work. And the line was, from Julian Castro, the mayor of San Antonio, “You just don’t know how good you’ve had it.” How did that sit with you?

ANN ROMNEY:
Well, I think the thing that I want to communicate to people, and that it’s so important that people understand, is that Mitt and I do recognize that we have not had a financial struggle in our lives. But I want people to believe in their hearts that we know what it is like to struggle. And our struggles have not been financial, but they’ve been with health and with difficulties in different things in life.

And one thing that I, again, like to remind people is that– multiple sclerosis has been my teacher. It has been at times a cruel teacher. But it has also been a great gift in my life because what it has done, it has taught me to be more compassionate and caring for others that are suffering.

And I know that people are suffering right now. And for people to think that we don’t have empathy just because we’re not suffering like they’re suffering is ridiculous. It’s ridiculous to think that– you can’t have empathy for somebody that’s struggling. Our life has always been– devoted to those that arestruggling more than we are. And I was grateful for the opportunity that we had at the convention for to speak up and talk about the kind of lives we’ve led– we’ve led.

And in particular, for Mitt– who really has been demonized in many ways as being heartless and for people to stand up and say, “Excuse me. He was there when my son was dying of leukemia. He came to my son’s bedside. He did all of these things for my son.” And then another woman saying how Mitt was there for her. So there’s hundreds of those stories that haven’t been told. And it was refreshing to me for the American people to finally be able to see the lens through which I see my husband and the perspective in which I understand how he operates.

DAVID GREGORY:
As a candidate now, when’s the last time you really got to spend some quality time with somebody who was out of work? And what did you get from them?

MITT ROMNEY:
Well– actually– just– last night it was. I was with– a person who is facing some challenges. We spent some time together and shared our personal experiences in an effort on my part to– point out that we can make it through tough times.

Look, that’s part of everyday life for most people. They have friends and you have acquaintances that have challenges and you talk about them. And– and– I– I can tell you this, my life has been greatly enriched by my relationship with this young lady here. And I know how well I’ve got it because I was able to marry Ann.

But the reason I’m in this race is to help people. I’m not in this race to slow the rise of the oceans or to heal the planet. I’m in this race to help the American people. And this is a commitment on my part, on Ann’s part, on our family’s part because we care very deeply about this country.

And– and I really think that those people that try and minimize the– the feeling and the connection we have with the American people– really miss the mark very badly and are trying to divide Americans based on who has money and who was able to achieve success and who does not have as much. And, frankly, Americans are not defined by whether they were successful financially or not. We’re a nation that’s come together. And a united America can solve the kind of challenges we have today.

DAVID GREGORY:
I raised the convention. We do have this dynamic where I don’t think the Democrats– or at least the president and Mrs. Obama were not watching yours. You weren’t watching theirs. Nevertheless, a lot of attention to, besides yourself, big headliner on your final night and that was– Clint Eastwood. He actually said, after, you know, taking some– some shots about this, that it was mission accomplished. Now I gotta ask you. Were– were you laughing along with him or were you wincing part of the time, Governor?

MITT ROMNEY:
Oh, I was laughing at Clint Eastwood. Look– look, to have him get up and speak on my behalf was–was a great thrill. I mean this is a guy Ann and I have watched from, you know, back in the days ofThe Good, The Bad and The Ugly. I mean we’ve been watching his films for a long time. Dirty Harry. And of course just Gran Torino recently. He’s an American– icon and hero. And–

DAVID GREGORY:
True enough, but it was a little bizarre, wasn’t it? To have him talking to the chair?

MITT ROMNEY:
Well, you don’t– you don’t expect to have a guy like Clint Eastwood get up and, you know, read some speech of a teleprompter like a politician. You expect him to speak from the heart and that’s exactly what he did.

DAVID GREGORY:
What about Bill Clinton? He had quite an impact. Do you think he could get elected today for president?

MITT ROMNEY:
You know, if the constitution weren’t in his way, (LAUGHTER), perhaps. But I don’t know the answer to that. But he did stand out in contrast with the other speakers. I think he really did– elevate the Democrat convention in a lot of ways. And frankly, the contrast may not have been as– as attractive as Barack Obama might have preferred if he were choosing who’d go before him and who’d go after.

DAVID GREGORY:
I want to ask you something a little bit more personal. You you both are guarded about your faith. You talked more about it in the course of the convention. We came across– a quote from a biography written about your father in 1968 And he said about being a Mormon, “I’m a member of a religion that is among the most persecuted minority groups in our history.”

And here you are, the first Mormon to be the nominee of the Republican party. You could be the first Mormon president. I wonder how much pride that gives you? How much pride you think it gives others in the church? Is it similar to what many Catholics felt with President Kennedy?

MITT ROMNEY:
Well, I can’t speak for all the members of the church, but I’m sure a number of members of my faith are proud of the fact that someone of my faith and our faith is able to run for president. My own reaction is I’ve got so many challenges ahead of me I don’t think so much about the impact this has on the church day-to-day, but more about what kind of impact I want to have on the electorate and what it takes to become elected president.

But I’m convinced that my background and my heritage and my faith has made me the person I am to a great degree. The Judeo-Christian ethics that I was brought up with. The sense of– obligation to one’s fellow man. An absolute conviction that we are all sons and daughters of the same God and therefore in a human family– is one of the reasons I am doing what I’m doing.

It would have been very easy for me to just stay in business. I like business. That’s fun. But when the Olympic request came along, Ann said, “You’ve got to do this. This is important.” And when I ran for governor, “This is important.” And now when I’m running for president. I think that comes in part from this Judeo-Christian ethic of service and commitment to one’s fellow man.

DAVID GREGORY:
Mrs. Romney, do you think that Mormons in America, and around the world, for that matter, have gotten past a level of persecution that they can very openly be proud of what the two of you are doing?

ANN ROMNEY:
I– I–

DAVID GREGORY:
This journey that you’re on?

ANN ROMNEY:
–I– I certainly hope so. I mean it’s always wonderful when milestones like that are accomplished. And I think that was why we were all so pleased with so many Americans were so pleased with the last election and seeing that a black man was elected as president of the United States. It made us proud as Americans to know that those prejudices that we’ve had in the past are– are falling away.

* * *END OF PART ONE OF TRANSCRIPT * *
PART TWO: (Interview with Mitt Romney conducted: SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 8th AT ROMNEY CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS IN BOSTON.

DAVID GREGORY:
So Governor, we talked last night about jobs and the economy and also the debt. And I want to begin there. You’ve called the debt and our deficit a moral crisis, and yet in addition to extending the Bush tax cuts you want to cut tax rates an additional 20%. You’ve rejected a 10 to one spending ratio when it comes to spending to increasing taxes. And, yet, you want to balance the budget. The math simply doesn’t add up, does it?

MITT ROMNEY:
Well, actually, it does. And the good news is that five different economic studies, including one at Harvard and Princeton and AEI and a couple at The Wall Street Journal all show that if we bring down our top rates and actually go across the board, bring down rates for everyone in America, but also limit deductions and exemptions for people at the high end, why, you can keep the progressivity in the code, you can remain revenue neutral and you create an enormous incentive for growth of the economy.

DAVID GREGORY:
But you haven’t specified where you’d cut loopholes in particular to make up the savings, because, in addition, you actually want to increase defense spending in addition to all of that.

MITT ROMNEY:
Well, I want to maintain defense spending at the current level of the GDP. I don’t want to keep bringing it down as the president’s doing. This sequestration idea of the White House, which is cutting our defense, I think is an extraordinary miscalculation–

DAVID GREGORY:
Republican leaders–

MITT ROMNEY:
–in the wrong direction.

DAVID GREGORY:
–agreed to that deal to the extend the the debt ceiling.

MITT ROMNEY:
And that’s a big mistake. I thought it was a mistake on the part of the White House to propose it. I think it was a mistake for Republicans to go along with it. The president was responsible for coming out with specific changes they’d make to the defense budget. It was supposed to have come out this last week. He has violated the law that he in fact signed. The American people need to understand how it is that our defense is going to be so badly cut.

My own plan, by the way, to bring down the rates of taxation while maintaining the revenues that come into the government is by making sure that we don’t lower taxes on high income people. We’re not going to have high income people pay less of the tax burden than they pay today. That’s not what’s going to happen. I do want to bring taxes down for middle income people. In particular I want middle income Americans not to have to pay taxes on interest and dividends and capital gains.

DAVID GREGORY:
But Erskine Bowles, who is part of the Simpson Bowles commission, said that something’s got to give. That your plan would not actually reduce the deficit. That indeed taxes would have to go up on the middle class. What gives if you’re not right about your projections?

MITT ROMNEY:
Well, because first of all I’ve got Princeton, Harvard, The Wall Street Journal and AEI all saying actually that we can bring down the rates. And if we limit or eliminate some of the loopholes and deductions at the high end, we keep the current progressivity of the code and we get the same revenue coming into the government. And one marvelous thing we get is more growth of the economy.

And my tax policy is designed to find a way to encourage more hiring in this country. I’m very concerned that we have 23 million people that are out of work or stopped looking for work or under-employed. And so everything I want to do with regards to taxation follows simple principles, which is bring our rates down to encourage growth, keep revenue up by limiting deductions and exemptions and make sure we don’t put any bigger burden on middle income people. In fact, I want to lower the burden on middle income people.

DAVID GREGORY:
But, Governor, where are the specifics of how you get to this math? Isn’t that an issue?

MITT ROMNEY:
Well, the specifics are these which is those principles I described are the heart of my policy. And I’ve indicated as well that contrary to what the Democrats are saying I’m not going to increase the tax burden on middle income families. It would absolutely be wrong to do that.

But you know I’ve had the experience of being a governor. I’ve demonstrated that I have the capacity to balance budgets. I balanced them four years in a row in Massachusetts and we cut the taxes 19 times in Massachusetts.

DAVID GREGORY:
Give me an example of a loophole that you will close.

MITT ROMNEY:
Well, I can tell you that people at the high end, high income taxpayers, are going to have fewer deductions and exemptions. Those numbers are going to come down. Otherwise they’d get a tax break. And I want to make sure people understand, despite what the Democrats said at their convention, I am not reducing taxes on high income taxpayers.

I’m bringing down the rate of taxation, but also bringing down deductions and exemptions at the high end so the revenues stay the same, the taxes people pay stay the same. Middle income people are going to get a break. But at the high end the tax coming in stays the same. But we encourage small business, because small business is able to keep more of what it makes and therefore hire more people, which is my priority.

DAVID GREGORY:
Will you balance the budget in your first term? Is that a commitment you can make?

MITT ROMNEY:
I’ll balance the budget by the end of my second term. Doing it in the first term would cause, I believe, a dramatic impact on the economy. Too dramatic. And therefore the steps I’ve put in place and we’ve put together a plan that lays out how we get to a balanced budget within eight to 10 years.

DAVID GREGORY:
Are you prepared to cut a deal with Democrats that would cause conservatives to revolt? Is it that important to get a deal to get us away from this fiscal cliff?

MITT ROMNEY:
Well, it’s critical to get the country on track to avoid the kind of financial calamities you’re seeing around Europe. And I have a plan that does that by really doing two of the key elements that are necessary for that to happen.

DAVID GREGORY:
But will you cut a deal?

MITT ROMNEY:
Well, I’m going to–

DAVID GREGORY:
Will you compromise, even if it risks a conservative revolt?

MITT ROMNEY:
There’s nothing wrong with the term compromise, but there is something very wrong with the term abandoning one’s principles. And I’m going to stand by my principles. And those are I am not going to raise taxes on the American people. Our problem in our country is not that we’re not paying enough taxes. It’s that we’re spending too much money and the economy is not growing as it could and should.

Look, we’ve just watched another month of tepid job numbers. This does not look like a recovery. The president’s policies have meant that this economy is not growing as it should. The fastest way to balance our budget is to grow the economy, put more people to work, see rising incomes. That’s how you balance budgets. And so my tax policy is not designed to say, “Oh, let’s get some more money from people.” It’s designed to say, “Let’s get more growth of the economy, hire more people so we can get more tax revenues the way we ought to.”

DAVID GREGORY:
Well, let me ask you about a couple of specific areas. On healthcare you say that you would rescind the president’s healthcare plan on day one. Does that mean that you’re prepared to say to Americans, young adults and those with pre-existing conditions that they would no longer be guaranteed healthcare?

MITT ROMNEY:
Well, of course not. I say we’re going to replace Obamacare. And I’m replacing it with my own plan. And even in Massachusetts when I was governor, our plan there deals with pre-existing conditions and with young people.

DAVID GREGORY:
So you’d keep that part of the federal plan?

MITT ROMNEY:
Well, I’m not getting rid of all of healthcare reform. Of course there are a number of things that I like in healthcare reform that I’m going to put in place. One is to make sure that those with pre-existing conditions can get coverage. Two is to assure that the marketplace allows for individuals to have policies that cover their family up to whatever age they might like. I also want individuals to be able to buy insurance, health insurance, on their own as opposed to only being able to get it on a tax advantage basis through their company.

DAVID GREGORY:
Well, that brings us to Medicare, because one of the things you believe in was the idea of premium support or a voucher for seniors under Medicare and to achieve the goal of solvency. Direct question. If competitive bidding in Medicare fails to bring down prices, you have a choice of either passing that cost on to seniors or blowing up the deficit. What would you do?

MITT ROMNEY:
Well, let’s stand back first. There’s nothing about seniors in our plan because–

DAVID GREGORY:
You’re going to wait 10 years to implement any plan.

MITT ROMNEY:
Because there’s no change for anyone who’s retired or is nearing retirement. It’s only dealing with those people that are in their 30s, 20s, 30s, 40s and early 50s. And that’s the group we’re dealing with. And we’re saying, “What’s the best deal for them?” And it strikes me the best deal for them is to let them either buy current Medicare or to have a private plan. A lot like Medicare Advantage today. I like Medicare Advantage.

DAVID GREGORY:
But that didn’t drive down prices, Governor.

MITT ROMNEY:
Oh, it sure did. Actually, what you’re saying with Medicare today, with Medicare Part D, the prescription drug benefit, is that Congress, in putting this together, said, “Look, we’re going to allow companies to compete for a package of prescription drug benefits.” And the costs that they’ve come up with is far less than anyone predicted. Look, competition works. That’s what makes to your economy work.
DAVID GREGORY:
Let me turn to foreign policy and ask you a couple of questions there. The Weekly Standard took you to task in your convention speech for not mentioning the war in Afghanistan one time. Was that a mistake with so much sacrifice in two wars over the period of this last decade?

MITT ROMNEY:
You know, I find it interesting that people are curious about mentioning words in a speech as opposed to policy. And so I went to the American Legion the day before I gave that speech–

(OVERTALK)

DAVID GREGORY:
You weren’t talking to tens of millions of people, Governor, when you went to the American legion.

MITT ROMNEY:
You know, what I’ve found is that wherever I go I am speaking to tens of millions of people. Everything I say is picked up by you and by others and that’s the way it ought to be. So I went to the American Legion and spoke with our veterans there and described my policy as it relates to Afghanistan and other foreign policy and our military.

I’ve been to Afghanistan and the members of our troops know of my commitment to Afghanistan and to the effort that’s going on there. I have some differences on policy with the president. I happen to think those are more important than what word I mention in each speech.

DAVID GREGORY:
He used some pretty tough words in talking about you, saying you and Paul Ryan are, quote, “New to foreign policy. Want to take us back to an era of blustering and blundering that cost America so dearly.” Said you were stuck in a Cold War time warp. Pretty tough stuff and suggesting you’re not ready on day one to be the commander-in-chief.

MITT ROMNEY:
Well, I can certainly look at his record and I think one can say that he’s had some successes and he’s had some failures. And perhaps the biggest failure is as it relates to the greatest threat that America faces and the world faces, which is the nuclear Iran. The president has not drawn us further away from a nuclear Iran and in fact Iran is closer to having a weapon, closer to having nuclear capability than when he took office.

This is the greatest failure, in my opinion, of his foreign policy. He ran for office saying he was going to meet with Ahmadinejad. He was going to meet with Castro, Kim Jong Il. All the world’s worst actors, without precondition, he’d meet with them in his first year. He put–

DAVID GREGORY:
President Bush said that he stop–

(OVERTALK)

DAVID GREGORY:
–Iran from going nuclear. So did President Obama. Neither one were able to achieve that. Correct?

MITT ROMNEY:
President Obama had a policy of engagement with Ahmadinejad. That policy has not worked and we’re closer to a nuclear weapon as a result of that. I will have a very different approach with regards to Iran. And it’s an approach which, by the way, the president’s finally getting closer to. It begins with crippling sanctions. That should have been put in place long ago.

DAVID GREGORY:
Is the country safer or less safe because of President Obama’s leadership?

MITT ROMNEY:
Well, some ways safer. Getting rid of Osama bin Laden. I think a success on the part of the president. Authorizing SEAL Team Six, commanding SEAL Team Six to take him out. That was a great accomplishment. Using the drones to strike at al Qaeda targets. I think those are positive developments. I think Iran, however, becoming nuclear is a whole different development and a game changing, threatening development. Threatening not only to our ally, Israel, but threatening the the United States of America. And–

DAVID GREGORY:
Governor–

MITT ROMNEY:
–the president has not been successful. And in the words of Prime Minister Netanyahu, “Iran has not changed its nuclear course one iota by virtue of this president’s policies.” And that’s something I intend to change.

DAVID GREGORY:
What’s your red line? You put troops on the ground to stop Iran from going nuclear or can you live with a nuclear Iran and contain it?

MITT ROMNEY:
I don’t think we live with a nuclear Iran. I think we make it very clear that a nuclear Iran is unacceptable to the United States of America, to civilized nations throughout the world. And that we will maintain every option that is available to us to keep that from happening.

DAVID GREGORY:
Two presidents have said that very same thing. Why can you succeed on Iran where they could not?

MITT ROMNEY:
Well, at the time President Bush was president Iran was years away from a nuclear weapon. And he pursued diplomacy, as I think we should continue to pursue diplomatic channels. We should pursue as well the kind of crippling sanctions that I’ve spoken about when I gave a speech at the Herzliya Conference five years ago.

We need to use every resource we have to dissuade them from their nuclear path. But that doesn’t mean that we would take off the table our military option. That’s something which certainly every American would hope we would never have to use. But we have to maintain it on the table or Iran will, undoubtedly, continue their treacherous course.

DAVID GREGORY:
I want to ask you one question on a social issue and that is abortion. You were on this program in 2007 and you said that you would fight to overturn Roe V. Wade. I know you said this is an issue for the courts. I ask you now would a President Romney fight to overturn Roe V. Wade? And what would you do in that fight to achieve that goal?

MITT ROMNEY:
Well, there are a number of things I think that need to be said about preserving and protecting the life of the unborn child. And I recognize there are two lives involved: the mom and the unborn child. And I believe that people of good conscience have chosen different paths in this regard. But I am pro-life and will intend, if I’m president of the United States, to encourage pro-life policies. I don’t–

DAVID GREGORY:
Just encourage or fight for it to be overturned?

MITT ROMNEY:
Well, I don’t actually make the decision the Supreme Court makes and so they’ll have to make their own decision. But, for instance, I’ll reverse the president’s decision on using U.S. funds to pay for abortion outside this country. I don’t think also the taxpayers here should have to pay for abortion in this country.

Those things I think are consistent with my pro-life position. And I hope to appoint justices for the Supreme Court that will follow the law and the constitution. And it would be my preference that they reverse Roe V. Wade and therefore they return to the people and their elected representatives the decisions with regards to this important issue.

DAVID GREGORY:
I want to come back to where we started in this final area about how difficult it’s going to be to govern in Washington, as you well know. You know you could be a very unpopular president if you make tough choices that you say you’ll make. If it came to it, if the only way to achieve a deal on the debt, on this fiscal cliff, was to endanger yourself politically to the point that you were a one term president, would you be satisfied with that?

MITT ROMNEY:
David, I could not care less about my political prospects. I want to become president of the United States to get this country on the right track again. America is at a critical crossroads. We have to strengthen the foundation of our economy, of our values, of our principles so we have a military that’s so strong we can defend freedom for ourselves and for others. We’ve got to put Americans back to work. And politics, whether I’m highly favored, not highly favored, just doesn’t enter into the equation.

DAVID GREGORY:
Would you be satisfied with one term if you could get a deal on averting a fiscal cliff?

MITT ROMNEY:
Let me tell you, if I can get this country on track again I’d be satisfied with anything.

DAVID GREGORY:
As you know there’s still questions, you acknowledge it, about do people really know you. And I think the question is whether are you the moderate from Massachusetts that championed universal healthcare, who at one time was for abortion rights, or are you the candidate who said he was a severe conservative? What will you be as president?

MITT ROMNEY:
I’m as conservative as the Constitution. I believe in the principles this nation was founded upon. I understand how our economy works. I’ve lived in the economy. I also understand how to work across the aisle. You get elected in Massachusetts where 87% of your legislature is of the opposition party, you’ve got to work with people across the aisle.

I know how to do that. I’m going to work like crazy to break the deadlock in Washington and to get America on the right track.

And I actually think that because we’re at this precipice, economically, at the precipice fiscally as a nation as well, that there are going to be good Democrats and good Republicans who have shown respect. And if they see a president that’s willing to work with them, to share credit with them, to encourage them and pull them along that we’re going to be able to deal with the challenges we have. And if not, I’m going to die trying because I’m going to do everything in my power to fix this country.

DAVID GREGORY:
Final question, Governor, before you go. You’re in a unique position. You had both parents seek high office and both fell short. Victory in this race in November will be humbling enough because of the problems this country faces. But if you lose how would you handle that?

MITT ROMNEY:
Oh, I don’t worry about myself. I worry about the country. I mean I watched my dad when he thought he lost, actually. It was his second term as governor. And Lyndon Bates Johnson had won by a landslide in Michigan and Dad’s pollster came in and said, “George, I don’t think we can pull it out. Johnson’s won by such a wide margin here.” And my dad wasn’t concerned at all. He was running because he cared about the state, thought he could do a better job than the people who were otherwise going to be running the state. And he went on and anticipated going on with his life.

Look, I’m not worried about my life. My life’s fine. I’m worried about the country. I’m worried about the people that can’t find work. The people in the middle class that have been crushed under this president. Look, their wages have gone down, their costs have gone up. Around the world people are asking, “Where’s America’s leadership?” I was with Lech Walesa in Poland a few weeks ago. He said, “Where’s American leadership? The world needs America to lead.” This is a critical time for our country and the president gives himself an incomplete.

We can’t afford a president who’s incomplete. We’ve got to have a president who understands what it takes to restore America’s economic vitality, put Americans to work and be able to provide the kind of military strength and leadership globally that the world needs and that Americans deserve.

DAVID GREGORY:
Governor, thank you for having us to your headquarters. Sorry about the gusty conditions, but stay safe on the campaign trail.

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