Fresh off dual victories in Michigan and Arizona, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Tuesday returned his focus to President Obama by arguing the current White House occupant offers the wrong vision for the future.
“If there is one thing we can't afford, it is four years of Barack Obama with nothing to answer to,” said Romney, speaking to a cheering group of supporters in Michigan. “So we're going to get them out of that office and get him back home where he belongs.”
The ex-Massachusetts governor didn’t once mention his leading rival, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, whom he narrowly defeated in Michigan. Even as he marches toward a critical array of contests next week on Super Tuesday against Santorum, Romney used his entire address to deliver a blistering critique of the president.
Notably, in a primary that has veered toward social issues during the past month, his message dealt entirely with the economy.
“This election comes down to two very different visions of America,” Romney said. “It is a choice between becoming a nation of and by Washington, or remaining a nation of and by a free people. A choice between an entitlement society and a land of opportunity. A choice between squandering America's promise and restoring that promise for future generations.”
The speech marked a return to the status quo for Romney, who for months had all but ignored his Republican rivals while critiquing Obama’s record. But he abandoned that strategy over the last month, after Santorum won a trio of contests in early February to emerge as a credible threat to win the party’s nomination.
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