Mitt Romney On Detroit: 'It Breaks My Heart'
DETROIT (WWJ) - Speaking live on WWJ Newsradio 950, Republican presidential contender and Detroit native Mitt Romney said he knows his hometown is hurting -- and thinks the next president needs to be able to create jobs.
"It breaks my heart to go through Detroit. I mean, the home that I came home to just after being born at Harper Hospital in Palmer Park is bulldozed now, because I guess it became a blight, an eye-sore. It just kills you to see what's happened to the homes and the families in Detroit, and we need to get the economy going again," said Romney.
Listen to the full interview below:
Mitt Romney Interview
Despite taking heat from critics about the auto bailout, Romney stands firm on his disagreement with how the auto companies were aided by the Bush and Obama administrations.
"My position was they needed to go through managed bankruptcy and then get government support, and the position of the administration was 'No, they can't go through managed bankruptcy.' And guess what? They ended up doing exactly what I suggested. They finally went through managed bankruptcy, but the big difference between the way they did it and I would have done it is that they ended up giving the companies to the UAW when it was over," he said.
So, what's his biggest weakness?
"Well, I've got so many weaknesses I'm not sure I could pick out which is the greatest," Romney said chuckling, "but I can tell you the greatest challenge I have is making sure my message gets through, that people hear it. We'll keep on battling that message is that I'm a fiscal conservative, a social conservative and a foreign policy conservative."
Romney also said his experience in private industry makes him the best candidate, and adds that rival Rick Santorum isn't a conservative spender.
"I think people want to see a fiscal conservative. Social conservatives are terrific too, and I'm one of them, but a fiscal conservative is what I think the country needs right now. And when I was governor, I balanced the budget every year and cut taxes 19 times," he said.
Santorum will be in Macomb County Friday, with a rally in Shelby Township sponsored by local tea party groups and the Michigan Faith and Freedom Coalition.
Despite polls that show the former Pennsylvania Senator with a slight edge, Romney, who has the endorsement of Gov. Rick Snyder, predicts he'll win the Michigan GOP primary on Feb. 28.
