Romney: 'I Utterly Reject Pessimism'

He makes not-so-triumphant return to CPAC convention
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 15, 2013 1:22 PM CDT

Mitt Romney didn't exactly get an all-star slot at the CPAC convention, but he used his 15 minutes this afternoon to thank the group for its support ("You touched my heart again") and to express confidence that Republicans, and the country, will bounce back, reports USA Today.

  • "It's fashionable in some circles to be pessimistic about America, about conservative solutions, about the Republican Party," he said. "I utterly reject pessimism. We may have lost Nov. 7, but we have not lost the country we love and we have not lost our way."
Romney said the party should look to its strong stable of GOP governors for its new path, adding that while he's sorry he lost, "I will be your co-worker and stand shoulder to shoulder with you."

Earlier, Donald Trump opened day two with what the Wall Street Journal calls a "rambling" speech in which he warned that the GOP is in "serious trouble," criticized Karl Rove's failed Super PAC efforts, and said that Romney the candidate should have bragged more about his accomplishments. The Daily Intel's take: "The speech itself was mildly received. There were a few moments of scattered clapping, some chuckling. The biggest applause came when Trump suggested, once again, that we 'take' Iraq's oil and use the proceeds to pay a million dollars each to the families of the American soldiers who died in the war. Trump meandered from topic to topic, but the one unifying theme of the speech was the greatness of Trump." The AtlanticWire has extensive coverage of the convention here and ABC News here. (More CPAC stories.)

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