captioning sponsored by cbs >> you can trust mitt. >> we have a nominee who will tell us the truth and lead with conviction. we have governor mitt romney and congressman paul ryan. >> whatever your political party, let's come together it for the sake of our country. >> hope if i'm president people will recognize my passiofor all the people in this country. >> no one will move heaven and earth like mitt romney. >> these times demand of best of all of us. >> i stand ready to it lead this it party and to lead our nation. >> campaign 2012, the republican national convention from tampa, florida, here is scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. this is the biggest night in mitt romney's six-year quest to become president of the united states. as he accepts the republican

nomination and addresses the nation. he has two goals-- convince american voters that he could be president and convince them that he should be president. governor romney arrived here at the forum a short time ago. this moment may be his single best opportunity to make a personal appeal to the voters. bob schieffer, how is he going to do that? >> reporter: well, you know, when i heard orrin hatch say a while ago that he just has to be himself, i thought of a remark that picasso once made when he said, "i had to paint all my life to learn to paint like a child. n-this age of such intense media scrutiny, maybe it's really hard to just be yourself. but i think that's what mitt romney has got to do tonight, and he's got to lay out a coherent vision of where he wants to take this country. >> pelley: the delegates on the floor have just been watching a film about the romney family and we're going to switch now to norah o'donnell down there next to the podium.

norah. >> reporter: i've been speaking with advisers to mitt romney who say this is a big speech, a highly personal speech, but i think it will also be a speech that's not judged by its rhetoric but its ability to persuade voters because really that's what this is about, trying to win over voters, especially in those key swing state. look for mitt romney to channel some of the disappointment among voters who say they think president obama perhaps has disappointed them and has not led on the economy over the past four years. that's what he's doing. i also spoke to one advis to mitt romney who said don't expect the red meat the crowd wants. instead he's trying to reach the women in ohio who could help decide this election ( cheers and applause ) >> pelley: and here is mitt romney walking out on the stage now-- oh, i'm sorry, it's clint eastwood. i beg your pardon. clint eastwood, a surprise special guest at the convention

tonight. >> thank you very much. ( cheers ) thank you. thank you very much. thank you. save a little for mitt. ( laughter ). i know what you're thinking-- you're thinking, what's a movie tradesman doing out here. you know they're all left wingers out there. at least that's what people think, but that's not really the case. there's a lot of conservative people, a lot of moderate people, republicans, democrats, in hollywood. it's just the conservative people by the name of the word

itself play it a little more close to the vest. they don't go around hot dogging it. ( applause ) but-- but they're there, believe me, they're there. and-- and i just-- i think in fact there are some of them around town. i saw john voight. there are a lot of people in town. john is here, academy award winner, terrific guy. and these people are all like minded, like all of us. so i've got-- i've got mr. obama sitting here, and he's-- i just was going to ask him a couple of questions, but, you know, about-- i-- i remember three and a half years ago when mr. obama won the election, and though i wasn't a big supporter, i was watching that night when he was having that thing, and they were talking about hope and change, and they were talking about,

yes, we can, and it was da outdispoors it was nice and people were lighting candles, and they were saying-- you know, i just thought this is great. everybody's crying, oprah was crying. ( laughter ). i was even crying. and then finally, i haven't cried that hard since i found out that there's 23 million unemployed people in this country. ( applause ) now that-- that is something to cry for because that is a disgrace, a national disgrace, and we haven't done enough, obviously, this administration hasn't done enough to cure that. and whatever-- whatever interest they have is-- is not strong enough. and i think possibly now it may be time for somebody else to

come along and solve the problem ( cheers and applause ) so, so, mr. president, how do you-- how do you handle-- how do you handle promises that you made when you were running for election, and how do you handl handle-- how do you handle it? i mean, what do you say to people? do you-- do you just-- you know, i know people-- people were wondering you don't-- you don't-- okay. well, i know even some of the people in your own party were very disappointed when you didn't close gitmo. and i thought, well i think closing gitmo. why close that. we spent so much money on it. i thought maybe it was an excuse-- you-- what do you mean

shut up? ( laughter ) okay. just-- i thought it was just because somebody had a stupid idea of trying terrorists in downtown new york city. maybe that was-- ( applause ) i've got a-- i've got to hand it to you. i've got to give credit where credit is due. did you overrule that finally. and that's so-- now we're moving onward. and i know-- i know you were against the war in iraq, and that's okay. but you thought the war in afghanistan was-- was okay. you know, i mean, you thought that was something that was worth doing. we didn't check with the russians to see how they did there for the 10 years. but-- ( laughter ) but it-- ( applause ) we did it. and it was-- you know, it's-- it's something to-- be thought

about. and i think that-- that when we get to maybe-- i think-- you mentioned something about having a target date for bringing everybody home. and you give that target-- target-- date, and-- and i think mr. romney asked the only sensible question. he says why are you giving the date out now? why don't you just bring them home tomorrow morning? ( applause ) and i thought-- i thought, yeah, there's a-- i'm not going to shut up. it's my turn. ( laughter ). so anyway, we got-- we're going to have-- we're going to have to have a little chat about that. and then-- i just wondered-- all these promises and then i wondered about-- you know, when-- when-- the-- what? what do you want me to tell romney? i can't tell him to do that.

he can't do that to himself. ( laughter ) you're crazy. you're absolutely crazy. you're getting as bad as biden. ( cheers and applause ) of course we all know biden is-- barden-- biden is the intellect of the democratic party. ( applause ) just kind of a-- kind of a grin with a body behind it, you know. kind of a thing. but i just-- i just think that there's so much to be done, and i think that mr.-- mr. romney and mr. ryan are two guys that can come along. see i never thought it was a good idea for attorneys to be

president anyway, because it-- ( cheers and applause ) yeah. i think-- i think attorneys are so busy-- you know, they're always taught to argue everything and always weigh everything and weigh both sides, and they're always know-- they're always devil's advocating this and bifurcating this and bifurcating that-- you know, all that stuff. but i think it's maybe time-- what do you think-- for maybe a business man. how about that? ( applause ) a stellar business man, quote, unquote, a stellar business man and i think it's that time. and if i think if just kind of stepped aside and mr. romney could take over, you could still use the plane. ( laughter ). though, maybe a smaller one, not that big gas guzzler that you're

driving around when you're going around to colleges and talking g about student loans and stuff like that. you're an ecological man. why would you want to drive that truck around? okay, well, anyway, all right. i'm sorry. i can't do that to myself, either. ( laughter ) anyway-- ( applause ) let's see-- but i'd just like to say something, ladies and gentlemen, something that i think is very important is that you-- we-- we own this country. ( cheers and applause ) thank you. u.s.a.! u.s.a.! >> yes, we own it. and it's not you owning it, and not politicians owning it. politicians are employees of ours--

( cheers ) so-- they're just going to come around and beg for votes every few years, and it's the same old deal. but i just think that it's important that you realize that-- that-- and-- that you're the best in the world. and whether democrat or whether you're a republican or whether you're libertarian or whatever, you're the best, and we should not ever forget that and when somebody does not do the job we've got to let them go ( cheers and applause ) let him go.

>> let him go! let him go! >> okay. just remember that. and i'm speaking out for everybody out there. it doesn't hurt-- we don't have to be-- i don't say that word anymore. well, maybe one last time. we don't have to be-- what i'm saying is we don't have to be masochists and vote for somebody we don't even really want in-- in office. we-- just because they seem to be nice guys or maybe not so nice guys, if you look at some of the recent ads going out there. i don't know. ( applause ) but-- okay. you want to make my day, hu? ( cheers and applause ) all right. i'll start it.

you finish it. go ahead. >> make my day! >> all right! thank you! thank you very much. >> pelley: well, the republican party has scripted every moment of this, except that moment. clint eastwood came out and ad libbed his remarks. he was supposed to speak about five minutes. he was up there for more than 10. bob schieffer, what do you think? you know what, bob, excuse me. it looks like they're just introducing marco rubio. this is the senator from flori florida, part of the emerging generation of the g.o.p. he's 41 years old, a favorite of the tea party, and he will be introducing mitt romney tonight. let's listen to senator marco rubio. >> i think i just drank clint eastwood's water. thank you!

thank you so much. thank you so much for having me here today and thank you so much for doing this convention here in florida. un, before i begin, this is-- thank you. before i begin, this is such an important night for our country. i want to take just-- with your permission-- just a few seconds to talk about another country, a country located just a few hundred miles away from the city, the country of my parents' birth. there's no freedom or liberty in cuba. and tonight, i ask for your prayers that soon freedom and liberty will be theirs as well. ( cheers and applause ) it-- this is a big honor for me. just not so long ago i was just a deep underdog candidate, the only people that thought i could win all lived in my house. ( laughter ) four of them were under the age of 10. but this is incredible when i was asked to introduce governor romney, who we'll hear from in just a moment-- i promise, he's

backstage, ready to go-- ( cheers and applause ) so i called a few people and i asked them, "what should i say?" they had a lot of different opinions but the one thing they all said is, "don't mess it up. of so i thought the best way to introduce mitt romney tonight, the next president of the united states-- ( cheers and applause ) is to talk-- is to talk about what this election is about. and i'm so honored to be able to do it here in florida at the republican national convention in front of all you patriots. ( applause ) i watched my first convention in 1980 with my grandfather. my grandfather was born to a farming family in rural cuba. childhood polio left him importantly disabled. because he wouldn't work the farm his family sent him to school. he was the only one in his family who knew how to read. he was a huge influence on me growing up. as a boy i used to sit on the

stairs of the house and listen to his story of baseballs as he would puff on one of his three daily cigars. i don't remember. it's been three decades since we last sat on that porch, and i don't remember all the things he talked to me about. but the one thing i remember is the one thing he wanted me to never forget that the dreams he had when he was young became impossible to achieve, but there was no limit how far i could go because i was an american. ( cheers and applause ) now, for those of you-- here's why i say that. here's why i say that, because for those of us who are born and raised in this country, sometimes it becomes easy to forget how special america is. but my grandfather understood how different america was from the rest of the world because he knew life outside america. tonight, you will hear from

another man who understands what makes america exceptional. ( cheers and applause ) mitt romney knows america's prosperity didn't happen because our government simply spent more money. it happened because our people used their own money to open a business. and when they succeed, they hire more people who invest and spend their money in the economy helping others start a business or create jobs. now, tonight we've heard for a long time now about mitt romney's success in business. it's well known. but we've also learned that he's so much more than that. mitt romney's a devoted husband, a father, a grandfather, a generous member of his community and church, a role model for younger americans like myself. everywhere he's been, he's volunteered his time and talent to make things better for those around him. and we are blessed that a man like this will soon be the

president of these united states. ( cheers and applause ) now, let me be clear so no one misunderstands. our problem with president obama isn't that he's a bad person. by all accounts he, too, is a good husband and good father and thanks to lots of practice, a a good golfer. our problem is not that he's a bad person. our problem is that he's a bad president. ( cheers and applause ) you think he's watching tonight? ( laughter ) because his new sleeng for his campaign is the word "forward."

forward? a government that spend $1 trillion more than it takes in? an $800 billion stimulus that created more debt than jobs? a government interengz into health care paid for with higher taxes and cut to medicare, scores of new rules and regulations. these ideas don't move us forward. these ideas move us backward. ( cheers and applause ) these are tired and old big government ideas that have failed every time and everywhere they've been tried. these are ideas that people come to america to get away from. ( cheers and applause ) these-- these are ideas that threaten to make america more like the rest of the world instead of helping the rest of the world become more like

america. ( applause ) as for his old slogan under barack obama the only change is that hope is hard to find. now, sadly, millions of americans are insecure about their future. but instead of inspiring us by reminding us of what makes us special, he divides us against each other. he tells americans that they're worse off because others are better off, that rich people got rich by make other people poor. hope and change has become divide and conquer. ( applause ) but in the end this election it doesn't matter how you feel about president obama because this election is about your future. it's not about his. ( applause ) and this election is not simply

a choice between a democrat and a republican. it's a choice about what kind of country we want america to be. ( applause ) and as we prepare to make this choice, we should remember what made us special. you see, for most of human history, almost everybody was poor. power and wealth only belonged to a few. your rights were whatever your rulers allowed you to have. your future was determined by your past. if your parents were poor, so would you be. if you were born without opportunities, so were your children. but america was founded on the principle that every person has god-given rights. ( applause ) founded on the belief that power belongs to the people, that government exists to protect our rights and serve our interests, and that no one should be trapped in the circumstances of

their birth. we should be free to go as far as our talents and our work can take us. ( cheers and applause ) and we're special-- we're special because we're united not as a common race or a common ethnicity. we're bound together by common values, that family is the most important institution in society. ( applause ) and that all mighty god is the source of all we have. ( applause )

we're special, we're special because we've never made the mistake of believing that we are so smart that we can rely solely on our leaders or on our government. our national motto, in god we trust, reminding us that faith in our creator is the most important american value of them all. ( applause ) and we're special, we're special because we've always understood the scriptual admonition, to everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required. ( applause ) well, my fellow americans, we are a uniquely blessed people. and we have honored those blessings with the enduring example of an exceptional america. ( applause ) i know for many of you watching

at home tonight, the last few years have tested your faith in the promise of america. maybe you're at an age when you thought you would be sphwerring retirement but now that your savings and investments are wiped out, your future is incertain. maybe after years of hard work this is the time you expected to be your prime earning years. but instead year laid off and your house is worth less than your mortgage. maybe did you everything you needed to do to get ahead. you studied hard and finished school but now you owe thousands of dollars in student loans. you can't find a job in your field and you've had to move back in with you with your parents. you want to believe we're still that special place where anything is possible but things just don't seem to be getting any better and you wonder if things will ever be the same again. yes, we live in a troubled time, but the story of those who came before us remind us that america has ald been about new beginnings, and mitt romney is

running for president because he knows that if we are willing to do for our children what our parent did for us, life in america can be better than it has ever been. ( cheers and applause ) my mother was one of seven girls whose parents often went to bed hungry so their children wouldn't. my father lost his mother when he was nine. he had to leave school and go to work and he would work for the next 70 years of his life. they emigrated to america with little more than a hope of a better life. my dad was a bartender. my mom was a cashier, a hotel made, a stock clerk at k-mart. they never made it big. they were never rich. and yet they were successful because just a few decades

removed from hopelessness, they made possible for us all the things that had been impossible for them. many nights growing up i would hear my father's keys jingling at the door as he came home after another 16-hour day. many mornings i woke up just as my mother got home from the overnight shift at k-mart. when you're young and you're in a hurry, the meaning of moments like this escape you. but now as my children get older, i understand it better. my ba dad used to tell us in ths country, in this country, you're going to be able to accomplish all the things we never could. a few years ago, during a speech, i noticed the bartender behind the portable bar in the back of the bar room, and i remembered my father who worked for many years as a banquet bartender. he was grateful for the work he

had, but that's not the life he wanted for us. you see, he stood behind a bar in the back of the room all those years so one day i could stand behind a podium in the front of a room. ( applause ) that journey, that journey from behind that bar to behind this podium goes to the essence of the american miracle, that we're exceptional not because we have more rich people here. we're special because are impossible anywhere else, they come true here. ( applause )

but that's not just my story. that's your story. that's our story. that's the story of your mothers who struggled to give you what they never had. that's the story of your fathers who worked two jobs so that the doors that had been closed for them would be open for you. that's the story of that teacher or that coach that taught you the lessons that made you who you are today. and it's the story of a man born into an uncertain future in a foreign country. his family came to america to escape revolution. they struggled through poverty and the great depression. and yet he rose to be an admired businessman and public servant. and in november, his son, mitt romney, will be elected president of these yiewt. ( cheers and applause )

in america, in america, we are all just a generation or two removed from someone who made our future the purpose of their lives. america is the story of everyday people who did extraordinary things, a story woven deep into the fabric of our society. their stories may never be famous, but in the lives they live, you will find the essence of america's greatness. and to make sure that america is still a place where tomorrow is always better than yesterday. that is what our politics should be about. and that is what we are deciding this election. ( cheers and applause )

we decide do we want our children to inherit our hopes and dreams or do we want them to inherit our problems? because mitt romney believes that if we succeed in changing the direction of our country, our children and grandchildren will be the most prosperous generation ever, and their achievements will astonish the world ( cheers and applause ) the story of our time will be written by americans who haven't yet been born. let us make sure they write that we did our part, that in the early years of this new century, we lived in an uncertain time, but we did not allow fear to cause us to abandon what made us special. we chose more government instead of more freedom.

we chose the principles of our founding to solve the challenges of our time. we chose a special man to lead us in a special time. we chose mitt romney to lead our nation and because we did, the american miracle lived on for another generation to inherit. ( cheers and applause ) my fellow republicans, my fellow americans, i am proud to introduce to you the next president of the united states of america, mitt romney! ( cheers and applause ) >> pelley: mitt romney making his way into the auditorium, following the introduction of united states senator marco

rubio, the senator of florida. bill whitaker is down on the floor near the utah delegation, where mitt romney is entering the room. bill. >> reporter: scott, governor mitt romney just walked past us, down this aisle, on his way to the podium, where tonight is his last, best chance to present himself to the american people unchallenged and he has been roundly criticized over the summer by the obama administration as a man who is out of touch, a rich guy who doesn't quite get it. well, the people here and the delegates around us are telling us tonight he must stand up and tell the american people who he truly is, not just empathize with them, but connect with them. scott. >> pelley: bob schieffer, as we watch mitt romney, the 65-year-old former governor of massachusetts make his way up to the podium for a moment that he has worked six years for, what do you think he's going to try to accomplish tonight? >> reporter: well, i think what he's got to do is make one

heck of a speech because if he doesn't, all people are going to be talking about in the morning is this weird episode involving clint eastwood. i mean, why on your night of night when you're trying to tell your story to the american people would you give them something else to talk about? i mean, this thing is going to just dominate talk radio tomorrow. it's going to dominate the morning newscast. i think that was just totally ill advised, to put it mildly. strong letter to follow. >> pelley: clint eastwood was speaking without a script and went about double the time he had been allotted. john dickerson, our campaign 2012 political director also down on the floor. john, what do you think we're going to hear from mitt romney? this is his big moment to connect with the voters. >> reporter: we'll hear-- he'll reintroduce himself a little bit, tell the american people a little bit more about himself. as one of his senior advisers

said, this is for the american public, not necessarily the hall. he'll introduce himself again, where he comes from, where his values are. part of what he has to do in this speech is align himself with american values. that's why they've been talking about olympians. marco rubio was talking about the american dream. mitt romney wants to put himself in that position and he will try to make the case with president obama that there is more sorrow and anger. that the country just has to move on ( cheers and applause ) here we go. >> pelley: mitt romney takes the podium at the republican national convention. accomplishing tonight what his father george romney could not when he ran for the nomination in 1968. jan crawford has been-- mitt romney is about to address the

convention and address the nation. let's listen in. >> mr. chairman, mr. chairman and delegates-- ( cheers and applause ) mr. chairman and delegates, i accept your nomination for president of the united states. ( cheers and applause )

i do so with humility, deeply moved by the trust you place in me. it's a great honor. it's an even greater responsibility. and tonight i'm asking you to join me to walk together to a better future. by my side i've chosen a man with a big heart from a small town ( cheers and applause ) he represents the best of america. a man who will always make us very proud, my friend and america's next vice president, paul ryan. ( cheers and applause ) in the days ahead, you're going to get to know paul and janna better, but last night america

got to see what i saw in paul ryan-- a strong and caring leader who is down to earth and confident in the challenge this moment demands. i love the way he lights up around his kids and how he's not embarrassed to show the world how much he loves his mom. ( applause ) but, paul, i still like the play list on my ipod better than yours. ( applause ) four years ago, i know that many americans felt a fresh excitement about the possibilities of a new president. that choice was not the choice of our party, but americans always come together after elections. we're a good and generous people, and we united by so much more than what devise us. when that election was over, when the signs came down and the television commercials finally came off the air, americans were eager to go back to work, to live our lives the way americans

always have-- optimistic and positive and confident in the future. that very optimism is uniquely american. it's what brought us to america. we're a nation of immigrants. we're the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the ones who wanted a better life, the driven ones, the ones who woke up at night hearing that voice telling them that life in the place called america could be better. they came not just in pursuit of the riches of this world but for the richness of this life. freedom, freedom of religion, freedom to speak their mind, freedom to build a life and, yes, freedom to build a business with their own hands ( cheers and applause ) this is the essence of the

american experience. we americans have always felt a special kinship with the future. when every new wave of immigrants looked up and saw the statue of liberty or knelt down and kissed the shores of freedom just 90 miles from castro's tyranny, these new americans surely had many questions but none doubted that here in america they could build a better life, that in america their children would be blessed more than they. but today, four years from the excitement of that last election, for the first time, the majority of americans now doubt that our children will have a better future. it's not what we were promised. every family in america wanted this to be a time when they could get a little ahead. put aside a little more for college. do more for the elderly mom that's now living alone. or give a little more to their church or their charity. every small business wanted these to be their best years ever when they could hire more, do more for those who had stuck

with them through the hard times, open a new store, sponsor that little league team. every new college graduate thought they'd have a good job by now, a place of their own. they could start paying back some of their loans and build for the future. this is when our nation was supposed to start paying down the national debt and rolling back those massive deficits. this was the hope and change america voted for. it's not just what we wanted. it's not just what we expected. it's what americans deserved. ( cheers and applause )

u.s.a.! u.s.a.! u.s.a.! u.s.a.! u.s.a.! >> you deserved it because during these years you worked harder than ever before. you deserved it because when it cost more to fill up your car, you put in longer hours. or when you lost that job that paid $22.50 an hour with benefits you took two jobs at nine bucks an hour. u.s.a.! u.s.a.! u.s.a.! u.s.a.! >> you deserve it because your family depended on you, and you did it because you're an american, and you don't quit. you did it because it was what you had to do. but driving home late from that second job or standing there watching the gas pump hit $50

and still going, when the realtor told you that to sell your house you'd have to take a big loss, in those moments you knew that this just wasn't right. but what could do you except work harder, do with less, try to stay optimistic, hug your kids a little longer, maybe spend a little more time praying that tomorrow would be a better day. i wish president obama had succeeded because i want america to succeed. ( cheers and applause ) but his promises gave way to disappointment and division. this isn't something we have to accept. now is the moment when we can do something, and with your help, we will do something ( cheers and applause )

now is the moment when we can stand up and say i'm an american. i make my destiny. we deserve better. my children deserve better. my family deserves better. my country deserves better. ( cheers and applause ) so here we stand, americans have a choice, a decision. to make that choice you need to know more about me and where i'd lead our country. i was born in the middle of the century in the middle of the country, a classic baby boomer. it was a time when americans were returning from war, and eager to work. to be an american was to assume that all things were possible. when president kennedy challenged americans to go to the moon the question wasn't whether we'd get there. it was only when we'd get there.

( applause ) the souls of neil armstrong's boots on the moon made permanent impressions on our souls. ann and i watch those steps together on her parents' sofa. like all americans we went to bed that night knowing we lived in the greatest country in the history of the world. ( applause ) u.s.a.! u.s.a.! >> god bless neil armstrong. ( cheers and applause ) tonight that american flag is still there on the moon, and i don't doubt for a second that neil armstrong's spirit is still with us, that unique blend of

optimism, humility, and the utter confidence that when the world needs someone to do the really big stuff, you need an american. ( cheers and applause ) my dad had been born in mexico, and his family had to leave during the mexic rolution. i grew up with stories of his family being fedy the u.s. government as war refugees. my dad never made it through college, and he apprentice as a lathe and plaster carpenter. he had big dreams. he convinced my mom, a beautiful young actress, to give up hollywood to marry him. they moved to detroit. he led a great-- ( cheers and applause ) he led a great automobile company and became governor of the great state of michigan. ( cheers and applause )

we were-- we were mormons and growing up in michigan, that might have seemed unusual or out of place, but i really don't remember it that way. my friends cared more about what sports teams we followed than what church we went to. my mom and dad gave their kids the-- the greatest gift of all, the gift of unconditional love. they cared deeply about who we would be and much less about what we would do. unconditional love is a gift that ann and i have tried to pass on to our sons and now to our grandchildren. all the laws and legislation in the world will never heal this world like the loving hearts and arms of mothers and fathers. ( applause ) you know, if every child could drift asleep feeling wrapped in the love of their family and god's love, this world would be

a far more gentle and better place. ( applause ) my mom and dad were married for 64 years, and if you wondered what their secret was, you could have asked the local florist. ( laughter ) because every day, dad gave mom a rose, which he put on her bedside table. that's how she found out what happened on the day my father died. she went looking for him because that morning, there was no rose. my mom and dad were true partners. a life lesson that shaped me by everyday example. when my mom ran for the senate, my dad was there for her every step of the way. i can still see her saying in her beautiful voice, "why should women have any less say than men about the great decision facing our nation?" ( cheers and applause )

don't you wish she could have been here at this convention? and heard leaders like governor mary fallon, governor nicki haley, governor suzanna martinez, senator kelly ayote, and secretary of state condoleezza rice. ( cheers and applause ) as governor of massachusetts, i-- i chose a woman lieutenant governor, a woman chief of staff. half of my cabinet and senior officials were women. in a business i mentored and supported great women leaders who went on to run great

companies. i grew up in detroit in love with cars and wanted to be a car guy like my dad, but by the time i was out of school, i realized that i had to go out on my own, that if i stayed around michigan in the same business, i'd never really know if i was getting a break because of my dad. i wanted to go some place new and prove myself. those weren't the easiest of days. many long hours and weekends working, five young sons who seemed to have this need to reenact a different world war every night. ( laughter ) but if you ask ann and i what we'd give to break up just one more fight between the boys, or wake up in the morning and discover a pile of kids asleep in our room, every mom and dad knows the answer to that. those days were the-- ( applause )

these were tough days on ann, particularly. she was heroic through it all. five boys with our families a long way away. i had to travel a lot for my job then, and i'd call and try to offer support. but every mom knows that doesn't help get the homework done or get the kids out the door to school. and i knew that her job as a mom was harder than mine, and i knew without question that her job as a mom was a lot more important than mine. ( applause ) and as america saw tuesday night, ann would have succeeded at anything she wanted to do. ( applause )

like a lot of families in a new place with no family, we found kinship with a wide circle of friends through our church. when we were new to the community, it was welcoming and as the years went by, it was a joy to help others who had just moved into town or just joined our church. we had remarkably vibrant and diverse congregations from all walks of life, and many who were new to america. we prayed together, our kids played together, and we always stood ready to help each other out in different ways. that is how it is in america. we look to our communities, our faiths, our families for our joy and support in good times and pad. it's both how we live our lives and why we live our lives. the strength and power and goodness of america has always been base on the strength and power and goodness of our communities, our families, and our faiths

( cheers and applause ) that's the bedrock of what makes america america. in our best days, we can feel the vibrancy of america's communities large and small. when we see that new business opening up downtown, it's when we go to work in the morning and see everybody else on the block doing the same thing. it's when our son or daughter calls from college to talk about which job offer they should take and you try not to choke up when you hear that the one they like best is not too far from home. it's that good feeling when you have more time to volunteer to coach your kid's soccer team or help out on school trips. but for too many americans, those kind of good days are hard tore come by. how many days have you woken up feeling that something really special was happening in america? many of you felt that way on election day four years ago, hope and change had a powerful appeal.

but tonight, i'd ask a simple question-- if you felt that excitement when you voted for barack obama, shouldn't you feel that way now that he's president obama? ( applause ) you know there's something wrong with the kind of job he's done as president when the best feeling you had was the day you voted for him. ( laughter ) ( applause ) the president hasn't disappointed you because he wanted to. the president has disappointed america because he hasn't led america in the right direction. he took office without the basic qualification that most americans have and one that was essential to the task at hand. he had almost no experience working in a business. jobs to him are about

government. ( applause ) i learned the real lessons about how america works from experience. when i was 37 i helped start a small company. my partners and i had been working for a company that was in the business of helping other businesses. so some of us had this idea that if we really believed our advice was helping companies, we should invest in companies. we should bet on ourselves and on our advice. so we start aid new business called bain capital. the only problem was while we believed in ourselves not many other people did. ( laughter ). we were young and had never done this before and we almost didn't get off the ground. in those days, sometimes i wondered if i'd made a really big mistake. by the way, i thought about asking my church's pension fund to invest, but i didn't. i figured it was bad enough they

might lose my investors' money, but i didn't want to go to hell, too. ( laughter ) ( applause ) shows what i know. another of my partners got the episcopal church pension fund to invest. and today there are a lot of happy retired priests who should thank him. ( applause ) that business we started with 10 people has now grown into a great american success story. some of the companies we helped start are names you know and have heard from tonight. an office company called staples, where i'm pleased to see the obama campaign has been shopping. ( laughter ). ( applause ) the sports authority, which, of course, became a favorite of my boys. we helped start an early childhood learning company

called bright horizons that first lady michelle obama rightly praised. and at a time when nobody thought we would see a new steel mill built in america, we took a chance and built one in a cornfield in indiana. today-- ( cheers and applause ) today, steel dynamics is one of the largest steel producers in the united states. these-- these are american success stories. and yet the centerpiece of the president's entire reelection campaign is attacking success. is it any wonder that someone who attacks success has led the worst economic recovery since the great depression? ( applause ) in america, we celebrate success. we don't apologize for success. ( cheers and applause )

now, now we weren't always successful at bain. but no one ever is in the real world of business. that's what this president doesn't seem to understand. business and growing jobs is about taking risk, sometimes fail, sometimes succeeding, but always striving. it's about dreams. usually it doesn't work out exactly as you might have imagined. steve jobs was fired at apple. and then he came back and changed the world. it's the genius of the american free enterprise system to harness the extraordinary creativity and talent and industry of the american people with a system that's dedicated to creating tomorrow's prosperity not trying to

redistribute today's ( cheers and applause ) that's why-- that's why every president since the great depression who came before the american people asking for a second term could look back at the last four years and say with satisfaction, "you're better off than you were four years ago." except jimmy carter. ( laughter ). and except this president. ( cheers and applause ) this president can ask us to be patient. this president can tell us it was someone else's fault. this president it tell us that the next