Romney Sells "Believe" Not "Hope" in Speech
Tampa, Fla. - In his victory speech tonight Mitt Romney acknowledged the fact this race is looking more and more like it will be a long one.
"A competitive primary does not divide us; it prepares us. And when we gather here in Tampa seven months from now for our convention, ours will be a united party with a winning ticket for America!" he proclaimed to a joyful crowd at the Tampa Convention Center.
With 95% reporting, Romney won the Florida Republican primary with 46% of the vote. Gingrich finished second with 32% while Rick Santorum and Ron Paul finished a distant third and fourth with 13% and 7%, respectively.
Romney spent little time worrying about the potentially divided primary and quickly pivoted from pleasantries to general election campaign mode. Romney went after President Obama question his leadership abilities, particularly his handling of the economy. "Leadership is about taking responsibility, not making excuses. In another era of American crisis, Thomas Paine is reported to have said, "Lead, follow, or get out of the way." Mr. President, you were elected to lead, you chose to follow, and now it's time for you to get out of the way!", he said, throwing a bit of red meat to the crowd.
Romney got in another great zinger mocking the president's 2008 slogan before wrapping up.
"Together, we will build an America where "hope" is a new job with a paycheck, not a faded word on an old bumper sticker," he said.
Meanwhile, the Romney campaign was busy hawking these "Believe" t-shirts in the lobby.
