Romney Campaign Press Release - Mitt Romney: "We Have in a President, Someone Who ... Doesn't Understand How the Economy Works"

Mitt Romney

Republican Presidential Candidate Debate

Sioux City, Iowa

December 15, 2011

Mitt Romney on the Private Sector Creating Jobs:

BRET BAIER: "Thank you, Neil. This question is from Twitter. It's for you, Governor Romney. @alreadyeonjamespage tweets: over the next ten years in what sector or industries will most of the new jobs be created?"

MITT ROMNEY: "The great thing is the free market will decide that, government won't. We have in a president, someone who, again, doesn't understand how the economy works, and thinks that as a government, he can choose for instance which energy sector is going to be successful. So he invests as a venture capitalist in certain car companies that have electric battery power, not understanding that perhaps Toyota and GM could do a better job than Tesla and Fisker. The president decides to go into Solyndra because he thinks that solar power is going to be the future. Look, let the markets determine what the future course of our economy will be. What do I happen to think will be the future? I think manufacturing is going to come back. I think manufacturing, for some of the reasons Rick just indicated, it's going to come back to the U.S. I also think, of course, high-tech is going to be extraordinary source of growth for a long time in this country. And energy. We have extraordinary energy resources in this country. Opening those up, our president holds them off, doesn't give them the permits to start drilling and getting the natural gas and oil. Those are some of the areas that are extraordinarily powerful. This economy has every potential to continue to lead the world. Our president thinks America is in decline. It is if he's president. It's not if I'm president. This is going to be an American century."