The crowd at the Values Voter Summit still seemed to love Mitt Romney who drew many supporters last year during his run for president.
“Palin herself could put the lipstick on the pitbull,” Romney said to a cheering crowd.
The audience drew quieter as Romney focused most of his address on the foreign policy and the economy. When he began talking about religion, gay marriage, and abortion, the crowd became more energized.
“Americans are God-fearing people. Even those who don’t believe in God, in this country, they really believe in something bigger than themselves, as Rick Warren called it, a purpose-driven life. We’re family oriented. We sacrifice everything we have for our spouse and our children. In my view, a family begins with commitment of marriage and marriage is a commitment between a man and a woman.”
The “values voters” began booing quietly when he mentioned Barack Obama’s remarks at the Saddleback forum in August.
“Americans respect the sanctity of human life. We value life from its very beginning to its very end. Rather than vigorously defending life, Barack Obama just a couple of weeks ago, dismissed an inquiry with a flippant response that it’s above his pay grade. Did you hear what he said would be the most important criteria for selecting a Supreme Court justice? Their empathy. How about respect for the law and the constitution?”
Romney came in first in a straw poll at last year’s summit when he was still running for president.