What are the three main reasons why conservatives should prefer you over Mitt Romney today?
First of all, I have a lifetime record of being a consistent conservative working with Ronald Reagan for years, helping him in the 1979-80-election cycle. Helping for eight years while he was president. As Speaker of the House, I've led the first national Conservative take over of the House in forty years, and the first re-election for conservatives since 1928. And my record as Speaker is consistently conservative.
Second, for us to win this election, we have to undo Obama's billion-dollar campaign by debating him head to head. And I think most people agree I would be the most effective at articulating our values and our philosophy, and communicating his failures and his radicalism in the debates.
And third, I have a track record in Washington. I've balanced the budget for four consecutive years working with Bill Clinton, the only time in your lifetime that's been done. I helped passed the first big entitlement reform, Welfare; two out of three people went back to work. I helped pass the biggest capital gains tax cut in history; unemployment came down from 5.6 to 4.2 percent.
Governor Romney is a very smart man and a very good manager. But he's had no experience on the scale of change we're describing. And I think he'd be very good as a manager, if that's what Washington needs; but I think we need a change agent who is going to substantial put America back on the right track. And in that area, I think, I have just vastly more experience than he does.
Aired November 10, 2011 on The O'Reilly Factor with guest host Laura Ingraham.
