This is all about creating good jobs for middle-income Americans, and it's a place where the President, frankly, has failed. His effort to put in place a series of liberal proposals he thought were historic kept his eye off the ball of getting the economy going again. It is the economy, and the American people aren't stupid. They want someone who can get this economy going again.

Reforming the way the state works with businesses and providing incentives for employers will help preserve and create new jobs in Massachusetts.

Every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states, that's the right direction. And if you can go even further, and send it back to the private sector, that's even better.

The TARP program was nevertheless necessary to keep banks from collapsing in a cascade of failures.

I think the minimum wage ought to keep pace with inflation.

Instead of just giving lip service to improving our schools, I will actually put the kids first and the teachers union behind in giving our kids better teachers, better options and better choices for a better future.

I'm optimistic about the future. I'm excited about our prospects as a nation. I want to see peace. I want to see growing peace in America. It's our objective.