SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Utah congressional candidate Mia Love says it's possible to "revive" the America she came to know as the daughter of Haitian immigrants by focusing on self-reliance, not President Obama's failed policies.
Love drew rousing cheers Tuesday night during a coveted slot at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.
Love is a darling of tea-party and conservative Republicans for her groundbreaking role in state politics as Utah's first black female mayor.
She now stands to become the first black Republican woman in Congress if she topples Democrat Jim Matheson in the November election.
Love told the convention President Obama's version of America is a divided one and that the country is not better off since he took office.
She says that can change with Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.
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Mi Love's RNC speech
“The America I Know”
“Let me tell you about the America I know. My parents immigrated to the U.S. believing that the America they had heard about really did exist. When times got tough they did not look to Washington, they looked within. So, the America I came to know was centered in personal responsibility and filled with the American dream.
“The America I know is grounded in the determination found in patriots and pioneers, in small business owners with big ideas, in the farmers who work in the beauty of our landscapes, in our heroic military, and our inspiring Olympians. It is in every child who looks at the seemingly impossible and says, “I can do that.” That is the America I know!
“President Obama’s version of America is a divided one, often pitting us against each other based on our income level, gender, and social status. His policies have failed. We are not better off than we were four years ago and no rhetoric, bumper sticker, or Hollywood ad campaign can change that.
“Mr. President I am here to tell you – we are not buying what you are selling in 2012. “Why? Because we know that the American dream is not just my story, and it is not just your story, it is our story. It is a story of human struggle – of standing up and striving for more. It’s been told for over 200 years with small steps and giant leaps: from a woman on a bus to a man with a dream; from the bravery of the greatest generation to the entrepreneurs of today. This is our story – this is the America we know because we built it.
“With Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan we can revive the American story we know and love. The world will know it, our children will tell it, and our grandchildren will possess it for years to come!”
