Big Think

Question: Is the American political system broken?

Mitt Romney: Washington is broken. The states are doing a pretty good job. Cities across the country are doing a pretty good job. States are able to balance their budgets – doing so without raising taxes, without borrowing money. But Washington has been incapable of dealing with the extraordinary challenges America faces today – dealing with global jihad; dealing with the overuse of energy; the overspending of money in Washington; recognizing the need to become more competitive, particularly with Asia. The job just hasn’t been done. Of course something as simple as illegal immigration . . . Washington has been unable to stem the tide of illegal immigrants into the country. So it’s time to have people from outside Washington who are not lifelong politicians finally get the reigns and get America back on track. Recorded on: 11/26/07