The first 90 seconds

I’ve heard it said that Mitt Romney has exactly 90 seconds in the first debate to appeal to America and turn his poll numbers around, so let me give his speech-writing a try. Here we go:

“My fellow Americans, I can’t pretend that my family has ever faced the kind of insecurity that so many Americans feel today. I know I’m lucky to be where I am. Yes, I worked hard, but I spent most of my time at a desk crunching numbers or in airplanes heading for meetings, and I know a lot of you work MUCH harder than that.

“And I can see where people think the rich are spoiled. I’ve met rich people who think they’re special, that they deserve every imaginable luxury. But I’m here to tell you, as someone who’s been in that world, they’re not better than you.

“I’m a capitalist, but I’m also a religious man and I know we are all equal in God’s eyes, and so I’m going to promise you this: that as president, I will make sure that, rich or poor, you will not be denied access to education or health care. Your income should not dictate which school your child goes to. In America, anyone with talent and dedication should have an education every bit as good as the one that I got. And in America, no one should go bankrupt because of an illness they couldn’t control.

“And if that costs money, I know some wealthy people who could get by with a little less if need be.

“Because, you see, one of the fundamentals of capitalism is that value creation doesn’t happen on Wall Street; it happens when people LIKE YOU create and invent and make new things. And you can only do that when you’re healthy, educated, and free.”