Charlie Rose Talks to Mitt Romney

What’s the essential difference between your approach and President Obama’s jobs plan?
The President’s plan is another short-term stimulus effort, akin to throwing a cup of gasoline on embers. What America needs is a more fundamental reform of the foundation of our economy to stimulate growth, investment, and hiring. The plan I’ve proposed is far more fundamental and far-reaching than a mere stimulus.

You’ve defended Social Security and were behind a new health-care plan as governor of Massachusetts. What do you see as government’s role?
The primary role of the government is to encourage the innovation and risk-taking and entrepreneurship of the American people. Of course, government plays a role in establishing regulations that are modern and updated to capture the bad actors but also encourage the innovators. And government can play a role in opening markets for American goods, in maintaining a stable currency, in establishing education systems that provide our people with the skills they need for the jobs of today and tomorrow. So government plays a role, but the role is limited to creating the conditions which allow the private market and individuals to pursue their dreams and thereby build our economy.