MORRISON — A confident Mitt Romney, two weeks out from Election Day, spoke about his campaign as a movement sweeping the nation during a moonlit rally at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Tuesday night.
Repeatedly, Romney referred to President Barack Obama as a president whose time has passed — out of ideas to improve the economy and out of touch with the needs of business owners. Romney said his own plans would restore American prosperity and prestige.
Recommended Stories
“The president’s status-quo campaign … is why he’s slipping, and it’s why we’re gaining,” said Romney, who was joined at the rally by running mate Paul Ryan. “It’s why this movement is growing across the country.”
Roughly 10,000 people packed into the concert venue west of Denver, with thousands more turned away at the door. Traffic leading into Red Rocks gridlocked in the hours before the event. The lines to go through security and enter the venue wound through the parking lots.
It was the Romney campaign’s biggest rally in Colorado by far, and the campaign pulled out the stops for it.
Supporters in the audience clacked together Thundersticks, creating a sound akin to a stampede. Musicians Kid Rock and Rodney Atkins warmed up the crowd. Colorado Rockies legend Todd Helton showed up to give his endorsement. And New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, a rising star in the Republican Party, also was on the bill, telling the crowd: “There’s a guy backstage who has the answers to the problems we face.”
When that guy walked out on stage — and the crowd roared a deafening roar — he appeared in awe of the scene before him.
