“Contentious” debates? Romney suggests “grilling” is part of process (AUDIO)

Mitt Romney appeared on KSCJ Radio early this morning to chat with Randy Renshaw and  Sam Clovis, a Morningside College professor who also hosts a show on KSCJ. Clovis asked the first question, about the “very contentious season of debates” in which the candidates “all seem to be looking for red meat from each other.”

Romney answered: “I think the people in our party want to make sure that the person we nominate is someone who can beat Barack Obama and can go toe-to-toe with him in debates…I think it sort of goes with the territory if you’re going to get up on that stage, running for president, you ought to expect to face some tough questions and I have and I’ve asked some tough questions as well, but we also recognize we’re all on the same team.  I think we’ve pretty much all said we feel that anyone on that stage would do a better job leading the country than President Obama and I sure feel that way.”

Renshaw followed up, asking if there had been “too much shooting inside the tent” at the debates.

“Well, I think people have been saying that since the very beginning of the country,” Romney said. “We’re pretty open about the beliefs we have and about the direction we think this country should head and I think because of the fact that President Obama, that he doesn’t know what it takes to get this economy moving once again, we know how important it is to select someone who can beat him and so we’re going to face a lot of grilling, a lot of scrutiny and you know there’ll be a lot of information and misinformation, but over time the American people sort things out pretty well and I think that’ll happen in this process.”

Audio of opening part of KSCJ interview with Mitt Romney.

Audio of last half of KSCJ interview with Mitt Romney.