Mitt Romney to College Grads: Get Hitched

Mitt Romney’s commencement speech to Southern Virginia University on Saturday is attracting notice for its advice to college graduates: marry early, and have a “quiver full of kids.”

It’s a message very much in line with Romney’s own life story as well as with his Mormon faith. It’s only Romney’s second public speech since his loss last November, and it sounds a lot like a sermon. That feels odd as Romney wasn’t one to strike a particularly religious tone on the campaign trail, but, like most politicians, he was one to tailor his messages to his audience (cough, 47 percent video) and Southern Virginia University has a predominantly Mormon student body. The speech focuses on ways graduates can live “an abundant life” by embracing experiences and “launching out into the deep” (in the words of Jesus.) He says:

Getting married is one way to launch out into the deep. I’m so glad I found Ann when I was still so young. Combining your life with another person, particularly someone—man and women are as different as we are—this combination is extraordinarily challenging and enormously rewarding. Some people could marry but choose to take more time they say for themselves. Others plan to wait until they’re well into their 30s or 40s before they think about getting married. they’re going to miss so much of living, I’m afraid.

He then transitioned into urging them to raise children. If you’ve been missing the Governor—not that all that many of you have, but hey, if you’re curious what he’s been up to—give the speech a watch. It’s enough to make a certain Princeton mom swoon.