Romney calls on GOP to shape up

Presidential hopeful and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) Wednesday called on Republicans to get their house in order and return to the party’s core values.

{mosads}“When Republicans act like Democrats, America loses,” Romney says in a new television ad. “It’s time for Republicans to start acting like Republicans.”

With congressional approval ratings at historic lows, Romney hopes to cast himself as a Washington outsider who can bring change to a party that has lost its way. In the ad, he tackles several problems that the party’s conservative base has with GOP lawmakers in Washington, including a lack of fiscal discipline, efforts to pass a comprehensive immigration bill and the ethics woes that have plagued Republicans.

“We can’t be like Democrats — a party of big spending,” Romney says in the spot. “We can’t pretend our borders are secure from illegal immigration. We can’t have ethical standards that are a punch line for Jay Leno.”

The ad will begin airing in New Hampshire Wednesday and in Iowa on Saturday.