Marco Rubio and Paul Ryan disown Mitt Romney's failed White House campaign Tying himself instead to the working and middle class, Mr Rubio said: "In the kitchens of our hotels. In the landscaping crews that work in our neighbourhoods. In the late night janitorial shifts that clean our offices. There you will find the dreams America was built on. There you will find the promise of tomorrow. He urged the US to drastically improve educational standards. Mr Ryan, a Wisconsin congressman and Mr Romney's former running mate, delivered a similar implicit condemnation of the former Massachusetts governor's comments, in which he also said that because the "47 per cent" would be voting for Mr Obama, "my job is not to worry about those people." Hailing Mr Kemp - the party's late vice-presidential candidate in 1996 - as a politician who "hated the idea that any part of America could be written off," Mr Ryan called for a new Republican assault on poverty, in which 46 million Americans are currently mired. Both parties tend to divide Americans into 'their voters' and 'our voters', said Mr Ryan, 42, who worked for Mr Kemp as a speechwriter on the 1996 campaign. Let's be clear - Republicans need to steer well clear of that track. We must speak to the aspirations and anxieties of every American. Reiterating his view that a new approach was needed, Mr Ryan said: "The election, it didn't go our way - and the Republican party can't make excuses," adding: "Losing is part of politics and it can often prepare the way for greater victories." Striking a markedly less radical tone than during this year's election race, Mr Ryan hailed America's "free enterprise system" but declared: "Every problem does not disappear through the workings of the free market alone." He urged government to spend money more wisely and make it easier for civic society and the voluntary sector to help impoverished communities via deregulation. Mr Ryan appeared to suggest that Mr Romney's campaign - which was also blighted by remarks that he was "not concerned about the very poor" and "liked being able to fire people" - had not done enough to counter accusations that the Republicans were America's nasty party. "We have a compassionate vision based on ideas that work," he told hundreds of captivated activists in a hotel ballroom. But sometimes we don't do a very good job of laying out that vision. We need to do a better job on that. Speaking before Mr Rubio was given the same Jack Kemp award that he won last year, Mr Ryan fuelled speculation that both men are likely to stand for president in 2016. Suggesting that the pair meet for a reunion meal, he joked to Mr Rubio: "Know of any diners in Iowa or New Hampshire?," referring to the first two states to vote on the candidate in four years' time. After taking the stage himself, Mr Rubio said: "Paul, thank you for your invitation of lunch in Iowa and New Hampshire - but I will not stand by and see the people of South Carolina ignored," referring to the third state due to vote. To much laughter from the crowd, he added: "Just kidding."