President Obama said this week that Mitt Romney's record as a wealth and job creator vampire-like corporate raider at Bain Capital will be the crux of the fall campaign. Team Romney calls out the incumbent for his wishful thinking in a new web ad, which offers a stark reminder of what the 2012 contest will actually be about:
Unemployment has been above eight percent for 39 straight months. "Real" unemployment remains close to 15 percent. The workforce participation rate is at a three-decade low. Corrosive, chronic unemployment drags on for millions of Americans. Foreclosures continue to pile up. And the national debt is fast approaching $16 Trillion, with no signs of receding. This is the Obama legacy, which is why he's intent on directing the national conversation toward a handful of failed investments at Bain Capital, while willfully ignoring the company's superb overall track record. It's not working. The polls and members of the president's own party demonstrate as much. Is Romney's messaging on unemployment, debt and decline starting to break through? A new poll shows the Republican leaping ahead of Obama in the key swing state of Florida:
Gov. Mitt Romney holds a 47 – 41 percent lead over President Barack Obama in Florida, where 63 percent of voters say the president’s support of same-sex marriage will not affect their vote, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Romney’s lead in the horse race compares to a 44 – 43 percent tie in a May 3 survey by the independent Quinnipiac University and a 49 – 42 percent Obama lead March 28. Florida registered voters say 52 – 44 percent that the president does not deserve a second term in the Oval Office and by 52 – 44 percent give him a thumbs-down on his job approval.
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Somewhat astonishingly, the Obama campaign's rapid response director has proactively raised the issue of debt in her twitter feed. Since she's working for the undisputed debt king, one would think she'd do everything within her power to avoid the topic. I guess not. She tried to paint Romney as a reckless accuer of debt, and failed spectacularly. Not only did Romney transform Massachusetts' $3 billion deficit into a $2 billion rainy day fund without raising taxes (though he did raise some fees), the Washington Post's fact-checker confirms that he "significantly slowed" the rate of debt accumulation in the state. Glenn Kessler also explains that state and federal debt are two very different beasts, and even in a convoluted head-to-head comparison, Romney's debt record is far better than Obama's. The paper awarded the Obama camp Three Pinnochios for its misleading claims. But by all means, Team Obama, please make debt and deficits a big issue this fall. I dare you.
UPDATE - Guess who appointed two "vampire capitalists" to his jobs council?
Are “job destroyers” sitting on President Obama’s jobs council? There could be, if you believe the argument from Democrats and the Obama campaign that private equity executives are profit seekers who often run roughshod over workers, companies and communities. Two Obama-appointed members of the White House Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, an advisory committee, are leading figures in the private equity industry.
Surprise!
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