In an interview with Fox News today, Romney struck back after being excoriated by Team Obama for his record at Bain, including the accusation by deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter that he is either a felon or liar.
“It's ridiculous and of course beneath the dignity of the presidency and of his campaign. He really needs to rein in his team and to finally take responsibility for what they're saying. This is really absurd."
"I think this is showing a pattern. You just had bad news on the economic front with now 41 straight months with unemployment above 8%. And what does the president do? He says he is going to raise taxes on people, he's trying to gut welfare reform as we know it, and he launches attacks of this nature. It's beneath the dignity of his office."
Calling someone a felon is a pretty serious accusation, especially given that the claims in the attacks have already been debunked by multiple fact-checkers. Still, the Obama campaign refuses to apologize. Seriously – enough is enough.
But while we’re on the subject of lying, let’s take a nice trip down memory lane, courtesy of the RNC:
THEN: Obama Said Negative Ads “Do The American People A Disservice By Trying To Distract Us From The Very Real Challenges That We Face.” OBAMA: “All of those negative ads that he’s running won’t do a thing to lower your gas prices or to lift up the debate in this country. The fact is, these Washington tactics do the American people a disservice by trying to distract us from the very real challenges that we face.” (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks In Cedar Rapids, IA,7/31/08)
THEN: Obama Warned Of “Slash And Burn, Say-Anything, Do-Anything Politics That’s Calculated To Divide And Distract.” OBAMA: “So I expect we’re going to see a lot more of that over the next few days. More of the slash and burn, say-anything, do-anything politics that’s calculated to divide and distract; to tear us apart instead of bringing us together. Well, that’s not the kind of politics the American people need right now.” (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks, Columbus, OH, 11/2/08)
THEN: Obama Said “If You Don’t Have Any Fresh Ideas, Then You Use Stale Tactics To Scare Voters.” OBAMA: “Because if you don’t have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare the voters. If you don’t have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from. You make a big election about small things.” (Senator Barack Obama, Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Democratic National Convention, Denver, CO, 8/28/08)
THEN: Obama Said “If You Can’t Beat Your Opponents Ideas, You Distort Those Ideas And Maybe Make Some Up.” OBAMA: “Deep down, Senator McCain knows that, which is why his campaign said that ‘if we keep talking about the economy, we’re going to lose.’ That’s why he’s spending these last weeks calling me every name in the book. Because that’s how you play the game in Washington. If you can’t beat your opponent’s ideas, you distort those ideas and maybe make some up.” (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks in Canton, Ohio,10/27/08)
THEN: Obama Said “If You Don’t Have A Record To Run On, Then You Paint Your Opponent As Someone People Should Run Away From. You Make A Big Election About Small Things.” (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks in Canton, Ohio, 10/27/08)
THEN: Obama Vowed To “Fire” Any Of His Staff Who Attacked His Opponents Personally. “In a news conference today, Mr. Obama vowed to fire anyone on his staff who was looking into the personal lives of a candidate in the Democratic field . He was responding to a question asked about research pertaining to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.” (Jeff Zeleny, “Obama’s Vow On Opposition Research,” The New York Times’ “The Caucus” Blog, 12/15/07)
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