Mitt Romney fired up his conservative base yesterday with a blistering attack on President Obama’s stewardship of the American economy that focused on Obama’s recent statement that, “If you’ve got a business. you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.”
Romney responded:
That “insulting” line proved to be very popular among conservatives later, but perhaps more interesting is the length to which Romney went to portray Obama’s view on the role of government in America as un-American. Romney also said yesterday:
Romney is boldly attacking Obama as a foreign influence who is trying to change the course of America. This is not the plodding language of a candidate trying to play it safe. Obama’s attacks on Romney’s tenure at Bain and his offshore accounts appear to have liberated Romney on the trail. The gloves are off.
Campaign 2012
Obama: ABC News‘ Jake Tapper confirms that Obama did in fact say, “If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.”
Romney: Romney released a new ad today asking, “Where Did All The Obama Stimulus Money Go?”
New Hampshire: A new WMUR Granite State Poll shows that 49 percent of likely New Hampshire voters said they will vote for Obama, compared to 45 percent who plan to vote for Romney. In April, Obama held a 9-point lead over Romney.
Ohio: Obama’s campaign filed a federal lawsuit in Columbus on Wednesday, seeking to force the state to implement a the three day early voting period.
Around the Bigs
ABC News, Study says Obama tax proposals could cost 700,000 jobs: Accounting firm Ernst and Young released a study showing yesterday that Obama’s proposed tax hikes could cost the already sputtering economy more than 700,000 jobs.
Gallup, U.S. Economic Confidence Falls to Lowest Since January: Gallup’s U.S. Economic Confidence Index fell four points last week, and now stands at the lowest weekly average since late January of this year.
The Washington Post, U.S. economic fears shift from Europe toward ‘fiscal cliff’: Analysts say anxiety about the impact of the fast-approaching fiscal cliff — the series of federal spending cuts and tax hikes set to take effect at the beginning of 2013 if Congress and the Obama administration do not act — is displacing Europe as the primary threat to the nation’s sputtering economy.
The New York Times, Bernanke Offers No Hint of New Action: The Federal Reserve chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, said Tuesday that the Fed was seeking greater clarity about the health of the recovery, suggesting that officials were not ready to approve another round of stimulus.
The New York Times, Gloomy Forecast for States, Even if Economy Rebounds: Rising Medicaid costs and pension expenses for public employees threaten states’ abilities to provide basic government services as they continue struggling with unreliable tax bases in a weak economy, according to a task-force report.
The Los Angeles Times, Pension funds seriously underfunded, studies find: Corporate and public pension funds across the country are seriously underfunded, threatening the retirement security of workers and straining the financial health of state and local governments, according to a pair of independent studies.
The Wall Street Journal, Fighting Escalates in Syrian Capital: Syrian forces and rebel soldiers moved reinforcements into Damascus as fighting intensified in the Syrian capital, where residents reported heavy shelling and street fighting for the third day in President Bashar al-Assad’s seat of power.
Righty Playbook
The Washington Examiner‘s Phil Klein reports that Obama has invested over $200,000 in companies that ship jobs overseas.
At Hot Air, Robert Bluey notes that Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called for new “limits on First Amendment rights,” including support for his DISCLOSE Act.
National Review calls on Romney to release more tax returns. NRO’s Daniel Foster and Fox News’ Charles Krauthammer disagree.
Lefty Playbook
Talking Points Memo‘s Benjy Sarlin claims Obama never said, “If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.”
ThinkProgress lists 15 conservatives who are calling on Romney to release more tax returns.
The New York Times‘ Eduardo Porter advises unions to give up on collective bargaining and become a lobbying organization like the AARP.
