(CNN) - A major conservative organization, Americans for Prosperity, became the latest group Wednesday to capitalize on President Barack Obama's line that the "private sector is doing fine," with an ad in six presidential battleground states.
Backed by what they say is a $5.5 million ad buy, the AFP spot weaves the president's June 8th line with economic statistics and narration.
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"How can the president be so out of touch?" the narrator in the spot says while the screen reads "40 straight months of unemployment above 8%." "How can he fix the economy if he doesn't know what's wrong?" the narrator continues.
Obama made the statement at a press conference while saying the private sector added 4.3 million jobs in the past 27 months, compared to the performance of the public sector that he said was not at the same level.
He clarified the remark later in the day following heavy criticism from those on the other side of the political aisle.
"It is absolutely clear that the economy is not doing fine," Obama said.
Mitt Romney, his campaign and the super PAC supporting his candidacy are among those who have attacked the president for the gaffe.
AFP said the latest commercial, which will run over the next ten days in Colorado, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania, is part of $20 million spent since last fall criticizing Obama administration policies.
"Our new ad demonstrates just how far removed the president is from the real economy," AFP President Tim Phillips said in a statement. "The fact is the private sector is severely hampered by the specter of rising taxes and new regulations."
The group that receives funding from the millionaire Koch brothers unveiled plans Tuesday, including ads, to influence Senate campaigns in Montana, Nevada, Florida, Missouri, Wisconsin and Virginia that will tie Democratic senators to the president.
– CNN Political Reporter Shannon Travis contributed to this report.
Also see:
Major GOP donor eyes $100 million in donations
Rubio to shelve GOP immigration plan
From CNN Politics
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Ahh, the republicans. If they can't steal an election outright they'll spend hundreds of millions to buy it.
What he meant by the private sector is outfits like Bain Capital who are making money hand over fist destroying jobs and paying themselves very well. There.
Obama/Biden 2012
The conservative party is so desperate they'll latch on to anything they THINK is a gaffe because it gives them yet another excuse to not talk about their draconian agenda.
"...the private sector is severely hampered by the specter of rising taxes and new regulations." –Mitt Romney
In other words, what we need to do to improve the economy is give the rich more money and allow them to do anything they want to further gouge the public. So, the GOP keeps obstructing any hope of improving the economy in order to further their own ends–to make the rich and powerful richer and more powerful.
"Specter of rising taxes and new regulations"....
Umm, rising taxes = end of tax breaks.
This rising taxes is a lie fed to the masses. Taxes on lower and middle classes aren't being raised, and there have been bruhahas of ending what were supposed to be "TEMPORARY" tax breaks.
Tax cuts for "job creators"? Where are the jobs? Why have the small businesses, the ones who don't have the tax breaks, doing all the hiring? Why are big corporations with their hands out to the government not hiring people and sitting on cash instead of investing and getting this economy going. But who in this country thinks about this? This is what the uber wealthy want. A thinkless, drone society.
Federal government needs to have regulations for safety and prevent monopolies– that is one of the duties of a federal government.
Obama truly is "clueless." It's unfathomable to me that he could be living in the same country I'm living in and STILL spout that comment in regard to ANYTHING in America. We are NOT doing fine, . . IN ANY WAY! !
Hey, part of that 8.2% number is former public sector workers whom conservatives demanded lose their jobs. But if we can blame Obama for the whole number rather than being honest about, so be it! Meanwhile, let's also take his "private sector" comment out of context. Like the American voters are going to investigate anything for themselves...sheesh!
"americans for the prosperous" is the sleaziest organization around.
Why do Conservatives have to take things out of context to make their point? I believe it is because they have to deflect attention from their total lack of support for the middle class.
But did he say he likes firing people that service him?
Anyone understand what Willard Bullock is trying to say? My NASCAR de-coder ring can't even decipher it...
How is this a gaffe? A gaffe is a blunder or a mistake. Obama's comments made clear he truly believes the private sector is doing fine. He didn't misspeak or choose the wrong words. Unless, of course, the "gaffe" was telling the truth - as he sees it.
Just let those republicans keep on spending that dough from their rich pals. They could be using it to help America. Speaking of gaffes, Romney has made more than enough, but the right-wing does not rage about that. Only get gaga over President Obamas remarks because they hate the black man. Wake up America and vote these republican clowns out of office. They are doing nothing but wringing their hands. I do not want my tax dollars to support these fools any longer. They are a disgrace to humanity. I would love to be a fly on the wall at their dinner tables to hear their discussions. If they would speak the truth then maybe they would have a chance. Instead they are expecting us to vote for Romney, a man who is phony as they come, has no convictions and can not think for himself. They are the ones who want a puppet in the white house to stoke their egos.
If Obama is wrong for making that statement, then rather than the Republicans to capitalize on it wouldn't it make more sense for them to tell us what their plan is for the "private sector" because the private sector along with the rest of America haven't heard one plan from Romney. Paul Ryan's budget plan is the only plan we've heard from the GOP and Romney signed on to it. Mitt Romney's not in the "Secret Service" so he needs to uncover the truth.
It cracks me up that people are blaming CNN for keeping this non-story alive. In reality, it's rightwing wackos that are keeping this alive. They have nothing else to run on, so they'll keep using what they see as a misstatement by the president any chance they get. This is a new ad, and CNN is reporting on the ad, not the original story.
Much ado about nothing. This is a presidential election year politics. The difference between this year and others is the Right's exceptional hatred for the President, from the moment he was elected. They have made it clear over and over again that they will do all they can to make him a one-term president.
Team Obama needs to come back with Romney's quote, "The Poor don't matter"! Except for Obama was talking relative to the Plubic sector, that the teachers, firemen, policemen and etc., were not finding jobs in government, mainly State government who have slashed their budgets and decided to get rid of teachers, policemen and firemen. Not sure about state government workers though.
The economy was fine until the GOP had control of the White House for eight years.
Obama is out of touch with reality.
Right wing crybabies fail to acknowledge that since the stimulus was passed without a single Republican vote that we've had 11 strait quarters of GDP growth. Sure unemployment is still a little high, but it's not like they have any plans besides big 'Bush-like' tax cuts and more government layoffs. In states they control, the GOP has laid off many thousands of government workers, shelved road work and anything else that would keep the economy slow, seemingly for their shallow political goals.
He said what he thinks. If you listen / read his retraction you will not see him back off this statement.
The one and only reason that this immigration/amnesty is being pushed is because the present occupant of the Oval Office needs the vote. The one and only reason that voter I.D. laws are being beaten down is because the present occupant of the Oval Office, et.al.,needs the illegal votes like he had in the last election. Also, recall that the DOJ feels that harassment of voters at the polls is prefectly okay. It's definitely going to be an interesting show that unfolds. This November, we most likely will see voter fraud unlike we've ever seen previously.
nothing hurts worse than your own words.....
Obama 2012 – BEND Forward America, take another 4 long years of FAILURE....you still here, you are so freakingly ignorant, your below plant level IQ is showing everytime you blog....PARASITE
Yup. Keep harping on that one line. Got nothin else to say. See results of poll elsewhere on CNN today.