(CNN) – Donald Trump, whose penchant for questioning President Barack Obama's place of birth showed no signs of abating Friday, is helping presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney raise money. Isn't such close proximity to the "birther" conspiracy embarrassing for a candidate who's serious about becoming the next president?

That was the question posed by CNN Chief Political Analyst Gloria Borger to Romney's senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom Friday.
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(CNN) – When Mitt Romney was elected governor of Massachusetts in 2002, the state was in an economic situation similar to where the country is now, Romney senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom said in a Friday interview on CNN's "The Situation Room."

"The state was in recession, in many ways the circumstances of the economy were similar to what the nation is facing now. We were losing thousands of jobs every month, the budget was completely unbalanced," he said. The Obama campaign points to 26 consecutive months of job creation, which began shortly after President Barack Obama took office.

"After four years, Mitt Romney had turned that situation completely around. The budget had been balanced four years in a row without raising taxes," Fehrnstrom said.

Washington (CNN) – The Obama ads about Bain Capital, the private equity firm Mitt Romney used to run, are harsh.

"They closed it down. They filed for bankruptcy," said a somber former employee of GST steel in a recent Obama campaign ad.
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Washington (CNN) - Poll results and strong fundraising portend a tight presidential election in November. The rising heat of political rhetoric by the candidates and their surrogates guarantees it will be nasty and brutal.

President Barack Obama has ratcheted up his criticism of certain Republican opponent Mitt Romney, using a campaign speech Thursday in Iowa to accuse the former Massachusetts governor of a "cow pie of distortion" about the records of both men.

(CNN) - "It didn't work then. It's not going to work now."

Texas Gov. Rick Perry spoke from experience Friday when he argued the recent Democratic attacks against Mitt Romney's private equity career will fail to carry much weight in the long run.
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(CNN) – The Donald says it's the buzz.

Asked Friday in a guest appearance on ABC's "The View" if he was interested in joining Mitt Romney's presidential ticket, Donald Trump asked, "Who would turn it down?"
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Washington (CNN) – Wanted: A political attack dog ready to tear into President Barack Obama. Must play by team rules, be able to withstand the pressure of a presidential campaign and pass a rigorous vetting process.

Being qualified to be president is a definite plus.

(CNN) – President Barack Obama's re-election campaign continued to hound Mitt Romney Friday over his position that smaller class sizes may not be a key component for quality education.

Democratic Mayor Michael Nutter of Philadelphia, where Romney stopped the day prior to talk with teachers at a charter school, leveled heavy charges at the candidate, saying his policies were "out of touch," "misguided" and "backwards."
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(CNN) – After Mitt Romney's campaign said the candidate would "stand up to China on trade" in a new ad this week, former GOP presidential candidate Jon Huntsman on Thursday said Romney was using "typical" campaign rhetoric.

"This is a typical trajectory, where during a campaign season you're going to talk about China in ways that you're hearing today," Huntsman, also a former U.S. Ambassador to China, said on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront."
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(CNN) - While Mitt Romney has a big lead over President Barack Obama among white voters with financial struggles, the president fares better on economic issues among voters overall, according to a new national poll released Friday.

The Washington Post/ABC News survey indicates that middle class white voters who say they face economic hardship prefer Romney over Obama by a wide margin, 58% to 32%.
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