Obama campaign: Romney's greatest hits
(CNN) – President Barack Obama's re-election campaign marked the conclusion of the Republican primary - and the beginning of the general election campaign - with a nearly two-minute Web video splicing together clips of Mitt Romney's most conservative statements from the trail.
The video comes at the unofficial start of the general election campaign, and highlights the effort Obama's team will make to undermine a potential shift to the middle from the likely Republican nominee.
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"Expect us to keep holding Romney accountable for the positions he committed to during the primary. There will be no Etch A Sketch opportunities this year," Obama campaign press secretary Ben LaBolt said.
The video begins with an invitation to reminisce on the past several months: "As Republicans settle on the nominee, let's take a look at some of the unforgettable moments from this unforgettable primary."
What follows is a series of clips, mostly out of context, of Romney proclaiming positions that will make liberals cringe.
"Corporations are people, my friend," Romney says in the first sound bite. He made the statement in Iowa, making the point that corporate success often leads to profits for individuals.
The video continues with Romney asserting, "I like to be able to fire people who provide services to me." That comment was made in New Hampshire, and the candidate was advocating giving Americans the option of getting rid of their health insurance companies if they weren't pleased with their performance.
The Obama campaign video goes on to show Romney's now-famous proclamation at the Conservative Political Action Conference that he was a "severely conservative Republican governor," a statement made to quell fears among the GOP that he was too moderate to appeal to the Republican base.
Team Obama's video moves to a series of Romney clips featuring the candidate's remarks on reproductive rights, an attempt by the president's re-election campaign to capitalize on the growing gender gap, seen in several recent polls, between Romney and the incumbent Democrat.
Romney is shown saying at a debate that he believed the Supreme Court should overturn Roe v. Wade, and expressing support for a constitutional amendment that would allow employers to deny health coverage for contraception.
He is shown making the statement, "Planned Parenthood, we're going to get rid of that." Romney, who made that comment in March, explained he was referring to ending federal funding to the women's health provider.
The video has a section devoted to Romney's comments on the economy, using video of him saying "Don't try and stop the foreclosure process, let it run its course and hit the bottom."
Another clip shows Romney doubling down on a newspaper op-ed he wrote in 2008, saying "That's exactly what I said, let Detroit go bankrupt."
The video concludes with the tagline: "Mitt Romney: A severely conservative nominee. Remember that."
Romney's team responded to the video with a slam on Obama's economic record.
“It’s no surprise with the worst job creation record in modern history and a platform of raising taxes that President Obama would try to distract Americans from the real issues," Romney press secretary Andrea Saul said in a statement. "Unemployment is up, incomes are down and gas prices are through the roof. Mitt Romney is running to get Americans back to work and the country back on track.”
- CNN's Jessica Yellin and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report
Also see:
Romney on Santorum: 'This has been a good day for me'
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First what damage has Mitt Romeny done to the USA so far? Has he trippled the national debt.....no. Has he signed legislation forced down the American's throat that admittedly was never read before being presented.....no. Has he ever demanded that Congress present him with a Balanced Budget as required by law.....no. Has he ever insulted the SCOTUS during a State of the Union address........no. Has he ever bowed to any foreign leader, potantate, king, or leader humbling the USA to them...no. Has he allowed his wife to spend millions of dollars on vacation trips around the world........no. Has he allowed his wife to hire over a hundred staff members while no other First Lady ever had more than 3 and a disportionate cross section are all black......no. Has he ever said his father was a member of the Military during WWII and that he applied for Veternans assistance........no. Has he ever hid his or his wifes past under Executive Seal to include all academic records, papers, travel to foreign countries........no. Has he ever hid his "real" birth certificate and or produced one with faulty information on it...........no. Was he ever part of a "deal" to sell his political position in Illinois through appontment by the Govenor.........no. Has he ever made deals with the enemy of past until he has more room to deal after "his last election.........no. Has he ever made promises of transparency in Government and not lived up to it.....no. I can go on and on about things that our present POTUS has done but what has Mitt Romeny done that is so bad? Being a Mormon? I would trust him more than I would trust a closet Muslim who lies about his beliefs and can quote the Holy Koran word for word and say the USA is not a Christian based Nation, but it is Muslim. No sir, I for one do not like the lies, cheating, and theft that I see coming from the current POTUS. The only way he got elected and the only chance he has of being reelected is RACISM, not on the programs and polices he presents. He will cause this nation to fail if he is allowed to remain in office, mark my words.
Finally Obama can officially begin his campaign.
It's been nothing but the GOP candidates trying to shout the most fanatical garbage over each other for the last 10 months. It has been BRUTAL.
Now Obama will be able to speak for the rest of us, the majority of us, who just want a sensible – and secular – government.
@Get Real
He's going to "kill" America by signing legislation, passed by Congress, that helps cover the 50 million Americans without health insurance?
Please, please, explain this one to me. Are you saying that making 50 million plus all future generations of Americans more healthy is going to "kill" America?
Republicans had 8 long years to test out their economic theories on the American public. And look what happened. A virtually total collapse of the world economy. How's that working for you, Republican'ts? Who's crazy enough to give THAT another chance???
I'll hold my nose and vote for Obama again. Romney is awful.
LOL. Republicans are so in a tizzy because mittens is their man. Hey, we told you big money was going to ram him down your throats! Darn what you think. Lo and behold....mittens is being rammed down your throats by big money. Don't believe me? Ask Santorum if he was sunk by big money. BUT, President Obama would have beaten him too. Just like he will beat Willard in Nov.
As near as I can gather, one of your political parties had controlling power until recently, and it instituted a series of economic policies that led to a short economic bubble and a major increase in debt. These policies ultimately caused the worst economic crisis since something called "The Great Depression". Now that party is insisting that the other party is responsible for the current economy. They maintain that only they can resolve the economic crisis, and the only way to do it is by returning to and increasing the very policies that originally caused the crisis.
And many of you believe this? You Earth people are weird.
The hardest hurtle that Romney as to jump is going to be the press/media. They are in love with Obama and the liberal democratic programs.
"Obama thinks you are too stupid or too ignorate to take care of yourself and you need the Government to take care of you. "
Quote of the day courtesy of Ray E. (Georgia)
Hilarious!
Why don't democrats see they've been duped???? because we haven't! Obama has done or at least tried to do everything he said he'd try to do. the repugs' followers are the duped ones, thinking their candidates are actually working for their benefit. anyone who isn't in the 1% has no business supporting the republican party.
it's time Obama and his campaign start hammering home exactly how short-sighted and stupid, not to mention bigoted, the conservative ideology is. talk about failure. just look at trickle-down economics. more like pee-on economics! and the idea that taxing rich folks will make them less productive, that's nonsense. if they have to pay more in taxes, they'll work harder to make more, which means more jobs for the rest of us. during the country's most prosperous times, the tax rates on the rich were much higher than they are now. nobody in their right mind doesn't make money because they'll have to pay taxes on it. i'd much rather have 65 or 70% of a million dollars than 85% of thirty thousand. do the math, people!
Mitt Romney the "Cayman Island playboy" is a "severely corrupt rich and greedy flip flopper" but he was not able to say it so he uttered that he is a "severe conservative". It's not his fault. Its just that he has a mental condition.
The current day leaders of the republican party are all dangerous extremists. They are the American Taliban and Romney is just one of the people who will eventually destroy what was once a reasonable party.
Romneys camp then issued some rebuttal lies. Obama 'worst job creation in modern history'. Sorry that would go to W. Look at any chart and you will see it's a bald faced lie. The President raising taxes. On whom? Taxes are at 50 year lows. Obama gave a tax cut to 95% of Americans. Romney the lie machine. Too bad he won't be able to run away from all the lies he told during the primary when he tries to 'come to the middle' for the general election.
From 2007 to 2009, Dr. Blahous served as deputy director of President Bush’s
National Economic Council. From 2001 to 2007, he served as a special assistant to
the president for economic policy.
Get real Ms or Mr Get real.
How can Americans have such short memories? We had a economic crash worst in our history, right before Obama was sworn in. This was done by and during the Bush/Cheney era. When Obama came to office we were involved fully engulfed in two wars. Bush/Cheney Administration had spend all the surpluses left by Clinton so we had no extra funds to blow. So how can people with any brains at all can in good conscience blame Obama for this economy. It will take decades to cure the damage caused by Bush/Cheney corrupt policies for the wall street and starting unjustified war with Iraq.
@Why Don't Democrats See They've Been Duped?
All I know is that I supported Hillary in 2008. The last four years of failure is on the rest of y'all.
Your not a Democrat , your a Republican plant !
Hillary supports our President , and Obama would do the same. Wasn't it Hillary who started legislation for health care reform ? Duped is no WMDs and two ten year wars !
Lets see what is romney lying about now. Unemployment up. Yes the republicans voted against every jobs bill that came up. in 2010 the republicans ran and said they would create jobs. we have yet to see one job that the house republicans created. gas prices through the roof. republican speculators buying oil futures. the oil companys making record profits. the republicans voted not to take away oil suplements. it seems that the prices started up when it is election time again. so they can make Obama look bad. and poor mitt he just keeps on lying.
when is romney going to release his finicial statements. his swiss bank accounts. his grand caman bank accounts.
I am way better off than I was 4 years ago. 4 years ago my company went bankrupt because of superhigh interest rate changes I could not pay. Now i'm earning a decent wage and paying off all my debt. All thanks to Barak Obama.
@ v-mag on page 12
They didn't sit on their hands; they sat on Dems hands to keep them from passing destructive legislation. If they had any good ideas the legislation would have passed. Thank God there was at least a Republican majority in the house or we would be looking more like Cuba by now.
@Another Day in the Idiot Mines (not the whiny rightwing liar) page 12
No, your welfare friend was helped by the GOP and Bush. Nice try buddy.
"More than half of those still on welfare aren't looking for work, honing their skills or going to school. That has led to a crackdown by the Bush administration, which last month issued tough new regulations designed to ensure that at least half the people on welfare are involved in activities such as job training or community service."
7/18/2006 USA Today
@duped isn't Hillary part of the administration and all the same people that was in Bill Clinton administration are in Obama's . I dont get your point if Hillary was president the same policies would be in play ACA is really Hillarys pet project. She been trying to get that into law for 20 years. I wish people would look at the fact the president is a front man for big business on both sides not the guy who makes policy. The president has been a puppet since JFK. Wake up America before its too late
I wonder how many people on this blog actually knows how the government works and what duties each branch has. Congress writes laws and write policy on whats best for the country. The president reviews it and signs it. The court make sure its lawful. The only thing the president controls is the military. The dummies out there think he can make jobs,control the price of gas,reduce the debt. Congress is responsible for all the things we blame the president for. The thing is the republicans summit bills that only benefit the rich. The president cant govern just for the rich. Congress full of republican slime send these slime balls back home come november.
@get real how can providing healthh care to people who need it kill the country. might kill the health insurance business might lower the cost of medical care. It may even create some jobs. So why is Canada not dead yet they have universal healthcare is their country in the tank. People not running from canada to stay here.If the republicans cant make money off it its bad for the country. Republicans are the most selfish self serving people on the planet.The selfish wing of our government. They only want whats best for themselves the country is not something they want to survive that would mean sharing the wealth. That is a sin in republican circles.