Super PAC uses Olympic 'opening ceremony' to hit Romney in ad
(CNN) - The super PAC backing President Barack Obama uses the Olympic "parade of nations" to mock Mitt Romney's reported overseas investment accounts in a television ad released Wednesday.
The minute-long ad from Priorities USA is set to air in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia during broadcasts of the London Olympics, the group said. The games begin Friday.
An official with the group said the ad was part of a larger $20 million television and Internet push "to educate voters about Mitt Romney's business record and policies that hurt middle class families."
The spot features an announcer detailing Romney's accounts as video rolls of past Olympic opening ceremonies.
"Welcome to the Olympics!" the announcer says. "There’s Mitt Romney, who ran the Salt Lake City Games, waving to China – home to a billion people. Thousands owe their jobs to Mitt Romney’s companies."
Romney, who will attend the London opening ceremony as part of a three-nation foreign tour, was the president and CEO of the Salt Lake City Winter Games in 2002.
His campaign frequently cites his experience there by saying he turned around a failing operation into one of the most successful games in history.
The spot latches onto a now-familiar attack line from Obama's team, which has hit its rival for reportedly shipping jobs overseas during his time as chief executive of Bain Capital.
Romney's team counters that he left Bain before the firm invested in companies that outsourced jobs, though some records indicate he was still listed as the firm's CEO.
The Romney campaign has also pointed to a nonpartisan fact-check from FactCheck.Org, which poked holes in the "outsourcer" claims, and recently launched a new offensive accusing the president of outsourcing jobs through his administration's trade policies and loan guarantee program.
The Priorities ad ticks off a host of foreign countries as footage rolls of delegates entering an Olympic stadium.
"India, which also gained jobs thanks to Romney, an outsourcing pioneer. And Burma, where Romney had the uniforms made for the 2002 games," the announcer says, before moving on to countries that are regarded as offshore tax havens.
"We know the Swiss have a special place in Mitt Romney's wallet – er – heart," the announcer says. "He kept millions in Swiss banks – those Swiss sure know how to keep a secret. Speaking of secrets, there's Bermuda. Home to a secretive corporation set up by Romney. No one knows why. And Romney won’t tell. And the Cayman Islands. Where Romney keeps millions to avoid U.S. taxes."
The ad concludes: "You gotta say this about Mitt Romney. He sure knows how to go for the gold - for himself."
Democrats have also used this line of attack on Romney in the past, claiming the presumptive GOP nominee isn't being transparent enough in only disclosing two years of personal income tax information. Romney has released his income tax return from 2010, and has vowed to release his 2011 return when his accountant completes it. He did release an estimate of his 2011 taxes.
Romney's campaign says that level of disclosure is beyond what is legally required of presidential candidates, and is plenty of information for voters to decide between Romney and Obama.
Romney gets his Chinese money from Adelson (his two casinos in Macau, China), now he's in his favorite – Europe – for fundraisers.
And you think President Obama is FOREIGN? RMoney is foreign owned. Or does he own China and the European and Asian countries? I'm sure he will promise all of them our American jobs. It's just what he does.
Obama's campaign theme song.....................
Taxman - Beatles 1966
Let me tell you how it will be
There's one for you, nineteen for me
'Cause I'm the taxman, yeah, I'm the taxman
Should five per cent appear too small
Be thankful I don't take it all
'Cause I'm the taxman, yeah I'm the taxman
If you drive a car, I'll tax the street,
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat.
If you get too cold I'll tax the heat,
If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet.
Don't ask me what I want it for
If you don't want to pay some more
'Cause I'm the taxman, yeah, I'm the taxman
Now my advice for those who die
Declare the pennies on your eyes
'Cause I'm the taxman, yeah, I'm the taxman
And you're working for no one but me <<<========== punch line
I love how he takes credit for bain "i built it" but only for the good things, is it "they built it" for all of the jobs shipped over seas?
It is interesting that some of the Business People criticizing President Obama on his comments accepted Government money to make their Business successful – so I guess they forgot SOMEONE DID HELP THEM AND THEY DID NOT GET THERE ALONE!
Romney isn't perfect but at least he believes in American values and exceptionalism.
While I find this ad to be somewhat weak in comparision to the one where he tries to sing America the Beautiful, it does speak the truth. And as Wire Palladin, S. F. said, we will never know what's in those records because Willard keeps no paper trails of his corrupt behavior which is a BIG reason he should never be in the White House. When a citizen of the US thinks he doesn't have to let us examine things and make our own conclusions–it speaks volumes to his untrustworthiness and character and yet there are those who think this is okay. No tax returns, no long form birth certificate, no Olympic records, no MA records and the list goes on. We need to let this sneak know this is not acceptable behavior for someone asking for our vote and he needs to give a FULL accounting for his actions.
So the Republicans are going to settle on an east coast, elite, millionaire from an aristocratic family? What is his experience that will make him a successful Conservative President?
1. He fires people, lays off employees, and outsources jobs while pocketing the pension funds of those same employees.
2. He is comfortable in an upper class setting. After all, America IS the upper class, isn't it? The little people, like you and I, are not really very important. People of Romney's class and background see us as livestock that can understand English.
3. He does not care if Americans suffer. He has made lots of them suffer so far in his life. He's made of tough stuff. No weepy compassion will ever cloud his judgment.
4. He knows how to destroy corporations and sell off their assets. He could use those skills to destroy the federal government, a stated goal of Conservatism
5. After the Romney Administration is over in 2016 or 2018, Conservatives will say, "Hey, you can't blame us for the disastrous Romney Administration. He wasn't a TRUE Conservative. What we need is a TRUE Conservative like Ron Paul or Newt Gingrich or Rick Santorum … or maybe govornor Palin."
FORWARD into the Obama FISCAL ABYSS wrote:
Obama's campaign theme song.....................
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Sorry. I don't get it. I don't do Beatles. Jimi Hendrix is more my type.
as long as romney feels the presidency is his to buy, and his coronation, as long as he treats the anglo-saxon as if they are the only populated people in the world, as long as he lies , distorts and tells falsehoods, and as long as he continues to flaunt his money to the rest of us working americans, we have an embarrassment respresenting America. I am sure the world sees through him even if some Americans do not
I guess your comments involved no research on your part – as the President of the United States has absolutely nothing to do with the US Olympic Committee ordering clothing from China! BUT IN THE 2002 OLYMPICS MITT ROMNEY PURCHASED AND OUTSOURCED OLYMPIC PRODUCTS FROM CHINA – JUST LIKE HE WILL DO IF ELECTED!!!!
I love it, keep it coming. Why is Robme overseas. Shouldn't he be with the American people.
I sure hope this guy does not win the election. The American people are smarter and will see through his lies.
Obama / Biden 2012
Great Ad! Mitt Romney is a conniving slickster, a phony and a fraud who his supporters don't seem to see through. Anyone with a 3rd grade education can put one and one together and see that the only reason why Romney is on this so-called foreign tour of nations is to mislead the American people about the true intention of his foreign trip which is to go to the Olympics to see his million dollar dancing horse! This guy is an elitist who if he gets into the White House, would walk all over the American people for the benefit of his 1% friends. So I say, let the political games begin and hit the phony flip-flopper right where it hurts!
Marine08
Romney isn't perfect but at least he believes in American values and exceptionalism.
I sure which he would show he believes in American value and exceptionalism by RELEASING THOSE TAX RETURNS and KEEPING HIS MONEY HERE IN THE U.S. That's change I could believe in.
Great Ad!!!! So true!!! And if R*Money didn't outsource the jobs, it was only because he fired people and eliminated the jobs, took hundreds of millions in "fees", and then bankrupted the companies, leaving taxpayers on the hook for the pension funds that he raided. Look it up if you don't believe me. All factual.
This is a real silly ad and campaign; I am still waiting for hope an change...
those olympic athletes didnt get there on their own
"You Olympians, however, know you didn't get here solely on your own power,”
Just what is Mitt romney's apeal to the right?
His Romneycare?
4 draft Deferments?
Signing the Assault weapons law in Mass.?
Raising taxes while Governonr?
Using 1.3 Billion taxpayer dollars for his SLC Olympics?
It must be his pro choice views as Gov.
When a citizen of the US thinks he doesn't have to let us examine things and make our own conclusions–it speaks volumes to his untrustworthiness and character and yet there are those who think this is okay
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And yet 4 years later Obama has not disclosed his college records.
And yet 2 years later Obama conceals inormation from Congress on Fast & Furious gun running.
And yet you continue to support this empty suited fraud, cloaked in secrecy.
Everyone in America has the same access to roads and bridges and infrastructure and a government public K-12 education. So what separates those who are successful and those who are not is not government, but the individual. And successful individuals pay for over half of the taxes used for roads and infrastructure and schools. The top 10 percent pay over 50% of income taxes collected, the top 20% pay over 70% of income taxes collected. Over 40% of Americans pay no income tax. Those 40% who are working do pay payroll taxes. Payroll taxes pay for Social Security and Medicare, which they will get back when they retire, payroll taxes do not pay for roads and infrastructure and schools. So the 80% who pay for less than 30% of the roads and infrastructure and schools that benefit everyone and give everyone a shot at being successful should be grateful to the 20% who are successful and pay for the bulk of the roads and infrastructure they use.
I don't know if people realize what a huge, patriotic feat it was for Romney to leave his company and save the Olympics. He took no salary and he saved the country from huge embarrassment. We should all be proud that Romney did that instead of attacking him . Obama is an unpatriotic liar.
Hopefully Romney's claims will finally be fact checked .He did not ride in on a white horse and single handedly save the Olympics. He got huge government aid to bail it out. The guy he used in his ad that said he "built his own business" actually got huge help with his loan to start it up. Now that's hypocritical if not deception. Romney is going to be dogged until election day about his taxes because it looks like he's hiding something. It is going to come up again about his SEC forms that he signed as CEO two years AFTER he said he left Bain. There are clips of him saying totally opposite things about almost every potitical issue. How will he respond to all of those conflicting issues during the debates? He may be dodging the issues now but he will have to give some answers before the elction. People say the President is running a negative campaign too. Well, they saw how Romney slaughtered Gingrich and Santorum in the primaries and they are just fighting fire with fire. That's politics.
Business are created to make a profit!!!! If it's cheaper to do business overseas, why not outsource. Having to deal with unions and paying high taxes in the US makes using our workers uncompetitve in some instances. Can you blame a company for wanting to make a profit? Profitable businesses equals hiring more employees.
The reason that Mitt was able to take over the Olympics in Salt Lake and "save it" was because of the millions and millions of pork barrel money he got. Yes Mitt, the reason you succeeded was because "we the people" helped you... despite what you like to tell people... you did not do it on your own... you did not save the Olympics, the american people did.. and I am offended you take the credit.
Romney didn't run Bain, but conveniently used his leadership of Bain as part of his proof of residency to run for governor. Romney can't even release the same number of tax returns he demanded of others. Romney can't even honor his father and release the same number of tax returns his father did when running for president. Romney said he would be more liberal than Ted Kennedy but now says as of a few months ago that his is severely conservative. Romney made money betting against the US dollar. Romney outsourced jobs while running the 2002 Olympics in the US. Romney had the fourth worst record in creating jobs while governor. One of Romney's largest donors makes most of his money in offshore gambling. You may not like Obama, but at least you know where he stands, he's been consistent, and he's created more jobs than Romney ever did. As for Romney, he seems to only stand on whatever is good for Romney. I actually liked him as governor, but I don't know or trust the Romney that is running for president.
Mitt Romney does not have any plan. He lambasts Obama every chance he gets. All I hear is Obama BAD, Obama BAD – but no alternative is given. He has no plan to create jobs. He is oblivious to the fact that Greece, Spain, and the Euro situations impact the US. The US is not alone in this fanancial mess. Romney does have any alternative proposals, no plan – just bluster. Is anyone surprised that Romney's "accountant" is STILL working on his 2011 taxes!? Most AMERICANS had to have their 2011 taxes completed by April 2012. What is going on here?