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.
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i help build bains to ship jobs overseas,but i had nothing to do with it
Stay classy, Mr. President.....
The Xenophobia shoe is on the other foot now. Did Mitt really think that he could get away w/having Swiss Bank Accts. & Cayman Island Accts. & get away w/it ? How arrogant are these Plutocrats !!
Wouldn’t it be something if Mitt was just running as a place-holder, allowing Obama and the DNC to spend all that money defending / attacking the wrong nominee? Ron Paul is actually the winner of the convention and is chosen to run in November… which would accomplish the following:
1. Skating these past 3 or 4 months below the radar of attack ads
2. Saving all that money because Romney was spending it for him
3. Giving the DNC and Obama only 2-1/2 months to run ads against him… None of the ads against Romney would be worth spit because Mitt isn’t running
4. All the ads attacking Obama would still be viable because it doesn’t matter who is running against Obama if the ads are negative
5. Paul could release the past 30 years of income tax returns… drown the DNC in paperwork and again, they would have a very limited amount of time to go through them for any “bad” items
6. The voting public has a favorable view of Ron Paul compared to Romney and with less than 90 days, their views aren’t likely to change
7. The same people voting AGAINST Obama rather than FOR Romney would still vote for Ron Paul and this added to the people who would vote FOR Paul because they feel he is more truthful than either Mitt or Obama… Ought to insure a Ron Paul victory by a landslide.
I mean Mitt could have been promised a VP slot or a high cabinet-level position… plus he is slated to lose even by some Republicans and he has refused to release any more of his tax return, but as a VP or cabinet member, he wouldn’t be required to anyway and his financials could still be kept a secret because we both know he is hiding something that could cost him the election and it would be damning if the information got out in October, when it really would be too late to stop the bleeding.
Just a thought…
The whole college transcript noise is just the latest grievance in the ever tiresome, ‘there is just no way a black man is really more intelligent and accomplished than me’ diatribe. The truly sad thing about this is that the more successful he is in moving our country forward, the more these people will resent him. They would be happier if things got worse as they place satisfying their own egos over the well being of the nation.
@Forward
What Fiscal Abyss? Perhaps you've forgotten that it was Mitt Romney's rightwing friends who cause the economic crisis and President Obama was left with the daunting task of fixing the mess while the right winge played obstructionists! Its true that economic growth is slow but that is expect in a recession (the worst since the Great Depression) given the severity and extent of this crisis. So far, the Obama administration has created over six million private sector jobs, not including the two million jobs saved in our auto industry and has subsequently saved over three million public sectors jobs which include teachers, police officers, firefighters, first responders, parole officers, probation officers, municipal, state and county workers, etc. Furthermore, the reason why the unemployment rate is at 8.2% is simply because while new jobs have been created and other jobs saved, these figures have been offset by companies that continue to lay off workers because of bankruptcy or because they weren't making profits or because they faced a dilemma of keeping workers and having to end up filing for bankruptcy or going under. But don't tell those Americans who have been fortunate to get a job through the stimulus assistance that the President failed them because that is not true!
President Obama has every right in the world to respond to these attacks. Willard has been attacking him for more than a year now. He is simply fighting back....something a bully hates. As for the Presidents transcripts why on earth would he release them to the public?? He has nothing to hide but when did that become a requirement?? Tax returns on the other hand are a requirement and Willard has only released one?? And one estimate?? Come on taxes are due April 15th and he has only released an estimate?? Boy the rethuglicans sure must think the majority of Americans are stupid if they think they can pull this one off. We the people DEMAND to see Willards tax returns NOW. As for President Obama's transcripts, be careful what you wish for. When you compare his grades to the prep school bully you may not be so happy... But in my opinion, President Obama shouldn't release anything more to"you people."
OBAMA 2012!
Brilliant! Just telling the truth. The facts are what will speak for R-money and his corrupt abuse of the system. He does not care about America! He worships the almighty $. Maybe he doesn't want to share all histaxes because he has not been giving 10% to his cult temple.
Tiz
Stay classy, Mr. President.....
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the prez didn't release this ad...the Super PAC did. Our President is classy and will win a second term despite these crazies on the right!
OBAMA 2012!
Nobody complained about all of the jobs going over seas until this recession.
Let's face it, its only fitting that Mitt Romney will be on center stage at the Olympics to greet our athlethes when they walked into the stadium with their embarrasing made in China uniforms that he designed and contracted! Go China...I mean USA!
This sure does indicate someone is not very confident about their chances of re-election!
Wait, how does Mitt even have tax returns? Didn't he tell a bunch of unemployed voters that he was unemployed too?
Obama needs to shut up. First of all, what job has Obama ever created? NONE! He's spent his whole life living off the taint of the government, just like all that support him. He's a mental midget when it comes to the economy. Things are terrible, he made them worse with his Leftist, pie in the sky, progressive wet dream economic policies which amount to nothing but demonizing the successful people in this country. He's got nothing to offer other than class warfare, trying to pit on set of Americans against another. Pathetic.
Romney is going to send all our jobs overseas if he become president.. I wonder why have to go overseas to campaign.
I dont trust Romney.
As one that worked for a company that transitioned many jobs to India as a "cost-savings" measure, I'm glad to see the PAC giving this more visibility. If companies are doing this simply for the sake of increasing profits, reducing on-shore staff, and ultimately - negatively impacting the U.S. economy - it needs to be noticed. I'd like to see more taxes enforced on companies that operate in this fashion. Greed has gone too far in this nation by a long shot...
Just what has Obama done in the last 4 years to stop job out sourcing from the USA to anywhere? Answer: NOTHING.
How many foreigners are in the USA on visas taking jobs from Americans? Answer: MILLIONS
How many foreigners are in the USA ILLEGALLY taking jobs from Americans? Answer: MILLIONS
So what is Obama all upset about??? He hasn't done a dang thing in 4 years besides waste nearly a trillion dollars and watch the unemployment rate stay at record levels. He could care less about jobs. The fewer jobs there are, the more government dependents there are, AKA Democrat voters.
Barnacle Bob
Wait, how does Mitt even have tax returns? Didn't he tell a bunch of unemployed voters that he was unemployed too?
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According to the totally screwed up tax code in this country, regardless of employment status, you must file a tax return if you have as little as $400 in interest or dividend income. I'm sure you knew that, but couldn't resist gutter sniping.
BTW, the attack ads - while painful, have to give it to Pres. Obama and producers of them - they're being honest and doing a good job...
This is the year 2012 NOT the 1960's.
Get wise to the fact that the "good guys" of yore have turned into the creeps of today, trying to screw EVERYONE regardless of race, creed, or poltiical affiliation all for sake of greed and the mighty dollar.
The good deeds of their past have been nearly eradicated by their misdeeds in the present.
So, no brownie points for past good behaviour becase they are acting like monsters today at the expense of the entire country.
Got it? Good.
The desperate unhinged GOBP are now using doctored video to try to attack our great President Obama because they have nothing to offer America. Mitt better release those tax returns before the Anybody but Mitt McCain convention soon.
And, one last thought. Apple has all of their products produced in China, is my understanding. They really should be a leader in bringing back jobs to the U.S. They clearly have business sense but, step it up!
Fair is Fair asked:
"Same difference, whether your asking for a birth certificate or transcripts. it is coded language for birtherism. "
So what are we allowed to see about the President's past without being labeled a "birther"... a "bigot"... a "racist"... what exactly are we allowed to know?
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Had you read the rest of my quote, you could have answered your own question.
"You seem to have forgotten where the whole idea to see Pres. Obama's college transcripts originated. It came from the King Birther himself, Donald Trump. It's coded language for birtherism."
I can't wait till the debates begin! That is when it will all be over! See, Mitt will have to state to the American people where he stands on the issues and he would have to uncover his economic plan and his foreign policy plan and so on and the moment he flip-flops, it will be all over! You should stay in Europe and save yourself the embarrasment Mitt!
Keep spreading the lies long and hard enough, and the masses will begin to accept them as fact.
This is rule number 1 from the communist propaganda playbook, and Obama is playing it perfectly.