Super PAC hits Romney on 47% in radio spot
(CNN) – The super PAC backing President Barack Obama's re-election bid said Thursday it was teaming up with a major labor union to air a minute-long radio spot attacking Mitt Romney for his comments describing Americans reliant on government assistance as "victims."
The radio ad from Priorities USA and the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees People (AFSCME People) marks the second time the super PAC has hit Romney for the comments, which were made at a fundraiser in May and secretly recorded. The tapes of the fundraiser were revealed last week.
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In the radio spot, which the group said would air in Virginia and Ohio, clips are spliced together of Romney's comments in which he says he believes the 47% of Americans dependent on government are "victims."
Adding to his argument about entitlement, Romney said his "job is not to worry about those people."
"One hundred fifty million Americans: seniors, veterans, the disabled. Romney attacked them when he thought no one else was listening," the announcer says in response to Romney's words. "Romney is a millionaire who uses loopholes to pay a lower tax rate than many nurses or police."
Romney's 2011 tax return, also released last week, showed the candidate and his wife paying an effective tax rate of 14.1%. Contrary to popular perception, Romney's effective federal income tax rate is still higher than that of most Americans, 80% of whom have an effective rate below 15%. That number, however, does not include other federal taxes such as the payroll tax.
In the Priorities ad released Thursday, the announcer also hits Romney's tax proposals, which he says "makes middle class families pay more – $2,000 a year – while giving multi-millionaires a tax cut of $250,000."
"Mitt Romney's just not looking out for us," the narrator concludes.
Priorities said the radio ad was part of a larger, $1.25 million radio campaign slated to run through Election Day in November.
Last week Priorities said it would begin running a spot hitting Romney for the "47%" remarks in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin, all battlegrounds that Obama won in the 2008 election and hopes to take again in November.
CNN Political Editor Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
I used to belong to a union and they were just like working for a Gestapo. They take your money and do nothing for you! NEVER AGAIN !
You started the attacks Willard, now sit down and shut up and take it like a man. No whining like a 5 year old girl.
OBAMA 2012!
Well I guess Mitt Romney's campaign hopes of becoming a president has slipped by his ear. Barrack Obama will surely be served for the second time as president of the United States. It would be very interesting to see if both the democrats and republicans are open to compromises to prevent the so called "fiscal cliff" which takes effect on the third of January next year.
If no compromises are made then the automatical spending cuts and tax increases will come into effect and there are reports from most economic commentators it will bring another recession.
In the words of Rick Santorum, "Mitt is the worst republican . . ." By the way, 47% of me thinks he is an idiot, and 53% of me thinks he is a 'lying plutocrat.