On the day when economic news should have dampened Romney’s dreams of using actual numbers to bash Obama in order to avoid laying out his own plan, Romney called the numbers showing that “the U.S. economy expanded at a slightly faster 2 percent annual rate” “discouraging.”
Despite promising that he was indeed finally laying out major economic news of a Romney plan, Mitt Romney stumbled his way through a stump speech attack on Obama that included no economic news, no specifics, but tons of negativity aimed at the President.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Ames, Iowa, Romney failed to impress. Here’s a roundup of reaction:
Ali Velshi: “They said this was major economic news. There wasn’t a piece of economic news in it.”
Gloria Borger: “This wasn’t so much about, you know, specific policy prescriptions. Nothing new right now.”
Jim Acosta: “Yes, there’s not really a whole lot that’s new inside these remarks here, if you take a look at these remarks in terms of what he said out here today.”
Brooke Baldwin: “I didn’t hear a lot new in the speech. I’m guessing you didn’t hear much new in the speech either.”
Jim Acosta @jimacostacnn Owner of Iowa company where Mitt Romney delivering speech on economy received stimulus funds: http://on.cnn.com/QKbZg9
ThinkProgress @thinkprogress Romney makes closing economic argument at firm that benefited substantially from stimulus funds http://thkpr.gs/ScsELv
Sam Youngman @samyoungman Looking at excerpts from Romney’s “major” econ address. Looks like his stump speech to me.
Ari Shapiro @Ari_Shapiro Romney campaign releases excerpts of today’s “major economic speech.” So far looks a lot like the stump speech he’s been giving this week.
Benjy Sarlin @BenjySarlin So….what’s the news in this major Romney speech so far.
Ali Velshi @AliVelshi I’ll rejoin @SuzanneMalveaux on @CNN after Romney’s econ speech from. This speech isn’t delivering specifics.
Kathie Obradovich @KObradovich Romney about 9 minutes into his speech and it has been uniformly negative in terms of bashing Obama. #romneyia
Molly Ball @mollyesque So far Romney’s big speech on the economy is all about Obama.
Sam Stein @samsteinhp With all the talk of bi-partisanship, has anyone asked Romney campaign if he still looks back at himself as a severely conservative gov?
Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers Turns out that Romney’s “big economic speech” today, was just a placeholder, so that he could go on the attack if the GDP numbers were bad.
Jonathan Cohn @CitizenCohn It’s been a while since I listened to a full Romney speech. Sort of awe-inspiring to hear all of deceptions strung together.
Eric Kleefeld @EricKleefeld Mitt Romney delivers major economic speech, declares substantively that he loves America.
Molly Ball @mollyesque Apparently difference between a Major Romney Address & a regular Romney speech is whether he enters to “Air Force One” or “Born Free.”
Elizabeth Drew @ElizabethDrewOH There Mitt goes again: He will create the 12 million jobs that are going to happen anyway. Who is going to speak up?
Travis Waldron @Travis_Waldron There was nothing major about that speech.
Poor Mitt Romney. Today, the Economist wrote, “Yet in the latest quarter America made its biggest contribution to world GDP growth since 2005 (excluding periods of global recession).”
Lis Smith, Obama campaign spokeswoman, said in a statement, “Romney has started promising ‘big change,’ but the only change Romney’s offering is to take us back to the same failed policies that crashed our economy in the first place. That’s not the change we need, and with every ‘major speech,’ Mitt Romney just reminds voters that’s all he’s got to offer.”
Why was Mitt so negative yet unspecific? Because his specifics spell doom for most Americans. The Economic Policy Institute concluded, “Romney’s policy proposals would reduce GDP growth by 0.5% in 2013, and by 1.1% in 2014. His spending cuts alone would reduce GDP growth by 0.9% in 2013 and by 1.3% in 2014.”
Yeah, that’s change you can believe in — Bushian, backward change. Only Mitt Romney would promise to deliver economic news in an allegedly major economic policy speech and then fail to deliver any news or policy.
After what Mitt Romney did to Massachusetts’ economy, it’s unclear why anyone thinks he could do better if he had a hold of the entire nation. Perhaps this is another reason why he fails to deliver specifics. The economy has a long way to go in order to continue its recovery, but backward isn’t advisable.
Irony alert: Romney gave this speech at a location that received Obama stimulus funds.
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galactusx
Oct. 26th, 2012 at 4:18 pm
He should just give up and put ‘DITTO’ on all of his bumperstickers. He could also do that with his speeches *snicker* and put a banner saying ‘DITTO’! He is NOT president material.
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grandmommy10
Oct. 26th, 2012 at 4:21 pm
soooo…are u surprised? Candidate Romney has no economic plan …. whatever he thinks is dictated by past failed policies or that of the extreme right wing of his party. A party that used to stand for moderation. A sad time in U.S. politics when someone like Mitt Romney is representing the Grand Old Party…
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Thomas Bishop
Oct. 26th, 2012 at 4:23 pm
Romney’s actually scaring American voters, promising “BIG CHANGE” but providing no specifics as to what Mitt will actually do — or which Mitt will show up.
The Salt Lake Tribune called it “Too Many Mitts” when the conservative leaning paper endorsed President Obama last week:
Romney has repeatedly refused to share specifics of his radical plan to simultaneously reduce the debt, get rid of Obamacare (or, as he now says, only part of it), make a voucher program of Medicare, slash taxes and spending, and thereby create millions of new jobs. To claim, as Romney does, that he would offset his tax and spending cuts (except for billions more for the military) by doing away with tax deductions and exemptions is utterly meaningless without identifying which and how many would get the ax. Absent those specifics, his promises don’t add up.
From his embrace of the party’s radical right wing, to subsequent portrayals of himself as a moderate champion of the middle class, Romney has raised the most frequently asked question of the campaign: “Who is this guy, really, and what in the world does he truly believe?”
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Churchlady
Oct. 26th, 2012 at 6:33 pm
A conservative, liberal, and moderate walk into a bar.
The bartender says, “Hi, Mitt.”
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Edward Shafer
Oct. 26th, 2012 at 4:47 pm
Romney’s ONLY economic plan is to give more tax breaks to billionaires, raise taxes on the working class, and gut all regulations possible. Oh yea, he’s going to continue out sourcing as many jobs as possible and hiding his money in Swiss bank accounts (kind of like the Nazi’s of old.)
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Rocky in Texas said...
Oct. 26th, 2012 at 5:12 pm
If you like Bullshit Artist…
vote 4 romney
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MattersOfFact
Oct. 26th, 2012 at 6:02 pm
O/T:
NSA Analyst Proves GOP Is Stealing Elections
http://www.ukprogressive.co.uk/breaking-retired-nsa-analyst-proves-gop-is-stealing-elections/article20598.html
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Churchlady
Oct. 26th, 2012 at 6:41 pm
This is the most nauseating and disgusting possibility yet.
How does this NOT become an issues of fascism? Election fraud is the province of tyrants.
My only hope is the front and center presence of the DOJ everywhere – even CA in places where suspicions have gathered like storm clouds before. This time is NOT like 2000 – we are ready.
ANYONE who thinks voting intimidation of election fraud – the REAL stuff of the right, not the phony crap they promulgate – MUST have this number and web site at hand: www.866ourvote.org It is also a phone numberL 1-866-687-8583 of 866-OUR-VOTE.
Look at the web site – it will tell you what “True the Vote” is planning to do. Be prepared – it can happen anywhere, to any one.
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j
Oct. 26th, 2012 at 6:23 pm
So he is refusing to give any more interviews, that’s interesting because he still cannot explain his tax plan, his plan for health care – except to repeal it, he knows nothing about foreign policy, sends jobs overseas and will not release his tax returns, so we should trust him.
His campaign surrogate riles me up every time I see his ugly face. This man says Obama is not really American. Sununu is a Palestinian that was born in Cuba!!!! As far as Obama goes the Irish have traced his American ancestry to Moneygall, Ireland, the family came over in the late 1700′s, his grandfather helped liberate the death camps in Germany in the second world war, He did not know his dad because he and Obama’s mother divorced when Obama was very young, his father was a scholar though, went to college in the states and was a British Commonwealth Citizen!
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Shiva (Moderator)
Oct. 26th, 2012 at 6:26 pm
If you think about it, Mitt has pulled even in polls by not saying a word of what he will do, not showing his tax returns and by lying for 2 years.
What does that say about America? What it says is, the Republicans would vote for Tinkerbell.
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Reynardine
Oct. 26th, 2012 at 6:56 pm
I wish they *would* vote for Tinkerbell. At least she was cute.
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Robert
Oct. 26th, 2012 at 7:11 pm
I am sorry to really say what I think about Mr. Romney. The man scares me to death not so much for me as I am 70 years old but for the younger people in this world notice I said world not country because his election will effect the whole world. Just really listen to what he is saying about Iran!!!He will have us in the final WAR if elected. CAN THIS MAN REALLY BE THE ONE SPOKEN ABOUT IN THE BIBLE??????????? ANTICHRIST????? I DON’T KNOW BUT HE KIND OF FITS WITH THE DEFINITION !!!!!!!!!! READ IT AND SEE WHAT YOU THINK?????????
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DeAnna Ramirez
Oct. 26th, 2012 at 11:45 pm
Big surprise, this man has managed to make this a tight race by providing NOTHING, REPEAT, NOTHING, by way of facts, numbers, policy, or truth. He has insulted the intelligence of women by supporting the policies that were unacceptable in the 50′s, yet it is reported that he is closing the gap among women. Makes me wonder, who is the stupid one here?
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Anne
Oct. 26th, 2012 at 11:53 pm
Unfortunately, there are a lot of ignorant Americans who vote against their own best interests, partly to spite those they consider “others.” Many of them reside in Republican-governed states which bear unflattering distinctions such as high rates of people lacking health insurance, high school dropouts, obesity, teen pregnancy, and public assistance. Yet, the majority of the populations continue to vote for Republican politicians who couldn’t care less about their well-being. Inexplicably, they continue to blame Democratic presidents for their own insanity of doing the same thing continuously and expecting different results. That’s another definition of stupidity.
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former mormon
Oct. 27th, 2012 at 1:58 pm
Anyone voting out of their own convictions were able to see the differences between the candidates and made their decision long ago. I think Mitt’s team is in full final strategy mode and it is all about manipulation of the low information voters.
By refusing to allow any interviews Romney is able to avoid having to answer any questions or be held accountable to his words. Just giving stump speeches puts Mitt Romney in his element – stand up on a stage safely removed from people, give some Sarah Palin type rah-rah word salad speech about American Exceptionalism giving no specifics about policy, lie freely as there will be no debate moderator to stop him or press to challenge him, then walk off stage and conveniently ignore any reporters.
I think his last debate where he pretty much simply agreed with the President’s foreign policy was meant to leave low information voters with the impression that there is no difference between the two on foreign policy. That being the case, since foreign policy is not foremost on most voters’ minds, Romney can keep presenting himself as the savior of the economy which he likes to play up as his strong point. And no one is allowed to be around to challenge him on any of it. Then barrage them with a constant stream of fear-inducing, racially tinged TV ads. The rest will be handled by vote-rigging. The President is on a killer campaign schedule these last 2 weeks and Romney isn’t even sweating. I think he will be truly surprised if he doesn’t win.
It is so reminiscent of the last election where staffers had to protect Sarah Palin from the press, too. At least Sarah could flirt and BS her way around a bit but Mitt can’t even handle a softball interview on Fox. And I find it mind-boggling that this guy thinks he can stand with international players like Putin and Ahmadinejad when he can’t even face the women on The View.
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Debbie
Oct. 27th, 2012 at 10:26 pm
Yeah, it was bad enough that they were hiding the vice-presidential running mate in 2008, but in addition to hiding Lyin’ Paul Ryan from questions about his sponsoring bills remarkably similar to Mr. Rape-is-God’s-Will; this time, they are also hiding the actual candidate, Rmoney. Nobody thinks it odd that the guy who as asking for the Big Job is afraid of a last minute stumble during an interview. How craven, cynical & desperate. If Barack Obama & Hillary Clinton – a Black man & White woman – can take questions from the press, what does it say when a White male w/ every advantage that $ can buy, as well as an un-earned presumption of competence, what does it say when he’s too afraid to take any questions?
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bess moore
Oct. 27th, 2012 at 10:58 pm
God help us! How can people be so stupid? Is Robme going to make them rich? Hell no!
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ibwilliamsi
Oct. 29th, 2012 at 3:55 pm
But, but, but… “loopholes in the tax code”!
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