Mitt Romney Slides into Panicked Free Fall over Outsourcing Claims

Last updated on February 8th, 2013 at 12:27 am

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After the Washington Post blew the lid off of Mitt Romney job creator claims, the Romney campaign responded by not denying the fact that he is the outsourcer in chief.

Contrary to the Romney job creator narrative, The Washington Post analysis found that, “Bain played several roles in helping these outsourcing companies, such as investing venture capital so they could grow and providing management and strategic business advice as they navigated this rapidly developing field.”

The Romney campaign responded by disputing the article, but not the facts themselves. Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul said, “This is a fundamentally flawed story that does not differentiate between domestic outsourcing versus offshoring nor versus work done overseas to support U.S. exports. Mitt Romney spent 25 years in the real world economy so he understands why jobs come and they go. As president, he will implement policies that make it easier and more attractive for companies to create jobs here at home. President Obama’s attacks on profit and job creators make it less attractive to create jobs in the U.S.”

Actually, The Washington Post article is based on research of SEC disclosure forms that reveal that Romney was instrumental in moving American jobs overseas. The Romney campaign didn’t bother with disputing the facts and research in the article. Instead they adopted a Clintonesque ‘it all depends on what the definition is’ parsing of outsourcing versus offshoring.

The Obama campaign has labeled Mitt Romney the outsourcer in chief. David Axelrod said, “This is really significant because throughout this campaign Gov. Romney has suggested that the experience he has in business has given him special insights into the economy and that would translate into jobs and growth and benefits to the American worker. This article speaks to the kind of experience he has, the kind of insights he may have drawn from this experience, and it goes to the fundamental question of whether that’s the experience we need in the Oval Office. Do we need the philosophy that embraces outsourcing and offshoring as a positive tool in our economy?”

What is stunning is that once again, the Romney campaign didn’t see this coming. They should have had their statement and defense prepared months ago. It is like they didn’t expect anyone to actually look at Romney’s time at Bain, and compare that to what he is saying on the campaign trail. The truth was revealed by what Romney’s spokeswoman didn’t say in her statement. She didn’t dispute the facts. She didn’t dispute the research, and she offered no explanation for Romney’s record.

Their half baked denial reeked of panic, and a campaign that was totally caught off guard. I am sure Romney will be heading to Fox News ASAP to attack The Washington Post, and try to put a spin on this.

His problem is that it won’t work. Finally, Romney’s critics have a way to make his time at Bain stick in the minds of voters. Mitt Romney sent jobs overseas. Romney can try to parse and explain, but he can’t counteract that one sentence message. It is clear and easy to repeat point that voters can take with them into the booth on Election Day.

Republicans should be panicking right now.

If Romney’s job creator narrative goes away, so will his chances of being president. The Republicans have based everything around this false idea that Mitt Romney is some sort of economic guru who can create jobs. Without this, Romney’s campaign is toast.

Over the past seven days, Romney has been outmaneuvered by President Obama on immigration and seen his image as a “job creator” blown to smithereens. The fall campaign hasn’t even begun yet, and Mitt Romney’s candidacy has gone from a dandelion to a stink weed.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association