Posted on 07/01/2011 8:39:29 AM PDT by ejdrapes
Romney backtracks on argument that Obama made economy worse Over the last few weeks, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has argued that President Obama's policies have made the economy worse. Here was Romney in New Hampshire on Monday:
And he said something similar at the New Hampshire debate earlier this month:
But at his press conference today in Allentown, PA -- where he was highlighting a company that had closed, after President Obama touted it benefitting from the stimulus -- Romney backtracked on the he-made-it-worse line. When NBC producer Sue Kroll asked the former Massachusetts governor why he believes that Obama's policies have made the economy worse -- when the economy is now growing (and not shrinking like it was in 2009), when the Dow is climbing (and no longer in a free-fall like it was in '09), and when the unemployment rate is down a full percentage point from where it was in Oct. '09 -- Romney gave this answer:
By NBC's Mark Murray and Matt Loffman The people of New Hampshire have waited long enough. They want to see good jobs. They want to see rising incomes. They want to see an economy that's growing again, and the president's failed. He did not cause this recession, but he made it worse.
He didn't create the recession, but he made it worse and longer.
I didn't say that things are worse.
(Excerpt) Read more at firstread.msnbc.msn.com ...
lol. I was thinking the same thing. Just one word. IDIOT. These folks are afraid to speak truth. Someone might not like me, boo hoo
McCain is back. Let’s not let this guy get the nomination.
Seriously!!! ROMNEY can not win...
I just don’t understand the logic. Even if he’s a moderate...he’s running to beat Obama, right?
If he’s running to beat the guy, why would he feel doing anything other than telling the people why the incumbent is wrong and he is right, is going to help him?
Worse than that!
What a goof. He needs to have answers for state run media questions like that.
Either he doesn’t want the nomination that badly, or he knows the fix is in for his nomination, so he doesn’t have to weigh his words too carefully.
Wrong, He is not running to beat Obama, they are one and the same Members of the Ruling Class.
Can anyone give me a reason WHY this guy is running for President. Besides the desire to aggrandize himself, what possibly does he have to offer the country as a whole, Obamacare II the attack of the Romneybots?
This guy is an absolute empty suite. One spineless jackass a decade is enough. When will the Conservatives dismiss this guy and attack him off the scene.
AAahhhh Mitt Chit,Obama and the Rats caused the recession,Think REAL HARD Douche bag,Remember they/RATS took the midterms in 06 and it was down hill ever since!! I am not going into the ACORN/Obama Scams.
WHA????
Romney’s logic is to run as a mushy moderate. Now why he thinks that will beat Obama I have no idea.
Sounds more like he is running to be Obama’s running mate or to get a cabinet position. It reminds me of the old ADM commercial “we don’t make things, we just make them better.”
If MSNBC says it and it’s what I want to hear, of course it’s true. ;-)
Romney’s plan is to run to the left of Obama, so that Obama can run as a conservative in 2012.
And how stupid because it’s a complete lie. It’s one thing to say ‘I shouldn’t have said it’, or ‘I didn’t mean it that way’, but to claim he didn’t say something he clearly did? IDIOT.
This is the same crap he did when he was running against Kennedy. He’s a mushy moderate that doesn’t like to be “mean-spirited”.
And once he’s the nominee, the media will portray him as a far-right conservative. So why don’t we just nominate a far-right conservative and avoid the worthless middle-man?
Obama now officially owns this recession. He DID make things worse by burying this nation in deficits and debts putting a cap on its ability to recover, The stock market is recovering because corporate profits are up because of efficiencies in production with net prfoit margins increasing not top line growth which is the true mark of recovery. The GDP growth is paltry and nowhere where it should be after a recession. Reagan had 7% growth during his recovery resulting from tax cuts. Obama has 1.9% growth and created the real risk of a double dip with the debt he has added and the regulation he has saddled business with.
Makes you wonder if he got beat all the time as a kid, or maybe if he just got beat up by other kids all the time.
ANY time he is confronted, challenged, questioned even-—he drops ‘em and bends over.
Does he think THAT’S what’s needed in the world around us now?
What a freaking clueless pansy.
Huh? Those are actual quotes from Romney. Nothing for MSNBC to ‘spin’.
Perhaps he’s just being honest, all the better a reason to not be the Republican nominee.
What I can’t understand is how he accepted the premise of the question as accurate? The economy is better? Unemployment is improved (the real number is still running around 18%)?
I hate it when candidates capitulate to the mantra of the Media.
Should he become the Republican candidate, those who vote for him will be idiots.
Why didn’t he hit this stupid MSM bimbo back by pointing out GNP growth is anemic at best and not creating significant job growth, certainly not enough to keep up with population growth much less the millions who have been looking for jobs for months and years, and point at at an avg. of only 2% GNP growth we have the weakest economic recovery following a recession in generations, when GNP growth normally hits as much as 6-7% for several quarters after?? By any standard this is a jobless recovery which has profits up for corporations, a large part of which coming from overseas sales due to the weak dollar, but is producing only higher unemployment, one measure that is demonstrably worse.
My fear is Timmy will be the exact same way. So all the Mike Murphy’s of the world freaking out that Michele Bachmann is hurting Timmy....sorry Timmy won’t be any different that Romney.
Romney has more waffles than a House of Pancakes.
It certainly appears that way. UGH.
I was watching Dana Perrino and Joe Trippi talk about how “presidential” Romney sounded in this ad on FOX last night. How he didn’t appear in it at all, but he was a leader and was so strong. He is the head of the pack and others are in his shadow.
Puhlease. I couldn’t switch stations fast enough.
Who would we vote for, Obama? Not voting or voting 3rd party would also be tantamount to a vote for Obama too. We should fight to keep him from the GOP candidacy with all we have but if God forbid he's the GOP candidate we have to do a nose holding. We cannot afford another 4 years of Obama. If that makes me an idiot, sign me up for idiot.
romney just cannot admit that his marxist ideology has failed... FUmitt!
LLS
Romney is such a wienie douche. He doesn’t cause liberals to violently hurl therefore I cannot support him. At this point in time, I take a Bachman/Cain ticket with Bolton at State. Can’t decide if Sarah should clean out the GOP or just continue her very effective airstrikes on the DNC and all their miserable minions.

Please!
Not to mention that under Obama Unemployment as INCREASED significantly, the Deficit has Exploded, Food Stamps has skyrocketed, Gas Prices are almost double, Growth is paltry, Exports are down, etc., etc.
Romney could have made hay with this question. Instead he BLEW IT!!
go away willard. just go away.
And you have to love how the press is still acting as Obama’s Praetorian Guard. This “reporter” sounds like an Obama campaign commercial. Seriously, whoever is the GOP nominee is going to get these hostile questions from the Obama cheerleaders in the press and is going to have to know how to answer them effectively. Romney failed the test with his answer.
Give him enough rope and he’ll bracktrack himself right out of the perceived front runner status. Remember Rudy in 2007? He was the perceived front runner at this point in time. Remind me how that worked out.
More houses are underwater.
Dollar is weaker
Inflation is worse
National Debt is worse
States' debts are worse
Misery index is worse
Individual Americans now bear greater share of debt burden
More Americans on food stamps.
Gasoline, energy, and food prices are inflating dramatically. The stock market recovery is a function of flooding the markets with fiat money. The unemployment figures are misleading because they exclude those on the margins who do not seek work, work off the books, work part-time, have outlived their benefits.
The answer to that Government-reporter’s question is, “Of course things are worse! Unemployment is down 1%? First, Obama promised his massive spending would cap the unemployment rate at 8%, and that didn’t happen. Second, unemployment is much higher than 9%. The real rate is 15-20%. Only in the bizzaro world of government statistics is the real rate 9%, where the people who have given up, or are working 20 hours a week under the table are not counted.
When Obama took office, gas was $2 a gallon. Now it’s $3.50. His massive spending has doubled the government debt, now totalling $14 TRILLION! It has led to runaway inflation. If you’re lucky enough to have a job, your paycheck doesn’t go as far. And you think things are better???
Then, I would have launched into a laundry list of the realities.
Yeah, I know. They do the same thing all the time with actual quotes from Palin, Bachmann, Cain, etc. especially if it helps their agenda. What’s good about MSNBC and the rest of the MSM is that they telegraph their fear.
BASF commercial.
“go away willard. just go away.”
I agree, especially given his absurd endorsement of man-made globull warming!!
This perception promoted by both Parties that a Third Party candidate cannot win is false. If given the choice of two Liberals and one Conservative, especially in the economic times we're in, I'm choosing the Conservative. Unlike Democrats, I will remain true to my beliefs versus remaining true to a political party.
Remember your history. In 1860, a Third Party candidate became a President. The President was Lincoln and the Third Party was the Republican Party.
One scenario which seems possible given the dynamics is no one candidate would gain the required 270 Electoral votes. That being the case, the election would be turned over to a Republican controlled House.
I hope Romney continues to back away until he is completely out of the race.
RE-DEFEAT Romney Again!!!
(Department of Redundancy Department)
I will proudly sit out if this Mitt wit is the nominee. Mitt will do absolutely NOTHING to reduce the power and scope of government. In other words, the progression to a Socialist Hell will not be stopped by this idiot.
It is best to let the Rats completely own the destruction of our Republic.
Mitt is contemptible because he has the heart and soul of a STATIST. Never should anyone who cherishes Liberty vote for a power hungry statist.
this guy flip-flops faster than some of the Democrats
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.