The Associated Press
©
COLUMBUS, Ohio
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is preparing for his second debate with President Barack Obama but taking time to tell voters in Ohio that enthusiasm for him is surging both in this critical state and across the country.
Obama was hunkering down Saturday in Virginia to go over the game plan for the town-hall debate with Romney. But his weekly radio and Internet address on Saturday spoke of an industry that's critical to Ohio, another battleground state and perhaps the most important to his Republican opponent's White House hopes.
"We refused to throw in the towel and do nothing. We refused to let Detroit go bankrupt," Obama said in the address. "GM is back. Ford and Chrysler are growing again. Together, our auto industry has created nearly a quarter of a million new jobs right here in America."
Romney opposed using government funds to help the auto industry go through bankruptcy. Many analysts believe the industry would not have survived if it had relied on private investment for rescue. It's an issue that has dogged Romney in Ohio, where numerous auto parts suppliers benefited from the survival of the big three automakers.
The Obama campaign also released a new TV ad narrated by actor Morgan Freeman noting the challenges Obama inherited and highlighting the president's successes, including saving jobs for American autoworkers and killing Osama bin Laden.
Romney is concluding a week of campaign rallies that saw him drawing larger, more excited crowds than he has through the fall campaign. More than 10,000 people turned out to several rallies, with the campaign saying that more people were signing up to attend events since Romney's strong debate performance last week in Nevada.
"I've had the fun of going back and forth across Ohio, and this week I was also in Florida and Iowa, I was in North Carolina and Virginia. And you know what? There is a growing crescendo of enthusiasm," Romney told a crowd of thousands at a sunset rally Friday in Lancaster, south of Columbus, where he and running mate Paul Ryan appeared together. "There's more energy and passion. People are getting behind this campaign. We are taking back this country."
Saturday will be the fourth of the last five days Romney will spend campaigning in this industrial, Midwestern state — with 18 electoral votes, it's critical to his hopes of winning the White House. His campaign swing comes as he and Republicans criticize Obama for the handling of the terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
Romney accused Vice President Joe Biden of "doubling down on denial" concerning security at the diplomatic post where the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed. During the vice presidential debate Thursday, Biden said "we weren't told" about the Benghazi consulate's requests for additional security. Although a State Department official told Congress on Wednesday about the requests, the White House said Friday that Biden was speaking just for himself and for the president.
"The vice president directly contradicted the sworn testimony of State Department officials," said Romney, who was eager to stoke a controversy that has flared periodically since the attack. "American citizens have a right to know just what's going on. And we're going to find out."
Romney plans to spend Saturday morning at a hotel outside Columbus, where he'll meet with top advisers and get ready for his showdown with Obama in Hempstead, N.Y., on Tuesday. He returns to Massachusetts in the evening but first makes two campaign stops in Ohio.
After his widely panned performance in the first presidential debate, polls show Obama still holds a slim edge in Ohio. The state is crucial for Romney because his path to winning the 270 electoral college votes he needs is far narrower if he can't win Ohio. Losing here would mean he'd have to win almost all of the other up-for-grabs battleground states.
Obama was in Ohio this week, too, but he was spending the weekend in Williamsburg, Va., preparing for the debate. The president has acknowledged he needs to turn in a stronger performance when the two meet again.
Obama and top aides plan hours of practice sessions ahead of the town hall-style event, including some mock exchanges with Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who is playing the role of Romney.
Campaign officials sought to keep details of Obama's preparations secret. But they said the president was working on being more aggressive in responding to Romney and calling the Republican out on issues as well as pointing out what they maintain are Romney's true positions.
While Obama has no public events planned in Virginia over the next three days, his mere presence in the state will drive some local news coverage. And he may make unscheduled visits in the Williamsburg area.
The president practiced for the first debate in Nevada, another battleground state.
Mitt the arch typical grifter is "forging ahead", yeah right!!!
Mitt "Tax Haven" Romney is an ideal exemplary of Republican political character; put the burden of taxes and defending America on middle- and working-class Americans while he and the other one percenters reap all the bounty that America can offer -- a true parasite and plutocrat.
Vote for Obama/Biden.
"reap all the bounty that America can offer"
Isn't that what America is all about?
I don't know about you, but I take advantage of everything I can. I take all the legal tax deductions I can. I take advantage of all the Freedoms I can. I "reap all the bounty that America can offer". That is why I live here.
If I made enough money to have an off shore, I would.
If I had to give away an average of %13.45 of my money to lower my tax bracket for the last 20 years I would.
Doesn't Everyone?
Where else could you live that would be better?
Romney is a thief
Romney's Son of Boss fraud
In his key role as chairman of the Marriott board's audit committee, Romney approved the firm's reporting of fictional tax losses exceeding $70 million generated by its Son of Boss transaction.
Romney's AMPAD fraud
American Pad and Paper. Romney and Bain Capital bought it from Mead Company, when it had total debts of $11 million. By the time they sold it, the company had $400 million in debt -- and Bain had earned $100 million off the deals, between fees it charged the company for managing it and for buying other companies, and profits from selling the company's stock after they took it public (for yet another fee). Bain was later sued by stockholders for fraud in overstating the value of the company.
Didn't your point out that the President has Bain?
Again, thanks for pointing out that article in the NY times that showed the President HAS a Bain investment now. That is quite incongruous for the President to knock it, is it not?
If Romney is a thief, why is he not in jail? Plenty of rich thieves are doin' time.
Taking advantage of what is there is what EVERYONE does. Know anyone who doesn't?
It's just sour grapes because you aren't in the rich folks club. You would do the same.
Romney's Medicare fraud
In 1989, Romney led Bain Capital's purchase of Damon Corp., a medical testing company, and took a seat on the Board of Directors to better manage it. During Romney's four years, Bain tripled its investment, and Romney personally made $473,000 -- while Damon plumped its profits with Medicare fraud (running thousands of medical tests doctors didn't want, and billing Medicare for them). The company pled guilty to crimes committed during his tenure and paid a record fine of $119 million. Company President Joseph Isola pleaded no contest to fraud, and a vice president was also convicted.
"Bain tripled its investment"
That was good for the President since as you pointed out from the NY Times article the President uses Bain also.
Let's get back to talking about killing those Islamic terrorists. We do agree on that they all should be wiped out. One at a time or thousands at a time which is much "gooder".
Keep in mind:
"It's not true that the only good terrorist is a dead terrorist. Even dead terrorists aren't good. But at least they're dead."
Romney's KB toys fraud
Romney's KB Toys fraud
Bain Capital 'purchased' KB for the respectable price of $ 305 million dollars on December 8, 2000.
Bain Capital only offered $ 18 million in cash, the rest was leaveraged debt put on the company.
Sixteen months after the buyout, Bain Capital paid itself $85 million in dividends in early 2002.
January 14, 2004, K·B Toys filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and closed 365 stores.
Three years later the rest of the 156 stores were closed down.
kb toys = dollar tree stores
You are batting 0.000 today.
If you turned the page then you would have known that KB Toys morphed into Dollar Tree. It is now a billion dollar company.
Please tell us more of Bain's "failures".
LOL. This is actually pretty
LOL. This is actually pretty funny though understandable. It was K&K Toys that had a local presence. It was owned by Ken Perry who was well known for giving away toys to needy children in the area at Christmas through the Lions Club. Their first store was at Wards Corner. Perry's daughter married the CEO of Dollar Tree which took over K&K Toys.
yes, it was a mistake with the k's
Yes also K&K was sold to KB Toys by Dollar Tree in 1990.
The batting average is still 0.000 since KB Toys had no dealing with Bain until AFTER Romney left. Demunderground and HuffPost make comments about Romney being paid in his RETIREMENT package as the link.
Yes, I made the mistake about KB Toys morphing to Dollar Tree, it was really Dollar Tree morphing from the combination of K&K Toys and KB Toys.
you are so funny when you show what you don't know
Do you have a clue what an audit committee does? Do you have a clue who signs financial audit (audit of financial statements) opinion?
Do you know what external auditor; or certified public accountant; or chief financial officer; or chief executive officer; or chief audit executive does?
Didn't you also read that the lawsuit was dismissed long ago?
Romney has been gone from Bain since 1999
You lib buffoons are funny.
Romney owned 100% of Bain until 2003
Romney owned 100% of Bain until 2003. He claimed he wasn't involved, but SEC filings signed by Romney list him as 100% owner and CEO. If he was not involved, then he lied on SEC filings which is a FELONY.
I don't believe Romney still
I don't believe Romney still owned Bain but he certainly has continued interests in the companies they buy. That is legal and disgusting as a number of those companies are shipping jobs to Mexico and China....
Romney owned 100% of Bain until 2003
Look it up.
Sure and I agree. I'm a
Sure and I agree. I'm a business man too and I try to take advantage of all the tax breaks I can legally. But I don't pretend like Romney does. And frankly paying taxes is relative and businesses know to adjust if they go up or down. Romney Lies and pretends to be for the middle class and I know he is getting ready to hammer them. But they are my bread and butter. And those who are going to vote him don't have a clue!
Romney will get killed in this debate
Romney will have to answer questions from ordinary citizens in this debate. The plutocrat Romney is going to get killed.
Romney will have no problem
with citizens questions or Obama. Obama's ship is sinking and he has no clue what to do just like his performance over the last four years.
Debate Prep
For his debate prep., Pres. Obama needs to study up on the Biden approach:
Memorize lots of cutesy ways of calling his opponent a liar ("malarky", "stuff", etc.), and then laugh disdainfully over any substantive responses that Gov. Romney may try to offer.
It's certainly a better approach than having to defend his record of near-total incompetence.
Obama has done a very good job
What happened to Osama Bin Laden? Oh, yea, Obama got him. What happened to Gaddafi? Oh, yea, Obama got him too. What happened to the Great Recession? Oh, yea, GDP has been growing for three years. What happened to GM? Oh, yea, Obama saved them. What happened to the stock market? Oh, yea, it has doubled since the stimulus.
Obama has done a very good job.
More Obama Fairy Tales
What happened to our national debt? Oh yeah, it tripled its pace under Obama. What happened to our deficit spending? Oh yeah, it's been in excess of a trillion dollars each year for the past four years. What happened to the $90 billion in green jobs stimulus? Oh yeah, it's resulted in no fewer than 5 major bankruptcies. What happened to our effort to rein in health care costs? Oh yeah, they've exploded under Obamacare, and my pre-Obama insurance premiums have become prohibitively expensive such that I'm now having to look into other options for my company.
But you do have a point, Chris33 -- President Obama, w/o any help from our Navy Seals, singlehandedly took out Osama bin Laden.
And our ambassador lived happily ever after.
Reagan and the Bushes created the National Debt
Reagan and the two Bushes created most of the National Debt.
Go to reaganbushdebt .org to see the numbers.
"We Built It!"
- Republicans commenting on the National Debt
Neither Bush no Reagan is on the ballot
President Obama ran for president on a promise that he understood the "unpatriotic" (his word) nature of the debt-spending undertaken by the Bush 43 administration, and assurances that he knew how to get it under control.
Instead, President Obama exploded the debt, and has done nothing to get our deficit spending under control.
If my name were "Chris33", I'd freely and recklessly call President Obama a liar for this appalling circumstance. Instead, I'll settle for just plain incompetence.
"What happened to Osama Bin Laden? "
What happened to the Physician that the President recruited to verify where the OBL kids lived so the President could capture him?
Abandoned and in a Pakistani jail awaiting execution, that is where.
His attitude was "So long and thanks for all the fish".
Please verify
Exactly where and how did the President personally recruit the subject doctor. Did they have a personal conversation? Show how the president even KNEW about the doctor until after plans were made. Details are important.
The operation was ongoing for months.
Did the President know of the plan and approve it or didn't he? Was OBL captured without the President knowing any of the details for months?
If he approved the mission, he approved the mission. Including the abandonment of the Physician.
You are right. "Details are important." Could the President have made a good decision without knowing the details?
Why not?
You ask " Could the President have made a good decision without knowing the details?"
After all, didn't Bush invade Iraq without knowing all the details?
Works for you, works for me.
Could George Washington have decided to be a King?
All past Presidents have made decisions.
George is not President now - Washington or any other George for that matter.
Learn from the Past. Live in the present and look to the future or you will still be where you are today, years from now. Which, I might add, is more comfortable for some.
Your choice.
Verify?
Chris33 says Obama "got" both bin Laden and Qadhaffi, so it isn't unreasonable to believe he "got" the doctor, too.
What Happened?
What happened to the American ambassador and three others in Libya? Oh yes, Obama got them.
Watched it this time on Youtube
Heard it on radio during travel the first time. After watching it, I am reminded of a relative who was vocal, euphoric and animated at first and then subdued and passive later. In his case, he was a pill head who took amphetamines. Even though it went over well with their base, people I know who don't care about politics thought he was rude and condescending. He narrated a lot while Ryan was talking. And the administration had to clean up his facts afterwards including his votes authorizing the use of force. He had all the attributes of a use car salesman hooked on meth. I have new questions about the stability of a man now occupying the VP.
Kinda like
the Bain salesman who talked over both Obama AND Lehrer during their "conversation. I don't like him or approve of his plans, but Ryan so far has been the only actual civilized debator so far.
Maybe
That is why the President has a Bain Account?
Just ask Chris33. She supplied the article in the NY Times about the President having a Bain Account.
I Actually Give Joe Biden a Pass on This One
My personal opinion is that Joe Biden is the dumbest man to occupy the position of vice president in my lifetime (and I am including Dan Quayle in that assessment).
But I actually have to give him a pass for this past week's debate performance. What else could he do, given the total dud performance put on by President Obama a week earlier and the job of defending the indefensible record of this administration?
Joe Biden did his job, and he did it powerfully. He was rude, interruptive and dismissive. But he prevented Rep. Ryan from scoring a decisive victory, which is more that I expected V.P. Biden to accomplish (and certainly a lot better than Pres. Obama was able to manage).
The guy is a joke. But at least he was an effective one.
VPs Conduct
was in the same field of Diana Lohan when she was doing the interview with Dr. Phil. A blown out train wreck! Only difference is Hollywood vs the VP of the United States. Conduct unbecoming be a Dem or a Rep. It should warrant due process - your fired!
I guess by now we have heard
I guess by now we have heard it all- facts and falsehoods. Some of the things that have been done for the economy have helped and some of the things done have been a waste of money. The economy is controlled by many factors that a president cannot control-like consumer spending, etc.
I am tired of hearing all of the campaign malarky and now turned off of the whole process.
If you haven't made a decision by now, you probably will not vote anyway.
Stop listening to the reporters at MSNBC , Fox, CNN. Use your brain if you have one, make an informed decision, it is hard to find out all the truth from all of the spin.
Both men running are intelligent and basically good men who came from different backgrounds.
The Sgt. Shultz Defense
On Hogan's Heroes Sgt. Shultz was famous for saying,"I know nothing." Obama's administration has used this defense often. Holder knows nothing about fast and furious and Obama knows nothing about our embassy in Libya needing more security. Obama gave little credit to the intelligence group for tracking down Bin Laden while taking great credit himself for giving the order to kill him after refusing to do so several times. He has now thrown the intelligence group under the bus to protect himself. Expect more in the next debate. Everything bad is someone else's fault and he takes credit for anything good by himself. Most have no idea of his plans for the USA and if people did he would have no chance, but they prefer to know nothing.
Yes, you know nothing
Obama has killed 28 of the 29 top AQ leaders. Why? Because he used 10 times as many drone strikes as Bush. Why? Because Obama is smarter than Bush.
I'm with you on the the Drones Chris.
"Well, folks, there's no other way out of this all-or-nothing struggle with fanatics. Three thousand years of history teach that there's no alternative -- none -- to killing fanatics in large numbers when your enemies are ablaze with religious zeal."
Retired LTC Ralph Peters.
You have that right. Defense from over the horizon. No need to kill US ground troops every day. Drones, missiles, Bombers et al.
The Big Stick Philosophy. Whack them a couple of times and they will learn eventually. Then don't go about Nation Building and Hearts and Minds.
We have been "Fighting' terror with wishful thinking".
drones evolve
It is not that Obama has used more drones but more of the authorization that Obama has allowed to kill Americans without trial. You know that if Bush had proposed such killings of Americans that you would have called for his impeachment.
Everyone who has read your posts probably know that if Bush had used drones as much as Obama and on killing of Americans without a trial that you would have sided with Bush and applauded Bush's actions.
Are the generation of drones used today have the same limitations as those used by Bush?
Initially—I thought he was smarter than Mr. Bush,
But all he does—is make me wanna cuss.
His record is unmistakable and unambiguous,
It is the worst—and extreme—he ain’t one of us.
He has shamed and dishonored the oath he swore,
You are fed, crony or Zombie—if you want 4 more.
During the 08 campaign—he said HC was a right,
As a Constitutional Law Professor—he ain't to bright.
If one is intoxicated—reality is pooh-poohed;
In reality—that is all his supporters can do.
They employ a leftist legerdemain;
Don’t let their machine wash your brain!
I can detect the resonance of laughter;
It is the laughter that comes just after—
Mr. Romney finishes up and returns my broom,
From sweepin’ WH rooms—back to Chicago goons!
T Kosciuszko
JUST REALIZED
That maybe the "world's smartest man" is coming to grips that he lost the popular vote in 2008 and the reason why he/ they selected Biden as the VP was to continue the myth of his intelligence.
Anyone that Joe Biden sits next to looks like an Einstein compared to him.
The last , and final, VP debate proved that. I wish there was another VP debate but my guess is that the WH can't hold their breath that long again.
How sad for America.
What are you possibly
What are you possibly referring to re 2008 popular vote?
Barack Obama 69,498,215
John McCain 59,948,240
Let's do some research and
Let's do some research and see how many democratic congressmen have taken the same tax breaks as Mitt Romney, the same investment strategies, etc.
Better yet -
Get OB to explain his following of Cloward & Piven from Columbia University & their plan to socialize America by overwhelming the system in Govt spending & entitlement demands!
* Universal health care.
* Cap and trade
* Make Puerto Rico a state. Why?
* Legalize 12 million illegal Mexican immigrants.
* Stimulus and bailouts. Where did all that money go?
* The ends justify the means.
Romney Ships Jobs to China
Really Really Sad.....Romney's company, Bain Capital, which owns a company in Free port Illinois, (Sensata) is shipping 170 American jobs from that plant to China. Romney owns $8 million worth of stock in the company and stands to make a bundle. The workers pleaded with Romney not to send the jobs but he allowed it anyway and he refused to meet with them. And the company got a TAX BREAK to ship the jobs. Protesters from the company were arrested when they tried to block trucks carrying equipment from the company to ship to China. That's disgusting. This is the man who says he will create 12 Million JOBS????.......Yeah Right!......Not In America!
Your "points," do not address policy--they're not sincere,
Mr. Romney has an actual professional career;
Mr. Obama cannot make the jobs reappear.
He does not have the resume to be President,
The man is in way over head—it is evident.
I do not hope—I know—Mr. Romney—
Has far greater executive ability,
Than a pitiful executive of community,
Who is the worst President in history.
T Kosciuszko
You don’t need 206,407 pages to define free,
You do—to define a crony capitalist economy.
Free-markets are governed by supply and demand,
And judged by the logic and reason of free Humans.
Romney jobs
He can create more jobs by increased spending for defense and the prison industry.