China still a major issue in Ohio
The economic setbacks in the U.S. and Europe are now beginning to seriously hinder the sales and profits of manufacturers in China. Celia Hatton reports from the industry-heavy city of Dongguan.
/ STR"[T]he President will talk about his record of holding China accountable so that American workers can compete globally while Mitt Romney has continued to profit from companies that ship jobs to China," an Obama campaign official told reporters, previewing the president's two afternoon campaign rallies in the Buckeye State.
Romney, meanwhile, also advanced his line of attack, saying Wednesday morning in Westerville, Ohio, "We're going to crack down on China.... They've stolen our jobs; that's gotta stop."
Vowing to label China a currency manipulator, Romney said, during another stop on his Ohio bus tour Tuesday, "We cannot compete with people who don't play fair and I won't let that go on." He added, "I will stop it in its tracks."
Romney and Mr. Obama have lobbed numerous attacks over China, each attempting to sound tougher than the other. Both campaigns have released TV ads targeting the issue and have taken the argument to the campaign trail in the state once reliant on the manufacturing sector, but forced to adapt to a declining number of factory jobs.
"It is not clear that most voters truly understand the economic significance of China but playing the fear card doesn't necessarily require that tutorial by either campaign," Republican strategist Trey Hardin told CBSNews.com in a recent interview. "Therefore, both candidates incorporate China in their messaging by highlighting potentially scary economic confrontations with this rival nation."
Continue »
Politicians weigh in on NFL ref lockout
Republican vice presidential candidate, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. speaks at a campaign stop at Byer Steel, Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2012, in Cincinnati.
/ AP Photo/David KohlUpdated 7:00 p.m. ET
(CBS News) Republican VP nominee Paul Ryan and Gov. Scott Walker, R-Wis., publicly chided replacement referees after their home-state NFL team lost Monday night after a controversial call.
Ryan opened his rally in Cincinnati Tuesday calling for the "real refs" to return to the NFL, and Walker took to Twitter to call for the league's regular officials to return to the game.
"It is time to get the real refs," Ryan said in Cincinnati. "And you know what, it reminds me of President Obama and the economy. If you can't get it right, it is time to get out."
Ryan also said, "Unlike the Seattle Seahawks last night, we want to deserve this victory. We want to earn this victory."
Ryan was referring to Monday night's football game where the referees ruled that Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate caught a Hail Mary pass for a touchdown, resulting in a win over the Green Bay Packers.
This morning on Twitter, Walker called the outcome of the game "painful" and used the hashtag #returntherefs.
Continue »
Romney emphasizes work to solve Middle East turmoil
(CBS News) In a speech focused on the volatility in the Middle East, Mitt Romney said the answer to political and social unrest is employment.
"Work. That must be at the heart of our effort to help people build economies that can create jobs for people, young and old alike," Romney said Tuesday at the Clinton Global Initiative conference in New York City. "Work builds self-esteem. It transforms minds from fantasy and fanaticism to reality and grounding. Work does not long tolerate corruption nor quietly endure the brazen theft by government of the product of hard-working men and women."
In his first major address since an American-made anti-Muslim film led to protests throughout the Middle East, Asia and Northern Africa, and violent extremists attacked the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, killing four Americans including Ambassador Chris Stevens, Romney said he is "troubled by the developments in the Middle East."
"Obviously religious extremism is certainly part of the problem. But that's not the whole story," Romney said, "Idle, humiliated by poverty, and crushed by government corruption, their frustration and anger grows," Romney said of the large percentage of young people in Middle Eastern countries.
He said American-provided foreign aid "must play a role," but it shouldn't be open-ended. Romney said aid conditioned on "the promotion of work and fostering of free enterprise" will be a "higher priority" in a Romney administration.
Continue »
Romney latest to lob China criticism
Updated 9:50 a.m. ET
(CBS News) The battle over conceding jobs to China has reemerged again with the latest salvo coming in the form a new TV ad from Mitt Romney criticizing President Obama's China-related policy and its effect on U.S. workers.
"Fewer Americans are working today than when President Obama took office," the narrator says in the ad titled "Stand Up to China." "It doesn't have to be this way if Obama would stand up to China."
"China is stealing American ideas and technology. His policies cost us two million jobs," the narrator continues.
The Romney campaign highlights articles that report the Obama administration has yet to label China as a currency manipulator for undervaluing its yuan currency, which gives China manufacturers a cost advantage in the worldwide market. It's an action that Romney has vowed to do should he win election.
Romney plans to take this message to the campaign trail, specifically when he and his running mate Paul Ryan begin a bus tour in Ohio Tuesday where they are expected to talk about preventing the Chinese from stealing intellectual property.
Continue »
Gibbs: WH did not mislead on Libya attacks
The U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, after it and a nearby safe house were attacked on Sept. 11, 2012. Four Americans, including the U.S. Ambassador, were killed.
/ CBS News"Absolutely no one intentionally or unintentionally misled anybody involved in this," Gibbs said Sunday on "Fox News Sunday," saying the administration is basing its statements on information received from an ongoing investigation.
Last week on CBS News' "Face the Nation," United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice called the protests outside the Benghazi consulate, where four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens were killed, "spontaneous."
"We do not have information at present that leads us to conclude that this was premeditated or preplanned," Rice told host Bob Schieffer."
"You saw the White House say that this was a terror attack," Gibbs said. "I would say this, as we have learned more and as this investigation continues, I anticipate we will continue to learn more facts about the awful assassination, murder of our great ambassador in Libya."
Continue »
Romney ad attacks Obama's leadership
(CBS News) A new television ad released Sunday by Mitt Romney's campaign challenges President Obama's leadership, saying that he is unable to lead even his own party.
At a meeting with then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid during stimulus negotiations, Pelosi "hit the mute button" and "went on with the meeting, ignoring the president. Not even listen to what he had to say," the narrator in the ad says.
The ad points to a passage in a newly-released book by Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward on the inner-workings of Washington over the past few years.
"If he cannot lead his own party, how can he lead America?" the narrator asks.
Continue »
Brown says Warren "obsessed with raising taxes"
Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., left, shakes hands with his Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren, right, on the set before their first debate as moderator Jon Keller, center, looks on, Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012, in Boston.
/ AP Photo/Michael Dwyer(CBS News) In the first debate between the Massachusetts Senate candidates, challenger Elizabeth Warren attempted to paint incumbent Sen. Scott Brown as a corporate shill in lock-step with his Republican colleagues concerned about protecting the wealthy, while the senator framed Warren as liberal intent on raising taxes.
"She's obsessed with raising taxes," Brown said during Thursday night's debate in Boston, adding that "there's a spending problem in Washington, D.C." and that Warren would continue to fuel the fire.
Continue »
Poll: Negative voter reaction to Romney "47%" remarks
Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks to reporters about the secretly taped video from one of his campaign fundraising events in Costa Mesa, Calif., Monday, Sept. 17, 2012.
/ AP Photo/Charles DharapakThirty-six percent of voters say Romney's comments make them less likely to vote for him, while 20% say the remarks make them more likely to vote for him, and 43% say the comments won't make a difference, Gallup reports.
Meantime, 29 percent of independents, who Gallup notes are less partisan by definition, say they are less likely to vote for Mitt Romney after being read the comments that were caught on video at a May fundraiser. Fifteen percent who say they are more likely to vote for him after hearing the remarks. Although the poll indicates that independents view Romney's comments as more negative than positive, just over half - 53 percent - say his comments will make no difference in their vote.
The poll, which surveyed 885 registered voters on Sept. 18 and has a +/-4 percent margin of error, is the first snapshot of how Romney's remarks, which have caused a political firestorm, are being viewed by the electorate.
Continue »
Romney: Poor economy fosters dependency
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney addresses a fundraising event on September 18, 2012, in Salt Lake City.
/ NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/GettyImagesFact checking Romney's "47 percent" comment
"Efforts that promote hard work and personal responsibility over government dependency make America strong," Romney wrote in the op-ed published in Wednesday's USA Today. "Under President Obama, we have a stagnant economy that fosters government dependency. My policies will create a growing economy that fosters upward mobility."
"Government has a role to play here. Right now, our nation's citizens do need help from government. But it is a very different kind of help than what President Obama wants to provide," he wrote. "My experience has taught me that government works best when it creates the space for individuals and families to pursue success and achieve great things."
Romney continues to stand by his comments at the May fundraiser that was caught on tape, arguing that they were "not elegantly stated," though he maintains his message has been consistent. While many Republicans came to Romney's defense after the release of the video, cracks are starting to show among conservatives.
New Crossroads ads hit Obama, Dems
The Karl Rove-backed pro-GOP political organizations American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS released two new ads Tuesday aimed at defeating President Obama and congressional Democrats.
The TV ad released by the super PAC American Crossroads criticizes President Obama and features two small business owners saying he's bad for businesses.
"He's increased our taxes. He's increased our health care expenses," Sherry Wuebben, a small business owner said in the ad.
"There's a reason there aren't more jobs. Obama has made a lot of bad decisions. He treats us like we're his enemy," Bill Schams said. "Obama is def making things more difficult for us. If he has four more years, I don't think we're going to want to see what it looks like."
The group is spending $8.3 million to run the ad in eight states: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio and Virginia.
Meantime, American Crossroads tax-exempt partner organization, Crossroads GPS, also announced a new $2.3 million ad buy focusing on House and Senate races.
The ad will run in five hotly contested races slamming Democratic candidates Montana Sen. Jon Tester, Nevada Senate candidate Rep. Shelley Berkley, North Dakota Senate candidate Heidi Heitkamp, Wisconsin Senate candidate Rep. Tammy Baldwin and Rep. Tim Bishop, who is running for reelection in New York's first district.
"Crossroads is looking to spend tens of millions of dollars to keep the Republican majority in the U.S. House and promote a conservative agenda there," Crossroads spokesperson Nate Hodson told CBSNews.com.
In Ohio, Obama slams China, Romney
President Barack Obama speaks at a campaign event at Seasongood Pavilion, Monday, Sept. 17, 2012, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
/ AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster(CBS News) China has once again entered the campaign discussion as President Obama launched another round of attacks against his opponent Mitt Romney on his China policy and announced that he is filing another trade complaint against the country.
"Now, I understand my opponent has been running around Ohio claiming he's going to roll up his sleeves and take the fight to China," Mr. Obama told a crowd in Cincinnati Monday. "Ohio, you can't stand up to China when all you've done is send them our jobs."
The president was referring to Romney's time at Bain Capital, a private equity firm that bought companies and moved jobs to China. It has been a common attack on the campaign trail in an effort to smear Romney's time at Bain, although many of the outsourcing claims either happened after Romney's time at Bain or didn't happen exactly the way Romney's critics describe them. The Obama campaign renewed the attack Friday when it launched a new television ad accusing Romney of outsourcing jobs overseas and continued the barrage today.
The president also announced a new enforcement action against China for what it claims is illegally subsidizing exports of automobile parts. The administration says the subsidies totaled $1 billion and is harming American auto parts makers.
"These are subsidies that directly harm working men and women on the assembly line in Ohio and Michigan and across the Midwest... . It's not right, it's against the rules and we will not let it stand," Obama said. "American workers build better products than anyone. 'Made in America' means something. And ...when the playing field is level, America will always win."
Continue »
Romney's new ads: one positive, one negative
(CBS News) Mitt Romney's campaign is out with two new ads Monday, one hammering President Obama on the economy and the other is a rare positive ad.
"The Romney Plan" does not mention his rival nor does it criticize Mr. Obama's policies. Instead, it features Romney talking optimistically about his plan "to help the middle class" with upbeat music and images of American workers.
The ad is meant to introduce parts of his five-point plan to revive the economy. Romney speaks to the camera saying, "Trade has to work for America. That means crack down on cheaters like China. It means open up new markets."
The other priorities he mentions are reducing the deficit and promoting small businesses. "Have tax policies, regulations, and healthcare policies that help small business," Romney said.
"We put those in place, we'll add 12 million new jobs in four years," the Republican presidential candidate concludes.
The second ad, "Failing American Families," is a more typical campaign ad that uses a brooding narrator and music and criticizes Mr. Obama for falling median household income and a rising deficit.
"Under Obama, families have lost over $4,000 a year in income," the narrator says, referring to an independent study that showed median household income dropped $4,019 between January 2009 and June 2012, from $54,983 to $50,964. What the ad doesn't mention is the broader context that Mr. Obama inherited a recession when he took office in January 2009, a recession began under former President George W. Bush. Even if Mr. Obama is cut some slack for the first six months of his term, the study revealed income still fell over $2,500 from June 2009 through June 2012, a 5 percent drop.
Continue »
Rodeo announcer rebuked for off-color Obama joke
Ann Romney, wife of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, left and US First Lady Michelle Obama
/ Getty Images"Playboy is offering Ann Romney $250,000 to pose in the magazine, and the White House is upset about it because National Geographic only offered Michelle Obama $50 to pose for them," the San Luis Obispo Tribune reported how audience member Dona Wilson recounted the joke.
At least one member of the Creston Classic Rodeo has called on the announcer, Ed Kutz, to apologize.
"I can't speak for the board, but I myself think that this is unacceptable behavior or conduct by the announcer," said Mike Barrett in The Tribune. "I find it offensive, and I think that it's conduct unbecoming the rodeo announcer."
Continue »
House passes bipartisan spending bill
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.
(CBS News) The House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bipartisan spending agreement that will prevent a government shutdown, voting 329-91 on a measure to keep the government funded through March. Still, the representatives punted on the most difficult questions facing Washington until after the elections.
The six-month spending measure, an all-inclusive funding bill that covers domestic and foreign spending obligations, will last through March and fund the government at the rate of $1.047 trillion for the year. It will now move to the Senate, where it is expected to pass next week.
Congress, however, avoided the complicated debate of the pending "fiscal cliff" - $600 billion of automatic budget cuts and tax increases - as they are itching to get out of Washington to campaign for reelection.
Continue »Obama to make seventh appearance on Letterman
Previous presidential candidates have taken advantage of the late-night comedy circuit to show their lighter side. Then-candidate Bill Clinton made a lasting impression during his appearance on the Arsenio Hall show during his 1992 campaign when he played "Heartbreak Hotel" on the saxophone.
Mitt Romney has also appeared on "Late Night," but fewer times than Mr. Obama. He has sat down for an interview once and presented Letterman's "Top 10" twice.
More often, Romney is the center of Letterman's jokes. Letterman has crafted a caricature of Romney, often calling the Republican candidate "Mitch" and mocking his affluence. Letterman also shows a regular segment called "Ann and Mitt Romney's Lies," which questions the couple's claims about buying clothes at Costco, doing laundry and engaging in other everyday activities.
- no previous page
- Next