Romney camp: Obama reelection tactics "disgraceful"

CBS/Getty Images

In response to a story that President Obama's re-election campaign is prepping a "ferocious personal assault on Mitt Romney's character and business background," the Romney campaign sent CBS News a blistering statement from campaign manager Matt Rhoades deeming such a strategy "disgraceful" and "despicable."

"It is disgraceful that President Obama's campaign has launched his re-election with the stated goal to 'kill' his opponent with an onslaught of negative and personal attacks," said Rhoades. "President Obama will say and do desperate things to hold onto power because he knows he has failed. Neither despicable threats, nor President Obama's billion dollar negative campaign, will put Americans back to work, save their homes, or restore their hopes. On November 6, 2012, this will change."

Rhoades' comment is in response to a Politico story entitled "Obama plan: Destroy Romney," which says the Obama campaign, resigned to running in a negative environment that makes the positive rhetoric of Mr. Obama's 2008 campaign a hard sell, plans to aggressively tear down the man who currently appears to be the most likely Republican to face Mr. Obama in the general election.

The story, which cites anonymous advisers to the president and re-election campaign as well as Obama chief strategist David Axelrod, said the Obama campaign plans to cast Romney as inauthentic and "weird." The campaign also reportedly plans to spotlight Romney's history running venture capital firm Bain Capital, which laid off workers at some of the companies it acquired. At the firm American Pad and Paper, for example, 250 workers were laid off after Bain Capital took over in 1992.

The Obama campaign cast the Politico story as inaccurate in a statement to CBS News.

"Anyone purporting to hold a crystal ball for our strategy suggesting otherwise does not speak for the campaign," said re-election campaign press secretary Ben LaBolt. "The crocodile tears from the Romney campaign, which has been nothing but negative, do not pass the credibility test."

[raysny]

The Republicans have been running dirty, negative campaigns that have gotten worse each election since Nixon. If Obama chooses to fight in this manner next time, it will be because the Republicans have shown that it works.

[maripaul-2009]

For every Dollar spent by Democrats, GOP spends $100.-
Remember: Any President PROPOSES, but Congress DISPOSES.
Unemployment: It all started with outsourcing. Corporations not wanting to pay taxes and wanting to kill unions, decided to close the factories here in the USA and build new ones in Japan, China, Korea, Malaysia and now India. Their workers are making pennies, CEO's are raking in Millions and our workers get unemployment- while it lasts.
We seem to have forgotten these events that got us in todays trouble.
Oh yes, we also had TAX cuts in early 2000 and two wars.
Does anyone recall Pres. Eisenhower warning about the military industrial complex.

[GrannyCares]

Why doesn't' President Obama do the right thing; go before the American people and announce that he is withdrawing from the 2012 election; and for the next 17 months, he is going to devote himself, working with Congress, to put this Country on a more sound footing for the future?

Why won't he establish his priorities in this order:
*JOBS
*Remove the impediments that causes the USA to be less competitive (i.e., strangling regulations)
* Permit capitalization on our own national resources, vice protecting beetles, bats, owls and snakes
* LEAD us to develop a sound fiscal footing both short and long term
* Start the process (through action, NOT SPEECHES) of making the US #1 in the world on public education (our system today is becoming an embarrassment)
* Provide basic national security, and stay out of other's business - we appear to be having problems taking care of our own!

If he chooses this approach, he may salvage his presidency as a "decent human being". If he chooses to proceed with a strategy of "KILLING ROMNEY", he will go down BEHIND Jimmy Carter and James Buchanan as a novice political operative from Chicago who oversaw the dismantling of the US economy, leaving it in SHAMBLES.

Obama has proven that he is not up to the task, and should be man enough to admit it. If he doesn't, he will carry his party down with him.

[unclebernies]

How about this attack. Rommney made his millions buying companies firing it's workers and then shipping the jobs overseas. THAT IS DISGRACEFUL

[sandiego1969]

Let's not change the subject from the brief and wholly misleading and deceptive political career of Mr Obama. CEO of GE that paid no corporate taxes heading the US jobs commission. This guy just sent an entire division of the company to China. Oh, the campaign contributions are still rolling in from GE and the employees it has left in the states.

[sandiego1969]

What the democrats mean is they will attack him because he is Mormon and public about his faith. All the talk from Mr Obama since 2007 until today about raising the bar on negative campaigning, firing anyone who goes negative, seems to go out the window when his reelection is in question. Mr President, at the risk that this may sound familiar, You Lie!

[pdchapin]

Romney launched a personal attack against a personal attack that was never launched. Romney logic.

Romney will say and do anything to get elected. When he needed liberal votes to win in MA he was a pro-choice, pro-health care reform liberal. Now that he needs conservative votes to get nominated, he's a conservative. God knows what he'll be if elected.

I'm from MA and if Romney said the sun rose in the east, I go outside in the morning to check. I just pity the poor conservatives who wouldn't get what he's selling them.

[Excalibrationist]

I waiting for Rick Perry to throw in his cowboy hat into the POTUS election.
He will win for sure!!!

[RobAla]

No one can criticize President Obama's business background because he does not have one. In fact, prior to be elected President I don't know of any budgetary responsibilities that he ever had. He never was over a state budget, a local budget, of even a small business budget. No wonder he has created record breaking deficits each year he has been in office.

He was voted into the higher executive office in the world, and he had ZERO executive experience. He is running the largest economy in the world, and he had ZERO experience presiding over a budget. I am sure Romney has made a few mistakes along the way, because he has actually done something. It is easy for President Obama to not make any mistakes in business, because has NEVER even attempted it. I don't think President Obama really wants to go there.

[wardove]

he does not have a chance anyways

[nearl451]

Wow. What an over-reaction. Did they post a Romney silhouette on cross hairs like some morons did duringthe last election? No.

I mean, the main threat to Romney is: Obama says, "Don't vote for this guy. He's too much like me!" Obamneycare is damned right.

[nearl451]

Besides, if the pantywaist can't take the heat, perhaps he should let the big girls lead the attack (you know, like Bachman or Pawlenty).