As Obama visits New Hampshire, Romney starts running critical ads there

AP Photo/Winslow Townson

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Mitt Romney is beginning to hit the airwaves in New Hampshire, with his initial campaign commercials on Tuesday timed to coincide with President Obama's trip to the state. The campaign reportedly has spent $134,000 for spots scheduled to run until Sunday.

In the ad, according to a release from Romney's campaign, footage of then-presidential candidate Obama is shown from various appearances in 2008, making such declarations as "We need a rescue plan for the middle class" and "We need to provide relief for homeowners." The ad then argues that such pronouncements have failed and ends with Romney touting his "smaller, simpler, smarter" approach.

"I want people to remember that when he was candidate Obama, that he said he was going to get this economy going, he was going to bring people together, be a real leader for change in America," Romney told Fox News' Sean Hannity in an interview Monday. "The contrast between what he said and what he did is so stark, people will recognize we really do need to have someone new lead this country."

The only other candidates who have bought air time in New Hampshire before now have been Rep. Ron Paul of Texas and Texas Gov. Rick Perry. The "super PAC" for former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman recently bought more than $800,000 worth of ads in the Granite State in a move to appeal to moderates there.

Romney had previously declined to tell CBS News/National Journal when his ads - filmed last weekend -- would start airing, joking, "I'd tell you if you won't tell anyone." He said he did not want to reveal more to rival campaigns and that his campaign would be holding the ads until the last possible minute, based on a calculation of how much they could spend.

The spot continues the former Massachusetts governor's approach of largely ignoring other GOP candidates in favor of focusing squarely on Obama. In the Fox interview, Romney reiterated his criticism of Obama's statements empathizing with the concerns of the Occupy Wall Street protesters.

"I think he made a huge mistake," Romney said. "Look, the president is always drawn to people who are looking to divide America and weaken America. All streets in America are connected. You don't attack streets in America. You don't attack fellow Americans."

Calling Obama "a rigid ideologue," Romney also attacked the Obama campaign's presumed strategy of seeking to focus on undermining him. "He can't talk about his record and get re-elected," he said. "So what he'll do is try and assassinate, on a character basis, his opponents and/or his opposition."

Romney also expressed sympathy for rival Rick Perry's mental lapse during a recent debate and his willingness to mention "EPA" as a way of prodding the Texas governor. "In those debates, you're probably operating with about 70 percent of your brain capacity, because, you know, you've got all the lights on, you never know what's going to come, there's a bit of pressure, as you might imagine," Romney said. "And so we're all prone to make a mistake or two."

[saboori]

Come on republican voters! What is wrong with you all? Can't you see the elephant in the room? Why are you all in denial that our only hope to beat Obama is having Gov. Perry to run against him. Gov. Perry, unlike other candidates, is running basically on his gigantic record of achievements. Can you imagine Obama running against Perry based on his very poor record? Obama with disastrous record or no record at all, vs Gov. Rick Perry, a giant successful third term governor of a great state, with 13th biggest economy in the world, who has military, governing and legislative experience; plus, Perry is naturally charismatic and powerful leader, and his policies are bold and visionary!!

So....readers...even you Dems...who shows the courage...what state created the environment for JOBS and what are our major problems - JOBS, healthcare, energy and over-regulation. Who has the plan to fix it...Governor Rick Perry. Just think about it. Give him another chance.

[webdepot]

Mitt.... clueless as usual..

Many of the promises Obama made in the campaign had enabling legislation passed in the House.. which was then promptly filibustered by the minority Republicans in the Senate... more than a hundred times...

As for being a uniter and compromising with the other side, I'm hard pressed to think of ANY president in the past 50 years who have tried more diligently to accommodate the other side..

It seems every time the Repugs came up with an idea, and Obama said "yea, sounds good, let's do it".. the Repugs suddenly were against it, their own f^*king idea.. time and time again..

[US-Patriot]

Personally, I don't care for any of the candidates, Democrat or Rebuplican. However, it seems to me the the Obama administration had two years of complete majority in the House and Senate. Obama could have focused on the economy, but instead to focus on forcing his unwanted health care law down the throats of the American people. Obama will always blame anybody but himself for his failure as a president. I guess you will too.

[signseeker1717]

The "unwanted" health bill WAS a priority in 2008; in fact passage of a bill was one of the campaign issues for then-candidate Obama. I among, others, voted for him for that reason. He WAS able to get a bill through because of a democratic majority at that time; when repubs got the "supermajority" it switched to gridlock, and has been ever since.

webdepot's last sentence says it all.

[jacktar7]

This guy is so classy. Rick Perry not only viciously attacked Romney in one of the debates; he also ran a lot of powerful, negative ads against him on TV in the early primary states, and on the internet. But what did Romney do when Perry got into trouble in the last debate and couldn't remember the third department he would eliminate as president? Romney, the only other candidate who really tried to help him, suggested "the EPA?" although unfortunately that wasn't the one. And what did Romney say about Perry's problem a few days later? "We all make mistakes, and I'm more concerned about my own than anybody else's and wish Rick the very best. We've had a lot of debates, I think we've had ten already, maybe eleven now, and we may have four or five more to come. So he and I have plenty of time to get our message across in the best way we can."

[signseeker1717]

Could be Romney is playing nice so he can persuade Perry to be his running mate and ensure he gets Texas. Oh, no, that wouldn't be "classy"; that would be just got ol' fashioned politics. Yeah, they have "plenty of time" - to cut a deal. We'll see...

[zbcbs]

Romney is by far the sleaziest candidate among the whole bunch of those sleazy Republican/Tparty candidates. Not only is he a chicken hawk like the rest of them who never served in the military but he is also a coward when it comes to actually facing the press and the American people.

Obama's biggest mistake is thinking he can be rational and compromise with the lying, hatemongering, tax cuts for the rich and exploit everyone else lunatics that make up today's rightwing.

[Quivley]

Mitt Romney has the potential to become one of America's finest presidents. He will inherit a huge mess from Obama, but Romney is the candidate with the best chance to get the government functioning efficiently, the economy on the upswing, and restore faith in America around the globe.

[signseeker1717]

Wow! How would be do all that, by waving a magic wand? How would he DO it? What does he stand for THIS WEEK?

[freepress6]

Romney's expressing "sympathy" for Perry's mental lapse because Romney needs Perry as a running mate. Romney doesn't have a snowball's chance of winning Texas without Perry, and maybe even with Perry for that matter. But without Texas the GOP can forget about retaking the White House. Every time Republicans have lost Texas in a presidential election, since 1952 (Ike campaigned as a native Texan), there wasn't a Texan on the ticket.
Sterling Greenwood/AspenFreePress

[Facts_Matter]

Romney calls Obama a rigid ideologue.

I guess compared to a spineless worm like Romney, Obama may seem rigid. Obama has a core principle that he is going to stick too, even as he makes huge compromises in offer to the radical right wing congress. That principle is "do anything that is possible to keep America strong and safe, even if it means compromising with fools".

If Obama is a rigid ideologue, but he is willing to concede to Republican demands to:
1. extend tax-cuts for the wealthy (last december),
2. make cuts to social programs (in the ACA),
3. make a long-term deal (in the debt ceiling debate, but then the GOP reneged)
4. make a short-term deal (in the debt ceiling debate, but then the GOP reneged)
5. opened up more drilling offshore and in alaska
and many more offers of compromises..

then, what would you call the republicans who wont close egregious tax loopholes for the super rich because they made a pledge to grover-freaking-norquist - even though the vast majority of republicans and all other voters agree those loop holes should be closed?

the fact that Romney thinks Obama is rigid is a sign of just how much of a puddle of push-over Romney really is.

[shurch4truth]

...Mitt, you might want to instead spend your money on anti-Newt ads

...when sense does it make to run against Obama when Newt is about to overtake you?


...Mitt, you always like to do the "smart thing".....well?

[olblugill]

Romney does not run anti- Newt ads because he realizes like everyone else that Gingrich stands no chance of winning the nomination. The media will take care of Gingrich. There is more than enough to sink that ship. Romney needn't waste a penny. Stupid, Romney is not.