Romney to Obama: "Not so fast"

AP Photo/Julie Jacobson

LAS VEGAS -- Strong economic numbers this week may turn out to boost President Obama's re-election prospects, but in his victory speech in hard hit Nevada tonight, Mitt Romney swiped -- "Not so fast, Mr. President."

In front of a revved up crowd, Romney criticized Mr. Obama for "trying to take a bow" for the unemployment rate dropping to 8.3 percent in the report released yesterday.

"This is the 36th straight month with unemployment above the red line your own administration drew," he said, addressing Mr. Obama. "And if you take into account all the people who are struggling for work or who have just stopped looking, the real unemployment rate is over 15 percent."

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Tailoring his remarks specifically to the people of Nevada, Romney addressed how he deems the president has slighted them.

"Four years ago, candidate Obama came to Nevada, promising to help. But after he was elected, his help was telling people to skip coming here for conventions and meetings. Today, Nevada unemployment is over 12 percent, home values have plummeted, and Nevada's foreclosure rate is the highest in the nation," Romney said. "I've walked in Nevada neighborhoods, blighted by abandoned homes, where people wonder why Barack Obama failed them."

Unlike in his other post-primary speeches, which have seen Romney both congratulate his competitors or taking swipes at them, he made no mention tonight of Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum or Ron Paul on Saturday night. The closest reference he made to any of them was a backhanded acknowledgement that he would do a better job than any of them.

"Like his colleagues in the faculty lounge who think they know better, President Obama demonizes and denigrates almost every sector of our economy. I will make America the most attractive place in the world for entrepreneurs, for innovators, and for job creators. And unlike the other people running for President, I know how to do that," he said.

How Romney won in Nevada
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According to CBS News entrance polls, 56 percent of voters had decided who to cast their ballots for before 2012, and the economy was far and away the most important issue to those who cast a vote.

Romney, a Mormon, had wide support and a strong ground game for months in the Silver State, which has a sizable Mormon population. Romney campaign spokesman Ryan Williams pointed out in an email that while Mormon voters made up 26 percent of caucus-goers, without their support, Romney still would have won "decisively" -- by 17 points.

Additionally, according to Williams, "While Mitt Romney won a majority of the LDS vote, he won among Protestants, Catholics and everybody else by wide margins."

"Once again, you have given me your vote of confidence," Romney told the hundreds in the room, referring to his win in Nevada in 2008. "And this time, I intend to take it all the way to the White House."

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Mitt Romney on the trail

[rayward73446]

Since the Republicans can not claim having done anything to have created any jobs - at all, because they did not, they are trying to minimize the jobs numbers. Obama is the only reason that the jobs numbers are better, because he has been able to do something about unemployment. In spite of repubs blocking or killing most of his steps to curb the effects of the recession.
The low paying jobs that people are complaining about are the product of the greedy corproations, not the government. When are the Fox news fans, and Rush addicts going to realize that they are being had with slanted stories, and misinformation? Probably not soon enough because then they would have to actually think for themselves.

[Guitfiddel]

Romney only has an estimate of how many Jobs he's created with NO statistical proof or record. He's a LIAR, has no core values, out of touch with most Americans, flip-flopper on most issues (depends on who he's talking to) that has proven he's not fourhtcoming with that fiasco about presenting his TAX RETURNS. He hasn't, to this day, prove that he can create ANY JOBS and only LIES about President Obama making the economy me worse when he once admitted that the President improved the economy.
"2 days ago - In an interview with conservative talk show host Laura Ingram, Gov Romney acknowledges the economy is getting better under Obama."
https://theview.abc.go.com/.../romney-admits-economy-better-under-...>> Why is he LYING about it NOW??!!

[occupy_cbs]

"He's frequently telling us that he did not cause the recession, and that's true. But he made it worse." -- willard mitt romney



Looking at monthly payroll statistics, the numbers have gone from a loss of 839,000 jobs in Jan. 2009 -- when Obama took office -- to 23-straight months of positive job growth, including a preliminary gain of 243,000 jobs in Jan. 2012.

In 2011 alone, there were almost 2 million private-sector jobs created while government shrank by 850,000 jobs, including the first increase in manufacturing jobs since 1997!

The statistics of job creation between 2002 and 2012 is here:
http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CES0500000001?output_view=net_1mth

[wildemanne]

AMAZING, REPUBS KEEP SHIFTING ON THE NUMBERS, I GUESS IT'S THEIR WAY OF TRYING TO MUCK THINGS UP! BUT IT STILL BEATS 8YRS. LOOKING FOR THE TERRORIST COMMANDER IN THE WRONG COUNTRY, HAILING A DO NOTHING GOVERNMENT FOR 8YRS.AND GENERALLY RUNNING AROUND LIKE A MANTIPEDE FOR 8YRS. ACCOMPLISHING NOTHING, EXCEPT LETTING OUR BRAVEST DIE TRYING TO LOOK IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES? MAKES YOU WONDER IF BUSH/CHAINEY WAS WORKING FOR THE TALIBAN DOESN'T IT?

[ddaryl1]

Russia practiced communism, not socialism.. BIG Difference, but since they made socialism a big scary buzz word that is all you right wing retards have isn't it

I will fight to my death to ensure plutocratic fascist capitalism far right wing extremist agenda never takes hold

[TJphoto]

Not so fast Mitt. Release the records of your time at Bain and let's see how many jobs you created verses the jobs & lives you destroyed. It's simple math, even you can do it.

[Wanderwits]

Odd questions, skewed around marketing measures, I'm part of the crowd telling the truth where it is, calling it out, describing it, addressing the degrees and levels a person might achieve if all this ******** and spoon feeding were out of the way, God Bless Wikipedia, and Kahn Academy, they are doing what others could not, in the framework of their thinking self creation emerges, evidence shows public funding surpasses any corporate model.
Loose many battles, stay in the war, the winner is the one who stays.

[benunhappy]

Lets see, Bain has their people research other companies too see where their weak spots are and maybe influence suppliers to cause allittle riff in goods so those companies make slower and slower gains ,then Bain swoops to help these companies( many employees invested their whole lives to help get established)by giving out pink slips. RINSE THEN REPEAT. Bain and folks like MITT are and continue to be the real JOB KILLERS. AMERICA should be poised to watch the wealthy and corporations buy this election, and when its comes to be our true americans will defend our nation with anything that it takes.ARMS AND AMMO "the hottest selling item last year and beleive me most folks I know are ready. GO AHEAD and BELEIVE your REPO-UBLICANS AND THEIR FLEA-PARTY when they tell you your rich or that they are gonna fight for you(until they get your vote) then if they buy their way in they will shutdown whatever it takes to balance the BUDGET that was stacked up by the GOP .Maybe A company like BAIN will be looking your way to help elliminate your bosses debt, by elliminating Y O U !! HOPE NOT. ONE OTHER NOTE: YOUR party keeps bringing up the phoney " the Democrats will take your guns" go ahead and beleive that and while your at it beleive that all of us DEMOCRATS, LIBERALS AND LIKE ALOT OF THOSE WHO DROPPED THE GOP AS WELL AS INDEPENDENTS don't even own guns,you beleive the Oreillyrush crap.Redistricting is just another way to cheat when the lies aren't enough...The question on Capitol Hill,"WHICH JUDGES ARE YOU BUYING OFF", "IS THE VATICAN FUNDING THIS ONE TOO ?"

[Kestrel88]

Of course Mitt needs to find a cloud for a silver lining, he's staking his whole game on the economy tanking. Even if there's some good economic news, Mittens is going to be Captain Bringdown, Mr. Malaise...

Not what people want to hear from a guy who puts his money in Swiss bank accounts so he doesn't have to pay taxed that invest in the country he purportedly wants to lead.

[nearl451]

Aside of Romney's politically motivated analysis (you know, the one where you start with here is the mesasge we want to give, now how do we manipulate the numbers to show that), I have a different take.

Obama states that although the news is trending poisitive, there is a long way to go and things could be alot better. Romney responds with "NOT SO FAST". What? Too much credit claimed for the slow recovery?

I'm sure that Romney's past work at Bain or his current supply side philosophy is directly involved in the recovery......not! Romney is a moderate to liberal Republican; Obama, in practice works also a moderate Republican. Not much difference between the two, practically speaking.

[dzaffina]

robme knows all about unemployment and creating jobs. as governor, he was 47 out of 50 states in job creation. and lets remember, that was during an economic boom.

[dj_chi]

And no, they don't all drop out at once - there's no big spike in the numbers.

[dj_chi]

It's been climbing steadily over the past year, sometimes with a dip, sometimes with a surge. There's no spike.

[Ben37221]

The people of Nevada and the rest of the country should be worried about Romney. Romney and his Wall Street friends wrecked the economy. Now he is crying that the president is not doing enough to restore the mess he and his Wall Street friends created? Shame on Romney. He really think the American people will not recognize the fact that Romney have been a part of the problem for a long time. We all know that Romney is a tax cheat who love to fire people.