Romney: Obama shouldn't just blame Republicans

AP Photo/Steven Senne

(CBS News) WAUKESHA, Wis. -- Even before President Obama blasted Republicans for backing a controversial GOP budget plan, Mitt Romney on Tuesday was chiding the president for blaming the current state of the economy on Republicans.

"Instead of standing up and saying, as the president, his policies have not worked, he of course will look for someone else to blame," Romney said while campaigning at a sub shop in Waukesha, Wisconsin, in remarks that appeared to serve as a prelude to the spirited fight likely to take place over the next six months.

"Maybe he'll look for the party that had no power whatsoever for the first two years of his administration, maybe he'll say, 'Oh, it's the Republicans.' But, you know, he had a Democratic House and a Democratic Senate for his first two years. He gets full credit or blame for what's happened in this economy, and what's happened to gasoline prices under his watch, and what's happened to our schools, and what's happened to our military forces."

Romney's comments came before a speech Tuesday in which Mr. Obama methodically took apart the House-passed budget of Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., point by point, and ridiculed Romney for calling the Ryan plan "marvelous." Ryan was at the campaign stop with Romney.

The former Massachusetts governor referred to a new Obama campaign ad that attacks "Big Oil," an industry that Democrats say is eager to help Romney because of his support for tax breaks for the industry.

"The president put an ad out yesterday, talking about gasoline prices and how high they are," Romney said. "And guess who he blamed? Me! Maybe after I'm president, I can take responsibility for things I might have done wrong. But this president doesn't want to take responsibility for his mistakes. I mean, you talk about someone who is running as far away from Harry Truman's dictum as possible. Harry Truman had the sign on his desk that said, 'The buck stops here.' But this president is always looking for somewhere else to point."

Romney told the lunch crowd that as president, he would take responsibility for his failures along with successes.

"There may be some things that don't work out as well as I'd hoped," he said. "I will acknowledge that. I will say that I take responsibility for what goes well and what doesn't."

31 Photos

GOP candidates on the trail

[rayward73446]

Obama has done more single handedly than all of the GOP combined to deal with the recession, rampant unemployment. Instead the GOP has protected the wealthy and big oil companies from paying a fair share. Bush's tax cuts and super pro business policy is what got us into this mess, yet republicans deny this fact, and have done nothing to solve the problems we face. Big oil should not receive any subsidies, they are making huge profits by keeping the prices high on pertroleum products, especcially gas. Any industry that places excessive profits above national interests is guilty of profittering. Big oil is now selling millions of gallons of refined fuel to other countries, keeping the US supply artificially low and driviing higher prices. The oil industry needs more regulation, oversight to keep these companies honest, which they are definately not. They also horde cash in foriegn countries to avoid paying taxes in the US. Then they expect us to continue giving them subsidies, I think not.

[TimeToEvolve]

Remember that Robmee is the clown that is backing the awful Ryan budget that wants to give even more trillions to the Top 1% like Robmee. As if they need more. As if that will help the rest of us.

The Cons want to severely damage Social Security which has trillions in surplus and has been extremely successful for over 70 years. They also want to kill Grandma by turning Medicare into a voucher system.

These are radical extremists, I have no idea who would back these nuts. They should be banished to the Island of Elba or somewhere.

[franknkissy]

Sort of like the British Empire - marvelous ! Unless you happened to be one of the many young soldiers who gave their lives in achieving this historic Imperial entity ! God saved the Queen & the Aristocrats & the Lords of Wealth & their Heirs who still own the Isles to this day - but for the poor Brits , little has changed since the days when England ruled the waves & the earth ! And the poor & workers & foot soldiers merely served & died ! So - yes Mr. Ryan the plan is good but remember the poor & worker in America as you strive to save our USA ! V+J

[TimeToEvolve]

Robmee and the rest of the corporate Republicon Top 1% are determined to radically alter the face of America for themeselves. What I can't figure out is why anyone would actually want that to be done to them.

Republicons: voting against the best interests of their friends, neighbors, relatives and themselves for 33 years and counting.

[pumperus057]

It Really doesn't matter which candidate wins the Republican primary's in Any State! And hearing what Mitt or Newt Or Rick has to say amounts to listening to and believing that a piece of Cold hard Steel can speak english. Republicans did their best to totally destroy our economy and the Middleclass with one fail swoop while President G.W. Bush was in office and We won't forget that anytime soon if The Real Americans have anything to do with it.
Capitalism in America is not practical and the Republicans know it. You have to belittle and destroy a way of life that Americans have known their whole lives and it can't happen unless people let it happen.
Socialism is not a goal of the Democratic party as it's not much more practical as a whole but when it comes to healthcare we All have to pull together to make it happen. Medical billing and cost, Doctors fees and procedures are what needs to be controlled to get insurance and the medical system inline and practical for all people and at this point if a socialist idea can solve that problem then so be it.
If the Republicans think taking Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, Privatizing Education, and cutting the physical government in half will help America get "Back on Track" Then they are thinking like Corporate Raiders and the United States is the next business they (the Republicans and Tea Party) want to dismantle and sell off. Not as long as I've got breath and can walk. I'll remind everyone in the world what the Republicans are doing. Think about how Rick Santorum wants a Caste system in America again and how Women were meant to be nothing more than a mans baby maker and bottle washer, Is that what Women want in our country? I hope and pray not.
To end this I will say that having numerous political groups working together in Congress is a real goal and should be for our nation but their Job is to help and protect All Americans Not just to line the pockets of the Rich like the GOP wants it to be.

[Maerzie]

Great post, "pumperus057"! We ALL need to rise up, like the Wisconsin protest, and stand up for what is right. These lying and slanderous presidential opponents of Obama are a disgrace to Christianity and adulthood! Every single one of them is PRETENDING to be a Christian, which means "LIKE CHRIST", while they cut programs for the needy and average American and reward the billionaires who are ripping us off! NONE of their lies and plans are anywhere NEAR "Christian", but they surely DO want to play to those voters, who are dense enough to fall for their propaganda! They are all a bunch of phonies. When I was first old enough to vote, I voted for the best liar cuz I didn't know any better. THEN, I started studying instead of simply "believing"!

[greenlantern1]

Was it in the national interest for BIG OIL to drill at the US Naval oil reserve at Teapot Dome?
Was the Howard Hughes loan, to Richard Nixon, in the national interest?
Was Herbert Hoover, or FDR, at fault for the great depression?
At one time, Cheney's HALLIBURTON had contracts with SHELL.
Now Russia does.
Would it be in the national interest to follow that money trail?

[Maerzie]

Romney needs to look at the timeline. MOST of the damage and curtailed progress happened in the Republican dominated Congress the past two years, while the Republicans simply voted "NO" on everything while they collected their "welfare" checks for just sitting there and obstructing progress for our nation and the voters! The proof is all over the internet, including the best site at <Congress.gov>, where even all their votes are listed. Go to see how YOUR representatives voted: AGAINST the Jobs Bill, AGAINST unemployment compensation repeatedly, and AGAINST everything that could have helped the economy BECAUSE they so desperately want President Obama to LOOK as bad as they try to PAINT him! They are an ENVIOUS, FAILED party that only knows hate and evil! They even have some of the media playing their childish games at times. When "MONEY" is their REAL "god", what can anyone expect??

[gologic]

what i want to know is why are we spending better than 4 bucks a gallon after spending all that money, tanking the economy, hunting the illusive osama been forgotten,then convienently saving the iraqi people(what a sham) were they pay somewhere in the nieghborhood of 25 cents a gallon for gasoline.one would think you could've worked a little better deal then that bush,chaney,"the true evil doers" whats more amazing is we still have people that believe anything the repubicans have to say..most must be catholics,it's pretty obvious that catholics will believe anything..thats why they cling so heavily to the evangelicals,they're easy marks..the others must just be plain stupid.a strong military is important,but to blame the state of the economy on obama is ludicrous.

[democracy8]

Most Catholics that I know (many) want NOTHING to do with evangelicals!

[Maerzie]

Regular gas is $3.79 per gallon of regular in Alabama, so it still hasn't gotten up to the $4.11 per gallon, as it did under Bush, in July of 2008, but the speculators are trying!! Our Republican majority Congress has not passed ANY of the sanctions on the oil companies that are pending in Congress because they want it to LOOK as if the prices are Obama's fault. Is that childish, or what?? Is that SELFISH and partisan, or WHAT?? (WHILE they continue to be sending around the rhetoric, blaming Obama, as if nobody is smart enough to look up the facts?) Is it any wonder WHY Republicans always CUT FUNDING for education as one of their FIRST priorities?? How else are they going to recruit more gullibles to fall for their lying propaganda?? "Keep 'em ignorant" should be their slogan!

[wolfmenn]

"He gets full credit or blame for...this economy...gasoline prices...our schools...our military forces"

Yup, that makes perfect sense. You know, since the Earth sprung into existence on January 20th, 2008. Nope, nothing happened before then. Nothing at all...

[SPECLTMAN]

ROMNEY DOESN'T KNOW HIS HEAD FROM A HAT. THE PRES TRIED FOR MANY MORE PROGRAMS BUT YOU CAN"T NEGOTIATE WITH A PARTY WHOSE DOCTRINE IS "WE WANT YOU TO FAIL AND WE DON'T CAR WHAT HAPPENS TO THE COUNTRY" AND AS I RECALL IT WAS HIS ADMIN. THAT BROUGHT US BACK FROM THE BRINK OF RUIN. WHY WOULD WE GO BACK TO AN ERA THAT WAS FILLED WITH LIES AND ECONOMIC DISASTER.