Romney hews tightly to economic message

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney listens to a question from a supporter at a town hall-style meeting in Euclid, Ohio, Monday, May 7, 2012.

/ AP

Updated: 5:37 p.m. ET

EUCLID, Ohio -- Mitt Romney sought to stick on Monday to his central theme that the U.S. economy's pace remains sluggish, even as he juggled questions about same-sex marriage, the recent elections in Europe and the foreign taxes he has paid.

Speaking at a plant that stamps parts for truck manufacturers, Romney continued his attack on President Obama 's economic stewardship, including the April unemployment rate of 8.1 percent--a figure the presumptive GOP nominee has said is double what it should be. He dismissed the drop from March as misleading.

When Romney opened the floor for questions, one man asked why Romney had paid more than $1.5 million in foreign taxes. Such taxes are paid by those who hold income-generating investments in other countries; Obama also has paid the taxes for the past several years. A foreign tax credit is provided so that a single investment isn't taxed twice, and all income is fully reported and taxed in the United States at prevailing rates.

"I'd appreciate your comments on an investing strategy that seems to have resulted in several million dollars of your personal income taxes being paid to foreign countries instead of ours," the man asked while some members of the audience began to boo his question.

Romney responded by saying he did not believe he had paid any foreign taxes but said he would look into it. Romney's assets are in a blind trust and managed by a trustee.

Romney passed up a chance to attack Vice President Joe Biden on the subject of gay marriage, which has reemerged as a hot topic after Biden's comments on Sunday that he is "absolutely comfortable" with such marriages. Avoiding the question appears to reflect Romney's desire to keep the campaign focused on Obama's handling of the economy.

In a subsequent interview with Ohio's WJW-TV, a reporter did ask Romney about Biden's statement. "My view is that marriage is between a man and a woman. That's a position I've had for some time, and I don't intend to make any adjustments at this point," Romney replied. When the reporter began to ask another question, he added, "Or ever, by the way."

The former Massachusetts governor also did not directly address another dominant topic in the news--the weekend's elections in Greece and France, in which voters sent a message of disdain for tough austerity measures imposed on both countries to rescue their faltering economies.

"We're going to take America in a very different place," Romney said, repeating a theme that he has raised before.Obama is "taking America on a path towards Europe. Europe's not working there. It's not going to work here. Europe is in real trouble. As their debts mount, as people demand more and more from government, government has to borrow more and more to satisfy their demands."

In an earlier interview with Cleveland TV station WOIO, Romney used a question about the French elections as an opportunity to bring up Vladimir Putin's reassuming his role as Russia's president for the third time.

"I think the president of our country has to be able to work with people of other nations even when we respectfully disagree with nations, such as Russia," he said. "We certainly have disagreements with Mr. Putin. We will have disagreements with the Chinese from time to time, with others around the world. But our differences in political philosophy should not prevent us from being able to have a dialogue, except of course in the most extreme cases such as Kim Jong Un, Fidel Castro, and people of that ilk, who have taken postures so extreme that a dialogue has not been especially fruitful at this stage."

[TimeToEvolve]

Doesn't the dimwit Robmee know that his party is the one responsible for Reaganomics and the financial meltdown? The Republicons have not done even one thing good for America since before 1980. And yet the idiot is still pushing the same failed junk on us. How stupid is he? Or how stupid does he think we are?

[steeepe]

Romney now says he saved the audio industry. His lying has become pathological. You'd have to be harebrained to vote for such a lying phony.

[TimeToEvolve]

YOu can't cure stupid. And you know, it seems you can't talk sense into the Republicon brain. It really is whatever they want to think is right. It's scary.

[occupy_cbs]

varigdc10: "Mitt is not an economist, not a politician, just a rich guy with nothing better to do so he chooses to run for president for glory. He is actually a 'take over' artist who made his money buying dying companies, firing and eliminating jobs so his companies go from red to black in the bottom line and immediately selling them to make profits, that's how he 'creates jobs'. Middle class Americans who will vote for him this fall deserve all the pain and suffering Mitt will bestow on them if he wins."




Yes, those middle class Americans voting for the vulture capitalist this fall, "deserve all the pain and suffering Mitt will bestow on them if he wins."

Unfortunately, we're all in the same boat watching these politicians moving the deck chairs around, and we will all suffer if the mittster gets a lucky win in November.

[tafhdyd]

"I'd appreciate your comments on an investing strategy that seems to have resulted in several million dollars of your personal income taxes being paid to foreign countries instead of ours," the man asked while some members of the audience began to boo his question.

Translation....How could someone with brains and the testicular fortitude to oppose the company line sneak into a paid shill group called an audience.

[occupy_cbs]

Or, better yet, how could someone ask a very pertinent question of the mittster, and actually get an honest answer from a vulture capitalist?

[occupy_cbs]

Even as he juggled questions about same-sex marriage, the recent elections in Europe and the foreign taxes he has paid, willard romney outright LIED about taking credit for the auto industry success.

But romney opposed taxpayer help.

"If General Motors, Ford and Chrysler get the bailout that their chief executives asked for yesterday, you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye," willard romney wrote in a November 2008 opinion article in the New York Times. "It won't go overnight, but its demise will be virtually guaranteed."

General Motors posted a record profit last year.

[lg144]

Mitt Romney famously said "Corporations are people my friend" and the republican controlled supreme court agreed. Now all he needs is the power of the presidency to continue giving more power to the people otherwise known as CORPORATIONS.

[occupy_cbs]

Great.....corporations are seeing RECORD PROFITS and sitting on piles of cash today due to the global economy and tax havens/loopholes, and now due to 'Citizens United,' are able to buy politicians while poking out the eyes of WE THE PEOPLE!

This is definitely not how the Founding Fathers envisioned America!

[varigdc10]

Since election night 2008 the white bigamists of the GOP only agenda is to block all the new black president proposed and get him out at no all including national security, economic chaos, social unrest or national existence, and it continues to be so. They just can't imagine having a black guy in the "white house", nothing more, nothing less, period. Mitt is not an economist, not a politician, just a rich guy with nothing better to do so he chooses to run for president for glory. He is actually a "take over" artist who made his money buying dying companies, firing and eliminating jobs so his companies go from red to black in the bottom line and immediately selling them to make profits, that's how he "creates jobs". Middle class Americans who will vote for him this fall deserve all the pain and suffering Mitt will bestow on them if he wins.

[winchesterla]

Before he could talk about economy, he should tell us how he has helped it grow with his pittance tax and overseas tax. He is a hypocrite

[lg144]

When is the media going to start reporting and asking republicans about why they conspired to block everything President Obama proposed to help struggling Americans and bring our great nation out of the economic mess they created? And on the very day President Obama was inaugurated no less.

A new book by Robert Draper titled "Do Not Ask What Good We Do" documents how republicans conspired to block everything President Obama proposes to bring the country out of the economic mess that republicans created. Why aren't reporters asking republicans why voters should reward them with votes for their unpatriotic, despicable, treasonous acts?

Republican teabagging extremist bigoted insurgents like B itch McConnell can't accept a Black Democratic president and are being uncooperative doing everything in their power to make sure he fails.
President Obama's biggest mistake was expecting republicans to bargain in good faith when in reality they are sabotaging anything President Obama does that might help average Americans at every turn in order to defeat him. Republicans have more allegiance to Grover Norquist and his pledge of never raise taxes under any circumstance than the constitution and country. Whatever happened to country first. F"ing treasonous republican hypocrites.

[sjc_1]

Mitt's economic stradgedy (rhymes with tragedy) is buy them up, load them with debt, take the money and let them go broke. That worked many times at Bain Capital for decades.