Cory Booker's criticisms complicate Obama team's anti-Bain message

Updated at 12:34 p.m. ET

(CBS News) Newark Mayor Cory Booker, a rising political star and a surrogate for President Obama's re-election campaign, criticized the president's re-election team on Sunday for its negative ads focusing on Mitt Romney's record at Bain Capital, calling them "nauseating" -- just one day before the Obama team rolled out its second round of Bain attacks.

Booker's remarks illustrate the careful line the Obama team -- including all of its surrogates -- must walk as it tries to cast Romney as a corporate raider without appearing to criticize the private equity industry as a whole. Republicans, starting Sunday, pounced on Booker's remarks, while the Obama camp tried to tailor Booker's remarks to defend its ongoing attacks against Romney.

On NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday, Booker said that the negatives ads in the presidential campaign are "nauseating to me on both sides. It's nauseating to the American public. Enough is enough. Stop attacking private equity. Stop attacking Jeremiah Wright."

The mayor was referring to the multi-pronged campaign the Obama camp launched last week, attacking Romney's record as the head of Bain Capital, the private equity firm he founded, seeking to cast him as a heartless corporate titan and job destroyer. The Obama team today released the second ad in its anti-Bain campaign, which attacks Romney and Bain Capital for laying off workers at an Indiana office supply factory.

Booker seemingly equated the Obama attacks with a proposed ad campaign that would have hit President Obama for his ties to the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Republicans, including Romney, quickly denounced the proposed ad campaign after it was revealed in news reports.

After criticizing the Bain ads on "Meet the Press," Booker took to YouTube to add more context to his remarks -- but he stood by his assertion that such attack ads were "nauseating." Booker said he was expressing his "profound frustration with the kind of campaigning that I think is becoming too much of the norm."

Instead of promoting Booker's nearly four-minute video, the Obama campaign promoted via Twitter an edited, 35-second version which focused on Booker's defense of the attacks against Romney: "Mitt Romney has made his business record a centerpiece of his campaign," Booker said, adding that scrutiny on that record is "reasonable" and that he would "encourage it."

Republicans slammed the Obama team for its handling of the response. "Obama clamping down on @corybooker shows that democrats are no longer allowed to defend free market," Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus tweeted.

The RNC later put a petition online called "I stand with Cory," which said, "That's right Mr. President, we aren't going to let you destroy free enterprise. Stand up for America. Stand up for job creators."

After the Obama team on Monday rolled out its new anti-Bain video, the Romney campaign responded by referring to Booker's remarks.

"President Obama continues his assault on the free enterprise system with attacks that one of his supporters, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, called 'nauseating' and a former adviser, Steven Rattner, called 'unfair,'" Romney campaign spokesperson Andrea Saul said in a statement. "Americans expected a different kind of politics from Barack Obama but, sadly, this is just more of the same failed politics that dominates Washington."

Later Monday morning, the Romney campaign highlighted remarks from another Democrat, former Rep. Harold Ford, Jr., who said on MSNBC Monday morning that he agreed with Booker's remarks.

When asked about Booker's remarks on a conference call with reporters, Obama campaign spokesperson Ben LaBolt noted that Booker said Romney's record deserves scrutiny, and that Booker said "Romney had not been forthright about his tenure."

LaBolt said the campaign was "not at all" worried negative attacks would lower turnout among the president's supporters, arguing that the president's re-election team is also conveying a positive vision of the future. "We've not heard an affirmative vision from Mitt Romney," he said.

LaBolt also reiterated that the campaign is "not questioning the purpose of private equity as a whole."

"There are many ways to run a business and many ways to measure that business's success," he said, charging that Romney put profits ahead of long term growth. Those "same values would have severe consequences for middle class families if he were elected," LaBolt continued. "It's time to stop pretending Romney's time as a corporate buyout specialist...somehow means he knows how to create jobs."

[occupy_cbs]

"There are many ways to run a business and many ways to measure that business's success," he said, charging that Romney put profits ahead of long term growth. Those "same values would have severe consequences for middle class families if he were elected,"



This is basically the whole premise of romney and the republicans, looking for that instant gratification through more and more tax cuts for the wealthy, paid for on the backs of everyone else in the 99%.

We've been living with the republican "supply side economic insanity" for 30 years now, minus the few years under Clinton that taxes were slightly raised on the wealthiest Americans, and it's been a total disaster to the highest magnitude, not creating either jobs or economic growth in the U.S., since the wealthy have been investing abroad.

The best example was during bushworld, when the average economic growth rate over the 8 years was a mere 1.9%, we had two bush recessions including a very bad one, and the net job creation under bush was zero private-sector jobs and one million government jobs. Yet, we continue with the same ignorant bush tax cuts that have only grown our deficits and national debt each and every year since 2000.

The GOP tax cuts are instant gratification just like bain capital's exploitation of weak companies, where the only thing willard romney was interested in, was maximizing profits for instant gratification!

[occupy_cbs]

DJ3414: "DUDE YOU ARE THE ONLY PARASITE ON THIS SITE.....YOU ARE A COMPLETE IDIOT"



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nygurl1: "DJ - stop acting like all the rest of the reps! Calling people names won't make us love you and since you're supposedly smarter than we are, you know exactly what Time means!"
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Yes nygurl, now DJ is posting his outright personal attacks in ALL CAPS, and then wonders why he gets booted like a few others!

Some never learn, no matter how much you try to educate them.

[nygurl1]

I've had it. The reps are getting shriller and nastier and lying thru their teeth.
Why they think only libs are bashing their stupidity is the real question.
So have have fun idiots. The more you denigrate everyone, the more they will run from the reps! I don't have to say a thing anymore!

[hypnotoad72]

"Job creators" have been given every handout in the book, and for decades. We still see job losses. We, the wealth creators, that is...

The RNC has some nerve...

[hypnotoad72]

P.S. A real "free market" would not have government giving handouts to multinationals that have no allegiance to us in return.

Stop their welfare, now. And it's far worse than mere welfare...

[smittyc]

There is a schism in the Democratic party concerning Obama and his policies. There will be more "desertions" as the elections get closer and those representing the Democratic party seek to keep their own seats. The New Jersey Mayor that spoke out knows first hand what happens when busineses abandons a town and they lose a cash cow. This Mayor is hitting to the heart of the issue, he is saying he is not going down with Obama.

[nygurl1]

Well if you want comparisons - isn't it a schism when reps are split into teapartiers, cons and normals?
Who cares about Booker? You? Have fun. Everyone is entitled to an opinion!

[TimeToEvolve]

Who care about this moron Booker. People need to know about the scam of Bain and the plastic parasite Mitler who would do the same to the federal government if he could.

Moron idiots like Robmee think they are smarter than everyone else except they are just more greedy and unscrupulous. Robmee would sell his mother for money if he could.

[dpenn88]

TimeToEvolve I know exactly what you mean. The Republicans are now distorting Cory Booker's statements to make it their own as usual. I'm beginning to wonder if it is even possible for these Idiots to tell half the truth. Romney is a thief, animal abuser, and a selfish self centered person and you can't hide the truth. Maybe if thee people on here defending him had half a brain they could at least think for themselves. Some people can't see beyond Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, and the stupid Tea Party who want to take this country back to the 1950's.

[nygurl1]

DJ - stop acting like all the rest of the reps! Calling people names won't make us love you and since you're supposedly smarter than we are, you know exactly what Time means!

[slownewsday_5000]

by JWinATL May 21, 2012 8:40 PM EDT No one is throwing out the paycheck! The tax breaks have been in existence for 10 years, but the expenses keep escalating exponentially.

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Again, JW, you are clueless - the debt ceiling is to cover EXISTING DEBTS, not new spending.

[realtimecoffee]

by dpenn88 May 21, 2012 4:04 PM EDT
No realtimecoffee they both don't need to be equally horrible. I say this if someone hits you, you hit back right. All's fair in love and war. You attack me, I attack you. It's natural.
---
If you are talking about two drunks at a high school football game, you might have a point. I don't want either of them as my President though.

If you want change, you have to change.
Gary Johnson, 2012

[slownewsday_5000]

I'm with you there, RTC.

[dpenn88]

Realtimecoffee I'm not talking about drunks in a bar. Besides you don't have to be drunks in a bar to defend yourself when someone is coming after you. I'm talking about in a campaign when someone is attacking your character you fight back. And that's just what the President is doing just what he should do. Wonder what you would do and these people on here agreeing with you would do if someone was constantly lying on you. You'd fight fire with fire unless you're a coward and we certainly wouldn't want a coward for President would we?? Get the Point yet? Enough said>>>.

[nearl451]

Democrats have traditionally been dumba$$es when it comes to comingtogether on the important issues to win. Thus it has been so as longas I can remember.

Only the panick and dismal shape of the world economy changed that landscape last time.

...and Obama is trying like crazy to immerse himself in every social wedge issue imaginable for some odd reason, this go around.

The reality if Romney is elected is not austerity....it is another give away to his money interests. AND the hope that when the economy is booming (which it won't) people will return (like Cheney) to not givinga crap about the debt.

[slownewsday_5000]

by Smokey_75 May 21, 2012 3:04 PM EDT Liberals are completely brain dead and think companies are in business to be a charity so any further conversation with you is pointless.

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Smokey - just the other day you were saying that the big bad corporations would raise their rates on us if our government didn't keep giving them tax credits and subsidies.

You actually defended the oil companies getting $4 Billion a year. Why? "Well, they will raise their rates, otherwise!" That's BS - they didn't lower the rates when they got the subsidies, did they?

What it comes down to is that the government shouldn't be supporting ANY private business in a CAPITALIST society. What you are advocating is closer to fascism.

.