Romney keeps focus on economy as he's about to clinch GOP nomination

(CBS News) Mitt Romney is set to clinch the Republican nomination for president on Tuesday, after the Texas primary finally gives him the necessary delegates.

With that milestone under his belt, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee this week will seek to drive home his chief attack against President Obama: That the president is hostile to job creators. In the meantime, he'll have to fend off criticisms from the Obama campaign for rubbing elbows with Donald Trump.

According to CBS News estimates, Romney is currently just 64 delegates short of the 1,144 needed to clinch the presidential nomination, and is expected to cross the threshold after the results come in for Tuesday's Texas primary. But instead of celebrating there, the candidate is campaigning in the swing states of Colorado and Nevada on Tuesday.

The campaign says it will focus this week on Mr. Obama's "abysmal economic policies harming job creation." It's released a web video illustrating their argument, focusing on Solyndra, a solar company that went bankrupt after receiving a $535 million in government-backed loan guarantees. The web ad slams the president for that failed investment, but a narrator says "that's not even half the story."

"Obama's Department of Energy has handed out billions of dollars in loans and grants," the narrator continues, while the ad points to other struggling green energy companies that received government-backed loan guarantees like First Solar and ECOtality.

In Colorado on Tuesday morning, Romney will continue to hammer Mr. Obama on energy and jobs, visiting the town of Craig, home of one of the largest coal-fueled power plants in the country.

Asked by Fox News what his main selling point as a presidential nominee is, Romney said in an interview that aired Tuesday morning, "I can make the economy better. I can get more jobs in America. I can get competition between employers for jobs, rising wages. I understand how the economy works."

Romney said that Mr. Obama, by contrast, "wants to make this a personal attack campaign. He's going after me as an individual."

While Romney is focusing on jobs on his Colorado stop today, the Obama campaign is more interested in Romney's stop in Las Vegas, where he'll meet with casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and campaign with businessman Donald Trump. The Obama team released its own web video showing how the last Republican nominee, John McCain, debunked myths about the president. It asks why Romney won't, by comparison, disavow Trump's charges that Mr. Obama may not have been born in the U.S.

Asked Monday whether Trump's "birther" association gave him pause, Romney told reporters, "You know, I don't agree with all the people who support me and my guess is they don't all agree with everything I believe in. But I need to get 50.1 percent or more, and I'm appreciative to have the help of a lot of good people."

Romney hasn't given any further comment on the matter, but his staff has said Romney has no question about the president's origins. "Mitt Romney accepts that President Obama was born in the United States," Romney's senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom said on CNN Friday.

[Lindag20]

This is news? Since all the others have dropped out of the race it was over before this primary ever happened.

[MurdochSucks]

Willard's record is the epitome of hostility to job-creators! He made a living off dismantling small corporations, disbanding jobs overseas, and making millions from it. How is he supporting job-growth? I mean job-growth in the US. Maybe that is what he means, he is pro-job creation overseas!

[MurdochSucks]

Willard, and his political objectives, are hostile to job-creators. They are the epitome of hostility to job-creators, as they embody that very distinction. So, yes, his record epitomizes hostility to job-creators - the small businesses that create jobs, and the middle class consumers who create the demand that makes job growth and creation POSSIBLE. Republicans and Romney epitomize hostility to job-growth and job-creation. What don't you understand?

[MurdochSucks]

As have righties, @hillz. That's the problem with a two-party system. We need more independents. It would be nice if nominees didn't even have a party affiliation - you know, they would represent people not parties.

[AOCGUY]

How appropriate that it will be Texas that secures Romney's nomination, Rick Perry should be proud.

[RabidRighty]

Here is Mitt Romney supporting TARP.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX6T--U8Ll8

And the payroll tax cuts

http://www.usatoday.com/NEWS/usaedition/2009-12-03-column03_ST2_U.htm

And the GM Bailout

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/19/opinion/19romney.html?_r=1

And economic stimulus

http://www-cgi.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0901/04/le.01.html

And the individual mandate

http://www.theroot.com/views/are-romney-and-obama-same?page=0,1


But please do tell us all about how vastly different these goons are.

[dng888]

8% unemployment is pretty good for Obama. After all Obama's three years in office can be written off as George Bush's fault right? No budget no worry! Spend spend spend till your daddy takes the T bird away!!!

[Post--American]

Uh when Obama took office we were losing a million jobs a month! We've had positive job creation for the last 2 years. It's not great, but we were in a real **** storm. When Obama took office the stock market was at 7,949, and today it is at 12,528! Federal Spending, taxes, and deficits are all lower today then when Obama took office. Federal Spending is actually at its lowest level in decades. The Leadership of Al Qaeda in Pakistan has been wiped out, with Zero US Casualties. The right wing has not been factually or intellectually well served by the echo chambers of Drudge, Fox news, and Talk Radio. They all live in a bizzaro world where Obama is a muslim socialist big spending appeasing War Crimnal? lolol

[realtimecoffee]

The Leadership of Al Qaeda in Pakistan has been wiped out,
---
Then do you think we might quit killing peolple over there then? How many times do we have to keep killing the number two guy?

[chris87654]

I'd like to know how Romney plans to fix the economy. The only "solution" from the GOP has been "trickle down" (give more money to the top 1-2% and corporations so they have money to hire people), but they already HAVE HAD/HAVE lots of money (corps sitting on mountains of cash). Romney has experience with creating corporate profits which goes opposite of increasing the labor force (until demand makes hiring profitable). I'm not saying Obama has a better plan, but that Romney evades a plan for solution and is a liar if he says his experience will help him create jobs.

[wayneonly]

Cris, Romney has no plan to fix the economy, no play to get more jobs in America, no plan to fix tax loopholes, and no plan to help the middle class. He has a plan to make the rich richer with tax dollars on the backs of the elderly, the poor and disabled. THIS IS THE REPUBLICAN PLAN. We just honored the American veterans yesterday, yet he will cut their healthcare and the Social Security of millions who fought for this country. Oh, but he does want to increase defense spending. Maybe he is looking to start another war somewhere.

Seriously, we (the voters)need to look at what Congress and the Republicans have made priorities. They want to cut spending, yet they want to increase the military budget. Are they going to increase the pay for the average soldier? No, they want more military TOYS, even some toys that the military says they don't need or want. That spells money for some defense contractor who has influence in Congress.

We (the voters) need to become better educated and pay more attention to what Congress is really doing. Congress passes the legislation and makes the appropriations. Congress decides how our tax dollars are spent, not the President. He can only make suggestions. CONGRESS DOES THE DIRTY DEEDS, and boy have they been DIRTY. Then they try to blame every problem on the President.

There are three good books that every voter needs to read: Winner Take All Politics: How Washington Made The Rich Richer And Turned It's Back On The Middle Class by Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson, Throw Them All Out by Peter Schweizer, and Greedy Bastards by Dylan Ratigan. They will open your eyes to the real corruption of and in Congress. They are in Congress for their OWN financial gain and the financial gain of their campaign contributors (Big banks and large multinational corporations).

Congress (both Republicans and Democrats) has set themselves up as the PERMANENT POLITICAL PARTY. They believe they are the "elite" class and are "entitled to special privileges and are "above the law(s) that govern the rest of us. And we (the voter) have fostered this belief by electing them term after term without monitoring their voting records or their financial dealings. The only time Congresspeople consider the voter is when they need our vote. The rest of the time they hold the voter in contempt because we are so easily influenced by slick ads paid for by "big money" contributors and the "empty promises" they give in order to get our votes. It is time we get their ATTENTION not only for this and future elections, but for EVERY action they do in Congress.

We (the voter) need to RESOLVE that we will vote EVERY incumbent Congressperson out of office when they come up for reelection. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!!! This past Congress especially has shown us that they have no regard for the welfare of the nation or the voting public. None of them deserve the office they hold. So it is time to vote them out as they come up for reelection.

But we cannot stop there. We need to send every newly elected Congressperson to Washington with OUR agenda instead of the agenda of big business and big banks or the empty promises they thought we wanted to hear in order to get themselves elected. They need to go to Congress with a clear idea that it will not be "business as usual" in Congress anymore. We, the REAL American should demand REAL representation in Congress. AND WE DESERVE IT!!!

[thquinlan]

No. With all respect, you're mistaken. It's about replacing a foreign-born, socialist with a real american. I know for whom I'm voting!!!

[Cru09]

No you don't.

[MurdochSucks]

Romney was born in Mexico.

[Cru09]

"He's going after me as an individual."

Sure, that's why you're best buds with the most vocal birther, that's no personal at all, Weather-vane Willard.

[OldTimeTruth]

Hey Mitt. Where's the beef? Just saying you can make more jobs say's nothing. You have yet shown a 1 2 3 4 5 step plan. Hot air is what you seem to be full of.

[JWinATL]

If you ever spent any time listening to him, you would know. He has published his plans. What does Obama have planned? Oh, more "hope and change?" Hope of what? Change to what? He has yet to deliver any plans, let alone sign a budget (because the Dem Senate can't get it done), but all you clowns do is complain about Romney who has been laying out his plans.