Obama ad slams Romney as "Outsourcer-in-Chief"

(CBS News) President Obama's re-election campaign is slamming Republican Mitt Romney as the potential "Outsourcer-in-Chief" in a trio of new ads to run in swing states.

The new Obama ads respond to Romney's own series of swing state ads, in which the presumptive Republican presidential nominee promises to create jobs and stand up to China. After playing a clip of the Romney ads, the Obama spot counters the claims by pointing to a Washington Post report that suggested Bain Capital, the private equity firm Romney founded, played a large role in developing the trend of outsourcing American jobs overseas.

In the ad tailored for the state of Virginia, a narrator caps off the 30-second spot by asking, "Does Virginia really want an Outsourcer-in-Chief in the White House?"

Similar ads are running in Iowa and Ohio. At the end of the Ohio version, the narrator says, "Romney's never stood up to China. All he's ever done is send them our jobs."

The Romney campaign argues that the Washington Post story ignores some important nuance - such as the difference between "offshoring" and "outsourcing," or the expansion into export markets -- but the Obama campaign is ignoring whatever difference there may be. In fact, at a campaign event Monday, Mr. Obama mocked the Romney campaign for trying to make a distinction between the terms.

"They tried to clear this up by telling us there's actually a difference between 'outsourcing' and 'off-shoring,'" Mr. Obama said at the Massachusetts campaign event, eliciting laughter from his supporters. "That's what they said. You cannot make this stuff up."

The president continued, "Now, what Governor Romney and his advisers don't seem to understand is this: If you're a worker whose job went overseas, you don't need somebody trying to explain to you the difference between outsourcing and offshoring. You need somebody who's going to wake up every single day and fight for American jobs and investment here in the United States... Governor Romney's commitment to outsourcing is not just part of his record, it's part of an overall economic vision that he and Republicans in Congress want to implement if they win this election."

Vice President Joe Biden today will campaign in Waterloo, Iowa, and the Obama campaign tells CBS News that he will continue the attack on Romney's alleged record as an outsourcer.

Mr. Obama's remarks came a day after Ronmey adviser Eric Ferhnstrom appeared on CBS' "Face the Nation" and explained the difference between "offshoring" and "outsourcing."

"There's a very simple difference between outsourcing and offshoring," he said. "Outsourcing is what the Obama campaign does when they hire an outside telemarketing vendor to provide telemarketing services... Offshoring is the shipment of American jobs overseas and in that Washington Post story... there are no examples of jobs being taken from the United States and shipped overseas. What you have are companies that are expanding into new markets. We should be encouraging that not attacking it."

Calling the Post story a "shoddy piece of journalism," Ferhnstrom said, "The jobs that were cited by the Washington Post and which the Obama administration is now attacking were created to support exports overseas. When companies like Coca-Cola, for example, build a bottling plant in China so they can sell more soft drinks to the Chinese, we should be applauding that, because that type of entrance into new markets is what makes our companies stronger, more profitable, and more successful."

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The day in politics: June 26

[RollotheNorman]

Romnobot should more accurately called off-shorer in chief.

[TimeToEvolve]

Obama is just jealous that Robmee was able to play the corporation game of rape and pillage and race-to-the-bottom better than him. Actually that is why Obama is a Democrat and Robmee is a Republicon. Obama has some conscience and compassion for other Americans.

[fiddlestickawshucks]

In his next campaign speech let Obama explain the exodus of GE.!!

A company he supported BTW.

[TimeToEvolve]

Well the fact is that American is owned and run by giant corporations. It's like if you live here you have to deal with and support some of them. Since they own and run the country and it's economy.

[hillzhavays]

by OldTimeTruth June 26, 2012 11:02 AM EDT
Let see his campaign argues "offshoring" and "outsourcing" is not the same. Yes it is, Jobs lost! Then Romney says he is going to get tough on China and other nations. This man is the dumbest of the dumb if he believes the voters are going to believe his hog wash.
____________________________________

it's not the same technically. Frequently, off-shoring is used interchangeably with outsourcing, suggesting that the two are the same and most novices believe this. It is a common fallacy, as outsourcing refers to subcontracting a process to a third-party provider, which can be a domestic company still located in the US. Off-shoring doesn't necessarily imply work subcontracting, as the business function can still be performed by the same company. However, unlike outsourcing, off-shoring always involves shifting functions to overseas locations.

Therefore, outsourcing may or may not lead to the loss of jobs, and offshoring, if it makes the company stronger, may lead to more jobs as the company expands. Labor is one of the largest costs to business in the production chain - sometimes you have to trim down the payroll to stay competitive.

The Left, in its fervent attempts to stay in power, likes to portray outsourcing and off-shoring as inherently evil and occurring in a vacuum, with no other elements at play, as though corporations enjoy laying people off here in the states just for the heck of it. That isn't true so don't get caught up in the lefty hype.

[RollotheNorman]

Then there is invisible off-shoring, which the tax code presently rewards. Plants are built overseas, nobody here loses their jobs, but expansion of supply is moved overseas. The tax code needs to stop giving breaks to US Corporations to do this.

[Rahhhr]

Who does he think he is? We all know outsourcing came started with the Clinton administration in the 90's. We were fleeced then and we are being fleeced now. Anyone who doesn't think so is blind.

[sjc_1]

Outsourcing starts with the CEO and the board of directors. THEY are the ones that decide to increase profits by decreasing wage costs. If you want to find the target, pick the ones responsible.

[laura851]

Oh yes -- we should applaud that Coca Cola is now poisoning the Chinese -- just as it has poisoned Americans for decades. Thank you Mr. Romney, for making the world safe for Coca Cola!

[OldTimeTruth]

Let see his campaign argues "offshoring" and "outsourcing" is not the same. Yes it is, Jobs lost! Then Romney says he is going to get tough on China and other nations. This man is the dumbest of the dumb if he believes the voters are going to believe his hog wash.

[da47ve]

"Out Sourcer in Chief"? Sounds like a premonition. Romney is going to outsource the bamsterboipos in November.

[da47ve]

The only thing the bamsterboipos can "slam" is his boy friend..

[TheThirdVial]

Obama calling someone, anyone, as an "out-sourcer" is hilarious.
This coming from a "President" who has stopped most drilling in America, and REFUSES to allow new permits. This from a "President" who has PERSONALLY KILLED tens of thousands, yeah MILLIONS of jobs just so he can cripple America. Can you say Canadian Pipeline? Loss of jobs AND much needed oil.
Yet, this same bozo has NO PROBLEM in GIVING hundreds of millions of dollars to BRAZIL so they can develop their oil reserves. And he even tells them that "America will be THEIR best customer"!!?
Or, how about Barack Obama being DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE for sending GM to Mexico and China? Where did GM build their new $500 MILLION plant, paid for with "Stimulus" money? MEXICO! and CHINA!
Oh, but that would be "journalistic integrity", and we all know CBS gave that up many, many years ago.
Anymore, CBS and the rest of the MSM are nothing but campaigners for Obama. Printing his lies and propaganda as facts and news.
What are your ratings again CBS? Gee, wonder why they are so low compared to Conservative news agencies?

[OldTimeTruth]

Did you ever think that these so called American Companies (GM, GE, ect ect) might not care what they do as long as they make their almighty dollar. It seems they don't have any pride in the US but you still keep on buying their products. Don't you? So next time you buy a LG product think about who owns it. You the buyer is the one that drives the market and lets them get away with it.

[Faramir0028g]

U R crazy.See http://www.wtrg.com/rotaryrigs.html Drilling is at a 5 year high. The Keystone pipeline was a license to destroy the water supply of the bread bowl of the world. Pipelines leak and all of the oil would have gone oversea just like the oil from Alaska.
I could refute all the senseless bile you spew but I got a life. Go Listen to Rush some more.
Ike & Teddy are crying in Heaven.