Portman visits N.H., but not to meet with Romney
Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, speaks at a media roundtable hosted by the New Hampshire Republican Party, Saturday, July 7, 2012, in Concord, N.H.
/ AP Photo/Cheryl SenterPortman also said he was in the state to visit colleges with his 17-year-old daughter and headline a fundraiser for the state party. He declined to comment on whether the Romney campaign is vetting him for the number-two slot, instead suggesting that fellow New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte might make a good running mate.
Portman's attempt to remain at arm's length from the Romney campaign didn't stop him from delivering a forceful defense of the former Massachusetts governor's record. He said he also will travel to Boston on Monday to participate in events for the campaign.
Some observers perceive that the Ohio senator's greatest weakness is his ties to George W. Bush's administration, in which he served as both the Office of Management and Budget director and U.S. trade representative. He scoffed at the idea that his background would represent a political liability for Romney.
"I served there in the Office of Management and Budget and as U.S. Trade Representative at a time when we had a strong economy, at a time when we had deficits that we would die for today," Portman said, noting he was able to propose a budget that would have been balanced in five years. "I'm proud of that record."
He also defended Romney against charges that the health care law hepassed in Massachusetts resembles the Affordable Care Act, Obama's signature piece of legislation. Both laws require those who chose not to purchase insurance to pay a penalty, which the Supreme Court says is a tax at the federal level.
"This notion that somehow President Obama and Gov. Romney have similar positions on health care is ridiculous," Portman said. "They couldn't be further apart. There will be an absolute contrast here for voters in New Hampshire and Ohio and around the country to look at."
Romney has yet to offer a detailed health care alternative he would propose to replace the current law, but Portman repeated the campaign's general statements about lowering costs through increased competition and transparency.
He also brushed off a question about recent criticism the Romney campaign has faced from top conservatives, including a piece by the Wall Street Journal's editorial board that said the campaign is "slowly squandering an historic opportunity."
"There has never been a campaign where there hasn't been sniping from the outside, and second-guessing," Portman said. But he did encourage Romney to respond to allegations such as attacks from the Obama campaign that attempt to portray his record at the helm of Bain Capital in a bad light by highlighting the company's connections to shipping jobs overseas.
"I frankly wonder why the Obama campaign wants to talk so much about his private sector experience, because I think that's a huge advantage," he said.
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Any person with half a brain and not influence by politics could "propose" a budget that would have been balanced in five years.
Come to think of it, the preceding administration ALREADY had budgets that had SURPLUSES that were on their way to paying off the national debt if continued. But no, rich people had to get tax breaks. What a piece of crap person.
September 27, 2000
President Clinton announced Wednesday that the federal budget surplus for fiscal year 2000 amounted to at least $230 billion, making it the largest in U.S. history and topping last year's record surplus of $122.7 billion."This represents the largest one-year debt reduction in the history of the United States," Clinton said Wednesday morning. "Like our American athletes in Sydney, we've been breaking records and have come a long way."In June, the administration predicted the surplus would be $211 billion, and would increase by as much as $1 trillion over the next 10 years.
Clinton also announced the federal government paid down the national debt by $223 billion this year, and by more than $360 billion since 1998, the largest debt reduction in U.S. history."The key to fiscal discipline is maintaining these results year after year. We need to put our priorities in order," Clinton said
Who said politicians work for the people? Examples like Portman, and conversely examples of any politician that will suck up to on incumbent (if the incumbent is doing things that are counter to that which helps the people), show they are in it for themselves. After all, when they vote raises for themselves, they say say they have families to feed. Right before they go back on voting issues that deprive Americans of the ability for them to feed their families...
"Voted NO on repealing tax subsidy for companies which move US jobs offshore. (Mar 2005)" - source: ontheissues.org is a very obvious exmaple, and who voted that way...
LOL!
Obama and his followers should be double digets ahead of Romney by now.
The Irony.
Well, those people must not be "true" anti American GOP economic terrorist pimps for the 1%
Just thought you should know.