Romney to unveil "accountability scorecard"

AP Photo/Charles Dharapak

(CBS News) DENVER - Mitt Romney will unveil a "presidential accountability scorecard" during a campaign event in Colorado on Thursday that he will use to measure his expected success in office while attacking President Obama for failing to achieve goals he set as a candidate.

The scorecard, part of the campaign's push to unveil a plan geared toward the middle class, also is intended partly to counter a study by the Tax Policy Center released on Wednesday that said Romney's plan would result in a net tax increase for lower- and middle-income taxpayers in order to cut taxes for the highest earners.

Romney senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom called the report "a joke" on a Thursday conference call with reporters.

"There are serious flaws with both the authorship of that study and the methodology," he said. "It was co-authored by a member of the Obama White House, someone who was part of the White House economic team, and the study doesn't take into account important aspects of Gov. Romney's plan which will have a positive, pro-growth impact on the economy."

Fehrnstrom was referencing the Brookings Institution's Adam Looney, who served as a senior economist on the president's Council of Economic Advisers. The Tax Policy Center is a joint venture of the left-leaning think tanks the Urban Institute and Brookings. The Obama campaign has countered that another one of the study's authors, Brookings' William Gale, was a senior economist in President George H.W. Bush's Council of Economic Advisers. Furthermore, the Wall Street Journal reported that when the center published a report on then-rival Rick Perry's tax plan last year, the Romney campaign touted the research and called the center "objective" and "non-partisan."

Kevin Hassett, a Romney economic adviser, added to criticism of the study by calling it a "static" score of Romney's tax plan, not taking into account the job creation that the campaign expects the governor's plan to produce: five to 10 million jobs higher than the baseline over a decade, which would broaden the tax base.

The Obama campaign has seized on the study and released a new online video Thursday to highlight the report, as well as an online calculator that they say allows families to see how they would be affected by Romney's tax plan.

Romney will attempt to shift the message back to the worsening economic climate during an event in a Denver suburb on Thursday featuring the accountability scorecard. He will promise to achieve North American energy independence by 2020, improve education and skills training, expand American access to international markets for trade purposes, cut the deficit, and champion small businesses. None of the proposals in the scorecard are new; instead, the campaign says they are highlighting policies Romney first unveiled a year ago and creating contrasts with the president as voters tune into the general election.

The campaign will also hit Obama campaign manager Jim Messina for potentially breaking the law after a House Republican committee reported Wednesday that, as former deputy chief of staff, Messina used his personal email account to shape policy while avoiding the public record.

"On its face, this appears to be a violation of the law which requires that all official communications be preserved," Fehrnstrom said on the call with reporters.

Briefing reporters on Wednesday, White House spokesman Jay Carney said of the allegations, "As you know, Republicans have spent a great deal of time and money on investigations which they themselves have characterized as political." He said Messina would forward all communications from his personal email to his official White House address to ensure they were made part of the presidential record.

[esq777]

An "accountability scorecard" is a real joke coming from Willard "mitt" Romney, a guy who has lived a life of absolutely no accountability. From being born into the lap of luxury, to beating up the "different" kids in prep school, to looting US companies and stuffing the haul into his offshore tax evasion havens, Willard "mitt" Romney has never been accountable to anyone or anything. He would get a big fat 0 on any "accountability scorecard."

[Lindag20]

I'd like for Romney to account for how sending a horse to the Olympics qualifies for a $70,000.00 write off as a medical expense. His "scorecard" is as you say a real JOKE.

[realisticfromthemiddle]

I like the part about energy independence. Every single president since Nixon has promised the same thing and NONE have delivered anything even remotely close.

[Lindag20]

Romney seems to think that the Keystone pipeline is the answer. However since Canada is another country how does importing oil from there make us "energy independent"?

[nygurl1]

Especially since, from day one, they said it would be refined in Tx and SHIPPED TO CHINA!

Good for Tx but not for anyone else!

[CaptainSmollett]

A tax increase on ANYONE in this fragile economy is remarkably stupid, yet your genius president is proposing just that. It speaks volumes about his incompetence, and illustrates why he has made a total mess of our economy. Why would anyone (even liberals) give Obama a free pass on this insanity?

[Lindag20]

Since the tax increase Obama is suggesting would only be on single people making over $200,000 and couples making over $250,000 a year, it wouldn't affect 97% of the people in the country. I doubt that it would have much impact on those whose taxes would go up either since DEMAND creates jobs not lower taxes.

[TimeToEvolve]

RobMe STILL has not come up with any new plans or ideas. He is just repeating the same stuff that came drooling out of George Bushoccio pie hole.

[KPeters_from_UK]

Anyone concerned that this Republican President hopeful hides his money in off shore accounts so he need not pay taxes? You should be concerned. What kind of loyalty does that show? None. He is willing to cheat his own country.

[jschm2681]

Are you just as concerned with the DNC head Debbie Wasserman Schultz who has offshore accounts. or is ROmney a concern becuase he is a Republican? IF Romney has offshore accounts did the IRS say it is legal? Why the double standard if rich Democrats like Kerry or GOre had accounts?

[jschm2681]

Repubs- do you have any proof or just fiction?

[Larnan5]

Romney seems to be flunking human being. Does he give a damn about the regular people who keep this country free and democratic? The tea party wants to control every social, religious and economic part of the United States with no regard to women's rights, other peoples religions They want a theocratic plutocracy even thought it will come back to haunt them.
Romney seems to agree with them because he wants to win, no matter what or at what cost. I do not know anyone who is out of work acting like a victim. They don't live well and are desperate for a job . Romney has no plans except to give out huge tax breaks to his millionaire friends.Nothing will drip down to you. It never has. Hey, how many of you tea party people are worth million? Sure some of the candidates you are backing are rich. Ask them what they and Romney are going to do for you.

[jschm2681]

Prez Obama is so concerned about little people he gave us: 42 months of 8+% unemployment, a record since 1948; labor participation rate at 63.6%, lowest since 1981; weakest recovery since WWII; 5.5 Trillion in new debt; attacks on the Constitution with contraceptive rule, Healthcare mandate, appointments when Congress not in recess, not enforcing Federal laws, Holder;s contempt of COngress on Fast and Furious= that's what Hope and Change has brought this country. We can't survive another 4 years of Obama.

[nygurl1]

jschm - I answered yo already! You are so full of hate for our President you are not thinking right.
.
YOUR REPS announced the day after the election that they had only ONE PLAN, to make sure he was a one term president!
.
So they have twarted him at every turn with no care to the harm they are doing to the country or it's people!
.
If you think that's great, go to Russia! They'll appreciate you there!

[TimeToEvolve]

We have met the enemy and it is Wall Street and their human extension peon slaves the Republicons.

[jschm2681]

So people making money is the enemy? Good luck balancing a budget with that attitude.

[nygurl1]

jschm - I am tired of your comments that say nothing and just annoy.

Why don't you go for a long walk!

[raptor-022]

"When Mitt Romney was governor, Massachusetts lost 40,000 manufacturing jobs, a rate twice the national average."

We turned to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the government's official source of employment data. We looked at state-level, seasonally adjusted data for manufacturing jobs during Romney's tenure, which ran from January 2003 to January 2007.

Over that period, Massachusetts manufacturing jobs declined from 336,000 to 298,200 -- a difference of 38,000 jobs. It's not 40,000, but it's close.

As for the second part of the claim -- the rate of decrease -- Massachusetts manufacturing jobs fell by 11.3 percent over the four-year period. The drop for the nation was 5.8 percent. That means the Massachusetts decline was nearly twice that of the nation as the ad claimed.

So the Obama campaign is right on the numbers.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/jun/08/barack-obama/barack-obama-ad-says-manufacturing-jobs-fared-wors/

[raptor-022]

As a matter of fact, America as a whole lost over 3 million manufacturing jobs while bush was president, and the first increase in manufacturing jobs since 1997, happened under President Obama in 2010/2011 and more than likely continue in 2012!

[qyeteye]

Wall Street profiteering from Main Street losses just part of the free trade deregulated business model. Works great for those behind computers in office towers making money to pay to lobby for it while "you people" labored to keep the system afloat.

[raptor-022]

inbethlehem August 2, 2012 5:29 PM EDT
"Hey Willard. Why don't you start your 'Accountability' list with accounting for those tax returns you are so ashamed to release."



Yes, start with the tax returns so Americans can see what you're hiding, and then give the voters some specifics or details on those silly deductions or tax loopholes you want to end after giving the wealthy even more tax cuts!

Better yet, why not return to Europe, for some more laughs!

[John782011]

What you think showing how he turned his IRA contributions of 5K per year into 100 million is going to give people ideas? Or that when they really understand the carried interst deduction they will revolt as to how a multimillionare can pay 15% on his earnings while you pay 25%. Nah, he just does not to be laughed at on Letterman and Leno before he has a late night interview with them.

[jschm2681]

Let's see Obama;s college and professor records first. WHy has he hidden them if he was such a brilliant mind? The MSM never vetted Obama because they wanted him elected.

[raptor-022]

Socialistnation August 2, 2012 5:29 PM EDT
"Mitt is doing very well."




We know.....as a member of the plutocracy, mitt roMONEY has done very well at the expense of the middle and lower classes in America, and is still unable to show his tax returns or propose anything to help create jobs or help the evaporating middle class!

He thought he could buy the White House, but it's not happening! LOL!

[jschm2681]

"At the expense of middle and lower classes". Prove it. ROmney at Ban took sinking companies and revived 70% of the into profitiable companies. Home Depot WHole Food, Staples are all companies started with Bain money. Tell the truth.

[nygurl1]

jschm - you are an idiot! 100's of companies went thru Bain and maybe a dozen survived.....Just means they were able to break loose and do it right without him!