Due Diligence: Attack takes Obama out of context

Restore Our Future, a Super PAC backing Mitt Romney, said this week it is spending more than $10 million to run a new ad in swing states attacking President Obama over the economy. The ad features a series of quotes from the president before pivoting to hit him for "shameful, dishonest attacks."

Let's zero in on one moment in the ad: Right after the narrator says the president is denying reality, it shows the president stating "we tried our plan, and it worked." The suggestion is the president believes that the economy has recovered fully from the depths of the recession - despite the fact that unemployment remains above eight percent.

The problem is that Mr. Obama wasn't talking about his own administration when he made that comment. He was talking about the economy under Bill Clinton. Check out the quote in context, from a July campaign event in California.

"I'll cut out government spending that's not working, that we can't afford, but I'm also going to ask anybody making over $250,000 a year to go back to the tax rates they were paying under Bill Clinton, back when our economy created 23 million new jobs, the biggest budget surplus in history and everybody did well," he said. "Just like we've tried their plan, we tried our plan -- and it worked. That's the difference."

Perhaps it isn't much of a surprise that a shadowy Super PAC has taken a quote completely out of context. But it takes a special level of audacity to do so in an ad in which you accuse the other side of "shameful, dishonest attacks."

Thanks for watching.

[takacrat]

You are Revving Wright about Obama. Obama is nothing but a Pot Head, Coke Head, GD America, Just now becoming an American, I swear Lets all go an drink 4 more Beers, in a hand basket to the Rocky Mountains and no more Bush Beer!!

[Gimmeafb]

Hey Brian, what's your take on that bogus "Romney killed my wife" campaign put out by an obama PAC and debunked by everyone with a lick of common sense? I guess that's not news worthy because it's obama's people doinng it, is it?

[nearl451]

SUPERPACs are not allied with any campaign.

ANd no one everty claimed (not even the husband) that ROmney killed her. Just made it hard to obtain insurance and made for a miserable last part of her life.

Laying off people has consequences.

[Gimmeafb]

So, near, what's your point? This article was about a super PAC to begin with. Why confront me with this useless bit of trivia? Talk to Brian.

And, so what if laying people off has consequences? This guys wife had another health care plan after the layoff and didn't die until five years later. Get a clue, near. Don't be a typical liberal who reacts out of instinct instead of intellect, not unlike a paramecium reacts to external stimuli.

[RALCVG48]

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It seems like a revolving "catch-22" where we are all shooting at each other; yet, within that circle, we can see all that is going on, and we elect to: no to ofend but to listen, not to insult but to reason, not to despair but to resolve, not to disregard but to collaborate, not to object but to complement, not to walk-away but to finish what we started, not to end-up empty-handed but with an end-game, not as enemies...but as Americans...!

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[Gimmeafb]

So, hoccum no media people have harangued Reid for his sources that Romney didn't pay axes? That seems pretty one-sided to me.

Oh, that's right. Obama's side can say anything they want with the media's blessings. The bigger the lie, the better.

[bbglow]

So, why don't both sides grow up and start dealing in truth instead of deception? Why do we continue to tolerate in politician what we refuse to tolerate in children?

[nearl451]

Another one?

Just cut every other word out of Obama's speech's and make up whatever you want.

Thiis is the stupidest campaign ever. It is all creative math and word puzzles.

I thought there were more substantive real positions to debate.

[sandy 1027]

This is one more example of a disturbing pattern with Mitt Romney.The majority of his ads, and his allegations , are mostly false.In all honesty, most candidates "fudge" or exaggerate; but the degree of Romney's dishonesty is atrocious.It's as if the truth doesn't matter at all.It's just all about what can be made to sound plausible, and what he can convince people to believe, whether it's true or not.It's very cynical, demonstrates a lack of integrity; and says that Mr. Romney is not worthy of the public's trust.

[JWinATL]

Oh, you mean like the Super PAC's inference that Romney was responsible for Joe Soptic's wife not having health insurance (even though she did)?

[sandy 1027]

JWinATL:I don't condone the Soptic ad, but it wasn't made by the Obama campaign.In addition to the SuperPacs supporting Romney, Romney's campaign , itself, has made a host of ads that are patently false or egregiously distorted .Many take the president's words out of their full and proper context,to deliberately deceive the public by craftily editing tape-like the ad that attributes John McCain's words to the president;or the "You didn't build" that ad.Independent fact checkers , such as Politifact ,have found some ads on Welfare and Medicare to be out and out false.Romney and Ryan have repeatedly said that the president"stole"716 billion dollars from Medicare for his health Care plan, which is not true.The president reinvests the monies back into the Medicare,cuts no benefits,and helps to strengthen and lengthen Medicare with it; while Ryan also takes 700 billion out, but makes cuts on the beneficiary side.[ The creator of the plan -the same man who created Romney's Massachusetts plan-said that Romney and Ryan aren't telling the truth about the president's plan].Romney and Ryan have also cavalierly made many of these same false claims in their speeches.

[0bama2O12]

Either you are for President Obama or you are a Benedict Arnold.

[Jaylah54200]

Well, I guess when you got nuthin', then you grasp at any straw in a tornado, huh?

Thank the SCOTUS for this kind of stuff.