Romney returns to economic message ahead of convention

Mitt Romney speaks as his vice presidential running mate Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., listens during a campaign rally on Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012 in Powell, Ohio.

/ AP Photo/Evan Vucci

(CBS News) POWELL, Ohio - One day after making a birth certificate joke that created an uproar and overshadowed his message, Mitt Romney laid groundwork for his upcoming convention by focusing on President Obama's economic record and what he characterized as unkept promises.

The presumptive Republican nominee highlighted Obama's own remarks at the 2008 convention to make his point. "I happened to pull out his speech last night. I'm not kidding." Romney told a crowd of about 5,000 here on Saturday. "It's really a brilliant speech. He says marvelous things. He just hasn't done them."

Romney predicted that Obama would give similarly moving remarks at this year's Democratic National Convention next week in Charlotte, N.C. "It'll be filled with promises to tell people how wonderful things are," he said. "Of course they'll have to contrast that with what they know they're experiencing. But as he lays out all of these wonderful things he's going to do, people are just going to stop and say, but how are you going to do something different than last time?"

The central Ohio rally featured both Romney and his running mate, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, and as of Saturday was the last public event on their schedules before the start of their own convention on Monday in Tampa, Fla.

Romney argued at the rally that giving Obama a second term would lead to four more years of high unemployment, declining wages, and falling home values, and promised to turn the tide on each with his own economic plan. And for the first time in several weeks, he made a specific pitch to women.

"If we become, if we become president and vice president we want to speak to you, we want to help you," Romney said. "Women in this country are more likely to start businesses than men. Women need our help."

(Watch: Romney makes "birther" joke at Friday rally.)

Romney's campaign has been under a consistent attack from Obama and Democrats who argue a Romney administration will turn back the clock on women's health issues, a message that was pushed to the forefront last week by Missouri's Republican Senate candidate Todd Akin's controversial comments on rape and abortion. The Obama campaign said Friday that the president will talk about reproductive rights and women's health on a campaign swing through battleground states next week during the GOP convention. The campaign has named the tour "Romney/Ryan: Wrong for Women."

Though he has not spent much time on the stump discussing women, Ryan appeared to recognize the ticket's need to close the gender gap with Obama, whom polls show is leading among women. When talking about the need to grow the economy, Ryan pointedly mentioned a desire to help every American achieve "her" potential.

Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, reinforced the economic focus by citing "ugly statistics" on a roughly $4,000 drop in median household income since the start of the Obama administration. He was quoting a study by the nonpartisan economic consulting firm Sentier Research that appeared in a Wall Street Journal editorial posted Friday evening.

He contrasted those figures with Romney's economic record in Massachusetts and said that instead of growing the economic pie so everyone could have more success, the president was merely looking to redistribute slices in a pie that stays the same size. "That's a bunch of baloney," Ryan said. "And I'm not talking Oscar Mayer baloney, that's just a bunch of baloney."

It was an inside joke: Ryan was a salesman for Oscar Mayer for a summer during his college years, and he even drove the Wienermobile.

[brenniewinters]

Because of my parents being murdered by starvation and neglect under Obama care-it cost all of you tax payers over 500 thousand dollars. Thank you America for your ignorance. I wrote an adult book called My Parents Murder in Texas this year-no justice-no apology and no help and no response from our main government when I wrote to them before all of this happened. Would you like your parents being done this way in their own home? It was unconstitutional. I do not want more of the same. Do you?

[mikesfilms]

According to the Economic Policy Institute, Ryan's plan would mean 1.3 million fewer jobs next year, and 2.8 million fewer in 2014. His plan would raise taxes on families earning between 30 and 40 thousand dollars by almost $500 a year. He'd slash Medicare, food stamps, and children's health to reduce taxes on millionaires by an average of over $500,000 a year. The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities estimates Ryan's Roadmap would push public debt to over 175 percent of GDP (almost double) by 2050.

[liberalmike]

ROBME AND LYIN' RYAN WE DON'T NEED MORE REPUB POLICY'S LIKE GWB DID AND TANKED OUR ECONOMY AND ONLY MADE THE RICH RICHER!!!!

[JeeryBaiter]

Romney's economic message and the definition of Republican insanity:

More tax cuts, fewer regulations, expect different results.

[andie52]

After doing a little research I discovered that the gung-ho-for-war Romney had received a deferment from Vietnam because he had become a Mormon missionary.

His missionary work took him in the mid 1960s to France where, according to this article, he endured the rough life by living in a palace which had stained glass windows, a chandelier and two servants-a Spanish chef and a houseboy.

Romney had also taken part in an anti anti-war protest in the 1960s in which he protested in favor of the military draft. He did this, of course, knowing that poor white, black and brown people would be fighting in Vietnam while he was secure in the knowledge that he would be exempt from doing just that

[marcie10000]

Rocky: Obama was not of age during Nam nor the draft.

[RealWorldNow]

Don't forget Biden's 5 deferments....

[cntrygirl3]

It is really funny to hear Ryan say something like "reach her full potential" when for him the only "potential" a woman should have is having babies as many as possible and against her will if necessary. Who do these yahoos think they are kidding whatever he says now he has a congressional record that speaks loud and clear on women. Where as Mr. Romney our "me to" presidential candidate will parrot whatever the republican right wants him to say on anything to get elected. To hear Ryan say "Mr. Romney's views prevail" is just silly, Mr. Romney has no views and NO PLANS and will take NO STANDS he just wants to be president for no apparent reason other than power and money.

[marychgo]

I had to come back and reread this story, because I couldn't recall what it said Romney was saying to "woo women voters." But my memory was correct; he had nothing to say! Helping women form new businesses? Really, Mitt? In an economy where there isn't enough demand for those businesses to succeed? THAT's going to change a lot of women's votes!

How 'bout addressing your party's anti-abortion plank? Or your own intent to "repeal Obamacare on Day One," when American women gain important health coverage under the Affordable Care Act? Or your vice presidential candidate's horrendous plan to destroy Medicare for the next generation, which includes lots of women? Or the devastating cuts in every other service provided by the federal government, from the FAA and the FDA to education and welfare, that will be needed to fund your proposed tax cuts and increase in defense spending? Won't THOSE cuts hurt women? Don't you suppose that women KNOW that?

[MojitoMamma]

You go mary. It's time for women to unite and rise up against this evil, because that's what it is. If these idiots want to declare a war on women, well then, I am totally ready to fight. We have nothing more or less to lose than our dignity and freedom, but I've already been fighting against this kind of lunacy for the last forty years as a working woman. I've still got some fight left in me so they can bring it if they dare but I don't think they understand what they're getting themselves into.

[marychgo]

Just how dumb ARE you, ROCKY? I've been gainfully employed for more than 50 years, and MojitoMamma's been earning a living for 40 years, but you're so brilliant you "know" that only "the foodstamp crowd" opposes the GOP's effort to destroy the middle class? "Voodoo economics" helped only the ultrarich in the '80s, in the '90s, and in the '00s; tax cuts and deregulation will have PRECISELY the same effect if the Spoiled Fratboy ticket should (heaven forfend!) be elected this time!

[Thinkbeforeyouwrite]

One of my biggest concerns about a Romney win is that he will nominate a strong conservative judge to the Supreme Court. Women, especially, would have much to fear from that but all would be affected in some way. I do not want a Scalia type to swing the decisions always to the right.

[Verascity]

"Women need our help." Riiight.... But first, tell us more about "personhood", no exceptions for rape or incest, and, BTW, lets see those taxes, Mitt, to see just how honest you are.

[askagain]

Don't you have something legitimate to say. So far, you give Romney credit for things he hasn't said or done nor is there anything in his background that supports your garbage.

[MojitoMamma]

Vera you rock

[RealiteBites]

"If we become, if we become president and vice president we want to speak to you, we want to help you," Romney said. "Women in this country are more likely to start businesses than men. Women need our help."
________________________________________________________________________________

There's that theory that because there's a CORRELATION between jobs created and small businesses, that there might be a CAUSAL connection.

At least that was the hypothesis of the Obama Adminstration, who then threw a TON of money and tax breaks at that one sector. And the hypothesis failed obviously.

So why would Romney go and repeat that same stupid mistake? I thought he was smarter than that.

Nobody's an island - it's not like small business is acting in a vacuum - he's GOT to work on cutting down the trade deficit, in a substantial way. If he doesn't do that, nothing else will matter.

So he should just focus his platform on that.