In Ohio, Obama slams China, Romney
President Barack Obama speaks at a campaign event at Seasongood Pavilion, Monday, Sept. 17, 2012, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
/ AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster(CBS News) China has once again entered the campaign discussion as President Obama launched another round of attacks against his opponent Mitt Romney on his China policy and announced that he is filing another trade complaint against the country.
"Now, I understand my opponent has been running around Ohio claiming he's going to roll up his sleeves and take the fight to China," Mr. Obama told a crowd in Cincinnati Monday. "Ohio, you can't stand up to China when all you've done is send them our jobs."
The president was referring to Romney's time at Bain Capital, a private equity firm that bought companies and moved jobs to China. It has been a common attack on the campaign trail in an effort to smear Romney's time at Bain, although many of the outsourcing claims either happened after Romney's time at Bain or didn't happen exactly the way Romney's critics describe them. The Obama campaign renewed the attack Friday when it launched a new television ad accusing Romney of outsourcing jobs overseas and continued the barrage today.
The president also announced a new enforcement action against China for what it claims is illegally subsidizing exports of automobile parts. The administration says the subsidies totaled $1 billion and is harming American auto parts makers.
"These are subsidies that directly harm working men and women on the assembly line in Ohio and Michigan and across the Midwest... . It's not right, it's against the rules and we will not let it stand," Obama said. "American workers build better products than anyone. 'Made in America' means something. And ...when the playing field is level, America will always win."
This is the second complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) filed in recent months against China. In July, President Obama filed another complaint challenging the country for what it said was imposing illegal duties on $3 billion worth of cars and SUVs. That announcement was also first announced in an Ohio newspaper, the Toledo Blade, and was highlighted the same day at a campaign stop near Toledo.
12.4 percent of Ohio's jobs are tied to the auto industry, according to figures provided by the administration, and the state is a crucial presidential battleground state. Although both candidates heavily contest there, Ohio, is a state that President Obama has consistently held a slight advantage. In the latest Quinnipiac/CBS News/NY Times poll in August, Mr. Obama held a 6 point advantage over Romney.
When asked if the timing was political, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said it wasn't. "The president doesn't believe that we should delay these kinds of important actions merely because we're in the middle of a campaign," Earnest told reporters en route to the Cincinnati event.
Romney, who has said on the campaign trail that he will confront China on its currency manipulation, released a statement criticizing what he called election-year tactics. "Campaign-season trade cases may sound good on the stump, but it is too little, too late for American businesses and middle-class families," Romney said. "I will not wait until the last months of my presidency to stand up to China, or do so only when votes are at stake."
"There's actually been a willingness on the part of the Obama administration to resort to the WTO in other fields," Joshua Meltzer, fellow at the Brookings Institution told CBS News.
Since taking office, Mr. Obama has filed additional complaints with the WTO against China on the issue of the country's wind energy manufacturing and raw materials exports. The WTO sided with the U.S. in both instances.
But while campaigning in Ohio and Michigan, Mr. Obama has consistently highlighted the bailout of the auto industry, the increase of manufacturing jobs and tough talk against China - all things he did at his latest campaign stop.
He said his goals are "to export more products and outsource fewer jobs," he told the crowd. "I bet on American workers. And three years later the American auto industry has come roaring back."
As he began to inject his opponent into his speech, the crowd began to jeer. Mr. Obama responded with a line he's repeatedly used on the campaign trail: "Don't boo. Vote."
Mr. Obama also reminded voters that early voting in Ohio begins October 2, and said voting early leaves more "time getting other folks to vote."
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Let's look at some facts.
Fact 1. Romney claims that he knows how to create jobs based on his experience with Bain Capital. But Bain Capital's focus was not JOB CREATION, it was taking companies to make a profit for Bain, whether it be by outsourcing their operations, moving their operations overseas, borrowing against their assets and closing them down, or selling their assets and closing them down. Occasionally, they even managed to make them profitable. But Bain Capital got their money up front, so they always made a profit. (Even when Mitt Romney and Bain Capital forced the government to bail them out) Source: www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the_fed_bailout_that_saved_mitt_romney_20120 AND www.huffingtonpost.com/2012008/30/mitt_romney_bain_bailout_n_1843601_html
Fact 2. Romney/Ryan claim they will be tougher on China and imports. Yet in Sept. 2010 Ryan voted AGAINST the Commerce Dept. imposing duties on countries who undervalued their currencies such as China.
Ryan voted against a bill preventing the government from contracting with companies who ship jobs overseas.
Jan. 2011 Ryan voted against a bill preventing the government from contracting with companies who outsource jobs overseas.
Is that how they would get tough on China?
Let's look at job records for past presidents. Since the Great Depression there were only two Presidents with a negative jobs creation record. Herbert Hoover: -5.41 (to be expected after the Great Depression). AND George W. Bush: -0.84 Both Republicans. Dwight Eisenhower and G.H.W. Bush had the lowest positive job creation records with +0.68 & +0.69 respectively. Again, both Republicans. Even Barack Obama has a +0.84 job creation average , even after the Bush recession and the GOP obstructionist House. And the Democrats have a consistently better record that Republicans, with Kennedy-Johnson and Clinton as leaders. Source: http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Jobs_created_during_U.S._presidential_terms.
Another interesting site to look up follows the House sessions since the 2010 elections when the Republicans and Tea Party Republicans controlled the House. This is kind of a tongue-in-cheek narration of the Party of NO sessions with THEIR record of job creation. It would be funny if it weren't so true. It will either make you laugh or cry or both. The site is: www.republicanjobcreation.com. The author is Mike Stanfill.
One other fact I want to leave you with: Since 1960 the four hundred richest families in the U.S. have gone from paying app. 40-50% taxes to paying 19.5% in 2003 and 16.6% in 2007. At the same time the middle class has been paying 20-28%. The rich have gotten richer while the middle class has stayed flat or lost ground. It's amazing what good government MONEY will buy.
Let's see the real Mitt Romney. Let's see the last 12 years of his income tax returns. NOW. This guy is blowing smoke up everybody's @ss for a year and all the GOP zombies walk around like they are in a Dawn of the Dead movie. His campaign is vaporware. No specifics.
Because he doesn't have a plan. The GOP is a joke.
Last 12 years of your income taxes Mr. Off-shorer in Chief" and do it pronto. Chop Chop.
1. Has he been any better with China? What RESULTS can you point to that are directly attributable to an action taken by Barack? There aren't any.
2. He promised to raise taxes on the rich - FOUR YEARS AGO, and when he had the chance, he passed on it. What makes you think he'll follow through this time? Guess what - he CAN'T. No politician will raise taxes during a recession because it'll cause the economy to go into a depression.
3. Is everybody aware that he's pledged to LOWER corporate income tax rates - even more? Does that sound like some sort of Robin Hood champion of the masses to you?
If so, as Sharpton likes to say - I've got another bridge to sell u.
Yes, Romney is awful. But please, so is Barack.
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Spot on. Either way, we'll have a liberal as president and a nutcase for VP no matter which major party wins!
When was that?
The answer should br in his tax returns.
Where are they?
The president was referring to Romney's time at Bain Capital, a private equity firm that bought companies and moved jobs to China.
When 1 in 8 jobs in Ohio is tied to the auto industry, the audience is listening carefully. The Chinese government GIVES their industries plants, equipment and money to win. This is money they got every time someone bought a Chinese product at Walmart or elsewhere.
Nixon DID!