Obama: Romney planning "inside job" in Washington?

(CBS News) President Obama hit back at Mitt Romney on Friday by suggesting his rival may be planning an "inside job" if he is elected president.

On Thursday, Romney criticized President Obama for saying "you can't change Washington from the inside," saying Mr. Obama "threw in the white flag of surrender again."

"He said he can't change Washington from inside, he can only change it from outside," Romney said in Florida.

In Woodbridge, Virginia on Friday, Mr. Obama stood by his earlier comments, saying, "I said you change it from the outside. You change it because people are mobilized."

The president then mocked Romney for seizing on the comments, saying, "for some reason my opponent got really excited" and wrote a new speech about them.

"He proudly declared I'll get the job done from the inside," Mr. Obama said. "What kind of inside job is he talking about? Is it the job of rubber-stamping the top-down, you're-on-your-own agenda of this Republican Congress? Because if it is, we don't want it."

The phrase "inside job" is usually used to describe a crime in which someone inside the organization being targeted is involved.

Mr. Obama's comments, before an estimated 12,000 people in a crucial swing state, also included criticism of Romney's "47 percent" comments, in which the Republican presidential nominee dismissed nearly half the country as dependent on government. The president criticized Romney for having written off "half the nation as a bunch of victims" and vowed to fight for all Americans, whether or not they vote for him.

"I will be fighting for you no matter what," he said. "I will be your president no matter what. I'm not fighting to create Democratic jobs or Republican jobs, I'm fighting to create American jobs."

Mr. Obama said the following on Thursday in Florida: "I think that I've learned some lessons over the last four years, and the most important lesson I've learned is that you can't change Washington from the inside, you can only change it from the outside. That's how I got elected, and that's how the big accomplishments like health care got done - [it] was because we mobilized the American people to speak out. That's how we were able to cut taxes for middle-class families."

Romney responded: "Well, we are going to give him that chance in November -- he is going outside. I can change Washington; I will change Washington. We will get the job done from the inside. Republicans and Democrats will come together. He can't do it. His slogan was 'Yes we can.' His slogan now is 'No, I can't.'"

[molakinmolo]

Tired of the revisionism.

The reality is that the President entered office with an enormous popular mandate and majorities in the House and Senate.

He could have accomplished great things.

He could have reformed social security.

He could have fixed medicare.

He could have listened to his own debt committee and addressed our deficit.

He could have followed his campaign promise and worked to fix Washington.

Instead, he told the Republicans to screw ("You lost, I won"), focused on Cap and Trade and use of Parliamentary maneuvers and back room deals to pass a health care bill that was opposed by the majority of the population.

Now that he's blown his mandate and managed to polarize Washington even more he's decided that "Washington cannot be changed from the inside"

By him? Yes. Absolutely!

[mikesfilms]

Romney's going to fix the nation. He killed bin Laden and several dozen al Qaeda leaders and built the pyramids of Egypt. He saved the auto industry from collapse and built the Great Wall of China. Check if he had a hand in winning the Revolutionary War. Gas prices will come down if he and pals stop blabbering about bombing Iran. Pinocchio Romney will create 500,000 jobs/month. What with? Bushanomics that's cost 10 million jobs? Now he's going to fix the economy with Paul Ryan's budget and deep cuts to the rich tax. His math sucks. Rather, he's going to add ten trillion to the debt and lose millions of jobs. Romney a liar? "Yes," Newt Gingrich.

[venusvegasvada]

Geeze Romney, let's see the REAL tax returns for the last 12 years, not the incomplete BS you are putting out for the last 2.

What a sneaky, lying, spineless yes man.

[hypnotoad72]

I recall some documentary of the same name (2009? 10?)...

Never saw it, but people were saying it had something to do with the demise of the US economy or something...

[Think3Times]

IMO, if you elect Romney, the "Inside Job" will become the "Inside Joke" in the White House.

[Dancing-in-the-Streets]

God I LOVE that MAN!!!!!!!!

: )

OBAMA/BIDEN 2012 FOUR MORE YEARS!!!!! : )

[Dancing-in-the-Streets]

And Oh yeah....Romney - "We don't want that!"

[inbethlehem]

Poor Willard. His futile attempts to twist every Obama comment always seems to backfire.

Of course We The People are the mechanism for change in Washington. And the mechanism is simple yet effective...it's called VOTING!

[arthanyel]

Notblu - it's working as well as it can in the face of right wing insanity and total obstruction. Hopefully the GOP, or what is left of it, will wise up after Mitt gets smashed and star actually working to fix things instead of just trying to den the better candidate another four years.

[RollotheNorman]

" by nottblu September 21, 2012 5:33 PM EDT
So how has that "hope and change" voted in after the 08 elections worked out for you? For America? LOL!"

Worked out fine for me; America will decide Nov 6. 'course I'm not one of Willard's li'l bi----s.

[coronadoagf11]

It truly amazes me how the large number of what seems to be uneducated citizens rallying for someone who has managed the worst administration of the last 50 years. Amazing, even with the unmanagable debt, unemployment, mid east on fire etc. etc etc. citizens seem to want more of the same. Why??

[GoUnion86]

Because it's still better than the alternative.

[hypnotoad72]

So who will vote differently?

Romney isn't trusted. Obama is either playing chess or is no better... Ron Paul's commentary and website are so hollow that the arguments fall apart or are shown as the bait-n-switch garbage...

[Sam2011]

I am fighting for you! Pay NO attention to a dead ambassador, burning embassies ...Vote for me!

[Dancing-in-the-Streets]

The ambassador, God rest his soul, would be just as dead if a Republican were in office.

[audemus]

I've generally dismissed a great many of the comments all over the place that speak of Romney's lack of intelligence.....however, I think I'm going to have to re-visit that one. Evidently Mitt doesn't realize that having a huge mass of people who are not in the "bought and paid for" politician class, or the just plain ridiculously wealthy class, who get passionate and involved with the issues that face ALL AMERICANS, and then get out and unleash that passion in the direction of CHANGE, is most definitely an "outside" job...this is what Obama was talking about. And he was and still is right. Not only that, but Mitt and a lot of his right-wing buddies are going to gain some first-hand, up close and personal experience with what happens when REAL AMERICANS get busy and make their displeasure known by throwing these crooks and liars OUT of office.....maybe then he'll understand how you change things from the "outside."

Romney/Ryan and the people they represent, haven't a clue as to just how pissed off and fed-up a vast majority of citizens are with these self-righteous, arrogant, sold-out schemers, shysters and sleeze-balls. Come Tuesday, November 6th, they're going to find out.

I just hope there's enough crow to go around for all these out-of-touch, COMPLETELY disconnected Republican/Teapublican/Sociopathic/ "Evil-Doers," to go around...if not, the 47 percent and the rest will find a suitable, though smelly, alternative.


"....and what could be more agreeable ?"
CH

[JWinATL]

I find your comment comical. There is a mindless cult that follows Obama around; for what purpose, I can't tell. Is it possible to spend MORE of our money than he already has?

Talk about not having a clue. You have a President who LIES to you - his spokespeople lie; he lies. You talk about sold-out schemers, shysters - have a look at this: http://washingtonexaminer.com/obama

I am seriously afraid of what our country has become when incompetence has led to the death of our Ambassador and 3 other brave Americans, a border control agent murdered as a result of an ill-fated program that the AG had no KNOWLEDGE OF, debt that has exceeded $16 trillion, unemployment over 8% for 43 straight months, and you are worried about Romney? Seriously?

[hypnotoad72]

jgg000010 -

He's either playing chess or he's compromised very well. I've posted plenty of links on those bits, time and again, in the past...