E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSPATASKALA, OH – GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney today brought his economy-focused campaign to a massive factory floor here in Central Ohio, promising he would fight to help manufacturing thrive in an era of free trade.
“The truth is trade is good for those economies that are productive, and efficient and our economy and our workers are the most productive in the world -- so trade ought to be good for us,” he told an audience of roughly 100 workers and supporters.
"If other people follow the trade agreements and compete at a fare basis, we ought to be able to sell this product all over the world and put more and more people to work right here in central Ohio because this is the best product in the world.”
Romney made these remarks after a tour of Screen Machines Industries, a manufacturer of portable crushing and screening plants. (Democrats noted that the company received hundreds of thousands of dollars in stimulus funds.)
Strikingly, Romney did not criticize President Obama as aggressively as he has done in other recent campaign appearances. Instead, he saved his harshest words for Chinese businesses, which he called the world’s “worst offenders” when it comes to following free trade rules.
“For too long we've let China cheat,” he said of Chinese businesses that flout American intellectual property rights. “We’ve got to get serious about recognizing that. We will crack down on cheaters like China and protect the intellectual property and the jobs of American workers, and American enterprises. And I will do that when I am president.” *** CORRECTION *** Romney said, "And I will do that if I am president."
After the speech, Romney greeted supporters and told a group of reporters he would not comment on the daily back-and-forth debt negotiations currently gripping Washington, but that he continued to favor a “cut, cap and balance” approach to solving the crisis. Romney so far has refused to either endorse or oppose House Speaker John Boehner’s debt-ceiling legislation.
The former Massachusetts governor and CEO looked relaxed in shirtsleeves, and spoke without notes. He departed from his jobs and trade message only briefly, getting applause for remarking that the government should not spend more than it takes in.
And he received a few laughs for lamenting that he was introduced to the Ohio State University fight song.
“I didn’t expect to hear ‘Hail to the Victors, valiant. I know that,” the Michigan native joked. “This is Woody Hayes country.”
Leave a Comment:
Why isn't Romney talking about the debt ceiling?
Why isn't some intrepid journalist asking?
Why is this news?
Romney isn't talking about the debt ceiling because he's trying to get the support of the nihilist know-nothings of the Republican Base (AKA the Tea Partiers.) Anything he says about the debt ceiling that doesn't hurt him with the Republican Base will make him look moronic to the general public. Therefore he says nothing.
The media isn't asking because, well, maybe they are and the answers are so evasive the media doesn't pass them on? I really don't know.
This is news because he's the best the Republicans can come up with. Actually, in my opinion, Gary Johnson and Jon Huntsman are both better picks than Romney, but Romney was the runner up in the last Republican Primary and in the Republican Party that makes him a shoe in for 2012.
OOOH ... China. Now you're talking MY language.
Personally, I love English Staffordshire china and aesthetic movement transferware best.
On the other hand, Target's new collection of melamine rocks.
And that, folks, was every bit as relevant as Mitt Romney talking about China.
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming of partisan bickering over the debt ceiling.
It's what we live for.
Because with the low approval numbers for everyone involved in the debt ceiling, he can stay above the fray and avoid all the stain associated with this issue. Romney with his successful business background can truly be seen as a knowledgeable expert compared to the neophytes like Obama and the inexperienced congressional partisan hacks in the Tea Party and loony left like Pelosi. Extremely smart move by Romney
Successful career as a venture capitalist destroying jobs, you mean. Very impressive. What do venture capitalists know about trade, anyway? When asked about his involvement in the decisions that destroyed jobs, Romney insisted he was mostly a passive investor. How does that wash with his claim of experience?
Thoughts?
Anna Molly - See part 3 of the Romney history - http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/specials/romney/video/?bcpid=988092818&bclid=979366716&bctid=1016735435
And maybe the folks in Ohio should talk to the ex-employees of American Pad & Paper.
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/specials/romney/part3/ If the previous link doesn't work, try this one.
and the Timeline of what happened to Ampad. http://www.boston.com/news/daily/26/ampad.pdf There should still be some old Ted Kennedy campaign ads around where they interviewed the ex-employees of Ampad. Nice story they had to tell of being laid off, then offered their old jobs back for a cut in pay.
AM, you know that is a very simplistic way of looking at things. Plus you have the descriptions somewhat wrong. A venture capitalist should be a job creator as they are investing in new or distressed businesses with a very high risk profile in order to get high returns. Its the hedge fund guys and private equity guys who (not always as some view things with a value add or strategic view) who would prefer financial engineering in order to make money. So if Romney was a venture capitalist, and he invested in a very distressed business and in order to attempt to keep the company from being totally liquidated or compete effectively, he reduced jobs, modernized, new sales force etc you could probably successfully argue that he prevented the loss of more jobs and set the company up for growth and job creation for the future. I have no personal knowledge of what Romney did, but lets describe the situations and characterizations more accurate in order to come to an "objective" conclusion. Wouldnt you rather not have preconceived ideas and have a learned understanding rather than biased?
I'd like to drive a Mercedes but have to settle for less because I can't afford the best. Just because we produce the 'best product in the world' doesn't mean there's a market for it when countries can buy cheaper and comparable elsewhere. And you're certainly not going to tell China to behave! Jon Huntsman ought to be eating that tidbit up...
"Romney so far has refused to either endorse or oppose House Speaker John Boehner’s debt-ceiling legislation."
Reminds me of that razor a farmer-neighbor of mine invented to shave his chickens before he butchered them. He called it his 'Chicken-Schick'...
Was it a straight razor?
Yes, it was a straight razor- unlike one of those razors Bachmann's husband might have used on HIS farm.....
LoL Exactly.
First Read again leaves out negative news for its hero Obama:
RCP:
Over the past half-century, Ohio has been the quintessential bellwether state in presidential elections. That’s why the nascent Obama campaign should be paying careful attention to a Quinnipiac survey of the Buckeye state released this week, which shows the president with weak job approval numbers and an unimpressive lead over Mitt Romney. The Ohio results bolster the view that if the economy doesn’t improve before next November, a majority of the electorate may well be open to the idea of firing the man they placed in charge less than three years ago.
Fully 67 percent of Ohioans disapprove of the individual mandate in the new federal health care law—Obama’s signature domestic policy initiative. A proposed amendment to Ohio’s constitution blocking the mandate’s implementation may well pass and will certainly keep the electorate focused on that issue. In addition, 78 percent of Ohio’s voters (including 66 percent of Democrats) favor a state bill requiring would-be voters to show photo identification in order to cast their ballots, a change that Democratic operatives believe would reduce their margins in lower-income and minority communities.
Unless President Obama dramatically alters the current political dynamic in Ohio...he will lose that state in 2012.
MB
Who cares about Ohio in the first place they have a Republican Governer destroying them they have their own issues.
Come on Mixed - you have to respond to Tis's Bryan moment. [There are x-Lehman guys working for Obama? :)].
Please? WCA? Bob it would appear that this one didn't get your [or RCP's] meaning.
Pom poms in the way perhaps?
lol, Tis the Season...
You or I may not care about Ohio.
David Plouffe and President Obama do.
Rest assured...
They care.
I'm with Tis on this one. As a proud Wolverine, I could care less about "That state down South".
Buckeyes? Really? Bunch of Gear sellin, Tattoo gettin, NCAA cheatin low lifes.
But Tis, surely, even you realize that with out those nuts, President Obama is done in 2012.
Don't you?
I never have understood why lefties oppose showing ID to vote.You can get the votes of those who live under the radar I guess.I can understand China's favored trade status gives them a great advantage over us,because they can import at 2.6% tarriffs,while we pay 26%.Nothing like giving away a good economy to your enemies,uh?Free trade isn't really free.
It isn't a matter of SHOWING an ID, it's a matter of ACQUIRING an ID...before ya'll start goin crazy, just listen. It has to be a state photo ID. So if you don't drive, you still have to get to a state MV office to get one. That's just peachy for the seniors who live alone or with a spouse who no longer drive, use senior transportation services or rely on the volunteers who shuttle them to the polling place on election day. The law allows a person to take time off from work to vote, but not for spending a day at the MV office to get the ID that will allow you to vote. For those who do not drive and have to work for the employers who would go so far as to fire them for taking an unpaid day off work to get the @#%* card, it is a real problem. The assessment is correct. It is a way to prevent low income, urban dwellers, rural community members and seniors or disabled from participating in their right to vote. My mother-in-law is ok to take the car ride a few blocks to the polling place, have a short wait for her turn to vote, but a wait of several hours in the plastic chairs of the MV office would cause her too much pain to bother. Since she has her voter registration card, and her Social Security and Medicare card she is fine in our state, but if she lived in a rural community in say, Ohio, she would be hard pressed to go get that card...while ranting all the while that it was done that way on purpose, and she would be 100% right.
Now, liberals let's be fair. Everything Romney said today was lucid and rational. You may not agree with it but it almost sounds like Romney is betting that being the only sane person in the race will get him the nomination. (Huntsman is also sane but apparently his campaign is falling apart.) Romney is an expedient. His conversions on the gay issue (now being against gays) and abortion (now being adamantly opposed to abortion) and his own healthcare law (now it's good only as a state experiment) are shameless. But, I am almost heartened that somebody in the Republican Party is in the real world. I would not leave the country if he were elected. I would seriously consider leaving if the other major contenders from the GOP were elected. This is a crisis time in this country. A little sanity from the right is an important thing. Pawlenty is showing himself to be just as batty as Bachmann. Gingrich would sell his soul for the Presidency or another mistress. Governor Perry may be the most insidious yet. Score this as sanity today on Mr. Romney's part. That's a high water mark.
Beyond Democrat: You said it better than I could. Romney is sane. So are most Mormons. It is the Evangelicals that need psychological help. I remember being in a tornado in Eau Claire Wisconsin in 1980. It destroyed the whole town. Who fed the people, cleaned up the town, and were the heroes? The Democrats, Republicans, Jehovah Witnesses, Moonies, Evangelicals, Salvation Army, Lutherans, Catholics? No Mormon was the correct answer. If you need help in an emergency. Call a Mormon leader.
Bravo, Beyond!! Lucid and rational - refreshing. A viable presidential candidate? I think not, but even a snippet of sanity from the right puts hope in my heart..........
Lucid and relevant, Perhaps. Fantasy? Definitely. I know a number of people who do business in China. I also keep abreast of the news. Mr. Romney neglects to tell us how he is going to enforce those copyright laws. Important point since it seems to be impossible. Also neglects to discuss the incredible influence China has on use because they hold so much of our debt. Campagin talk. As Obama found out, saying it's one thing, being able to do it is something else altogether. Don't misunderstand, I'm all for his message. There are a lot of things I'm for that don't seem likely. Like an intelligent, rational approach to the debt ceiling. I won't share any other fantasies....
Circular reasoning...that's all he's got?
Tra la la It gives me a thrill to wake up in the morning on Mockingbird Hill!!!!!!!!
Lets offer the Chinese government ... as payment in pull ..all the southern states ..
China may be the top first attender of the Treasury Notes.
Here's a man with gall to stand in a factory that has recieved million in stimulus money and never mention it even once. And no denounciations of it either, apparently..He mention that "China cheats"-but he didnt say how. Was it because they use prision labor at 5 cents a day? Was it because of the sucide rate of subcontrators who make IPhones and IPads? Was it because of the faulty plaster board that sickens americans every day? Was it because the the lead painted toys-and the lack of customs inspections because of cut backs in consumer products inspection? Was it because the Chinese manipulte the Yen?
And he didn't menition the fou rtrade agreements now before Congress that Obma has endorsed. where does Romney stand? Where does Romney stand on the new truck inspection protcol that lets shipping pass ininspected across Amreica's borders fro Mexico?
If you look at the history of Bain Capital, you'll see he's just fine with doing business with China after he brokers a leveraged buyout of an American company, and jobs are lost. It would be interesting though, to see he and Huntsman duke it out over which one has invested more in China.
Mr Romney is merely flitting around the edges of the issue. Giving a cheerleader speech to a bunch of factory workers telling them they make the best product and should be able to sell it any where is meaningless. The real issue is what are the boys in Washington going to do to level the playing field so that our products are purchased here and every where else. Until the playing field is leveled that will not happen. We can not compete with countries that pay meager wages/benefits and fail to adhere to the types of production and safety standards we impose on our manufacturers. Not to mention the taxes and fees our employers have to pay for unemployment benefits, social security, employers share of health insurance, workers compensation premiums, general liability premiums, and all the state taxes on top of that. Seems to me that we should be telling countries like China and India, etc.. that until they reach a comparable level in terms of pay, production and safety standards, etc.. we are compelled to place tariffs on there goods being sold here. That will return American products to our shelves and dry up the incentive for manufacturers to set up shop in places like China.
If Mr. Romney, or any body else, is going to win the 2012 election they best forget about the cheerleader pie in the sky style speeches and start talking about concrete solutions to our problems. We already have a nice rhetorical speaker in the White House and he doesn't have a clue about what to do when the speech making is done (which is why he continues with the speech making while the country is falling apart) and it's time to back the speeches up with concrete actions that are good for the country.
Hi,
Why doesn't the media stick to their questions? For example, if you ask the Republican Presidential Nominee Romney, "Would you cut Medicare and Medicaid which makes up 2 of the 3 big entitlement programs?". Don't let him talk using the CANNED Republican response(s): blame president, jobs/unemployment, "the children or grandchildren". Reporter will repeat debt limit question, Republican will whip out the canned response..reporter will try again to ask question about debt limit.. Republican will whip out canned response... repeat until commercial break or reporter gives up.
By the way, Romney and all other GOP candidates may have an answer to this after the issues has been settled..this is real leadership :)
I prefer a balanced approach (let Bush tax gift to rich expire and add spending cuts) to this articifical crisis the GOP strategist cooked up. The only thing Congress, who jobs is to produce budgets (not executive branch), had to do was a single sentence vote... increase debt limit.. or not. It has always been done that way, for every president. Many Republican in Congress gave our most recent Republican president a single sentence bill to approach, which was to increas the debt limit while have trillions of dollars of debt (war + Bush tax gift to rich + unpaid for Bush's Medicare part D).
Bye