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Voters and reporters looking to Mitt Romney for new jobs proposals or additional details about his existing plans shouldn't expect many, the presumptive Republican nominee's aides said Thursday.
Most of Romney's fall campaign will involve "re-introducing a lot of the policy that came out a year ago," Romney senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom said on a conference call with reporters. The reason for that, he explained, was to remind them "of the governor's very detailed policy" now that voters are playing closer attention to the campaign.
The conference call was organized to outline the jobs policies about which Romney will speak today in Colorado. But the five priorities mentioned on the conference call -- energy, trade, education, cutting the deficit, and freeing up businesses from regulation -- have generally been staples of the former Massachusetts governor's campaign for much of the past year.
Kacper Pempel / REUTERS
Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney delivers foreign policy remarks at the University of Warsaw Library in Warsaw July 31, 2012.
The question of specifics, though, has been one that has plagued the Romney campaign -- and it's not only Democrats who have voiced this criticism.
"The Romney campaign thinks it can play it safe and coast to the White House by saying the economy stinks and it's Mr. Obama's fault," the Wall Street Journal's right-leaning editorial board wrote in early July. "Thanks, guys, but Americans already know that. What they want to hear from the challenger is some understanding of why the President's policies aren't working and how Mr. Romney's policies will do better."
But the Romney campaign has generally brushed off these complaints as imprudent politics. Boston has clearly broadcast that they are satisfied with the plans they have offered. ("He doesn’t need to lay out new policies," Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, a surrogate of Romney's and potential running mate, told National Review Online earlier this week.)
The Romney campaign has been generally opaque in its approach to several issues that could conceivably expose their candidate to scrutiny, which could distract from their central narrative about Obama and the economy. For instance, the campaign's refusal to detail which tax deductions Romney would favor eliminating – to show how he’d prefer to balance the budget – mirrors his refusal to release more than two years of tax returns, to detail his exit from Bain Capital, or to lay out how his administration would be more transparent than Obama’s.
On each question, though, the Romney campaign has left open a void of detail, and the Obama campaign and Democrats have gladly stepped in to fill it.
The president himself trumpeted a report from the nonpartisan, independent Tax Policy Center about Romney's tax plan.
The study concluded that, based on the available details about Romney's plan, that it would threaten a higher tax burden on the middle class, because it disproportionately takes advantage of exemptions that would be eliminated to finance tax reform.
But the enduring story of the Romney campaign is its conclusion early in the campaign that little else will matter on election day aside from voters' conclusion about Obama's handling of the economy. They've bet that the broad contours of Romney's policy contours will be enough to sway voters, and that they can weather criticism about the specifics without any of that becoming fatal.
"That report you referenced is a joke," Fehrnstrom said of the center’s report on the call. "There are serious problems with the authorship of that study, and the methodology."
One of the authors was an economic adviser member of Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers. But the other was the senior staff economist on President George H.W. Bush’s Council of Economic Advisers.
"The governor's plan essentially lays out the parameters that he wants to achieve," Jonathan Burks, the Romney campaign's deputy policy director, said on the call. "And within that, he would write a tax bill that achieves those goals. And so it's not a question of today, you know, we've got a 2,000-page tax plan that could be scored and demonstrated ... The details of how that would be accomplished would have to be worked out with Congress."
Republicans are quick to note that President Obama has offered few detailed proposals for his second term, and argue that the "American Jobs Act" first introduced by the White House last fall is only a re-hash of old policies.
But the Romney campaign's bet that it doesn't need to offer more detail opens the door to the Obama campaign and Democrats' efforts to turn the election into a choice between the president and Romney, even if it involves mischaracterizing elements of Romney's background – or inserting policy details that don’t exist -- that the GOP candidate won't define for himself.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) made an especially specious claim in that vein when he told the Huffington Post this week that a Bain investor -- who he did not name -- told him that Romney had paid no effective tax rate for a decade.
Fehrnstrom angrily condemned that suggestion during an appearance Thursday on Fox News, but there are no indications that the evidence Romney could offer to rebuff those charges will be publicly available anytime soon.
NBC's Jay Rankin and Garrett Haake contributed.
Leave a Comment:
romney,no one wants to hear your pure bull####.you republicans haven't had a plan for years except to keep enriching your corporate buddy ass##### or yourselves.so please,shut the fu## up and go away-please-do the american people a favor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They shouldn't let parasitic socialist morons post, but I suppose Obama supporters must have their free speech too...
Your grasp of the English language and your liberal civility are impressing the hell out of me. NOT!
Regarding Reid's lie about Mr. Romney not paying taxes for ten years, it is going to come out the Reid's source actually meant Mr. Romney didn't pay taxes from birth to age ten.. so Reid didn't lie or quote a lie.
What you want to bet?
C'MON willard forget re-introducing your policy plans CAUSE WE ALL KNOW ANY PLAN YOU'VE GOT IS'S BS! And get to introducing 7-10 YEARS OF your TAX RETURNS like everybody else!!!! YOU LYING CHEATING RIGHT WING SCUMBAG!!
left -right - dont you all realize it is designed to divide? while the goverment criminals get away with treason.
look at obamas policy - it is the same as romney.. this countries in big trouble...
On the contrary, there are clear differences. Romney's is basically warmed-over GW; tax cuts and deregulation, with continuing emphasis on globalization and financial services. Obama's is a shift away from that and toward manufacturing exports, based on renewed infrastructure, from educational reform to bridges and roads...and health care.
Guess you haven't been paying much attention.
Obama has done a bang up job Stone...half a million less Americans working today then when he was elected. 8.2% unemployment, which if you count real unemployment is like 15%.
Obama had broken records for sure... 6 Trillion in new debt in four years.
yep anyone with sense will vote Romney 2012
Bush doubled the national debt paying for his wars and tax cuts. Obama has added 50% to the national debt paying for Bush's wars and Bush's tax cuts.
Well, now that Mr. Romney is the presumed Republican candidate for president, now we have a Second Sign of the Apocalypse:
Arnold Schwarzenegger will co-found a think tank, the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy.
Arnold Schwarzenegger? Think tank??
Isn't that kind of like Stevie Wonder running a school for snipers?
So out of touch
1. I don`t care about poor.
2.I to am unemployed
3.I don`t know about these cookies, form 7/11
4. cooperations are people too...
5.how many of us have car elevators
Obama has failed us all. 8.2% unemployment at the least for his entire presidency. Half a million less workers in the work force since he was elected. He created the first down grade of the US credit rating. Never has the US had a trillion dollar yearly deficit. Until Obama when he had three in a row.
Why would anyone with a brain reelect Obama?
As jesus said look where I have brought you from, and the do nothing congress which held the middle class hostage during budget fight was the cause for the downgrade, these are not talking points these are facts. The debt was 2 wars on our cerdit card. Only the ones with even the smallest brain would vote Obama/Biden 2012, the rebups are so out of touch and so are you.
Bush's happily signed Meidicare Prescription D Drug plan will add another 5 Trillion over 25 years.
Romney has a detailed plan???? It must be another of his secrets.
So, willard is going to "re-introduce" us to specifics we haven't been introduced to yet??
Interesting...
I guess in teapublican land,.. this makes perfect sense...
How quickly we all forget that lack of regulation in 2008 caused this mess. Now we are all mad at Obama because he couldn't clean up this cluster(you know) fast enough. Yet we still continue to elect Congressmen and Senators with 20 and 30 yrs. seniority into office. I don't see how we could be more stupid than we are now as a nation. And we are so stupid that we are going to elect the same two groups of people who got us into this mess. A little civics lesson to all. Congress appropriates all funds not the President. The difference between the GOP and the Dems. is do you want bitten by a rattlesnake or a copperhead with death being the common denominator.
It's basically put up or shut up about the taxes. If Romney says that he paid taxes, but is not willing to offer any proof, then your opponents can say whatever they want to. We are a show me people, not a take my word for it. We've heard that story way too many times and do not trust politics who utter phrases like trust me, or take my word for it. Richard Nixon was fond of saying things like that-is Mitt the twit channeling Nixon in his 2nd campaign for president?
The arch conservative Wall Street Journal even called Willard out
They said, blaming Obama on the economy and saying you'll fix it without giving details will not cut it with them.
I agree with the WSJ in this case
On second thought, Willard thinks we're all so naive and dumb.
He's the most secretive candidate ever and he thinks it's all okay.
Eyes roll
His head is so far in the clouds.
Because Romney is not filling in the blanks, Democrats will do it for him. He doesn't need to have rumors about not paying any taxes for 10 years-just release the taxes! Why would anyone take a politicians word for anything is beyond me and most voters.
Romney is strikingly similar to Nixon in his penchant for secrecy. Wonder how many other traits he shares...
As Leona Helmsley once said "Only the little people pay taxes"
Romney's plan: tax cuts for me and trickle down for you ( well, eventually).
We tried tinkle down economics during the Bush years. It gave us a bad economy, stagnate wagesfor the middle class, and the only winners were the wealthy. Romney wants trickle up economics where the middle class pays for tax cuts for himself, George Soros, Rosie O'Donnell, et al.
"Re-introduce" as the title said means another "etch a sketch"
Shake and twist those knobs Willard!!
C'MON willard forget re-introducing your policy plans CAUSE WE ALL KNOW ANY PLAN YOU'VE GOT IS'S BS! And get to introducing 7-10 YEARS OF your TAX RETURNS like everybody else!!!! YOU LYING CHEATING RIGHT WING SCUMBAG!!
Romney-crat Concession Song
(A political parody song written by Bruce-1628250, based on Elton John's song: Honky Cat)
Can;t wait as Mitt might wait until he releases his taxes like never. Both Obama and Romney agreed to have two independent Economist review their plan and one was selected by Mitt and one by Obama. Mitt put the cart before the horse 4 months ago praising his economist saying he would fine Mitt's plan was best and no one had made a decision yet. Well the decision is in and Obama plan fixes the best for the American people and Mitt's plan is clearly for the Wealthy. Well it's back to the drawing board for Mitt to come up with another lie and hope this one works. Mitt will take time to look for someone he can pay to lie and hope the people believe this one. Most of the lies have been exposed but it Mitt can get enough people to just vote on hate he thinks he stands a shot. The disenfranchising doesn't seem like it's working and Mitt has hired a BP executive who help cover the large Gulf spill to his team to see if she can make people believe the spin.
Mitt is such an inept candidate. Couldn't you Repubs have picked someone better for us to beat?
Ah yes, the Mitt-o-Romney Etch-A-Sketch at work again! The Mittster does not keep his word. It is easy to imagine his brand of President. Yes, no, er, I mean yes, what, um....no?
Cogito... Seriously, you absolutely fdodge the question like a true rightie. Congratulations!
There have been numerous (NUMEROUS!) posts running across a variety of stories that folks have gone through the trouble of listing. You're simply intellectually lazy, you've been totally indoctrinated or you've got a hideous case of denial.
Where is your buddy's (Romney) campaign moments running on his record. He never mentions his bad record in Mass as governor and never pushes his accomplishments at Bain. And why do you think that is?
He's a joke... And the best that the Republican party could come up with was Cain, Bachman, Gingrich, Perry, Paul and Romney???? Pretty embarrassing...
What has Romney really got going for him?
Anything to get the focus off his income taxes and his disasterous trip to Europe. Of course his policies will be disasterous too....
Those of you saying Mitt has not introduced his policy before are wrong. His policy is well known in facist circles, it is called "The Big Lie."
Tax breaks for the rich create jobs. The BIG lie.
ON TAXES:
Obama:
Romney:
(Obama and Romney: Where they stand on the issues, By CALVIN WOODWARD | Associated Press • Published August 01, 2012)
First yosolo, I never mentioned republican fascists. If you associate republicans with facists, who am I to argue? Secondly, I am from Massachusetts and have witnessed, first hand Romney's lies. As for proof, see my responses below. Finally, I have never heard or seen proof of anything from you! In fact, I have never heard a statement of fact from you, only slinging crap to see if anything sticks. Your tactics, in fascist circles, would be know as "constant attack."
Where are those tax return mit?
How about telling us how a continuation of the Bush era policies will stop another economic crisis?
Tell us Mittens, you total @!$%#wit, how does raising taxes on the middle class and gutting help for the poorest create jobs?