Obama vs. Romney in Ohio: what dueling speeches were all about
| Washington
When you have a problem, hang a lantern on it. President Obama followed that political maxim Thursday in a speech in Cleveland focused on the economy, shining a light on his own recent troubles moments after Mitt Romney delivered his own economic address in Cincinnati.
The dueling speeches in Ohio 鈥� one of the top battlegrounds of the 2012 election 鈥� presented the expected stark choice to voters.聽
Former Massachusetts Governor Romney said Mr. Obama鈥檚 time in office has been marked by a series of policies that are bad for business, from "failed stimulus" to "ObamaCare."听
Obama said his tenure has been all about digging out from the worst recession since the Great Depression, leading up to what he calls a 鈥渕ake or break moment鈥� for the middle class.
But more than anything, Obama鈥檚 speech Thursday was about hitting the reset button after a tough two-week stretch marked by bad economic news, dissonant statements from leading Democrats, and a presidential gaffe on the private sector that will dog him until Election Day.
Obama used self-deprecating humor to try to clear the air over his comment last Friday that 鈥渢he private sector is doing fine鈥� 鈥� a statement he clarified soon thereafter, but which Team Romney has sought to exploit daily ever since.
鈥淭here will be no shortage of gaffes and controversies that keep both campaigns busy and give the press something to write about,鈥� Obama said.
鈥淵ou may have heard I recently made my own unique contribution to that process,鈥� he added, to laughter from the crowd at Cuyahoga Community College Metropolitan Campus in Cleveland. 鈥淚t wasn't the first time; it won't be the last.鈥�
Later, Obama heaped sarcasm on his opponent鈥檚 TV ads on the economy.
鈥淭he other side will spend over a billion dollars on ads that tell you the economy is bad, that it's all my fault 鈥� that I can't fix it because I think government is always the answer, or because I didn't make a lot money in the private sector and don't understand it, or because I'm in over my head, or because I think everything and everybody is doing just fine,鈥� he said, to laughter and applause.
鈥淭hat's what the scary voice in the ads will say,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat's what Mr. Romney will say. That's what the Republicans in Congress will say. Well, you know, that may be their plan to win the election. But it鈥檚 not a plan to create jobs.鈥�
The workmanlike Romney tried to discount Obama鈥檚 speaking skill, saying that 鈥渉e鈥檚 going to be a person of eloquence as he describes his plans for making the economy better.鈥�
鈥淏ut don鈥檛 forget, he's been president for 3-1/2 years, and talk is cheap,鈥� Romney continued. 鈥淎ction speaks very loud.鈥�
Romney accused Obama of promoting policies that have harmed entrepreneurship, innovation, job creation, and wage growth. He ranged across the various sectors of the economy, and when talk turned to energy, he included coal. This is noteworthy, because of the role that coal plays in Ohio鈥檚 economy, as well as in neighboring Pennsylvania, another battleground state. 聽聽
鈥淭alk to the people in the coal industry and ask whether his regulations have helped them mine coal,鈥� Romney said. 鈥淎nd what they'll tell you is on almost every front he's made it harder to get coal from the ground and made it less likely for people to be able to use it.鈥�
As pitched as the battle is now between Obama and Romney over the weak economy, the debate has only just started. Both candidates face a deficit in public opinion. Data from an ABC News/Washington Post poll released Wednesday show that 54 percent of independents see Obama鈥檚 economic plans negatively, versus only 38 percent who see them positively.
Romney fares little better. He scored 47 percent unfavorable, 35 percent favorable among independents on his economic plans.
鈥淏ut more are undecided, giving Romney some room to maneuver,鈥� writes Greg Holyk in an ABC News analysis. 鈥淯nlike Obama, Romney avoids majority criticism in this group."
