The GOP primary season also produced many of the sound bites and gaffes that Obama and the Democrats were able to use against Romney. From the reference to his wife鈥檚 two Cadillacs to the use of the term 鈥渟elf-deportation鈥 regarding illegal immigrants to the $10,000 bet, Romney was easy to caricature as out of touch and uncaring. Perhaps most devastating were some of the attacks other Republicans used against Romney 鈥 particularly those that turned his success in private equity at Bain Capital into a negative. (See 鈥渧ulture capitalist.鈥) Team Obama didn鈥檛 hesitate to use the available material to portray Romney as 鈥渁 wealthy plutocrat married to a known equestrian,鈥 as Republican eminence Haley Barbour of Mississippi put it facetiously.
David Goldman/AP
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney arrives to his election night rally, Wednesday, Nov. 7, in Boston.