WASHINGTON -- Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said Sunday that Mitt Romney must be elected in November in order to "save America," arguing that if President Barack Obama gets reelected, "our way of life" is at stake.
"Save America. Fire Barack Obama and hire Mitt Romney," Priebus said on "Fox News Sunday." "Mitt Romney has to win for the sake of the very idea of America. Mitt Romney has to win for liberty and freedom."
Priebus' comments came during a discussion of the June jobs numbers, which showed the unemployment rate holding even at 8.2 percent. He ratcheted up a common GOP narrative that attempts to delegitimize the Obama presidency, veering into outright accusations of Obama being un-American.
Several such statements have been made by Congressional Republicans over the last few years, going back to a claim by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) in fall 2008 that Obama is "anti-American." But while the head of the Republican Party is always a partisan attack dog, RNC chairmen have previously steered clear of accusing Obama of treason.
Priebus went on to pin the stagnant economy on Obama, arguing that Republican obstruction, including last summer's unprecedented debt-ceiling standoff, was not a relevant factor in the November election.
"The president is the head of this country. The fish rots at the head," Priebus said. "I don't think people are begging for another four years of this misery ... with a president who acts like he's not living on Earth."
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