Dear President Obama,
I thank you for your service to our nation and applaud your passion on many issues including health care, gay marriage and a compassionate approach to immigration reform. You are an admirable politician and a level-headed president.
But I ask you to consider how your campaign strategists, in an understandable desire to win, diminish you in their efforts to demean your opponent, Mitt Romney.
Look at how your campaign, your surrogates and your advertisements define you.
Putting aside the unauthorized comments, like from Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen who said, "Anne Romney never worked a day in her life," consider these other malicious attacks:
The attacks on Bain. You and your allies have continued to spend millions on ads attacking Mitt Romney with half-truths and allegations about Bain, often for things that never occurred or did not occur while he was there. New Jersey Mayor Corey Booker, a Democrat, found the attack "nauseating." Steve Rattner, formerly President Obama's car czar, called it "unfair." Former President Bill Clinton agreed that Romney was a successful businessman and qualified to be president. Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, also a Democrat, called the attack "disappointing." Mitt Romney created and ran a successful company. The Bain smear campaign is beneath you. And you should apologize and fire your campaign official who said Romney committed a "felony."
The attacks on Romney's wealth. Former President John Kennedy inherited wealth. In fact, his family was worth $1 billion. While Romney certainly benefitted from his family paying for his education, his earned wealth pales in comparison. Not to mention, he worked throughout school and created Bain with his own funds. Romney capitalized on the American Dream and the entrepreneurial philosophy to create value and jobs and make money. Romney was successful. Get over it. Your campaign efforts to demonize Romney for his wealth, and even your "tax the rich" mantra, are simply unsuccessful and divisive political ploys inappropriate for a leader seeking to unite the country.
The attacks on Romney for investing overseas. You mislead the country when you say that Romney outsourced jobs while working at Bain Capital and invested money in a Chinese manufacturing company. Recently the Romney campaign released a video that refutes your attacks. When did trade and investment become an evil and disqualifying condition of becoming president? We encourage foreign investment in the U.S. and want Americans to have the freedom to invest abroad. Romney has not violated any laws and his funds are in a blind trust, yet your administration attempts to paint this as an anti-American agenda. Yet many leading Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi, and almost every pension fund, including union funds, invest abroad.
Romney as the "Other." Your campaign has capitalized on the "other guy" strategy, characterizing Romney as out of touch with the American spirit. He's too rich, he's too religious and he's too frugal. These attacks and many others are similar to Vice President Biden's concerted effort to paint Governor Romney as a foreigner, a rich Mormon and someone who is different than "normal" Americans. Politico writer Roger Simon called this the Democrat "Other" Strategy in order to portray your opponent as "the guy ... who does not act like a real American." What a sad political move -- perhaps too common in many political races.
You have substantive differences with Governor Romney on economics, tax policy, social issues and health care so there is plenty of substance to discuss. You can and should make your case to the American people that you are the better candidate on these issues.
You should hold yourself above the attacks from your campaign. They only serve to diminish you. As for Governor Romney, he too has accused you of European-style socialism -- but this is not a personal attack -- it is a judgment of your economic views. To his credit, Mr. Romney and his surrogates are not mentioning personal issues in your background.
Mr. President, if you believe in your issues, stick to them and stop the personal attacks. When you demean your opponent, you only demean yourself.
Gary Shapiro is president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®, the U.S. trade association representing more than 2,000 consumer electronics companies, and author of the New York Times bestselling book, "The Comeback: How Innovation Will Restore the American Dream." Connect with him on Twitter: @GaryShapiro
Follow Gary Shapiro on Twitter: www.twitter.com/GaryShapiro
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 |
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| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Electoral Votes (270 to win) |
332 | 206 |
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 65,899,660 | 60,932,152 |
| Percent | 51.1% | 47.2% |
| Democrats* | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Current Senate | 53 | 47 |
| Seats gained or lost | +2 | -2 |
| New Total | 55 | 45 |
| Democrats | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Seats won | 201 | 234 |
GOP = grumbling old plutocrats.
After that, how are we going to deal with candidates like John Kerry by claiming that they didn't earn their military decorations? Or harass sitting presidents about their sex scandals, no matter how inappropriate it is for a congressman to be demanding to know about it?
Long story short, the president hasn't started in on Romney's record as governor of Mass., or his getting five deferrals from serving in Vietnam. He's asking about a company which Romney ran for a period of time (which period of time it is we'll leave up to debate), and about Romney's tax returns - both of which are valid points given Romney is running on his business record. Compared to the multitude of comments Romney's campaign has let slide or distorted, the president is being downright cordial. It's only good strategy for him if Romney is getting too flustered to sit back and present a level-headed defense.
It's like the GOP cannot understand why everyone just cannot see how great they are. It really is kind of pathetic...
Just a glance at your professional association says it all about you and whose side you're on. And it ain't ours.
There ARE personal attacks on Romney that could have been criticized. Someone who says that Romney had money in overseas banks because he was betting against the US is criticizing a personal finance decision. But the author conflates attacks that he considers (although misguidedly) to be inaccurate with those attacks being PERSONAL. And so if the author is to be taken seriously, (which they shouldn't), then Romney's ENTIRE career, from Bain to the Olympics to the Governship would ALL be out of bounds because it is all 'personal'.
And that broadness makes it meaningless. It is a standard that could not and should not be upheld, and nobody has EVER claimed that the very careers that were touted as evidence of experience could not be subjected to scrutiny.
From Al Capone to Rob Blago - this is part of the game
sensitive to the truth....
the criminal fraud and company bankruptcies created by bain are just the beginning....
he IS the problem.....
its gonna be a referendum on both......
and they will have to debate...Romney can't hide forever....good luck...