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===Cairo and Benghazi===
===Cairo and Benghazi===
On Sept. 11, 2012, [[2012 U.S. diplomatic missions attacks|US diplomatic missions in Egypt and Libya were attacked.]] Romney criticized Obama's handling.
On Sept. 11, 2012, [[2012 U.S. diplomatic missions attacks|US diplomatic missions in Egypt and Libya were attacked.]] Romney criticized President Obama's handling of the situation saying "It’s disgraceful that the Obama Administration’s first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks."
<ref>[http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/12/1130789/-Reince-Priebus-Must-Resign]</ref><ref>Washington Post [http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/wp/2012/09/12/rnc-chair-obama-sympathizes-with-attackers/ RNC Chair: Obama ‘sympathizes with attackers’]</ref><ref name="sky"/><ref name="wpost"/>


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 21:03, 13 September 2012

Mitt Romney for President 2012
CampaignU.S. presidential election, 2012
CandidateMitt Romney (President)
Former Governor of Massachusetts 2003–2007
Paul Ryan (Vice President)
U.S. Congressman 1999-present[1]
AffiliationRepublican Party
Headquarters585 Commercial Street
Boston, Massachusetts
Key peopleMatt Rhoades[2] (Manager)
Beth Myers,[3] Peter Flaherty[4] and Eric Fehrnstrom[5] (Advisors)
Stuart Stevens (Strategist)
Ashley O'Connor (Director of Advertising)
Rich Beeson (Political Director)
Gail Gitcho[6] (Communications Director)
Andrea Saul[7] (Press secretary)
Spencer Zwick (Finance chair)[8][9][10]
Lindsay Hayes (Speech writer)[11]
Gabriel Schoenfeld (Op-ed ghostwriter)[11]
Neil Newhouse (Pollster)
ReceiptsUS$156,629,140 (2012-6-30[12])
SloganBelieve in America
Website
Mitt Romney 2012
This article is part of a series about
Mitt Romney
Governor of Massachusetts
Presidential campaigns
U.S. Senator from Utah
This article is part of a series
about
Paul Ryan
Vice presidential campaigns
See also: Political positions of Mitt Romney

The Mitt Romney presidential campaign of 2012 began when Mitt Romney, the former Governor of Massachusetts, launched his second candidacy for the presidency of the United States in a bid to win the 2012 presidential election. His candidacy was formally announced on June 2, 2011 in Stratham, New Hampshire.

He filed his organization with the Federal Elections Commission as an exploratory committee, and announced the organization in a video message on April 11, 2011. He became the party's presumptive nominee with his victory in the Texas primary on May 29, 2012.

On August 11, 2012, in Norfolk, Virginia, Romney announced that his running mate for vice president is Paul Ryan, the U.S. Congressman for Wisconsin's 1st congressional district.[1][13]

On August 30, 2012, in Tampa, Florida, Romney formally accepted the Republican Party's nomination at the 2012 Republican National Convention.[14]

Background

2012 U.S. presidential election
Democratic Party
Republican Party
Minor parties
Related races
← 2008 2012 2016 →

After the 2008 election, Romney built a strategy for the 2012 presidential campaign and saved PAC money to underwrite salaries and consulting fees for his existing political staff[15] and to build up a political infrastructure for what might become a $1 billion campaign three years hence. He also had a nationwide network of former staff and supporters eager for him to run again.[16] He continued to give speeches and raise campaign funds on behalf of fellow Republicans.[17] Romney declined a lucrative job as head of a hedge fund, and instead began a yearlong self-education on foreign and domestic issues.[18]

Romney finished first in the CPAC straw poll in 2009[19] and second in 2010 and 2011,[20][21] won the Southern Republican Leadership Conference straw poll in 2010,[22] and won the New Hampshire Straw Poll in 2011.[23]

Romney released his 2010 tax return in early January 2012, along with a partial 2011 return which he promised to release in whole upon its completion.[24][25] During the presidential campaign, he decided not to disclose additional returns citing the matter as a distraction from more important issues.[26]

Despite his preparations, Romney remained unconvinced on whether to run again. In December 2010 he asked his immediate family to vote on a 2012 campaign. Unlike the unanimous support before the 2008 campaign, this time 10 family members voted against another try; only Romney's wife Ann and one son voted in favor, and Romney told family members that he would not run again. In the spring of 2011 his wife and political allies persuaded him to change his mind, telling him that they believed he could fix the economy.[18]

Campaign formation

Exploratory committee

Before a slower start to the presidential campaign by all contenders than four years previous, on April 11, 2011, Mitt Romney announced by means of a video recorded that day at an athletics field at the University of New Hampshire that he had formed an exploratory committee as a first step for a potential run for a Republican presidential campaign, saying, "It is time that we put America back on a course of greatness, with a growing economy, good jobs and fiscal discipline in Washington."[27]

Formal announcement

Romney formally announced his candidacy for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination at an outdoor gathering in Stratham, New Hampshire, on June 2, 2011.[28][29] In his announcement speech, he pledged to make the U.S. economy the main focus of his campaign, saying "My number one job will be to see that America is number one in job creation."[30]

Fundraising

On May 16, 2011, the Romney campaign announced that it had raised $10.25 million "in connection with today's call day fundraiser in Nevada."[31] This was hailed in the media as "an impressive one day total."[32][33] Thereafter, however, the Los Angeles Times reported that "the amount actually represented pledges gathered earlier and tallied that day, not just funds actually taken in by the campaign."[34] Later, it was discovered that Romney had actually raised $2.403 million on May 16, about a quarter of the claimed amount.[35][36]

Romney speaks with patrons at a Senate Coney Island Restaurant in Livonia, Michigan, during a campaign stop, June 9, 2011.

For the entire second quarter, the campaign expected to raise only about $20 million, less than the $44 million raised in that period in 2007 but still more than any of the other Republican candidates.[34] By the end of June, Romney's campaign raised $18.5 million, which was $14 million more than U.S. Representative Ron Paul, who came 2nd in funding amongst Republican candidates.[37]

By the end of March 2012, Romney had raised $88 million, far more than his nearest Republican rival, Ron Paul ($36 million).[38] President Barack Obama had raised $197 million, more than twice as much as Romney, and the Obama campaign had nearly 10 times as much cash on hand (over $100 million compared to Romney's $10 million). By the end of April, Romney was far outstripping Obama in large-value campaign contributions from individual donors: most (62%) of Romney’s contributions were at the legal limit of $2,500, compared to 16% of Obama’s.[39] Obama fared better among small-value donors, with almost half (43%) of his donations at $200 or less, compared to only 10% of Romney's.[39]

Romney is also supported by the Super PAC called Restore Our Future. As of the end of February 2012, Restore Our Future had raised over $43 million.[40]

U.S. Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin became the Vice Presidential running-mate for Mitt Romney August 11, 2012.

Campaign staff and policy team

Foreign Policy and National Security Advisory Team

Media issues

First TV advertisement and questions about context

In his previous campaign, Romney had begun television advertising in March 2007. In the 2012 cycle, however, his first advertisement did not air until November 2011. The 60-second spot, which was broadcast in New Hampshire, was widely criticized for using a quotation from Obama out of context. It included a clip of Obama apparently saying, "If we keep talking about the economy, we're going to lose." It did not disclose that Obama, speaking in the 2008 campaign, had been quoting an email from an aide to his opponent, John McCain, which concerned McCain's campaign strategy, not Obama's.[45]

The Romney campaign defended the ad. According to The Boston Globe, "Romney aides even said they were proud of the reaction and suggested that the ad was deliberately misleading to garner attention." Romney campaign adviser Eric Fehrnstrom stated: "It was all very deliberate. We want to engage him on the subject he wants to avoid, which is his failure to create jobs and get this economy moving again."[46] In an article on the Romney campaign website, communications director Gail Gitcho wrote "Three years ago, candidate Barack Obama mocked his opponent’s campaign for saying 'if we keep talking about the economy, we're going to lose.' Now, President Obama’s campaign is desperate not to talk about the economy."

Fact checking organization Politifact gave the Romney campaign a "pants on fire" rating for "distorting Obama’s words, which have been taken out of context in a ridiculously misleading way,"[47] while another fact-checking organization, FactCheck.org, declined to assess whether that particular clip in the Romney ad was misleading, and instead said: "We won’t quibble with the spot’s main message, which is that Obama has failed to fix the economy. That’s true enough." . According to The New York Times, when the Obama camp put material on television that made "no effort to put any of Mr. Romney’s statements into context", the Romney campaign responded by saying that Obama was trying to distract Americans from real issues such as high unemployment.[48]

Work requirement for welfare

See also: Welfare waivers

In July and August of 2012, Romney ran a recurring ad claiming that President Obama wanted to remove the work requirement for welfare recipients. Multiple news outlets and fact checking agencies rated the Romney ad false, Politifact assigning it the rating of "pants on fire."[49][50][51] FactCheck.org stated: "A Mitt Romney TV ad claims the Obama administration has adopted 'a plan to gut welfare reform by dropping work requirements.' The plan does neither of those things." [52] Factcheck.org elaborated that the waivers will not "inherently" gut the work requirements, because a lot will depend upon what kind of waivers states propose; moreover, "the way the administration implemented the new policy has not helped", because of questions about whether Congress ever granted to the President any legal authority to issue the waivers.[52]

Dog incident

Main article: Mitt Romney dog incident

In 2007, the Boston Globe reported that, in 1983, Romney transported his pet dog Seamus on the roof of their automobile. Newt Gingrich aired an anti-Romney attack ad that featured the story,[53][54] while Rick Santorum stated it was relevant as an issue of character.[55]

Etch A Sketch

Eric Fehrnstrom, a top aide to Romney, was asked by comedian and political commentator John Fugelsang on CNN how their campaigning would change if and when Romney wins the Republican nomination. He answered it would be like an Etch A Sketch to shake-up and start over. Immediately, Santorum and Gingrich took the opportunity to say Romney flips and is not a true Conservative. Each held up an Etch-A-Sketch toy as a visual aid to their audiences. Ron Paul got into the act by creating a short ad saying this is petty when we have “$15 trillion in debt, 12 million unemployed, and USA at war.”[56] Following the incident the Ohio Art Company saw a 30% increase in sales of Etch-Sketches. [57]

Mitt Romney explained the words of his advisor by saying, "A general election campaign takes on a different profile. The issues I'm running on will be exactly the same. ... I was a conservative Republican governor, and I’ll be running as a conservative Republican nominee."‬[58] A poll by Pew Research Center taken in the days after the event found that a majority of voters were unaware that the comment had even been said, with a plurality of those that had heard of it saying that it had no effect on their opinion of Romney.[59]

Tax returns

See also: Public release by presidential candidates
Romney giving an interview at a rally in Paradise Valley, Arizona, in December 2011.

Due to pressure from political rivals during the Republican primary campaign, Romney released an incomplete 2010 tax return[60] in early January 2012, along with an estimate of the 2011 return which he promised to release in its entirety when completed.[24][25] Mitt Romney plans to make public his 2011 tax return by October 15, 2012.[61] During the presidential campaign, he declined to disclose additional returns citing the matter as a distraction from more important issues, despite calls to do so by Democrats and several notable Republicans.[62]

Republicans who have urged Romney to release his tax returns include former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour, Michael Steele, and Bill Kristol. George Will said "The cost of not releasing the returns are clear. Therefore, he must have calculated that there are higher costs in releasing them." Republican strategist Matthew Dowd said, "There's obviously something there, because if there was nothing there, he would say, ‘Have at it.' So there's obviously something there that compromises what he said in the past about something."[63][64]

In response to claims made to the contrary, Romney said that he never paid less than 13% in taxes over the past 10 years. [65]

Romney stated in a Parade magazine interview that he doesn't want to release his tax returns because he would like to keep his tithing to the Mormon Church private.[66] Though, he has publicly released his tithing percentages for 2010 (7%) and 2011 (12%).[67]

CPAC Straw Poll

Romney won the 2012 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Straw Poll in February with 38% of the vote. The poll is traditionally considered an important barometer of the sentiments of conservative activists. [citation needed] The New York Times wrote that the Romney campaign was busing in students from along the East Coast to support Romney.[68] Rick Santorum finished second in the straw poll with 31%.[69] Politico reported that the Romney campaign bought CPAC registration tickets to the conference, while the Santorum campaign did not.[70]

Caucus and primary results

Vote share for Romney, by county. Darker colors mean higher voter percentage. Black indicates no votes were cast for Romney.
Iowa Republican caucus results by county. Orange indicates counties won by Romney.

Iowa caucuses

Initially, Romney was declared the winner of the 2012 Iowa Republican caucuses, surpassing rival candidate Rick Santorum by eight votes.[71] Upon official vote count, Santorum was found to have obtained thirty-four more votes than Romney and was declared the winner. Former Iowa Republican Chairman Richard Schwarm stated, "I think people realize it's a tie."[72] The day final results were announced, "Governor Romney called Senator Santorum to congratulate him on the Iowa results," said Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul.[73]

New Hampshire primary

The weekend ahead of the New Hampshire primary on January 10, Romney participated in two debates, which Reuters said Romney "weathered well." Newt Gingrich attacked Romney with allegations that he had destroyed companies and fired workers while working for Bain Capital.[74] Romney won the New Hampshire primary with 39.3 percent of the vote.[75][76]

South Carolina primary

The South Carolina Republican primary was scheduled for Saturday, January 21, 2012. Several polls showed Romney having a slight lead over Gingrich in South Carolina.[77] Gingrich continued to criticize Romney for causing job losses, Rick Perry referred to Romney's role at Bain Capital as 'vulture capitalism',[78][79] and Sarah Palin stated that Romney needed to prove that Bain actually created 100,000 jobs as Romney has claimed.[80][81] The negative advertising campaign was mainly sponsored by "Winning Our Future", the super PAC that supports Gingrich.[82][83] During debates in Myrtle Beach and Charleston, Romney came in second place in the primary with 28% of the vote, behind Newt Gingrich with 40% of the vote, but ahead of Rick Santorum (17%) and Ron Paul (13%).[84]

Florida primary

Polls taken immediately after the South Carolina primary showed Newt Gingrich in the lead but polls released a few days later placed Romney in first place.[85][86] At least 200,000 Floridians voted via absentee ballots or early voting, a factor thought to favor Romney who aggressively campaigned in Florida in early January.[87] Romney participated in both of the four-man debates that were held on Monday, January 23 and Thursday, January 26.[88]

Romney released tax returns for 2010 and estimates for 2011.[89] He showed income over that period of $42.5 million. His effective tax rate for 2010 was 13.9 percent, and he estimated that it would be 15.4 percent for 2011. About $13 million of his income was in "carried interest" and hence eligible for favorable tax treatment under a provision that Democrats have sought to end. It was also disclosed that Romney had investments in the Cayman Islands and had had a Swiss bank account until it was closed in 2010.[90][91]

On January 31 Romney won the 2012 Florida primary with 46% of the vote.[92]

Nevada caucuses

The Nevada Republican caucuses were held on Saturday, February 4. Less than 33,000 Republicans took part in the Nevada caucuses, which proportionally awards 28 Republican delegates. Romney won 50% of the caucus-goers, followed by Gingrich at 21%, Paul at 19%, and Santorum at 10%. Romney won 14 delegates, whereas Gingrich, Paul, and Santorum were awarded 6, 5, and 3 delegates respectively.[93]

Romney campaign logo during the primaries and prior to selection of Paul Ryan as running mate

Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri

Rival candidate Rick Santorum surprised observers by winning all the three of the states holding votes on February 7. Romney lost to the former Pennsylvania Senator by 5 points in the Colorado caucus, finished third with 17% behind Ron Paul and Santorum in the Minnesota caucuses, and, in a contest that did not actually award any delegates and did not include Newt Gingrich on the ballot, lost the Missouri primary to Santorum by a 30 point margin.[94]

Maine

Romney was initially declared the narrow winner of the Maine Caucus, but the results are now subject to a recount after several counties were not counted.[95]

Michigan and Arizona

Michigan and Arizona held their Presidential primaries on Tuesday, February 28, and allocated 29 and 30 Republican delegates, respectively.[96] CNN moderated a Republican primary debate in Mesa, Arizona on February 22, 2012.[97] The Arizona Republican primary is ‘winner-take-all’[98] and the Michigan Republican delegate results are allocated proportionately among the candidates by voting district.[99]

Washington state

The state of Washington held their caucuses on Saturday, March 3, with Mitt Romney gaining momentum going into 'Super Tuesday'. Later, Washington held their state GOP convention June 2, 2012 giving Romney at least 34 delegates for the Republican National Convention.[100]

Super Tuesday

The largest number of states in the Republican Primary race voted on March 6, 2012, with Romney winning six states (Alaska, Idaho, Massachusetts, Ohio, Vermont, Virginia); Santorum winning three states (North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee); and Gingrich winning Georgia.[101]

Presumptive presidential nominee

See also: Republican Party vice presidential candidates, 2012

By April 2012, in the absence of viable alternatives to Romney for the Republican nomination, polls showed Romney gaining on Obama's earlier double-digit lead in a hypothetical head-to-head general election contest.[102] However, polls (both nationally and in battleground states like Florida and Ohio) also showed that for most of those who said they would vote for Romney, the primary motivator was hostility toward Obama rather than affirmative support for Romney.[102][103] On April 25, 2012, the Republican National Committee (RNC) declared Romney the party's presumptive nominee.[104] On May 29, Texas held their 2012 Republican primaries, which Romney won. The subsequent accumulation of the state's 155 delegates was enough to secure Romney the party's nomination.

On August 28, 2012, delegates at the Republican National Convention chose Mitt Romney as their presidential nominee against President Barack Obama.[105] This formal nomination sets up a two-month final race to the elections on November 6.[106]

General election campaign

See also: Political positions of Mitt Romney

The general election campaign begins in earnest on Labor Day (September 3 in 2012).[107]

Bain Capital

Main article: Bain Capital

Romney's record at Bain Capital and Bain's investments are a prominent issue, with Romney arguing his tenure at Bain demonstrated management and leadership skills that created thousands of jobs. Political opponents have argued that under Romney, some investments at Bain increased investor profits at the expense of middle-class workers who were laid off.[108][109] Romney took a leave of absence from Bain Capital in February 1999 to manage the Salt Lake City Olympics. Romney remained named on company documents while reorganization of Bain and according to SEC filings, he continued to be the "sole shareholder, sole director, Chief Executive Officer and President" of Bain for 3 additional years.[110] This discrepancy was reported by The Boston Globe in July 2012[111] and used by Obama[112] and his campaign in its ads that Romney was responsible for the activities of Bain Capital during that period, from 1999 to 2002.[113] According to Bain, Romney played no active role despite his name being on the required filings.[114][115] FactCheck.org examined the issue and reported that Romney did leave Bain in 1999.[116] A report by Glenn Kessler of The Washington Post [117] reported that there is little or no basis for the assertions by an Obama campaign staffer of criminal charges or civil liability with respect to the SEC filings.[117] Romney's campaign cried foul and Romney personally demanded an apology which was refused by the Obama campaign.[113][118][119]

In June 2012, former President Bill Clinton said that Romney, in having served as governor and having had a "sterling business career," met the basic qualifications to perform the essential functions of the presidency.[120][121] Clinton also warned that Romney's economic proposals were "wrong-headed" and that a Romney presidency would be "calamitous" for the country and the world.[122][123]

International trip

In July 2012, Romney undertook an international trip as the presumptive nominee of the Republican party, visiting the United Kingdom, Israel, and Poland to meet heads of state, and also to raise funds.[124][125][126][127]

In London, he was widely lambasted by the British press across the political spectrum for his comments referring to "disconcerting stories" regarding security issues and readiness of the London 2012 Olympic Games, which were widely seen as a diplomatic blunder.[128][129][130] British Prime Minister David Cameron said:[131]

We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest most active bustling cities anywhere in the world. Of course it's easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere. I visited Naypyidaw recently, in Burma, they've got six-lane highways and no cars on them. This is a busy, bustling city so inevitably you're going to have challenges.

While Cameron's aides stated he didn't intend a jibe at Romney or Salt Lake City, the British press seized upon the "middle of nowhere" remark, construing it as an allusion to Utah where Romney had managed the Olympics in 2002.[131][132]

Also criticized was when Romney met with the British Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband. When Romney was having talks with Miliband in front of the press, he referred to Miliband as "Mr Leader" which led the British Press to believe that Romney had forgotten Miliband's name.

In Jerusalem, Romney discussed the possibility of a military strike against Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres. He also discussed foreign policy regarding Iran with Israeli opposition Leader Shaul Mofaz.[133] Romney said that the U.S. has a "solemn duty" to prevent Iran from harming Israel.[134] He made no public promise that he would attack Iran's nuclear facilities if elected, but he reiterated that no option should be off the table in seeking to end Iran's nuclear program, although he hoped that diplomatic measures and economic sanctions would be successful.[135] Romney called Jerusalem the capital of Israel,[135] and later said that he would plan to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but would decide the timing of the move in consultation with the government of Israel.[136][137] The Palestinian Authority and other Palestinian organizations denounced Romney's remarks about the political status of Jerusalem, which they hope will become the capital of a future Palestinian state, as well as Romney's refusal to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (he met instead with PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad).[138] Some Palestinian leaders were also offended by remarks Romney made during a fundraiser, when he suggested that cultural differences[139] and "the hand of providence"[140][141] help explain why Israelis are more economically successful than Palestinians, and why similar economic disparities exist between other neighbors, such as the United States and Mexico, or Chile and Ecuador.[142] A senior aide to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called the remarks racist,[141][143] as did American political scientist Angelo Falcón, president of the National Institute of Latino Policy.[144] The Embassy of Mexico in the United States also rejected Romney's comments, noting that Mexico currently has a higher economic growth rate and lower inflation than the United States.[145] Romney later denied that his comments had been directed against "Palestinian culture or the decisions made in their economy."[142][146][147]

In Warsaw, Romney called Poland a model of small government and free enterprise whose example other states should emulate. He praised Poland for rejecting "the false promise of a government-dominated economy" and for seeking to "stimulate innovation, attract investment, expand trade, and live within its means."[148] Romney also thanked the Polish people for supporting the U.S. in many conflicts. Romney briefly mentioned Russia, listing the country alongside Syria, Venezuela and Belarus, as examples of countries where "the desire to be free is met with brutal oppression".[149] When American journalists tried to question Romney during a visit to Warsaw's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, his campaign spokesman told journalists: "Kiss my ass. This is a holy site for the Polish people," and told a reporter to "shove it".[150] The spokesman later apologized for the outburst.[151] In Gdansk, Solidarność co-founder and former Polish President Lech Walesa endorsed Romney for president,[152][153] but Solidarność's current leadership distanced itself from the event and criticized Romney as hostile to unions and labor rights.[154]

According to analysis of 21 major news stories by the Media Research Center, a conservative content analysis organization, coverage of the trip by ABC, CBS, and NBC was primarily negative.[155]

NAACP speech

Trying to make inroads with African Americas, Romney accepted an invitation[156] to address the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on July 11, 2012.[157] On the issue of creating jobs, Romney said, "If our goal is jobs, we have to stop spending over a trillion dollars more than we take in every year. So to do that, I'm going to eliminate every non-essential, expensive program I can find. That includes Obamacare, and I'm going to work to reform and save --" Romney was cut off by prolonged boos from those in attendance.[158][159] Romney later attended a fundraiser in Hamilton, Montana and reflected on the booing he received at the NAACP event, "Remind them of this: if they want more stuff from government, tell them to go vote for the other guy -- more free stuff. But don't forget, nothing is really free."[160]

Vice-presidential selection

Mitt Romney with Paul Ryan after introducing him as his running mate, for the 2012 presidential election, in Norfolk, Virginia on August 11, 2012.

On August 11, 2012, the Romney campaign announced Paul Ryan as his choice for vice president, after which Romney and Ryan made a joint appearance at a campaign rally in Norfolk, Virginia.[161]

"You didn't build that"

Main article: You didn't build that

On July 13, 2012 Obama gave a speech in Roanoke, Virginia that contained the phrase "you didn't build that."[162] Republicans claimed that the statement was indicative of Obama's support for big government,[163] while the Obama campaign says the statement was taken out of context.

The following Monday, the 16th of July, Mitt Romney spoke about the "you didn't build that" statement in a campaign stump speech in Pennsylvania, saying:

To say that Steve Jobs didn’t build Apple, that Henry Ford didn’t build Ford Motors, that Papa John didn’t build Papa John Pizza ... To say something like that, it’s not just foolishness. It’s insulting to every entrepreneur, every innovator in America. [164]

The Obama campaign, independent fact checkers; Factcheck.org and Politifact disagreed with that characterization, noting that the sentence immediately preceding the "you didn't build it" line referred to roads and bridges and the speech concluded with Obama applauding the hard work of individuals in the creation of their own businesses. Politifact rated Romney's attack as false. [165]

In its analysis, Factcheck.org said [166]:

There’s no question Obama inartfully phrased those two sentences, but it’s clear from the context what the president was talking about. He spoke of government — including government-funded education, infrastructure and research — assisting businesses to make what he called “this unbelievable American system that we have.” In summary, he said: “The point is … that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together.

Factcheck.org concluded their analysis by acknowledging that Romney provided a more complete account in a July 17 speech. Regarding government infrastructure and support, Romney stated:

You really couldn’t have a business if you didn’t have those things. But, you know, we pay for those things. Alright? The taxpayers pay for government. It’s not like government just provides those to all of us and we say, “Oh, thank you government for doing those things.” No, in fact, we pay for them and we benefit from them and we appreciate the work that they do and the sacrifices that are done by people who work in government. But they did not build this business.

The Romney campaign followed with events with small business owners in multiple states (Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Virginia, Ohio, Iowa, Missouri, North Carolina, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Nevada), along with an attack ad.[167] A new part of the Romney campaign website was created[168][169] and merchandise related to the statement was produced.[170]

Post-convention bounce

While Romney's overall polling gains from the GOP convention were modest, the convention did improve his "Likability" rating, even though he continued to trail Obama in this widely considered "critical" category.[171] This was followed by a larger bounce in Obama's favor after the Democratic convention. Some analysts blamed this difference on the lack of specificity in Romney's proposals.[172]

Cairo and Benghazi

On Sept. 11, 2012, US diplomatic missions in Egypt and Libya were attacked. Romney criticized President Obama's handling of the situation saying "It’s disgraceful that the Obama Administration’s first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks." [173][174][175][176]

See also

References

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