Undeterred by independent fact-checkers that have debunked the thrust of their claims, the Obama campaign is redoubling attacks on Mitt Romney as an "outsourcer" in a new TV ad airing in eight battleground states.
The 30-second spot — titled "The Problem" — claims Romney condoned the Chinese "taking our jobs and taking a lot of our future."
"He made a fortune letting it happen," the narrator says, focusing on Bain Capital outsourcing to China, a country Romney has vowed to challenge as president.
It's the latest in a steady drumbeat of negative attacks on Romney's record as a corporate buyout specialist, alleging he profited off of deliberately bankrupting companies and sending jobs overseas.
The inclusion of China in the new ad also comes as Obama tries to bolster his image as a hard-liner against China. On Thursday, the administration lodged a new complaint against China at the World Trade Organization, challenging tariffs on U.S. auto exports. The case coincided with Obama's campaign bus tour through auto manufacturing country of Ohio and Pennsylvania.
The Romney campaign called the latest ad a continuation of "desperate lies," citing reports by several independent fact-checkers that have discredited the suggestion that Romney himself had a direct role in relocating U.S. jobs overseas.
"We found no evidence to support the claim that Romney — while he was still running Bain Capital — shipped American jobs overseas," FactCheck.org concluded in a report last month.
Washington Post fact checker Glenn Kessler also concluded that while Bain-owned companies may have engaged in outsourcing, Romney's ties to the practice are tenuous.
The ad blitz comes in spite of Obama's comments to audiences on his bus tour last week decrying the negative tone of the campaign on TV.
"You guys are getting bombarded with all kinds of nonsense on TV. So I know that sometimes politics can be discouraging, and especially Washington politics can be discouraging, and it can seem small and it can seem petty," Obama said Friday.
Independent media monitors that track campaign advertising report that 76 percent of the TV ads Obama's campaign has aired over the past month have had a negative, "anti-Romney" message.
The new ad begins airing Saturday in New Hampshire, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Colorado, and Nevada, the Obama campaign said.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Republicans hope jobs rate drops Obama
History repeats itself, until it doesn't. That musty truism is worth remembering as pundits speculate on whether the lumbering economy will doom the re-election hopes of President Barack Obama, who has shown a knack for beating odds and breaking barriers.
Clearly, some important trends are working against him. The latest evidence is Friday's lackluster jobs report, which found the nation's unemployment rate stuck at 8.2 percent.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was the last president to win re-election with so much joblessness. Voters ousted Presidents Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush when the jobless rate was well under 8 percent.
And it's not as if Obama can divert the nation's attention from the economy, which has dominated the election from the start. His signature domestic achievement, the 2010 health care overhaul, is a mixed political blessing, uniting Republicans against him. Voters show little interest in how his administration wound down the Iraq war and killed Osama bin Laden.
And yet Obama runs even with, or slightly ahead of, Republican rival Mitt Romney in poll after poll. Campaign strategists debate the reasons.
They might include Obama's personal likeability, gaps in Romney's strategy, or Americans' grudging acceptance of a new normal in which millions of jobs are gone for good, and no single person is responsible.
If high unemployment "was a killer, he'd already be dead," said Republican pollster and consultant Mike McKenna. "The survey data tells you he's not dead."
There's a problem with applying historical precedents and conventional wisdom to Obama: He sometimes defies them.
Before the 2008 campaign took shape, how many people thought America would elect a black president? Or that a man four years removed from the Illinois Legislature would outmaneuver Bill and Hillary Clinton's political machine?
Besides, no senator had been elected president in more than four decades.
Obama's political resilience has left Republicans quarreling over how best to combat him. Romney has largely adopted a play-it-safe approach. It suggests he and his aides think the president is on a slow but steady decline and there's no need to take big gambles.
Friday's job report might bolster that view, as economists say a dramatic turnaround before Election Day is highly unlikely.
But some Republican activists are anxious, saying Romney is running an overly cautious campaign that doesn't spell out his differences with Obama in crisp, inspiring terms. The Wall Street Journal's editorial page — it's an important forum for conservative thought — blasted Romney's campaign this week for "squandering an historic opportunity" and said the campaign looked "confused" and "politically dumb."
McKenna agrees that Romney must be more daring and aggressive. A strategy of holding the ball, he said, "never wins basketball games that you're behind in."
Campaign consultants also differ about how much Obama might be helped if job creation accelerates in the next few months, which is by no means certain. Some strategists believe voters cement their views of the economy several months before Election Day. If true, it could bode badly for Obama.
In 2010, jobs suddenly rebounded in October. In 2011, another sharp rise began in September, only to drop significantly seven months later. If that pattern repeats itself this fall, then Obama might enjoy a last-minute bump before the Nov. 6 election, assuming enough voters remain persuadable.
Temple University political scientist Christopher Wlezien said research finds that voters' feelings about the economy "come into focus over time" — chiefly during a campaign's last six or seven months. He said Obama doubtlessly would like to swap this year's first quarter — in which an average of 225,000 jobs were added each month — with the recently ended second quarter, which saw only 75,000 new monthly jobs on average.
"It's not good news, but it's not devastating news," Wlezien said of the slowdown. "Voters seem to have taken into account what Obama inherited," he said, referring to a monthly job-loss rate of about 800,000 in the months just before and after Obama took office.
Come November, the barrier-breaking president may prove mortal indeed. He might fall victim to voters' fears and anger over an economy that has left millions jobless and many others underemployed.
But if there's a new normal in a brutal global economy, might there be a new normal in U.S. politics that has yet to be examined and understood?
Blogs, Twitter and cable outlets spew out political tidbits and barbs at a dizzying pace. Minority voters play bigger roles, especially in key states such as Nevada and Florida. Public opinion shifts dramatically on issues such as gay rights.
Obama turned the political world on its ear four years ago. Republicans hope Romney — a more conventional candidate who might have played a president in the movies — will prove that precedents and conventional wisdom still hold and that voters won't reward an incumbent when unemployment stays high, month after month.
Clearly, some important trends are working against him. The latest evidence is Friday's lackluster jobs report, which found the nation's unemployment rate stuck at 8.2 percent.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was the last president to win re-election with so much joblessness. Voters ousted Presidents Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush when the jobless rate was well under 8 percent.
And it's not as if Obama can divert the nation's attention from the economy, which has dominated the election from the start. His signature domestic achievement, the 2010 health care overhaul, is a mixed political blessing, uniting Republicans against him. Voters show little interest in how his administration wound down the Iraq war and killed Osama bin Laden.
And yet Obama runs even with, or slightly ahead of, Republican rival Mitt Romney in poll after poll. Campaign strategists debate the reasons.
They might include Obama's personal likeability, gaps in Romney's strategy, or Americans' grudging acceptance of a new normal in which millions of jobs are gone for good, and no single person is responsible.
If high unemployment "was a killer, he'd already be dead," said Republican pollster and consultant Mike McKenna. "The survey data tells you he's not dead."
There's a problem with applying historical precedents and conventional wisdom to Obama: He sometimes defies them.
Before the 2008 campaign took shape, how many people thought America would elect a black president? Or that a man four years removed from the Illinois Legislature would outmaneuver Bill and Hillary Clinton's political machine?
Besides, no senator had been elected president in more than four decades.
Obama's political resilience has left Republicans quarreling over how best to combat him. Romney has largely adopted a play-it-safe approach. It suggests he and his aides think the president is on a slow but steady decline and there's no need to take big gambles.
Friday's job report might bolster that view, as economists say a dramatic turnaround before Election Day is highly unlikely.
But some Republican activists are anxious, saying Romney is running an overly cautious campaign that doesn't spell out his differences with Obama in crisp, inspiring terms. The Wall Street Journal's editorial page — it's an important forum for conservative thought — blasted Romney's campaign this week for "squandering an historic opportunity" and said the campaign looked "confused" and "politically dumb."
McKenna agrees that Romney must be more daring and aggressive. A strategy of holding the ball, he said, "never wins basketball games that you're behind in."
Campaign consultants also differ about how much Obama might be helped if job creation accelerates in the next few months, which is by no means certain. Some strategists believe voters cement their views of the economy several months before Election Day. If true, it could bode badly for Obama.
In 2010, jobs suddenly rebounded in October. In 2011, another sharp rise began in September, only to drop significantly seven months later. If that pattern repeats itself this fall, then Obama might enjoy a last-minute bump before the Nov. 6 election, assuming enough voters remain persuadable.
Temple University political scientist Christopher Wlezien said research finds that voters' feelings about the economy "come into focus over time" — chiefly during a campaign's last six or seven months. He said Obama doubtlessly would like to swap this year's first quarter — in which an average of 225,000 jobs were added each month — with the recently ended second quarter, which saw only 75,000 new monthly jobs on average.
"It's not good news, but it's not devastating news," Wlezien said of the slowdown. "Voters seem to have taken into account what Obama inherited," he said, referring to a monthly job-loss rate of about 800,000 in the months just before and after Obama took office.
Come November, the barrier-breaking president may prove mortal indeed. He might fall victim to voters' fears and anger over an economy that has left millions jobless and many others underemployed.
But if there's a new normal in a brutal global economy, might there be a new normal in U.S. politics that has yet to be examined and understood?
Blogs, Twitter and cable outlets spew out political tidbits and barbs at a dizzying pace. Minority voters play bigger roles, especially in key states such as Nevada and Florida. Public opinion shifts dramatically on issues such as gay rights.
Obama turned the political world on its ear four years ago. Republicans hope Romney — a more conventional candidate who might have played a president in the movies — will prove that precedents and conventional wisdom still hold and that voters won't reward an incumbent when unemployment stays high, month after month.
Ohio diner owner dies hours after Obama visit
Friday morning, President Barack Obama ate a breakfast of eggs, bacon and wheat toast at Josephine "Ann" Harris' restaurant in Akron, Ohio. She met the president, and embraced him. A few hours later, she was dead. The Akron Beacon Journal said Harris, 70, apparently succumbed to a heart attack.
Obama, winging his way back to Washington aboard Air Force One, telephoned her daughter, Wilma Parsons, according to White House press secretary Jay Carney.
"The president expressed his sorrow and his condolences at the very sad event. He was honored to meet her this morning and passed on his feelings that the whole family is in his thoughts and prayers today," Carney told reporters. Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki read a statement from the campaign's Ohio director, Greg Schultz.
"We're extremely saddened by Ann's sudden passing this morning. Our sincere condolences go to Ann's family during this difficult time. As a small business owner, a mother, a grandmother, a great-grandmother, and a friend of many throughout the community, Ann led an exceptional life and will be missed by all who knew her. Ann and her family are in our thoughts and prayers."
"I'm sure this was her highlight," Frankie Adkins, Harris' sister, told the Akron Beacon Journal. "She loved Obama."
Obama, winging his way back to Washington aboard Air Force One, telephoned her daughter, Wilma Parsons, according to White House press secretary Jay Carney.
"The president expressed his sorrow and his condolences at the very sad event. He was honored to meet her this morning and passed on his feelings that the whole family is in his thoughts and prayers today," Carney told reporters. Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki read a statement from the campaign's Ohio director, Greg Schultz.
"We're extremely saddened by Ann's sudden passing this morning. Our sincere condolences go to Ann's family during this difficult time. As a small business owner, a mother, a grandmother, a great-grandmother, and a friend of many throughout the community, Ann led an exceptional life and will be missed by all who knew her. Ann and her family are in our thoughts and prayers."
"I'm sure this was her highlight," Frankie Adkins, Harris' sister, told the Akron Beacon Journal. "She loved Obama."
5 injured in Spain's Pamplona running of the bulls
One thrill-seeker was gored in a leg and four others slightly injured as thousands of adrenaline-fueled runners raced ahead of six fighting bulls in the streets of the northern Spanish city of Pamplona in the first running of the bulls of this year's San Fermin festival, officials said Saturday.
Runners, in traditional white clothing and red kerchiefs around their necks, tripped over each other or fell in the mad daredevil annual rush along early morning dew-moistened slippery streets to the city's bull ring.
One youth got the top of his shirt caught on a bull's horn, inches from his face, and was dragged several yards (meters) along the ground, but was seen to get up and run away.
The gored runner, meanwhile, was taken to a local hospital and four others were treated for cuts and bruises, said Red Cross spokesman Jose Aldaba.
The San Fermin running of the bulls festival became world famous with the publication of Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises." It is also known around the world for its wild all-night street parties which commemorate the city's patron saint.
On Saturday, the massive bulls belonging to the Dolores Aguirre breeding ranch raced from a holding pen on the outskirts of town, where they spent the night before the run, along a 849-meter (928-yard) course to the ring in 2 minutes, 53 seconds, a relatively slow time.
The last bull in the pack became disoriented and charged into the ring several seconds after the leaders. Once in the bullring it caused panic as it chased several runners around before being coaxed into the safety of stables by cape waving attendants.
"Running with the bulls was the best experience I've had, so much adrenaline," said Mark Martinez, 27, a student from Los Angeles, California, who said he was in Spain on a 10-day vacation. "I couldn't touch the horns, I might try that tomorrow," he said, clearly oblivious to a basic rule of the centuries-old fiesta that runners should never touch the ornery animals that can weigh some 500-plus kilogram (1,100-pounds).
"Spain is different to anything I've experienced before," said Michael Arraztoa, 25, from Bakersfield, California. He said his dad was from originally from Irurita, not far from Pamplona, and that he too was over on summer vacation.
The 8 a.m. runs take place daily until July 14 with each charge broadcast on state television. And then, on the afternoon of each day, the same bulls face matadors in the ring.
Runners, in traditional white clothing and red kerchiefs around their necks, tripped over each other or fell in the mad daredevil annual rush along early morning dew-moistened slippery streets to the city's bull ring.
One youth got the top of his shirt caught on a bull's horn, inches from his face, and was dragged several yards (meters) along the ground, but was seen to get up and run away.
The gored runner, meanwhile, was taken to a local hospital and four others were treated for cuts and bruises, said Red Cross spokesman Jose Aldaba.
The San Fermin running of the bulls festival became world famous with the publication of Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises." It is also known around the world for its wild all-night street parties which commemorate the city's patron saint.
On Saturday, the massive bulls belonging to the Dolores Aguirre breeding ranch raced from a holding pen on the outskirts of town, where they spent the night before the run, along a 849-meter (928-yard) course to the ring in 2 minutes, 53 seconds, a relatively slow time.
The last bull in the pack became disoriented and charged into the ring several seconds after the leaders. Once in the bullring it caused panic as it chased several runners around before being coaxed into the safety of stables by cape waving attendants.
"Running with the bulls was the best experience I've had, so much adrenaline," said Mark Martinez, 27, a student from Los Angeles, California, who said he was in Spain on a 10-day vacation. "I couldn't touch the horns, I might try that tomorrow," he said, clearly oblivious to a basic rule of the centuries-old fiesta that runners should never touch the ornery animals that can weigh some 500-plus kilogram (1,100-pounds).
"Spain is different to anything I've experienced before," said Michael Arraztoa, 25, from Bakersfield, California. He said his dad was from originally from Irurita, not far from Pamplona, and that he too was over on summer vacation.
The 8 a.m. runs take place daily until July 14 with each charge broadcast on state television. And then, on the afternoon of each day, the same bulls face matadors in the ring.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
6 Things to Watch on President Obama's Bus Tour
Claiming anyone running for president, much less Mitt Romney, is "betting against America" might seem far-fetched. After all, President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden often remind voters that Romney is a "patriotic" family man whose well intentions are not in doubt.
But that's exactly the case Obama appears poised to make about Romney at stops in Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to two campaign surrogates, former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland and Pennsylvania state Democratic Party chairman Jim Burn.
"President Obama is betting on America, not against it," said Strickland on a conference call with reporters ahead of Obama's trip.
"I point once again to the auto industry and its importance in Ohio. Not only was Mitt Romney against assistance to the auto industry, so was Sen. Rob Portman and so was current [Republican] Gov. John Kasich," he said, noting the state's below-average and declining unemployment rate.
Romney "bet against American workers," added Burn. "President Obama knows that when you bet on American workers, it's a bet that always pays off."
The polarized pitch is an effort to shore up support among the president's blue collar base and convince swing voters that the Republican doesn't have their interests at heart.
2. ITINERARY: OFFENSE OR DEFENSE?
President Obama's itinerary across northern Ohio into western Pennsylvania covers friendly turf that he won comfortably in 2008, as ABC News' Chris Good noted. There will be no forays into "red," Republican-leaning counties to directly confront potentially persuadable voters.
Even so, Obama campaign officials reject the notion that this is a purely defensive trip, noting that many of the media markets associated with stops along the way also cover counties that voted for John McCain.
Given the mid-summer doldrums in the news cycle, Obama's appearances will grab headlines across local TV stations and newspapers, boosting his statewide exposure while spreading his anti-Romney message.
Democratic strategists have already credited their local media campaign of the past few months with bolstering the president's poll numbers in swing state match-ups with Romney.
3. COMPANIONS: THE LONELY ROAD
While Romney included his wife and sons on a bus tour last month, Obama will be trucking solo today and Friday with only the company of aides and the U.S. Secret Service.
First lady Michelle Obama and the Obama daughters, Malia and Sasha, significant assets to the president's campaign, likely won't be deployed on the trail as an entire family until later this summer, although they already have appeared together in TV and Web advertising.
For now, Michelle Obama will continue an aggressive but largely independent schedule of campaigning. She's headlined 36 solo fundraisers this year and attended close to a dozen events with grassroots supporters. On Tuesday, she'll be back on the trail in Orlando, Fla., and Miami, a campaign official said.
The first couple last campaigned together in New York City on June 15, when they attended a splashy fundraiser at the Manhattan home of actress Sarah Jessica Parker and a gala at The Plaza Hotel.
"This is what qualifies as date night in the Obama household," Obama told the crowd of donors of his rare public appearance with his wife.
4. MENU: ICE CREAM - "Yes, PeCAN"?
Nothing says campaign season like an ice cream social with a political candidate. Obama will host his first of the year in Sandusky, Ohio, this afternoon at Washington Park, just across the bay from the iconic Cedar Point amusement park.
No word on what flavor(s) will be served, but if organizers really wanted to keep POTUS happy in the heat, they might include a pint of his favorite flavor: pecan. (Remember Ben & Jerry's honorary "Yes, PeCAN" flavor concocted in honor of the 2009 inauguration?)
As for the optics of ice cream on the trail, ABC News Political Director Amy Walter noted, "What a president eats says something about how he sees the future prospects for the country. Ice cream cone = sunshine and happy days."
5. ROMNEY REBUTTAL: PAWLENTY, JINDAL BUS TOUR
Republican former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal - both possible vice presidential picks - will be shadowing Obama as he treks across the Buckeye State today. You won't be able to miss them: Theirs is the bus traversing the interstates between Toledo, Ohio, Cleveland and Pittsburgh emblazoned with "Romney for America."
Their message will be that Obama suffers from a "promise gap" - a wide divide between what he told voters in 2008 and the reality of 2012.
"He made a promise on nearly every critical issue of the day - employment, energy, health care, housing and the deficit - that our lives would be better off today if his policies were enacted," wrote Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., in a memo ahead of Obama's visit.
"By his own standards, he has fallen far short on each and every issue," they wrote. "And by his own admission, such shortcomings are cause for Americans to make his presidency a 'one-term proposition.'"
6. WILD CARD: JUNE JOBS REPORT
When Obama wakes up in Akron, Ohio, on Friday morning - the mid-point of his bus tour - he may be in for a message-eclipsing (or message-boosting) jolt. The Labor Department will release the June employment report at 8:30 a.m. ET.
The news last month that the U.S. economy created only 69,000 jobs rocked the presidential race and put the Obama campaign on the defensive. Another weak report could further complicate the president's bid for a second term.
The trend lines don't look good: The economy added 275,000 jobs in January and 259,000 in February, but the pace slowed to 143,000 in March, down to 77,000 in April and 69,000 in May. Economists expect between 80,000 and 100,000 new jobs in June with unemployment steady at 8.2 percent.
But that's exactly the case Obama appears poised to make about Romney at stops in Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to two campaign surrogates, former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland and Pennsylvania state Democratic Party chairman Jim Burn.
"President Obama is betting on America, not against it," said Strickland on a conference call with reporters ahead of Obama's trip.
"I point once again to the auto industry and its importance in Ohio. Not only was Mitt Romney against assistance to the auto industry, so was Sen. Rob Portman and so was current [Republican] Gov. John Kasich," he said, noting the state's below-average and declining unemployment rate.
Romney "bet against American workers," added Burn. "President Obama knows that when you bet on American workers, it's a bet that always pays off."
The polarized pitch is an effort to shore up support among the president's blue collar base and convince swing voters that the Republican doesn't have their interests at heart.
2. ITINERARY: OFFENSE OR DEFENSE?
President Obama's itinerary across northern Ohio into western Pennsylvania covers friendly turf that he won comfortably in 2008, as ABC News' Chris Good noted. There will be no forays into "red," Republican-leaning counties to directly confront potentially persuadable voters.
Even so, Obama campaign officials reject the notion that this is a purely defensive trip, noting that many of the media markets associated with stops along the way also cover counties that voted for John McCain.
Given the mid-summer doldrums in the news cycle, Obama's appearances will grab headlines across local TV stations and newspapers, boosting his statewide exposure while spreading his anti-Romney message.
Democratic strategists have already credited their local media campaign of the past few months with bolstering the president's poll numbers in swing state match-ups with Romney.
3. COMPANIONS: THE LONELY ROAD
While Romney included his wife and sons on a bus tour last month, Obama will be trucking solo today and Friday with only the company of aides and the U.S. Secret Service.
First lady Michelle Obama and the Obama daughters, Malia and Sasha, significant assets to the president's campaign, likely won't be deployed on the trail as an entire family until later this summer, although they already have appeared together in TV and Web advertising.
For now, Michelle Obama will continue an aggressive but largely independent schedule of campaigning. She's headlined 36 solo fundraisers this year and attended close to a dozen events with grassroots supporters. On Tuesday, she'll be back on the trail in Orlando, Fla., and Miami, a campaign official said.
The first couple last campaigned together in New York City on June 15, when they attended a splashy fundraiser at the Manhattan home of actress Sarah Jessica Parker and a gala at The Plaza Hotel.
"This is what qualifies as date night in the Obama household," Obama told the crowd of donors of his rare public appearance with his wife.
4. MENU: ICE CREAM - "Yes, PeCAN"?
Nothing says campaign season like an ice cream social with a political candidate. Obama will host his first of the year in Sandusky, Ohio, this afternoon at Washington Park, just across the bay from the iconic Cedar Point amusement park.
No word on what flavor(s) will be served, but if organizers really wanted to keep POTUS happy in the heat, they might include a pint of his favorite flavor: pecan. (Remember Ben & Jerry's honorary "Yes, PeCAN" flavor concocted in honor of the 2009 inauguration?)
As for the optics of ice cream on the trail, ABC News Political Director Amy Walter noted, "What a president eats says something about how he sees the future prospects for the country. Ice cream cone = sunshine and happy days."
5. ROMNEY REBUTTAL: PAWLENTY, JINDAL BUS TOUR
Republican former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal - both possible vice presidential picks - will be shadowing Obama as he treks across the Buckeye State today. You won't be able to miss them: Theirs is the bus traversing the interstates between Toledo, Ohio, Cleveland and Pittsburgh emblazoned with "Romney for America."
Their message will be that Obama suffers from a "promise gap" - a wide divide between what he told voters in 2008 and the reality of 2012.
"He made a promise on nearly every critical issue of the day - employment, energy, health care, housing and the deficit - that our lives would be better off today if his policies were enacted," wrote Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., in a memo ahead of Obama's visit.
"By his own standards, he has fallen far short on each and every issue," they wrote. "And by his own admission, such shortcomings are cause for Americans to make his presidency a 'one-term proposition.'"
6. WILD CARD: JUNE JOBS REPORT
When Obama wakes up in Akron, Ohio, on Friday morning - the mid-point of his bus tour - he may be in for a message-eclipsing (or message-boosting) jolt. The Labor Department will release the June employment report at 8:30 a.m. ET.
The news last month that the U.S. economy created only 69,000 jobs rocked the presidential race and put the Obama campaign on the defensive. Another weak report could further complicate the president's bid for a second term.
The trend lines don't look good: The economy added 275,000 jobs in January and 259,000 in February, but the pace slowed to 143,000 in March, down to 77,000 in April and 69,000 in May. Economists expect between 80,000 and 100,000 new jobs in June with unemployment steady at 8.2 percent.
Romney suggests Roberts’ health care ruling motivated by politics
Mitt Romney suggested "political consideration" rather than legal judgment may have played a major role in why Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts voted to uphold President Barack Obama's health care law last week.
Asked about reports that Roberts switched his vote on the Affordable Care Act, Romney questioned Roberts' motivation in an interview with CBS News, which was broadcast Thursday.
"It gives the impression that the decision was made not based upon constitutional foundation but instead political consideration about the relationship between branches of government," Romney told CBS News. "But we won't really know the answers to those things until the justice himself speaks out—maybe sometime in history."
Romney, who had previously said he would nominate judges in the "mold of Justice Roberts," hinted he might rethink that position in light of the chief justice's ruling.
"I certainly wouldn't nominate someone who I knew was gonna come out with a decision I violently disagreed with—or vehemently, rather—disagreed with," Romney said. "He reached a conclusion I think that was not accurate and not an appropriate conclusion. "
Romney's comments came as part of a larger interview, taped Wednesday, in which he said he now views the federal mandate for individuals to obtain health care under Obama's law as a "tax"—not a penalty, as his senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom had suggested in an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday. Romney's position, as laid out by Fehrnstrom, clashed with the message of other key Republicans, including House Speaker John Boehner, who have seized on the Supreme Court's ruling to argue that Obama is essentially raising taxes on Americans.
Under pressure from conservatives, Romney appeared to try to shift his campaign's tone on the court ruling to appease his party without also making the health care mandate he signed into law as governor of Massachusetts an even greater liability for his campaign.
He told CBS News the mandate under Obama's law is a tax because the Supreme Court said so—quickly adding that he disagreed with the ruling.
"The Supreme Court has the final word, and their final word is that Obamacare is a tax. So it's a tax. They decided it was constitutional. So it is a tax and it's constitutional. That's the final word—that's what it is," Romney said. "I agreed with the dissent. I would have taken a different course, but the dissent wasn't the majority. The majority has rule and their rule is final. It is a tax. … That's the law of the land."
Asked if that now makes the insurance mandate he approved as governor of Massachusetts a tax increase, Romney insisted it did not because last week's Supreme Court ruling did not restrict states from implementing mandates.
'The chief justice in his opinion made it very clear that at the state level, states have the power to put in place mandates. They don't need to require them to be called taxes in order for them to be constitutional," Romney argued. "And as a result, Massachusetts' mandate was a mandate, was a penalty, was described that way by the legislature and by me, and so it stays as it was."
Under the Roberts' ruling, the federal government doesn't have the same "powers" as states, Romney told CBS. He argued that because the Supreme Court is the final law of the land, the mandate under Obama's health care is a "tax"—no matter what anyone else says.
"While I agreed with the dissent, that's taken over by the fact that the majority of the court said it's a tax and, therefore, it is a tax. They have spoken. There's no way around that," Romney said. "You can try and say you wished they had decided a different way, but they didn't. They concluded it was a tax. That's what it is."
While Romney appeared to be taking the position that the Supreme Court is the absolute law of the land, his political finessing of that point could renew criticism that he's often willing to change policy views for political expediency.
Asked about reports that Roberts switched his vote on the Affordable Care Act, Romney questioned Roberts' motivation in an interview with CBS News, which was broadcast Thursday.
"It gives the impression that the decision was made not based upon constitutional foundation but instead political consideration about the relationship between branches of government," Romney told CBS News. "But we won't really know the answers to those things until the justice himself speaks out—maybe sometime in history."
Romney, who had previously said he would nominate judges in the "mold of Justice Roberts," hinted he might rethink that position in light of the chief justice's ruling.
"I certainly wouldn't nominate someone who I knew was gonna come out with a decision I violently disagreed with—or vehemently, rather—disagreed with," Romney said. "He reached a conclusion I think that was not accurate and not an appropriate conclusion. "
Romney's comments came as part of a larger interview, taped Wednesday, in which he said he now views the federal mandate for individuals to obtain health care under Obama's law as a "tax"—not a penalty, as his senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom had suggested in an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday. Romney's position, as laid out by Fehrnstrom, clashed with the message of other key Republicans, including House Speaker John Boehner, who have seized on the Supreme Court's ruling to argue that Obama is essentially raising taxes on Americans.
Under pressure from conservatives, Romney appeared to try to shift his campaign's tone on the court ruling to appease his party without also making the health care mandate he signed into law as governor of Massachusetts an even greater liability for his campaign.
He told CBS News the mandate under Obama's law is a tax because the Supreme Court said so—quickly adding that he disagreed with the ruling.
"The Supreme Court has the final word, and their final word is that Obamacare is a tax. So it's a tax. They decided it was constitutional. So it is a tax and it's constitutional. That's the final word—that's what it is," Romney said. "I agreed with the dissent. I would have taken a different course, but the dissent wasn't the majority. The majority has rule and their rule is final. It is a tax. … That's the law of the land."
Asked if that now makes the insurance mandate he approved as governor of Massachusetts a tax increase, Romney insisted it did not because last week's Supreme Court ruling did not restrict states from implementing mandates.
'The chief justice in his opinion made it very clear that at the state level, states have the power to put in place mandates. They don't need to require them to be called taxes in order for them to be constitutional," Romney argued. "And as a result, Massachusetts' mandate was a mandate, was a penalty, was described that way by the legislature and by me, and so it stays as it was."
Under the Roberts' ruling, the federal government doesn't have the same "powers" as states, Romney told CBS. He argued that because the Supreme Court is the final law of the land, the mandate under Obama's health care is a "tax"—no matter what anyone else says.
"While I agreed with the dissent, that's taken over by the fact that the majority of the court said it's a tax and, therefore, it is a tax. They have spoken. There's no way around that," Romney said. "You can try and say you wished they had decided a different way, but they didn't. They concluded it was a tax. That's what it is."
While Romney appeared to be taking the position that the Supreme Court is the absolute law of the land, his political finessing of that point could renew criticism that he's often willing to change policy views for political expediency.
007 exhibition looks at screen spy as style icon
If there's one thing James Bond has taught us it's that behind every great spy is a great tailor.
A new exhibition at London's Barbican Centre explores the style of the suave secret agent, displaying costumes, props, set pieces and design drawings from half a century of 007 films.
Assembled with help from the films' producers — who have a new Bond movie to promote in the fall — the exhibition includes the spy's tuxedos, Bond girl ballgowns and villains' vestments, as well as a selection of props and gadgets. There are also sketches by the films' influential set designer, Ken Adam, whose cavernous lairs and sleek space stations did much to create the movies' modernist luster.
The show is both a reflection of the remarkable staying power of Ian Fleming's fictional secret agent and a tribute to the British, European and American craftspeople and designers who have created the look of the quintessentially British icon.
"The films always attracted the greatest design talent," curator Bronwyn Cosgrave said. They ranged from the German-born Adam to costume designer Lindy Hemming, a Briton who helped put together the exhibition.
"In the beginning they didn't have the money — but they had the ingenuity," Cosgrave said.
Some of the items on show have become mini-icons, from the white bikini worn by Ursula Andress in the first Bond film, "Dr. No," to the tight blue swim trunks sported by Daniel Craig in "Casino Royale."
Cosgrave said that since "Dr. No" in 1962, "Bond has consistently led the way" in style.
Sean Connery's "conduit cut" Saville Row suit from the 1960s films is "the men's equivalent of a Chanel suit," while a sharply cut tuxedo is so identified with the character it has become known as "the James Bond look."
"It's sexy," Cosgrave said. "When does a man look his best? In a tuxedo."
"Designing 007" opens Friday and runs to Sept. 5. It will then tour internationally, opening at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto in October.
A new exhibition at London's Barbican Centre explores the style of the suave secret agent, displaying costumes, props, set pieces and design drawings from half a century of 007 films.
Assembled with help from the films' producers — who have a new Bond movie to promote in the fall — the exhibition includes the spy's tuxedos, Bond girl ballgowns and villains' vestments, as well as a selection of props and gadgets. There are also sketches by the films' influential set designer, Ken Adam, whose cavernous lairs and sleek space stations did much to create the movies' modernist luster.
The show is both a reflection of the remarkable staying power of Ian Fleming's fictional secret agent and a tribute to the British, European and American craftspeople and designers who have created the look of the quintessentially British icon.
"The films always attracted the greatest design talent," curator Bronwyn Cosgrave said. They ranged from the German-born Adam to costume designer Lindy Hemming, a Briton who helped put together the exhibition.
"In the beginning they didn't have the money — but they had the ingenuity," Cosgrave said.
Some of the items on show have become mini-icons, from the white bikini worn by Ursula Andress in the first Bond film, "Dr. No," to the tight blue swim trunks sported by Daniel Craig in "Casino Royale."
Cosgrave said that since "Dr. No" in 1962, "Bond has consistently led the way" in style.
Sean Connery's "conduit cut" Saville Row suit from the 1960s films is "the men's equivalent of a Chanel suit," while a sharply cut tuxedo is so identified with the character it has become known as "the James Bond look."
"It's sexy," Cosgrave said. "When does a man look his best? In a tuxedo."
"Designing 007" opens Friday and runs to Sept. 5. It will then tour internationally, opening at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto in October.
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