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Romney Campaign Press Release - "Hope & Change" Becomes "Anger & Division"

August 15, 2012

"Four years ago, President Obama campaigned on a promise to not 'make a big election about small things.' But with unemployment at a five-month high and economic growth stalled, the President has resorted to the same shameful tactics he once condemned. The American people deserve better because anger and division won't produce jobs and economic growth." — Ryan Williams, Romney Campaign Spokesman

Four Years Ago, President Obama Campaigned On A Pledge To Bring Hope And Change To Washington:

Candidate Obama, At The 2008 Democratic Convention: "If You Don't Have Any Fresh Ideas, Then You Use Stale Tactics To Scare Voters." OBAMA: "Because if you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare the voters. If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from. You make a big election about small things." (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks, Denver, CO, 8/28/08)

Candidate Obama, In October 2008: "If You Don't Have A Record To Run On, Then You Paint Your Opponent As Someone People Should Run Away From. You Make A Big Election About Small Things." (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks, Canton, Ohio, 10/27/08)

But President Obama And His Campaign Have Endorsed Over-The-Top Rhetoric From Vice President Biden:

Vice President Biden "Raised Eyebrows" When He Made Divisive Remarks Claiming Republicans Wanted To Put Voters "In Chains." "Vice President Biden raised eyebrows today when he referred to the Republican party as wanting to put voters in chains. ... 'Every Republican's voted for it. Look at what they value and look at their budget and what they're proposing. Romney wants to let the — he said in the first hundred days he's going to let the big banks once again write their own rules, 'unchain Wall Street.' They're going to put y'all back in chains.'" (Jake Tapper, "VP Biden Says Republicans Are 'Going To Put Y'all Back In Chains'," ABC News, 8/14/12)

Obama Deputy Campaign Manager Stephanie Cutter: "The Bottom Line Is That We Have No Problem With Those Comments."  MITCHELL: "Now, 'back in chains,' I guess is what the Romney campaign is now objecting to strongly, saying it's a new low, it's a suggestion that is not acceptable political discourse. President Obama should tell the American people that — This is from Andrea Saul, one of your counterparts — whether he agrees with Joe Biden's comments." ... MITCHELL: "The bottom line that the President agrees with Joe Biden's sentiments but not his comments?" CUTTER: "The bottom line is that we have no problem with those comments." (MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports," 8/14/12)

And President Obama's Campaign Has Repeatedly Refused To Disavow The Disgraceful Attacks From The Obama Super PAC:

"The Obama Campaign Has Refused To Disavow" The Obama Super PAC's Disgraceful Ad. "Despite that, the Obama campaign has refused to disavow the ad, despite repeated calls from the Romney campaign to do so, claiming they were unfamiliar with the man's situation." (Zeke Miller, "Obama SuperPAC Ad Accusing Romney Of Contributing To Woman's Death Now On TV," BuzzFeed, 8/14/12)

President Obama's DNC Chair Even Claimed She Was Not Aware Of "The Political Affiliation Of Folks Who Are Associated With That Super PAC." ROBERTS: "Should the Democrats be releasing an ad that accuses a presidential candidate, through inference, of being responsible for a woman's death?" WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: "First of all, that's a Priorities USA ad. That's not a Democratic ad; it's a Priorities USA Super PAC ad." ROBERTS: "Do you deny that they're Democrats?" WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: "I have no idea the political affiliation of folks who are associated with that Super PAC." (Fox's "Fox News Sunday," 8/12/12)

And These Are Just The Latest Divisive Attacks From President Obama's Campaign:

"Obama Deputy Campaign Manager Stephanie Cutter Suggested That Mitt Romney May Be A Criminal On A Conference Call With Reporters..." "Obama deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter suggested that Mitt Romney may be a criminal on a conference call with reporters this morning about a Boston Globe report that shows that Romney stayed at Bain Capital three years past when he said he'd left. Cutter said that there were two ways to interpret the story. The first: Mitt Romney was 'misrepresenting his position' at Bain to the Securities and Exchange Commission, 'which is a felony.'" (Rosie Gray, "Cutter: Romney A Liar, Potential Criminal," BuzzFeed, 7/12/12)

The Obama Campaign Released A Television Ad Comparing Mitt Romney To A "Vampire." "Mitt Romney, a job-killing economic 'vampire'? That's the message of a new ad by President Barack Obama's re-election campaign, which aims to turn the presumptive Republican nominee's business record into a liability as voters worry about the struggling economy." (Olivier Knox, "Obama Campaign's New Ad Paints Romney As A Job-Killing Economic 'Vampire'," Yahoo! News, 5/14/12)

Obama-Aligned Democratic Strategist, In August 2011: "Unless Things Change And Obama Can Run On Accomplishments, He Will Have To Kill Romney." "The dramatic and unabashedly negative turn is the product of political reality. Obama remains personally popular, but pluralities in recent polling disapprove of his handling of his job ... 'Unless things change and Obama can run on accomplishments, he will have to kill Romney,' said a prominent Democratic strategist aligned with the White House." (Ben Smith and Jonathan Martin, "Obama Plan: Destroy Romney," Politico, 8/9/11)

  • Politico Headline: "Obama Plan: Destroy Romney" (Ben Smith and Jonathan Martin, "Obama Plan: Destroy Romney," Politico, 8/9/11)

Fox News, On The Obama Campaign: "An Unhappy And Intensely Negative Way To Run For Re-Election." "Romney's wealth will be the cornerstone of the Obama campaign strategy and he will do everything he can to cast Romney as the villain in this play — the heel who the audience will love to hate. It's an unhappy and intensely negative way to run for re-election, but given the state of the nation and voters views on his policies, it's Obama's best chance to hold the White House." (Chris Stirewalt, "Obama Looks To Make Romney The Villain," Fox News, 4/11/12)

Mitt Romney, Romney Campaign Press Release - "Hope & Change" Becomes "Anger & Division" Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/302356

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