Romney Campaign Press Release - Can't Gloss Over Four More Years Like The Last Four

"The Obama campaign today is publishing a glossy 20-page pamphlet that purports to be an agenda for a second term. But a glossy pamphlet two weeks before an election is no substitute for a real agenda for America. As much as President Obama might try, you can't gloss over four years like the last four. And you can't fool the American people into thinking you have a real plan for the future when all you are offering is more of the same." — Lanhee Chen, Romney Campaign Policy Director

President Obama's Second-Term Agenda Is Merely A "Repackaging" Of Plans That "Are Not New" And Have Been "Outlined Previously":

Politico's Mike Allen: "A Repackaging Of The Plans The President Has Previously Announced..." ALLEN: "This is a repackaging of the plans the President has previously announced of manufacturing, education, energy." (MSNBC's "Morning Joe," 10/22/12)

The Associated Press: "A Compilation Of Positions Obama Has Outlined Previously..." "The morning after the final presidential debate, Obama's campaign released a 20-page booklet called the 'Blueprint for America's Future.' The plan is a compilation of positions Obama has outlined previously, including spending more on education and boosting manufacturing jobs." (Julie Pace, "Obama Renews Focus On Second-Term Agenda," The Associated Press, 10/23/12)

The Wall Street Journal: "Won't Involve Promoting Any New Policies..." "The effort won't involve promoting any new policies, people familiar with the plans said. Rather the rhetorical change marks a tactical decision by Mr. Obama's top advisers to reframe his argument in the final 14 days of the campaign." (Carol E. Lee and Laura Meckler, "Obama To Renew Focus On Second-Term Agenda," The Wall Street Journal, 10/22/12)

CNN's Jessica Yellin: "He Has Put This Out Before. ... There's Not Anything Significantly New In Here." YELLIN: "He has put this out before. He's just never put it out in a booklet like this. ... My point is, there's not anything significantly new in here. It's just all compiled in a nice booklet now." (CNN, 10/23/12)

National Journal: "Several Of His Policy Initiatives Are Not New..." "While several of his policy initiatives are not new, laid out in the last State of the Union address and during Obama's convention speech in September, they are likely the basis for his campaign's messaging in the final two weeks of the election." (Matt Vasilogambros, "Obama Lays Out Second-Term Agenda In Booklet, Ad," National Journal, 10/23/12)

President Obama Hasn't Offered A Second-Term Agenda To Create Manufacturing Jobs:

President Obama Says He Will Revive American Manufacturing In A Second Term. "Reviving American Manufacturing. President Obama's policies have helped manufacturing rebound, creating nearly 500,000 jobs in the last 31 months. The President's plan will build on that success, creating 1 million new manufacturing jobs by 2016." (Obama For America, "The New Economic Patriotism," October 2012)

Since President Obama Took Office, The Nation Has Lost 610,000 Manufacturing Jobs. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 10/10/12)

In 2011, China Became "The World's Top Manufacturing Country," Ending The United States' Century-Long Run. "China has become the world's top manufacturing country by output, returning the country to the position it occupied in the early 19th century and ending the US's 110-year run as the largest goods producer." (Financial Times, 3/13/11)

President Obama Hasn't Offered A Second-Term Agenda To Cut Oil Imports And Increase Energy Independence:

President Obama Says He Will Cut Oil Imports In A Second Term. "Energy Made in America. Dependence on foreign oil hurts our economy and imperils national security, which is why President Obama has set a goal of cutting our net oil imports in half by 2020. President Obama's policies have helped to cut net imports by nearly 30% in his first term already, and his plans to expand domestic energy production will support more than 600,000 jobs in the natural gas sector alone." (Obama For America, "The New Economic Patriotism," October 2012)

Since President Obama Took Office, The Price For A Gallon Of Regular Gasoline Has Nearly Doubled From $1.85 To $3.69. (Energy Information Administration, Accessed 10/22/12)

"The Number Of New Offshore Leases Has Plummeted Under Obama — Falling By More Than Half..." "Obama was wrong to flatly deny that he cut in half the number of new federal permits and leases for oil and natural gas drilling. The number of new offshore leases has plummeted under Obama — falling by more than half, according to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement." (Ben Finley, "Obama's Drilling Denials," FactCheck.org,  10/19/12)

A Decrease In Dependence On Foreign Oil Is "Not Tethered To Anything Obama Has Done." "The Obama ad that quickly slips in claims that slickly appear to be the result of Obama's policies, though the ad does not directly make that claim—a reference to 2.7 million clean-energy jobs, a note that for the first time in 13 years foreign oil imports are below 50 percent. Those figures are correct, but they are also not tethered to anything Obama has done. The report that mentioned the 2.7 million jobs simply said that is how many potentially exist." (Glenn Kessler, "Obama Ad Cherry-Picks Fact Checking Organization," The Washington Post, 1/19/12)

President Obama Hasn't Offered A Second-Term Agenda To Help Small Businesses, Which Have Been Hit Hard By The Obama Economy:

President Obama Says He Will Grow Small Businesses In A Second Term. "Growing Small Businesses. Small businesses create two out of every three new jobs in America.  President Obama has invested in entrepreneurs and small business owners..." (Obama For America, "The New Economic Patriotism," October 2012)

President Obama's Small-Business Tax Hikes Will Jeopardize 710,000 Jobs. "Researchers determined the plan would actually subject 2.1 million business owners to higher rates; specifically, those who pay pass-through taxes, like most partnerships, LLCs and S-Corporations. The result, less capital in the hands of business owners and diminished labor supply, would cost the United States an estimated $200 billion in economic output and 710,000 jobs." (J.D. Harrison, "Obama Plan To Lift Top Tax Rates Would Plague Millions Of Small Businesses, Study Warns," The Washington Post, 7/17/12)

Nearly Three-Quarters Of Small-Business Owners Blame Obamacare For Hurting Job Creation. "As part of the explanation for the general economic pessimism, 78 percent of small businesses believe that taxation, regulation and legislation from Washington make it harder for businesses to hire more employees — and 74 percent blame the recent health care reforms passed by the Obama administration for creating an impediment to job creation." (Tim Mak, "Chamber Poll: Small Biz Blames D.C.," Politico, 1/18/12)

According To The Small Business And Entrepreneurship Council, "Business Owners Remain On Edge Regarding The Tidal Wave Of Federal Government Regulation." "'Business owners remain on edge regarding the tidal wave of federal government regulation that has been advanced or proposed over the past two years. ... The pain of the harsh recession was intensified and lengthened by this hyper-regulatory environment,' Karen Kerrigan, president of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, wrote in a Jan. 12 letter to Issa."  (Philip Rucker and David S. Hilzenrath, "GOP Eyes Rules That Firms Say Hurt Jobs," The Washington Post, 2/7/11)

President Obama Hasn't Offered A Second-Term Agenda To Reduce Our Nation's Skyrocketing Debt And Deficits:

President Obama Claims He Will Cut The Deficit By $4 Trillion In A Second Term. "Cutting The Deficit By More Than $4 Trillion. We must return to the principles that made America great, rewarding hard work and responsibility." (Obama For America, "The New Economic Patriotism," October 2012)

The Washington Post's Glenn Kessler: "The Repeated Claim That Obama's Budget Reduces The Deficit By $4 Trillion Is Simply Not Accurate. ... Virtually No Serious Budget Analyst Agreed With This Accounting." (Glenn Kessler, "Fact Checking Bill Clinton's Speech And Other Democrats At The Convention In Charlotte," The Washington Post's "The Fact Checker," 9/6/12)

• Co-Chairs Of President Obama's Fiscal Commission Erskine Bowles And Alan Simpson, On Obama's $4 Trillion Target: "Unfortunately, His Proposal Falls Short Of This Goal ..." "We are encouraged that President Obama has embraced the goal of stabilizing the debt and the target of achieving at least $4 trillion in deficit reduction. Unfortunately, his proposal falls short of this goal by counting war savings that were already planned; and while it does (barely) stabilize the debt, it does so at a dangerously high level and with no margin for error. We are disappointed, too, that the president did not address the long-term solvency of Social Security." (Alan Simpson And Erskine Bowles, Op-Ed, "Go Big, Be Bold, Be Smart," The Washington Post, 10/2/11)

And President Obama Already Failed To Deliver On His Promise To Cut The Deficit In Half By The End Of His First Term. "Obama inherited an economy in recession and a deficit in excess of $1 trillion. He promised to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term, but deficits have instead remained at eye-popping levels, including a record $1.4 trillion deficit in 2009 and deficits of $1.3 trillion in each of the past two years. The 2012 deficit was 7 percent of the size of the economy, an unsustainably high level." (Andrew Taylor, "CBO Tallies 2012 Deficit At $1.1T," The Associated Press, 10/5/12)

President Obama Hasn't Offered A Second-Term Agenda To Reduce Health Care Costs:

President Obama Claims He Will Contain Health Care Costs And Put "You In Charge Of Your Health Care" In A Second Term. "Putting YOU in Charge of Your Health Care. Health care costs were skyrocketing and families were denied care. So President Obama passed a landmark law to expand access to affordable insurance, letting young adults stay on their parents' plan until age 26, eliminating lifetime coverage limits, ending denials based on pre-existing conditions, and eliminating cost sharing and other out-of-pocket costs for recommended preventive care." (Obama For America, "The New Economic Patriotism," October 2012)

Under President Obama, The Average Cost Of Family Health Care Premiums Has Increased By $3,065 From $12,680 To $15,745, A 24.2 Percent Increase. ("Employer Health Benefits, 2012 Annual Survey, Exhibit 6.4," The Kaiser Family Foundation, 2012)

Obamacare Could Cause As Many As 20 Million Americans To Lose Their Employer-Provided Coverage. "A Congressional Budget Office report issued this week says that 3 million to 5 million people could move from employer-based health care plans to government-based programs as the Affordable Care Act takes effect. And in the worst-case scenario, it could be as many as 20 million." (David Nather, "Health Care Reform: 4 Inconvenient Truths," Politico, 3/16/12)

President Obama Hasn't Offered A Second-Term Agenda To Preserve And Strengthen Entitlement Programs:

President Obama Said He Will Protect Entitlement Programs In A Second Term. "Protecting Retirement Security. ... President Obama has put forward a specific, balanced plan of spending cuts and revenue increases providing more than $4 trillion in deficit reduction over the next decade, without ending guaranteed benefits in Medicare or slashing Social Security." (Obama For America, "The New Economic Patriotism," October 2012)

Obamacare Will Cut $716 Billion From Medicare — Impacting Benefits For Today's Seniors. (Congressional Budget Office, Letter To Speaker John Boehner, 7/24/12)

• Obamacare's Cuts Will Cause Enrollment In Medicare Advantage To "Plummet By About 50 Percent" And Leave Seniors With "Higher Out-Of-Pocket Costs." "In addition to flagging provider cuts as potentially unsustainable, the report [HHS] projected that reductions in payments to private Medicare Advantage plans would trigger an exodus from the popular alternative. Enrollment would plummet by about 50 percent. Seniors leaving the private plans would still have health insurance under traditional Medicare, but many might face higher out-of-pocket costs." (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, "Report Says Health Care Will Cover More, Cost More," The Associated Press, 4/23/10)

• 52 Percent Of Doctors Say Obamacare Will Compel Them To Close Or Significantly Restrict Their Practices To Medicare Patients. (Merritt Hawkins, "Health Reform and the Decline of Physician Private Practice," The Physicians Foundation, October 2010)

The Social Security Trust Fund Will Be Exhausted In 2033 — Forcing An Immediate Benefit Cut Of 25%. "The trust fund ratio, which indicates the number of years of program cost that could be financed solely with current trust fund reserves, peaked in 2008, declined through 2011, and is expected to decline further in future years. After 2020, Treasury will redeem trust fund assets in amounts that exceed interest earnings until exhaustion of trust fund reserves in 2033, three years earlier than projected last year. Thereafter, tax income would be sufficient to pay only about three-quarters of scheduled benefits through 2086." ("A Summary Of The 2012 Annual Reports," Social Security Administration, 2012)