STATEMENT: The Debut Of Romney’s Campaign Of Specifics Was A Flop

From the Obama campaign:

STATEMENT: The Debut Of Romney’s Campaign Of Specifics Was A Flop

“The debut of Mitt Romney’s new campaign of specifics was a flop. On issue after issue – from energy to spending, health care, and immigration – he did not propose a single new idea. He said he would reduce the deficit, but refused to name specific cuts he would make outside of a handful of small programs, like PBS and Amtrak. He promised to repeal Obamacare, but didn’t say how he’d cover the 89 million Americans who could be denied coverage if they have a pre-existing condition. And he said our immigration system is broken, but the only solution he’s laid out to fix it is to encourage the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently here to self-deport. If this is the new, substantive campaign Mitt Romney promised, the American people will surely be disappointed.”—Lis Smith, campaign spokewsoman

THE ROMNEY CAMPAIGN SAID THEY WERE READY TO OFFER SPECIFICS TODAY

CBS Headline: “Romney Camp Promises More Specifics.” [CBS News, 9/17/12]

ABC News Headline: “Romney Camp Decides It’s Time To Offer Specifics.” [ABC News, 9/17/12]

ABC News: Romney’s Campaign Said “It Is Now The Appropriate Time In The Campaign – With Just 50 Days Until Election Day – To Begin Offering Specifics On Policies Proposed By The Candidate.”  “After a week of withering criticism from fellow Republicans and conservatives, the Romney campaign said today that it is now the appropriate time in the campaign – with just 50 days until election day – to begin offering specifics on policies proposed by the candidate.” [ABC News, 9/17/12]

Romney Adviser Ed Gillespie Called A Move To More Specifics A “Natural Progression” Of The Campaign, Saying That They Recognized Voters Wanted “To Know A Little More About The Specifics” And The Romney Campaign Was Ready To “Meet The Demands.” After a week of withering criticism from fellow Republicans and conservatives, the Romney campaign said today that it is now the appropriate time in the campaign – with just 50 days until election day – to begin offering specifics on policies proposed by the candidate. Romney senior adviser Ed Gillespie called the decision as a ‘natural progression’ of the campaign, and told reporters on a conference call they recognize that voters would ‘like to know a little more about the specifics,’ and that the campaign is now ready to ‘meet the demands.’ ‘We do think the timing is right, at this moment, to reinforce the specifics, more specifics, about the Romney plan for a strong middle class,’ he said.” [ABC News, 9/17/12]

·         Romney Adviser Ed Gillespie: “We Do Think The Timing Is Right, At This Moment, To Reinforce The Specifics, More Specifics, About The Romney Plan For A Strong Middle Class.” [ABC News, 9/17/12]

THE ONLY SPECIFICS ROMNEY HAS LAID OUT “WOULD MAKE THE DEFICIT BIGGER, NOT SMALLER, AND ADD TO THE DEBT, NOT SUBTRACT FROM IT”

Los Angeles Times: “Romney Says He Wants To Balance The Budget Within Four Years, But He Has Not Spelled Out A Plan To Do So.” [Los Angeles Times, 8/27/12]

·         Los Angeles Times: Romney Has Only Spoken In Specifics About Plans That “Would Make The Deficit Bigger, Not Smaller, And Add To The Debt, Not Subtract From It.” “Romney says he wants to balance the budget within four years, but he has not spelled out a plan to do so. Instead, most of the plans he has talked about specifically – significant new tax cuts, increased defense spending, no changes in Medicare or Social Security until people now 55 reach retirement age, postponing the automatic spending cuts scheduled to start Jan. 1 – would make the deficit bigger, not smaller,  and add to the debt, not subtract from it.” [Los Angeles Times, 8/27/12]

WHEN ASKED BY REPORTERS WHAT PROGRAMS HE WOULD ELIMINATE, ROMNEY REFUSED TO SAY FOR FEAR OF POLITICAL RAMIFICATIONS

Romney Suggested He Wouldn’t List Specific Programs He’d Eliminate Or Combine For Fear Of Political Ramifications. “But Romney, ever cautious, is reluctant to get specific about the programs he would like to kill. He did this in his bid for the Senate 18 years ago and remembers the political ramifications. ‘One of the things I found in a short campaign against Ted Kennedy was that when I said, for instance, that I wanted to eliminate the Department of Education, that was used to suggest I don’t care about education,’ Romney recalled. ‘So I think it’s important for me to point out that I anticipate that there will be departments and agencies that will either be eliminated or combined with other agencies. So for instance, I anticipate that housing vouchers will be turned over to the states rather than be administered at the federal level, and so at this point I think of the programs to be eliminated or to be returned to the states, and we’ll see what consolidation opportunities exist as a result of those program eliminations. So will there be some that get eliminated or combined? The answer is yes, but I’m not going to give you a list right now.’” [Stephen Hayes, Weekly Standard, 4/2/12]

Romney On Federal Government’s Departments And Agencies: “I'm Probably Not Going To Lay Out Just Exactly Which Ones Are Going To Go.” “One possibility floated by Romney included the elimination of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Cabinet-level agency once led by Romney's father, George. ‘I'm going to take a lot of departments in Washington, and agencies, and combine them. Some eliminate, but I'm probably not going to lay out just exactly which ones are going to go,’ Romney said. ‘Things like Housing and Urban Development, which my dad was head of, that might not be around later. But I'm not going to actually go through these one by one. What I can tell you is, we've got far too many bureaucrats. I will send a lot of what happens in Washington back to the states.’” [First Read, NBC News, 4/15/12]

ROMNEY VOWED TO REPEAL OBAMACARE  AND ALLOW INSURANCE COMPANIES TO DENY COVERAGE TO PEOPLE WITH PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS

Romney: “If I’m President, I Will Repeal Obamacare, And I’ll Kill It Dead On Its First Day.” [Romney town hall, Collinsville, IL, 3/17/12]

New York Magazine’s Jonathan Chait:  “In Other Words, It’s Not True. Romney Doesn’t Have A Plan, Or Even A Vague Outline Of A Plan, To Cover People With Preexisting Conditions.”  [Jonathan Chait, New York Magazine, 9/10/12]

Washington Post Headline: “Who Would Be Left Out Of Romney’s Preexisting Conditions Plan? About 89 Million Americans.”  [Wonk Blog, Washington Post, 9/10/12]

Washington Post: 89 Million Americans “Would Be Unlikely To Be Protected Under The Type Of Preexisting Conditions Ban That Romney Has Proposed.”  “That’s how it works for those who never lose coverage. Then, there are the other 89 million. Some are young; some are old. Some didn’t have coverage for four years; some only dropped for a month. But they all have something in common: They would be unlikely to be protected under the type of preexisting conditions ban that Romney has proposed.” [Wonk Blog, Washington Post, 9/10/12]

ROMNEY PROMISED TO IMPOSE THE INHUMANE IMMIGRATION POLICY OF “SELF-DEPORTATION”

New York Times Editorial: Romney Lifted His Self-Deportation Scheme From Kris Kobach “The Mastermind Of A Host Of Crackdowns That Seek To Leave Unauthorized Immigrants Not Just Unable To Work, But Unable To Drive, Rent Or Heat A Home, Afraid To Take Children To School Or The Doctor.” The New York Times editorial board wrote of Romney’s support of self-deportation policies: “Mr. Romney lifted this scheme from a campaign adviser, Kris Kobach, the mastermind of a host of crackdowns that seek to leave unauthorized immigrants not just unable to work, but unable to drive, rent or heat a home, afraid to take children to school or the doctor.” [Editorial, New York Times, 2/20/12]

·         New York Times Editorial: Romney’s Scheme For Fixing Immigration Is “Self-Deportation” – Mass Expulsion Through Making The Lives Of Immigrants “Unbearable.” “Mitt Romney has moved farthest to the fringe. His scheme for fixing immigration is mass expulsion: a fantasy of ridding the country of 11 million unauthorized immigrants by making their lives unbearable. The key to his harsh vision is ‘self-deportation,’ the deceptively bland-sounding policy that he introduced at a debate. It accepts that arresting and expelling so many millions would be impossible — like deporting the State of Ohio. But it replaces that delusion with another: That people can be made miserable enough to leave on their own.” [Editorial, New York Times, 2/20/12]

·         New York Times Editorial: “In States Where ‘Self-Deportation’ Is Official Policy, The Results Have Been Deplorable” And “Have Caused A Civil-Rights Emergency.” “In states where ‘self-deportation’ is official policy, the results have been deplorable. In Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County sweeps neighborhoods making mass arrests, and people are afraid to leave home. In Alabama, farm and construction workers have fled by the thousands; tornado victims are afraid to go to a shelter. These laws hijack the federal government’s responsibility for immigration and have caused a civil-rights emergency. But Mr. Romney’s response has been to condemn the Obama Justice Department for fighting them in court.” [Editorial, New York Times,2/20/12]

Sen. John McCain, A Romney Endorser: “Self-Deportation” Is Not A Humane Way To Treat Undocumented Immigrants In The United States. RAMOS: “You’re talking about a humane way. Is self-deportation a humane way to treat 11 million undocumented immigrants?” McCAIN: “No. I think there are some people who want to leave this country and return to the country they came from, but obviously it requires a broader solution than that, and we all know that.” [Al Punto, Univision, 2/5/12]