A new TV ad by the pro-Barack Obama Super-PAC, Priorities USA Action, against Mitt Romney is yet another example of ′Obamaloney′ on several levels. Not only is the ad full of inaccuracies, but there is now a serious question if campaign laws have been violated due to collusion between the Super-PAC and Obama′s official campaign organization, Obama For America. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was hammered with questions about the circumstances of the ad and he is in full spin-denial mode. But the facts are becoming clearer that more Obamaloney is being spread around.
The ad itself features Joe Soptic, a former employee of GST Steel in Missouri. Bain Capital closed the plant in 2001, two years after Romney left Bain. Soptic tells his story in the ad, saying that he lost his health care insurance and how his wife developed cancer and died. Implying that Mitt Romney is somehow personally responsible for his wife′s death!
This outrageous attack ad is not only false in every way, but there is now evidence, in a recorded conference call, that the Obama campaign knew about Soptic months ago. Soptic′s wife had health insurance from her own job until she had an injury in 2003. She only learned that she had cancer in 2006. Joe Soptic gave an interview yesterday where he admitted that before being laid off by Bain, he and others in his department had been offered a buy out.
The Politico then breaks the story that Soptic told his tale to none other than Stephanie Cutter, the assistant campaign manager for Obama For America on May 14 of this year. The Obama campaign had denied knowing anything about Soptic when the ad by Priorities USA Action, run by Bill Burton, who had worked for Obama For America before switching to the Super-PAC. Burton had also been deputy press secretary for the Obama White House.
So, the big question is, did somebody from Obama For America tell Priorities USA Action about Soptic? If there was any interaction between the two organizations, that would violate campaign laws. As for the rest of the story, it is obvious that this cheap, low-brow trick of trying to paint Mitt Romney as a murderer is simply ridiculous. Romney had nothing to do with Bain Capital closing GST Steel. The time-line of events clearly shows that five years had passed since Joe Soptic was laid off when his wife was diagnosed with lung cancer and died. That Barack Obama refuses to acknowledge that his Super-PAC is stretching the truth and going well beyond the pale of dishonesty and civility is very telling. Since Obama only has a record of failure to run on, he must resort to cheap, dirty tricks to win reelection.
August 9th, 2012 at 7:03 am
The Romney campaign and the republicans need to get off the defense that Romney was no longer at Bain when (insert dastardly deed here) happened. This implies that the left’s narrative about Bain is accurate and that Bain is bad.
Bain is not bad. Bain is capitalism and it is how our economy works.
Soptic would probably have lost his job several years earlier if Bain had not stepped in at GS Steel.
Romney needs to stop appologizing for being a successfule businessman. It is the very thing that he should be exploiting.
August 9th, 2012 at 11:45 am
I agree 100%, Kathy. I could not agree more.
And therefore, Mitt should:
1) Release his tax returns for the past 10 years, the same as every other candidate for the Presidency has done since 1972, including his own father, and
2) Let us know exactly how much money he has deposited in how many foreign bank accounts.
Capitalism is not bad, so what does Mitt have to loose from transparency (as you suggest)?
August 9th, 2012 at 12:11 pm
You really should check your numbers before hitting submit GOK.
The left thinks everyone who is successful is a thief. It’s creepy. I couldn’t care less how much money Romney has. I’m more concerned about how much of my money Obama has flushed down the toilet.
Like most of the country, I’m not interested in combing over Romney’s tax returns. I want to know his plans to rescue our economy. The tax return story is smoke & mirrors. No one’s buying.
August 9th, 2012 at 12:31 pm
A Super Pac has done something wrong?
I’m shocked, shocked I tell you.
Something like Romney’s ad about Obama eliminating the work provision for welfare.
Unfortunately for Romney it simply isn’t true and is, in fact, a lie.
Even Newt Gingrich, after wriggling like a greased pig, admitted on Anderson Cooper that it was, not just embellishment, but had no basis in fact.
Obama merely enacted a waiver on behalf of two Republican Governors, that allows them to streamline welfare in their states to help return people to work in a more timely fashion.
Of course that didn’t fit the rhetoric.
I do apologize, however, for playing this game.
I really hate it when someone points out something the right did and instead of defending the action someone says, “Oh yeah, what about your guy”. It is a cheap tactic that is more suited to the 5th grade and I try not to do it, but this seemed like the right forum for presenting this bald-faced campaign lie.
August 9th, 2012 at 12:59 pm
I think the real lesson here is that the Super Pacs are making a mockery of our political system. I mean, Stephen Colbert actually raised over $1M…. he’s a comedian! It makes us (the US, not any particular party) look completely absurd.
August 9th, 2012 at 1:18 pm
Who’s playing games? The Romney ad simply highlighted the latest in Obama’s series of Screw Congress waivers and EOs. At any other time the progressives wouldn’t give it a second look.
But Obama’s been caught red handed accusing his opponent of being responsibe for this woman’s death – and violating campaign rules while doing so.
The game is in even attempting to equate the two. The game is in all the buzz about this BS, when we should be talking about how to get ourselves out of the mess we’re in. Obama has showed us he has no clue how to do that, so changing the subject to anything else is the marching orders.
All the little soldiers are doing a fine job.
August 9th, 2012 at 2:25 pm
GOK:
“Capitalism is not bad, so what does Mitt have to loose from transparency (as you suggest)?”
That only brings to mind the promises of transparency Obama promised.
So, first I an many Americans would like to see all of Fast n Furious documents plus why Solyndra continued to be stimulated and where that money went.
“Something like Romney’s ad about Obama eliminating the work provision for welfare.
Unfortunately for Romney it simply isn’t true and is, in fact, a lie.”
Welfare shmellfare call it what you want, we still pay taxes towards extended unemployment benefits like never before and hes put more people on food stamps than any previous prez.
Dont even get me started on corporate welfare bailouts that failed…please.
Everyone seems to forget 08-9 where we had “Obama bucks” because no one was told where all this “investment” money was supposed to come from.
Study Mandarin
August 9th, 2012 at 2:32 pm
“its a lie”
Romney needs to blow fire out his nostrils over being called a murderer while Barry reinforces his Arizona/Gabby Giffords call for civility
The same mentality did this to Bush when re-election rolled around in 04. Murderer, War criminal, blood oil, etc.
Those were the same people who voted for both wars.
Make me sick
August 9th, 2012 at 4:14 pm
Fun to see uncomfortable liberals try to change the subject.
Obama’s getting a lot of bad publicity about this today on the airwaves.
August 10th, 2012 at 6:31 am
The Romney ad about Obama changing the definition of work in regards to welfare assistance is not a lie. Section 407 of the law passed in 1996 by a BIPARTISAN Congress and signed by Bill Clinton specifically states that no future administration or Congress may redefine what constitutes work. Somehow, I do not see why getting a massage is the same as working 25 hours per week???