Mitt Romney focus of Democrats’ new ad
WASHINGTON – Democrats are planning to ramp up their attacks on Mitt Romney today, taking out television ads that paint the former Massachusetts governor as a shape-shifter who has taken different positions on the same issue.
The ads, which are being paid for by the Democratic National Committee, will air on broadcast and cable stations in six markets that cover several key swing states: Albuquerque, N.M.; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Columbus, Ohio; Pittsburgh; Washington, DC; and Milwaukee.
The DNC is also pairing with state party officials to hold events in the states where the ad is running, as well as in Iowa, New Hampshire, Florida, and Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Democratic Party is holding a press conference this afternoon to highlight the ad.
The campaign highlights what national Democrats have said privately for weeks: that they believe Romney will be the Republican nominee, and want to begin to define him on their terms to a national audience. It also illustrates that a key component of their narrative is that Romney has changed his positions on a number of issues.
The new 30-second spot is put together like a movie trailer, with a deep-voiced narrator intoning that it’s “the story of two men trapped in one body.’’ It highlights contradictory statements Romney has made on abortion and health care. The ad is a trailer for a longer video that appears on a new website called MittvMitt.com.
The televised ad is not the first the DNC has taken out against Romney, but it is being run in far more states. The DNC would not disclose how much it was spending on the ad.
Romney, too, has increasingly focused on President Obama, even before he wins the Republican nomination and amid signs that Newt Gingrich is gaining momentum in the GOP primary.
Romney’s campaign yesterday, for example, sent out a press release called “Obama vs. Obama.’’
“President Obama has failed to create a single net new job and has wreaked more havoc on the middle class than any president in modern history,’’ spokeswoman Andrea Saul said this morning in a statement after the DNC ad was released. “The last thing the White House wants is to have to run against Mitt Romney and be held accountable for the many failures of this Administration. So, instead of focusing on the economy and creating jobs, President Obama and Democrats are focused on tearing down Mitt Romney.’’
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