Mitt Romney, campaigning in South Carolina, vows to produce jobs
GREER, S.C. — On the same day that a pro-Newt Gingrich super PAC started running TV ads in South Carolina critical of Mitt Romney’s work with Bain Capital, Romney arrived here at a motorcycle shop this morning, promising to restore the economy and produce jobs.
The stop was part of a counter-offensive of the Romney team against criticism by both Gingrich and Texas Governor Rick Perry that Bain under Romney’s leadership sometimes closed plants and left workers jobless. Winning Our Future, a super PAC supporting Gingrich, is running an ad that describes “a group of corporate raiders led by Mitt Romney. The company was Bain Capital. More ruthless than Wall Street.’’
The super PAC also plans to broadcast a 28-minute film describing the fates of four Bain-owned companies. Material from the film is used in the ads.
In Greer, Romney defended his work at Bain, pointing to the jobs created at companies that Bain ws able to help get started or turned around.
Romney also got support today from the president and CEO of the US Chamber of Commerce. At a press conference in Washington, Tom Donohue said, “I’m disappointed with the intramural carrying on. This economy is about risk. If you don’t take a risk, you cannot have a success. It’s foolish for Republicans to carry on that line of attack because they do nothing but set up the ads for their opponents.’’
Romney’s promise in Greer to produce jobs was the message that John Turner, now unemployed for six months, wanted to hear.
And when Romney told his audience of nearly 100 that the Obama administration’s answer was to give “more and more free stuff to all the people who can’t pay it back,’’ Turner, who is on food stamps and other public assistance, didn’t wince.
“I’m not the guy he’s talking about,’’ said Turner, who works low-wage jobs at fast food restaurants and area restaurants. His wife works at a convenience store. Things got so tough, he said, that they enrolled in the federal food stamp program. “We wouldn’t need free stuff, if we had jobs,’’ he said.
“I believe the man is going to do what he says is going to do. He’s going to get us more jobs.’’
Romney spent a brief visit to Greer, a town 150 miles northwest of Columbia, the Palmetto State capital, to tout the economic themes that he hopes will resonate with South Carolinians, who hold their presidential primary Jan. 21.
After his visit, Romney flew to Florida to continue campaigning there, in advance of the state’s Jan. 31 primary.
During his appearance at Cherokee Trikes and More in Greer, Romney made no mention of his GOP rivals and reserved his attacks for the man he’d oust from the White House, President Barack Obama.
“By the end of his first term, and his only term, he will have put in place almost as much debt as all prior presidents combined,’’ Romney said.
He vowed to cap federal spending by more intensely scrutinizing government programs. “Is this program so critical to America that it’s worth borrowing money from China to pay for it?’’ said Romney, who mentioned Asia’s economic powerhouse several times in his remarks.
“I want to crack down on cheaters like China that tries to steal our jobs,’’ said Romney.
His rival, former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, a former ambassador to China under President Obama, has criticized Romney’s rhetoric, saying he could incite a trade war with China.
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