Obama and Romney play up military credentials
Some 15 million Americans receive food stamps, Romney continues. “We shouldn’t measure compassion by how many people are on welfare. We should measure compassion by how many people are able to get off welfare and get a good paying job.”
In Ohio, Romney said his “heart aches for the people I’ve seen” on the campaign trail. In an interview with NBC News, he made a rare boast about his tenure as governor of Massachusetts, saying, “Don’t forget – I got everybody in my state insured. One hundred per cent of the kids in our state had health insurance. I don’t think there’s anything that shows more empathy and care about the people of this country.” But at his next rally, Romney again slammed Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
Romney seems to have flip-flopped on his promise to cut income tax by 20 per cent for all Americans, telling voters in Westerville, Ohio that they should not “be expecting a huge cut in taxes because I’m also going to lower deductions and exemptions”.
Democrats had pointed out the tax cut was incompatible with Romney’s promise to slash the deficit. He wants to appeal to independent voters who are worried about government debt. While Romney attempts to demonstrate compassion, Obama has grown more acerbic. Alluding to promises by Romney aides that they will “reset” the campaign, the incumbent told a rally in Kent, Ohio, that “no matter how many times they try to reboot their campaign, no matter how many times they try to tell you they’re going to start talking specifics really soon, they don’t do it, and the reason is because the math doesn’t work”.
Obama also mocked Romney advertisements about China. Romney’s recently released 2011 income tax forms show he made a profit on shares in the Chinese-owned state oil company Cnooc, which has described itself as a “weapon” in the service of Beijing and has purchased Iranian petroleum.
“When you see these ads promising to get tough on China, it feels like the fox saying, ‘You know, we need more secure chicken coops’,” Obama said.
“I mean, it’s just not credible.”
In a sign of Republican desperation, prominent members of the party have reversed their condemnation of Todd Akin, the Senate candidate from Missouri who last month said women do not get pregnant from “legitimate rape”.
Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Jim DeMint and Roy Blunt have all endorsed Akin, who Romney asked to drop out of the race.
If Obama is re-elected, the Republicans will have to win four seats to take control of the Senate.
Missouri was one of their best hopes, but the Democratic candidate, Claire McCaskill, has led there since Akin’s “legitimate rape” comment.
