Romney's "Running Man" Ad Captures Candidate Dashing from His Record
August 30, 2007
As smooth talking Mitt Romney dashes into South Carolina today, his campaign is hitting the airwaves in Iowa and New Hampshire with a new ad that stumbles on the perfect metaphor for his campaign: Romney running. In his desperation to convince Republican primary voters to ignore his real record, Romney has sprinted through an endless array of flip-flops on everything from immigration to abortion to gun control to gay rights. But, with just seven percent of South Carolina Republicans supporting his campaign, Romney seems to be running in place. [Bloomberg, 8/29/07]
In just the last week, Romney has been called out for trying to sprint away from his tax-raising record as Massachusetts governor. Romney's new ad--which features him jogging near his summer home on New Hampshire's Lake Winnipesaukee--claims he inherited a state facing "huge deficits" and "turned it around" without raising taxes. [Boston Globe Political Intelligence blog, 8/29/07] But the Associated Press reported this week that on Romney's watch "Massachusetts led the nation" in new fees imposed on taxpayers. In just his first year in office, Romney raised fees and fines by $501 million, including $140 million in what Romney called business tax "loophole closings." Romney earned the nickname "Fee-Fee" after increasing fees paid by the disabled, gun owners, people seeking training to combat domestic violence, used car buyer--even horseback riding instructors. [Associated Press, 8/28/07]
"Smooth talking Mitt Romney's 'Running Man' ad is the perfect metaphor for a candidate who can't run far enough or fast enough from his dismal record as governor or his previous positions on the key issues in this campaign," said Democratic National Committee Press Secretary Stacie Paxton. "Romney may be desperate to leave his past in the dust, but it's going to take more than new running shoes and slick campaign ads to convince the American people to ignore his flip-flops and blatant pandering."
Romney Rhetoric vs. Reality
ANNOUNCER: "A state losing jobs with huge deficits. Governor Mitt Romney turned it around. Cutting spending, instead of raising taxes."
Massachusetts Lost 10,000 Jobs During Romney's Watch. Romney oversaw a net decrease of more than 10,000 jobs in Massachusetts. [Boston Herald, 2/21/07]
Romney Raised $500 Million in Fees, Imposed More Fee Hikes Than any Other State in the Nation. "A survey of states grappling with spending crises has found that Massachusetts imposed more fee hikes than any other state in the nation this year -- at least $500 million, the Boston Globe reported. GOP Gov. Mitt Romney and the Legislature, faced with a multibillion dollar shortfall, made it more expensive to get a marriage license or a divorce, file a court case, buy a house, renew a driver's license, or tap into a host of other state services. The study by the National Conference of State Legislatures found that Massachusetts was one of 30 states that enacted fee increases this year." [Congress Daily, 8/28/03]
Property Taxes Rose to Highest Level in 25 Years. Romney's cuts to local aid forced Massachusetts property taxes to their highest level in 25 years. [Quincy Patriot Ledger, 12/16/05; Boston Globe, 10/24/05]
Associated Industries of Massachusetts: Romney Forced Hike in Local Commercial Property Taxes. Romney "signed a measure that allowed local officials to raise the commercial property tax rate, which cost business owners $100 million, according to Associated Industries of Massachusetts, the state's largest business group." [Quincy Patriot Ledger, 12/16/05; Boston Globe, 10/24/05]
Romney's Economic Record As Governor Is Shaky At Best. "Since January 2003, when Romney took office, through the end of last year Massachusetts ranked 46th in job growth, up just 1.1 percent. In the last year, the gap between Massachusetts and the nation has widened, with the state's employment rising only four-tenths of 1 percent, or less than a third the national average of 1.3 percent. That put Massachusetts tied for 44th in the country. If all things in life are measured against expectations, Romney will have a particular problem explaining away the economy. He was going to be our CEO Governor, the state's top salesman who could talk businessman-to-businessman and bring home those good-paying jobs. It was all bunk, of course. But he said it, and he will have to live with it. There are 40,000 fewer people in the workforce than when Romney took over." [Boston Globe, 2/15/06]
