Republican U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney campaigns at LeClaire Manufacturing in Bettendorf, Iowa, August 22, 2012. REUTERS/John Gress
By Philip Rucker, The Washington Post
BETTENDORF, Iowa – Mitt Romney returned forcefully to his core economic themes at a rally here Wednesday, trying to reassert control over his presidential campaign as a Republican Senate candidate’s errant remarks on abortion threaten to overwhelm his message.
Romney tore into President Obama over his stewardship of the nation’s job market and reliance on deficit spending, saying the president’s record is “inexcusable†and calling on Iowans who helped propel Obama to the White House four years ago to take a different course this fall.
“President Obama, bless his heart, has tried to substitute government for free people and it has not worked and it will never work,†Romney said. “He said he’d cut the deficit in half; he doubled it. He said he’d get people good jobs; instead, we’ve gone 42 straight months with unemployment over 8 percent. Twenty-three million Americans out of work or stopped looking for work. It’s inexcusable.†… Read More
Republican U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney greets workers as he campaigns at LeClaire Manufacturing in Bettendorf, Iowa, August 22, 2012. REUTERS/John GressA man (L) who kept shouting at Republican U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney argues with another man in the audience as Romney campaigns at LeClaire Manufacturing in Bettendorf, Iowa, August 22, 2012. REUTERS/John GressRepublican U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney campaigns at LeClaire Manufacturing in Bettendorf, Iowa, August 22, 2012. REUTERS/John GressRepublican U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney campaigns at LeClaire Manufacturing in Bettendorf, Iowa, August 22, 2012. REUTERS/John GressYoung supporters of Republican U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney wait for an oppertunity to shake his hand as he campaigns at LeClaire Manufacturing in Bettendorf, Iowa, August 22, 2012. REUTERS/John GressYoung supporters of Republican U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney wait for an oppertunity to shake his hand as he campaigns at LeClaire Manufacturing in Bettendorf, Iowa, August 22, 2012. REUTERS/John GressRepublican U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney campaigns at LeClaire Manufacturing in Bettendorf, Iowa, August 22, 2012. REUTERS/John GressRepublican U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney greets workers as he campaigns at LeClaire Manufacturing in Bettendorf, Iowa, August 22, 2012. REUTERS/John GressRepublican U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney campaigns at LeClaire Manufacturing in Bettendorf, Iowa, August 22, 2012. REUTERS/John Gress
