Washington: Republican White House
hopeful Mitt Romney unleashed a hard-hitting campaign ad on Monday
blasting President Barack Obama`s handling of the economy, the
top issue on voters` minds in the 2012 race.
Romney himself does not appear in the video, which
turns Obama`s June 3 comment that "there are always going to
be bumps on the road to recovery" into an attack highlighting
historically high unemployment of about 9.1 per cent.
Instead, the ad shows people lying in a road, then
standing up each in turn to declare "I`m an American, not a
bump in the road" and holding up a placard with their name
followed by "stands with Mitt."
The ad drew an immediate response from the White House,
with spokesman Jay Carney telling reporters that "as we emerge
from this recession it is not going to be a straight road,
there are going to be some bumps on the road."
"These are common phrases in the English lexicon and I
think that his meaning is clear, which is that we are heading
in the right direction, but it is not necessarily a smooth
path," said Carney.
"That is precisely because of the devastating impact
the recession did have on the economy and the unemployment in
this country," said the spokesman.
Romney`s camp released the video ahead of a Republican
presidential debate in New Hampshire, where the former
Massachusetts governor was sure to face criticism tied to his
health care overhaul, which conservatives have charged closely
resembles Obama`s own health law which they despise.
PTI
