We're well aware of the lie-filled negative ads Karl Rove and the Republican-backed SuperPACs are polluting your radio and TV with, in a naked attempt to buy your vote this year.
We're also aware that instead of a propaganda campaign, America should be having a broad debate about the real issues of leadership - which is something Mitt Romney and most Republican candidates (and even a few Democratic candidates) don't want to have.
Thankfully, that is exactly the kind of debates that President Obama, Vice President Biden, and progressive-minded Democrats do want to have this year - debates about real issues, that actually display the qualities that prove whether a candidate is truly ready for office.
On Monday, May 21, President Obama made that clear, when a reporter attempted to depict the ads discussing Mitt's past as a job destroyer as a distraction, at a press conference:
President Obama responded directly, “This is not a distraction. This is what this campaign is going to be about.”
The President continued:
"If the main basis for [Romney] suggesting he can do a better job [as President] is his track record as the head of a private equity firm, then both the upsides and the downsides are worth examining."
"When you’re president, as opposed to the head of a private equity firm, your job is not simply to maximize profits. Your job is to figure out how everybody in the country has a fair shot. Your job is to think about those workers who get laid off, and how do we pay for their re-training?"
"My job is to take into account everybody, not just some. My job is to make sure that the country is growing not just now, but 10 years from now, 20 years from now."
As the President noted, what his campaign - what all the campaigns this year - should be about, are the real issues and records that prove whether a candidate is truly ready for office.
As we've noted, wth the help of Washington Monthly - and nearly 5000 of you have also noticed - President Obama's record of accomplishments is long.
In the case of President Obama's challenger, Mitt Romney, the record remains incomplete. If Mr. Romney is going to ignore his record as Governor of Massachusetts, and focus only on his record at vulture capital firm Bain Capital, then Romney's record at Bain Capital is fair game.
And as Vice President Joe Biden pointed out, working in private equity 'no more qualifies you to be President than being a plumber."
THIS is the CHOICE Americans face this year:
- A casino capitalist who keeps running away from his record in Massachusetts.
- Or a man who has accomplished a great deal, and already has proven he can be a great President, even in the hard times.
The Choice of Character
President Obama on Mitt Romney's record at Bain Captal: ‘This is what the campaign is going to be about’
What Romney should have learned at Bain - and didn't
Vice President Joe Biden: Working In Private Equity ‘No More Qualifies You To Be President Than Being A Plumber’
Romney Economics: Mitt Romney's private sector record
As Massachusetts governor, Romney had an unremarkable record on jobs
President Obama’s Top 50 First Term Accomplishments
Bankruptcy report on Bain-owned Ampad: Creditors repaid $.002 for every dollar owed
Former Bain Executive: Romney Bears Blame For Ampad Layoffs
Obama: Bain's fair game
