Obama Turns Up Heat On Romney During Florida Swing
MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – On the campaign trail for a second day in Florida, President Barack Obama tried to move past Friday's weak jobs report and highlighted the impact of Romney's proposals on older workers and those nearing retirement.
The president promoted a study showing that future retirees under Romney's plan would pay tens of thousands more for health care over their retirement period. The report was rejected quickly by Romney's campaign, which faulted Obama for relying on "discredited attacks" and noted the study was conducted by Obama's former adviser.
Obama told about 3,000 supporters in Melbourne that if Romney had his way, Americans will pay more so insurers could make more.
"No American should have to spend their golden years at the mercy of insurance companies," he said.
Obama stopped at a cafe to eat breakfast with two older couples concerned about Medicare costs. But a brief interaction with another patron and Romney supporter highlighted what polls show is a persistent problem for Obama with voters who like him personally but question his economic competence.
"I always thought he was a very personable person, nice person. I just don't think he's doing a good job on the economy," said 73-year old Bill Terrell of Cocoa.
In broadcast interviews, Mitt Romney and running mate Paul Ryan kept the heat on Obama on the economic front, warning that across-the-board spending cuts set to take effect at the start of 2013 could devastate the defense budget. Half of the cuts are expected to come from the Pentagon if Congress doesn't reach a budget solution in the next few months.
But Romney's attacks on the president for signing the deficit-reduction measure had some collateral damage for Ryan, who as House Budget Committee chairman both voted for and loudly praised the bill that created the trigger for the automatic spending cuts.
"I thought it was a mistake on the part of the White House to propose it," Romney said. "I think it was a mistake for Republicans to go along with it."
With an eye toward undecided voters dismayed by the lackluster recovery, Romney and Ryan faulted Obama for failing to provide the tax relief they say holds the key to the creation of millions of jobs. Romney has pledged to lower tax rates for by 20 percent for all Americans — including the wealthy.
Romney has said he'll pay for those cuts by eliminating loopholes and deductions for higher-income earners. But both Republicans were unyielding in saying that the specifics would come only after the election.
Drawing attention to his opponents' reticence, Obama shot back hours later, saying Ryan and Romney deserve a failing math grade instead of accolades for bold leadership.
"It was like two plus one equals five," Obama said, prompting incredulous chuckles from the crowd in Florida.
For Obama, Florida presents a convergence of issues. Even as Obama sought to touch a nerve on health care, Romney's campaign was trying to stoke anti-Obama sentiments among the state's numerous Jewish voters and donors by drawing attention to the flap at the Democratic National Convention over whether the party platform should define Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
White House press secretary Jay Carney sought to distinguish between what Obama has said is his personal view that Jerusalem is and should remain the capital of Israel, and longstanding U.S. foreign policy which states that the status of Jerusalem should be part of final negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.
Also on the minds of some Florida residents was the future of the U.S. space program. Greeting Obama as he arrived at his rally in Melbourne were a knot of protesters holding anti-Obama signs, including one that read, "Obama lied. Space Coast died."
Melbourne, home of the Kennedy Space Center and the Florida Institute of Technology, has been hard hit by cutbacks in the space program. Obama's campaign cast blamed on President George W. Bush and House Republicans, while Obama said his proposals to put the U.S. on the cutting edge of space exploration would inspire the next generation.
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