If I had a nickel for every time Mitt Romney promised voters he'd create 12 million jobs if elected, I'd have nearly as much money as Mitt Romney. To a very real extent, it's become the central argument underpinning Romney's entire candidacy: vote for him, get 12 million jobs.
Indeed, the Republican best known for laying off American workers and failing to create jobs during his one term as governor, has been fairly specific, at least in terms of the goal: he'll not only create 12 million new jobs, Romney will do so in one term.
The main problem with Romney's vague and unspecified jobs plan has been the fact that the economy is on track to create 12 million jobs between 2012 and 2016 anyway. It makes this a pretty weak promise as campaign boasts go.
But to his credit, Glenn Kessler dug a little deeper, and discovered the Romney campaign's central argument is based on a shameless lie.
This is a case of bait-and-switch. Romney, in his convention speech, spoke of his plan to create "12 million new jobs," which the campaign's White Paper describes as a four-year goal.
But the candidate's personal accounting for this figure in this campaign ad is based on different figures and long-range timelines stretching as long as a decade -- which in two cases are based on studies that did not even evaluate Romney's economic plan. The numbers may still add up to 12 million, but they aren't the same thing -- not by a long shot.
Clearly, some clever campaign staffer thought it would be nice to match up poll-tested themes such as "energy independence," "tax reform" and "cracking down on China" with actual job numbers. We just find it puzzling that Romney agreed to personally utter these words without asking more questions about the math behind them.
Romney has had a little trouble with the meaning of the word "studies" lately, so much so that he thinks blog posts from his supporters qualify for the "studies" label.
But this newly-uncovered problem is even more outrageous. The news here borders on scandalous.
Asked about the promise of 12 million jobs, the Romney campaign breaks it down this way: 3 million jobs in the energy sector, 7 million jobs through changes to the tax code, and 2 million jobs from trade and job training. From there's it's just arithmetic: 3 + 7 + 2 = 12. The campaign has a white paper, prepared by Romney economic advisers, intended to bolster the plan.
But the white paper makes no mention of 3 + 7 + 2 = 12. When Kessler asked Team Romney about this, aides sent over an entirely different study, pointing to 12 million new jobs over the course of 10 years as a result of Romney's agenda.
Except, Romney specifically said 12 million jobs over four years. What's more, the "study" that says Romney can create 3 million jobs in the energy sector is based on a Citigroup Global Markets report that never looked at Romney's proposals, and projected what's possible over eight years.
Adding insult to injury, the 2 million jobs through trade comes from a 2011 International Trade Commission report, which also paid no attention to Romney's policies, and doesn't actually say what the Republican campaign claims it says.
It's extraordinary to consider with just three weeks until Election Day, but Mitt Romney's central argument to voters has been exposed as a total fraud.
Greg Sargent added, "Let's recap what Kessler has discovered here. The plan that is central to Romney's candidacy on the most important issue of this election -- jobs -- is a complete sham. This is every bit as bad -- or worse -- than Romney's claim to have created 100,000 jobs at Bain, or his vow to cut spending by eliminating whole agencies without saying which ones, or his refusal to say how he'll pay for his tax cuts."
I don't seriously expect this to rock the presidential campaign, but it certainly has that potential. The revelation is simply that brutal.
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It's obvious that Romney and Ryan are both con men looking to pull off the biggest con of them all, and just as obvious that Democrats don't know how to expose these charlatans. Democrats just don't get it when it comes to fighting the enemy. They are either too PC or think they have to use the most indirect language possible. If Romney wins, it will be because Democrats were too cowardly to fight for the middle class.
no president or presidential candidate can predict how many jobs will be created under their watch. yes, they still do make the predictions to offer soundbites for the press and stump speeches but none of us take their number throwing seriously do we? i've always thought pinning yourself down to a specific number is a recipe for failure
I shake my head that the main stream media has not yet been able to wrap their head around the fact that the GOP has nominated a pathological liar to run for President and VOTERS NEED TO BE EDUCATED TO THAT FACT. People listen to Mitt Romney as they did in the last debate and can not wrap their heads around the fact that the man is making up his positions and promises as he is speaking and don't have ready access to footage of him taking the opposite position the day before. He knows it. He believes he is smarted than most and can fool the electorate into voting him into office so THEN he can do whatever he wants.
If I don't start to hear Diane Sawyer, Scott Pelley and Brian Williams lead their evening news broadcasts EXPLAINING to viewers stories like this one where Romney has once again lied or switched positions they should be fired. The media knows how dishonest Mitt Romney is and is just sitting there shrugging it's shoulders as they did when they blindly told voters there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq when they knew there was no proof. WAKE UP MEDIA!
It's not a false liberal media bias that's dying , it's journalism based on the facts and all of the facts.
Richard, I couldn't agree more. I have heard Brian Williams mention it - right after the last debate, but then they went into the segment about the debate and all they could talk about was how badly the President did.
So while I completely agree with you about the media - what? Do they think they'll be accused of being political if they tell the truth? - I want to hear the President and all of his surrogates shout it to the rooftops!
It is interesting how Romney wants to promote opening land in America to Oil drilling. Perhaps because Harold Hamm who he has as his Energy Adviser is a Billionaire and comtributed $985,000 to his campaign. Mr. Hamm is the 30th richest man in America and a Oilman. The evening big money was donated Romney released his plan to drill for Oil on Federal lands. These big money people behind Romney/Ryan and the campaign seems criminal and should be investigated by the FBI. Now he is holding an exclusive meeting in NY for more of his fellow millionaires, Donald Trump,Former Mayor, Harold Hamm to name a few. To attend each guest had to have raised a $250,000 donation . This seems like a small amount for them but to know these people are gathering under the guise of job creation is laughable. This was on Morning Joe yesterday is anyone cares to read the whole story. How crooked will this race get? It is so disgusting how Greedy this world has become and who they have to kick out of the way to get richer. Laughable too is Ryan in the kitchen washing a pan. I have done this work for years and he came along after the kitchen had been cleaned. Look at the background, see any other pans or dishes unwashed? Note the neatly stacked pans on the shelf behind him. When some of our staff would serve food the others would be cleaning pots and pans and dishes are they were empty. Can you imagine the work we would have
had otherwise. He should apologize to that Center and give them a huge donation. I would rather see my money go to feed the poor than line the pockets of Rich Hypocrite(s).
News flash: Romney discovered lying again.
In other news, tide continues to ebb and flow.
Just to make my point clean, I did not work at the Center where Ryan showed up, I don't live there. Our Catholic Church had many events like this as well as the other Charities here in my town. Our Town also hold a yearly Thanksgiving Dinner open free to all in need. The Good People here also have a Dinner held 5 days a week for
homeless and others who would otherwise not have anything to eat. But I could clearly see the background where Ryan was posing and it was unlike any Kitchen I ever volunteered in unless we had already cleaned everything.One pan, who is he kidding, I use more than that and only have a small family.
Regardless of how it's going to happen, 12 million jobs in 4 years is only 250,000 jobs per month. That's not really anything exciting as far as a campaign promise would go.
Romney's whole campaign is made up of smoke and mirrors. Why should his jobs plan be any different? However, voters who want to vote against President Obama for whatever reasons will grasp at anything -- even smoke and mirrors -- to justify their votes.
...to justify the fact that they're all bigots and waterheads.
His plan is to beef up the military. That means more ships, aircraft, subs, and the equipment to operate them. That comes from Pentagon contracts w/ civilians. Probably the same ones filling his election coffers. Someone has to make the uniforms, boots, helmets, nightvsion, and black ops equipment. Lots of jobs there, but what do we do w/ all that equipment? Make more bullets, bombs, etc.to fulfill their mission requirements, too. Sadly, make more jobs to make more Purple Hearts. I see his plan, and it isn't a pretty sight. All those uniforms have Amercan bodies inside of them, because w/ all that equipment comes the need for manpower and extensive training (even more jobs). Remember Pres Reagan's Starwars plan? Perhaps Pres Roosevelt's plan on WW2 to bring us out of the Big Depression. I believe he is counting on our past history repeating itself, but that was then and this is now. His belief in the cold war is still present is something we should take seriousely. I see war in our future like nothing we've seen before.
I don't know about anyone else, but since the president came into office, my business has taken off, the year before that, clients were dropping out in droves and I lived on credit for a year. Today, my business has not only recovered, I was able to pay off those credit cards. Thank you Mr. Obama for bringing my business back, I have already voted for you!!
With Mitt rising in the polls I still can't figure why and on what basis Are American people paying attention, wait never mind
see my post 35.1.....
Why don't the Democrats in the media ever point out the loss of jobs prior to these 12 million being created. Obama and the left should be promoting not only the fact that there are already 12 million that are projected the next 4 years and if he is successful there will be a 0% unemployment rate and hold him to that but also push the fact that hundreds of thousands if not over a million jobs will be lost right away. Cuts to PBS, Planned Parenthood, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Privatizing Education, and other areas he deems "unnecessary". These all employ hundreds of thousands of people and no one is talking about the fact that they will lose their jobs before any are created due to Romney's proposed cuts. CALL him out on the immediate job losses and the 0% unemployment he is holding to.
All voters want to know is WHERE'S THE BEEF that Obuma has been promising for 4 straight years . . . as the angry left accelerates its death spiral.
Are you willing to stand by the maximum 2% unemployment rate by Romney??? Job Growth flat will create a minimum of 5.04 million jobs and Romney is promising 12 million. Thats 17.04 million jobs created over the next 4 years and will take unemployment to 2%. Are you willing to stand by that and say the same to Romney if he is elected and can't deliver? Will you vote Democrat then? If not then you don't really have a leg to stand on blaming him when you aren't willing to do the same if your guy fails.
If George Romney were alive today he would call the "Jobless Plan" of his son a lie. George Romney would state it very clearly to his son if alive today. It would go something like this. You need to mean what you say son, and say what you mean. Son you are not able to do either. This makes you son an "Economic Vulture," and you have lost your humanity. That is fact!
The single biggest favor the Obama campaign could deliver to all of us tonight is to already have put all the Romney BS in one easy to understand POWERPOINT with it's own website and at the first Romney Lie Obama tells everyone to check it out. You don't think a zillion twitterers, bloggers and journos wouldn't do it? and write about it?
done...
http://www.romneytaxplan.com/
Half my family is democrat...and they think and do exactly what you described. So.....it's not politics or even religion. It's HOW THEY WERE RAISED BY THEIR PARENTS.
I don't understand how some people are going to vote for someone just cause they want the black man out of the white house!! Romney goes from state to state lying and flip/flopping his whole campaign!! Telling people what they what to hear!! Obama has set us on the right track and we are progressing!! I know he hasn't kept some of his promises from 2008 but who was it what didn't let him pass them in congress?? Republicans!! They have been wanting him out from the get go!! Romney is going to screw the average Americans worse than Bush did!! People need to start really listening to what Romney is saying!! Obama better bring his A game tonight and call Romney out on all the lies and flip/flopping he has done!! Im voting Obama/Biden November 6, 2012!!
Wow!
the lies every time he opens his mouth! and its sad many of the people want that for a leader.
America's number one export is GASOLINE. We keep all the pollution though. It's the main way they can keep gas prices high...and it's disgusting to think we still give these oil giants tax payer subsidies.
Why is anyone still supporting Romney after all the blatant lying? This man is toxic to American democracy and the only way to not know that is to not WANT to know that.
The @!$%#s of a community all have Romney/Ryan signs in their yards. Don't think so...go talk to one of them.
It's gong to take more then four years to fix Ronny.
Hey, ya'll take it easy on the south stuff would ya?? We're not all wearing sheets here ya know. I have to admit here in western, central FL I'm literally afraid to put my Obama sign out, cuz these people are nuts, I mean scary nuts. I just want to know, I mean I know Republicans have issues, but how the hell did these Tea Party nuts get elected? I didn't vote for them, what happened to the non-WASPs? I just got republican propaganda mail and it actually had a scripture quoted on the bottom. What has happened to us?
dude i feel the same way!! i live in Houston TX and i want to put an Obama bumper sticker on my truck but i don't want anything to happen it lol!! people here are crazy too!! i dont understand my someone will vote for romney!! he will screw us soo bad and then what are they going to say?? Obama has our back and we should have his!!
Too true! The South has a lot of good things about it. Racism exists all over the place. Red states have blue voters too. Not even every Republican is a bad dude. My neighbor's probably one. We trade off mowing each other's grass. He's lent me his chainsaw; I shovel his sidewalk sometimes in snow season.
To the post above about all the yard signs, yeah someone has peppered my neighborhood's median with them, but they were all probably put up by paid staff one Sunday morning. Doesn't mean much. PA is voting for Obama.
OK, can anyone answer this question for me: if "government doesn't create jobs," then why is Romney running on the idea that he as president will create jobs ("I know how to create jobs")?
I think the right wingers are sore losers. I thought it was interesting that someone said that " When you tell the Republicans that they lost, they will kill you. When you tell the Democrats that they lost,they kill themselves.