By: Alexander Sileo
Mitt Romney has just clinched the Republican nomination after a primary win in Texas. The result has been obvious for weeks, but now that it is official the general election can begin, and both sides are eager to start campaigning for votes in key swing states. Each campaign will have numerous ways to attack its opponents, and with the influx of money from Super PACs, campaign donations will be larger than ever.
So far, the main criticism of Romney has been his tenure at Bain Capital. This has been one of the main pillars of Romney’s campaign during the Republican primary. Primary opponents such as Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum occasionally pointed out instances in which Romney’s policies led to failed companies and closed factories, but Romney managed to sneak by and avoid these criticisms for the most part. Their attacks mainly focused on Romney’s healthcare law, which is similar to President Barack Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or ‘Obamacare,’ and his appeal to conservative voters that are the core of the Republican Party.
But as the general election begins, Bain Capital discussion has resurfaced. Romney often cites his experience in the private sector as the characteristic that most distinguishes him from Obama. Obama has echoed Gingrich and Santorum by suggesting that Romney’s policies led to failed businesses and job losses. Obama also argued that the Presidency is “not simply to maximize profits,” and that Romney’s experience will not necessarily aid him in the White House.
Obama should not focus too heavily on this point. Romney is trying to distance himself from his past political career and focusing on his experience in the private sector to emphasize what the country needs in order to get out of the current economic downturn. By focusing on Romney’s record at Bain Capital, Obama is only highlighting this difference. The attacks on Bain Capital will ultimately end up with Obama presenting a factory that failed under Bain and Romney presenting a factory that succeeded under Bain.
This dialogue will do little to convince voters to back Obama, but focusing on Romney’s private sector experience may convince voters to back Romney. While Obama’s policies have gradually improved the economy and created jobs, many Americans might feel that the current pace is not fast enough. Romney may begin to look like a welcomed change simply because he is different from Obama. Americans want employment now, not four years from now. Highlighting the fact that Romney once worked in the private sector might make Romney more attractive to independent voters that aren’t seeing the change they were promised in 2008.
These attacks also run the risk of making Obama seem anti-business. Newark mayor Cory Booker called the attacks “nauseating” and wanted Obama to “stop attacking private equity.” Former President Bill Clinton also sidestepped a question about Romney’s work on Bain last week. Obama’s point that private equity does not equal experience in running an economy and creating jobs is legitimate, but some might see it as an attack on the private sector, rather than an attack on Romney. Obama runs the risk of boxing himself into the anti-business corner Romney has been trying to place him in since the campaign season began.
Attacking Romney’s record as governor of Massachusetts, however, gives Obama more opportunities to show why he is a better choice in November. Obama has numerous means to attack Romney’s performance as governor. The U.S. Department of Labor found that Romney was ranked forty-seventh in job creation while governor. During Romney’s governorship, Massachusetts also lost a large portion of its labor force to other states. Obama can use these statistics to point out that his record, while not where he wants it to be, is still better than Romney’s record in Massachusetts. Romney may have experience in the private sector, but this experience does not necessarily extend to governing well.
This shift towards government leadership also allows Obama to focus on his own leadership during his first term. He can continue to talk about his successful decisions, such as the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden, the uprising in Libya, the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and his healthcare initiative. Obama can show he is a strong leader who is attempting to move forward, but has been hampered by an unpopular and slow-moving Congress.
Obama should begin focusing on Romney’s record in Massachusetts rather than his tenure at Bain Capital. Brining up Bain Capital will illustrate the pair’s differences in a way that is favorable to Romney while concentrating on Romney’s term as governor will highlight the pair’s differences in a way that is favorable to Obama.
