Romney: I 'don't plan on' watching Obama's speech

Mitt Romney said Thursday that he did not plan to watch President Obama's acceptance speech, and so far skipped all of the Democratic convention.

"Haven't watched so far," Romney replied when asked whether he watched former President Clinton's speech the night before.

Pressed if he would watch tonight, Romney said, "[I] don't plan on it."

The Republican nominee then began walking to his car outside of a veteran's event in Concord, N.H., but doubled back to speak at greater length on why he was skipping his opponent's address.

"I heard, or from the excerpts that are put out, I hear that the president is going to report on the promises he made and how he has performed in those promises, I'd love to watch it," Romney said. "But if it's another series of new promises that he's not going to keep, I have no interest in seeing him because I saw the promises last time. Those are promises he did not keep and the American people deserve to know why he did not keep his promises."

Fielding questions earlier in the brief press conference, Romney had said that he'd like Obama to "report on his promises, but there are forgotten promises and forgotten people."

"Over the last four years the president has said that he was going to create jobs for the American people and that hasn't happened," Romney said. "He said he'd cut the deficit in half, and that hasn't happened. He said that incomes would rise and instead incomes have gone down. I think this is a time not for him to start restating new promises, but to report on the promises he made. I think he wants a promises reset. We want a report on the promises he made."

The candidate also said he hoped to "hear some numbers" from the president.

"Let's hear sixteen. Sixteen trillion dollars of debt. This is very different from the promise he made," Romney said. "Let's hear the number of forty seven. Forty seven million people in this country on food stamps. When he took office, 33 million people were on food stamps. Let's understand why it was he's been unsuccessful in helping alleviate poverty in this country, and why so many people have fallen from the middle class into poverty under this president."

In early excerpts released by the Obama campaign, it appears the president will highlight some specific numbers and goals — although obviously not the ones Romney might have preferred. Obama will pledge to create a million new manufacturing jobs, reduce the deficit by $4 trillion, and recruit 100,000 new math and science teachers.

At least feigning no interest in an opponent's acceptance speech is not a tactic unique to Romney. Obama did not watch the Republican convention either, according to White House Press Secretary Jay Carney.

"The only thing I would read into that is what I have been saying for the last several days that the president tends to consume his news the old-fashioned way, via print," Carney said. "And by that he means no disrespect to the professionals in the broadcast media business. But he’s certainly aware of in general terms what was said."

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