President Obama's campaign released a Web video Friday profiling the owner of a small Michigan wind farming business, arguing the president's push for alternative energy programs has stimulated job growth.
The video comes as some of Iowa's top Republicans expressed confusion over rival Mitt Romney's opposition to extending wind energy tax credits, slated to expire at the end of the year. Iowa Gov. Terry Brandstad and Sen. Chuck Grassley — both Republicans — suggested that campaign aides must have mistakingly signaled that they did not support the extension of the credit, which has been a major economic boon for the Hawkeye State.
But the Romney campaign, in a statement on Friday, reiterated that they would "allow the wind credit to expire, end the stimulus boondoggles, and create a level playing field on which all sources of energy can compete on their merits."
The Obama team sees an opportunity in the swing state, cutting a Web ad to pounce on the flap.
In the ad, Steve Smiley, a wind energy businessman in Michigan, credits the president's green energy loan program for allowing him to hire new workers and invest in infrastructure.
"The policies that President Obama has put forward have been a great benefit to a small business like mine," Smiley says.
"The loan we've got helped us sustain 8 to 10 people plus probably half a dozen sub-suppliers," he adds.
In a statement accompanying the release of the video, the Obama campaign argues Romney's plan would "put American jobs at risk and jeopardize our energy strategy."
"President Obama’s policies have allowed businesses in the energy industry to grow — and a loan supported by the President has directly helped Heron Wind produce two to three wind turbines," the statement says. "President Obama’s all-of-the-above energy strategy is making America more energy independent by reducing our dependence on foreign oil and investing in renewable oil."
