President Obama’s campaign is out with a new ad attacking Mitt Romney as dishonest in the wake of Obama’s panned debate performance.
In a Web ad called “Mitt Romney’s Not Telling the Truth,” Obama’s campaign targets claims Romney made on taxes and healthcare during Wednesday’s debate. It’s the first of a series of ads promised by the campaign to be released throughout Friday challenging Romney’s assertions.
“On Wednesday night, Mitt Romney didn’t tell the American people the truth,” the Obama campaign said in a statement. “He didn’t tell the truth about his $5 trillion tax cut weighted toward the wealthy. He didn’t tell the truth about his plan for Americans with pre-existing conditions. And he didn’t tell the truth about his plan and the president’s plan for Medicare.”
The ad shows a series of headlines from media outlet fact-checkers calling into question Romney’s assertions, before playing clips of Romney at the debate and then swatting down his claims.
The claims the ad focuses on are of Romney saying his tax plan doesn’t call for $5 trillion in tax cuts, that his healthcare plan would allow people with pre-existing conditions to obtain coverage and that Obama would gut Medicare.
At Wednesday’s first debate between Obama and Romney, the Republican nominee was the clear aggressor as he attacked Obama’s record and sought to present himself as a viable alternative.
Obama, in contrast, seemed subdued and unfocused, and he has come under intense criticism from his supporters. Ex-Gov. Ed Rendell (D-Pa.) described Obama as “lethargic” in an interview on Thursday, while comedian Bill Maher questioned whether Obama needed a teleprompter to come up with good lines.
The ads being released Friday are an attempt by Obama’s campaign to begin to shift that story as the president prepares for his next debate with Romney in two weeks.
In between, Vice President Biden and GOP vice presidential nominee and Wisconsin GOP Rep. Paul Ryan will debate next week.
