You're watching...
Bob Rice, Jeanne Zanio & Penny Lee on Romney’s efforts to reel in votes at NAACP conference
Also in this playlist...
Auto-advance: ON
Auto-advance
This transcript is automatically generated
Governor -- when he was speaking at the NAACP.
Conference earlier today.
Not necessarily the most sympathetic.
Audiences to to the Republican candidate but he was that.
Making his case and he actually once again.
Promise that he would look.
To repeal.
President Obama's health care oval hole his Mitt Romney from -- earlier today.
I'm -- -- eliminate every nonessential expensive program I can find.
That includes obamacare and I'm gonna work to reform and save.
Not a -- we said the most sympathetic reception that.
But you know a speech she had to go and make -- And dangerous and that he decided that he's not -- -- shy away from attacking.
This health care reform act added what over the audience.
Yet you know it's interesting you don't talk about fighting an uphill battle you know you you're looking at 90% support among African Americans for President Obama.
So I think his his idea today is to go in there come out relatively unscathed and focus as much as he can on the economy.
But he did go and make his case about health care yeah it's a very hard case to make and that audience as we just heard from the reaction so.
You know but just back -- congress -- once I get -- it is really not you know terribly.
Shocking to see that they -- mind wasting time they here at 10% approval right now it doesn't matter it's not gonna change anybody's mind about them.
But when you're talking about congress absolutely they have nothing to lose when you're at 10%.
-- can't go much lower.
All right so what -- what governor Romney also told to -- was and another.
Sort of theme developing theme all of this election and that is the republicans' argument.
That President Obama is engaged in class warfare is declaring war on the rich is governor Romney talking about that.
Issue for the opposition charges that I and people in my party are running for office to help the rich.
Nonsense.
The rich will do just fine whether I'm elected or not.
The president wants to make this campaign about blaming the rich and I want to make this a campaign about helping the middle class in America.
-- -- -- Want to help the middle class in America their role about the middle class in America who's winning that argument -- Obama's winning argument I mean note or Romney is -- -- do and Obama is being super Smart about it because what's gonna happen next.
Is we're getting into this now he's going to be drawl Romney into a debate.
About whether or not to just pass tax relief for people who were making less than 250000 dollars a year that sounds like the middle class to make.
Romney's gonna be forced to say no no that's not good enough you have to do it for everybody which proves Obama's point number one number two it -- focuses.
Of on the fact.
They're Romney has never has only released one year tax returns and -- all of those other years and how about the Vanity Fair thing which points out that he's gotten multi millions of dollars in overseas bank accounts in the Cayman Islands.
And Switzerland.
And what the heck is going -- with all of that.
So he's got he's got some.
Powerful weapons to argue the middle class issued a penny who didn't doesn't is this is -- effect charge -- that to just keep talking about.
Mitt Romney's tax returns Mitt Romney Swiss banking -- Is misleading I mean that both the candidates as Republicans rightly say -- wealthy that may be different levels of well but neither of them is exactly.
Middle -- isn't it had little disingenuous of the Democrats to keep saying hey there's a rich candidate for president they're all rich for the time they run for the presidency.
But that they also but the president also is going beyond and I think it's absolutely fair to point out.
The individual candidates background and you are fully embedded -- and should be fully vetted as president United States we have the right to know.
Fully what is in your background as we're about to elect you to lead our country and being -- -- -- the leader of the free world so we absolutely should be able to examine fully.
-- his own father released twelve years of tax returns and he's only -- -- limited us to -- no one.
We absolutely you should be forthright and it and it's.
Transparent as absolutely possible when you run for president because the American people have the right to know who they are voting for so I think the charges.
And the questions about his background it -- are absolutely fair.
But it but to the other point and -- it tacking on an on the middle class because they're they're what they're wealthy individuals might be wealthy and bombing and Romney.
Look at it the -- the policies and that some governor Romney is pursuing are also beneficial to the wealthy too many would say his own colleagues that are out there.
He hasn't been out there proposing things that do actually help the middle class in fact his policies.
Ward tend to favor those that are in the upper too so I think the president having that contrast.
And being able to show there's going to be -- clear choice in this election.
As to whose policies best benefit the -- -- regardless of whether or not there individually -- -- -- who benefit the middle class.
That is actually be to Barack Obama's paper here.
Anyone about the the shots that some Democrats of being hypocritical here a lot of them probably have Swiss banking camps.
-- -- a couple of our view is -- pointing -- -- Charles -- among them Bill Taylor saying it's his money he earned it.
None of our business way he puts it there's nothing illegal about it.
Yet you know the problem is is that it is and become tradition for candidates you know other Democrats may.
Not have released to their records but they're not running for president or not a leading candidate for president right now.
And so when you -- the leading candidate for president in this country since the time of Mitt Romney's father in fact.
You have released here you have release your records and so Mitt Romney I think is going to have to release them.
I don't think we're gonna find as much I mean a Vanity Fair article is very interesting.
I don't think it's gonna shock the average voter he's made it very very wealthy man nobody is surprised by that but I think the campaign is gonna have to release sent I think they should do it now I think the longer they wait the more you see the drumbeat.
Vanity Fair the New York Times it was all over the morning news this morning.
He needs to release fat and he needs to make that case I mean if you're gonna say politically what he should do.
What he's saying at the NAACP today African Americans 14% unemployment rate.
Average Americans eight point two unemployment rate yes I am very -- my tax returns show that.
But I have policies which will help reading which will help the middle class no I'm not saying his policies will help the middle class lives he needs to make that case but the longer he waits on these tax returns I think the worst for him.
-- -- the interesting thing to me is how poorly.
This.
Campaign so far.
Has shown its ability to think ahead I mean we were talking about the health care.
Unless some I was on the today before they'll -- ruling came out right him.
There -- and what we talked about was it's not really so much.
What the and what the Supreme Court rules it's how did they react to what the Supreme Court rules remember that conversation yes and other -- react to the Supreme Court ruling they were all over the place it has this.
They never thought about the issue before that day.
Now the same thing is true in this particular case the guy knows it has known for years she was gonna run for president.
Why didn't you get rid of these accounts is what is shows is a complete lack either of understanding where you -- vis a -- everyone else or complete lack of foresight -- Only two options --
