President Obama’s campaign spokeswoman, Lis Smith, sent out an outraged response after the president was blasted by a woman who said he should be “tried for treason” and a local politician made a speech slamming him for taking vacations at Mitt Romney’s town hall event in Euclid, Ohio.
“Today we saw Mitt Romney’s version of leadership: standing by silently as his chief surrogate attacked the President’s family at the event and another supporter alleged that the President should be tried for treason,” Ms. Smith said. “Time after time in this campaign, Mitt Romney has had the opportunity to show that he has the fortitude to stand up to hateful and over-the-line rhetoric and time after time, he has failed to do so. If this is the ‘leadership’ he has shown on the campaign trail, what can the American people expect of him as commander-in-chief?”
The “treason” comment was made by a female supporter during a question and answer session.
“We have a president right now that is operating outside the structure of our Constitution,” the woman said. “I do agree he should be tried for treason, but I want to know what you’re going to be able to do to help restore balance between the three branches of government and what you’re going to be able to do to restore our constituion in this country.”
In his answer to the woman, Mr. Romney didn’t specifically address the issue of whether President Obama could be tried as a traitor.
“As I’m sure you do, I happen to believe that the Constitution was not just brilliant, but probably inspired,” Mr. Romney said. “I believe, unlike what the president said about the Supreme Court where he suggested that it was–not just suggested, he said that it would be unprecedented for the Supreme Court to overturn a decision by the Legislature, actually that’s their role and has been since Marbury v. Madison in the early 1800s. And so, I would respect the different branches of government if I’m fortunate enough to become president.”
Mr. Romney subsequently told CNN he doesn’t agree with the woman, but that he also doesn’t “correct all of the questions that get asked of me.”
The other moment in the Ohio event that earned the ire of the Obama campaign’s came when Ohio Auditor Dave Yost made a speech criticizing the President and First Lady for traveling during the financial crisis.
“Anyone get three vacations in 2009 at the depths of the recession?” Mr. Yost asked. “Anyone fly to New York just to have a date night with your spouse? I didn’t think so. Mr. President, That’s not middle class, and you stop lecturing us about our lives.”
Mr. Yost also said crediting President Obama for Osama bin Laden’s death was comparable to “giving Ronald McDonald credit for the Big Mac you ate for lunch.”
Aides for Mr. Romney later rushed to clarify that Mr. Yost was not officially speaking on behalf of the campaign and to distribute past quotes where Mr. Romney praised the president for the Bin Laden killing.
