“We are not going back to a set of policies that say you’re on your own and that’s essentially the theory of the other side. You know, George Romney,” the president said as the audience immediately burst into loud laughter.
President Obama quickly caught himself and tried to make it clear he was referring to Mitt, although perhaps to play it safe, he avoided names and stuck to the title both Romneys share.
“Governor Romney,” he began, but his voice was drowned out by the crowd, which was still laughing.
Once things quieted down after a few moments, President Obama continued his criticism of Mr. Romney’s economic policies.
“Governor Romney is a patriotic American, he’s had great success in his life and he’s raised a beautiful family,” President Obama said. “But he has a theory of the economy that basically says, if I’m maximizing returns for my investors, for wealthy individuals like myself, then everybody’s going to be better off.”
President Obama’s speech, which was over half-an-hour long, mainly focused on the economy. He argued his policies are improving the country’s economic situation, albeit gradually, while the Republicans’ want to return to policies that led to the financial crisis.
“We’ve started to right the ship and were moving in the direction that we imagined in 2008,” he said. “We’re not going back, we intend to go forward and that’s why I’m running for a second term”