As flap continues over pro-Obama PAC's ad, Romney aide praises Mass. health law

Aug 10 2012

The ad, which highlights the death of a steelworker's wife after Bain closed his plant, triggered criticism from Republicans. But a Romney aide's comments about how that family would have benefited from the Massachusetts health reforms signed into law by then-Gov. Mitt Romney was not well received in conservative circles.   

The Wall Street Journal: A Harsh Anti-Romney Ad Sparks Criticism
In an interview, Mr. Soptic said he thought the ad was fair. But he also said of Mr. Romney: "I'm not blaming him for her death. I wouldn't do that." Mr. Soptic said that his wife was receiving health insurance through her employer at the time he lost his job at GST Steel, though she later suffered an injury, left her job and lost her insurance coverage (Nicholas and Nelson, 8/8).

Boston Globe: Romney Campaign Pushes Back Against Obama Super PAC Ad
Mitt Romney's campaign pushed back hard Wednesday against a highly sensitive ad produced by a pro-Obama ­super PAC that suggests a cause-and-effect relationship between Romney's business practices and the death of a Kansas City steelworker's wife. The ad launched Tuesday by Priorities USA Action features former GST Steel employee Joe Soptic describing his wife's swift death from cancer after he lost his job and health insurance when the steel plant -; owned by Bain Capital, the private equity firm Romney founded -; went bankrupt in 2001. (Borchers 8/9).

Politico: Obama Super PAC Adviser: 'What Fact In That Ad Is Wrong?'
Bill Burton, the main face of Priorities USA Action, refused to back away from an ad that the pro-President Obama super PAC unveiled yesterday, despite blowback from Republicans and fact-checks that have questioned the account the spot relays. … Burton said the point of the ad is to describe the impact of decisions made by Romney's firm years after the fact on communities where jobs were lost. Blitzer said Romney "effectively left in 1999," and Burton responded, "He was the CEO. He was the sole shareholder. He's responsible for the decisions" of the company (Haberman, 8/8).

The Associated Press: Romney Campaign Attacks Democrats Over Ad About Woman's Death, But Aide's Remark Sparks Dismay
Mitt Romney's campaign fiercely protested a searing attack ad aired by allies of President Barack Obama on Wednesday, but drew expressions of dismay from conservatives when an aide to the former Massachusetts governor invoked the benefits of a state health care system he signed into law  (Espo, 8/8).

The New York Times' The Caucus: Romney Aide Touts Health Care Overhaul
A principal message-maker of the Romney campaign drew criticism from conservative circles on Wednesday by suggesting that if a laid-off steel worker in an anti-Romney ad had lived in Massachusetts, he would have had health insurance and his wife might still be alive. … The Romney campaign is furious with the ad, not least because Mr. Romney left Bain in 1999 and says he had no operational control after that. But Ms. Saul's remarks threaten to upstage that message by reminding voters of the link between the president's health care law and Mr. Romney's Massachusetts health reform in 2006. The universal mandate to buy insurance that Mr. Romney promoted helped inspire President Obama's health care overhaul (Gabriel, 8/8).

The Washington Post: Romney Spokeswoman Praises His Efforts On Health-Care Reform As Governor
Mitt Romney drew new fire from his conservative allies on a familiar topic Wednesday -; health-care reform -; as his spokeswoman offered unusual praise for his efforts on the issue as Massachusetts governor. In an interview with Fox News Channel on Wednesday, Andrea Saul invoked Massachusetts's expansion of health coverage as a defense to a harsh new ad funded by a super PAC supporting President Obama (Helderman and Blake, 8/8).

Politico: Romney Spokesperson Cites Massachusetts Health Law
A Mitt Romney spokesperson offered an unusual counterattack Wednesday to an ad in which a laid-off steelworker blames the presumptive GOP nominee for his family losing health care: If that family had lived in Massachusetts, it would have been covered by the former governor's universal health care law (Robillard, 8/8).