CNN 2012-06-16

 The Romney campaign accuses President Obama of a mixed message in the economy, but they did take his statements completely out of context. Plus * *, let's get started.

 

 

Keeping Them Honest tonight. The latest salvo from Mitt¹ Romney against President Obama's handling of the economy and a suggestion the president is flip-flopping. Now they're using President Obama's own words against him. But it appears in this case, at least, they're misusing² his words. You remember on Friday, President Obama was talking about job creation and in the process said six words that Republicans seized upon. Take a look.

 

 

(President Obama) The private sector³ is doing fine. Where we're seeing weaknesses in our economy have to do with state and local government, oftentimes cuts initiated⁴ by governors or mayors who are not getting the kind of help that they have in the past from the federal government, and who don't have the same kind of flexibility⁵ as the federal government in dealing⁶ with fewer revenues coming in.

 

 

Now, the private sector's doing fine. Those six words and the statement about overall weakness in the economy. Now, within hours, there was an RNC Web ad asking how the president can fix the economy if he doesn't know what's broken. And on the campaign trail, Romney jumped on the phrase the president used.

 

 

(Mitt Romney) He said, "the private sector is doing fine". He said, "the private sector is doing fine." Is he really that out of touch? 

 

 

Well, the president later tried to clarify his remarks, but the damage was done. Now you can decide for yourself what to think about what the president said. But today, sensing an opportunity, the Romney campaign has doubled down, putting out a new video suggesting that the president has had a mixed message on the economy, saying what he said Friday, comparing that to something he said last month. Here's the ad they ran today.

 

 

(President Obama) The private sector's doing fine. Where we're seeing weaknesses in our economy have to do with state and local government, oftentimes cuts initiated by governors or mayors who are not getting the kind of help that they have in the past from the federal government.

 

 

The only time government employment has gone down during a recession has been under me. So I make that point... I make that point just so you don't buy into this whole bloated government argument that you hear.

 

 

So the Romney camp says the president can't get his story straight, that on Friday he said the weakness in the economy was state and local government employment. But a month earlier, he touted⁷ the fact that government employment had fallen on his watch. "Touted" is the word Romney campaign spokesman Ryan Williams uses in a press release. But keeping them honest, there's one problem. If you listen to what else the president said, in May, in the sentence before or the sentence after the quote the Romney campaign has picked, it becomes clear, though, the president's statement has been taken out of context in this case. In May, the president was saying that during recessions under President Reagan and both Bushes government employment went up. But during his administration, Republicans in Congress are stalling on legislation he says would spur public sector growth. So here's the quote he actually said, in context, the part that the Romney campaign used and what the president said next.

 

 

(President Obama) The only time government employment has gone down during a recession has been under me. So I make that point... I make that point just so you don't buy into this whole bloated government argument that you hear. And, frankly⁸, if Congress had said yes to helping⁹ states put teachers back to work, and put the economy before our politics, then tens of thousands or more teachers in New York would have a job right now. That is a fact. And that would mean not only a lower unemployment rate but also more customers for businesses.

1 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

2 misusing   

v.使用…不当( misuse的现在分词 )；把…派作不正当的用途；虐待；滥用

参考例句：

• This means we must stop misusing them. 也就是说，我们已必须停止滥用抗菌素不可了。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 预防生物武器
• Misusing organic fertilizer may cause a decrease in the soil's quality. 滥用有机肥料可能会导致土地的土质下降。 来自互联网

3 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

4 initiated   

n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入

参考例句：

• He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
• The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。

5 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

6 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

7 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

8 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。