Keeping Them Honest tonight. The latest salvo from Mitt 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 misusing 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 sector is 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, and who don't have the same kind of flexibility as the federal government in dealing 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 touted 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, frankly, if Congress had said yes to helping 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.