one out of every eight ohioans has a link to the auto industry. so this trade complaint is something that really resonates with them. and, of course, he's also answering the steady stream of criticism he's gotten from mitt romney who has argued he hasn't been tough enough on china. i think president obama is speaking to the folks in ohio, but also speaking to the broader american community of voters and trying to answer those charges that he hasn't been tough enough on china. >> and the president also made the point, i believe, earlier today that as far as he's concerned mitt romney is an expert in outsourcing jobs to china, so any kind of critique that romney offers of the president's leadership in relation to china is somewhat moot. >> reporter: well, it's true. there has been a pretty heated back and forth. you're absolutely right. president obama came out and accused romney of outsourcing jobs to china. this is something that he has charged romney with before, but he had a couple new lines today,
election. the president is enjoying a notable lead over mr. romney in ohio, seven points, and, of course, you know better than anyone, no republican has ever won the presidency without winning that very state. >> reporter: you're absolutely right about that. good afternoon, martin. president obama knows that as well. that's why he's here. he is unveiling a new trade complaint against china, essentially accusing china of subsidizing auto parts and autos, which the obama administration is arguing is unfairly impacting the u.s. auto industry. so why now, why here in ohio? i think despite the fact that he has that lead that you just mentioned, martin, the obama campaign is not taking anything for granted right now. as you know, the debates are coming up, that's going to be an opportunity for mitt romney to narrow the gap and both xauns are pouring millions of dollars into negative attack ads in these key battleground states. president obama touting something that really appeals to the voters here in ohio, martin.
goggles wrchlt it's very clear they are looking to paths to 270. they need all three of these states, at least two of the three and have to run the table everywhere else to get to 270. >> i looked at the conventions, they each had two things to do. the way to measure the bounce was to look at romney at his favorable ratings after the convention and for the president to sort of where did people think the country was at? well, the president got a bounce on right track, wrong track. seeing in national and state polls. look at these fave, unfave, 47-45 in florida, 46-45 in virginia. okay. not bad, competitive but 40-50 in ohio. i think we see what's wrong with romney in ohio and it all has to do with the tax on his wealth. >> the failure of governor romney to explain at the convention how he was going to make middle class lives better was the great missing element of his message there and one of the reasons he didn't get as much of a bounce as he could have or
shot to string together a different set of states. guy on the defense is playing defense. >> obama could still -- the one thing that is consistent. if he could stop romney in ohio and virginia, very tough -- it's still possible for romney to get there, but very difficult to do. >> bret: on this map, missouri is lean romney. karl, i have to ask you about this comment that was from a private get together of fundraiser, i guess, a meeting. in which you said about the senate candidate there. we should sink todd akin if he is found mysteriously murdered don't look for my whereabouts. >> not exactly the close but close enough. >> bret: the one they put out. >> this is a comment made in, a remark made if private conversation. when it became public, started dialing up the numbers i had for todd akin, congressman akin, called him. apologized for the intemprent remark. he could haven't been more gracious and kind accepting my apology. i wish i hadn't said it in private. when it became public the
shot to string together a different set of states. guy on the defense is playing defense. >> obama could still -- the one thing that is consistent. if he could stop romney in ohio and virginia, very tough -- it's still possible for romney to get there, but very difficult to do. >> bret: on this map, missouri is lean romney. karl, i have to ask you about this comment that was from a private get together of fundraiser, i guess, a meeting. in which you said about the senate candidate there. we should sink todd akin if he is found mysteriously murdered don't look for my whereabouts. >> not exactly the close but close enough. >> bret: the one they put out. >> this is a comment made in, a remark made if private conversation. when it became public, started dialing up the numbers i had for todd akin, congressman akin, called him. apologized for the intemprent remark. he could haven't been more gracious and kind accepting my apology. i wish i hadn't said it in private. when it became public the
different set of states. guy on the defense is playing defense. >> obama could still -- the one thing that is consistent. if he could stop romney in ohio and virginia, very tough -- it's still possible for romney to get there, but very difficult to do. >> bret: on this map, missouri is lean romney. karl, i have to ask you about this comment that was from a private get together of fundraiser, i guess, a meeting. in which you said about the senate candidate there. we should sink todd akin if he is found mysteriously murdered don't look for my whereabouts. >> not exactly the close but close enough. >> bret: the one they put out. >> this is a comment made in, a remark made if private conversation. when it became public, started dialing up the numbers i had for todd akin, congressman akin, called him. apologized for the intemprent remark. he could haven't been more gracious and kind accepting my apology. i wish i hadn't said it in private. when it became public the
shot to string together a different set of states. guy on the defense is playing defense. >> obama could still -- the one thing that is consistent. if he could stop romney in ohio and virginia, very tough -- it's still possible for romney to get there, but very difficult to do. >> bret: on this map, missouri is lean romney. karl, i have to ask you about this comment that was from a private get together of fundraiser, i guess, a meeting. in which you said about the senate candidate there. we should sink todd akin if he is found mysteriously murdered don't look for my whereabouts. >> not exactly the close but close enough. >> bret: the one they put out. >> this is a comment made in, a remark made if private conversation. when it became public, started dialing up the numbers i had for todd akin, congressman akin, called him. apologized for the intemprent remark. he could haven't been more gracious and kind accepting my apology. i wish i hadn't said it in private. when it became public the
president in iowa and mr. romney in ohio and they are talking energy and both are battleground swing states where the polls are very, very tight. mr. obama is talking about wind energy, solar energand green and clean energy. mr. romney went to a coal mine and surrounded by coal miners made a direct plea and said to them you need to vote me into office or risk the loss of your industry and jobs and accuse the president of a war on coal. he made an extraordinary prediction. he said if he is elected president he will be able to implement his policies. he believes the united states can be foreign energy free. they are no longer dependent on its energy and it is entirely energy independent. a bold accomplishment for nine years. presidential candidates in years past said it would be 10, 15 years long before the end of their first term. mr. romney saying he can get it done at the end of his second term. >> the criticism doesn't end there. governor romney criticizing the president on medicare.
offshore bank accounts with the narrative out of bain and this whole idea that mitt romney thinks that he doesn't have to play by the rules. now mitt romney, of course, has said as you just said that he hasn't broken any rules, that he pays not a penny more in taxes than he should, and that's been his insistence all along. we'll have to see whether or not this becomes an issue down the line as we get closer to november. >> let's talk about the trail. both candidates have plans to hit the road. romney heading to israel later this summer. president obama kicking off his first bus tour of the campaign. he's going to take his economic message through ohio, through pennsylvania, to, of course, battleground states there. he won both of those in 2008. he will likely need both if not one of them in the win column to win reelection in november. here's the latest quinnipiac poll, the president nine points ahead of romney in ohio, six points ahead of romney in
those first monologues which he did on the radio and the recording studio which are still hilarious and take a look at the overview, whether it was comedy or drama, there's a reason that he is so impactful in so many different mediums and styles, and that's because he cared about what he was doing. >> ron howard, thank you so much. thanks for joining us today to share your memories of someone who was such an important influence in your life. thank you. >> thank you. pleasure. back to politics and foreign policy. china is an easy target for mitt romney as he tries to woo voters who are frustrated over the unemployment rate and slow recovery here at home. here is romney in ohio last month. >> well, on day one i will label china a currency manipulator and that will allow me to apply tariffs where they steal our