CALIFORNIA YANKEE

Mitt Romney: 'Only Beth Myers and I know who is being vetted'

Have you been following all the reports about whom Mitt Romney is considering for his running mate?

There have been press reports that the list includes:

• Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty
• Ohio Senator Rob Portman
• Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan
• Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal
• New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
• Florida Senator Marco Rubio
• New Hampshire Kelly Ayotte
• Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels
• Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell
• South Dakota Senator John Thune
• Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush

And every once in a while there are reports that certain candiates are not being vetted. For example this morning, Jonathan Karl of ABC News reported that Senator Marco Rubio was not being vetted.

Don't read too much into it, but after all the speculation surrounding the ABC news "scoop" about the campaign's VP vetting process and Florida Senator Marco Rubio, Mitt Romney told Sean Hannity that only he and Beth Myers know who is being vetted. Here's an excerpt of this evening's Mitt Romney interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News.

Hannity: “What did you make of the ABC News report this morning that said Marco Rubio was not being vetted but Governor Tim Pawlenty was being vetted? Any comment on that story?”

Mitt Romney: “I get a kick out of some of the speculation that goes on. I’m not going to comment on the process of course. But I can tell you this: only Beth Myers and I know who is being vetted.”

Hannity: “Does that mean Ann Romney doesn’t know?”

Romney: “Even Ann doesn’t know. We talk about the possible people that I might select. But in terms of actually who is being vetted, that is something only two people know. And Beth Myers doesn’t talk.”

Hannity:“Is there a shortlist?”

Romney: “There are a number of people who are being vetted and that is obviously the group we are considering most seriously.”
(Fox News’ “Hannity,” 6/19/12)

Perhaps all the speculation is the result of the fact tjhat picking a running mate is often described as a nominee's first presidential act, a window into his mind and personality. Whatever the reasons, take heed, only two people know who is on the list.

UPDATE: Mitt Romney made it very clear:

"There are only two people in this country who know who are being vetted and who are not, and that's Beth Myers and myself, " he told reporters, referring to the close aide in charge of his vice presidential search. "I know Beth well. She doesn't talk to anybody. The story was entirely false. Marco Rubio is being thoroughly vetted as part of our process."

You can watch a video of Romney's clarification here.

Romney refused to take Obama's immigration bait

Mitt Romney has outfoxed the Obama Campaign and its main stream media allies.

As explained by Breitbart's John Nolte, Obama's extralegal scheme to grant amnesty/immunity to certain "younger" illegal aliens was a clever attempt set to trap Romney in a treacherous catch-22 position:

This was the plan:

1. Obama releases the news on Friday in order to affect the Sunday talk shows. (Team Obama also knew Romney would be on "Face the Nation" with their water-carrier Bob Schieffer).

2. As they always do, the Sunday talk shows comply with White House strategy by making Obama's compassion and political brilliance The Big Story. This is also a move to set up the narrative for the coming week regardless of  how Romney answers the repeal question. 

3. Regardless of how he answers the question, Romney enters a world of media-created hurt for the following week.

Obama's media allies did their part:

• On CBS's "Face the Nation," Bob Schieffer asked Romney over and over and over again whether he would repeal Obama's extralegal amnesty/immunity scheme.

• CNN's Jack Cafferty asked, "Why is Mitt Romney refusing to answer questions on Pres. Obama's new immigration policy?"

• On MSNBC's Martin Bashir show, The Guardian’s Ana Marie Cox, Democratic strategist Julian Epstein and The Hill’s Karen Finney went on and on about "Romney’s non-answer."

We could list many more, but I think you get the idea.

Of course Romney did in fact have a response to Obama's scheme. On Friday, Romney said the problem of young illegal immigrants requires a long term solution and Obama's scheme will make a long term solution more difficult to achieve.

"I believe the status of young people who come here through no fault of their own is an important matter to be considered and should be solved on a long term basis so they know what their future would be in this country. I think the action the president took today makes it more difficult to reach that long-term solution because an executive order is of course just a short term matter. It can be reversed by subsequent presidents."

Romney also explained on "Face the Nation" that Obama's extralegal scheme is a stopgap measure for a long-term problem driven in "large part" by politics:

First of all, we have to secure the border. We need to have an employment verification system to make sure that those that are working here in this country are here legally and then with regards to these kids who were brought in by their parents through no fault of their own, there needs to be a long-term solution so they know what their status is. This is something Congress has been working on, and I thought we are about to see some proposals brought forward by Senator Marco Rubio and by Democrat senators, but the President jumped in and said I'm going to take this action. He called it a stopgap measure.

[. . .]

He was President for the last three and a half years, did nothing on immigration. Two years, he had a Democrats' House in Senate, did nothing of permanent or-- or long-term basis.

As for the oft repeated repeal question, Romney addressed that as well:

Well, it would be overtaken by events, if you will, by virtue of my putting in place a long-term solution with legislation which creates law that relates to these individuals, such that they know what their status is going to be.

In other words, Romney proposes to do the truly right thing -- get Congress to pass legislation to legally address the problem of youngsters made illegal aliens by their parents. 

This is a good time to remember that Obama announced his new amnesty/immunity scheme in a desperate attempt to change the subject from his "doing fine" reelection message, to gain favor with the Latino electorate unhappy with Obama's ongoing backdoor amnesty program, and to stop the growing popularity Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida's DREAM Act light.

Contrary to White House senior adviser David Plouffe's claim that Obama's amnesty/immunity scheme was not political, there is no doubt that it was indeed political. After all, there is even video of Obama saying, less than six months ago, that he has no authority to enact such a change in immigration law. You can watch the video here.

Unfortunately, Romney was proved correct about Obama making a long term solution more difficult. Rubio has announced he has abandoned his DREAM Act light legislation, at least until after the election, because it would be hard to argue with fellow lawmakers when they say, "Why are we going to need to do anything on this now? It has been dealt with. We can wait until after the election." 

Congratulations to President Obama on his 100th round of golf

Today, President Obama completed his 100th (documented) round of golf.

In celebration of this milestone, Duane Lester of All American Blogger made the following video:

Obama is working hard, at least at playing golf. In less than three-and-a-half years he has played 100 rounds of golf. 

Just nine months into the Obama presidency the New York Post reported that Obama surpassed former President George W. Bush on the number of days spent on the golf course when Obama played a round of golf for the 24th time in his presidency -- a milestone it took Bush almost three years to reach. Bush gave up golf in 2003 saying "I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal." That's a position Obama obviously rejects.

Nothing seems to keep Obama off the golf course. Not a 5.8 magnitude earthquake or the need help Democrat Tom Barret in the effort to failed effort to recall Governor Scott Walker. In an appearance on CNBC, Politico's Jonathan Allen joked that "neither rain nor snow nor gloom of night will keep the president from his appointed rounds of golf."

Helene Cooper reporting on the Obama's 2009 Martha's Vineyard vacation in the New York Times, noted that Obama's golf is characterized by long, slow rounds due to spending a lot of time hunting for balls in the woods. Which might have caused English golfer Paul Casey to wonder if Obama’s game might be a boost for the American economy:

"If he’s losing lots and lots of golf balls, then he’ll have to buy a lot of new ones, and maybe that will spur growth,” Casey said. “And people will find his lost golf balls and sell those as collector’s items. More growth, right?"

Maybe golf has been Obama's secret economic plan all along. Who knew?

Updated. Obama goes from backdoor amnesty to immunity for immigration reform

President Obama, desperate to change the subject from his "doing fine" reelection message, attempts to gain favor with the Latino electorate unhappy with his backdoor amnesty by revealing an immunity scheme for certain "younger" illegal aliens.

Under Obama's new scheme as many as 800,000 illegals will avoid deportation and be eligible for work permits if they arrived in the U.S. before age 16, are younger than 30, have been in the country for at least five continuous years, have no criminal history, graduated from a U.S. high school or earned a GED, or served in the military.

Obama's new immunity scheme partially achieves the goals of the so-called DREAM Act, meant to establish a path toward citizenship for certain illegals, but consistently rejected by Congress.

Obama intends to implement his new immunity scheme via executive fiat. In bypassing Congress, Obama blatantly ignores the rule of law that is the foundation of our democracy and violates his presidential oath to uphold the laws of this land. Obama's abuse of power will ensure that those who honestly believe that granting amnesty or immunity to illegal aliens encourages more illegal immigration will only become more determined in their opposition to congressional efforts to achieve similar results legitimately.

Obama's scheme is even more offensive when you recall that in March of 2011 at a Univision townhall he said that as president he can't just suspend deportations through executive order:

"Well, first of all, temporary protective status historically has been used for special circumstances where you have immigrants to this country who are fleeing persecution in their countries, or there is some emergency situation in their native land that required them to come to the United States. So it would not be appropriate to use that just for a particular group that came here primarily, for example, because they were looking for economic opportunity.

"With respect to the notion that I can just suspend deportations through executive order, that’s just not the case, because there are laws on the books that Congress has passed — and I know that everybody here at Bell is studying hard so you know that we’ve got three branches of government. Congress passes the law. The executive branch’s job is to enforce and implement those laws. And then the judiciary has to interpret the laws.

"There are enough laws on the books by Congress that are very clear in terms of how we have to enforce our immigration system that for me to simply through executive order ignore those congressional mandates would not conform with my appropriate role asPresident."

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), also opposes Obama's immunity scheme because of its "horrible consequences for unemployed Americans.":

"President Obama’s amnesty only benefits illegal immigrants, not Americans, and is a magnet for fraud. Many illegal immigrants will falsely claim they came here as children and the federal government has no way to check whether their claims are true. And once these illegal immigrants are granted deferred action, they can then apply for a work permit, which the Administration routinely grants 90% of the time."

The biggest problem holding up immigration reform proposals that include any sort of  legalization of some or all of the millions illegal aliens already in this country is that any amnesty/immunity will encourage more illegals to come expecting that eventually they too will be legalized.

That lesson was learned with the adoption of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 ("IRCA"). That "immigration reform" legalized four million illegal aliens. IRCA was a monumental failure. Twenty-odd years later there are millions more illegal aliens to legalize. If some or all of these millions of illegals are now legalized, then we should only expect that twenty years from now we will have to consider granting amnesty/immunity to millions more illegal aliens.

UPDATED: Thanks to the good work of Bryan Preston at PJ Media, we now have e video of President Obama explaining that he can not do what he did today. You can watch the video here. The video comes from the White House. During a Q&A on Sept 28, 2011, the president had this exchange:

"MR. LERNER: Me again. On the DREAM Act that you mentioned before, and this is like a statement from New York City: Mr. President, I am an undocumented law graduate from New York City. I'm just writing to say that your message that you do not have a dance partner is not a message of hope. A real dancer goes out on the dance floor and picks out his or her dance partner. You're just waiting. You have the facts, numbers, dollars and votes on the side of granting administrative relief for DREAMers. We are doing our part. It is time to do yours, Mr. President.

"THE PRESIDENT: I just have to continue to say this notion that somehow I can just change the laws unilaterally is just not true. We are doing everything we can administratively. But the fact of the matter is there are laws on the books that I have to enforce. And I think there's been a great disservice done to the cause of getting the DREAM Act passed and getting comprehensive immigration passed by perpetrating the notion that somehow, by myself, I can go and do these things. It's just not true.

"Now, what we can do is to prioritize enforcement, since there are limited enforcement resources, and say we're not going to go chasing after this young man or anybody else who's been acting responsibly and would otherwise qualify for legal status if the DREAM Act passed.

"But we live in a democracy. You have to pass bills through the legislature, and then I can sign it. And if all the attention is focused away from the legislative process, then that is going to lead to a constant dead-end. We have to recognize how the system works, and then apply pressure to those places where votes can be gotten and, ultimately, we can get this thing solved. And nobody will be a stronger advocate for making that happen than me."

Tax dollars paying for 'marketing of livestock semen'

You can't make this stuff up. Your tax dollars are being used to market "livestock semen."

 

Senator Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma) has put together a new study titled "Treasure Map: The Market Access Program's Bounty of Waste, Loot and Spoils Plundered from Taxpayers." The report released today found that the federal government has spent more than $2 billion on a program to promote private companies marketing products overseas.

 

The Coburn report found the following:

At the request of Congress, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has spent more than two billion dollars on the Market Access Program (MAP), a government program that uses your tax dollars to subsidize the advertising costs of profitable agriculture companies and trade associations doing business overseas. Many Americans might respond with disbelief that we are paying for private companies to market their products in the first place. That we are doing so overseas is even more troubling.

The most objectionable provision of the study found that your tax dollars are being used to market "livestock semen" at foreign trade show and exhibitions:

Taxpayers may be surprised to learn that their tax dollars are subsidizing, among other things, the marketing of livestock semen. According to an announcement from U.S. Livestock Genetics Export, Inc., group that received $1.1 million from the USDA in 2011, federal funds are available for "private livestock breeders, companies, or cooperatives interested in promoting livestock, semen, or embryo sales in international markets through December 31, 2010." The group also notes that the MAP funds partial reimbursement of "approved activities such as international advertising, the development, translation and distribution of promotional materials, and participation in foreign trade shows and exhibitions."

One Congressional Aid said that "this stimulus program is particularly popular with the livestock community."  All kidding aside, when somebody tells you that there is no waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government, you can point to this one program as a shining example of government waste.

 

Other highlights of the Coburn report are $28 million to the Blue Diamond Growers to market almonds overseas, $60 million to California Wine Institute and $20 million to fund "Let's Design," a popular reality show in India created by the Cotton Council International.

Our nation is in debt to the tune of $15.8 trillion. Even though Obama promised to cut the deficit in half by the end of his term, he has consistently racked up annual deficits in excess of $1 trillion and has exploded the $10.6 trillion debt he inherited. After all, Obama did warn us there would be "trillion-dollar deficits for years to come."

A few million on silly programs, like using your tax dollars to market livestock semen, may sound like a drop in the bucket, yet it shows the reluctance of Congress and the President to go line by line in the federal budget to root out waste.

'Doing fine' Obama is also out of touch on ObamaCare

President Obama conducted  another series of  interviews with local media designed to enable President Obama to speak directly to local audiences, without the filter of the national news media.

In one of those interviews, Matt Breen from Sioux City's KTIV, asked Obama about a local company that closed up shop and moved jobs back to Wisconsin. Obama responded by saying that would be hard to explain and seemed completely unaware that people are losing their health insurance plans because of ObamaCare:

KTIV’s Matt Breen: “One of those businesses that I mentioned said very specifically when they said they needed to close up shop and move their jobs back to Wisconsin was that it was a direct result of the health care reform that you initiated, that Congress passed. How do you react to that?”

President Barack Obama: “Yeah, that would be kind of hard to explain, because the only folks that have been impacted in terms of the health care bill are insurance companies who are required to make sure that they’re providing preventive care, or they’re not dropping your coverage when you get sick. And so, this particular company probably wouldn’t have been impacted by that. I know that there’s a perception sometimes that there’s all kinds of regulations coming out of Washington, the truth is actually we’ve seen fewer regulations coming out of my administration than the previous administration. But obviously, you know it’s tough running a small business no matter what. And we’re going to make sure that we continue to provide whatever financing help that we can provide.”

You can watch the exchange here.

In his efforts to get ObamaCare passed by Congress, Obama repeatedly assured Americans they would be able to keep their health insurance plan:

1. Obama promised, "If you like your doctor, you're going to be able to keep your doctor. If you like your plan, keep your plan."
2. Obama said, "Second, Americans must have the freedom to keep whatever doctor and health care plan they have…"
3. Obama wrote, "The plans you are discussing embody my core belief that Americans should have better choices for health insurance, building on the principle that if they like the coverage they have now, they can keep it, …"
4. Obama said, "There's no doubt that we have to preserve what's best in the health care system, and that means allowing Americans who like their doctor and like their health care plan to keep their plan. And that's going to be a priority for us."
5. Obama said, "I know a lot of Americans who are satisfied with their health care right now are wondering what reform would mean for them, so let me be clear: If you like your doctor or health care provider, you can keep them. If you like your health care plan, you can keep that too."
6. Obama said, "Those who oppose reform will also tell you that under our plan, you won't get to choose your doctor, that some bureaucrat will choose for you. That's also not true. Michelle and I don't want anyone telling us who our family's doctor should be, and no one should decide that for you either. Under our proposals, if you like your doctor, you keep your doctor. If you like your current insurance, you keep that insurance. Period. End of story." (President Barack Obama, Weekly Address, 7/18/09)
7. Obama said, "If you like your current plan, you will be able to keep it. Let me repeat that: If you like your plan, you'll be able to keep it.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks On Health Care, Washington, D.C., 7/21/09)

Less than a year after the ever unpopular ObamaCare became law, there was warning after warning that Medicare Chief Actuary Richard Foster admitted to the House Budget Committee that it was not true that under the ObamaCare law, it was "not true in all cases" that people would get to keep their coverage if they liked it.

Shortly after Foster's admission, Douglas W. Elmendorf, Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) warned a House subcommittee that about a million fewer people would not obtain health coverage through their employer during the period 2019 through 2021 than would have been the case if ObamaCare was not enacted.

In June 2011, Grace Marie-Turner warned a McKinsey study suggested that as many as 78 million Americans could lose their health coverage do to a dramatic decline of employer provided health insurance under ObamaCare.

In October 2011, the nation's largest private employer, Wal-Mart, announced that new part-time employees who work less than an average of 24 hours a week would no longer get health insurance from the company.

In November 2011, Gallup reported that governments and businesses have and will continue to cut back and/or reform their health coverage offerings due in part to the requirements ObamaCare:

"Employer-based health insurance has declined since 2008, falling from 49.8% in the first quarter of that year to 44.5% in the third quarter of 2011. If Wal-Mart's decision is a precursor of how employers intend to manage their healthcare costs, the downward trend in employer-based healthcare will likely continue.

"At the same time, the percentage of Americans who are uninsured is on the rise again after remaining fairly steady throughout 2010."

Thousands of seniors from Maine Massachusetts and New Hampshire, were notified in 2011 that their Medicare Advantage plans were dropped. So as were tens of thousands more in California and Virginia.

This year the nonpartisan CBO, found that ObamaCare could cause as many as 20 million Americans to lose their employer-provided healthcare.

How could Obama not be aware of the fact that his assurances that Americans are losing their health insurance plans because of ObamaCare despite his assurances?

That Matt Breen did not confront President Obama with any of the above facts, says a lot about why Obama would prefer to deal with local media.

New Reuters/Ipsos poll: Romney gains after Obama's 'doing fine' statement

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll, released Tuesday evening, finds Romney has closed to within a single point of Obama, among registered voters - 45 percent to 44 percent. Obama led by seven points a month ago.

According to the Ipso's press release, the poll was mostly taken after "a rough week for Obama's campaign capped by his remarks on Friday that the private sector of the economy was 'doing fine.'"

The poll offers further evidence that Obama's misleading attacks on Romney's private sector experience at Bain Capital, which been questioned by many leading Democrats, and Romney's economic record as governor of Massachusetts have not hurt Romney:

Romney now leads Obama 46 percent to 43 percent among all registered voters on the question of which candidate would be stronger on jobs and the economy. That reversed Obama's 2 point edge on the question last month.

The new poll also found Obama's approval ratings have dropped from 50 percent to 47 percent his lowest rating since January.

As in previous polling, the Reuters/Ipsos poll found Obama is losing the critical Independent voters.

"Obama's approval ratings took their biggest dip among independent voters, who could be crucial to the ultimate outcome of the election in November. Approval for Obama among independents fell from 48 percent to 35 percent."

Obama's stumbling campaign caused Democrat pollsters Stan Greenberg and Erica Seifert,  and strategist James Carville to write in a Democracy Corps research document that the Democrat's making progress theme for 2012 race is not effective:

"Based on focus groups in Ohio and Pennsylvania, the strategists argue that voters are simply not convinced that the economy is on the move and it’s a mistake to try and tell them otherwise."

They could have added that saying "the private sector is doing fine" doesn't help.

When poll after poll find the economy is considered more important than all other issues combined, Obama should be concerned when Carville, best known for Bill Clinton's "it's the economy stupid" campaign mantra, says Obama's economic message isn't working. As Mitt Romney has said "it’s still about the economy …and we’re not stupid."

Romney campaign's "Jolt" continues Obama is out of touch theme

The Romney campaign has released another new web video, "Jolt." The new video drives home Romney's point that  President Obama is out of touch. It does so by showing highlights from news broadcasts about the lousy May jobs report released a week ago juxtaposed with Obama saying the "the private sector is doing fine.":

1. Diane Sawyer, ABC News: “Tonight on World News: Jobs Jolt, the worst jobs number in a year.” (ABC’s “World News,” 6/1/12)
2. Mika Brzezinski, MSNBC: “May jobs report just came out and the numbers are not good.” (MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” 6/1/12)
3. Ashley Morrison, CBS Moneywatch: “Investors react to May’s dismal jobs report.” (CBS’s “CBS Moneywatch Update,” 6/1/12)
4. Brian Shachtman, CNBC: “Unemployment rate up to 8.2 percent.” (MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” 6/1/12)
5. Hampton Pearson, CNBC: “The jobs losses: construction—huge—down 28,000.” (CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” 6/1/12)
6. Brian Shachtman: “69,000 is way down.” (MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” 6/1/12)
7. Joshua Green, Bloomberg: “We added 300,000 more long-term unemployed.” (MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” 6/1/12)
8. Richard Woleffe, MSNBC: “A tragedy for people out there who are still looking for work.” (MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” 6/1/12)
9. Brian Shachtman: “Just a bad, bad number.” (MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” 6/1/12)
10. Pearson: “But overall here, nowhere to really hide given this report.” (CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” 6/1/12)

Watch the "Jolt" video:

Obama made an epic mistake when he said the private sector is doing fine. His clarification, "Listen, it is absolutely clear that the economy is not doing fine. That's the reason I had the press conference," did little to correct the mistake. 

The Romney campaign has been all over Obama's "doing fine" comment from the moment he said. And for good reason, it dives home the fact Obama's policies have failed and let down most Americans who understand all too well that the economy is not doing well:

• Since President Obama took office, the nation has lost 552,000 jobs and the unemployment rate has remained above 8 percent for 40 straight months. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Accessed 6/1/12)
• More than 23.2 million Americans are either unemployed, underemployed or have given up looking for work. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Accessed 6/1/12)
• More than 49 percent of the population now lives in a household where at least one member receives some type of government benefit.
• Since Obama became president, the number of Americans receiving food stamps has increased 45 percent to a record 46.4 Million.
• Nearly half of the populatiuon, 48 percent, is now considered poor or low-income.
• When asked what Obama had accomplished after three years in office focus group participants "responded with blank stares and silence" and "expressed disappointment with the job Obama has done so far on the economy."
• Sixty six percent say that Obama has either made things "worse" or "not made much difference" with regards to the economic downturn.

Obama must be out of touch to say the Private sector is doing fine. After all, even the White House has "stopped asserting that the economy is healing or recovering."

Romney's 'Fine?' response to Obama's 'the private sector is doing fine' press conference

The Romney campaign has released a powerful new web video, "Fine?." The new video responds to President Obama's out of touch "the private sector is doing fine" comment with snippets of middle class workers talking about their experiences struggling with the realities of the Obama economy:

• "We’ve seen layoffs, cutbacks."
• "When it’s all said and done I’m making $200 a month."
• "I’ve been looking for a job for two years haven’t found any."
• "I had to file my own personal bankruptcy and had to close my business."
• "Here I am. No healthcare and a slashed pension."
• "I just lost my job recently."
• "I have to work part-time in order to make ends meet."
• "Sometimes I feel like I’m a failure."

Watch "Fine?"

James Pethokoukis offers some key statistics to show the private sector is not doing fine:

• Private-sector GDP rose just 2.6 percent in the first quarter, after rising a measly 1.2 percent last year. Private-sector GDP rose 3.8 percent  in 1983 and 6.5 percent in 1984 during the supply-side Reagan boom.

• Private-sector jobs job creation has averaged just 89,000 a month during the entire Obama Recovery. During the 1983 and 1984 supply-side Reagan boom, private sector jobs increased by an average of 292,000 a month. Adjusted for population, that number is more like 375,000 private-sector jobs a month.

• Real take-home pay is down over the past year.

• After-tax corporate profits dropped for the first time in three years during the first quarter.

As we discussed yesterday, Obama really believes that bigger government is the way to make the economy stronger. During his "the private sector is doing fine" press conference, Obama said the thing to do is help state and local governments and the construction industry. That is exactly what he tried to do with his failed $831 billion so-called stimulus.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Obama misdiagnoses state and local government layoffs:

"They aren't the result of falling state and local revenues, which have increased by 6% over the last two years, according to the Census Bureau. The problem is that the cost of worker benefits is growing faster than revenues. Governments are having to lay off workers to pay for their rising pension and health bills."

The 2012 presidential election is all about the economy. Romney's private equity vs. Obama's public equity. Or as Romney put it in his "Obama's Government-Centered Society" speech he gave after sweeping the primaries in Wisconsin, Maryland and Washington, D.C.:

"The president has pledged to transform America. And he's spent the last four years laying the foundation for a new government-centered society. I will spend the next four years rebuilding the foundation of an opportunity society led by free people and free enterprises."

Obama's big government approach has resulted in unemployment above 8 percent for 40 months and the weakest economic recovery in 60 years.

Obama really does believe 'the private sector is doing fine'

President Obama is trying to fight back against the hue and cry raised over his saying the private sector is doing fine.

In responding to a question about Republicans saying that Obama is blaming the Europeans for the failures of his own policies, Obama said, "the private sector is doing fine.":

"The truth of the matter is that, as I said, we’ve created 4.3 million jobs over the last 27 months, over 800,000 just this year alone.  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." - President Barack Obama, White House Press Conference, June 8, 2012.

Saying the private sector is doing fine may have been a blunder, but it wasn't a gaffe. It may have been a revelation to some, to others it was a confirmation.

Mitt Romney quickly pounced on Obama's tone deaf statement calling it an "extraordinary miscalculation and misunderstanding by a President who is out of touch.":

"Now this morning, the President had a press conference. I don’t know if you heard it, but he called a press conference and pulled people in and said a number of things, and one of the most interesting things he said was this: he said the private sector is doing fine. He said the private sector is doing fine. Is he really that out of touch? I think he’s defining what it means to be detached and out of touch with the American people. Has there ever been an American president who is so far from reality as to believe in an America where 23 million Americans are out of work, or stopped looking for work, or can only find part-time jobs and need full-time jobs, where the economy grew in the first quarter of the year at only 1.9 percent, where the median income in America has dropped by 10% over the last four years, where there have been record number of home foreclosures, for the President of the United States to stand up and say the private sector is doing fine is going to go down in history. It's an extraordinary miscalculation and misunderstanding by a President who is out of touch, and we're going to take back this country and get America working again."

You can watch a video of Romney reaction here.

The Romney campaign quickly launched a @ObamaDoingFine parody Twitter site. The RNC put up a YouTube video titled "Doing Fine," showing headlines highlighting the lousy economy, Obama saying "the private sector is doing fine," and asking how can President Obama fix our economy if he doesn't understand what's broken?

Other Republicans joined in.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker told The Weekly Standard that Obama’s comments reflect a fundamental misunderstanding of the economy:

"There are two very different views in the country,” Walker said. “The current administration seems to think that success is measured by how many people are dependent on the government. I think success is measured by how many are not."

Speaking at the regional Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Chicago, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie called Obama's statement an outrage:

"It is an outrage to have the president of the United States stand up and say to hardworking governors, to Republicans and Democrats around this country that state and local government hiring is moving in the wrong direction and we’re to blame because the economy is not growing. He’s the one who put forward an ineffective wasteful stimulus plan that did nothing to help this economy. He’s the one who saddled us with all these federal rules and regulations that don’t allow governors to have the freedom to do what we really want and then he has the audacity to stand up this morning and say it’s the nation’s governors and the nation’s mayors who are driving our economy down by not hiring enough people for government work. If you need to understand with anymore clarity the difference between conservative Republican principles and this president, you don’t need to listen to one more word in this campaign than what he said behind that podium at the White House today.”

After less than five hours, Obama attempted to clarify his the private sector is doing fine statement by saying it's absolutely clear the economy is not doing fine:

"It's absolutely clear the economy is not doing fine. That’s the reason I had a press conference. That’s why I spent yesterday, the day before yesterday, this past week, this past month and this past year talking about how we can make the economy stronger.

"The economy is not doing fine. There are too many people out of work. The housing market is still weak, too many homes underwater and that’s precisely why I asked Congress to start taking some steps that can make a difference." - President Barack Obama, Remarks after bilateral meeting with President Aquino of the Philippines, White House, June 8, 2012.

Confused? Don't be. Saying it's clear the economy is not doing fine is not a retraction of the private sector is doing fine. It doesn't mean Obama doesn't believe the private sector is doing fine. To the contrary, both statements support Romney's observation that Obama seeks a government-centered society. Romney laid out the Romney's private equity vs. Obama's public equity comparison in his "Obama's Government-Centered Society" speech after sweeping the primaries in Wisconsin, Maryland and Washington, D.C.:

"The president has pledged to transform America. And he's spent the last four years laying the foundation for a new government-centered society. I will spend the next four years rebuilding the foundation of an opportunity society led by free people and free enterprises."

Today Obama's so-called truth team is out with another misleading ad, still trying to distance Obama from his the private sector is doing fine statement. The "Romney Economics: Fewer Teachers, Fewer Firefighters, Fewer Police Officers" ad implies that Romney wants fewer firemen, policemen and teachers. That is not what Romney said. Romney pointed out that Obama says we more firemen, policemen and teachers, then asked whether Obama got the message from the rejection of the Obamacrats attempt to recall Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker:

"And his answer for economic vitality, by the way, was, of course, pushing aside the private sector, which he said is doing fine.  Instead, he wants to add more to government. He wants another stimulus.  He wants to hire more government workers.  He says we need more firemen, more policemen, more teachers: did he not get the message in Wisconsin? The American people did.  It’s time for us to cut back on government and help the American people." (Gov. Mitt Romney, Remarks, Council Bluffs, IA, 6/8/12).

The new ad is still more deception and distortion from Obama.