President Obama wants to create a cabinet level position for a “Secretary of Business.” The new Secretary would handle the government’s responses to the country’s economic problems. Mitt Romney is already running radio ads slamming the President for wanting to add another bureaucrat to the cabinet.
The Romney ad said of Obama :
“His solution to everything is to add another bureaucrat. Why not have a president who actually understands business?”
Obama had originally suggested combining several agencies into the new department.
Obama said to MSNBC:
“We should have one secretary of business, instead of nine different departments that are dealing with things like giving loans to (the Small Business Administration) or helping companies with exports.”
Romney also went after the idea on the stump, saying:
“I know the president is trying to figure out some way to suggest he has new ideas. He came up with the idea of creating a Department of Business. I don’t think adding a new chair in his cabinet will add more jobs on Main Street.”
The Romney Campaign has been on message since returning to the trail from a brief break during Hurricane Sandy. He is consistently sticking to his message that what the country needs is a President that understands business.
The Obama campaign tried to remind voters that he asked Congress for the authority to streamline the agencies so they could help businesses access government funds quicker.
Obama campaign spokeswoman Liz Smith said:
“The idea that Mitt Romney would help businesses grow as president doesn’t match his record or his policies. When the American auto industry and a million jobs were on the line, Romney turned his back, which is why he’s trying to rewrite history. … Romney can lurch from false attack to false attack in the final days of this campaign, but the American people understand President Obama is the only candidate in this race with a concrete plan to move our country forward.”
Obama was in New Jersey on Wednesday taking a tour of the damage left by Hurricane Sandy with Governor Chris Christie. He resumed campaigning today.