TOLEDO, Ohio -- After a bruising few weeks of having to focus on Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney on Wednesday redirected his attention back to criticizing President Obama’s stewardship of the economy.
"He says -- correctly - that he inherited a recession. And he did," Romney told a crowd of about 100 during a 10-minute speech in Toledo. "He doesn't remind us by the way that he also inherited a Democratic House and Senate. And he was able to do whatever he wanted to do. And for two years, he put in place his plans -- and look at us, we're still three years later in an economy that's bumping along the bottom."
Romney, who edged out Santorum in Michigan while scoring a resounding win in Arizona, avoided mentioning the ex-Pennsylvania senator or his other GOP rivals by name.
"There are a couple of guys who spent their entire career in Washington and you can vote for them,” he said. “I just don’t think we are going to beat Barack Obama and get our country back on track if we have guys whose resume looks like his resume, who have never really run anything, don’t understand how the private sector works fundamentally."
Romney closed his remarks by saying, "For me, this is all about more jobs, less debt, and smaller government" -- a message he hopes to carry through to Super Tuesday.
Among those at the Toledo event was conservative activist Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, known as Joe the Plumber. Wurzelbacher, who is running for a House seat, said he was not there to support Romney, but wanted to encourage voters to get to the polls.
Asked if he had any advice for Romney, Wurzelbacher said, "I don't think he needs my advice. Maybe hang out with some steelworkers, hang out with some plumbers and carpenters -- you know, see what it's like, these blue-collar guys who do it every day in and out."
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