In what has become the driving topic of the campaign this week, President Obama addressed Mitt Romney’s business background at Bain Capital, saying that the GOP candidate’s experience didn't make him “qualified to think about the economy as a whole.”
In an interview with CBS set to air this Sunday, Obama said that Romney’s work at Bain Capital was “part of the American way,” adding, “But that doesn't necessarily make you qualified to think about the economy as a whole, because as president, my job is to think about the workers. My job is to think about communities, where jobs have been outsourced.”
Obama said that Romney has been selling himself thus: “I’m Mr. Fix-It on the economy, because I made a lot of money.’”
Romney's record at Bain Capital, a private equity firm, has come under increased scrutiny this week. A report from The Boston Globe out Thursday suggested that Romney may have been involved at Bain three years after he said he left the firm.
Romney’s departure date from the company has become a critical issue in the campaign because he has claimed that he was not involved with the company when some of its holdings went bankrupt or had to lay off workers. It is also critical in determining whether Romney played any role in outsourcing.
“I think it is entirely appropriate to look at that record and see whether, in fact, his focus was creating jobs and he successfully did that," Obama said in the interview. "And when you look at the record, there are questions there that have to be asked."
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