Obama Allies Tell Romney to ‘Quit Whining’ About Bain Attacks
Mitt Romney should “stop whining” about attacks on his business record that have knocked the Republican presidential candidate on his heels over the past week, aides and allies of President Barack Obama said on Sunday.
Obama officials said they would not apologize for suggesting that Romney may have broken the law by misrepresenting his position at private-equity firm Bain Capital, part of a relentless assault on the former executive’s business career and personal wealth that appears to have hurt him in the polls.
“Stop whining,” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel, Obama’s former chief of staff, said on ABC’s “This Week” program. “If you want to claim Bain Capital as your calling card to the White House, then defend what happened at Bain Capital.”
Romney allies said the attacks were an attempt to distract voters’ attention from the fact that Obama has failed to counter high unemployment and sluggish economic growth during his three and a half years in the White House.
“The president can talk all he want about this, but it’s the economy and jobs that are going to address this election,” Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte, seen as a possible vice presidential running mate for Romney, said on ABC’s “This Week” program.