Romney to Keep Up Attack on Obama in Boston
MALVEAUX: Mitt Romney keeping up the attack on President Obama over jobs and small businesses. Now Romney is going to be speaking shortly in suburban Boston. Jim Acosta is covering the Romney campaign and we are getting ready to see him speak there. We know, Jim, he has seized on the theme that President Obama does not understand how business works. And obviously, a chance to change the conversation and shift the focus away from the tax returns and his own business record. Does that ring true?</s>JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Suzanne. I think that they have changed the conversation. And in part, it is because of something that the president said last Friday at a rally down in Roanoke, Virginia. When the president used the words to business owners, you didn't build that, the Romney campaign sensed a new line of attack and have been running with it really in the last 24 to 48 hours. They feel like they've been penetrating the news cycle that has been going on for the last several days, that has really put them under the gun with the attacks on Mitt Romney's business experience, and his tax return. And they feel like they have broken through all of that with the comment that the president made about saying you didn't build that. As a matter of fact, just this morning, the Romney campaign put out a new web video that seizes on this, and features a business owner from New Hampshire. And let's play a little bit of that and give you more context on to the other side.</s>BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you have been successful, you didn't get there on your own. You didn't get there on your own. I'm always struck by people who think that, well, it must be because I was so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something. If you have a business, you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen.</s>UNIDENTIFIED OWNER, GILCHRIST METAL FABRICATING COMPANY: My father's hands didn't build this company? My hands didn't build this company?</s>ACOSTA: And so you see at the tail end of the clip that business owner saying, I didn't build this company, and my father didn't build this company? Well, now the Romney campaign has set up this -- recently put together this event that is going to happen in a few moments from now at a local business near his headquarters here in Boston. obviously, not a battleground state, Suzanne, and obviously, they are not trying to win the state of Massachusetts, but this is an indication that the Romney campaign feels like they have a pretty potent issue here, so why not? Why not keep this going. And that is what they are doing in a few moments from now. I should mention that the Obama campaign has put out its own web video. And the campaign has said that Mitt Romney has taken the president's words out of context, what the president meant to say, and what he did say was that there was a value in having firefighters and teachers and public infrastructure and all of those things taken together do help the private sector. They say that was the purpose of the president's comments, and that Mitt Romney is taking the comments out of context and exploiting that. And that is where the debate is right now, Suzanne. But you're right, at the moment, we are not talking about Bain Capital. We're talking about what the president said last Friday.</s>MALVEAUX: Obviously, they see some momentum behind that. Jim, thank you. Appreciate it. House Speaker John Boehner says that President Obama, quote, and these are his words, "Doesn't give a damn about the middle-class." Is he standing by his harsh criticism? Well, Wolf Blitzer is interviewing Speaker Boehner. You can see the interview on "The Situation Room." That is beginning at 4:00 eastern. We also are waiting for Mitt Romney to step up to the mike in Boston. And we will bring it to you live as soon as it starts.