White House campaign opens with sharp attacks

[MindMover]

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney fired a series of sharp attacks at each other on Wednesday as they opened a seven-month battle for the White House that is getting ugly fast.

Both campaigns moved quickly to frame the choice for voters one day after Romney's chief rival, conservative Rick Santorum, dropped out, giving the former Massachusetts governor a clear path to the Republican nomination to challenge Obama in November's election.

On cue, the Obama campaign released a video of Romney's more awkward moments on the campaign trail and again portrayed him as a wealthy, out-of-touch conservative.

Romney attacked Obama's economic leadership as a failure and described him as a throwback to the era of "big-government" Democrats.

The exchanges were a sign of things to come in a general election fight for the White House between two candidates who have shown they are willing to throw a punch.

Obama's campaign video entitled "Memories to Last a Lifetime" reminded voters of potentially embarrassing statements from Romney in the Republican primary campaign. Among them were his declaration that "corporations are people" and his claim to have been a "severely conservative" governor of Massachusetts.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/11/us-usa-campaign-idUSBRE8380WB20120411

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[geckosfeet]

1. My guess - they are both just getting warmed up.

This will be one dirt-slinger of a campaign.