President Barack Obama stepped up his attack on Mitt Romney's tax and economic plans Monday, accusing the Republican presidential candidate of advocating policies that would create more jobs overseas than in the U.S.
Campaigning in Cincinnati, an area of southwestern Ohio long dominated by Republicans, Obama hit Romney on taxes and his background as head of the private-equity firm Bain Capital as he sought to hold on to support in the swing state.
"We don't need a president who wants to ship more jobs overseas," Obama told about 1,200 supporters at a campaign forum at the Cincinnati Music Hall.
Obama said Romney's proposal to free companies from taxes on their foreign holdings would displace American workers. The president said a study concluded that "Gov. Romney's economic plan would in fact create 800,000 jobs. There's only one problem: The jobs wouldn't be in America."
Romney's campaign, itself moving to the attack, contended that Obama's Energy Department has steered loans and grants to several companies connected to the president's political supporters.
Romney, speaking to donors in Baton Rouge, La., said Obama had a policy of "taking your tax dollars and putting it in businesses owned by contributors to his campaign. And that is smelly at best. It stinks."
Romney aides cited some well-known cases, such as Solyndra, a California solar energy company that went bankrupt, and some less-publicized cases. They include Westly Group, a venture capital firm whose affiliated companies have received federal loans and grants.
Steve Westly, the company's founder, is a major Obama campaign fund-raiser.
Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the Energy Department's decisions "were made without regard to political connections." She said some grants have gone to projects with "just as robust connections to Republican campaigns and donors."
Obama and his surrogates spent last week questioning Romney's veracity when 2002 Securities and Exchange Commission records surfaced that listed him as Bain's CEO -- three years after he said he had quit running the company and during a period when the firm outsourced jobs overseas.
Romney responded Monday, saying he was "very proud" of his business record, charging the president with trying to distract from economic issues.
"I'd say to the president, 'Wouldn't it be interesting, Mr. President, wouldn't it be interesting if you spent some time speaking about your record?' " he said in a Fox News interview.
Obama, who won Ohio in 2008 over Sen. John McCain, led Romney 47%-38% in a June 27 Quinnipiac University poll. In the last election, Obama was the first Democrat in 44 years to win Hamilton County, which includes Cincinnati.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More Details: Running mate could be named soon
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney could name his running mate by the end of the week, a top adviser said Monday.
The announcement, if it happens according to the adviser's timetable, would come several weeks before presidential candidates traditionally reveal their vice president picks.
Senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom said Romney hadn't finalized his decision but that an announcement could come within days.
Romney attended a private fund-raiser alongside Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who is among those on Romney's short list for vice president.
Others thought to be under consideration include Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida.
Campaigning in Cincinnati, an area of southwestern Ohio long dominated by Republicans, Obama hit Romney on taxes and his background as head of the private-equity firm Bain Capital as he sought to hold on to support in the swing state.
"We don't need a president who wants to ship more jobs overseas," Obama told about 1,200 supporters at a campaign forum at the Cincinnati Music Hall.
Obama said Romney's proposal to free companies from taxes on their foreign holdings would displace American workers. The president said a study concluded that "Gov. Romney's economic plan would in fact create 800,000 jobs. There's only one problem: The jobs wouldn't be in America."
Romney's campaign, itself moving to the attack, contended that Obama's Energy Department has steered loans and grants to several companies connected to the president's political supporters.
Romney, speaking to donors in Baton Rouge, La., said Obama had a policy of "taking your tax dollars and putting it in businesses owned by contributors to his campaign. And that is smelly at best. It stinks."
Romney aides cited some well-known cases, such as Solyndra, a California solar energy company that went bankrupt, and some less-publicized cases. They include Westly Group, a venture capital firm whose affiliated companies have received federal loans and grants.
Steve Westly, the company's founder, is a major Obama campaign fund-raiser.
Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the Energy Department's decisions "were made without regard to political connections." She said some grants have gone to projects with "just as robust connections to Republican campaigns and donors."
Obama and his surrogates spent last week questioning Romney's veracity when 2002 Securities and Exchange Commission records surfaced that listed him as Bain's CEO -- three years after he said he had quit running the company and during a period when the firm outsourced jobs overseas.
Romney responded Monday, saying he was "very proud" of his business record, charging the president with trying to distract from economic issues.
"I'd say to the president, 'Wouldn't it be interesting, Mr. President, wouldn't it be interesting if you spent some time speaking about your record?' " he said in a Fox News interview.
Obama, who won Ohio in 2008 over Sen. John McCain, led Romney 47%-38% in a June 27 Quinnipiac University poll. In the last election, Obama was the first Democrat in 44 years to win Hamilton County, which includes Cincinnati.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More Details: Running mate could be named soon
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney could name his running mate by the end of the week, a top adviser said Monday.
The announcement, if it happens according to the adviser's timetable, would come several weeks before presidential candidates traditionally reveal their vice president picks.
Senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom said Romney hadn't finalized his decision but that an announcement could come within days.
Romney attended a private fund-raiser alongside Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who is among those on Romney's short list for vice president.
Others thought to be under consideration include Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida.