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Obama: Romney campaign 'centerpiece' is 'absolutely wrong'

At a surprise press White House press conference on Monday, President Barack Obama called the Romney campaign's claims about his welfare policy "absolutely wron

At a surprise press White House press conference on Monday, President Barack Obama called the Romney campaign's claims about his welfare policy "absolutely wrong."

He started on the subject after he was asked about a controversial negative ad by the pro-Obama PAC Priorities USA. The ad blamed Romney for the death of a woman who didn't have access to health care. Obama said he did not approve of the ad or agree with its premise.

“In contrast, we’ve got Governor Romney creating, as a centerpiece of his campaign, the notion that we’re taking the work requirement out of welfare," the President said. Romney recently released his third ad slamming Obama’s welfare policy, quoting a Richmond Times-Dispatch editorial the called Obama’s welfare policy “nuts” for allegedly loosening welfare requirements. The paper later admitted that the facts used in the editorial were false.

“Everyone who has looked at this is saying that Governor Romney is absolutely wrong," Obama said, "And Governor Romney is approving it and saying it on the stump!” 


“What is the Romney campaign doing talking about welfare?” msnbc contributor Richard Wolffe incredulously asked Ed Schultz on The Ed Show Monday. “We’re not talking about the underlying premise that any opponent, any sane opponent would try and dig up, which is an alternate economic policy.”

 Romney's campaign “is the 'me too' campaign," he went on. "Every time they get an attack from the other side that works, they’ve got to come up with one of their own.”

Obama also commented on Romney’s refusal to release his tax returns.

“I’m not asking him to disclose every detail of his medical records—though we normally do that as well,” he said. “This isn’t overly personal. This is pretty standard stuff. I don’t think we’re being mean by asking you to do stuff every other presidential candidate has done.”