New Romney Ad Showcases Business and Olympic Successes

Critics have said Mitt Romney risks being defined before he can define himself. The only path to victory for President Barack Obama is to tear down Romney because Obama cannot run on his dismal economic record. 

Today the Romney campaign and the Republican National Committee released a positive television spot that introduces Romney’s private sector business experience and his record of turning around the Salt Lake City Olympics. These are two of the strongest cards in Romney’s hand as he tries to convince Americans he is the best candidate who can surgically cut the country’s debt and turn around the economy.

The ad, titled “Believe in Our Future,” begins with Romney talking about his business experience. 

“I know what it’s like to hire people and to wonder whether you’re going to be able to make ends meet down the road,” Romney says in the ad, which differentiates himself from a president who has never had to meet payroll. “Freedom and free enterprise are what create jobs, not government.”

Romney then tells the viewers that, “From those experiences, I went off to have the chance at running the Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002.”

After the words “Known For Saving The Troubled 2002 Olympic Games” flash across the screen, Romney again talks to Americans about how he successfully managed the Olympic games.

“I came in and found that we had not only a scandal to deal with, but also a financial crisis to deal with,” Romney says in the ad. “By the time the games were over, we had about a hundred million dollars that we put into an endowment there for the future of Olympic sport.”

Romney goes on to talk about his experience as governor of Massachusetts, where he was forced to work with a legislature where 85% of its members were Democrats. 

The ad ends with a voiceover that says, “Believe in the America you built. Believe we can build it again.” 

The closing lines are a not-so-subtle reference to Obama’s comments in which Obama defiantly said to small business owners, “you didn’t build that.” 

The ad can be seen here: