Sniping from within GOP adds to Romney's struggles

---

See the Tulsa World?s coverage of local, state and national elections and learn about candidates.

---

Republican running mate Paul Ryan drew boos at an AARP convention in New Orleans when he said Romney would repeal Obama's health-care law, which closed a gap in coverage for seniors' prescription drugs. The Wisconsin congressman accused the administration of weakening Medicare and flinching from tough measures needed to stabilize Social Security's finances, adding that the president has "put his own job security over your retirement security."

Obama rebutted Ryan's charges point by point in a video appearance to the same audience. He said the Republican prescription for Medicare would mean "billions in new profits for insurance companies" and replacing guaranteed benefits with a voucher that would bring higher out-of-pocket costs for seniors.

Campaigning in Nevada, Romney continued to point to Obama's recent remark that he had learned, after nearly four years as president, that he couldn't change Washington from the inside. Although Obama went on to cite public involvement as a necessity for change, the Republican campaign framed the remark as an admission of failure.

"Over history, there have been people that have changed Washington from the inside," Romney said in Las Vegas. "And they've done it effectively by showing leadership from the top. ... This president has not done that."

But there seemed no letup in the bad political news for Romney, hit by a barrage of it since he was seen on videotape saying that his job as a candidate is not to worry about the 47 percent of Americans whom he said pay no income taxes and see themselves as victims.

Obama, for sure, was eager to keep the controversy alive. Campaigning in Woodbridge, Va., he defended himself against Romney's jabs at his own statement that change is impossible from the inside in Washington. "It can't happen if you write off half the nation before you even took office," he said.

He also drew laughter and applause from his audience when he mocked his rival. "He stood up at a rally, proudly declared, 'I'll get the job done from the inside.' What kind of inside job is he talking about? Is it the job of rubberstamping the top-down, you're-on-your-own agenda of this Republican Congress? Because if it is, we don't want it."

Romney's troubles have sent shudders down ballot, where Republicans are in tough races that will settle the outcome for the struggle for control of the Senate this fall. Tommy Thompson, dropping in the polls in Wisconsin, said "the presidential thing is bound to have an impact on every election."

That produced a quick retort from John Sununu, a top Romney surrogate. "My good friend Tommy Thompson sounds like Barack Obama, blaming it on somebody else," he said on CNN.

But Thompson wasn't alone. Rep. Rick Berg, running for the Senate in North Dakota, became the latest in a string of candidates to say they disagreed with Romney's 47 percent remarks.

Source: http://www.tulsaworld.com/site/articlepath.aspx?articleid=20120922_13_A11_CUTLIN209734&rss_lnk=16

micah true kansas vs ohio state winning mega million numbers bruce weber boston globe google maps 8 bit mirror mirror