Political Ruminations

Obama Campaign Responds to Mitt Romney’s Remarks About the Recess Appointment of Richard Cordray

On Wednesday, Mitt Romney called the recess appointment of Richard Cordray to the Consumer Financial Protection Agency “Chicago-style politics”. The Obama Campaign hit back hard, slamming the flip-flopping Wall Streeter:

“Mitt Romney today stood with predatory lenders and Republicans in Congress over the middle class. He doubled down on his promise to eliminate the Wall Street watchdog and allow Wall Street to write its own rules again, leaving consumers vulnerable to hidden fees, financial traps and excessive risk taking that will hit their pocketbooks. Governor Romney has made clear he has not learned the lessons of the economic crisis, instead, he’s giving the most irresponsible financial actors a bright green light to pursue profit at any cost to communities across America.”

Game on.

Full Text Transcript & Video: Remarks by President Obama on the Appointment of Richard Cordray

Video after the jump.

January 04, 2012

Remarks by the President on the Economy

Shaker Heights High School
Shaker Heights, Ohio

1:26 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Ohio!  (Applause.)  Ah, it is good to be back in Ohio.  (Applause.)  It is good to be back in Shaker Heights -- (applause) -- home of the Red Raiders.  (Applause.) 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Mr. President, I love you!

THE PRESIDENT:  I love you back.  And I'm glad to be back.  (Applause.)  I'm glad to be here. 

I want to thank your mayor, Earl Leiken, for hosting us today; -- (applause) -- your superintendent, Mark Freeman; -- (applause) -- the principal here, Mike Griffith.  (Applause.)  Well, and I know -- I'm pretty sure we've got a couple of congresspeople here, but I don't see them.  Where are they?  Okay, we've got Marcia Fudge.  (Applause.) Marcy Kaptur is here. (Applause.)  Dennis Kucinich.  (Applause.)  Betty Sutton in the house.  (Applause.)  Outstanding members of Congress, doing the right thing every day.  So we thank them all for being here.  (Applause.)

Rick Santorum to Senate: Obstruction is Good

Rick Santorum tells a Rotary Club that he’d refuse to work (if he were still a senator)in response to Pres. Obama’s recess appointment of Richard Cordray to Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Agency:

“I’d go to the ramparts on this one,” Santorum said at a Rotary Club breakfast in Manchester, New Hampshire. “I hope that the Senate has the backbone to say, ‘You will withdraw these nominations or we are doing nothing.”

This is a perfectly legal move  that was made in order to get around three years of GOP obstruction, for the protection of 99% of the American people, but I think we can infer from his comment that Rick Santorum thinks it’s far more important to continue obstructing the business of the American people.