Obama campaign recalls Romney's ‘corporations are people' comment

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President Barack Obama returns to the fairgrounds in the battleground state of Iowa on Thursday — and his campaign wants you to remember it as the place where Mitt Romney made his famous declaration that "corporations are people, my friend."

The Obama campaign invited supporters to the president's campaign rally with a 34-second video that stars Romney (Obama never appears) in his August 11, 2011 exchange with hecklers at the fair.

"We can raise taxes on people," Romney says, only to be cut off with a cry of "corporations."

"Corporations are people, my friend," the former Massachusetts governor replies. "No they're not," someone shouts. "Of course they are," Romney shoots back. "Everything corporations earn ultimately goes to people. Where do you think it goes?"

Obama was due to speak at the fairgrounds at 6:55 p.m. local time.

"See you there," his campaign video says. Democrats have cited Romney's comments at the fairgrounds as evidence that he is out of touch with struggling voters — and Team Obama is sure to use his comments again and again between now and November.

Republicans won't be using these remarks by Romney in any ads. But his supporters say that the pugnacious and unscripted exchange — he took on his hecklers and even punctuated his replies with some off-the-cuff humor, joking that they probably wouldn't vote for him — also showed that the frequently stiff Republican candidate has plenty of fight in him.

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