Ads Attack Romney's Business Record, Will Run in South Carolina
MANCHESTER, N.H. - A super PAC supporting Newt Gingrich, Winning Our Future, today released the trailer to its 27-minute movie, "When Mitt Romney Came to Town," described on the PAC's web site as "one raider and his firm" and how they "destroyed" the American dream for "thousands of Americans and their families - Mitt Romney and Bain Capital."
The super PAC, which is not affiliated with Gingrich's campaign, but supports him, will spend a whopping $3.4 million to air the ad in South Carolina - an amount first reported by the New York Times, but confirmed by ABC News. That's a huge investment by the group in attacking Romney's record and insures a very high percentage of voters will see it. Romney is expected to do well in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, but could face more problems in South Carolina.
The film's trailer says it will show four businesses destroyed by Bain Capital.
In the trailer on the movie's website, KingofBain.com, Romney is called a "predatory corporate raider" and a "scavenger."
"Think you know Mitt? Think again," the trailer says.
"Their greed was only matched by their willingness to make millions in profits. Nothing spared, nothing mattered but greed," the trailer says. "Mitt Romney became CEO the day Bain Capital was formed. His mission? To reap massive rewards for himself and his investors," the trailer says.
Gingrich, when he was asked about the film in debates over the weekend, said he has not seen it. Gingrich was critical of the super PAC supporting Romney that put out numerous negative ads about him in Iowa.
"I haven't seen the film, but it does reflect 'The New York Times' story two days ago about one particular company. And I think people should look at the film and decide. If it's factually accurate, it raises questions," he told ABC's George Stephanopoulos Saturday night.
"I'm very much for free enterprise. I'm very much for exactly what the Governor just described, create a business, grow jobs, provide leadership. I'm not nearly as enamored of a Wall Street model where you can flip companies, you can go in and have leveraged buyouts, you can basically take out all the money, leaving behind the workers."
Gingrich said last month in Iowa if a super PAC supporting him released something negative, he would ask people to not support them and he would "disown them."
Today, his attitude toward Super PACs changed, when Gingrich said the ads only needed to be factual.
"So instead, I agree with [Romney]. It takes broad shoulders to run. Can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen. When the 27 and a half minute movie comes out, I hope it's accurate. I can say, publicly, I hope that the super PAC runs an accurate movie about Bain," Gingrich said. "And then people can watch the 27 and a half minutes of his career at Bain and decide for themselves."
The film cuts in clips of people, likely former Bain employees, speaking about their experiences with Bain Capital. The trailer does not specify who the people are.
"Mitt Romney, them guys, they don't care who I am," one says.
"He says he's for small business, no he's not," says another.
"You're gonna be on the hit list, you know that," another says.
"That hurt so bad to leave my home, because of one man who has 15 homes."
The film shows a clip of Romney's home, along with sound from a news anchor saying Romney is tearing down his 3,000 -square-foot home to build an 11,000-square-foot home, and shows a headline from the San Diego Union Tribune that reads, "Romney to quadruple … home size."
"I feel that is the man who destroyed us," a woman says toward the end of the trailer.
The film trailer ends saying: "For tens of thousands of Americans, the suffering began when Mitt Romney came to town."
Romney's campaign, in response, assailed Gingrich for "their attacks on free enterprise."
"It is sad when any American loses their job. Under President Obama, 25 million Americans are out of work, under-employed or have stopped looking for work. It's puzzling to see Speaker Gingrich and his supporters continue their attacks on free enterprise," Romney's spokesperson, Andrea Saul, said in a statement. "This is the type of criticism we've come to expect from President Obama and his left-wing allies at Moveon.org. Unlike President Obama and Speaker Gingrich, Mitt Romney spent his career in business and knows what it will take to turn around our nation's bad economy."
This post has been updated.