Obama goes negative with Romney attack ad

US: The US presidential race grew increasingly hostile and bitter Saturday with President Barack Obama releasing an attack ad that blamed Republican rival Mitt Romney for shipping American jobs abroad. Obama, who with a stubborn unemployment rate of 8.2 percent, is fighting historic precedent to keep his job, poured scorn on his White House opponent’s business record, intensifying his recent character assassination of Romney.

The 32-second ad alleged that Romney, when head of venture capital outfit Bain Capital, had links to companies that chose to lay off US-based workers and move those jobs to plants in Mexico and China instead.

The commercial, titled “Firms,” aired just days after the Obama campaign seized on government records that suggested Romney remained in charge at Bain for three years beyond February 1999, when he officially stepped down.

The date is considered crucial as after that year Bain is said to have invested in companies that moved jobs abroad.

Romney has denied having any managerial influence at the Boston-based investment firm beyond 1999.

AFP