May 16, 2012 12:10 AM UTC

Romney Thrown On Defensive Over Bain Capital Factory Closings

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• by: Colorado Pols

Politico:

As the Obama campaign this week began a concerted attack on the presumptive GOP nominee for his tenure at the private equity firm he managed, strategists in both parties say the Republican has yet to give a confident, detailed explanation of his Bain Capital tenure that silences questions about his biography as a businessman. So far in 2012, Romney – who is centering his presidential campaign on economic leadership – has rarely if ever managed to speak about Bain in any but the most defensive of terms.

The anti-Bain message is an attack Romney has faced in every race of his political career, sometimes managing to control the damage – and other times, like his 1994 Senate bid, watching his campaign go up in smoke as a result…

Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, a top Romney endorser and potential running mate, argued at a Bloomberg View event in New York City that the GST Steel attack is unfair because “that’s capitalism.”

The story of the closing of the GST Steel mill in Kansas City following its acquisition by Bain Capital is being pushed today by both the Barack Obama campaign (video above), as well as Priorities USA Action, with ad buys including here in Colorado. Like Politico says, Mitt Romney has yet to produce a coherent narrative for his time at Bain Capital, which the Obama campaign promises includes many more examples like that of GST Steel. Since this is one of Romney’s principal weaknesses, they’re going to want a better answer than “that’s capitalism.”

Because that kind of feeds the Obama campaign’s stereotype.