Romney Campaign Press Release - Romney For President Launches "Experience Matters" Television Ad In Michigan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Romney Press Shop (857) 288-6390

Boston, MA – Today, Romney for President launched the "Experience Matters" television ad in Michigan. The ad highlights Governor Romney's belief that our nation's leader must have the experience "to run the largest enterprise in the world." Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) does not have that experience and our nation cannot afford a leader who needs on-the-job training. Governor Romney has led businesses, the 2002 Winter Olympics and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In each case, he brought change and turned around institutions. As President, he will do the same for our government.

The ad will begin airing as part of the campaign's rotation today in Michigan. Script and viewing links are below.

Script For "Experience Matters" (TV:30):

GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY: "Hillary Clinton wants to run the largest enterprise in the world. She hasn't run a corner store. She hasn't run a state. She hasn't run a city.

"She has never run anything. And the idea that she could learn to be President as an internship just doesn't make any sense.

"I have spent my life running things. I've learned how to run a business. I've learned how to run a state. I ran the Olympics. In each case, I've brought change.

"And if there's ever been a time we needed change in Washington to bring strength to America, it's now.

"I'm Mitt Romney and I approve this message."

To watch "Experience Matters," please see: http://tv.mittromney.com/?showid=451202

AD FACTS: Script For "Experience Matters" (TV:30):

GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY: "Hillary Clinton wants to run the largest enterprise in the world. She hasn't run a corner store. She hasn't run a state. She hasn't run a city. She has never run anything. And the idea that she could learn to be President as an internship just doesn't make any sense."

- U.S. World & News Report's Mort Zuckerman: "Hillary Clinton Doesn't Exactly Have That Much Executive Experience." ZUCKERMAN: "I'm just saying that if you want to talk about experience, what really is critical is executive experience. And on this particular criteria, even Hillary Clinton doesn't exactly have that much executive experience." (MSNBC's "Tucker," 8/21/07)

- Former Governor Mark Warner (D-VA) Contrasted His Executive Experience With Senator Clinton's Lack Thereof. "[Mark] Warner ever so quietly and carefully made the case why he might be a more pragmatic option than Mrs. Clinton. 'I think there is something different about somebody who has had executive experience,' said Mr. Warner, who wore a blue shirt and yellow tie. 'Oftentimes for a legislator, the end of the battle is once you've passed the bill--the facts are that's just the beginning. Once legislation is passed, that doesn't mean the problem is solved; that's the actual beginning.'" (Jason Horowitz, "Can Mark Warner Find Some Money Hillary Dropped," New York Observer, 9/25/06)

- Senator Clinton Has Less Experience As An Elected Official Than Barack Obama. "I was never very good in math, but I do know how to add. If you add up Barack Obama's years in elective office the total is 10. If you add up Hillary Clinton's years in elective office, it is six. Maybe neither of them is qualified for the presidency, but considering the numbers, why is Mr. Obama's lack of experience more of an issue than Mrs. Rodham Clinton's?" (Chuck Goudie, Op-Ed, "It's Time To Come Clean About The Players In The Super Poll," Chicago Daily Herald, 2/5/07)

CHYRON: "The U.S. Government — 14.6 Million Federal Workforce — $2.4 Trillion Revenue"

- The Federal Government's Workforce Is Made Up Of 14.6 Million People. "Paul Light, a professor of public service at New York University, estimates the true size of the federal work force at 14.6 million, including 7.6 million contractors, 2.9 million grantees and 1.9 million civil servants – the biggest it has been in more than two decades. The rest of the work force consists of 1.4 million military personnel and 0.8 million postal employees." (Elise Castelli, "Contractor And Grant-Funded Employees Outnumber Feds 5.5-To-1," The Federal Times, 10/17/06)

- The Washington Post : "According to a recent study, not only is the number of federal civil servants on the rise, but so are the numbers of employees working for government-funded contractors and for organizations that receive government grants. Roll all of those together – and mix in the numbers of postal workers and military personnel on the federal payroll – and the 'true size' of the federal government stands at 14.6 million employees, said Paul C. Light, the study's author and a government professor at New York University. That compares with 12.1 million employees in 2002, said Light, who has tracked the growth of government for years and has data for as far back as 1990. The latest increase is almost entirely due to contractors, whose ranks swelled by 2.5 million since 2002, Light wrote in his 10-page research brief." (Christopher Lee, "Big Government Gets Bigger," The Washington Post, 10/6/06)

- In Fiscal Year 2006, The U.S. Government Collected $2.4 Trillion In Revenue. ("The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2008 To 2017," Congressional Budget Office, Link, 1/07)

GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY: "I have spent my life running things. I've learned how to run a business. I've learned how to run a state. I ran the Olympics. In each case, I've brought change. And if there's ever been a time we needed a change in Washington to bring strength to America, it's now. I'm Mitt Romney and I approve this message."

- Governor Romney Has "A Solid Reputation In The Business Community For Turning Companies Around." CNN's RHONDA SCHAFFLER: "Romney had a solid reputation in the business community for turning companies around, like Staples, Domino's Pizza and the Sports Authority." (CNN's "Business Unusual," 1/27/02)

- The Boston Globe's Robert Gavin And Sacha Pfeiffer: "In time, Romney would lead the shaky start-up from a staff of seven people managing $37 million to 115 people managing $4 billion in assets. During Romney's 15-year tenure, Bain Capital would post an astonishing record, on average doubling its return on realized investments every year." (Robert Gavin and Sacha Pfeiffer, "Reaping Profit In Study, Sweat," The Boston Globe, 6/26/07)

- Bloomberg's Heidi Pryzbyla: "Romney's business record is unmatched by the current crop of leading candidates." (Heidi Pryzbyla, "Romney Finds Classmate Bush's Management Lapses Unlikely Hurdle," Bloomberg, 7/1/07)

- The Associated Press : "Romney took over as head of Salt Lake's Olympic organizing committee in February 1999 after it was revealed Salt Lake organizers doled out more than $1 million in cash and gifts to members of the International Olympic Committee to win the 2002 bid. Under Romney's leadership, the Games were lauded as a critical success, a model of post-Sept. 11 security and turned a $100 million profit. Romney, a successful venture capitalist before the Games, wrote a book after titled 'Turnaround: Crisis, Leadership and the Olympic Games.'" (Debbie Hummel, "Utah's 'Adopted Son' Returns To State For Presidential Fundraiser," The Associated Press, 2/21/07)

- At The 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, Governor Romney Turned A $379 Million Deficit Into A $100 Million Profit. "As early as 1999, a financial crisis was looming: The Games were mired in a bribery scandal and were running a $379 million deficit. Romney was asked to step in, and he immediately slashed budgets and boosted sponsorships. And since the Games were held just months after Sept. 11, 2001, he oversaw a huge security apparatus. He now says it was one of the most difficult things he'd ever done, comparing it to 'arranging 17 Super Bowls a day for 17 days.' The Games ended up with a $100 million profit." (Marcia Vickers, "The Republicans' Mr. Fix-It," Fortune Magazine, 6/27/07)

- In Massachusetts, Governor Romney Closed A Nearly $3 Billion Shortfall Without Raising Taxes. "When Mitt Romney became governor of Massachusetts in 2003, the state had a budget gap of almost $3 billion and was losing thousands of jobs a month. In Mr. Romney's four-year tenure, the deficit was eliminated without raising the sales tax or the income tax, and since the labor slump hit bottom in December 2003, the state has gained 81,000 jobs." (Pam Belluck, "Romney Candidacy Puts Massachusetts Economy In Spotlight," The New York Times, 3/16/07)

- The Weekly Standard's Terry Eastland: "As governor, Romney has scored another turnaround, conservative in both ends and means. Told during the campaign that he would inherit a deficit of between $500 million and $1.5 billion, Romney discovered upon taking office a $650 million deficit in fiscal 2003 and an anticipated one of $3 billion in fiscal 2004. Romney balanced the 2003 budget, and he finished 2004 with a $700 million surplus. A reviving economy helped, but Romney didn't tax or borrow, and he reduced spending through government consolidation and reform." (Terry Eastland, "In 2008, Will It Be Mormon In America?" The Weekly Standard, 6/6/05)

To watch "Experience Matters," please see: http://tv.mittromney.com/?showid=451202