Joe Biden (Photo: Getty)

Just five days after Mitt Romney's campaign manager said President Barack Obama's re-election team had reached "a new low" with super PAC attacks, the Romney-ans are claiming the Obama campaign has reached a new "new low" after Vice President suggested Mr. Romney's economic policies would enable banks to put people "back in chains."

"After weeks of slanderous and baseless accusations leveled against Governor Romney, the Obama Campaign has reached a new low. The comments made by the Vice President of the United States are not acceptable in our political discourse and demonstrate yet again that the Obama Campaign will say and do anything to win this election," said Mr. Romney's spokeswoman, Andrea Saul in a statement. "President Obama should tell the American people whether he agrees with Joe Biden’s comments."

Mr. Biden made his chains prediction at a speech in Danville, Virginia when he discussed Mr. Romney's plans to scale back some of the Obama administration's financial industry reforms.

"Romney wants to--he said in the first 100 days, he's gonna let the big banks again write their own rules," Mr. Biden said  "'Unchain Wall Street!'"

According to NBC reporter Carrie Dann, Mr. Biden lowered his voice before continuing.

"They're going to put you all back in chains," he said.

Ms. Dann also hinted Mr. Biden's remarks could have been seen as an allusion to slavery by pointing out that "Danville city is about 48 percent black, according to 2011 census numbers" and that the audience for Mr. Biden's speech "reflected the area's demography."

In his speech, Mr. Biden also discussed Mr. Romney's selection of Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate.

"This is a good thing, a good thing for the country that we have this stark, stark choice," Mr. Biden said after referencing Mr. Ryan's signature budget proposals.

President Obama (Photo: Getty)

According to a campaign update sent out this morning by Mitt Romney's spokeswoman Andrea Saul, the Romney campaign is going to be spending the week "discussing President Obama’s actions gutting welfare reform." To that end, this morning, they released a new television ad pitting President Barack Obama against President Bill Clinton by accusing him of destroying the 1996 welfare reform plan enacted by President Clinton "and a bipartisan Congress."

“In 1996, President Clinton and a bipartisan Congress helped end welfare as we know it by requiring work for welfare. But on July 12^th, President Obama quietly announced a plan to gut welfare reform by dropping work requirements,” a narrator says in the ad. "Under Obama’s plan, you wouldn’t have to work and wouldn’t have to train for a job. They just send you your welfare check and welfare to work goes back to being plain old welfare."

A press conference call was also scheduled by the Romney campaign for later this morning featuring Tea Partier and Texas' likely next senator Ted Cruz and Mr. Romney's senior advisor Ed Gillespie discussing "President Obama’s dismantling of bipartisan welfare reforms."

The accusation President Obama is eliminating welfare reform focuses on a directive issued last month by the Department of Health and Human Services that allowed states to apply for waivers lowering the requirements for people to qualify for assistance through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. These requirements include things like job training programs and attendance in secondary school.

In the past, the Obama administration has argued the HHS directive was driven by requests from the state. This morning, Ben LaBolt, the Obama campaigns secretary, countered the new Romney ad by sending out a Huffington Post article, which noted Mr. Romney supported similar policies as governor of Massachusetts. The story also pointed out "Republican states sought the waiver policy" and "the Republican Governor's Association asked Congress for even broader welfare waivers in 2005." President Obama initially opposed President Clinton's welfare reform plan, but changed his mind on the subject in time for the 2008 election.

Watch the Romney campaign's new ad below.

Mitt Romney (Photo: Getty)

The Romney campaign is jumping on reports the General Services Administration may have had widespread issues of wasteful spending and abuse of government funds at its conferences. In response to a comment made by the Republican chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Rep. John Mica yesterday that his committee might need to investigate as many as 70 GSA conferences, Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul issued a statement describing the  financial abuses by "bureaucrats in President Obama’s government" as "unacceptable."

"Middle-class Americans are struggling to make ends meet--but bureaucrats in President Obama’s government have never had it so good. While the country has piled on record levels of debt, millions of taxpayer dollars have been wasted on lavish parties and exclusive retreats. It’s unacceptable, and Americans deserve better from their government," Ms. Saul said.

The GSA first came into the spotlight back in April after it was revealed their 2010 biennial conference in Vegas included 2,400-square-foot loft suites, late night parties, at least $7,000 worth of sushi, and over $1o0,000 spent on pre-conference scouting trips. Revelations about the 2010 Vegas conference caused the White House to demand the resignation of one GSA administrator and two of her deputies. At the time, Mr. Mica described the "Las Vegas fiasco" as "just the tip of the iceberg.”

Mitt Romney (Photo: Getty)

Yesterday, the White House indicated President Barack Obama would veto a House Republican bill, H.R. 6082, that would require the Interior Department to allow oil and gas leasing at sites off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts that remain off limits for the next five years under the Obama Administrations current energy plan. Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul responded by releasing a statement this morning saying the veto is proof "President Obama doesn’t have a clue when it comes to America’s energy future."

"As energy prices have risen and our economy continues to struggle, President Obama insists on hindering efforts to expand domestic production and create American jobs. His self-described ‘hodgepodge’ energy policy has been an abject failure," Ms. Saul said. "Whether blocking job-creating initiatives like the Keystone pipeline or wasting taxpayer money on boondoggles like Solyndra, President Obama doesn’t have a clue when it comes to America’s energy future."

The bill would also increase oil and gas leasing on Arctic waters near Alaska, which would not be open until at least 2016 under the Obama Administration's current plan. In a statement, the White House said it "strongly opposes" the bill because it "would undermine the targeted, science-based, and regionally-tailored offshore development strategy that the American people and the States have helped develop over the last three years."

"The Administration's recently announced five-year strategy for offshore oil and gas leasing makes areas containing more than 75 percent of estimated, technically recoverable oil and gas resources in our oceans available for exploration and development," the White House statement said.

H.R. 6082 was approved by the House Natural Resources Committee, which is chaired by Washington State Republican Congressman Doc Hastings. Last week, Mr. Hastings claimed it is "an environmentally responsible drill-smart plan that will create jobs, grow our economy, and lower gasoline prices with more American energy." The issue of a presidential may be a moot point, the bill is expected to pass the House, but it is unlikely to pass in the Senate.

Mitt Romney (Photo: Getty)

This morning's edition of the Boston Globe contained a report that "government documents filed by Mitt Romney and Bain Capital say Romney remained chief executive and chairman of the firm three years beyond the date he said he ceded control" bolstering the Obama campaign's argument that Mr. Romney was responsible for outsourcing that occurred at Bain. The Globe article came just as the Romney campaign released a new ad describing the outsourcing claims as "dishonest." Obama campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith responded with a statement saying, "Romney’s False Ad Is Based On His Big Bain Lie."

"Mitt Romney’s ad is based on the false premise that he left Bain Capital in February 1999, an assertion that today’s Boston Globe and official documents filed with the SEC and the State of Massachusetts demonstrate is just not true," Ms. Smith said. "The fact is that Romney, despite his big Bain lie, served as president and CEO of his corporate buyout firm until three years later and is responsible for the American jobs that were shipped overseas during that period."

Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul countered the Globe article with a statement of her own labeling the Globe story "inaccurate."

"The article is not accurate.  As Bain Capital has said, as Governor Romney has said, and as has been confirmed by independent fact checkers multiple times, Governor Romney left Bain Capital in February of 1999 to run the Olympics and had no input on investments or management of companies after that point," Ms. Saul said.

Ms. Saul's statement didn't specifically address the documents uncovered by the Globe, which include documents Bain Capital filed with the SEC and a "Massachusetts financial disclosure form Romney filed in 2003 states that he still owned 100 percent of Bain Capital in 2002."

Obama for America Deputy Campaign Manager Stephanie Cutter also issued a statement on the Globe story saying it put Mr. Romney "at the center of responsibility for troubling investments involving outsourcing and bankruptcies" that he claimed it was "dishonest" for the Obama campaign to tar him with in his ad. Ms. Cutter also said the report raises questions about another one of the Obama campaign's favored topics--Mr. Romney's failure to disclose more than a year of his tax returns.

"It also raises serious questions about why he misrepresented the date of his ‘departure,’ and whether he is concealing his tax returns because there is still more about this period and beyond that he doesn't want people to know," Ms. Cutter said. "It's time for Mitt Romney to come clean so that the American people can make their own judgments about his record and his motivations."

Dollar, dollar bills, y'all. (Photo: Getty)

Today, the Obama campaign released their June fundraising numbers and, for the second straight month, they raised less cash than the Romney campaign. However, both campaigns responded to the new numbers with communiques casting themselves as underdogs in the fundraising race. 

This afternoon, the Obama campaign sent out a fundraising email from Obama For America Chief Operating Officer Ann Marie Habershaw in which she took note of the Romney campaign's June fundraising lead and used it to motivate potential Democratic donors.

However, while the Obama campaign claims Mr. Romney has fundraising edge, the Romney campaign would like reporters to think their supposed fundraising advantage is a myth. This morning, Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul sent an email to reporters outlining their reasons for feeling like the financial underdog in the presidential race.

"The Obama campaign would have you believe that they have been outspent, it’s just not the case.  Besides the fact that we are facing off against an incumbent president who has been able to fully engage in a fundraising battle this entire campaign, as we could not, we are only allowed to spend primary dollars from now through the convention," Ms. Saul wrote. "President Obama had no primary opponent, so could use all the money he raised for the primary against Gov. Romney.  By contrast, Gov. Romney had to wage a long and expensive primary campaign using precious primary dollars that could not be replenished after he won. Gov. Romney has had a successful couple of months fundraising, but it does not make up for the gap that exists with primary dollars from now through convention."

Ms. Saul attached a Romney campaign memorandum to her email with a chart illustrating the cash advantage the Obama campaign had going into the post-primary phase of this presidential election. According to Ms. Saul's chart, the Romney campaign came into May, the first full month after Mr. Romney eliminated Rick Santorum in the race for the Republican nomination, with just about $9.21 million on hand compared to the Obama campaign's approximately $115.16 million. By the end of May, Team Romney had $17 million on hand compared to Obama For America's $109.72 million.

After their big fundraising haul, the Romney campaign had $160 million in cash on hand at the end of last month. The Obama campaign has yet to report how much they had left in the bank at the end of last month, so it's not clear precisely where the money race stands at the moment, but what is apparent is that, for reasons of either brand or expectation management both campaigns want to make it seem like they're coming from behind in the cash game. Of course, while campaign coffers provide the primary funding for a ground game and advertising strategy, these numbers don't include the money being raised by super PACs supporting each candidate. On that front, Mr. Romney is ahead by a large a margin.

Mitt Romney

According to Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul the Supreme Court decision upholding President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law led to a windfall for Mitt Romney. Ms. Saul told The Politicker supporters donated at least $100,000 in the 50 minutes between the immediate aftermath of the ruling, which was issued at approximately 10:10 a.m. Shortly before 11:30, Ms. Saul said the total donations had reached over $300,000. By 1:30 p.m., Ms. Saul claimed the Romney campaign had raised $1 million following the ruling.

"Fundraising for @MittRomney ticks up to $300k since decision came down. #FullRepeal," Ms. Saul wrote on Twitter.

Mr. Romney has already vowed to repeal the ruling if he is elected and some political watchers have speculated a decision to uphold the law would be good for Mr. Romney because it will allow him to energize conservatives by pushing for repeal. The rapid flood of donations to his campaign certainly bolsters the argument the decision could help Mr. Romney fire up supporters on the right.

Mr. Romney's fundraising outpaced President Obama's in May. Prior to the Court decision, Democrats were already fretting about being outspent by the Romney campaign.

(Updated 1:30pm to note the most current fundraising numbers.)

President Obama

After a brief respite for the holiday weekend, the battle over Bain Capital waged on in the presidential race. Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul took the first shot on CNN this morning by saying Mitt Romney's work at the private equity firm led to more new jobs than President Barack Obama's first term in the White House.

"Governor Romney has 25 years of experience as a businessman and entrepreneur, creating jobs. The only thing President Obama's ever managed is his own narrative," Ms. Saul told CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien. "Governor Romney has that experienced, he's learned from his successes and failures and he created more jobs at Bain Capital, or helped create more jobs at Bain Capital, than President Obama has in the entire nation as president."

Since Ms. Saul said Mr. Romney learned from his mistakes at Bain, Ms. O'Brien asked her to cite specific examples of failures that occurred on the company's watch. She wouldn't name any specific instances of mistakes made by Mr. Romney at Bain.

"Look, in business any entrepreneur knows that things don't always work out the way you want," said Ms. Saul. "The goal was always to grow companies to make them better, but it's not always going to work out."

Ms. O'Brien pressed the point, but Ms. Saul still didn't cite specific examples.

"Not every business is successful. So, he had successes, he had failures. I don’t have any specific examples to pass on, but there’re going to be ups and downs," Ms. Saul said. Anybody in the private sector understands that."

Ben LaBolt, press secretary for the Obama campaign, quickly pounced on Ms. Saul's refusal to name specific failures that occurred during Mr. Romney's Bain career. He issued a statement citing her comments as proof Mr. Romney doesn't learn from his mistakes and would institute. "the same failed policies that created the economic crisis in the first place."

"Mitt Romney has asked the American people to elect him based on his experience as a corporate buyout specialist--that’s the economic philosophy he would bring into the Oval Office.  He has claimed time and again that his goal was job creation, but the workers who lost their jobs when he profited off of bankrupting companies and outsourcing know that wasn’t the case," Mr. LaBolt said. "On CNN this morning, Andrea Saul couldn’t list a single lesson Mitt Romney learned from his failures as a corporate buyout specialist.  Does Mitt Romney still believe it’s okay to bankrupt a company and walk away with millions when workers are left without jobs, pensions, and health care? Romney’s record tells us he didn’t learn any lessons from his past failures."

George W. Bush speaking in Washington, D.C. earlier today. (Photo: Getty)

Mitt Romney's campaign still has yet to issue a statement or announcement following President George W. Bush's expression of support for Mr. Romney's candidacy earlier this afternoon. After we wrote a post about the conspicuous silence, Mr. Romney's spokeswoman, Andrea Saul, wrote back to assure us he's glad to have Mr. Bush's endorsement.

"We welcome the president's support, as we welcomed his father's," Ms. Saul said.

Though the Romney campaign is pleased to have Mr. Bush's backing, don't expect to see the ex-president stumping for Mr. Romney on the campaign trail.

Mr. Bush's father, former President George Bush Sr., endorsed Mr. Romney back in March. At the time, Mr. Romney and the elder Mr. Bush appeared togetherat a press conference in Houston. Ms. Saul told us she doesn't expect there will be joint appearances with Mr. Romney and the younger Mr. Bush.

"We're proud to have the president's support, but he made clear when he left office that he was not going to engage in political campaigns and we have no reason to believe that is going to change," Ms. Saul said.

The younger Mr. Bush ended his presidency in January, 2009 with a final job approval rating of 34 percent and a 61 percent disapproval rating. He is one of only three presidents in the postwar era to end his presidency with final job approval ratings in the low 30s, along with Harry Truman and Jimmy Carter. According to the most recent polls, he is still viewed unfavorably by the majority of Americans.

President Obama (Photo: Getty)

During his visit to Albany today, President Barack Obama outlined a "To Do List" of initiatives he'd like Congress to complete in order to turn around the economy. Mitt Romney's campaign spokeswoman, Andrea Saul, released a "Note to President Obama" soon afterward saying the president needs to get his own house order before giving instructions to the Legislative branch.

"Before he tells Congress what it should do, President Obama should follow through on his own ‘to-do’ list that he outlined nearly four years ago in Denver," Ms. Saul said referencing the president's speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

As the campaigns have started to heat up, Mr. Romney's team is focusing on convincing voters the economy hasn't turned around enough during President Obama's first term. Ms. Saul said the president's focus on Congress won't obscure the fact the economy is still struggling under his leadership.

"After more than three years of liberal policies that have driven up debt and wasteful spending, no amount of ‘to-do’ lists can hide the fact that the President’s policies have failed to make life better for the millions of Americans who are struggling in the Obama economy," she said.