DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Mitt Romney charged Friday that Democrats have resorted to “silly word games” to try to win the election after President Obama on Friday accused him of “Romnesia” in changing his earlier stances.
At a huge rally here on the beach in Florida amid Biketoberfest, a bike rally that draws tens of thousands of motorcycle owners, Mr. Romney and his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, pleaded with Florida to deliver its critical votes on Nov. 6.
And Mr. Romney continued to make his post-debate case that Mr. Obama has abandoned a positive vision for the country and is instead running on a message of attacking the GOP.
“They’ve been reduced to petty attacks and silly word games,” he said. “Just watch it. The Obama campaign has become the incredible shrinking campaign.”
For the last five months the campaign has lurched regularly from deep policy differences to name-calling and back to policy, and right now it appears the name-calling is back in vogue.
Indeed, Mr. Obama has delivered a string of catch-phrase attacks this week, beginning in Tuesday’s debate when he said Mr. Romney’s tax plan is a “sketchy deal.”
On Friday, campaigning in northern Virginia, Mr. Obama accused Mr. Romney of altering his positions to win election, and deployed his latest zinger.
“I mean, he’s changing up so much and backtracking and sidestepping — we’ve got to name this condition that he’s going through. I think it’s called ’Romnesia,’” Mr. Obama said. “That’s what it’s called. I think that’s what he’s going through.”
Mr. Romney has done his own mocking, saying on Wednesday that the president is so devoid of an agenda that he’s “running on fumes.”
On Friday he met up with Mr. Ryan and they campaigned together in front of a crowd the campaign said numbered 8,500. Mr. Romney takes the rest of the weekend off to prepare for Monday night’s final debate.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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