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Craig Romney Campaigns In Athens For Dad Mitt
By: Taylor Pool
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While Vice President Joe Biden was capturing much of the spotlight Saturday during his trip to Athens, another campaign stop was underway in the same town on the same day.
Craig Romney, son of the Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, spoke at the Athens County Republican party headquarters Saturday morning to highlight his father's accomplishments, character and goals.
"He's been blessed to have been successful," Romney said during his speech. "I don't think it's a coincidence; however, as President Obama would have people believe that if you've been successful it's something that you owe to somebody else."
Free to the public, the Romney event attracted approximately 100 people who came to show their support for the Republican party in what a campaign participant called "a majority liberal Athens."
"It's important to me that we get our values out there and explain to people this is not the party of the rich; this is the party of the common person," said Rebecca Thacker, an Ohio University professor.
Romney told stories about his family, growing up and his father being recruited to help manage the Olympics in 2008.
He related it all back to the fact he believes his father will improve the country's economy if elected to office.
"When you find someone who's not quite sure, who hasn't quite made up their mind, I think you just ask them a simple question: 'Are you better off than you were four years ago?'" said Romney.
In an interview with WOUB News , Romney acknowledged Athens is made up of mostly college students, but said the demographic is recently showing a great deal of support for the GOP candidate.
Romney attributed that to college students knowing they will find jobs after college only if the person in White House "knows what they're doing" and is "willing to tackle the economy."
He also thanked the Ohio University College Republicans for the work they are doing on his campaign and told the crowd he would keep his speech short so everyone in the room could go out, knock on doors and win some votes.
Four hours after his speech ended and just a few miles down the road, Biden was presenting an opposing viewpoint by mostly pointing out the shortcomings of the conservative ideology.
Only a few people out of a crowd of almost 700 claimed to be Republicans or non-supporters of the Obama/Biden platform.
OU student Parker Rom, who said he was a conservative, said he came because "it's not every day the Vice President is in Athens."