Obama campaign attacks Romney on outsourcing to India

The Obama Campaign today launched an advertisement blitz against Republican rival Mitt Romney accusing him of a dismal economic record and outsourcing jobs to India as the Governor of Massachusetts, contrary to the US President's stand during his maiden visit to New Delhi.

"Instead of hiring workers from his own State, Romney outsourced call centre jobs to India," the 1.02 minute advertisement alleges with visuals of call centres in India in the background.

The "Heard it Before" ad is now airing in nine States of Colorado, Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

The ad highlights Romney's alleged failed economic record as Governor of Massachusetts -- and how he wants to bring that same economic philosophy to the White House.

"When running for Governor, Romney promised more jobs, less debt and smaller government. Once in office, he fell short on those promises and more.

Massachusetts plummeted to 47th out of 50 in job creation, taxpayers were left with more debt per person than in any other state, and the size of government increased," the Obama Campaign alleged.

"Now that he's running for President, we're hearing the same empty promises. And America can't afford the same results. The bottom line is simple, Romney Economics didn't work then, and it won't work now," it said.

The Indian IT software and services companies get about 60 per cent of their revenues from the US market, as American firms outsource their back office jobs to India and other countries to cut cost.

On his trip to India in 2010, Barack Obama had said, "...when I go back to the US, a part of the reason that I advertised these 50,000 jobs is I want to be able to say to the American people when they ask me why are you spending time with India when they are taking our jobs."

"I want to be able to say they actually created 50,000 jobs and that's why we should not be resorting to protectionist measures," Obama had said.

"We should not be thinking that it's just a one-way street. I want both the citizens of the US and India to understand the ties between the two countries," he had added.

As Governor, the Obama Campaign alleged, Romney vetoed legislation that would prohibit Massachusetts from sending State jobs overseas and his administration outsourced call centre jobs to India.

"In a surprise move, Romney also vetoed a provision barring overseas outsourcing by vendors doing business with the state, even though in March he proposed a USD 29 million package of incentives designed to discourage Massachusetts companies from moving jobs out of state," the Boston Globe then wrote, the ad said.

"Romney said that the plan included in the budget was hastily crafted and would drive away some businesses while failing to create jobs here," the Boston Globe had then written.

"In June (2004), a budget bill was sent to Romney containing a provision that would have prohibited Massachusetts from contracting with companies that outsourced the state's work to other countries," the ad said.

"A key concern was a USD 160,000-a-month contract with Citigroup to operate a system of electronic food-stamp cards that included a customer phone service centre in India.....He could either try to ensure that some additional jobs were available to taxpayers or he could try to save taxpayers some money," it said.

"Romney opted for the latter course, saying the measure did not protect state jobs, the call centre might have moved from India to another state, but had the potential of costing our citizens a lot more money," the ad said.

"Yes, Romney may have vetoed a bill on outsourcing, but his decision was supported by the two main newspapers in the state," The Washington Post wrote on March 29 this year, the Obama Campaign said.

"When Romney was governor of Massachusetts, his administration signed a USD 160,000-per-month contract with Citigroup to operate an electronic food stamp system that included a consumer call centre in India," said Boston Globe, Political Intelligence on May 1, 2012; according to the Obama Campaign.