Romney Doesn't Want Fiscal Conservatives to Get Their Hopes Up

Says we shouldn't expect huge tax breaks if he wins the presidency

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – With a spate of recent polls showing him falling further behind the president in key swing states, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney on Wednesday focused his pitch to voters on paying down the national debt—one of the few areas where he continues to hold an advantage over President Obama.

"That clock up there shows our national debt," Romney said at a campaign rally, pointing to a debt clock set up by his campaign in a high school gymnasium in this Columbus suburb. "When I began this campaign it started with 15 trillion.… Now there's over $16 trillion in debt. If [Obama] were reelected, I can assure you, it will be almost $20 trillion in debt." 

Recent polls show that while Romney trails the president on issues including taxes, international affairs, and the handling of entitlement programs, the one area where he continues to have an edge is on addressing budget deficits and the national debt. Romney seized on the topic on Wednesday, calling the current debt "an unthinkable amount" and arguing that the Federal Reserve has compounded the problem by keeping interest rates low.