Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus claimed on Sunday that his party had a "good week" after video surfaced of GOP hopeful Mitt Romney insulting 47 percent of Americans, and said that the presidential candidate didn't need to offer more details about his policies because "we've got specifics coming out our eyeballs."
During an interview on ABC News, host George Stephanopoulos noted that Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan had declared that Romney's campaign was a "rolling calamity" after video was leaked of him saying that 47 percent of Americans were not his problem.
"I think Peggy Noonan is really smart," Priebus admitted. "I respect and admire people that are very concerned and even if they're upset about, you know, something that happens in a campaign or if the week needs to be better like last week because I think that this is a different kind of campaign, George. I mean, I promise you on my life, I'm not sitting here talking to you because I'm worried about the future of the Republican Party."
"I think that we had a good week last week -- I think in retrospect -- in that we were able to frame up the debate," he insisted. "Clearly things are not going well in this country."
Stephanopoulos pointed out that many Republicans thought that the Romney needed to campaign on vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan's budget and release "more bold and specific ideas."
"I mean, for crying out loud, we've got Paul Ryan on the ticket," Priebus replied. "There can't be anything more specific than a budget that we passed to get a hold of the 10-year debt window, the deficits that are out of control that the president promised that he would fix. As far as specifics go, we are the only one talking about how to save Medicare."
"I mean, we've got specifics coming out our eyeballs," he added.
[Editor's Note from Diane Sweet]:
Specifics coming out their eyeballs, eh? That’s just not true. Romney has refused to say which tax deductions he’d eliminate to pay for $5 trillion in tax cuts skewed towards millionaires and billionaires – which independent tax experts say would requiring raising taxes on the middle class. He’s refused to say how he’d bring our troops home and end the war in Afghanistan, as the President has done. And while promising to repeal Obamacare, he’s refused to say how he would prevent insurance company discrimination against 89 million Americans who could be denied coverage if they have a pre-existing condition. That’s because, as his advisers believe, it would be suicidal for his campaign to tell the American people what he’d actually do if elected.