Romney's 2004 reply undercuts his primary campaign argument on the economy.
The unstated assumption here is that the race ought to be a referendum on Obama — and, in particular, a referendum on the lousy economy. But Romney’s strategy here is itself completely cynical and dishonest. I’m fairly sure that Obama genuinely believes that Romney won’t usher in greater prosperity. Does Romney himself actually believe that Obama deserves to be held accountable for the state of the economy? Here’s is that Romney said about this in 2004.
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/08/video-proves-mitt-knows-whole-campaign-is-a-lie.html