"Sen. Santorum's a nice guy, but he's never had a job in the private sector," Romney said.
At Caster Concepts. Romney nodded along with owner Bill Dobbins as he inspected the heavy duty industrial wheels the company produces.
"Are you an LLC? Are you an S-corp, are —" Romney started, trying to figure out what tax rate Dobbins' business paid. The abbreviations refer to different ways a business can be structured and taxed.
"We're an S-Corp," Dobbins jumped in, which means his business pays taxes like an individual instead of at the corporate rate — a point Romney keeps hitting during speeches, contending that Obama wants to raise those taxes.
"Individual tax rates determine how much you put back into the business and how much goes to Uncle Sam," Romney explained, more for the benefit of the dozens of TV cameras gathered around than for the small group touring with him.
Romney at one point turned to the company's chief engineer, Elm Lee, inquiring where he got his degrees. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lee said. "MIT. It's a good school," Romney said back.
Dobbins, the owner, chimed in: "Not as good as Harvard." The former Massachusetts governor who has degrees in business and law from there.
At stake Tuesday are 30 delegates in Michigan and 29 in Arizona. Voting comes ahead of an intense week of campaigning across the country. March 6 is Super Tuesday, when 10 states will hold GOP nominating contests as far apart as Virginia and Alaska. Wyoming also holds county conventions beginning that day.
At stake next week are 419 delegates to the Republican National Convention, more than have been awarded in all the previous contests combined.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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John of NY 12:03PM February 27, 2012
John of NY 12:00PM February 27, 2012
John of NY 11:55AM February 27, 2012