Campaigns trade taunts on the trail

FREMONT, Calif. -- Stunts, stagecraft and scripts shaped the presidential campaign yesterday as Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama sought an edge on voters' No. 1 issue, the economy.

On one coast, Romney made a surprise trip to the former California headquarters of solar-panel manufacturer Solyndra to accuse Obama of currying favor with campaign supporters by giving a federal loan to the green energy company that later went bankrupt.

"This half-a-billion-dollar taxpayer investment represents a serious conflict of interest on the part of the president and his team," the Republican presidential candidate said as he stood outside the shuttered company and held it up as Exhibit A of presidential missteps on the economy.

He offered no proof of his claim during a visit that was shrouded in an unusual amount of secrecy because, aides said, the campaign feared Obama would interfere with his Republican rival's plans to appear there.

At about the same time, in Boston, Obama's campaign staged its own event outside Massachusetts' statehouse to argue that Romney's record as governor from 2003 to 2007 proves he is ill-prepared to manage the economy.

"Romney economics didn't work then and it won't work now," Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod said at a news conference, pointing to a poor record of job creation, increased fees and the addition of $2.6 billion to the state's debt on Romney's watch.

Axelrod's appearance attracted several dozen Romney supporters, including many who protested loudly, chanting "Where are the jobs?" and holding signs that said "Obama isn't working."

The competing events showed the degree to which Obama and Romney's teams are trying to undercut each other's economic credentials.

Romney staged what amounted to almost a taunt to the president by traveling to the shuttered Solyndra plant. His campaign didn't announce the location or subject in advance and barred reporters from disclosing the venue until arrival. A senior Romney aide said the campaign was concerned the Obama administration would work with local officials to prevent Romney from holding an event there.

Solyndra has emerged as a vulnerability for Obama because the company received $535 million in loan guarantees from the Energy Department in 2009, only to go bankrupt two years later, sparking an investigation. The loan guarantee program, designed to spur alternative energy projects, was created during the Bush administration.

Republicans have been assailing Obama on Solyndra for months, partly by pointing to the connection between Obama fundraisers and the company while arguing that the president used government policies to benefit campaign supporters.