So it begins...Group (Priorities USA Action) Launches Early Ad Against Romney (VIDEO)

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Group Launches Early Ad Against Romney
By JIM RUTENBERG

The new political group co-founded last month by two former aides to President Obama is unleashing its first television broadside against Republicans today, attacking former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts on health care and needling former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in the process.

Officials with the group, Priorities USA Action, said the advertisement was designed to coincide with Mr. Romney’s planned campaign-style visit to South Carolina this weekend, and will run on local stations there. Bill Burton, a co-founder of the group and a former White House deputy press secretary for Mr. Obama, declined to say how much the group was spending on the spot but said, “If you’re in South Carolina while Mitt Romney is in South Carolina and you watch the news you’re going to see this ad.”

The spot focuses on Mr. Gingrich’s suggestion on “Meet the Press’’ on Sunday that the Medicare overhaul approved by House Republicans last month represented “radical change,’’ which he apologized for earlier this week after receiving stinging conservative brickbats for the statement. Apparently concerned about just such an ad, earlier this week Mr. Gingrich warned on Fox News Channel, “Any ad which quotes what I said Sunday is a falsehood, and because I have said publicly – those words were inaccurate and unfortunate.”

Reprising comments Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina made earlier this week on CNN — that Mr. Gingrich had cut the plan’s prime sponsor, Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, “off at the knees,’’ — an announcer says, “Governor Haley thinks the plan is courageous and Gingrich shouldn’t be cutting conservatives off at the knees.”

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http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/20/group-launches-early-ad-against-romney/?scp=2&sq=rutenberg&st=cse