Since Friday morning's tragic shooting in Aurora, Colorado President Barack Obama's and Mitt Romney's presidential campaigns have engaged in a highly choreographed detente — one that now appears to be over.
Both campaigns pulled their ads in Colorado immediately after the shooting and toned down their rhetoric, but the Obama campaign has resumed negative campaigning.
On Monday morning, David Axelrod tweeted twice about Mitt Romney's penchant for secrecy, which the Romney campaign notes, marked the first public attacks from either campaign since the shooting.
The campaign wasn't going to pause indefinitely, but both campaigns have been mindful not to throw the first punch. Each has refrained from sending out the usual barrage of press releases attacking the other, and — until now — their surrogates and staffers have laid low. On Monday morning, the Obama campaign also announced a conference call to discuss Romney's upcoming foreign trip featuring attack dog Robert Gibbs.
A spokesperson for the Obama campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tax returns. Bundlers. Bain. MA records & now key docs from Olympics. When it comes to secrecy, Mitt takes the gold! http://t.co/KzXBeTrL
Tax returns. Bundlers. Bain. MA records & now key docs from Olympics.
When it comes to secrecy, Mitt takes the gold!
http://t.co/KzXBeTrL-- David Axelrod
And on the subject of secrecy: http://t.co/d270AaCG
And on the subject of secrecy:
http://t.co/d270AaCG-- David Axelrod
UPDATE: A Democratic source points to a Romney campaign email over the weekend that also had a negative message.
Hey Friend,
I'm sure you remember how "cool" it was to support Barack Obama back in 2008. Well, since he's been President he's made it harder for young people to find jobs and has put trillions of dollars of debt on our tab. It's our responsibility to tell people in our generation just how bad President Obama has been for our future.
And via ABC News' Arlette Saenz, the Romney campaign's signage today:
