Romney: Obama favors 'culture of dependency'

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. -- Republican Mitt Romney accused President Barack Obama Tuesday of ditching a long-standing work requirement for welfare recipients and of fostering a "culture of dependency," levying the charges with a new television commercial.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said the allegations were "blatantly dishonest . . . hypocrisy knows no bounds." He added that Romney, while serving as Massachusetts governor, had once petitioned the White House to loosen employment rules for those on welfare.

Romney made his accusation in a relatively rare occurrence in the race for the White House -- an appearance before voters outside the small group of battleground states likely to settle the Nov. 6 election.

Illinois and its 20 electoral votes are politically safe territory for Obama in the fall. Romney was there for a fundraiser as well as a stop at a manufacturing company, part of the intense competition between the two candidates to stockpile cash for the stretch run to Election Day.

The president was speaking at two private events, one of them a fundraiser, at a hotel a few blocks from the White House. And after being outraised by Romney in recent months, his campaign announced a fundraising "shootaround" and dinner in New York on Aug. 22 featuring several pro basketball stars.

In a race as close as this one, the taunts were getting personal. Romney, interviewed on Fox News, said Obama was "saying things that are not accurate" when it comes to taxes. He referred to a crack the president made on Monday night as "Obama-loney."

At a fundraiser, Obama called Romney's tax plan Robin Hood in reverse -- "Romney Hood" -- and repeated his accusation that it would mean tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans while forcing the middle class to pay the IRS as much as $2,000 more a year.