By Roger Rapoport

Last week, as the nation was preparing for Hurricane Sandy, MBA Mitt Romney was in Toledo, Ohio, home of an expanding Chrysler Jeep factory.

The outsourcing pioneer at Bain Capital, head of a “turnaround” company who made tough decisions required to close plants, send jobs to China, lay off many thousands of workers and take businesses into bankruptcy had bad news.

The self-described “son of Detroit,” who likes to bank in the Caymans, warned that “one of the great manufacturers of this state, Jeep, now owned by the Italians, is thinking of moving all production to China.”

This falsehood was compounded by a television ad citing former Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca’s opposition to the Bush/Obama move to bailout Chrysler and GM in 2008 and 2009.

The ad’s announcer declared that Obama “sold Jeep to the Italians who are going to build Jeeps in China” along with this flashing image: “Plans to return Jeep output to China.”

Chrysler, which is hiring 1,105 workers at its Toledo Jeep plant next fall as part of a $500 million expansion, denied Romney’s claim. Chrysler Vice President Gualberto Ranieri said:

“Let us set the record straight: Jeep has no intention of shifting production of its Jeep models out of North America. The Jeep assembly lines will stay in operation. It’s simply reviewing the opportunities to return Jeep output to China, for the world’s largest auto market.”

Chrysler also announced Oct. 29 that its third-quarter profit jumped 80 percent to $381 million. The company, which has added over 7,000 jobs since the bailout had more good news for Detroit a few hours after Romney ‘s senior moment based on his misreading of a Bloomberg story. The company announced it was adding 1,100 jobs and a third shift to its Jeep plant in Detroit.

As Bill Clinton explained correctly: “It turns out that Jeep is reopening in China because they made so much money here they can afford to do it, and they are going (ahead) with their plans here.

“They put out a statement today saying it's the biggest load of bull in the world that they would ever consider shutting down operations. They are roaring in America thanks to … the people of Ohio."

Romney is also on thin ice when he brings in Lee Iacocca off the bench to cast stones against the Chrysler/GM government bailout that saved more than 1 million jobs.

In 1979, Washington rescued Chrysler with a similar bailout. Iacocca received most of his deferred salary and an impressive $360,000 in supplemental payments after our government stepped in to rescue his company. Any time he wants to return this money to the American people we’ll take it with interest.

The Obama administration’s decision to bailout GM and Chrysler in the midst of a fiscal crisis when banks weren’t even lending to one another underscores another important point. Chrysler’s prosperity and the company’s addition of 7,000 jobs to the economy defeats Romney’s argument against the Bush/Obama bailout.

Like a Halloween trick or treater, Romney is trying to frighten autoworkers with false claims about their job security. This helps explain why Romney is not campaigning in his native Michigan. It’s the same story in Massachusetts where polls show voters were not won over by his stint as governor and in California where he is also domiciled in an $11 million home.

As a bishop in the Mormon Church, Romney should hold himself to the same high standard he would expect from any parishioner. Unlike George Washington the Republican candidate is comfortable telling a lie.

Roger Rapoport lives in Muskegon.

