CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland offered up one of the most blistering critiques of the night against Mitt Romney's bid for the presidency, accusing him of lacking "economic patriotism" for investing his money overseas and being an "outsourcing pioneer" while he was head of Bain Capital.
"Mitt Romney, he lives by a different code," Strickland said in his speech at the Democratic National Convention. "To him, American workers are just numbers on a spreadsheet. To him, all profits are created equal, whether made on our shores or off."
Strickland slammed Romney for opposing the bailout of the auto industry in Detroit, insisting that if Romney had gotten his way "devastation" would have "cascaded" across the nation.
"Mitt Romney never saw the point of building something when he could profit from tearing it down. If Mitt was Santa Claus, he'd fire the reindeer and outsource the elves," the Democratic governor said.
But Strickland saved his toughest critique for Romney's overseas investments, telling Democrats the Republican nominee "has so little economic patriotism that even his money needs a passport."
Citing Scripture, Strickland said "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
"Any man who aspires to be our president should keep both his treasure and his heart in the United States of America," Strickland said.
He called the upcoming election "a true choice."
"Barack Obama is betting on the American worker. Mitt Romney is betting on a Bermuda shell corporation," Strickland said. "Barack Obama saved the American auto industry. Mitt Romney saved on his taxes. Barack Obama is an economic patriot. Mitt Romney is an outsourcing pioneer."