Old and busted — the “Bain mentality“:

President Obama’s chief campaign strategist David Axelrod today on “This Week” honed his two-pronged attack on GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney, insisting the former Bain Capital CEO’s record and shifting policy positionswill undermine his general election appeal.

“Frankly I don’t think bringing a Bain mentality to this economy — to running this economy — makes him a strong candidate,” Axelrod told me. “I don’t think shifting and moving around on positions – fundamental positions – is one that people are going to embrace.”

“Trust is a big issue in the presidency,” he said. “I think there’s a big trust issue here.”

New hotness — trusting people from … Bain:

Jeffrey Zients will serve as President Obama’s new acting director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), but the president’s decision might undercut attacks on Republican Mitt Romney’s career as a venture capitalist, because Zients and Romney are both alumni of Bain & Company.

“I’m pleased to designate Jeff Zients to lead the Office of Management and Budget. Since day one, Jeff has demonstrated superb judgment and has provided sound advice on a whole host of issues,” Obama said in a statement accompanying the announcement today. Zients previously served as Deputy Director of OMB under Jack Lew, who became Obama’s chief of staff with the departure of Bill Daley.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney might also be pleased at Zients’ promotion, given that they have a common professional background; Zients worked with Bain & Company as early as 1988, according to the Bain website.  Romney worked at Bain & Company, first from 1977-1984, and then again from 1991 and 1992, when he was the Bain & Company chief executive officer.

So did Barack Obama bother to tell his re-election campaign that he was going to appoint a budget director who worked at the very same firm that his campaign was demonizing less than ten days earlier?  Heck, at least no one can accuse the White House of coordination these days.

Got an Obamateurism of the Day? If you see a foul-up by Barack Obama, e-mail it to me at [email protected] with the quote and the link to the Obamateurism. I’ll post the best Obamateurisms on a daily basis, depending on how many I receive. Include a link to your blog, and I’ll give some link love as well. And unlike Slate, I promise to end the feature when Barack Obama leaves office.

Illustrations by Chris Muir of Day by Day. Be sure to read the adventures of Sam, Zed, Damon, and Jan every day!