This guy makes it sound like Romney’s inability to answer a question is part of his strategy.
“The campaign needs to become more nimble and forward-leaning ASAP from both a political and policy perspective or it isn’t going to be enough to beat a very beatable and weak incumbent in November,” the strategist said. “Romney’s inability to define himself, in the hopes of keeping this of a referendum election, have turned him into a blank canvas that is rapidly being painted by the Obama campaign.”
The press likes to describe the Romney campaign as “disciplined.” But what they really mean is that the Romney campaign is totally risk-averse, won’t answer any questions, won’t articulate a positive agenda, and wants to keep all the focus off their candidate.
It’s an odd way to pivot from the primaries. We see that conservatives are increasingly upset with Team Romney, but not for the reasons we would have expected. Team Romney isn’t really trying to create any distance from the crazy base. They’re not alienating the base through their positions, but through their lack of aggression. The base needs red meat or it starves and grows weak.
But all of this is kind of beside the point. Unless Romney comes up with a plan to win back numerous states that Obama carried in 2008, none of this bickering will mean a thing. So far, I haven’t seen any state-level strategy from Romney at all. All he seems to be doing is lying back and hoping the national numbers move his way.
So far, I haven’t seen any state-level strategy from Romney at all. All he seems to be doing is laying back and hoping the national numbers move his way.
If R-money keeps up this nonsense after Labor Day, he’s going to have a serious problem. After all, who but political junkies pays attention before then?
Romney’s entire life has been a study of total risk aversion in practice. He has never put himself into a position of accountability if things go wrong.
When he started Bain Capital it was with the understanding that if it failed he would not be held responsible.
When he took over the Olympics he knew that all the problems that had been there before he got there could be a fall back excuse if it didn’t work. Plus, he counted on and received considerable government funding.
When he ran for Governor of MA, it was during a down economic time which he could then blame his predecessors on if he didn’t turn it around (which he continues to do to this day).
During the primaries he catered to the looniest fringes of the party rather than take a risk and sound reasonable.
When challenged with Limbaugh’s statements about Fluke, he wimpe3d out rather than get on Limbaugh’s bad side.
Romney is a coward, pure and simple.
Wonder if a lot the things that the Romney team is hoping will launch them forward, like today’s job numbers, might not already be baked into the cake. It is puzzling to me how anyone thinks that his daily evasions, on even the most mundane of questions, could somehow benefit him in the long run. But maybe I’m being too rational in thinking this is part of some larger strategy. Could they really be that incompetent?
Reminds me of the Kerry campaign.
Romney’s team is smart enough to know that the policies he wants to implement do not have anything close to majority support in this country.
His campaign so far has lied more extensively and brazenly than any other presidential campaign in memory; he’s already pushing the envelope. If he lies further (c.f. Dubya’s protesting he was an isolationist in the 2000 campaign), not only does he risk getting called on his anti-Obama lies (which media is currently letting slide as he said-he said disputes), but his base will erupt.
What it comes down to is that Romney is running on one thing, and it’s not the economy. It’s hate: his base’s hate for anyone not like them, and Romney’s contempt for anyone not named Romney. There’s really no other there there.
in the primary, he went up against amateurs and grifters.
now, he’s going up against a team that got a Black man elected President of the United States.
and, I assure you, nobody at the Prudential Building in Chicago is playing with Willard.
It’s all his daddy’s fault, dontchaknow, George Romney prided himself in taking a stand on his beliefs even if they went off the party platform. His presidential campaign didn’t work out that well.
Mitt saw that and decided standing strong on your beliefs = you won’t be elected. So hence, he dances and dances and dances.
he’s irritating more than just the teahadist base.
when the wsj starts to turn on him, and william (the bloody) kristol starts sniping…he’s got some serious problems across the entire ratpublican demographic.
guess that ole etch-a-sketch gambit ain’t working out so well.
I think Romney really is that incompetent. I also think he’s been set up, just like McCain. The people who truly run the GOP have shown no sign that they want to win. There’s just no way that they couldn’t have found somebody better than the collection of clowns we had in the primary. There’s no way that they can’t put together a successful campaign in this environment. They don’t appear to be trying. And why should they? They are achieving many of their goals at the state level for much less money. They are continuing to steal all of the profits this nation makes. And they have a Congress that makes sure nothing improves and a President that they can blame. Why accept responsibility for trying to fix the mess they made, when they have a winning situation now?
Unless Romney comes up with a plan to win back numerous states that Obama carried in 2008, none of this bickering will mean a thing. So far, I haven’t seen any state-level strategy from Romney at all.
Actually, the state-level strategy is well in place. It’s called Voter ID. If it works like it is designed to, it will give Romney the electoral votes of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Toss in the purging of the voter rolls in Florida, and there you have Romney’s electoral college majority.
Perhaps the Democrats will litigate the election results and the Supreme Court will get to appoint the President for the second time in 12 years.
I see the Romney campaign is announcing a summer foreign policy trip. Of course the UK is included just in time for the Olympics and a view of the Dressage competition.
And then of course there will be a chance to visit Israel and stir up some sort of controversy. Mr. Loose Cannon won’t be able to help himself.