If the Romney campaign would ever stop lying, obfuscating, refusing to talk about his proposals, and insulting everyone, the press would probably revert back to cutting him an inordinate amount of slack. It seems that Boston is stunned at the aggressively negative reporting their campaign is receiving. Maybe some progressives are stunned by it, too, as we’ve been conditioned to believe that the press will always employ “they both do it,” “he said, she said” journalism. In the past, the press has been quick to back down in the face of concerted conservative backlash. But that’s not working anymore. Part of it is that no one likes Mitt Romney. Part of it is that no one fears Mitt Romney. Part of it is that the conservative base isn’t as aggressive about defending Mitt Romney as they were about protecting George W. Bush.
But the main problem is that Mitt Romney is simply lying almost every time he opens his mouth and he isn’t supplementing those lies with any substance. Literally, the only thing to discuss after Romney speaks is whether what he just said was fair or accurate, and it never is. He isn’t even offering a theory about how his tax cuts would help the middle class or how his Medicare voucher plan would save the program. He won’t talk about any of it in any kind of detail. If he won’t even defend his own platform, how can he expect the press to do it for him?
And the reaction from his campaign to all this negative press is to insult the press and New York and DC, which then makes it personal. You know, giving a press conference yesterday while the people in the District were mourning the loss of four of their people was grossly insensitive. Every Village reporter acted very offended by that. Even Peggy Noonan and Mark Halperin were appalled. You can’t go to England and insult their preparations for the Olympics or go to someone’s house and insult the food they’ve offered you, or politicize the death of a high-ranking State Department employee without those communities thinking you are a jerk. And they will treat you accordingly…with contempt.
John McCain knew how to get absurdly good press coverage. He gave reporters access and fed them well and treated them respectfully. Romney does none of those things.
If he thinks now is the time to make war on the media, he’s a fool. But it’s too late to fix his relationship with the media. He screwed that pooch.
