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There's a number of problems with the idea that if Romney just gets fired up, he can take back control of the message in this campaign. First, it's not his personal style--he falls flat on his face when he goes off script, he makes huge gaffs, and it hurts more than it helps. His campaign has been limiting his chances to talk off the cuff since he got back from Europe, but then they've turned around and made the same type of gaffs. It's not a good situation for them. He comes across as tone deaf and out of touch, and I think his campaign is badly managed.
Malkin is correct that the way to beat Obama is to make this a referendum on the economy, but they've lost control of the message and a big chunk of that is their own fault. The tax return issue is a simple thing--candidates DO routinely release them. Romneys based his entire campaign on claiming that his business experience will give him the skills to rebuild our economy. The returns are relevant to that. So is his experience at Bain. He's had years to prepare for this presidential bid, and part of that preparation should have been cleaning up his finances so that the last 5 years of his returns didn't have anything controversial in them, and coming up with a strategy to address his end date with Bain. For whatever reason, he's not releasing the returns, and his put himself in a darned if you do, darned if you don't situation. Because he hasn't released the returns, it's easy for the democrats to constantly batter him with with accusations that there must be a problem with them--that he hasn't paid taxes at all, etc. etc. The Bain issue is equally controversial--he's saying one thing but the few documents available to the public are saying something else about his tenure there. Any sane campaign would just release the documents and end this--it looks like he CAN'T, because there most likely IS something in them that would kill his campaign if it got out.
Another big problem is that he can't run on his record in MA because of Romneycare. Years ago he said it was a model for the nation, now he says he'll fight to end Obamacare if he's elected. People change opinions over the years--that in itself isn't so bad. However, in responding to the attack ad that talks about the woman who lost her insurance when Bain closed her company, and how she died of cancer several years later because she was uninsured, one of Romney's campaign aides said something to the effect that "she might have lived if she'd had Romneycare available to her." It was the truth and he was right--but he just made the Romney campaign look like cynical, flip flopping hacks. If this woman's life would have been saved by the affordable care act, then why would he say he'd recall it, except to appeal to tea party voters? It makes them look like they'll say absolutely anything to win, and that's a bad place to be. That gaff may well be the turning point in this campaign, where everything goes completely downhill from here. He's had a bad summer, and it looks like he's heading into a really bad fall.
As far as Bobby Jindal goes--VP doesn't really matter unless your choice hurts you. I don't know what to think about Jindal--his record in LA hasn't been stellar, and I don't know how he'll do on the campaign trail. Romney needs someone who can stump effectively for him and fire up the base, because that's one of his personal weaknesses. It would also help to have someone with a strong foreign policy background after the mess Romney made of his European trip. I'm questioning if Jindal is that guy, but I'm not sure who else he could tap who's interested in the job.
There's a number of problems with the idea that if Romney just gets fired up, he can take back control of the message in this campaign. First, it's not his personal style--he falls flat on his face when he goes off script, he makes huge gaffs, and it hurts more than it helps. His campaign has been limiting his chances to talk off the cuff since he got back from Europe, but then they've turned around and made the same type of gaffs. It's not a good situation for them. He comes across as tone deaf and out of touch, and I think his campaign is badly managed.
Malkin is correct that the way to beat Obama is to make this a referendum on the economy, but they've lost control of the message and a big chunk of that is their own fault. The tax return issue is a simple thing--candidates DO routinely release them. Romneys based his entire campaign on claiming that his business experience will give him the skills to rebuild our economy. The returns are relevant to that. So is his experience at Bain. He's had years to prepare for this presidential bid, and part of that preparation should have been cleaning up his finances so that the last 5 years of his returns didn't have anything controversial in them, and coming up with a strategy to address his end date with Bain. For whatever reason, he's not releasing the returns, and his put himself in a darned if you do, darned if you don't situation. Because he hasn't released the returns, it's easy for the democrats to constantly batter him with with accusations that there must be a problem with them--that he hasn't paid taxes at all, etc. etc. The Bain issue is equally controversial--he's saying one thing but the few documents available to the public are saying something else about his tenure there. Any sane campaign would just release the documents and end this--it looks like he CAN'T, because there most likely IS something in them that would kill his campaign if it got out.
Another big problem is that he can't run on his record in MA because of Romneycare. Years ago he said it was a model for the nation, now he says he'll fight to end Obamacare if he's elected. People change opinions over the years--that in itself isn't so bad. However, in responding to the attack ad that talks about the woman who lost her insurance when Bain closed her company, and how she died of cancer several years later because she was uninsured, one of Romney's campaign aides said something to the effect that "she might have lived if she'd had Romneycare available to her." It was the truth and he was right--but he just made the Romney campaign look like cynical, flip flopping hacks. If this woman's life would have been saved by the affordable care act, then why would he say he'd recall it, except to appeal to tea party voters? It makes them look like they'll say absolutely anything to win, and that's a bad place to be. That gaff may well be the turning point in this campaign, where everything goes completely downhill from here. He's had a bad summer, and it looks like he's heading into a really bad fall.
As far as Bobby Jindal goes--VP doesn't really matter unless your choice hurts you. I don't know what to think about Jindal--his record in LA hasn't been stellar, and I don't know how he'll do on the campaign trail. Romney needs someone who can stump effectively for him and fire up the base, because that's one of his personal weaknesses. It would also help to have someone with a strong foreign policy background after the mess Romney made of his European trip. I'm questioning if Jindal is that guy, but I'm not sure who else he could tap who's interested in the job.
Regardless of ALL the potential failures you mentioned, Romney is a far better candidate for POTUSA than a socialist, a man who has denounced the Sermon on the Mount, a man who has Failed America so horribly as this current POTUSA has consistently done these last 3 1/2 years. So, question is, will the voters recognize the better choice between 2 very flawed men, and choose the GOP candidate, or will they vote to continue the country's downhill slide into a 3rd world nation, with no resemblance to the great, Liberty loving, Freedom of Speech nation....America formerly was?
Ann Coulter @AnnCoulter
''Republicans have the best ideas, candidates, tv, radio, writers, businessmen. Why do we have the WORST campaign spokesmen?''
The problem with the Republicans is lack of aggression. It's an aggressive political world. Dems ruthlessly and aggressively attack opponants, lie, distort, etc. Republicans are so wimpy they try to ignore all that...but problem is, TONS of ignorant sheep ''buy that garbage'' and vote for the so-called strongest looking candidate...dispite the fact that said candidate is void of honesty and integrity. Sick and sad state of affairs.
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