Instead of looking at the Romney campaign in isolation Republican activists and analysts should be looking at the culture, structure and system of the GOP and its consultants, people who are paid for campaign advice without long term institutional responsibilities.
Republicans need a thorough systematic lessons-learned approach because the problem is systemic rather than personality-based.
Ditch all of the national GOPe consultants. And Romney's own inner circle of advisers (fehrnstrom!) was even worse than the national pantywaists.
Newt is right, but some of his consultants are some of the worst. And he listens to them too often.
Some were on his campaign. Some were on Winning Our Future, and I argued with them all the time.
But, I lay them to waste here:
www.gone2012book.com