Romney advisor on Palin: “She’s not a serious human being”

Hot Air ^ | July 15, 2010 | Allahpundit

[2ndDivisionVet]

Huckabee’s taken potshots at her from time to time, but between this fusillade from unnamed Mitt advisors and the furious counterattack on Romney at Conservatives 4 Palin, I’d say that the 2012 primary is now, at long last, officially on.

In the immortal words of Greg Stillson, “The missiles are flying. Hallelujah.”

Still, few express much regard for Palin’s ultimate chances. One adviser to Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, and, by traditional standards, the putative 2012 frontrunner, says of Palin, “She’s not a serious human being.” Another Romney intimate warns, “If she’s standing up there in a debate and the answers are more than 15 seconds long, she’s in trouble.” One of the most experienced Republican national political operatives in the country suggests that while Palin might be envied and sleek, she lacks the endurance required for a protracted nomination fight. “She’s like a cheetah. She can run really fast, but not really long.” In the end, this school of thought about Palin goes, she is too polarizing to be seen as likely to beat Barack Obama, and Republicans will be too hungry in 2012 to risk nominating someone who could cost the party the White House — maybe even in a landslide…

Such a disjointed field can only provide more encouragement for Palin.

And nothing would make the White House happier. The President’s political advisers, troubled by the weak economy and Obama’s image as a big spender, are more worried than he is about re-election and more worried than they let on publicly. Obama himself has told people that he believes the Tea Party movement will still be going strong in 2012, leaving the party to go into battle against an incumbent with a candidate too far right to win. In fact, the President’s advisers believe that if Palin is the nominee, New York’s billionaire mayor, Michael Bloomberg, could enter the race as an independent, scrambling all the conventional rules yet again.

Bloomberg as a self-funded stalking horse for his pal Barry intent on taking down the GOP? Why, that sounds … entirely plausible, actually. As for the nastiness about her being unserious, righties as respected as Krauthammer and George Will have made the same point. And I’ve noted before myself that, given the media’s obsession with painting her as a female Quayle, she’d have to be virtually perfectly on the trail for more than a year to avoid that narrative. The tiniest, most innocent flub — think Bush being quizzed on the names of foreign diplomats — will be hyped into the second coming of the Katie Couric interview, with the press breathlessly insisting that no sane person would vote for such a doofus. Can she be that perfect on the trail? Can any human being, including Barack “Bitterly cling to guns and religion” Obama?

Follow the link and read all of that piece, actually, if only for the bit about Bush and Cheney both reportedly pushing their old pal Mitch Daniels to GOP movers and shakers. Given the reviving influence of Team Dubya over the party’s establishment, I wouldn’t underestimate Daniels’s ability to burst out of obscurity quickly via a huge push from prominent Republican donors and groups. And speaking of quick bursts, more on Palin from Mark Halperin:

She would be the only woman against a half-dozen or more Republican men. As long as she leaves the door to a race open, she can freeze the field, prevent other GOP hopefuls from gaining much traction, keep the media in a perpetual will-she-or-won’t-she frenzy and jump into the race whenever she likes. That would be impossible for an ordinary candidate, but Palin could splash in as late as November 2011, just a few months before the voting begins. There is no deadline for signing up for the Iowa caucuses, and when it comes to competing in early-state contests, she will have a far easier time than any previous insurgent. Her candidacy would require almost none of the usual time sinks that force politicians to jump in early: power-broker schmoozing, schedule-intensive fundraising, competitive recruitment of experienced strategists, careful policy development. She would have immediate access to cash, with even small Internet donations likely bringing in millions.

Fred Thompson splashed into the last primary late, but not as late as November. Then again, Fred wasn’t the grassroots phenomenon that Palin is and he suffered from the perception that his late start was due to him not caring quite as much about winning as the rest of the field. That wouldn’t be the case with Palin; her late entry would be seen as calculated for dramatic effect, which would probably give her boost. And the point about small donations is well taken: Romney’s PAC has dwarfed hers in fundraising so far this year, but according to the Globe, most of the money’s come from events and large donors. By contrast, three-quarters of SarahPAC’s haul came from small donors. That’s not good news for her in terms of raw numbers — Mitt can almost certainly use big-money bundlers to crush whatever amount she’d rake in from grassroots contributors — but the media will go bonkers for a storyline about plucky blue-collar conservatives trying to propel Palin to victory against the Romney fortune one five-dollar donation at a time. And of course, that media coverage will be worth millions in itself. Remember: The default press narrative in 2012 will be Palin vs. Anti-Palin, with the task for Romney, Daniels, or whoever emerges as her nemesis to try to embody the good qualities the Anti-Palin is supposed to have — smart, competent, experienced — while avoiding the bad ones (elitist, white-collar, uncharismatic). As such, they’d better be awfully careful with how far they push the condescension towards her, especially given the potential alluded to by Halperin for gender politics to enter this race. For what it’s worth, former McCain associate Mark McKinnon thinks she’s going to run even though neither she nor the country are ready for it. Note well his point at the end about what a Palin loss in the primary would mean; given the fervor her supporters are known for and the likelihood that the race will turn nasty, he’s totally right about the possibility of devastating party divisions in the general election.

Exit question: Some Palin critics are speculating that the Bristol/Levi tabloid wedding announcement was secretly blessed by Sarah. Um, given the fact that her alleged unseriousness is already a major political liability for her, why on earth would she do that?

[texmexis best]

TexMexIs Best to Romeny Advisor:

Mittcare

Be gone!!!!

[ken21]

sarah has more balls than

the silver-spoon born rombot.

[Diogenesis]

Mitt "Bow-to-my-Fake-Badge" Romney is not serious conservative.

"Former Mitt Romney presidential campaign staffers…
have been involved in spreading anti-Palin spin to reporters, seeking to diminish her standing after the election.
'Sarah Palin is a lightweight, she won't be the first, not even the third, person people will think of when it comes to 2012,'
says one former Romney aide…
'The only serious candidate ready to challenge to lead the Republican Party is Mitt Romney.
"Some former Romney aides were behind the recent leaks to media, including CNN, that Governor Sarah Palin was a 'diva' and was going off message intentionally."

---

The Palmetto Scoop reported:
"The sources said nearly 80 percent of Romney’s former staff was absorbed by McCain and these individuals were responsible for what amounts to a premeditated, last-minute sabotage of Palin."
that Palin would be a serious contender for the Republican nomination in 2012 or 2016, which made her a threat to another presidential quest by Romney.

"Peeking Out From the McCain Wreckage: Mitt Romney"

"Someone's got to say it: IS MITT ROMNEY RESPONSIBLE FOR OBAMA'S VICTORY?"

"Vanity: Team Romney Sabotaged Palin and Continuing to Do So?"

"Romney Supporters Trashing Palin"

"Romney advisors sniping at Palin?"

---

Poor sport spoiler Romney doing what he does best:

Novak: "Fred Thompson drop-out rumors traced to Romney campaign"

Said Novak: "The rumors were traced in part to Mitt Romney's campaign,
trying to stir up strife between McCain and Thompson."

"Despite outspending his rivals by huge margins throughout the primaries,
(Mitt Romney, Carpetbagger UT,CA,MA,NH,Mexico) lost Iowa, South Carolina, Florida and California.
The only primaries he won were in Michigan, where Dad was governor; LDS states;
and a few states on Super Tuesday in which his California-obsessed rivals
couldn't spare the cash to advertise.
Only John Connolly in 1968 had a worse cash-to-delegates ratio.
And John McCain rightly did not like Romney's tactics during the primaries.
(W)hen (Romney's early leads) started slipping away, he resorted to unfair,
distorted, scorched-earth negative ads, betting that his opponents couldn't
afford to spend enough for the truth to catch up to his charges."
[Romney: A Mistake for McCain, 7/23/2008, Dick Morris]

[2ndDivisionVet]

"Not a good idea for Romney to be taking the same line of attack against Palin that the Democrats did. Palin fans have been fighting that one for two years. They would take kindly to having the same thing said by a Republican."

Why not? He's a liberal Democrat in all but name! Examples: Romneycare, homosexual marriage, gun-grabber, pro-abortion, etc, etc....

[FrankR]

[2ndDivisionVet]

I have you guys to thank for that! Man, I love this place!!

[John.Galt2012]

ROTFL! Funny.

[LauraJean]

I have nothing against (or for) Romney. I just feel he is an empty suit. He kinda reminds me of those animatrons at Disney World.I am sure he has many fine qualities. I just feel I am sophisticated enough to appreciate them. I guess I’ll just stick with Palin.

[LauraJean]

I have nothing against (or for) Romney. I just feel he is an empty suit. He kinda reminds me of those animatrons at Disney World.I am sure he has many fine qualities. I just feel I am sophisticated enough to appreciate them. I guess I’ll just stick with Palin.

[free me]

I keep seeing this talking point lately, especially in comments on Palin articles on the web.

“She's too lazy”, “she doesn't have the endurance” “she won't give up her current earning power for all that work”...

It's bull of course, Sarah has been working non-stop since taking office as mayor of Wasilla, at least.

[Secret Agent Man]

Feel free to print up and use these to further increase donations to Sarah:

For the whole series of Zero dollar bills, go here:

"Flickr Archive of Zero Bills"

[wiggen]

She whupped Biden one on one. Of course the media totally ignored his blatant lies about the diner that had been closed over a decade earlier and rated it a draw.
Shes excellent in front of a mic. The old boys club should be very very afraid.

[McGruff]

Fred then Sarah. We have similar thoughts. Wonder if this was one of McCain's old aids. Bring it.

[x]

I raised slightly over $40,000 for Fred and will aim at $2 million dollars for Governor Palin. You can, too.

Just be sure to let them know you posted that obscene graphic at #17.

Nothing says, "Trust me with your money" like that picture you put online for everyone to see.

[wiggen]

I don’t know that she beats Obama though Lord knows i want her to but Mitt? Huck? She runs over them and they know that,hence the jabs her way.

[fieldmarshaldj]

*Slick Willard Sleazebag Ping*

[svcw]

Why can’t Romney shut up? He needs to go away!

[crunk]

OMG... seriously, you can't be falling for this? This has got to be the dems on another conquer and divide mission with their unnamed sources. Convenient timing to start an inner-party feud when the dems look as if they are about to go down to defeat in November, don't you think?

Let's not take the eye off the prize -- an utter and complete defeat of the dems in the house and senate in November. We need to stay united to secure that victory. Keep your powder dry for now and no circular firing squads, please.

I wouldn't be surprised if this is similar to the tactics (shenanigans?) the dems used against Branstad in Iowa: DGA funded Branstad 'liberal' ads

[snowsislander]

Examples: Romneycare, homosexual marriage, gun-grabber, pro-abortion, etc, etc....

Big bump to the top. No who cares about the RKBA could vote for Governor Romney over Governor Palin.

We haven't seen a pro-RKBA candidate like Governor Palin since the days of Teddy Roosevelt.

[PaleoBob]

Still, few express much regard for Palin’s ultimate chances. One adviser to Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, and, by traditional standards, the putative 2012 frontrunner, says of Palin, “She’s not a serious human being.” Another Romney intimate warns, “If she’s standing up there in a debate and the answers are more than 15 seconds long, she’s in trouble.”

---

I have little regard for Romney, and I am confident Sarah will win in 2012, but I do not believe there is an “advisor” to Romney who spoke to the hack at Time (who the anti-Palin troll Allahpundit quotes), and the same thing goes for the “Romney intimate.” Was this his wife? His mistress? Who is intimate with Mitt these days?

These are just lies invented by the hack at Time, a publication that routinely makes up phony sources.