Posted on 07/05/2012 9:01:08 AM PDT by jimbo123
The candidate's response on the ObamaCare mandate reveals larger campaign problems If Mitt Romney loses his run for the White House, a turning point will have been his decision Monday to absolve President Obama of raising taxes on the middle class. He is managing to turn the only possible silver lining in Chief Justice John Roberts's ObamaCare salvage operation?that the mandate to buy insurance or pay a penalty is really a tax?into a second political defeat.
Appearing on MSNBC, close Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom was asked by host Chuck Todd if Mr. Romney "agrees with the president" and "believes that you shouldn't call the tax penalty a tax, you should call it a penalty or a fee or a fine?"
"That's correct," Mr. Fehrnstrom replied, before attempting some hapless spin suggesting that Mr. Obama must be "held accountable" for his own "contradictory" statements on whether it is a penalty or tax. Predictably, the Obama campaign and the media blew past Mr. Fehrnstrom's point, jumped on the tax-policy concession, and declared the health-care tax debate closed.
For conservative optimists who think Mr. Fehrnstrom misspoke or is merely dense, his tax absolution gift to Mr. Obama was confirmed by campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul, who tried the same lame jujitsu spin. In any event, Mr. Fehrnstrom is part of the Boston coterie who are closest to Mr. Romney, and he wouldn't say such a thing without the candidate's approval.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304141204577506652734793044.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
It looks like Drudge missed this today. A simple oversight, I’m sure.
Please tell me how we let them nominate this blithering buffoon? He’s gonna get slaughtered in the debates. Who though this was a good idea? Was their plan all along to re-elect Hussein ‘cause it’s sure gonna happen.
What a feckless fool.
Romney is not confused. He made his position perfectly clear yesterday.
Fox News showed it this morning and apologized for neglecting it yesterday citing the holiday.
There are many confused people here, but Romney is not one of them.
When all of us were saying “Romney can’t win so don’t nominate him” this is what we were talking about.
He had better make a major change in is campaign leadership or he will be toast despite the horrible economy and Obama’s vast power grabs.
Yesterday was a week too late. That is the whole point of the article.
According to Rupert Murdoch, Jack Welch and the WSJ editorial board, the Romney senior campaign advisors (Fehrnstrom, Rhoades, 4aul, Myers) are a clown crew of amateurs who are in way over their heads. But if you’re happy with their ineptness, that’s your right.
Are any of their names Pelosi, Holder, Schumer, ... or anything similar?
The WSJ editorial staff is notoriously liberal, are they not.
It just becomes anything to criticize Romney.
If you can’t criticize him, criticize somebody who’s running his campaign.
Anybody remember Herman Cain’s campaign manager.
In the end, it’s up to the candidate and I think Romney will get rid of anyone who’s not up to par. Remember, he likes to fire people (and that can be a good thing)
Haven't seen a peep about the Sainted Santorum's record since the ObamaCare decision. Remember Sonia Sotomayor is on the Supreme Court and the Last Great Conservative Hope (/s) Rick Santorum voted to confirm when Clinton appointed her to the 1st Circuit Court with full knowledge this fast-tracked her to SCOTUS.
Santorum also propped up turncoat Arlen Specter who was the key vote on ObamaCare. He also voted to confirm John Roberts; in a bit of irony Obama voted against Roberts claiming he was unknown and likely heartless.
Did that stop the legions of Santorum drones on FR (reminted from various derailed candidacies) from attacking anyone who pointed out his questionable record ? No, of course not.
I've no concern over Romney's surrogates playing multiple sides on the ObamaCare mandate taxation issue. It's politics at the highest level and he can't unseat the incumbent without some difficulties along the way while trying to appear non-threatening to the moderate swing votes who will determine whether Obama gets four more years or not.
Odds are heavily in Obama's favor.
What’s the deal with that picture?
You didn’t explain.
Did they go too close to the rocks or what’s the point?
Otherwise I see a lovely family outing.
The lengths to which Romneyites will go to give him a complete pass is simply astounding.
If your man had any fire in his belly at all, then he would be out fighting and not on holiday cruising around on a lake.
He doesn't and he's going to lose.
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