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?

[Fantasywriter]

I so hope you are right that Romney is a has been. I will never forget the last primary season, though. I told one of my leftist friends [just before it began] that the one person who would never pick was McCain. I said he’d spent the last eight years attacking conservatives, and he didn’t have a chance. Famous last words.

[svcw]

Not only working none stop she looks good doing it.

[Mortrey]

The best description of Romney, Pawlenty and Huckabee I ever read:

“Mayonnaise and cucumber sandwiches on white bread.”

So true....so absolutely true....

Step aside, RNC, and let a REAL man take over.....Palin.

[HereInTheHeartland]

Romney will get his a$$ kicked in any primary by running his mouth like this.
Even if Palin doesn't run; this is fuel to the fire for those of us who despise Romney.

[2ndDivisionVet]

New York Times columnist Gail Collins writes, "Sarah Palin's own fame seems grounded on little but a look and an attitude." What is it about successful women that causes people to say that their success is based just on looks? Mrs. Palin, as a governor and mayor, had more executive experience than Barack Obama did when he became president. If a conservative male writer said this about a Democratic woman politician, he'd be accused of sexism.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Or is it Steve Schmidt?

[ChinaGotTheGoodsOnClinton]

Well Romney-care is a big feather in his cap.
</S>

[Huck]

Palin/Romney would be the funniest ticket ever.

[Diogenesis]

Mitt Romney is not a serious honest human being.

MORE MYTHS from MYTH ROMNEY

"Mitt Romney Lies About Father ‘Marching With Martin Luther King, Jr.’"
"Mitt Romney has been caught in yet another lie.
Only yesterday Romney’s claim of not supporting Planned Parenthood abortion mills was abruptly smashed by a photograph surfacing of him at one of their fundraisers in 1994.
Today, it’s Romney’s claim that his father “marched with” famed civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.
During his “I’m a Mormon but it doesn’t matter” speech, Mitt Romney claimed he saw his father,
George Romney, marching with MLK during a 1968 civil rights march through Grosse Pointe, Michigan.
It was a stirring account of the efforts of his father to show that the Romney family have always reached across ecumenical lines.
Only one little problem… it never happened."

---

"Mitt Romney went a step further in a 1978 interview with the Boston Herald.
Talking about the Mormon Church and racial discrimination, he said:
"My father and I marched with Martin Luther King Jr. through the streets of Detroit."
"Yesterday (12/20/07), Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom acknowledged that was not true.
"Mitt Romney did not march with Martin Luther King,"
he said in an e-mail statement to the Globe.

---

Against Myth Romney is 1:

"On Sunday, June 23, 1963, 125,000 people marched down Detroit's Woodward Avenue
to the Civic Center, in what was described at the time as the largest civil-rights demonstration in the nation's history.
According to the next day's account in the Holland Evening Sentinel,
the crowd at the Center "lustily booed," when representatives of Governor George W. Romney
read a proclamation declaring "Freedom March Day in Michigan." But Martin Luther King Jr. didn't fault Romney for his absence,
which the governor ascribed to his policy against public appearances on the Sabbath.
"At a news conference following the march . .
[King] refused to criticize Romney for not attending the demonstration," the Sentinel reported."

Against Myth Romney is 2:

Susan Englander, assistant editor of the Martin Luther King Jr. Papers Project at Stanford University, who is editing the King papers from that era,
says Myth Romney was untruthful, when she told the Globe yesterday:
"I researched this question, and indeed it is untrue that George Romney marched with [Dr.] King."

Against Myth Romney is 3:

"King never marched in Grosse Pointe, according to the Grosse Pointe Historical Society,
and had not appeared in the town at all at the time the Broder book was published.
“I’m quite certain of that,” says Suzy Berschback, curator of the Grosse Pointe Historical Society"

[Rome2000]

LOL,

Sometimes, there is just no other way to make your point.

[LibLieSlayer]

mitt romney... kiss my a$$ you sob.

LLS

[Diogenesis]

Mitt Romney's advisor is a criminal,
caught in two states with fake LEO badges.

Romney aide’s bogus badges: Sources detail ‘illegal’ security tactic

" Boston Herald - Friday, July 20, 2007
In an apparent violation of the law, a controverisal aide to ex-Gov. Mitt Romney
created phony law enforcement badges that he and other staffers used on the campaign trail
to strong-arm reporters, avoid paying tolls and trick security guards
into giving them immediate access to campaign venues, sources told the Herald.
“They (the aides) knew the badges were fake and probably illegal,”
said a presidential campaign source who asked for anonymity
because the story could damage the individual’s career.
Two additional sources confirmed that the badges - described as bright silver plates with a state seal attached -
were first created and used by Garrity while Romney was still governor." Romney Presidential campaign caught with fake LEOs and fake badges in two states (includes NH).

Myth Romney 2007 campaign's dirty tricks included phoney State Troopers caught in two states
before he was caught using push polls, fake and deceptive stories to the Press about others,
and other dirty tricks on a daily basis.

FAKE TROOPER (and Chief of Operations)

More here

More here - Romney aide is the focus of probe

Romney aide accused of faking badges

[Beowulf9]

I know people on Wall Street who voted for Obama ONLY because of Sarah Palin, but now hate Obama.....

and you think Palin can win in 2012? Win what? Not the election......and this is NOT Beowulf, but one who seized her computer for today.....

[Sarah Barracuda]

She’s not a serious human being..so what are they suggesting that she is..a rabbit LOL..I heard today that the majority of Obama voters like Romney..well surprise, surprise..they liked McCain too..I’m seeing a pattern

[LibLieSlayer]

We have not seen a PRO AMERICAN candidate like Palin since Ronald Reagan. She inspires us and she believes in American Exceptional-ism... and so do I! AE is something obama is trying to destroy... even the spirit of it... mitt and the rest of the machine army have no idea of this view of America... they are just opportunists whores of the political persuasion. Palin rises above all of them in every way.

LLS

[free me]

LOL, she looks good doing anything.

[hinckley buzzard]

How much money did Romney spend in 2008, and how many primary votes total did he win? Palin is a far more serious person, not to mention candidate, than yesterday's Romney, especially with the albatross of Romneycare around his neck.

PS: They said all the same things about Ronald Reagan--yes, the republican establishment did. And they never quit being losers even as Reagan won a historic re-election.

Read Reagan's Diary and see how many republicans in the Senate and House (and elsewhere)continued to stab him in the back all through his admin- istration. It will open your eyes.

[PaleoBob]

Hey, Vet. None of the articles we see about Palin pay much if any attention to her Very Strong positions on the issues—which is what matters in the end. It’s all “Palin effect” or “Palin mystique” or “not a human being” or her wardrobe or who moved in next door, or her daughter...

Almost nothing about her series of incisive Facebook statements and her unrelenting willingness to dissect Obama/Pelosi/Reid’s leftie positions. The substance of her speeches? Forget it. They dwell endlessly on the notes she wrote in the palm of her hand.

She is the defacto leader of the conservative movement once led by Reagan—that’s who and what she is. As this thing evolves, we need to get the substance out there front and center. The dollars you raise will go a long way to getting her elected, but keeping the strong conservative stands she takes in the spotlight will be of increasing significance.

We all need to sharpen our pens as we get closer to 2012.

[Beowulf9]

Did you ever see Gail Collins??? Duh! She once said of Bill Clinton in 1992 that he reminded of some sweet-talking guy trying to get her into the back seat of his car.......she was right about that one, wasn’t she?

Push her into the back seat against her will was MORE like it......

[FL911]

How many times must we hear that Palin is not a factor, serious, or smart enough?

I dont know if I will vote for her IF she does run, but I am coming closer to knowing who I will NOT vote for should he run.