The Ability to Execute (Romney v. Clinton)

race42008.com ^ | 10/22/07 | Justin Hart

[Reaganesque]

October 22, 2007

The Ability to Execute

Regardless of what you think about “Romney the candidate”… “Romney the campaign” is unmatched in its ability to execute.

Take this last week for example. Think of it in terms of a business case study, outlining the “challenge”, proposing a “solution”, targeting specific “benefits” and measuring “results”.

CHALLENGE: Disolve concerns about Mitt’s Mormonism among Conservative Evangelicals.

SOLUTION: Highlight the Governor as the only leading candidate meeting 100% of the SoCon values and win endorsements from leading Evangelicals leading up to the seminal pre-primary “Values Voters” conference.

BENEFITS: Develop day after day endorsements followed by a good showing at the straw poll giving serious momentum to the campaign among Evangelicals and building qualified talking points to address the Mormon question.

EXECUTION PLAN

2 weeks out - Lead up to the conference. Look for “Mormon questions” addressed to Perkins, Bauer, Land and others. Rely on their even-handed past dealings with this issue as a positive sign. (check, check)

1 weeks out - Letter from Mark DeMoss addressed to numerous Evangelical leaders contrasting Romney and Rudy and laying the foundation for a larger swath of backers. (check)

5 days out - First endorsement, ideally, from far extreme of the religious right showing that anyone could endorse Romney (check - Chancellor and Dean of Bob Jones)

4 days out - Letter from James Bopp, Jr. highlighting the growing movement of Evangelicals behind Romney (check)

3 days out - Talking heads start to notice the pattern. Experts concur. (check)

(reach out to blogger base for email-only campaign for the online straw poll)

2 days out - Pull out the big guns. Lengthy, detailed article by new Evangelical endorsement laying the intellectual framework in which Evangelicals can accept a Romney candidacy. (check - Wayne Grudem)

1 day out - Endorsement by an excellent conservative Evangelical coinciding with Romney’s speech to the “Values Voters” Conference in DC. (check - Dr. Don Wilton).

Day of straw poll - Final endorsement before the conference ends. This time taken from another campaign. (check - Dr. Willkie founder of a pro-life effort)

Goaline: Place or show in the straw poll to drive some good press. (check - or win it )

None of this happens by accident. The plan is laid, the efforts set and the execution is nearly flawless. Classic Team Romney.

Is there another campaign that has demonstrated this kind of prowess? Yes. But we don’t want her to be President.

[Reaganesque]

We know Hilary is organized. We have to be too and currently, the only campaign out there that can match or exceed her organizational skills is Mitt Romney's.

[Reaganesque]

Mitt Ping!

• Send FReep Mail to Unmarked Package to get [ON] or [OFF] the Mitt Romney Ping List •

[Congressman Billybob]

There was more to it than this. Romney won the "straw poll" at the Dobson conference this weekend. (I was there.) But he won the vote including the advance votes on line for members who signed up for a payment as low as $1. The person who won the straw poll among the actual attendees AT THE CONFERENCE was Mike Huckabee, by a five to one margin over Romney.

Yes, Romney's people were organized for this, alright. But I suggest that in this instance it went all the way to cheating -- within the rules, however.

Congressman Billybob

Latest article, "Hillary is a Criminal: Here's Proof"

My announcement of running for Congress in 2008 appears here.

[colorcountry]

Cheating within the rules.....

Is that something like “milk before meat.”

Learned dishonesty....that’s what I call it. I learned it too!

(and I’m changing my tagline.)

[claudiustg]

Huckabee’s people did the same thing, just 30 votes less effectively.

[Congressman Billybob]

The main point is that those who attended the conference got to hear all the speakers, and compare them. That group voted quite differently than the Internet ones. There was quite a flap at the Saturday night dinner over this disparity.

John / Billybob

[George W. Bush]

But I suggest that in this instance it went all the way to cheating -- within the rules, however.

Billybob, you're too old a FReeper not to know that straw polls are fundraisers. Period. Self-selected voters who pay to participate.

I think the aricle is flawed overall. Romney's numbers are improving because many in the leadership of the Religious Right are looking for the guy to beat Hillary who isn't their avowed but now repentant enemy (McCain) or has a history of being one of their biggest opponents (Giuliani).

Romney wants their vote, wants to be their candidate to exactly the same extent as Bush has been. And for the Religious Right in national politics since Reagan, Bush is the gold standard on pro-life/pro-family issues.

So the straw poll was meaningless because all straw polls are, measuring at most activist intensity for particular candidates in a state or area.

The article ties Romney's narrow victory on the straw poll to the endorsement and setup work they did. I don't think the two are necessarily connected but those endorsements really do help in SC. Romney at 20% is now a strong third to Fred and Rudi who are tied around 24%.

[Reaganesque]

Straw polls, as you said, are about organizational strength. That Huckabee failed to avail himself of the online voting process shows a weakness in his organization, doesn't it? Do you think Hillary's campaign would have overlooked such a thing? Not likely.

Mitt availed himself of all legal avenues of success, avenues that all of the other candidates were fully aware of. And if the others claim, somehow, that they weren't aware of the Internet option, the question has to be, why didn't you know? You don't play a game without reading the rules first, do you? You do want to win, right? How can a candidate win anything if they overlook such opportunities? Again, Hillary won't, guaranteed. Romney won't either and that is one of the biggest reasons why he has the best shot of winning against any Dem, not just Hillary, in the general election.

Bottom line here and in the other staw polls Romney has won: Mitt simply out hustled them others. He wanted if more. He wants the Presidency more. He has more personal energy invested in this. We need a candidate with that kind of work ethic and enthusiasm, badly. If we field a candidate who isn't willing or capable of aggressively pursuing victory (think Bob Dole), within the rules, that candidate would stand no chance against a Democrat opponent (and party) who shares her husband's belief that election laws are more "suggestions" or "guidelines" than hard and fast rules.

[George W. Bush]

One of the interesting polls this week from SC indicates that 27% of SC voters are more likely to support Romney now. But that the Bob Jones endorsement made 32% of them less likely to support him.

What we don't know and what is important is which 27% and which 32% of the SC voters those are. And in a poll of 486 SC voters with a margin of error of 5%, it might be that Bob Jones' endorsement is a wash. But if that 27% includes the clergy and other key leaders, it means much much more because they can persuade others to consider Romney as a social conservative candidate.

The State | 10/23/2007 | Romney polls show S.C. surge

[Reaganesque]

Good analysis. I agree. Like I've said before, it hasn't really been a question of "would you vote for a Mormon" but "would you vote for this Mormon." Clearly, many prominent Evangelicals are coming to the conclusion, after having met and talked with Mitt, that they can indeed vote for this Mormon and if that trend continues, this is very good sign for the Romney campaign in the primaries and the general election.

[rjp2005]

Romney’s assets are:

A VERY quick with responses, relevant campaign soundbites.
amd a highly OPTIMISTIC, American family oriented message. He always seems to bring his answers back to “what benefits the American family?”

[JRochelle]

Read this.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/10/29/071029fa_fact_lizza?printable=true

[colorcountry]

That article made my head spin....

It's quite a common occurance when talking about Romney.

[Grig]

“it went all the way to cheating — within the rules, however.”

LOL, talk about sour grapes. Mitt won it, and as you said he did not break the rules. All the others could (and did) try to get as many on-line votes as they could too, and I fail to see why the value of a vote depends on where it is cast. I think you all better get used to the idea of Mitt being the candidate, and POTUS.

[Edit35]

..the only campaign out there that can match or exceed her organizational skills is Mitt Romney's.

Bingo!

Also, Romney's impressive (great-looking) family will an immense plus in helping get out the young-to-middle aged voter who sees politics as a game for older curmudgeons.

The media will likely attempt to mock the "family values" candidate (Romney), but those attacks will fall flat when one looks at his accomplished sons and seemingly straight-laced family.

[SHEENA26]

Exactly!! If you looked up the word ‘organized’ in the dictionary, Mitt’s picture would be there. He’s our only hope against the Clinton juggernaut.

[TheLion]

Well stated!

Romney’s organizational abilities blow the rest of the field away. He will be great on a daily basis running agains Hillary. Actually, she will get dizzy trying to respond.

[tracer]

Hillary is organized, if you consider an ignorant mob of social parasites an organization....

[tracer]

I really am looking forward to the debate(s) between Romney and Krinton....