Posted on 11/09/2008 3:27:03 PM PST by GVnana
Aides blast accusations, not from Mitt camp
By Dave Wedge
Saturday, November 8, 2008 -
Mitt Romneys camp is firing back at reports his foot soldiers are behind a brutal smear campaign against Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in a backdoor strategy to position the former Bay State governor for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.
Its a completely absurd allegation that is totally divorced from the truth, Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom said.
Fox News, the New York Times [NYT] and Newsweek have reported on a host of criticisms of Palin, including that she threw tantrums that made staffers cry and didnt know Africa was a continent. Several media outlets reported some of the leaks came from within the McCain campaign. But the political blog, The Palmetto Scoop, citing very good sources, said it was Romney loyalists working for McCain who were behind the premeditated last minute sabotage of Palin.
Fehrnstrom took issue with the Scoops claim that as much as 80 percent of Romneys campaign staff went to work for Sen. John McCains team after the GOP primary. Only a handful of Romney operatives joined the Arizona senators campaign, he said.
The truth is, there are no former Romney staffers in senior roles at the McCain campaign, Fehrnstrom said. I can think of a handful of people, maybe three or four, who went over, all in junior positions.
However, Romneys former campaign spokesman Kevin Madden was among the ex-Romney staffers to bash Palin. In an interview on CNN just a week before the election, Madden called Palin unseasoned and questioned whether she should have been McCains pick.
When you put out an unknown and you give them 70 days with which to go through a vetting process, both by voters and the national press corps, ugly things can tend to happen, Madden said.
Since McCains loss, Palin has been accused of dragging down the ticket in what her spokeswoman Meg Stapleton reportedly called a circling firing squad.
GOP strategist Holly Robichaud, who writes the Lone Republican blog for the Herald, said: Its definitely Romneys people. Theyve been doing it for a while. Romney is thinking about running again in 2012 and he needs to kill off Sarah Palin in order to get there.
Romney himself has defended Palin, calling her a positive addition to the ticket in an appearance on CBS Early Show a week before the election.
For a first-time candidate on the national stage . . . youre subject to the national spotlight. Its more like a national torch, Romney said. She has been able to keep cool under the pressure.
Meanwhile, a new Rasmussen poll shows that 64 percent of Republicans want Palin to be the GOP presidential candidate in 2012 while 11 percent prefer Romney.
McCain is back on his normal side of the aisle cozying up to B.O. ...
Exactly. Indeed, where is he? I am more than a little sick of this. I know the man is tired and wants a little rest, but he does need to hold a five minute presser and state that the people spoke for xxxx reasons and certainly Sarah is not at fault for his loss. We have broken the color barrier. Now we need to break the gender barrier. And I cannot think of a better possible person to do that than Sarah. Come on McLame...speak up for her.
Why even seriously think about ‘12 so early on? There’s also no way of even knowing what the complete list of serious candidates for ‘12 GOP POTUS will be yet. Let’s seriously work on the remaining races of ‘08, then the local races of ‘09, and then work on the ‘10 races before seriously concentrating upon the ‘12 election.
Mandatory health insurance requirements in cahoots with liberals in MA doesn't seem very sharp to me. It certainly doesn't represent freedom.
I don’t care if you’re lovers. Romney is a flaming liberal, always has been and always will be. I suggest you get over it, before we have another RINO disaster in four years.
Sad, republicans acting like whining democrates. Get your friggin acts together formulate a plan grow some balls and get in there and fight. I’m sick of you guys too! We all are!
Accurate as well...
Romney is like no one on FR except some of the RomneyBOTs.
Romney is a proven liar, a proven saboteur, a proven provocateur.
Romney is a proven shapeshifting, backstabbing, coveting, liberal politican.
As U.S. real output grew 13 percent between 2002 and 2006, Massachusetts trailed at 9 percent.
* Manufacturing employment fell 7 percent nationwide those years, but sank 14 percent under Romney, placing Massachusetts 48th among the states.
* Between fall 2003 and autumn 2006, U.S. job growth averaged 5.4 percent, nearly three times Massachusetts' anemic 1.9 percent pace.
* While 8 million Americans over age 16 found work between 2002 and 2006, the number of employed Massachusetts residents actually declined by 8,500 during those years.
"Massachusetts was the only state to have failed to post any gain in its pool of employed residents," professors Sum and McLaughlin concluded.
In an April 2003 meeting with the Massachusetts congressional delegation in Washington, Romney failed to endorse President Bush's $726 billion tax-cut proposal.
[Cato Institute annual Fiscal Policy Report Card - America's Governors, 2004.]
Pro Life. Then that must have been Romney’s evil twin on You Tube vowing to defend, preserve and protect Roe v. Wade.
Oh, I forgot, he “distanced himself” from all his flaming liberal positions, sort of like Obama “distanced himself” from all of his racist associations. Romney is either a flaming liberal, or a liar or both, but he’s no conservative.
Are you kidding me? Palin had people coming out of the woodwork on their own dime. Romney would have the best crowds his money could buy. If Romney has a prayer at all he had better hope his lackeys stop the elitist character assassination crap.
Romney will stop at nothing to be our nominee in ‘12 .
Palin is now damaged goods thanks to her climbing aboard the RINO express . I almost think the RINO’s wanted to bring her in just so that they could destroy her .
Jindal is looking better everyday ...
Agreed 100%.
The reason I say it hurts Romney's chances is that the MSM will never stop bringing up the Mormon issue about Romney. And plenty of libs who naturally hate religion will feed off of it.
Sombody get Carl Cameron on the phone and find out who's responsible for this smear because they're going down! We will find out who you are and decimate you. It would be better if you own up to it now so you can get your ass whooping over with!
Carl you better own up too because your ass should be grass for reporting this crappola!
Translation: "I'm rich. I have hired help to do that for me."
Obama: “Axelrod you magnificent bastard!”
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