Perry knows that, Romney knows that and all the political professionals also know that. That's why Romney and Perry are hammering each other while everyone else in the field lays off Romney.
The Cain campaign, the heartless comment, the debates generally, are sideshows. None of them will much affect the outcome. If Perry can convince most GOP voters that Romney is a liberal (which shouldn't be hard because he is) Perry wins. If Romney can kick up enough dust by counterattacking to keep voters confused about who and what he is, Romney wins. That's the universe of possible outcomes.
Watching this ad, it's hard to imagine that Romney can pull off the magic trick of making his liberalism disappear. This ad will be followed by others about Romney's environmentalism and his statist approach to economic management, etc. The smart money says Perry is the nominee.
More to the point, that is by far the better outcome for conservatives of the two realistic possibilities. Conservatives who keep on obsessing about trivia like Texas tuition rates are fouling the soup we all have to eat.
But Perry’s Dad painted a Rock! and Perry hates Mormons!
**Cain can’t benefit from hurting Romney, which is why he isn’t attacking him.**
The problem is that Cain endorsed him in the past. (Although I admit he didn’t have much of a selection when he did.) So anytime Cain does attack Romney, they’ll just remind everyone that he endorsed him not that long ago.
Wishful thinking. Perry dug himself a deep hole with the heartless comment, and although he seems to have stopped digging, I don't see him climbing out of that hole.
You put it well.
Romney and Perry
are two sides of a ROVE-generated coin.
NO MORE RINOs.
EVER.
NO MORE RINOs.
That said, Rick Perry has a short opportunity
to make himself conservative while he “targets”
the opposition (which should be Romney/Obama).
Cain said he would be happy to be Myth's running mate. Now he is trying to say it was a joke, but I take him at his word. That's why he isn't, and won't make any real attacks on Myth.