Posted on 03/20/2012 4:58:46 PM PDT by Mountain Mary
Is Mitt Romney having trouble sealing the deal on the GOP nomination because of his campaign team?
The Atlantic's Molly Ball gets a handful of Republican consultants to dish on the former business consultant's current staff of political consultants:
"Romney deserves a lot more out of his staff," said one senior Republican operative who spoke on condition of anonymity. "They have mishandled him. It has been a clumsy campaign that lacks a message and has relied on a crutch of negative ad spending to make up for its weakness."
Myopic, insular and overconfident, Team Romney has squandered the candidate's strengths and exacerbated his weaknesses, these critics charge.
A couple of former advisers to Sen. John McCain's presidential run even go on the record. Personal and professional biases ahoy!
...Another McCain campaign veteran, strategist Steve Schmidt, praised Romney's "staying power" and said the campaign has been "technically proficient." But, he noted, Romney has repeatedly "been put on defense" in ways that have obscured his positive pitch.
"The campaign hasn't articulated a very positive, forward-looking, voter-focused vision of what prosperity looks like in the 21st century," he said. "What are his plans that are understandable and connect with people's minds? Instead, what they've found themselves in is an ideological contest against Republicans, which is a difficult fight for Mitt Romney for a lot of reasons."
..."I think they're extremely competent at the tactical things. They run a tight ship in terms of the nuts and bolts," said John Weaver, the former strategist to John McCain and Jon Huntsman. "But their messaging is a head-scratcher at times. ... Can they grind it out, run more negative ads, do more robocalls, that kind of crap? Yeah, they can do that better than anyone else. But what has it got them?"
No doubt Romney's team has made a few errors in terms of signaling too strongly that the nomination was already in the bag: Romney ran on electability, and the drawn-out primary fight is undermining the case that he's the candidate who's best positioned to get people to the polls and win votes.
But it's hard to imagine what sort of messaging would have worked better for Romney, especially considering his record. One of the arguments the consultants make elsewhere is that Romney hasn't captured the conservative media. But given Romney's political record—an incredibly complex flip flop on abortion, business fee hikes used as a cover for tax hikes, embracing the word "progressive," and supporting a state-level model for ObamaCare—conservative policy elites were always likely to be wary of Romney. A little more outreach might have softened the skepticism, but it also might have illustrated how little Romney likes to be challenged on questions about his policy decisions, and how slippery he can be when anyone tries to pin him down. Romney isn't struggling because of his campaign. The campaign is struggling because of Romney.
When it comes to policy, Romney is not and never has been someone driven by a big vision. RomneyCare is the closest he's ever come to a bold policy initiative, but even that was conceived mostly as a narrow technical fix to the insurance market. As far as I can tell, the only big vision Romney's ever had is of himself, sitting in the Oval Office. Which seems to be more or less what his campaign is running on.
He’s an arrogant scumbag.
Yep
Romney will probably win this nomination, but he has alienated many of the people he needs to win. He may have Wall Street money but he is going to have to get those louts off their butts and get them out to replace the grass roots support. If he wins, I take the summer off. He is on his own.
He is totally unable to connect with the voters. He may have the money to bombast the primaries with negativity, but it has ruined his campaign.
Did I mention that voters are sick of the FOX News, Drudge, cheer squad for Mitt? We are also awaiting the MSM attacks on Mitt we know are coming. Nice job, GOP.
But really, whose fault is he anyway?
This is it, exactly. I have for some time considered Romney the "Bucket List" candidate. He's running for President because it's on his Bucket List. He wants to be President not because he wants to turn the country around, etc, etc. He wants to be President because, well, just because he wants to be President!
There's really no there, there.
He's not what many of us want or what we believe the country needs. The campaign is struggling because we can't stand the candidate and wish he would just go away, already.
So sayeth the vaunted Steve Schmidt.
Which revealeth a mouthful.
Romney is in an "ideological contest against Republicans" -- members of his own party, remember -- because he's not much of a Republican. It boils down to this: They're conservatives. He's not.
So, isn't an "ideological contest" the natural outcome? And, of course, it's a "difficult fight" for Romney. And for "a lot of reasons".
So, what did Steve Schmidt and the GOP establishment expect when they tried to foist Romney on the base? Simple submission? Or abject obeisance?
May the world be rid of Beltway Republicans...
“If he wins, I take the summer off. He is on his own.”
Ditto, df.
Seeing Scott Walker through a successful recall will be my political swan song.
After that, it’s going to be my summmer cottage with my labrador and which way to point the canoe every morning.
In the fall, it’s on to fantasy and real football as a pleasant distraction.
NoFaux News in the plan.
Steve Schmidt..the Bullet, who made a complete mess of the McCain campaign. Now there’s an authority!
The SOB is winning in populated liberal areas he’ll never be able to win against Obama and figures the people will run to him when he gets the nomination.
I dunno - here in Illinois the exit polls are saying that Romney has received strong support from those who identify themselves at Tea Party members
If Steve Schmidt has something to do with it, it’s a screwed enterprise. If Steve Schmidt were rescuing a baby from a frozen pond, I’d refuse to help because he’s involved.
Where’s the link?
Typical Rino aides. Wait til he’s in the White House. They will give us grief of biblical proportions.
If people saying they are Tea Party types are supporting Romney, they are lying about liking the T.P.
He speaks in stunted phrases,he acts like a Robot,he walks like he has a Rod up His arse,the guy is a Creep
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