Insiders Explain How Mitt Romney's Campaign Completely Fell Apart On Election Day

BI ^ | 11/12/2012 | Grace Wyler

[GlockThe Vote]

Worse still, Ekdahl told Business Insider that the Romney campaign failed to provide poll-watching volunteers in his region — Jacksonville, Florida, a key Republican city in a major swing state — with proper credentials and accurate voter strike lists, rendering them unable to perform their duties even if the ORCA app had worked.

In interviews with Business Insider last week, sources close to the Romney campaign confirmed Ekdahl's account, and described a technological undertaking that failed at every level. According to several of these sources, ORCA was developed by a small, isolated tech team working under Romney's political team. These sources told Business Insider that the product was never properly beta-tested, and wasn't revealed to the rest of the campaign — including the digital team — until the week of the election.

Most people on the campaign "weren't that surprised" by ORCA's failure, said one Republican communications strategist close to the Romney campaign.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[GlockThe Vote]

You want to laugh - read this one.

_____________________________________

A few weeks ago, Todd Steggerda (former Chief Counsel to the McCain-Palin campaign) asked you to join the fight against Barack Obama by becoming a member of Lawyers for Romney (www.mittromney.com/forms/lawyers). As Deputy General Counsel and National Election Day Operations Director for the Romney campaign, I wanted to personally thank and welcome the vast number of Lawyers for McCain who have signed up as Lawyers for Romney since Todd’s email. With your assistance, we are building a large, nationwide network of lawyers to ensure a free and open election, and to help elect Mitt Romney the 45th President of the United States. And we know that we could not do it without you!

I also want to encourage anyone who has not yet joined Lawyers for Romney to sign up at www.mittromney.com/forms/lawyers. As Todd explained in his email, the last three and a half years have only increased the importance of defeating Barack Obama and ending his administration’s jobs-killing policies. We need a return to common-sense, pro-growth policies that will restore and revitalize the American economy. We need to elect Mitt Romney. And to elect Mitt Romney, we need to ensure a fair and open election.

The Obama campaign has been clear that they have recruited “a legion of lawyers” for this year’s election. And we all know that the Democrats are more than happy to try to win in the courts what they can’t win at the ballot box. That is precisely why being a member of Lawyers for Romney — and taking part in our nationwide and robust effort to ensure a fair and open election — is so critical this year. I look forward to working with you all, and look forward to victory in November.

Thanks,

Lee Rudofsky
Deputy General Counsel
Romney for President, Inc.
857-288-3724 (office)
202-258-4204 (cell)
lrudofsky@mittromney.com

[riri]

What about the stories that the campaign staffer credit cards were immediately turned off. Staffers literally got in cabs to go home and the cards were declined.

WTF is that all about? You'd have to almost have been fully prepared for that, no?

All I can say is I tried to get signs and bumper stickers here in Arizona and I couldn't find anyone that had them. It was perplexing but I figured we were being ignored because we were pretty safely RED. But, I have ever, ever had a problem getting signs before for any other campaign.

[xzins]

Do you think they took a dive because:

a. they sided with Obama
b. they were so similar to Obama they didn’t care
c. they thought the economy would tank and didn’t want the blame
d. they just threw in the towel once they saw their internal polling
e. Running was a curiosity for a poor little rich kid who really didn’t care

[GlockThe Vote]

I think its C & D

Notice how once Romney started getting intel briefings he stopping attacking obama and mailed it in?

[GlockThe Vote]

The campaign store was a train wreck as well. Many people had orders screwed up, delayed shipping, non-shipping.

I ordered bumper stickers took over a month to get.

The entire campaign was a scam.

[a fool in paradise]

Worse still, Ekdahl told Business Insider that the Romney campaign failed to provide poll-watching volunteers in his region

So it is Romney's "campaign falling apart" for the Obamaunist thugs to steal an election and intimidate voters with no voter or media outrage?

The fix was in from 2004. Obama is the media's BOY and they will shield him from controversy. Every time.

[xzins]

I agree with you about C&D. It makes sense.

What didn’t make sense to me was the WSJ having such a wide divergence from Rasmussen. What I figure now is that they had a better likely voter filter and it wasn’t the matter of over-polling democrats.

It seemed Candy Crowley slapped Romney on Benghazi and Romney went into the fetal position on foreign policy. It was his one possibility to draw away from Obama and he wouldn’t touch it. Something — the briefings? — made him back off.

[riri]

The entire campaign was a scam.

Damn, though Romney was pretty convincing.

I keep going back to that third debate. And the second one too a lesser extent.

[GlockThe Vote]

I’m telling you - they have no plan whatsoever.

[GlockThe Vote]

Romney is a wall street salesman remember?

[GVnana]

Can anyone explain to me why — why? — was the system of coordinating with republican central committees and assigning precinct captains to monitor the vote apparently abandoned?

[GlockThe Vote]

Because Romneys’ team was not about that. They ran what was essentially was a huge marketing scam w a crap product.

Think Sham Wow.

[BunnySlippers]

*

[GVnana]

If Romney had actually been WATCHING in those key places, either he would have blocked some of that massive fraud, or he would have demanded investigations and recounts.

You can't fight back against massive fraud without boots on the ground, and knowledgable LOCAL people who KNOW what their turnout should be.

Politics ain't beanbag and democrats ain't Mary Poppins.

[GlockThe Vote]

The thought that Romney has been running for office for 6 years now and did not have a GOTV plan or grass roots organization over said time is horryfying to me.

[GVnana]

I was a precinct captain in the 2000 election. We had an incredible database -- republicans were famous for this. I had maps and addresses for every registered republican in my precinct. I had targets for door hangers. I had targets for number of personal contacts. I logged every contact and committed vote. I logged uncommitted votes. We knew when the phone calls were going out. All of this well in advance of election day. All online.

We had volunteers ready to give people rides to the polls if they needed it. We even had an election prep potluck dinner to pick up our supplies and coordinate with other volunteers. I live in a republican congressional district, but we weren't taking anything for granted.

I have not had that level of involvement since. And, I have not had one single piece of republican campaign literature left at my house, or anyone visit me in this election.

From what I'm reading, this system was set aside in favor of people essentially "tweeting" information on who showed up at the polls and who didn't? Tell me I'm wrong!

[GlockThe Vote]

Yup - and some how they were going to route this info through boston and then back and then try to get in touch with that voter later in the day to remind them to vote.

The entire thing was a ponzi scheme or maddoff operation.

[GVnana]

No seriously. In the swing states. They must've had the ground game in place. Right?

Ohio? Virginia? Florida? What was the action on the ground?

[GlockThe Vote]

The plan for for these 37,000 ORCs to send out names of people who voted and did not vote to boston and then re-route that info to others who were going to contact those who didnt vote.