Combative Romney Team Hits Obama Coast-to-Coast

The Washington Examiner ^ | Thursday, May 31, 2012 | Byron York

[kristinn]

it intends to fight the guerilla warfare of a presidential campaign with a new aggressiveness and combativeness.

The first signal came in Boston, where top Obama adviser David Axelrod organized an anti-Romney event on the steps of the Massachusetts state house. The event, which Team Obama wanted to keep under wraps until shortly before it happened, was to feature remarks from Axelrod and Democratic state officeholders who would attack Romney's record as governor from 2003 to 2007. But it didn't work out as planned.

First, word of the event leaked last night, and the Romney campaign quickly scheduled an event of its own at the state house about an hour before Axelrod's. Then, when Democrats began speaking, a crowd of about 100 Romney workers, supporters, and volunteers showed up to chant, shout, and heckle the speakers every step of the way. The protesters shouted "Solyndra!" and "Where are the jobs?" and "Mitt, Mitt, Mitt!" while Democrats gamely attacked Romney's tenure as governor.

"I get tweets from some of these folks, so I feel close to them," Axelrod lamented at one point. At another, he said simply, "Look, this is the great pageant of democracy." In the end, the Obama event was overshadowed by the loud, aggressive Romney forces.

It was the kind of tactic that is usually repaid in kind on the campaign trail, and it seems likely -- certain, actually -- that Romney surrogates, and perhaps Mitt Romney himself, will soon face similar actions at their events. But Romney aides aren't worried, saying what they did was both payback and a message.

[The Wizard]

the perfect nail in the coffin would be Sarah by his side...

[gov_bean_ counter]

I know President Obie DGARA about stuff like this, but the Democrat Party establishment sure will...
http://www.bing.com/news/search?q=artur+davis++switches+parties&qpvt=artur+davis++switches+parties&FORM=EWRE

[TexasCajun]

Seems the only way to get the public informed about Obamah’s abysmal record is having the MSM cover Romney's events like Solyndra today.

[rogue yam]

Seems someone grew a pair!

The contrast with Juan McCain couldn't be more stark.

[rogue yam]

I didn't expect that Romney would be calling himself conservative in the general election

I did.

Now, as you say, this doesn't make him a conservative, but we have a guy calling himself a conservative going against a guy who running as a self-acknowledged leftist.

I am going to vote for conservatism.

[Persevero]

It is wonderful to see a candidate with an (R) fighting for it - I supported McCain but was discouraged with his reticence to ENGAGE. I shouted things for him to say during his debates. But he didn’t hear me :(

[kara37]

Mitt Romney himself, a short time later, said, “If they're going to be heckling us, why, we're not going to sit back and play by very different rules….We'll show them that we conservatives have the same kind of capacity he does.”
*********************************************

Obama is finding out that Romney may vote like McCain, but he sure doesn't fight like him.
I always knew that Romney would fight just as dirty as Obama. Romney actually wants to be president, unlike McCain.

[Lou Budvis]

Absolutely. Ridicule them, shout them down, refuse to play by their rules.

[Persevero]

“it does suggest that he thinks taking conservative positions will help him in the general election. “

Yes, and that’s one of the reasons I’ll vote for him. I don’t believe he is a dyed in the wool conservative. But, he is running as one, pretty much, and politically he’ll have to govern as one, pretty much, or he won’t get a second term.

[rogue yam]

(But I do wish it was Newt beating Obummer at his own game)

I worked on Newt's campaign.

Team Mitt has shown more energy, wit, and balls in the last four days than Team Newt showed all spring.

[hinckley buzzard]

If this was 2008 McCain would have scolded the hecklers and personally apologized to obama.

[painter]

Romney’s winning me over. I like the way he punches back...immediately and with no apology. I think Zippy expected McCain II.

I can't mention any names,but I know someone who is high up in the Romney campaign. I told his wife who is also a friend that if Romney runs his campaign like McCain did he will lose and to tell her husband that I said that.

Before you all call me a Romney bot this lady was giving me grief for being a Newt supporter.

[rogue yam]

But, he is running as one, pretty much, and politically he’ll have to govern as one, pretty much, or he won’t get a second term.

Bingo.

Mitt is running as a conservative because he knows that is what will succeed.

Mitt will govern as a conservative because he knows that is what will succeed.

[rogue yam]

Absolutely. Ridicule them, shout them down, refuse to play by their rules.

Ridicule and shouting are their rules.

Punch back twice as hard.

[RitaOK]

Yes, I heard about Davis’ switch. I didn’t quite understand your statement, but I got the link.

These Insiders are unhealthy, repentant but old broken down players with access, and plenty of savy in how to manage that access, in manipulation, and experience in making some things happen. That is, if they exist at all.

The “Insider” over at Wall Street, is said to be the old man at the financial institutional center, or one of them, who can make things flow, or not flow, to Obama.

[Ronin]

When Kevin Jackson, (THE BLACK SPHERE http://theblacksphere.net/) was asked who he supported for the Republican nominee, he said “the man with the bloodiest knuckles.”

I can just see him reading this story with a huge grin on his face. Did he support Mitt in the beginning? Probably not. Does he support Mitt now? I'd bet the ranch, the chickens and grandma's butter churn he does.

With every day that goes by, I am disliking Mitt less and less. Why? Because he FIGHTS! Dole didn't know how to fight — too much the old school gentleman. Dubya didn't need to fight — everyone was sick to death of Clinton and Gore was as likable as a department store mannequin. McCain didn't think he needed to fight because he was anointed and blessed by his good buddies in the MSM — and was shocked and hurt when they turned on him to rip his guts out after he won the nomination.

Mitt seems to have it dialed in. He knows the MSM is not on his side. He knows the Democrats will use every dirty trick they can come up with and more. He knows damn well that if he is going to win in November he's going to have to get his knuckles bloody.

I can live with that.

[N. Theknow]

Where Romney was speaking was another message from his campaign.  Shortly after the Boston event, Romney launched a sneak attack of his own, holding a news conference at the headquarters of Solyndra, the bankrupt solar energy company that received $535 million in loan guarantees from the Obama administration.  According to reporters traveling with Romney, the campaign did not tell the press about the event until the bus was actually on its way to Solyndra.

Heh, heh, heh! Romney should hold a presser at every company where Obama has wasted taxpayer money on BS products. And also get a glob of algae and put it on top of a Volt to see how well. It runs.

Ridicule the bastard right into the ground.

[gov_bean_ counter]

I posted “establishment”. Democrat Party leadership and generational party members. This is a high visibility defection and is bound to turn more that a couple of heads outside the media elite. Obie doesn’t give a hoot about the party or its future. It is all about him.

[expat2]

Perhaps he IS a conservative — who played ‘moderate’ to win a liberal state like MA.....

[norwaypinesavage]

"Seems someone grew a pair! The contrast with Juan McCain couldn't be more stark."

Seems like you have forgotten that McCain told the Viet Cong that he wasn't leaving the POW camp until every one with a lesser rank was out first. That got him five years of REAL torture. Nobody around here has a pair that big.

That said, he was too much of a gentleman in the last race, and let Obama get away with near murder. It was not, however, due to lack of cohones.