FlintTalk.com Forum Index > Political Talk Topic: Romney campaign Flailing? Campaign shifts

Author    Post   untanglingwebs El Supremo The Maddow Blog Romney the Culture Warrior By Steve Benen - Mon Sep 10, 2012 8:41 AM EDT. Associated Press Does the guy on the left look familiar? That's radical TV preacher Pat Robertson. Remember when Mitt Romney said the economy was the only issue that matters in the presidential race? When he wouldn't get distracted by trivia and would instead remained focused solely on jobs and economic growth? Well, forget it. Team Romney decided that approach just wasn't going to get him elected. It's why, in recent weeks, we've seen the Republican nominee embrace the welfare lie and contraception access as important elements of his campaign. Over the weekend, Businessman Mitt Romney further transformed into Culture Warrior Mitt Romney, using the Pledge of Allegiance as some kind of political weapon and obliquely embracing a strange right-wing conspiracy theory at a rally in Virginia. At a Saturday afternoon rally [in Virginia Beach], Mr. Romney did not just recite the Pledge of Allegiance; he metaphorically wrapped his stump speech in it, using each line of the pledge to attack President Obama. "The promises that were made in that pledge are promises I plan on keeping if I am president, and I've kept them so far in my life," Mr. Romney said, standing among old airplanes in a hangar at the Military Aviation Museum here. "That pledge says 'under God.' I will not take 'God' out of the name of our platform. I will not take 'God' off our coins, and I will not take God out of my heart. We're a nation bestowed by God." Mr. Romney was referring to a kerfuffle during the Democratic National Convention, when Mr. Obama's party scrambled to amend its platform to include a reference to God, giving Republicans a chance to portray the party as out of touch with family values. But Mr. Obama has never suggested taking "God" off the nation's coins, as Mr. Romney's remarks also seemed to imply. There's been a fringe argument making the rounds that Obama is trying to take "In God We Trust" off U.S. currency. It has no basis whatsoever in reality, but Romney, or at least those who write his speeches, appear to be aware of the nonsense. As for the Democratic platform, Obama didn't take the word "God" out of the party's document; Obama actually put it back in. Romney delivered the remarks, incidentally, just a few feet from radical TV preacher Pat Roberson -- a man who, among other things, blamed the 9/11 attacks on Americans. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What's more, Romney's faith-based pandering came on the heels of his running mate, Paul Ryan, arguing that government-sponsored religion in public schools is an issue left to the "the states" -- a position sharply at odds with seven decades' worth of Supreme Court rulings. But what matters most is the bigger picture. Romney thought the unemployment rate would make him president. Now, in desperation, he wants to talk about "In God We Trust" on our coins and changes to welfare law that never actually happened in reality. Remember, this isn't an example of a candidate going off-message; this is an example of a candidate deliberately abandoning a message and going in a new direction. The strategic shift in the campaign message that has been unfolding in recent weeks reflects a conclusion among Mr. Romney's advisers that disappointment with Mr. Obama's economic stewardship is not sufficient to propel Mr. Romney to victory on its own. Republican strategists said that many middle-class voters had proved reluctant to give up entirely on Mr. Obama, and that they still needed to be convinced that Mr. Romney would look out for their interests.... Mr. Romney's chances hinge to a large degree on running up his advantage among white voters in swing states who show deep strains of opposition to Mr. Obama but do not yet trust Mr. Romney to look out for their interests, Republican strategists say. I'm reluctant to use the word "flailing" because the race remains very close, but for over a year, Mitt Romney has invested time and energy in telling Americans he's a competent, corporate turn-around artist who'll create jobs. Over the weekend, he was reduced to, "I will not take 'God' off our coins." It seems as if the guy no longer knows what he wants to say to the nation, so if he keeps coming with new lines, maybe one of them will eventually resonate. I'm not a campaign strategist, but it seems to me the time for this kind of message experimentation was mid-September 2011, not mid-September 2012. . merryblues Slick: "and I will not be revealing my true faith by way of releasing my tax returns. By God, I just won't do it! I won't allow you citizens to come between me and the IRS. I helped make those rules and I abided by them, by God." So sayeth the man becoming god. #1 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 8:57 AM EDT. just-john I think this "... I will not take 'God' off our coins ..." thing is evidence that Mitt Romney quite literally worships money. #2 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:01 AM EDT Cleogrrl Good one! #2.1 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 10:35 AM EDT thepatsy That lie has made the rounds on the internet before. "In God We Trust" is not on the new Presidential dollar. When I got it, I immediately checked it out and of course it was a LIE. Cute little story went with it about how a lady refused to take one of the dollars as change. I wanted a few of the new dollars so I made the rounds of banks and post offices trying to find them. People looked at me like I was crazy. They had not even been released yet, so the whole story was a lie. I still haven't been able to find a presidential dollar. These folks in NE Texas love to believe someone is threatening their religious freedom. I could tell you horror stories. So depressing to know that we actually have people that ignorant in our society. #2.2 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 12:26 PM EDT . Alan Alexander-5122645 I am so glad that George Romney did not live to see his son's conduct over the last year or else he would have died of abject humiliation and heart-break over what Mitt Romney has done to his proud legacy and his family's name. #3 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:07 AM EDT METhree Totally agree Alan. The very first time I ever voted was for George Romney for governor of Michigan. Mitt has turned his back on the standards that both his parents lived by. #3.1 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 11:17 AM EDT RyanAshlight If Mitt was merely being true to his own convictions, that would be one thing, but he has intentionally gone out of his way to besmirch the beliefs and legacy of his parents by being one of the most transparent, flip-flopping presidential candidates ever. Whole-heartily agree with you, Alan. Well said. #3.2 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 12:17 PM EDT TheActivist Romney has lost the election if he is making culture warfare a central focus of his campaign. It's over. Republicans are going to kill their chances with independents and moderate voters by simply going along for the ride on the Tea Party's extreme agenda in Congress. Access to birth control and insurance coverage for women's health are not controversial issues. There is no "debate" over contraception among ordinary Americans. they simply support it and are disgusted by the GOP's efforts to legislate a culture war on the country. There will be a mounting backlash among moderate Republicans against the extreme right-wing ideology that has vaulted birth control to the top of the GOP's agenda. - principled progressive #4 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:11 AM EDT merryblues "mounting backlash among moderate Republicans" Who might be leading that charge? George Romney? #4.1 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:28 AM EDT Arch-75703 Look its never been about electing Romney, it's been about exposure to Paul Ryan. THey really want him to be elected in 2016. They know Obama will be elected. They want to try a "sick of current party in power so elect us" tactic that worked for Bush Jr., and Obama. Scary thing is....it might work. #4.2 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:48 AM EDT Freddie-1717641 I hope you're right, but I can't help but see this as a bitter reflection of what Dubya did in 2004 when he used the gay marriage issue as a culture war wedge to distract voters from everything else that was going on at the time. We all know what happened there. #4.3 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 10:07 AM EDT kathy Sine Romney lost the race when he began. He is not trusted nor liked by the American people. I'll add one more thing. The GOP/tea party congress and their do nothing agenda is hurting Romney and the races down line. Just my opinion. #4.4 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 10:11 AM EDT Lorr-261113 When did President Obama or anyone from the Democratic party say they wanted to remove "In God We Trust" off of our coins? When Romney said this, "I will not take 'God' off our coins." who was he pandering to? Big question, when will the Media start calling him out on these comments? Why will reporters not ask him, when did anyone suggest changing what is on our coins. To the Republicans, we are a nation of diversity which includes diversity in Religious beliefs. You can not put religion in Public Schools, if a parent wants their children to have religion as a part of a schools curriculum, than send them to a religious school. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Republicans you cannot legislate Religion, your belief may not be my belief and the Constitution protects my right to have a different belief. #4.5 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 11:18 AM EDT Emerson Alexander Moseley Jrvia Facebook Lorr-2611132 - Very well said!!!! My brother and I are always talking about why the Media does not start calling Romney on these crazy statements.ote #4.6 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 11:53 AM EDT Linda-316776 Indeed WHY ! All the interviewer would have had to say was " I was not aware of this issue In God We Trust on coins and currency. Where did you get your information? Where is this an issue?" Just simple to ask for clarification. But from what I am seeing, robme and lyin ryan will bald face stare into the cameras and LIE. This is making them both look like pathological liars. And that is a form of mental illness #4.7 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 12:09 PM EDT Shea Mageehan merryblues..i realize you were being facetious but it got me wondering as well. who indeed could lead that charge in today's GOP. #4.8 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 12:17 PM EDT RyanAshlight @Arch-75703: It's an interesting possibility, though that kinda of a strategy hinges on the economy not turning around in the next four years to the satisfactory of the American people. True there's always Republican obstructionism to take into consideration, but a lot of note-worthy economists, such as Paul Krugman, say another four years under the Obama Administration would be better than the first. I'm not sure I'd want to bank the next election on a gamble like that. #4.9 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 12:23 PM EDT nanigurl53 Is it not a gamble to bank on Romney? We don't know if he will accomplish anything he says he will...just because he says it, doesn't mean he will. He's known to be a liar and a panderer, as well. Extremely untrustworthy! #4.10 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 1:03 PM EDT TommyB-4539383 "In God We Trust" SHOULD be taken off the coins...never should have been there. The original Pledge of Allegiance made no reference to God either. It was added in the mid-1950's in response to the "godless" Communist hysteria that gripped the nation. That never should have happened either. $5 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:17 AM EDT JKral Given the fact that it's now become a political football, perhaps it's time to publish my college thesis on the history of In God We Trust as our national motto. Short version: Proposed during the Civil War, added to coins in 1864 after bei ng championed by the NRA (the National Reform Association), a group whose raison d'etre was the passage of a Constitutional amendment declaring the United States a Christian nation. The motto was dropped momentarily in 1907, largely because Teddy Roosevelt though that nothing as filthy and base as money should have the name of the Almighty on it. Quickly reinstated, it was applied to paper currency in 1955 to combat "Communists and homosexuals" in the words of its main proponent, Matthew Rothert. Incidentally, "under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954, 62 years after its composition. #6 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:19 AM EDT Zora Renee Funny thing about that whole "G-d" argument from the right: 1) They believe in shouting loudly about their "G-d", but actually living the word is a concept that's foreign to them. 2) With the Robme/Ryan budget that - throws the "least of these" under the bus, the GOP policies stand in stark opposition to their "professed beliefs". 3) The low-information sheeple that support these politicians whose policies are slowly disenfranchising US all, have been so hypnotized by the "Gospel of Prosperity" being preached at them by the pimps in the pulpit - they're too afraid to open their eyes/mind/heart so see reality. 4) Logic, analysis, fact and common sense have NO place in today's world, the sheeple want authoritarian dictatorships - frankly I think they should all be shipped to some autocratic nation in the Middle East, I'm sure they would change their minds after a few days of that! 5) Christian = TALIBAN #6.1 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 10:38 AM EDT magnoliagirl O Zora, Zora, you always hit the nail on the head!! #6.2 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 12:16 PM EDT George Martin-3463999 In Buddha We Trust #6.3 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 1:50 PM EDT .nomoremagicalthinking Mitt has not learned a basic lesson. If he has nothing intelligent to say, he should shut up so he does not prove it. I truly look forward to the debates. #7 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:20 AM EDT Shea Mageehan nomoremagicalthinking....me too! #7.1 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 12:24 PM EDT I work in Flag City Why is Romney tooling around with the likes of Pat Robertson? Talk about out-of-touch with the values of everyday Americans. Mitt should just bow out now...while he still has some...er...um...dignity? left. #8 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:21 AM EDT BuddyMaine He never had any dignity to begin with #8.1 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 11:00 AM EDT MuggleBorn Where did this talk about Obama having "God" taken off our coins originate? It's preposterous! With all the lies, flip-flops, and just plain stupidity, Romney gets my vote for the most bizarre presidential campaign ever! #9 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:26 AM EDT Linda-316776 On another blog, it was said, trying to interview robme is like trying to nail Jello to the wall. Same can be said for lyin ryan. Very apt description. Did anyone else notice in queen anne and robme's interview, he kept saying " I don't want to talk about that, but I do want to talk about this"? Is that bait and switch? sounds like it to me. #10 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:27 AM EDT. Mrs. Harrison Throw enough stuff at a wall and something is bound to stick. The well paid people who are handling Romney's campaign must use darts to pick the next topic for their candidate to champion. What will it be next week...or tomorrow? #11 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:28 AM EDT. stillbelieveinAmerica Mr. Romney is so far to the right he even tries to exploit God for is own gain. God does not behave like Romney...He told believers to be sober minded and that a double minded man is unstable in ALL his ways. Romney mind changes according to what audience he's talking to so why would Americans want an unstable man to lead this country. Romney shows no sign that he Knows who GOD is (LOVE). #12 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:29 AM EDT Lorr-2611132 Romney and Ryan keep professing their belief in God and that God should be taught in public schools; why than do they and the Republican Party disregard God's 9th commandment: "Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness Against Thy Neighbor". A simpler version for Romney, Ryan and the Republicans - Thou Shalt Not Lie. #12.1 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 11:26 AM EDT Linda-316776 Amen! We have all got to keep calling out the lies and distortions from robme and lyin ryan. Also, a barrage of emails to CNN, Face the Nation and the other network news bureaus to insist that they confront or ask for clarification and sources for the continual assult of lies from robme and lyin ryan. There is a petition going around to insist that independant fact checkers be present at the debates and that their FACTS be read to the audience perhaps after every 15 min. or so of the debates. The point is to get the real FACTS out to the millions watching, not walk back their lies the next day in lesser media services. It just appears that the robme people figure Facts be damned. In fact 2 of the RNC people have said as much on national news shows ( CNN ) #12.2 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 12:04 PM EDT . StlSaxist I'm a wee bit over-sensitive about such things, but using God and bringing God into your lies to attain your lust for notoriety is probably not a good idea. You may find that Somebody gets a little bit Biblical on your *ss. #13 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:31 AM EDT massachusian Hmmm, a plague of boils on his *ss sounds about right. Of course, with so many *sses to choose from, Somebody might have trouble choosing which one to smite! #13.1 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 10:42 AM EDT ogrover Funny thing is, Teddy Roosevelt, a Republican by the way, tried in vain for years to have that phrase removed fron U S currency because he felt it was UNCONSTITUTIONAL. It's all about that pesky 'no religion' thingy in that document. 'Under God' was added during the Red Menace Scare in the 50's. But then again, Mitt has said that Russia is our enemy again so ... I remember in grade school that during the Pledge, some conservitive Jewish students wouldn't even utter it, even sitting down in protest. #14 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:35 AM EDT. merryblues By devine intervention in the god racket, Romney turns once secure GOP votes into even more secure votes because, you know, Christian votes count more than heathen votes. #15 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:37 AM EDT. willynel I wonder if his internal polling is showing worse results than what the national polls are saying, which is also not good, but not categorically awful. These latest interviews and statements sound desperate. The American people smells this kind of bovine scatology a mile away. Taking God off of coins? That's as bad as the birther stuff. #16 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:38 AM EDT Linda-316776 What they are doing is Karl Rove tactics. Pure out of Rove's dirty tricks handbook. Rove was behind the gay scare tactics in 2004. I had an elderly neighbor come knock on the door in our neighborhood warning of the " gays." When I asked her for explanation, she said her preacher had told the congregation that Sunday to go out and warn the people. This tactic was later exposed as one of Rove's tricks to drive rethugs to the polls in order to protect us all from " them". I pointed out to her, as best I could, that that was the least of her worries. She was about to lose social security, medicare, her pension that the unions ensured she receive, etc. She was stunned and confused ! This is a ploy right out of the Rove dirty tricks playbook and I'm sure it is going to get much worse. We have to all stand up and confront these lies and distortions. Send emails to the news services , newscasters ,and your representatives. They are going to be forced to take notice that maybe these tricks are NOT such a good strategy. #16.1 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 12:20 PM EDT Sara B. Sirius "There's been a fringe argument making the rounds that Obama is trying to take "In God We Trust" off U.S. currency. It has no basis whatsoever in reality, but Romney, or at least those who write his speeches, appear to be aware of the nonsense." Aware of--heck, they're probably the ones who started it. #17 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:40 AM EDT. William Scanlon It seems to me that the Romney/Ryan candidacy is erroring by focusing on the issue of God, it contradicts their continuous lines of lying, or mis-speaking and could bite them hard once the middle class realize that these clowns are using our God or saviours name in vain. I would not be surprised if the Almighty himself tired of their bs and struck them down for their transgresions. That would answer the ? about Momons as well. Also by invoking the word of God isn't RandR being just a bit racist, I mean look at their target White people??? #18 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:45 AM EDT. Arch-75703 Like I posted in a reply to another comment, This whole 2012 wasn't about electing Mitt Romney, it was about exposure to Paul Ryan. The republicans know they can't or won't win the election so they are getting Ryan's name out there. 2016 is the race to watch. Just like what happened in 2000 and 2008. They are gonna bank on independents being very tired of the current party in power and push Ryan on to us with hopes he will get elected. It worked for Bush after Clinton and Obama after Bush. Unless something really horrible happens to a candidate by way of gaffe or some dire incident, the days of the one-term presidencies are over. The republican's message of far right social conservatism and no-compromise leave a far worse taste in the mouths of moderates and independents on both side of the aisle. #19 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:54 AM EDT. Steve-458256 Look at the crowd. Notice anything about it? Mitt's advisers have realized that, having alienated every minority to the point of outright hostility, they will need a higher percentage of the white vote than any candidate has gotten since Reagan. Their problem is that they've fallen into the trap of propagandists throughout the ages and bought into their own b.s. They truly do believe that most of Obama's white supporters secretly think he's a complete failure and can be detached from him if the right tribal fear notes are played. They simply can't conceive of the possibility that Obama's white supporters are smart enough to remember the death spiral he pulled us out of and watched as Republicans brought the nation to the brink of constitutional and economic crisis, over and over again, in their determination to deny him success, no matter how many of them it hurt. They simply can't imagine that 41+% of whites think Republican economic ideas are insane. And they think the way to shake those last few percent loose is some good old fashioned Republican fearmongering. Everything you hear from them for the next two months will be be an attempt to pry a few more percent of the white votes. No white tribal fear button will go unpushed, 'cause its all they got left in their bag of tricks. #20 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:58 AM EDT METhree I was wondering myself where all the people of color were, NOT. I always try to find at least one when they show Mittens on the stump and they are almost non existent. #20.1 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 11:24 AM EDT Linda-316776 I think we need / Pres. Obama's campaign needs to blast home that point about rethug obstructionists and actually what I think should be prosecuted as sedition and treason for trying to undermine a duly elected president. Not only were they trying to undermine him, but willing to take down the economy and bring the US to it's knees. This can be layed right on the doormat of McConnell and his cabal of which lyin ryan is a player. Why can't sedition charges be pressed ? #20.2 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 1:18 PM EDT . Roberta Chamberlin When I used to be a referee I would use a coin, specifically a one dollar coin (formerly silver dollar), to determine which side had the option to defend or attack first. The coin said "In God We Trust". I remember that the calls I would make in the game were fallible, I was not perfectly calling the game or even capable of seeing everything I needed to see in "real time". It is better to have God referee the game, and that's what politics is, a game. It is fitting that a candidate for public office invoke the name of God, and not in a way that panders to constituents, but as one humbly acknowledging his human faults, errors, idiosyncrasies and imperfections. Unfortunately, candidates usually use God as a weapon against each other rather than as an example of their innate fallibility. #21 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 10:00 AM EDT. Pam 52 Romney has failed at attacking Obama so he goes for religion. Propaganda again, tell the lie , sell the lie and fox will play it over and over again. We are a nation of diversity, people from all corners of the world, foods from all over the world, many customs and yes many religions. There is a reason for separation of church and state. Many immigrants came here to get away from religious persecution an worship how they pleased. Now 236 years latter Religious persecution is alive and well in America. Romney can not deal with many countries if he can not respect our differences. For him to use God as weapon in a political campaign makes him unfit to lead this nation !!!!! #22 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 10:01 AM EDT Anthony in Atlanta Romney should also try re-acquiainting himself with the TEN COMMANDMENTS. More specifcally, "Thou shalt not bear false witness (read LIE) against thy neighbor." #23 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 10:03 AM EDT Blake-3077207 It seems to me that during the primaries, it was all about the republican candidates. The President wasn't really campaigning and all of the republicans got to run around the country saying whatever they wanted while getting all the press coverage. Now the focus is on the 2 of them and their message. I think, now that both messages are being heard, people can make a rational decision. My second point is that I am a Christian but struggle with the concept of putting religion in everything associated with the country and especially in school. I boil it down to one question, "whose version of God and whose religion." Last question is how can you be so religious while telling flat out lies over and over again. It's kind of like being pro life and for the death penalty. They don't seem to fit. #24 - Mon Sep 10, 2012 10:10 AM EDT. Bob Geo Steve, there's s typo: "TV preacher Pat Roberson" needs a "t" in Robertson. But more seriously, why is Mitt still getting cozy with someone as extreme as Pat Robertson? Maybe during the primaries he needed to make friendly noises to the GOP base, but to keep this up in September looks like poor campaign tactics. But without enough evangelicals to carry Virginia and NC he's pretty sunk anyway. Mon Sep 10, 2012 1:40 pm  twotap F L I N T O I D We will see whos flailing come Nov. All these polls showing Barry with a lead what a joke watch what happens to those polls 2 weeks before the election when the polsters have to cover their asses. Remember the midterms in 2008 when the dems got their butts kicked and it was all because of obama and his agenda. Just whats changed in fact things are worse now then they were then. Keep dreaming, folks might not be falling all over themselves to vote for Mitt but they damn sure will be voting in droves against obama. _________________ "If you like your current healthcare you can keep it, Period"!! Barack Hussein Obama--- multiple times. Mon Sep 10, 2012 3:47 pm  untanglingwebs El Supremo Mitt Romney Critics Hammer Campaign For Failure To Fight Posted: 09/11/2012 3:09 pm Updated: 09/11/2012 7:24 pm WASHINGTON -- Mitt Romney and his team will be hit with a merciless barrage of friendly fire in the days after the November election if the presidential race continues its current trajectory and the carping from GOP analysts and strategists the past week is any guide . "This is a gimme election, or at least it should be," said conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham on Monday. "If you can't beat Barack Obama with this record, then shut down the party. Shut it down. Start new, with new people." Neither the conservative commentariat nor the base for which it sometimes speaks has ever been enamored of Romney, but the man who could hardly break 25 percent during primary season was chosen as the vehicle to drive Obama from office. With polls moving in the president's direction, the Romney campaign continuing to stumble, and Obama outraising Romney for the first time in months, conservatives are wondering if the lemon they bought is enough to finish the race. The sluggishness comes just weeks after the conservative movement was brimming with hope over the selection of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to be the vice presidential nominee. But the wished-for ideological battle has not fully materialized. With shaky poll numbers, the conservative thinking goes, let's at the very least go down with a fight. Invoking the specter of failed Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis, Bill Kristol of the Weekly Standard warned this week, "It's not enough to float like a butterfly. You have to sting like a bee. No sting, no victory." John Podhoretz, writing in the New York Post, slammed the Romney campaign's tepid response to its tailspin. "The Romney campaign seems to have settled on an argument that Obama's poll strength is just a post-convention 'sugar high,' as its pollster Neil Newhouse said in a strikingly infelicitous memo," Podhoretz wrote. "It's interesting Newhouse hit on the dismissive description of a 'sugar high' -- because a sugar rush is what Romney's side needs." The low blood-sugar levels could be felt at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. Convention speakers praised Romney only 213 times all week, less than a third of the kind words Democrats heaped on their president, according to tabulations done by HuffPost's Off The Bus crew. Romney strategist Eric Fehrnstrom joined Newhouse as a target, as friendly critics would rather hit Romney staff than Romney himself while the campaign is still being waged. "I'm sure he's a nice guy, but I don't happen to think he represents the best vision for Romney on camera," Ingraham said of Fehrnstrom. "Election after election, we hire people who have lost previous campaigns, who've run campaigns that have failed, who have message campaigns where the message fell flat, and they keep getting rehired ... I don't understand that. I don't know why those are the people you hire." Columnist George Will, appearing on Ingraham's show, returned to an earlier theme -- that Romney simply isn't a born conservative. "Mitt Romney does not have the feeling, the visceral, philosophically sound feeling for what's wrong with the progressive movement in this country," Will said. “He's a good man, a good fellow. He'd be a much better president than the one we've got. But he doesn't -- what I've said before about him is conservatism is a second language for him. And he is still learning it. And it's hard to learn this thing in the midst of a high-stakes presidential campaign." The Romney campaign has repeatedly refused to answer questions about what tax loopholes and deductions it would eliminate and what spending it would cut. Kristol said that it's time for specifics. "When a challenger merely appeals to disappointment with the incumbent and tries to reassure voters he's not too bad an alternative, that isn't generally a formula for victory. Mike Dukakis lost," he wrote in this week's column, headlined "Speak Up, Mitt!" Weekly Standard columnist Stephen Hayes, talking on Fox News, echoed Kristol. "I feel like now we've sort of reverted to this pre-Ryan moment -- this safe, cautious campaign," Hayes worried, part of a chorus sounding resigned to the realization that while Romney may have chosen the combative Ryan, he left out the combativeness. Or, as former George W. Bush adviser Michael Gerson put it in the Washington Post, "Romney chose Ryan, not Ryanism." But Romney's calculation -- that he may just be able to back into the White House -- may not be an unreasonable one. After all, he's not Obama, Rush Limbaugh reminded listeners. "He may as well be Elmer Fudd as far as we're concerned," Limbaugh said. "We're voting against Obama. I don't care who they put on the ticket, we're voting against Obama. That has not changed, and there are more people now than in 2010 who are gonna vote against Obama." Romney might still win, although his campaign hasn't made it any easier, according to Charlie Cook, the political analyst whose judgment carries great weight with both parties. "This is a very close race and one that still could go either way," Cook wrote in National Journal. "But the odds of Romney capitalizing on this economy, and the opportunity it affords, seem lower than they were before the conventions. If Republicans and Romney supporters are growing nervous, they should be." Also on Huffpost Tue Sep 11, 2012 11:09 pm  untanglingwebs El Supremo Romney Campaign Strategy Of Vagueness Draws Criticism From Conservatives Reuters | Posted: 09/12/2012 7:59 am * Romney's strategy could cost him election, some say * Conservatives challenge him to detail his ideas * Republican concerns grow as Obama takes lead in polls By John Whitesides WASHINGTON, Sept 12 (Reuters) - For months, Republican Mitt Romney's presidential campaign has been built on broad themes: cut taxes, repeal and replace Democratic President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul, increase defense spending. But when it comes to specifics - namely, how to pay for the tax cuts and extra spending, and what exactly a Romney healthcare plan would look like - Romney has been reluctant to give details, essentially gambling that Americans' frustration with high unemployment rates and a struggling economy will be enough to propel him to the White House. Now, with polls showing that Obama has taken a slight lead in the race after the Republican and Democratic national conventions, increasingly anxious conservatives are calling on Romney to spell out more of his plans - even if it risks alienating some undecided voters. The calls for a change in strategy have become particularly loud since Sunday, when Romney struggled during an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" program to explain what income tax loopholes he might close to help offset the cost of his tax cuts, or whether he would keep portions of Obama's healthcare overhaul, including a requirement of insurance coverage for those with pre-existing medical conditions. "Mr. Romney's pre-existing political calculation seems to be that he can win the election without having to explain the economic moment or even his own policies," said an editorial published Tuesday in the Wall Street Journal, which often is a barometer of the thinking of leading conservatives. "Such vagueness carries its own political risks," the Journal editorial said. It isn't the first time that conservatives in his party have raised doubts about Romney's campaign strategy, but with the Nov. 6 election less than two months away, the calls for the former Massachusetts governor to be bolder and more explicit have become increasingly urgent. William Kristol, editor of the conservative Weekly Standard, said that Romney could be setting a course to lose the election despite the factors working in the Republican's favor - such as the nation's 8.1 percent unemployment rate. "When a challenger merely appeals to disappointment with the incumbent and tries to reassure voters he's not too bad an alternative," Kristol wrote, "that isn't generally a formula for victory." Romney's advisers say they are sticking with their strategy and not panicking. A Romney adviser from outside the campaign said there was nothing to be gained by putting out a specific plan on issues such as his tax-cut proposal because it would have to be negotiated with Congress. "When he's president, it might call for him to put out a more specific plan to negotiate with them. But there's no reason for him to put out a detailed tax reform plan now," the adviser said. "It'll just allow the Obama campaign to shoot at it and not put out a plan themselves." REPUBLICAN HAND-WRINGING Romney has long had trouble winning over many of the Republican Party's most ardent conservatives, a problem that was evident during a long and bruising primary campaign. He is distrusted by some conservatives largely because of moderate stances he took as governor of liberal Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007, when he backed a state healthcare overhaul that was a model for Obama's nationwide plan. Obama's post-convention "bounce" - which put the Democrat ahead in what had been an even race - may be short-lived. But it has ignited a wave of Republican hand-wringing about Romney's campaign team and his failure to flesh out his conservative positions more boldly. Romney's campaign is "too intent on winning over the small batch of uncommitted and independent voters by saying absolutely nothing that might possibly offend them," John Podhoretz, a conservative columnist and former presidential speech writer for Ronald Reagan, wrote in the New York Post. "The problem with that strategy is a) it means he doesn't say much, and b) it does nothing to stimulate the enthusiasm of those already in his corner," Podhoretz said. 'SHUT DOWN THE PARTY' Conservative radio host Laura Ingraham said Monday that if Romney's campaign fails to capitalize politically on the nation's sluggish economy, the implications for the Republican Party should be lasting. "If you can't beat Barack Obama with this record, then shut down the party," she said. "Shut it down. Start new, with new people. This is a 'gimme' election, or at least it should be." As dire as such analyses make it seem for Romney, the presidential race remains close. An online Reuters/Ipsos poll on Tuesday showed Obama with a 3 percentage point edge on Romney, 46 percent to 43 percent. The two candidates were tied on who would do the best job handling the economy. The criticism Romney is facing from within his party is similar to the concerns some Democrats expressed about Obama's campaign in early September 2008, after Republican John McCain charged out of his convention on a wave of momentum and, with vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, seized a slight lead in opinion polls. At the time, Obama tried to reassure supporters and retooled his message to take a more aggressive approach. Shortly afterward, the worst financial crisis since the 1930s hit the United States, boosting Obama's calls for change after the eight-year tenure of Republican President George W. Bush. The Democrat cruised to a relatively easy 7-point victory over McCain. Romney, a former private equity executive whose vast holdings in offshore accounts has led Democrats to accuse him of dodging taxes and call for him to release more than the two years of tax returns he has made public, has echoed that argument in refusing to release more returns. He has said that doing so would merely give Obama's allies more targets for criticism. Romney's stance has, however, added to criticism of his campaign's tactical decisions. "It is becoming clear that if President Obama is re-elected, it will be despite the economy and because of his campaign," Charlie Cook, founder of the non-partisan Cook Report, wrote in the National Journal. "If Mitt Romney wins, it will be because of the economy and despite his campaign." Cook said Romney's campaign has been to slow to counter efforts by Obama's team to portray Romney as a wealthy businessman who is out of touch with middle-class Americans. The Romney campaign's decision "to defer any biographical ads until August - ads that would have sought to define Romney on a personal level beyond being just rich, as someone worthy of trust, and as someone whom swing voters might be comfortable having in the White House - is inexplicable," Cook said. Also on HuffPost: Wed Sep 12, 2012 8:53 am  untanglingwebs El Supremo The Washington Post Editorial Board: Mr. Romney’s rhetoric on embassy attacks discredits his campaign By Editorial Board Published 6 hours ago J. CHRISTOPHER STEVENS, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, was a skilled and courageous diplomat who repeatedly placed himself at risk in order to support the cause of a democratic Libya. His death, along with those of three other Americans, during an attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi Tuesday is a tragedy that should prompt bipartisan support for renewed U.S. aid to Libyans who are struggling to stabilize the country. That it instead provoked a series of crude political attacks on President Obama by GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney is a discredit to his campaign. Mr. Romney’s first rhetorical assault came Tuesday night in response to a statement by the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, which was also besieged by demonstrators Tuesday. His statement claimed that the administration’s first response was “to sympathize with those who waged the attacks.” In fact the embassy statement was issued before the protests began; referring to an ugly anti-Islam film that was the focus of demonstrators, it condemned “those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious belief of others.” Mr. Romney did not then know the extent of the Benghazi incident — his statement referred only to “the death of an American consulate worker.” So it was stunning to see the GOP nominee renew his verbal offensive Wednesday morning, when the country was still absorbing the news of the first death in service of a U.S. ambassador since 1988, as well as the loss of three other Americans. Though reports were still sketchy, it appeared that a militant Libyan jihadist group, Ansar al-Shariah, took advantage of the Benghazi protest to stage an armed assault on the consulate that overwhelmed the Libyan security force. At a news conference, Mr. Romney claimed that the administration had delivered “an apology for America’s values.” In fact, it had done no such thing: religious tolerance, as much as freedom of speech, is a core American value. The movie that provoked the protests, which mocks the prophet Mohammed and portrays Muslims as immoral and violent, is a despicable piece of bigotry; it was striking that Mr. Romney had nothing to say about such hatred directed at a major religious faith. Mr. Obama struck the right tone on Wednesday, saying that “we reject all efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others” but that “there is absolutely no justification for this type of senseless violence.” Lauding Mr. Stevens’s service, the president promised “justice” for “this terrible act” while also committing the administration to continue cooperating with Libya’s democratic government — which apologized for the attack. Since the overthrow of dictator Moammar Gaddafi last year, Libya has been plagued by armed groups that have refused to submit to the new government. Now the United States must press the government to take action against Ansar al-Shariah and other jihadist organizations that have established themselves in the eastern deserts. Security assistance, which has been limited so far, ought to be stepped up, by the Obama administration and by other governments that joined last year’s NATO intervention. As for Mr. Romney, he would do well to consider the example of Republican former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, who issued a statement Wednesday lamenting “the tragic loss of life at our consulate,” praising Mr. Stevens as “a wonderful officer and a terrific diplomat” and offering “thoughts and prayers” to “all the loved ones of the fallen.” That was the appropriate response. 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