Who on earth is advising Mitt Romney? Somebody should have stopped this:
“Romney blasts Gingrich over attack on debate moderators, news media”
Yikes!
Note to Mitt advisers: Republicans hate the news media. Got it? And that goes double for debate moderators who try to entrap conservative candidates with trick questions. Indeed, it was partly Newt’s attack on these scoundrels that catapulted him into first place in South Carolina. There’s absolutely no reason for Romney to say this.
Siding with a group that epitomizes the values of the Democratic party and is justly loathed by conservatives just isn’t going to do Mitt any good in the primaries (and Mitt may find himself tempted to attack the press himself if he gets the nomination and has to run against their darling O!). Standing up for the press reinforces concerns that Mitt is not “one of us.” So how ’bout a few unkind words for John King, Mitt?
Oh please. Romney's not going to attack the media because a) they're his ideological brothers and b) if he does they'll drop a dime on him for all the oppo research his campaign has been leaking them on the conservatives in the race.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseTeflon93, You got it right. While Mitt does rhyme with "idiot" in this case it's true that it also rhymes with "habit" -- the habits of being a milquetoast and media buddy. Of course, that'll all end if he wins the nomination. I can hear the cry of surprise now: "Oh no, I've been McCained!"
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMitt loves the media just like John McCain did. What a fool.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseCharlotte, did you actually read his quote in the article or just the headline?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseOh please. I watched this live this morning on Fox, and it was hardly a "blast." It was a snarky comment pointing out that Newt's just attacking the moderators, not saying anything substantial; the inference the viewer was supposed to take was that Romney's attacking the issues while Gingrich is running his mouth.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe media, including this particular site, are Romney's biggest supporters and constituency in the primary. He has to come to their defense after all the free campaign advertising they've been giving him.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRomney needs to adjust his argument as follows: Newt will not have the hootin' and hollering at a presidential debate in the fall -- and that Newt's schtick is a FRAUD. I concur that Romney needs to clarify this better.
Romney's point does serve to pre-empt Newt's antics tomorrow night -- frankly, Newt does engage in cheap manipulation of the electorate relative to the MSM and then cozies up to the MSM after the debates. Newt's entire tactic is a hoax on GOP voters.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSo you're saying someone should tell Mitt to level insincerely felt attacks on a group that has been focus tested to be unpopular with Republican voters because that is the politically expedient thing to do? That's supposedly what people don't like about him. Maybe Romney would be farther ahead if he was as good at pretending to hate things as Newt is, but it seems to me that Romney's biggest problem this cycle is that he's being pushed to express white hot blazing hatred for things when he is by nature just not that kind of person.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI think this is exactly what is being expected, and I think it's not only unrealistic, but also unnecessary. I think some people want Rush Limbaugh up there on the stump, firing away like a rhetorical battlewagon. And while this kind of bullhorn populism is all well and good in the primaries, I think it's silly to assume it will work in the general election. Much less the white house. Will a theoretical President Gingrich himself waddle out every morning to attack the press? Mitt Romney will never be a bullhorn populist, and if it's bullhorn populism that Republicans want -- and a big loss to Obama in the Fall -- then Gingrich is the man. For sure.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAnother candidate for President who suffered from Romney's Episcopalean demeanor overcame it by picking a fight with Dan Rather. Completely altered the perception of him at the grass roots. Newt didn't invent this approach (Bill Clinton/Chris Wallace anyone?) He's just the only one with the political instincts to exploit it. I'm sure that Mitt Romney is good at a lot of things, but campaigning is not one of them.
And paying advisors a lot of money ensures that the advisors will work ceaselessly to not do anything to stop being paid a lot of money. C.M. Burns: "I see it now. You're all just a bunch of Yes Men."
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseDo you mean that Romney has no brains? It all advisers? And his repeating "resign in disgrace" stuff when Gingrich was completely exonerated? It was Romney who did not dare to run for MA governor for the second term because no matter how much he tried to play ball with MA liberals, he did not have a chance of winning.
Why are you pushing somebody who lost almost all his races? He has a nice family, but we already have a guy with a nice family in WH.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThere was certainly some partisan politics involved in some of those ethics charges.
But he was hardly exonerated. It would be more accurate to describe it as a negotiated settlement.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThis is the ancient dodge used with kings by courtiers---since God has anointed their rule and cannot possibly have been mistaken, they must have been led astray by evil advisors. The answer is clearly to eliminate these advisors and replace them with the courtiers raising the question.
Either that or get rid of kings altogether.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHow do you spell stoopit?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseOne variation of it starts with an h.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhen your Snuggie gets a little small it can make you cranky...you might want to move up a size.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseOh my God!!!!!! This is huge news!
I can't believe that he said it was easy to go after the media and debate moderators!
Again, Newt used easy prey to scream "dance puppets" to the part of the party that is so easily incited by this crap. Newt's good..I will give him that. He is good at being a politician on the right. He knows what to say and how to say it to incite a certain block of voters.
Doesn't move me and never will because it isn't a winning strategy.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHays, it is completely irrational that you, and other pundits on this once useful rag keep hoping that Mitt will one day wake up and start politicking the way you think he should.
He is a progressive. He is showing you that trait everyday.
You are a conservative. I'm not surprised that you are enabling Mitt.
You are both being true to your cause.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseUm, what is wrong with Romney's statement? He's 100% correct. Debate moderators do just have to sit there and take it. Plus, I think that question from John King was 100% legit and Newt just played the crowd like a fiddle to distract from his own failings and instead try to play the "I'm-a-victim-of-the-media" card. Look. liberal media bias is real, it sucks, and I hate it. However, Newt used that as a smokescreen and that's despicable and exactly the kind of thing a Bill Clinton would do.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNo, debate moderators not only have to "sit there and take it"---they do not. They argue with the candidate and shape the followups to their disadvantage. They only "sit there and take it" if it's a Democrat Party primary debate.
Do you even watch these debates?
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse