This Bain moment will pass one way or another. In the meantime, have you noticed the Republican candidate is unleashed as himself, finally? I have long thought he has been ill-served by certain advisers (re-read this New York Times Magazine piece) trying to protect the candidate from himself rather than let him be himself, completely. (He is actually a competent guy, who represents some fundamental values we used to protect and promote and even try to live, who has demonstrated forward-looking leadership more than a time or two.) And so you have had some random snapshots, without a complete vision. I think it is safe to say Romney has had enough of that. Witness (as I wrote here) his pushback after he was booed at the NAACP last week (and the vision thing presented in most of the speech) and yesterday in Pennsylvania. Jim Geraghty provides a good synopsis of the latter in his Morning Jolt this morning. This portion, where he talks about the current administration, hits, I think, at an authentic tone going into the general election that may just be a winning one:
This is very different by the way than the Democratic party of Bill Clinton, that said that the era of big government was over. That reformed welfare — you heard that story by the way — he is trying to take work out of welfare requirement. It is changing the nature of America, changing the nature of what Democrats have fought for and Republicans have fought for.
We are facing some pivotal choices this election. And they should not be partisan ones. I wonder if the guy who was not made at the Heritage Foundation but who took their counsel when trying to work with Democrats (are there others in Boston?) to reform health care just could be a winner this year.