Nice Guys Finish Last
Sure, it’s easy to whine that the polls are skewed and that the media hates you — but none of that is any excuse for the passive Romney “campaign” we’ve been witnessing, which apparently boils down to victory through advertising. It’s nearly past time for Mitt to get mad and man up, strike hard at Obama, bite back a la Gingrich at the media and generally raise hell about the state of the country and the world.
So here’s the speech Mitt Romney needs to give to Eric Fehrnstrom,, Stuart Stevens, et al. in Boston to get his campaign back on track — but of course never will. From the great David Mamet, this memorable scene from the movie version of Glengarry Glen Ross. (Language warning, but you know that already):
Go and do likewise, gents.
UPDATE: Yes, Mitt, something like this.
YES.
“We have a first amendment PERIOD”
“Detaining that guy was SHAMEFUL and showed us to be WEAK”
“Is it appropriate for the top general to interfere with free speech?”
“It isn’t hypocritical that Hillary criticized Russia two weeks ago for free speech abuses?”
“Nations will respect us if we stand up for our values”- GO REAGAN ON HIS AS$
“Stop with the BS about a spontaneous demonstration- that is INSULTING”
“WHY have you only attended half the intelligence briefings?”
“Why don’t you give press conferences. I WILL hold regular press conferences.”
“Why have you skipped economic meetings? YOU HAVE TIME TO GOLF”
“What about all these green on blue attacks in Afghanistan? What are you doing about it?”
Newt won the South Carolina primary because of b*llz, more like that needed!
Chris, I wrote to Mitt just yesterday. Told him to take the gloves off and fight like a man. Told him to stop running a la McCain. Do you remember when McCain said, “Mr. Obama would be a good president”? I nearly choked. At that very moment I knew he threw the election. When Mitt said, Obama is a good man and has done some good things, same thing. I asked Mitt to name one good thing BO every did!
Please write to Mitt Romney on his site and send him these talking points. I hit some of them yesterday. Let’s all try to get this message across to Mitt before it’s too late.
Like you, I write to the campaign often, sometimes sending links to good articles like this and sometimes including great comments, as well.
I believe nice guys do finish last, especially Mitt “47%” Romony.
I think 47% beats a consistent, three-year 44-46% ratin. In fact, I am certain that Obama will not break 45% in 2012, given the amazing consistency of his approval tracking polls. The Obama Media is straining feverishly to controvert the obvious, but it just ain’t there. America’s FIRST race-baiting, AA president is going down like a sack of pig iron.
Dr. Frankenstein,
The only one going down is Romony and his Mittwits, his campaign team. All the polls are showing it and his Mittwitts are imploding before our eyes.
Oops so sorly,
I meant Romoney…..hehehehe
Some great ideas in there, thanks. I hope the Romney campaign is following PJM.
I would add these:
26 year old people are adults in this society. It is not the role of government to infantalize grown men and women. The health care bill will be rolled back entirely, and in any new legislation, grown-up Americans will not be treated like little children.
Unemployment insurance will not be offered for two years, and will be rolled back to 26 weeks.
Work requirements for welfare recipients will be maintained and strengthened.
Subsidies for unproductive sources of energy, like wind and solar will be eliminated, so our economy can grow unhindered by this unneccessary, expensive burden.
Subsidies for electric automobiles will cease. In a market economy these subsidies reward the wrong behaviors. I am not against the use of electric cars. But they must stand on their own in the marketplace. Manufacturers will not make their profits based on transfer payments from taxpayers who aren’t buying a car.
Subsidies for producing ethynol will stop for the same reason. If states want to regulate ethynol, they may do so independent of the Federal Government.
The Department of Defense will cease in trying to prove itself to be green in cases where it makes no economic sense to do so. It’s number one priority is to be an instrument of force for American interests, and we must do this without adding unnecessary and counter-productive priorities, as the Obama administration is currently doing, by requiring them to use cellular ethynol fuels that don’t exist, and other green fuels that cost 15 times more than diesel fuel.
The defense budget will be maintained, and the Navy will maintain a higher ship count to keep the worlds oceans safe from pirates and from threats from belligerent states.
etc.
I actually sent a note to the Romney campaign suggesting the same thing. He needs to go after Obama’s jugular, quit bringing a pillow to a gun fight. There is so much that Obama has failed on, yet what does Romney (maybe the first thing is to fire the campaign staff who still think they are working on McCain’s campaign).
I actually did the same thing. I sent an E-mail (not that it will actually be read but what they hey, right?) reminding Romney and/or his team that Newt inspired standing ovations when he took the fight to the media. I also recommended he take a page out of Sarah Palin’s playbook and bait the media. Take advantage of their arrogance and set traps for them and sit back while they trip over themselves. He doesn’t have to resort to cursing and spitting but c’mooooon man! Romney may very well end up being too nice!
Romney will never do it.
This isn’t a conservative who you can tear apart at will. This is just a nice guy who is out of his depth. You can’t get mad at them or call them on anything.
That’s just mean.
Then, when you lose, you can stand in front of the mirror as the country burns and realize you did nothing wrong and none of it is your fault.
Do you realize ANYTHING vaguely aggressive he says will be amplified into “crazy” by the media? Do we all remember Sarah Palin?
Obama CAN’T close the deal. This is obvious. So what they need to do is paint Romney as a threat. What you’re recommending would play right into their hands.
Yes we DO need some attack, but it should NOT come from Romney. It should come from surrogates.
Part of what you read as passivity is the media just not covering him. And when they cover him it’s an attack — look at the 47% thing and how insanely it’s been blown out of proportion.
This is the way the game is rigged. Whining and throwing fits about what he should do is all very well, but it REALLY wouldn’t help. You want people to know how terrible the situation is, you write articles and comments about that, instead of the inevitable “Mitt is weak” “Mitt is losing.” (I used to ask my kids “what do you hope to accomplish with that?” when their behavior was counterproductive and now I want to ask it of half of the right.)
Look, the media accounts for a good ten points on Obama’s side, and even with that he’s not ahead.
PLEASE stop talking about concession speeches. Eeyorism helps no one. Unless, of course, you’re either being paid by the other side or you’re one of those fantasists who thinks there will be blood on the streets — something happens — perfect republic. (If you haven’t realized that’s a fantasy, you tell me who now is equipped to write something as functional as the constitution. Or do you want totalitarianism from the other side? Do YOU know how everyone should live?) In that case this doom, gloom despondency and “Mitt is losing” posting is, of course, just what you want to do. Carry on.
Reagan — I was here for his first campaign — didn’t go on the attack, either, and the narrative was the same “Carter is a good man, but…” Even his “there you go again” was said as a gentle rebuke.
Do your part and let the campaign judge their chances. Yes, feeding the base red meat is satisfying, but it will energize the other side to turn out. This is a turn out election, and we want them asleep.
I wish to fully associate myself with the honorable member’s aforementioned rant.
They were saying tonight on Fox News that Romney has given up on Michigan and Pennsylvania. That is ridiculous, particularly with Ryan as running mate. They shouldn’t be giving up anywhere. Wake the people up! Romney has put a lot of his own money into this race, so I have to believe he wants to win. So start behaving like a winner. Show some fight! There are only so many rounds in this fight and we have yet to see evidence that Romney can punch hard.
Of course Romney can’t punch hard. That was obvious to many long, long ago. The most you can hope for is that Romney remembers a few stock phrases/prepped sentences for the debates and keeps them in sync with his hand gestures. With luck and God willing, one or two might even sound good and stick.
You have to do the punching for him, and if you don’t, O will be re-elected. It ain’t complicated.
I wonder what Romney attributes McCain’s loss to. I wonder if he thinks McCain made any mistakes that he, Romney, should avoid. It’s enough to make you sick.
“I wonder what Romney attributes McCain’s loss to.”
Well I can tell you that. McCain’s loss was entirely attributable to his decision to suspend his campaign (at a time when he was actually faring pretty well), to RUSH BACK to Washington, D.C. to give his full backing to the Fanny/Freddie/Wall-Street Bail Out. Any support he had on the Right died at that point. Conservative voters stayed home by the millions. And then, after that (not that it would have mattered) he went on to allow his top staffers to savage his one, and only, drawing card: Gov. Sarah Palin.
Sic em’ Mitt, rub his nose in it !!
Oh Will,
You are absolutely correct. Sic ‘em Romoney. Sic ‘em good on the 47%.
bite back a la Gingrich?
Has Gingrich’s campaign proven successful even among Republicans, to say nothing of others?
Not as far as I know.
Gingrich was always at his most popular among the grassroots conservatives when slamming a stupid question from the mainstream media.
I think (and I’m guessing Michael thinks) this is a skill Mitt has but is afraid to use, for fear of looking unlikeable. He should realize that anyone who decks a reporter (rhetorically, of course) instantly garners instant credibility and support from everyday Americans.
If we have any hope of reducing regulations and governmental waste, a nice guy won’t cut it – literally. Give us the Romney that likes to fire peo9ple. I want a Romney that cuts wasteful spending like he’s cutting hair. He must be capable of tough decisions to have been successful at Bain. Let the people see this and they will see there really is a difference in our choices this year.
>>I want a Romney that cuts wasteful spending like he’s cutting hair.
Hah! Nice.
Dole=McCain=Romney
Hope I am wrong.
I OPINE YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE MERIT OF OUR MESSENGER OR THE POWER OF HIS MESSAGE. I see too much of this–cries for bloody accusations; the fiercest of attacks; the loudest denunciations. ROMNEY IS NOT McCAIN. He has presented an eloquent, FORCEFUL, message of NEED FOR CHANGE; PERIL IN OUR PRESENT COURSE; AND HE HAS REFUTED LIES AND DISTORTION–just not as violently as you, who claim to be his supporters demand. I fear you have more in common with our enemies than our allies.
AWAKE AND ARISE TO ROMNEY & RYAN’S COMPELLING MESSAGE OF HOPE:
“ROMNEY FOR THE REPUBLIC”
In my soul I’ve seen the triumph,
I once doubted could ever come,
To dispel the clouds of fraud and fear,
Spread like sewage by false MEDIA’s son.
The Pretender was truly their bastard child,
Conceived by the lies they’d spun.
Those with eyes to see and ears to hear,
Pierced the veil false MEDIA made.
As it hid the past and distorted the present,
Of its child who worshipped the shade,
Of the enemies of honor and truth,
And the evil plans they had laid.
Rejoice my soul! Sing out my heart!
A true champion has appeared!
His honor has never been sold for lucre,
And his faith will not bow to fear—
But I now deeply bow in thanks,
That our pleas kind Heaven would hear.
Blessed with a wealth he made himself,
He can neither be bought nor bribed.
His sons and daughters burst with vigor,
And a true lady stands at his side,
Tempered by sorrows and service,
They will fight evil’s vicious tide.
With our Champion and Lady I call to you,
My friends and brothers in need.
Be not dismayed at the scope of our task,
Heed not the temptation of greed.
FOR WE SHALL SOON SEE a renewed Freedom Tree,
Though our bodies and spirits may bleed.
Poet’s Notes:
* I could provide, if time allowed FACTS AND SOURCES to support these joyful claims. E.g. Romney donated his entire inheritance to charity http://www.forbes.com/sites/ed…
* No rights reserved. I place this modest offering into the public domain.
WE WILL NOT VANQUISH THE ENEMIES OF FREEDOM BY ADOPTING THEIR METHODOLOGIES OF EVIL. When Islam’s depraved “believers” kill and burn and destroy, WE WILL NOT DO SO, SAVE FOR DEFENDING OUR HOMES AND FAMILIES BY FORCE OF ARMS AS NEEDED. When the traitors within our Republic lie and deceive, WE WILL NOT MIMIC THEIR PERVERSITIES. When our craven “leaders” divide and accuse and attempt to set us one against the other, we shall not reply in kind.
Everybody Sing!
Oh when the saints go marching in
Oh when the saints go marching in
Oh Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in!
Verily I sing unto thee!
At some point, maybe in the debates, Romney needs to find his inner Sherman and burn Obama to the ground.
China and Japan at each others’ throats, Syrian planes hitting Lebanon, Iran admitting they’re involved, our embassies under attack worldwide. . .
My prediction: “The President is simply too busy “managing” these crises “that we can’t let go to waste” to participate in the debates.
If you are counting on the socialists to play by the rules and openly debate you are counting on a long shot in my opinion.
Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan must become the quintessential Americans like George Patton and Joe DiMaggio. They must attack the usurping tyrant boldly on all fronts and at all times and at this this they must not flag nor fail. They must never succumb to the siren call of the regime’s propaganda ministers that will permeate the television waves. They can not bargain with this tyrant and his propaganda ministers and gutter rats. They must not try to reason with them as the tyrant and his gaggle of lying lackeys and deranged dingbats will grant no quarter for them and if they can, they will destroy them and their families and all of America without remorse. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan must follow the tyrant Hussein Louie Benito Hugo Isuzu Obama to the inmost recesses of his mind and make him fear and dread the very sight and sound of them. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan must never let up and they must make the Child Emperor’s fear of them permeate his thoughts from when he rises in the morning until he retires at night, where he will be allowed only a brief respite in between his nightmares as his day of reckoning approaches. They must make the tyrant howl.
Romney is a nice guy who can fire people. Theoretically, he may be placing himself against the nearly impossible task of re-uniting the country after Mr. Obama did such a fine job of smashing it into hostile factions. That ideal of unity is what may be muffling his attacks. Is the damage of class, ethnic, and economic warfare reversible?
Ryan must carry the flame
While Romney does the lightning aim
The tyrant they must assail
Their battle call must wail
Storming Obama with torch in hand
Claiming back our cherished land
To on election day, Obama views the Carter Tree
And drops from it, the same as he
Yes! Verily I say unto the multitudes!
The nation is hanging by a thread!
The nation is hanging by a thread!
The White Horse is here!
The White Horse is here!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_horse_prophecy
Apropos of Michael’s post here is my comment, from just moments ago, at Roger Kimball’s most recent post:
Romney needs to trudge right back into the arena with media, knowing that the animals will attack, as they are trained to do. And when they ask their inane questions, he should give it to them with both barrels. Let them know that their questions are idiotic and turn their questions around as questions to be asked of Obama. (“Did you jump the gun, Gov Romney.” “Why no. I thought the crisis deserved a forthright defense of American principles against barbarity. Ask the President why he was not so forthright in direct.”)
And then top it off by bringing it back around to the economy. (“Do you people know and report how high gasoline prices are these days? Well I do and so do the American people. And our feckless foreign policy in the Middle East during a time of historic change is contributing greatly to those price increases. A steady hand in Libya, Egypt, Syria and elsewhere might settle things. Obama hasn’t provided that. Moreover, he’s had four years in which he’s allowed things to run out of control with Iran. How much do you think that contributes to sticker shock at the pump here in the US? Why don’t you ask Obama these questions if you ever get him to hold an actual press conference?”)
Over there I’m still awaiting moderation. You know I comment here fairly regularly, I follow the rules and I’m kinda tired of the awaiting moderation nonsense.
Actually you do not and your reply makes no sense at all therefore you get my response to your nonsensical reply!
Wow, what a thread.
#8 4R & R: “I want a Romney that cuts wasteful spending like he’s cutting hair….” Sorry for you, but the wrong guy got the nomination. You should have gone for Gary Johnson. Romney is a guy who not only doesn’t want to touch the Pentagon, but actually wants to increase defense spending. He ought to listen to the likes of Ron Paul and Senator Tom Coburn: there can be NO sacred cows in trying to get spending & the deficit under control.
#12 Feral Cat: “Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan must become the quintessential Americans like George Patton and Joe DiMaggio…….” Got to wonder how a baseball player factors into this election ?? As for Paul Ryan, his vaunted “radical” budget proposal has deficits stretching far into the future. You really want fiscal conservatism; then the next president should pledge to implement Simpson-Bowles, as a starter.
The next President will be Romney or Obama. I live in Florida, a swing state. No way am I throwing away my vote. A President Romney may disappoint me on occasion, but a second-termed Obama would be a disaster.
My husband and I plan to vote for Romney/Ryan the very first day of early voting. I’ll gladly hold Romney/Ryan signs on election day. We can complain, but it will be Romney or Obama. That’s an easy choice for me.
Sounds like another version of “hope & change” from 2008
(don’t blame me, I voted for McCain & also contributed money to his campaign).
I don’t think you’ll be calling Romney passive after today, the 17th. Apparently, he just made a video speech, which was put online, where he says matter-of-factly that 47% percent of the population doesn’t pay taxes. It is those who he cannot sway, since they will back Obama through thick and thin (read, dumb and dumber). He will focus on “unaligned” voters, those who are footing the bill that keeps America running. It is a very audacious vantage for a politican to take, to focus on people who would necessarily believe they should have more say than people who contribute nothing to social monies. Or, at the very least, have the president they want. This is the point where it can really be said, “it’s on”. It’s going to get pretty stinky too.
Hidden video linked above in the update.
It’s better than no fight at all to bring up the 47% that don’t pay, but that is not really the opposition. Who is trying to enlarge the non paying class? The country has responded when candidates have brought some fight. Did he not know this would be required, to take the fight to Obama? To discuss what’s wrong with Obama’s goals, presidency, everything in plain, no-nonsense terms would be required? Did he look this over at all?
It’s hard to believe he or his campaign is trying to win – don’t get it.
It’s on. Bring it on. Between this and the Egypt tweet critique, he’s saying what many of us believe.
Go for it. Shove that Stuart Stevens beige stuff out of the way.
Mitt, do you really, really want it? Do you?
Then go for it. Say what needs to be said.
That way, if we Americans don’t want to listen, we only have ourselves to blame for what happens next.
Steady, old bean.
Yes, that’s it – exactly right.
…but he’ll give a very gracious concession speech!
I beg your pardon. I was pointing out that if Romney decides to be “Mr. Nice Guy” and try McCain 2.0, he’ll be Loser 2.0.
And I do NOT want to hear a “very gracious concession speech”.
“Nice Guys Finish Last”
Not this time, boyo.
Oh, are the Republicans running someone who ‘wants’ to be president… what does he stand for????
Exactly.
Romney presser on this vid:
http://www.therightscoop.com/full-press-conference-mitt-romney-addressing-his-remarks-at-a-fundraiser/
GREAT piece by Sowell:
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/322366/why-can-t-republicans-talk-thomas-sowell
It’s nearly past time for Mitt to get mad and man up, strike hard at Obama, bite back a la Gingrich at the media and generally raise hell about the state of the country and the world.
And yet Gingrich didn’t even come close to winning the GOP nomination, let alone the White House. If this is your best effort at “advice” then I’d say it’s time to go find something else to do. This “nice guys finish last” meme is not only pathetically cliche and tired but is inaccurate as a description of what’s happening here. Romney can’t win a bash-fest with Obama’s media allies. They’ve totally sold out and don’t care how bad it looks, as long as it’s effective. Romney doesn’t have the luxury of taking the low road with these idiots. Bashing the media should be YOUR job, MY job and EVERYBODY’S job from now on. Since extreme media bias affects all of us it’s up to ALL of us to hit back, not play the Left’s dishonest game of writing Mitt off. They do this to depress Republican turnout. There’s no excuse for Mitt’s fellow Conservatives to pile on and help promote the Left’s message. None!
Meanwhile, Romney needs to keep the focus on Obama’s failed policies. He needs to keep reaching for those voters who are still undecided. He needs to do well in the debates (and I feel confident that he will) and yes, make the most of the opportunities to score points when Obama fumbles.
The Mitt’s been burned the past few weeks by the sheer force of the MSM echo chamber oceanic vastness…and it has had a winnowing effect.
It’s easy for sunshine conservatives to go from the convention high of a vital and pivotal VP pick …to … stumble-butt is channeling Dukakis a’la ’88.
Outside of Fox THERE IS A UNIFIED FIELD AT FORCE – AN UNRELENTING NARRATIVE OF MISCUE & ILL-ADVISED STUPIDITY & YOU NAME IT. It’s Politico, Morning Joe, MSNB-ho’s, Time, Huffpo, Wapo…ad nauseum…non-stop…
And it’s pretty much been that way since the day Mittens first announced – only now it’s amplified in the lull between the conventions and the home stretch represented by the Debates.
Besides unifying the kind of direct advertising he unleashed Ryan to display with his Red-Bull rat-ta-ta on the stump, and the kind of connection Mitt himself made with his Energy Plan as foundation for economic turnaround, Romney is going to have to channel the Gipper and take the Media head on in the Debates – and – have the Ad campagins do the Sherman to the Sea follow up.
Our man isn’t just running against a failed president who thinks hes the first celeb to occupy the peoples house.
Hes also running against a media machine that made the pedestrian into the monster he is today.
So, to the sunday whinners I say …NUTS~!
This campaign doesn’t need rescued anymore than the 82nd Airborn did in the Bulge – and this war isn’t anywhere near as dark as the posts here suggest.
Don’t forget that the majority of those in the control rooms of the media echo chamber – and the vast majority of those working in those newsrooms and out in the field as well – are either comfortably in the 1% or willing to have their more than 205K yearly earnings taxed to the max by their Chosen One.
The rest of America who will have a say on election day HAVE TO LIVE IN THE MESS OBAMA AS BEEN MAKING SINCE HE FIRST FLASHED HIS BUSTA MOVE ON ELLEN!
They are gutting it out. So the doubters should just buck up and grow a pair.
If ‘nice guys finish last’, and given that Romney has called Obama a ‘nice guy’ … can we infer that Obama will be the loser?
Sorry, unless Mitt Romney grows a pair and starts acting like a real man, there is no way in hell I’m voting for him. He’s just so creepy, so…so…I don’t even know how to put it, other than what self-respecting, red-blooded American female would let that man put his wimpy, wussie, effeminate hands on her body? No wonder Ann Romney has dead eyes.
No, a switch lies dormant in Mitt. Christian Bale, the American Psycho actor, should vote for this guy just to play the biopic role in his old age. Just like the American Psycho, Romney has that “vulture capitalist” persona: he needs to channel, control, and unleash it in a most ruthless manner.
Well if there turns out to be a great debate, Drake would play the One (I dont know if K. Shaidle would be proud or ashamed).
Romney isn’t a fighter because Romney isn’t a man of principle.
It’s that simple.
I wish.
But, can he?
I dunno.
It’s not that he didn’t think of it, it’s that his brain trust decided a year ago to avoid a contentful campaign, but to stay quiet on the issues and sling mud. It worked in the primaries.
Hey, maybe they plan a big 180 spin closer to election day, I dunno.
But it would seem to be changing horses in mid-stream, … even if the current horse is a pony and drowning.
Just fire the campaign professionals- they work for anybody, careerists without scruples or fear of job loss
Ok so I am thinking about removing my website from Tumbler and get it to a WordPress site. I believe this is a wordpress site right? If it is, may I ask where you got the theme? Thanks a bunch!