Mitt Romney’s Florida Media War and the Plan to Beat Obama in 2012
One thing is clear this primary season: nobody wants to have the grown-up discussion about how Republicans and Tea Partiers actually defeat Barack Obama this November. The conservative media is too busy squabbling over whether more conservative angels dance on Newt’s head or Mitt’s. We’re not seeing questions like these talked about in any substantive fashion:
- Which states will be most in play this cycle and which groups of independent swing voters need to be targeted?
- How have technological advances in the last four years provided campaigns with new methods to engage voters?
- Less important than who said what about Ronald Reagan decades ago is what will be said about Barack Obama in the fall. What will be the focus of the campaign? Obamacare? Jobs? Debt? That the economy would be much healthier without the uncertainty of Obama’s programs?
- What media strategies will be most effective in 2012? What kinds of ads need to be made?
Meanwhile, right under our noses, Mitt Romney’s method of challenging Newt Gingrich in Florida begins to offer an answer to this last question.
John Avlon gets a choice quote from a Florida GOP insider at The Daily Beast on Romney in Attack Mode:
“The Romney camp made a very clear decision that this was going to be somebody’s Waterloo,” says Rick Wilson, a legendary Republican operative and CEO of Florida-based Intrepid Media. “In the past, a 60–40 positive to negative ratio in ads used to be considered a heavy load. But that world is just gone.”
“The scope and effectiveness of their negative campaigning have been breathtaking—and it’s all paid off,” says Wilson. “They figured out on the fly that Romney showing fight and backbone—not being a squishy-soft, mealy-mouthed, half-assed campaigner—could bear dividends with conservatives. Because everything comes down to ‘will we have a candidate who takes it hard to Obama?’… And he’s narrowed the gap. Tea Party conservatives are split between Romney and Gingrich—which would have been unimaginable in South Carolina.”
Will Romney’s willingness to campaign hard be an asset in the general election against Obama? Will forcefulness from the generally more mild-mannered Mormon Mitt be regarded with more seriousness by the independent voter than the Gingrichian rage that seems to flow at the slightest provocation? What does this strategy in Florida suggest about Team Mitt’s ability to craft specific-state strategies in the general?
Right now the contest of Romney vs Gingrich is no longer about who is the mythical “true conservative,” but rather who is the more competent political strategist.
Not in the minds of some.
To some, losing with an ideologically “pure” conservative is better than winning with someone who might have done or believed something they deem non-conservative.
That’s the path to 4 more years of Baracky, with absolutely no restraints on him because he doesn’t have to stand for re-election.
Losing with a “pure” conservative is still a loss and still leaves Baracky in power.
But don’t try to tell the True Believers that… they’ll label you a RINO.
Interesting that your candidate Mitt does not even rise to the level of RINO, he is a proven Progressive of the D flavor. Good luck with that, I’ll wait for someone worth voting for.
So you’re fine with Obama. Got it.
If Obama wins again, then, I at least won’t have to read your whinging posts about presidential politics, because you’ll have no reason whatsoever to complain.
Ya might do a little basic research before declaring Mittens “my” candidate.
I wonder if there will be a Romney supporter who says something positive about Romney today.
We get that they hate Gingrich, since that is what $15 million in negative ads and bought-and-paid-for ruling-class pundits have planted in their brains.
But is there anything they like about Mitt?
Follow your own advice.
Say something positive about Newtonium, instead of constantly bashing Mittens.
You’re as bad as those you denigrate, you know that?
Newt has a history of shrinking government, where Mitt has a history of drastically growing it and still being proud of it.
What’s your excuse for supporting Mitt?
Glad you asked.
Newt is a genius. To be able to contend in a race when 15 times the money he has is being spent in a campaign of personal destruction against him and 90% of the establishment media is arrayed against him proves it, but it isn’t the first time he has demonstrated genius.
Newt doesn’t just talk about conservatism, he has lived it. He was the central figure in winning a Republican majority for the first time in decades. His Contract with America inspired a mini conservative revolution. While he was speaker, the budget was balanced, taxes were cut, and welfare was reformed. That sparked an economic boom close in size to the Reagan boom, in which Gingrich was also was a key player. He is a brilliant debator and is the only candidate willing to be brutal in his attacks on obama.
Stupid is as stupid does.
Santorum finally showed Romney’s VERY weak spot; RomneyCare and he looked totally lost with no response. But you don’t have to get angry about it. Clueless.
This is what we are left with a VERY weak Romney. But we discuss tactics! Worked well for McCain, had the best plan and planners how did that work out for the Republicans? We needed a conservative winner; we get a “moderate” crier.
Agree that the Main Question is who is the better candidate in November. The hard conservatives “Don’t play well with others” and insist on Purity at All Costs.
A persistent delusion in conservative politics is the Waiting For GODot complex…the miracle worker who will bring heaven to earth ASAP. Just what they don’t like in Obama they transfer to Their Dear Leader (Fill in Blank Here).
Juveniles…
Doesn’t anyone care about who is most competent to solve our country’s problems. Maybe if we could convince independents and a few former Obama supporters that the GOP is able to analyze what’s wrong, especially WRT the economy, come up with workable solutions, and prioritize them, we would have a better chance of beating Obama. Primary tactics are not the major concern of most people.
Anyone else pick up on what Romney said speaking to the audience at The Villages yesterday? He said Republicans promise not to go after Medicare of SS. Did he mean to say Medicare / SS would be as is for current retirees and those about to retire? I hope so, if not, there is no way to reduce our debt.
Both Newt and Mitt personal attacks against each other is taking away from the issue, Spending is the problem and it is impossible to reel in without reforming entitlements. Mitt also said he would increase our military by 100,000 troops? Did I hear that right? We are broke, nobody is talking about it on the trail…
Greece here we come…Our youth unemployment is remaining at historicly high rates, there will be many to join in the OWS violent protests, we are running out of time to turn the economy around http://www.zerohedge.com/news/europes-scariest-chart
“The scope and effectiveness of their negative campaigning have been breathtaking—and it’s all paid off,” says Wilson. “They figured out on the fly that Romney showing fight and backbone—not being a squishy-soft, mealy-mouthed, half-assed campaigner—could bear dividends with conservatives. Because everything comes down to ‘will we have a candidate who takes it hard to Obama?’… And he’s narrowed the gap. Tea Party conservatives are split between Romney and Gingrich—which would have been unimaginable in South Carolina.”
If Romney wins the nomination, the test is going to come when Team Mitt decides if it’s willing to go head-on against the race card that Team Obama will play, no matter what sort of criticism based on his record as president Romney throws out there.
McCaim wasn’t willing to risk that attack, and since he had basically bee protected by Chicago Democrats for 15 years from having to cast any really controversial votes, Obama ran in 2008 as a cipher, with no tangible record that could be credited or blamed on him. That’s not the case in 2012, but the Obama team and their media backers will still want race to play a major role in the campaign if Romney’s attacks start to hit home (the big media outlets are going to be obsessed this summer with the Mormon Church’s treatment of blacks).
Does Romney have the stomach to deal with that, or will he back off attacking Obama and his record harshly, under the implied agreement (at least with the media) that they’ll back off trying to turn him into George Wallace. Rudy Giuliani in New York faced the same gambit when he ran for mayor of New York in 1993, and stood up to the charges that he and his police department backers were racists and ended up winning election and then turning the city around. We’ll see what Mitt decides to do.
Romneycare and Obamacare?
“First of all, it’s nothing to get angry about.”
Mitt Romney, presidential debate, Jan 26, 2012.
There’s the strategy in a nutshell.
http://evilbloggerlady.blogspot.com/2012/01/george-soros-not-much-difference.html
George Soros is saying no difference between Obama and Romney. Maybe Creepy Dude is stirring up trouble, but there are serious doubts about this with the conservative base. All the more reason for this process to continue to the convention. Santorum needs to stay in. The only way to have this open is for Gingrich, Santorum and Paul to take enough delegates so it has to go to the convention. Claiming Romney won now and not letting this process vet out would be a big mistake by the GOP establishment.
We get it David. You like pot. You don’t like Newt. Does the pony have more than two tricks?
Yes, I write and edit on many subjects apart from Gingrich and marijuana. Have any suggestions for what you’d like me to blog about?
Two Tricks?
Evidently Mitt’s strategy for beating Obama is to say Obama’s economy is improving…
Deep Money is paying “big money” to try and “shorten the time” any other viable candidate has to battle. Pass the popcorn.
The republican candidates are standing before Obama’s garden. There are two trees in the garden. One is the tree of good and evil. It’s covered with delicious low hanging fruit. The fruits all have names. Fast and Furious, Solyndra, GM, electoral fraud, unions and on add nausaeum.
Are the republicans plucking this fruit. No, they’re picking the rotten fruit from the ground. The ones that say Mitt’s taxes or Newt dissed Reagan. Pick from the tree of good and evil.
If you don’t, then the other tree will have to be watered. It’s already looking a little dry. Don’t discount the possibility that when the tree of Liberty is watered, some of the blood might be your own.