A Not-So-Sneak-Peek Into Tonight Acceptance Speech

Go Get 'em Tiger!

The Romney campaign put out some advanced excerpts of Romney’s speech in a couple of hours (courtesy:  Politico) and they include a message of unity, outline of some plans and a discussion of the last four years.

Ending the Disappointment:  "Today the time has come for us to put the disappointments of the last four years behind us," Romney plans to say tonight. "To put aside the divisiveness and the recriminations. To forget about what might have been and to look ahead to what can be. Now is the time to restore the Promise of America.”

Warning of a Dimmer Future:  "To the majority of Americans who now believe that the future will not be better than the past, I can guarantee you this: if Barack Obama is re-elected, you will be right. I am running for president to help create a better future. A future where everyone who wants a job can find one. Where no senior fears for the security of their retirement. An America where every parent knows that their child will get an education that leads them to a good job and a bright horizon."

Outlining a 5 Point PLan to Create 12 Million Jobs: "First, by 2020, North America will be energy independent.  Second, we will give our fellow citizens the skills they need for the jobs of today and the careers of tomorrow. Third, we will make trade work for America by forging new trade agreements. And when nations cheat in trade, there will be unmistakable consequences. Fourth, to assure every entrepreneur and every job creator that their investments in America will not vanish as have those in Greece. And fifth, we will champion SMALL businesses, America's engine of job growth. 

Romney will go on to recount the ‘lost’ hope of 2008 and how he wished that Obama had succeeded (because he wants American to succeed),  He will then go into introducing himself to the country (again) and reiterating his love for his wife and family and his ties to the community.  These are the points that he will have no problem delivering.  It’s the next few that might prove to be a bit dicey for him:

Appealing to Women Voters (and trying to undo the damage done by Akin and others like him).  “When my mom ran for the Senate, my dad was there for her every step of the way. I can still hear her saying in her beautiful voice, 'Why should women have any less say than men, about the great decisions facing our nation?' 

Explaining his Business Background:  He describes how he had a hand in building some of America’s biggest companies like Staples and Sports Authority.  He doesn’t describe the decisions he also made that put thousands of Americans out of work.

Talking About the Tough Times:  He tries to relate with middle class America here and how hope and change never materialized.  Hard to do when you’re a millionaire son of another millionaire and Governor.

Romney plans to close his speech with a vision of the future:  "That America, that united America, can unleash an economy that will put Americans back to work, that will once again lead the world with innovation and productivity, and that will restore every father and mother's confidence that their children's future is brighter even than the past. That America, that united America, will preserve a military that is so strong, no nation would ever dare to test it. That America, that united America, will uphold the constellation of rights that were endowed by our Creator, and codified in our constitution. That united America will care for the poor and the sick, will honor and respect the elderly, and will give a helping hand to those in need. That America is the best within each of us. That America we want for our children. If I am elected President of these United States, I will work with all my energy and soul to restore that America, to lift our eyes to a better future. That future is our destiny. That future is out there. It is waiting for us. Our children deserve it, our nation depends upon it, the peace and freedom of the world require it. And with your help we will deliver it. Let us begin that future together tonight."

All in all it seems like it will be a good speech.  Will it rouse like others in the past?  Hard to say.  The problem I see is the same one that has been plaguing this campaign since day 1; they can’t seem to control the message.  While a good part of this speech should come across very well, there is another good part of it that will leave the Obama Campaign a lot of opportunity to pick apart.  

Tonight Romney not only needs to present himself to America (in probably one of the most important speeches of his life) but he needs to take this opportunity and finally seize the message away from the Obama camp and make is image his own.  Only this way does he even have a remote chance of winning.

The New Face of the GOP doesn’t Necessarily Include Romney… But it does Reagan?

What's Old is New Again

Jonathan Martin writes that when asking the rising stars of the GOP about their party’s future two names come up, neither of which is Mitt Romney.   One of them, Ronald Reagan, was born in 1911 and the other, Paul Ryan, was born in 1970.  “Neither Romney, born in 1947 or the once politically ascendant baby boomers he represents are central to the conversation about what direction the party takes in the years ahead.”  This relegates Romney to the status of a placeholder in the party.  He’s not heralding some sort of new political movement nor is he taking the party in any sort of radical direction.  Mitt Romney just… is.

As the next generations of leaders look at the status of the GOP, they see George W. Bush’s compassionate conservatism as so 2000’s.  Re-embracing a republican platform based on core conservative values is what the view is now.  Reagan’s conservative philosophy, like that old-time religion is sweeping the up-and-comers.  The free-market orthodoxy that is being preached by Ryan is fast becoming the (old) new gospel.  Politicians like Marco Rubio are at the forefront of this change.  “Sometimes we may think that we are being compassionate by creating a new program or agency but in fact we are getting in the way” Rubio stated. 

Reagan, obviously not a member of Generation X, has become a sort of messiah to this next group of leaders.  His no-nonsense ‘pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps’ fiscal conservatism appeals to a group of people that came of age during the hard times of the early 1990’s and the even harder times of the mid to late 2000’s.  They saw their party split between moderates and ultra-conservatives, the saw Bush the II diminish their party and philosophies like Newt Gingrich’s ‘Contract with America’ as passé.  I bet that Reagan himself would never have guessed his name would have been the battle cry for a revolution within the GOP some 30 years after his Presidency.

At the end of it all, by tapping Ryan as his running-mate, Romney is the one that, probably unwittingly, put this revolution into motion.  “Romney… hastened the transition to the new guard and may have ensured that his own legacy draws from his ticketmates ideas” states Martin.  By doing this, win or lose, Paul Ryan will come out leading this party.  Ryan could be the first ‘New Republican’ which would make Mitt Romney, again unwittingly, the father of the ‘New Republicans’ by being the one that foisted the potentially new standard bearer into public view. 

Given all of this, the best thing that could happen to the GOP would be an Obama second term.  By losing, the GOP could clear out what’s left of the old guard and make room for what comes next, the Ryan’s, the Rubio’s, the Christie’s and the like.  Romney, unfortunately for him, brought his party to the edge of the Promised Land but he could lead them in.  I guess he angered someone… maybe Pat Robertson?

Romney: I Think I'm a Birther Now. Obama Campaign: Woo Hoo

Fine, Mitt wasn’t that crass with his statement earlier today in Michigan but saying to this crowd that he was born right there and no one has asked him for a birth certificate to prove it pretty much made
him a birther today.  This issue, so far as I remember was settled over a year ago and the only ones that are holding on to are part of a fringe.  I don’t want to call Romney a fringe candidate but… seriously.  The Romney campaign says that Mitt was making a joke and obviously the Obama campaign isn’t laughing, though they should be because this is yet one more mis-step this campaign has taken.  We were making fun of the Vice President last week but this isn’t that far off.

The point of the trip to Michigan was for Romney to lay out his economic policies and re-acquaint himself with the voters.  You have to agree that the Romney campaign has had a disastrous summer, from a
horrific trip overseas all the way up to the Akin controversy; it’s been one problem after another.  This was supposed to resolve itself by the convention – well that starts in 48 hours and here we are,
Romney jokingly wondering about where the President was born.

The law itself I personally find asinine.  I feel that you should be eligible to be the President if you are a US Citizen, either by birth or by choice.  I understand the Founding Fathers intentions in putting
that stipulation in the Constitution; fearing a foreign born leader that may have allegiances to a foreign King.  These days, with the huge foreign born population in this country, many of those people dying just to be a part of this country, I do not believe that this is really an issue anymore.  It is simply an outdated hang-on from a much
earlier era (not unlike the right to bear arms).  Those are debates for a different day though.

Opinions of laws notwithstanding, the Romney campaign screwed up again – and this time it was Romney himself.  Even if he was making a joke, this joke not only potentially re-ignited a debate that was put to
rest many months ago and makes him look fairly foolish, it detracts away from the message that he was trying to convey.  He’s not going into the convention with the media discussing his economic plan, he’s
going in with talk about birtherism.  

An interesting tidbit about the whole thing; back in 1968 a Gov. George Romney was running against Richard Nixon for the nomination.  The campaign was short lived because the then Gov. Romney was actually born in Mexico and thus disqualified from the White House. This didn't stop the Governor from trying to run, thus creating probably the first 'birther' controversy.  This Governor, in case you haven't gleaned it, was Mitt Romney's dad.

Internet Roundup

A few things I pulled off the internet - one for levity and one for interest:

There's an outside chance that this guy might still win in Missouri

Courtesy of www.dailykos.com who obviously took it from Politico

A piece from the National Review - part of an article written by Deputy Managing Editor Kevin Williamson:

It is a curious scientific fact (explained in evolutionary biology by the Trivers-Willard hypothesis — Willard, notice) that high-status animals tend to have more male offspring than female offspring, which holds true across many species, from red deer to mink to Homo sapians. The offspring of rich families are statistically biased in favor of sons — the children of the general population are 51 percent male and 49 percent female, but the children of the Forbes billionaire list are 60 percent male. Have a gander at that Romney family picture: five sons, zero daughters. Romney has 18 grandchildren, and they exceed a 2:1 ratio of grandsons to granddaughters (13:5). When they go to church at their summer-vacation home, the Romney clan makes up a third of the congregation. He is basically a tribal chieftain.

Professor Obama? Two daughters. May as well give the guy a cardigan. And fallopian tubes.

From an evolutionary point of view, Mitt Romney should get 100 percent of the female vote. All of it. He should get Michelle Obama’s vote. You can insert your own Mormon polygamy joke here, but the ladies do tend to flock to successful executives and entrepreneurs. Saleh al-Rajhi, billionaire banker, left behind 61 children when he cashed out last year. We don’t do harems here, of course, but Romney is exactly the kind of guy who in another time and place would have the option of maintaining one. He’s a boss.

OK, not much of a roundup but it's getting late

Dubya: Mitt, Lemme Endorse You. Romney: Yeah, Well, Um...

You know, Presidential endorsements are funny things.  Candidates clamor over the opportunity, usually.  When especially popular former President stands behind a candidate, that usually carries a good amount of weight  Former President Bill Clinton is coming out with a TV spot that will air in 8 swing states starting next week with a message that basically says hey, vote for Barack, he’s got policies like I did and if he can put them into play, we’ll all be alright.  I’m not saying that this is a true statement or not but what is true is that under Clinton, this country prospered.  Monica Lewinsky and other such scandals aside, under Clinton, we did great.  Most people in the county recognize this sot an endorsement from Clinton is actually helpful to Obama.  President Clinton seems to have undertaken the role of ‘senior stateman’ of sorts.  The commercial gives that weary yet confident look that says, I’ve done this and you’ve liked what I’ve done, now like my guy.

On the Republican side, the only living Presidents that can provide such endorsements all have the last name of Bush.  Even if Romney thought about it, it should have been merely a few second afterthought.  Can you imagine seeing a spot with Dubya saying something like, hey y’all, Romney’s like me, he’ll do the country right by following the same policies I would of, now vote for him.  Given the legacy that George the second carries, I don’t see how that could possible help the Romney campaign in any possible way.  For that reason, you will not see one commercial featuring, reminiscing of, thinking about or even mentioning any of the Bush’s.  Not because the Bush’s don’t support Romney - mostly because Romney doesn’t want to show American’s like he’d be a lot like Bush.

85 Days Before the Election and Lubbock Prepares for War

Remember the Alamo, er... the Buddy Holly Memorial

So Texas County Judge (I guess the equivalent of a County Mayor in

other parts of the country) said today that if Obama wins a second

term, there will be civil war.  He’s gone as far as to enlist the county sheriff to pull together a trained force to ward off the United Nations troops that will be unleashed.  No, this is not an Onion article – this man is apparently serious.

On a talk show out of Lubbock, Judge Tom Head said “regardless of whether the Republicans take over the Senate, which I hope they do, he [President Obama] is going to make the United States Congress and he’s going to make the constitution irrelevant.  He’s got czars in place that don’t answer to

nobody.”  He went on to say that Obama will “try to give sovereignty of the United States away to the United Nations.  What do you think the public is going to do when that happens?  We’re talking civil unrest, civil disobedience, possible civil war.  I’m not talking riots here and there, I’m talking Lexington, Concord, take up arms, get rid of the dictator… he’s going to call in the UN troops, personnel carriers, tanks, and whatever.”  Head went on talking about raising a

militia, standing personally in front of tanks and what have you.  When asked, the Sheriff seemed to have no idea what he was talking about and stated that they had had a discussion about Emergency Management matters and nothing about preparing for a civil war.

The Judge did backtrack somewhat on his comments, stating that they were misunderstood and that he was referring to issues of taxation.  The Judge was unreachable for furthe comment and his office stated that he would be unreachable for at least 1 to 2 more days.

* With quotes from CNN

We Are Better That That

A little levity tonight - this is one of my all time favorite election videos.  I never did the research to see if this guy actually won the job of Alabama's Agricultural Commissioner - part of me wishes he had. 

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How do you go from Rising Star to Pariah in 30 Seconds? Ask Rep. Todd Akin

So, can I get a do-over?

Nearly overnight a Republican Congressman from Missouri went from having a legitimate shot of beating Senator Claire McCaskill and becoming one of the senators from Missouri to being persona non grata in his own party.  It’s like everyone in the GOP took the proverbial one giant step backwards after news broke of his interview Sunday in St. Louis. 

“It seems to me first of all from what I understand from doctors that’s really rare.  If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down,” is what pro-life Rep. Akin stated in response to a question asking whether he would support abortion in case of rape.  Granted, like all of us, the man is entitled to his views.  The problem here isn’t his beliefs but rather how he framed them and, in the bigger picture, what that means to the Romney campaign as a whole.

This issue has taken top billing in the media all day.  It took time away from the Romney-Ryan town hall meeting this afternoon in New Hampshire where they outlined their entire economic message.  Was anyone actually listening to that?  Nope, it was mostly Akin and something about a naked Republican in Israel nearly all day long on the news channels.  Given that the Republicans are still behind in the polls, even after somewhat recovering from their horrific July, this is yet one more thing that the media has grabbed and deflected from legitimate campaign stories.

CNN reports that top congressional Republicans like House Speaker John Boehner, Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell and Senator John Cornyn have all advised Rep. Akin to spend time considering his candidature – read:  step aside Todd.  The Romney campaign also distanced themselves from the Representative and echoed the comments of other senior republicans.  The senate race in Missouri is considered crucial in determining which party will have control of the Senate after the election.

Rep. Akin has repeatedly apologized for his remarks, citing a poor choice of words.  A mis-speak can and has happened to all of us.  The difference here is the level of gravitas that this mistake has taken on.  That 15 second dialogue has surely cost Rep. Akin his election bid (if he stays on, of course – and he says that he will), probably cost the GOP control of the Senate and will remain in the news cycle for more days to come, taking away from the Romney campaign and continue to allow the Obama campaign to set the tone.  Claire McCaskill couldn’t be happier I bet.

And here Romney thought that he had finally gotten a bit of a leg-up.  Maybe next week Mitt.

Good ol' Joe: Talk all you want, Just not in Front of People

I'm so taking your job

It seems every few months Biden is good for something that will make national news.  From asking a wheel-chaired Sen. Chuck Graham to stand up for a round of applause, to cursing just off camera while still wearing a hot microphone, to speaking to the Irish Prime Minister about his dead mother that’s still very much alive to telling a group of citizens in southern Virginia, the majority African-American mind you, that the Romney economic policies will ‘put them back in chains.’  While Biden is quite entertaining whenever he speaks, during a tight campaign, this lack of discretion could start to become a liability. 

John McCain and Sarah Palin today suggested that the President trade-in old Joe for Hilary Clinton as a running mate.  Obama responded that the he and the White House were entirely behind Biden and his remarks yesterday in
Danville, VA (and the last person they ought to be taking running-mate advice from is John McCain).  Biden, the White House underscored, was an integral part of this winning ticket.  Truth be told, the ‘back in chains’ comment he made yesterday sounded significantly worse than he meant for it to.  He was stating that the Romney-Ryan economic policies will let Wall Street and the banks run amok again, much like the did during the Bush II years, which caused the recession.  He used the metaphor ‘unshackled’ as in letting the bank do as they please and by doing so, constraining us, the citizens again – putting us back in chains. 

Whatever the case, it was a very poor choice of words and is being used as a rallying cry by the right-wing.  Tea Party types are actually using this escapade as a platform through which to increase fundraising efforts, citing yet another reason why Romany-Ryan needs to win (can you imagine if Biden had to be President…?).  Even on the Democratic side, Gov. Joe Wilder, formerly of Virginia found Biden’s comment to be absurd.  He went further to say that if Obama were to actually drop Biden for Clinton, he wouldn’t be neck-in-neck in the polls but rather handedly leading.  Technically, the President can actually change out running mates until September 6 – the day the ticket is formally nominated though I wouldn’t expect it.  The public sees Biden as a straight-shooter, a person that holds nothing back and that is one of his greatest strengths but also one of his biggest weaknesses.

The Obama campaign needs to be careful how Biden is handled; where he is sent, what he is told to say.  Can he be completely controlled?  Absolutely not and as a positive note for the Obama campaign, people have come to expect Biden saying things at moments he shouldn’t be saying them.  That positive will only go so far if the Romney people are smart about seizing moments like those and spinning them to their advantage.  Fortunately for Obama, with what we’ve seen of the Romney campaign staff, that’s not likely to happen.

What are your thoughts?  Should Biden be dropped?

Senior GOP: Yeah, we Love Romney and He Will SO Win… So, Who’s Running in 2016?

Do I run again?

The official word from the Republican Party is that they are 100%, completely and totally behind their guys Romney and Ryan.  Of course they’ll win – they’ll trounce, they’ll conquer, they’ll win so badly they’ll redefine what it means to win.  Probably.  So, why are veterans of the GOP showing up in places like Iowa and New Hampshire?  Well, officially to support the current ticket but unofficially, they've been trying to keep their names fresh in states that usually vote early in the primary cycle.

Politico reports that Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee and Rick Perry spoke at an event sponsored by Iowa social conservative organization, the Family Leader.  Palin made a surprise appearance at a dinner hosted by Iowa businessman Bruce Rastetter, a major bankroller of Republican causes both in Iowa and nationally.  Rand Paul was found speaking in Iowa to a branch of the Faith and Freedom Coalition.  Ken Cuccinelli has also been seen making the rounds.  Apparently, at least two potential 2016 candidates have already conferred with national advisers about a possible campaign in the event that Romney loses.  Faith and Freedom Coalition President Ralph Reed said that “We have the deepest and strongest bench I have ever seen” citing such GOP rock stars as Scott Walker, Nikki Haley, Paul Ryan, Bobby Jindal, Marco Rubio, Chris Christie and more.  Ed Rollins, Ronald Reagan’s campaign manager who ran Huckabee’s 2008 race feels that the interest around the GOP bench reflects a simple fact, people don’t think Romney has a great shot, he just hasn’t run a good campaign.

All this begs the questions, who is a serious contender the next time around?  Sadly, Sarah Palin still is – the country will never forgive John McCain for unleashing this menace upon us.  The Tea Party is losing its luster but some quick primary wins as of late have given the movement some breath.  Expect Santorum, Huckabee and Pawlenty to take another bite at the apple and even Rick Perry though I don’t see what the point of him even trying would be.  Paul Ryan I think would be a safe bet if he doesn’t get the Vice Presidency – and of course the perennial candidates like Ron Paul.

I’m not saying that we need to count out Romney-Ryan yet and I don’t think that even the establishment members of the GOP are either – everyone is just hedging their bets.  Eighty days is a long time and good choices or bad, at the end of the day, the only poll that will matter will be on election day.  The GOP cannot ignore the horrific July that the Romney campaign had and the beating that they took in the polls.  The establishment sees stuff like that and obviously has some questions as to whether their guy Mitt can do the job and while most question, some have started the campaign early and quietly.

Wall Street Journal (and Everyone Else): I Love Me Some Paul Ryan - Romney: Meh - Romney Advisors: Well, Maybe…?

One of the biggest financial newspapers in the world endorsed, essentially, Paul Ryan to be Mitt Romney’s running mate.  The bonus here is that Ryan seems to be on the short list – and why not, he’s a young, good looking guy from a traditionally blue state that is one of the rising stars of the Republican Party.  It doesn’t just stop with the Wall Street Journal either; Slate is pushing for Paul as is the Weekly Standard and a litany of usually left-leaning publications.


So, why this love affair with the would-be financial reformer and boy scout-next-door looking guy?  The Republicans love him because he has a solid conservative voting record and he espouses all things conservative.  The Democrats love him because he has a solid conservative voting record and he espouses all things conservative.  The right sees him as a favored son, the left sees him as yet another nail in the Romney campaign coffin.  He’s essentially a Romney mini-me; a financial hawk that voted for both wars, voted against Obamacare and is at the forefront of entitlement program reform, meaning the pursuit of massive cuts in welfare, unemployment insurance and other things people affected by the worst economy in 70 years have needed to you know, live.  While every conservative that reads this
blog will disagree with me, that’s reason why he shouldn’t be chosen.

It’s no secret at this point that the Romney campaign is in trouble and given that Romney’s unfavorability rating is rising faster that bread dough on a hot day, at some point the Romney camp needs to do something to stop the bleeding.  By choosing Ryan, not only will Romney NOT bolster his campaign, he’ll start sliding down that hill real fast – and never be able to recover.   Why?  Remember, the Obama campaign controls the message and they have since day one.  They’ve painted Romney as a millionaire fat cat that’s pretty much told the middle class to go screw themselves.  Throw Ryan into the mix? All they’re going to paint him as is Romney’s errand boy.  Who should Romney choose?  For me, it’s simple, Pawlenty.  A nice guy that comes from one blue state that has enough electoral college votes to help get to 270.

While a conservative, Pawlenty is a moderate with blue collar roots from the Midwest.  The only thing more wholesome here is if he walked around holding two apple pies.  Romeny’s dad was an auto industry executive, Pawlenty’s dad was a truck driver.  Romney is a millionaire solid right-wing conservative, Pawlenty is a Reagan democrat.  A perfect match by any measure that as a running mate would soften Romney’s message and stance.

Unfortunately for Romney, Pawlenty will not be choice.  Not for any reason other than he doesn’t have the flash and media draw of a Ryan or even a Rubio.  It seems that the Romney camp has a preference for that kind of person, even through it will just give the Obama camp more ammunition to work with.

The Obama That I Used to Know

Short post today - just wanted to share this video that has gone viral.  I find it to be very well done with a message that it not too uncommon. 

I wonder if Gotye is a Democrat...

Joe Soptic / Priorities USA Super PAC: Romney, Your Actions Killed my Wife - Romney: Oh God, Please Make it Stop

This video was released recently by the Super PAC Priorities USA and shone in keying states – an obviously pro-Obama group that has picked up on the current theme of Romney being so rich and so out of touch that he really is clueless about the day-to-day lives of middle America.   As the story in this short film goes, the gentleman depicted, Joe Soptic, lost his job at a steel mill that was closed down by Bain when Romney was running the place which led to a loss of his health insurance (this was long before Obamacare).  Well, his wife got cancer and because they didn’t have insurance, she didn’t say anything for fear of large medical bills.  When she finally went to the doctor, the cancer was terminal and she passed on.  Had Romney not closed the steel mill, Soptic would have had health insurance, his wife would have caught her cancer earlier and she may very well have been alive today.  The video itself does quite an excellent job of painting Romney as someone who, quite frankly, puts money and riches far, far ahead of the basic needs of the average American.  The only thing that would have made this video more awesome would have been a shot of Romney and his buddies sitting with their feet up on a table, smoking cigars and holding large canvass bags with dollar signs on them, laughing.

As I’ve said repeatedly in past articles, Romney’s spin team simply sucks.  The Obama campaign has taken control of the message and the image and the Romney camp cannot, for their best efforts, get it back. This is what is going to ruin Romney chances for the White House.  The Republican Party has tried, however.  They let Romney do some grocery shopping the other day in New Hampshire – he was even wearing a pair of jeans and New Balance shoes.  While they were trying to show him as just the average American, it was a sad and awkward attempt and one that fell flat on its face.  I’m no supporter of Romney but I actually feel bad for him with what his handlers are making him do and say.  Obamalony?  Really?

Priorities USA has apparently reserved about $30 million worth of ad time for the fall.  Their first ad focused on Romney’s ‘heads I win, tails you lose’ business philosophy and after this ad, you know they this group will continue with the attacks hard and often – especially after the convention where both candidates should expect at least a small surge in popularity.  You also know that Romney’s team will not, at this point, be able to take control of the message at all – Romney will go though this campaign essentially being shown as a fat-cat millionaire industrialist that couldn’t give a flying crap about the
average American family.  They were too late out of the starting blocks and they haven’t made enough attempts to take it back.  This is the way the campaign is going to go – unless something radically changes for Romney or for Obama for that matter.

Harry Reid: Show me the Tax Returns. Oh, you Got None… Republic National Committee: Shut up you Dirty Liar

Where's those tax returns?

So according to the RNC (and specifically its chair, Reince Priebus), Harry Reid is nothing but a big fat liar.  According to Harry Reid, Mitt Romney is nothing more than a tax evader trying to be President.  While both are ugly allegations, what Romney is accused of has far greater  repercussions than what they’re calling Reid, notwithstanding that such allegation will actually hurt the Romney campaign while Reid doesn’t care what they call him at the end of the day.  What I don’t understand is why is Romney just not producing his past returns?  We’re all required by Federal law to keep them for 7 years.  I have my returns for the past 7 years and I’m sure most of you do too.  If you and I know to do this, I imagine a serious businessman like Mitt does too.  Did he lose them?  Did he print them using that electro-static paper that store receipts are printed on and they’ve just faded away?  Or, did Romney do something sketchy he’s trying to hide?

I find it curious that the Republic Party is going after Harry Reid the way they are. I understand that they are trying to mitigate the message that Romney hasn’t paid taxes before 2010 but instead of actually addressing the issues, the Romney camp seems to have simply resorted to name calling.  The spin control by the Romney camp has been terrible and this issue has become one more example of how this campaign team cannot seem to control or even direct the message.  The candidate is essentially being accused of criminal activity and the
best they can come up with is ‘shut up.’  Not helping your cause there Mitt, not by a long shot.  Adding to this, they haven’t really come up with any sort of satisfactory explanation as to why the returns haven’t been produced.

Former White House Chief of Staff John Sununu has gone as far as to blame the Obama administration for Romney not producing his tax returns.  “The Obama campaign and President Obama are the ones that are behind this dishonesty and misrepresentation because they are trying to hide the failure of this abysmal presidency that we have had in office the last four years” said Sununu.  Mitt Romney has been saying that we all should just trust him.  If we don’t trust him, then we all essentially suck.  Again, someone has got to talk to the spin doctor working this campaign…

At the end of the day, even if Reid doesn’t produce his sources at Bain Capital that have squealed on their former boss’ tax habits, he’ll be just fine.  If Mitt Romney doesn’t produce those tax return prior to 2010, it’ll be just one more cloud hanging over this campaign.  He can’t afford too many more of those and you know the Obama camp will not relent.

163,000 New Job Created in July. Obama: This is awesome - Romney: No, it’s not

163,000 New Job Created in July


Obama:  This is awesome - Romney:  No, it’s not

Spin is an amazing thing and with the jobs report coming out this morning, both camps were revving to go.  The July numbers, truthfully, are actually pretty decent, considering the depth this recession (depression) had and how painful the recovery has been.  Unemployment is still high which, if that drags on into the next month will start chipping away at some of Obama’s numbers – especially if Romney puts together an actual, rational economic plan.  The economy being able to create 163,000 jobs however does show a growing confidence by job creators.  It is on this that the Obama camp is hanging their economic hats on.


Not missing an opportunity to swipe at the Romney tax plan, the President stated in his speech from earlier today that any economic rebuilding can only start with rebuilding the middle class and that the GOP tax plan will raise taxes on millions of families and give millionaires and billionaires tax cuts they don’t need.  Rebuilding the middle class ought to mean a recovery in the housing market, a strong recovery in the jobs market, money open for big ticket spending and investment.  Many of these thing haven’t taken the hold they need to have taken by now.  The Romney camp is trying to use these facts to
their advantage but to all of his efforts, Democrat strategists have
got the GOP (apparent) candidate pinned down and colored as an autocratic, out-of-touch business man.


Not to be out done, Romney fired back that his economic plan will create nearly 12 million jobs  (3 million jobs a year, mind you) by the end of his first term.  Unemployment has been above 8% for the past 42 months and he feels (and I tend to agree with this) is that the American people deserve better.  Better however will not necessarily come in the form of Romney’s tax and economic plan, one that is somewhat reminiscent of Reagan’s supply-side ‘trickle-down
economics’ mantra.  Give more money to the rich and they’ll open factories and stuff and there will be jobs for all.  As long as the rich have money, we’ll all be OK.  Many conservative ought to be jumping up and down by now – well, look how well it worked then!  Yes, it did, but the global economic landscape is significantly more different now in 2012 than it was in 1985.  President Bush the son (Dubya) tried something like that too and, well, here we are today.


At the end of the day, job creation is vitally important no matter who you support and where you stand.  Basic human dignity, to be able to feed, house and clothe your family, to have that great sense of making a contribution, we all need that, it’s innate.  We don’t just need to have it though, we need to be able to sustain it.  The Obama camp will have you believe that they are the only ones that can do so (and based on polling numbers, the slight majority of people feel that they are right) they will also have you believe that Romney is far too out-of-touch with middle class reality to be able to actually do what
is needed.


I guess Romney having that little old rich guy from the Monopoly board game as an economic advisor has kind of backfired…

How’s that Campaign going there Bob Dole er, I mean Mitt Romney?

The Romney campaign truly feels like they really have a shot at the White House, and so they should.  There are still 96 days before the elections and still a month before the conventions.  Despite the week their guy has had, they can turn things around, right?  Right?  Maybe.  The problem here is that the Obama campaign has successfully executed the first lesson out of the ‘Campaign 101’ textbook – define your opponent before they define you and the way that Romney has been defined does him no favors.

The GOP has out-raised and out spent the Obama campaign by a large margin.  So why does it feel like Mitt is on the run, when he should clearly be sitting comfortable?  Simply because the Democrats got out ahead of him.  They painted him as an elitist rich guy-son of another rich guy that has no idea how the common person lives.  Romney has done himself no favors in trying to get out from under this image.  As a matter of fact, his tax proposal, the one where he plans to steal from the poor to give to the rich like an anti-Robin Hood, further underscores how out of touch he’s perceived to be.  Throw in his
disastrous overseas trip and an onslaught of campaign adds against him
in swing states and the guy is done.    In key states like Ohio, Florida and Michigan, Obama is polling at least 5 to 12 points higher than Romney and unless the GOP camp does something to ebb the tide or change their guys image, that’s the way it’ll stay.

Back in 1996 James Carville ran the Clinton campaign in much the same way the Obama campaign is currently bring run; hit early and often and don’t relent.  Paint a picture of your opponent that sticks and run with it.  Clinton, with less money came out early painting Dole as a far-right extremist, a politician that was one with then-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.  Clinton created an image of Dole as a cold, right-wing cutthroat Republican that will take away your social programs and Social Security.  It stuck.  Clinton won.  Handedly.

Romney can overcome his image but he’s got to come back down to Earth and realize how he’s being perceived.  Based on his remarks in Israel and in the UK earlier this week, based on his wishing his wife’s Dressage horse well in the Olympics, and based on wanting to enact policies that make life more difficult for the average American however, I’m not sure he’ll be able to.