Romney deputy press secretary Ryan Williams called the release “absurd:” “If the Obama campaign thinks that it’s important to issue a press release explaining Bill Clinton’s praise of Governor Romney’s ‘sterling’ business record, they are losing,” he said. “Losing miserably.” – Buzzfeed
SO, BILL CLINTON speaks a truth that’s been held as a not so secret reality inside the Democratic Party about Mitt Romney’s private equity career, and the Obama campaign does what?
Gets defensive and releases a statement from Bill Clinton to CBS News saying he wasn’t endorsing Mitt Romney.
Would I kid you about political stupid? This was needed why? From CBS:
“’I said, you know, Governor Romney had a good career in business and he was a governor, so he crosses the qualification threshold for him being president,’ Clinton said. ‘But he shouldn’t be elected, because he is wrong on the economy and all these other issues. So today, because I didn’t attack him personally and bash him, I wake up to read all these stories taking it out of context as if I had virtually endorsed him, which means the tea party has already won their first great victory: ‘We are supposed to hate each to disagree.’ That is wrong.’”
Whoever made the decision to release a statement from Pres. Clinton to prove he wasn’t endorsing Mitt Romney is an idiot.
I sent out some emails yesterday to get insider takes on Clinton’s statement about Bain, just to see what people were thinking deep inside the bubble. It ranged from “et tu” to drooling Democratic defensiveness, mixed with silence.
Obamans and people in that orbit are obviously freaked that Democrats didn’t lap up the Axe-Plouffe-Cutter scorched earth Bain strategy with glee. Evidently they missed the part about relationships and knowing the reaction to a major campaign theme from your own before you trot it out. Sure the base would go bonkers on anti-Bain messaging, but there’s an entire corporate Wall Street wing, which happens to include Barack Obama and his pals, lest anyone forget, that was never going to swallow it.
The pivot to Mitt’s Massachusetts record is the second prong and they’re counting on it to work, even if Axelrod’s Boston stunt went badly. Romney will bide his time until the Supreme Court weighs in on the Affordability Care Act later this month, then pivot and use his own health care plan to do it (or at least that’s what he should do).
It’s the art of political war, Jack Ryan strategy of politics: “Give them no place to go, nothing to report, no story.” If you’ve got a liability don’t just embrace it, find a way to run on it.
So far, this isn’t the slick Obama campaign of 2008. Assumptions were made on their anti-Bain roll out that blew up in their faces. These people may believe the facts and odds are with them to win in November, which they are, but they’re flailing on execution so far and that’s not smart. Romney may lose in the end, but he’s not going down pretty.
I dunno, Taylor. Maybe because I woke up in a pretty mellow mood today, I don’t think the follow up statement from Clinton is so bad. In fact, I kind of like it. Especially the part:
That is the truth. The right is so full of hate in everything they do I am glad President Clinton called them out on it.
That said, I am pretty depressed these days from reading through the other blogs, which points out the more sinister truth is that basically, there is no difference between the Republi-turds and the Demo-craps. Money of the 1% and the corporations rule and the rest of us are all screwed.
I’ve been writing that for years!
I’ve got no problem with Clinton’s statement, but the fact that team Obama highlighted it is political malpractice.
Ah, Taylor-I didn’t mean to imply that you haven’t been writing about that– Sorry! I meant to say other posts here! You and Joyce are spot on with your analysis and it is depressing. I think you folks have done a terrific job of telling it like it is on both sides. About the only difference is the far right preaches hate. And the right wing of the Democratic Party, which is most of it these days, does it passive-aggressive-style–they do nothing to stop the bad guys and just continue to look the other way, which is just as bad because the results are the same. One fans the flames, and the other roasts marshmallows with it.
And I agree with you about the team Obama political malpractice. Good point!
Obama 2012 have been off their game for awhile now.
Obama ’12 looks less slick than Obama ’08 because they actually have to run on a record. The “hopey-changey” thing didn’t work out so well. “Forward” is similarly idiodic.
“Forward” is not idiotic. When I played college football, our slogan during my junior year was “Forward”. No matter the obstacle, we would keep pushing “Forward”. I have no problem with that at all.
The problem is that President Obama isn’t going “Forward”. He’s just treading water. No movement overall. Romney’s “Believe in America” heads more towards idiotic simply because it assumes that all one needs is to BELIEVE IN AMERICA and hey, we goin’ be alright. Whateva….
No amount of sloganeering from Obama and Romney will convince me to vote either one of them.
The truth is they were never really that good in the first place. Remember he relied on caucus to win the nomination back in ’08 not primaries. His campaign is great at rounding up people for that and maybe voting to some extent but I sure never saw his campaign as being that great.
“Forward” has a lot more meaning when you’re playing football than it does when you’re running on a risk-averse record. It’s just another feel-good word like the words “hope” and “change” and “believe in America” or in Romney’s case “Amercia.”
But the burden is on Obama who is running on his record and “Forward” just doesn’t cut it in my book.
I hate the Presidential campaign season. Absolutely hate it. Even though I’m not voting for Obama or Romney, the sheer bullcrappery that flows during the campaign season makes Jersey Shore more tolerable. I just see two liars.