Ouch! Mitt's "campaign is filled with people who spend their time avoiding him or resisting him"

[kpete]

The Romney campaign is in trouble
Posted by Ezra Klein on September 17, 2012 at 10:54 am

There are two sure signs a campaign is in trouble. The first is that it begins changing its strategy rapidly and erratically. The second is that it begins attacking its strategists fiercely and anonymously.

The Romney campaign is in trouble.

First came the changes in strategy. It went from doing everything possible to assure a “referendum” election to picking Paul Ryan as the vice presidential nominee and going for a choice election. It went from focusing relentlessly on the economy to cycling among welfare, Medicare and Libya. The latest ad is about manufacturing jobs in China.

Now we’re hearing the calls for a change in strategists. On Sunday night, Politico published a 2,700-word piece mostly dedicated to giving “Romney aides, advisers and friends” space to knife Stuart Stevens, Mitt Romney’s top strategist. “I always have the impression Stuart must save his best stuff for meetings I’m not important enough to attend,” one Romney campaign insider told Politico. “The campaign is filled with people who spend a lot of their time either avoiding him or resisting him.”

Ouch.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/09/17/romney-is-behind-and-the-debates-arent-likely-to-save-him/

[get the red out]

1. Probably because

Romney's a dick.

[Cha]

15. There's that.

[flamingdem]

3. I love these stories!

[Lucy Goosey]

7. Me too!

And this is SO EARLY for these to start coming out - I'm pretty sure it was much closer to the election when the Palin troubles started leaking out last time around.

The best part of stories like this is that I don't think they start to become public unless they have effectively given up on winning.

[localroger]

12. McCain-Palin actually got a convention bounce

It took a few weeks for it to sink in what a disaster Caribou Barbie was. With this crew, it was apparent even before the convention and the convention didn't help.

[flamingdem]

13. Remember when we were worried about a Romney win

just a few little weeks ago. It's nice to feel the relief though there's more worry, and hopefully more mirth in our future for another few weeks!

[calimary]

20. Let's not get complacent here, though. I'm gonna worry about wrongney til he makes "that" call to

President Obama, conceding the election.

DO NOT DROP YOUR GUARD!!! DO NOT START CELEBRATING!!! DO NOT ORDER THE CHAMPAGNE ALREADY!!!!! WE DON'T HAVE THIS THING WON YET!!!!!!

[lolly]

24. If you're waiting for Romney to make the call

You'll probably be waiting a while.

If the past is any predictor of the future, he'll delegate the task of conceding to a minor functionary, or perhaps one of his sons.

[tavalon]

34. It is no longer about Obama winning, Romney has lost

It is over. Now, we need to concentrate on those coattails.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

23. If you think Romney has been lying so far, wait till he splurges his cash on ads in the last week

Romney hasn't been airing as many ads as Obama. He's got cash in reserve for ads. Lies can be more potent in the last week or two because there is little or no time to get the refutations out to where the public will notice them.

Be prepared because if Romney has been lying so far, he is capable of lying louder, longer, bigger, deeper, and later.

Quick response will become vital as the race closes.

[SheilaT]

29. Two things. Actually, it may not be last minute Romney ads we need to worry about

so much as last minute ads from the super PACs.

Second, it seems as though the Obama crew has been right on top of everything Romney has put out so far, and they'll probably stay that way.

I wonder if there's any way of knowing if all ad time for the last week or two of the campaign has been completely purchased, or if there's still room for someone to buy a lot of time at the end. Does anybody here know anything about how that works?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

30. Yes. Romney, Romney PACs: same effect.

The last few days might be a time when keyboard warriors can actually have a big impact, by posting corrections on social media, and by calmly countering bots retweeting and reposting the lies and super-lies coming.

I think there are deadlines coming soon where ad space gets filled up. Campaigns might buy ad time (by deposits), but relinquish some of it at the last minute, so there can be some last minute shuffling, I think (but can't say with confidence).

[liberal N proud]

4. In this case, you really can't put lipstick on a pig

Romney is a pig.

[pamela]

5. That quote refers to Stuart Stevens.

Not to defend that asshat Romney but that last paragraph, including that quote, is about Stevens.

[ewagner]

9. Thanks...

I saw that too...and wondered if the other posters would correct it.

[randome]

10. But I bet it applies equally to Romney.

[Silent3]

26. Yes, let's not imitate Republican out-of-context quoting.

The OP title is misleading.

[appleannie1]

6. If you have to work to convince people someone is normal, they are not normal.

They are expecting Stevens to do the impossible.

[hifiguy]

8. The caged rats are turning on each other.

I wonder who will be the first to jump ship and write a tell-all after the election. It is, in the words of the great philosopher B. Bunny, to laugh.

Meanwhile, the Obama campaign sails on in complete composure and dignity.

And yes, Romney is a dick.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

11. Willard

[sad sally]

32. "I'm Mitt Romney—and yes Wolf, that's also my first name." —

Mitt Romney, getting his own name wrong (his first name is "Willard," and his middle name is "Mitt&quot - November 2011 Republican presidential debate after CNN's Wolf Blitzer said, "I'm Wolf Blitzer and yes, that's my real name."

[calimary]

33. YIKES! Must be wrongney! Same dark, sinister brow!

And surrounded by vermin! GOTTA be wrongney! I think I see reince priebus over there on the "right."

[ProSense]

14. That's both insightful and hilarious.

It gives credibility to Mitt's likeability poll numbers, which range between 26 percent and 30 percent, the worst ever!

Even his campaign staff doesn't like him.

[jsr]

16. Good. Let them soldier on to victory.

[FirstLight]

17. remember this article...

because that gap is the reason they won't be able to STEAL this one! Now if we can also begin to see this kind of good news down-ticket...

[xxqqqzme]

18. "...Stevens emerged from an

internal power struggle during Romney's 2008 presidential campaign, in which he and Schriefer clashed with the campaign's existing media team, to become Romney's senior strategist in 2012. In that role he has been responsible for the campaign's focus on employment, its efforts to help Romney connect with voters, and its aggressive primary campaign against Rick Perry...."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Stevens

Evidently he is accustomed to the rigors of a Rmoney campaign.

[Hubert Flottz]

19. They're afraid he'll hold them down and take his...

royal scissors to their heads. That or they all have a keener sense of smell that Bush's crew.

I'll bet the blow flies and the Koch Roaches even avoid that overbearing, smirking, toxic, douche nozzle.

I mean Mitt can't pay most humans enough to take a bus ride with Mitt Zombie, much more than around the block.

The debates should be charming.

[evilhime]

21. I find stories like this

scary and good at the same time. Scary because I fear they will make the public less concerned with getting out and voting. The more who stay home figuring their guy is going to win, the more chance he may not. They are good because poll numbers and analyses like these make it harder for the public to buy a "sudden upset" (read stolen) election.

[tavalon]

35. Nope, we're so angry, we're going to vote in droves

against him.

[uponit7771]

22. seein how much a dick he is this isn't too far fetched

[nc4bo]

25. Reminds me of the end of Spinning Wheel where all previous music turns into a mush of sour notes

missed beats and incredible musical chaos.

[lpbk2713]

27. This is starting to remind me of Katherine Harris' disastrous 2006 campaign.

She succeeded in alienating everyone she came in contact with, including her closest campaign staff.

Link: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1531257,00.html


Mittens has shot himself in the foot so many times all he has left is a couple of stubs below the knees.

[drm604]

28. Not to defend Romney, but you've misread the article.

It' saying that people are avoiding or resisting Romney's top strategist Stuart Stevens, not Romney. You may want to change your title.

[bluestate10]

31. The Obama campaign must keep hammering away.

Stories of discord within the Romney camp must be ignored with a passion. Every bit of untrue bullshit from the Romney campaign must be held up against the truth, that must be a relentless obsession for the Obama people.