Romney/Ryan have now been smoked out

[Alekei_Firebird]

Given how Romney infuriated his GOP primary opponents in early 2012, perhaps the Democrats should've seen the the bait-and-switch coming. But perhaps they, like us, didn't think that Romney would have the gall to do it a second time.

But now that Romney's pulled off his little ploy, he has no more tricks left in his sleeve. Unless Romney somehow invents a new dimension in left-right politics, he has no more positions to scurry off to. Obama was ready to assault his Severe Conservatism, and now, he's surely ready to attack his newfound centrism.

There's a whole month of Mitt-bashing left. The jobs report was relatively phenomenal, and Obama's likeability and job approval rating are looking strong. Romney was totally cornered, and to his credit, he executed his one available strategy flawlessly.

But there's nowhere for him to go now. He has untenable positions and he won't be able to last a whole goddamn month trying to straddle both moderate and conservative sides. The press will now take him more seriously and call him out on flip-flopping, like they did today with the abortion thing. There's plenty more where that came from.

[still_one]

1. The only way we can go is up from here /nt

[pointsoflight]

2. The flip flopping is deliberate and strategic

That's what I think we're seeing. A deliberate strategy. Think about it. Romney was boxed in because of the extreme positions he had to take to get the nomination. There's no way he could win the presidency with those positions. So what do they do? They intentionally muddy the waters so that voters don't know what to believe. Republicans will assume that any move to the center isn't real, but just for the purposes of getting elected. And when undecideds and independents see him take a more moderate position, some may well think that perhaps he really is more moderate and would govern that way, but has just been taking conservative positions to placate his base. Not all are going to fall for that, but perhaps it nets him more of those independents and undecideds that he would've gotten otherwise.

So I think Romney wants to muddy the waters. We're not seeing gaffes and slips here. We're seeing the deployment of a deliberate strategy, IMO.

Will they pull it off? I sure hope not. But I think the Romney campaign realized they could not win staying on the right, but also could not win if they truly abandoned conservative positions, so they devised this strategy, which they no doubt saw as risky, but also as their only real chance.

[TroyD]

3. The Romney campaign has been very clever over the past week

It's the first time they were able to outmaneuver the Obama Team.

Now it's time for Team Obama to strike back using all the material Romney provided this week to OBAMA's advantage.

[grasswire]

4. campaign strategy: chaos.

I think you're on to something.

[LisaL]

5. They should have seen it coming a mile away.

After all the campaign itself proclaimed Romney was an etch a sketch candidate.

[TroyD]

6. 'They should have seen it coming a mile away.'

That's what I said yesterday. I was absolutely shocked that a man as smart as David Axelrod was surprised by how 'brazenly' (Axelrod's words) lied in the debate.

Ted Kennedy knew what this piece of garbage was made of back in 1994. Learn from Ted Kennedy and deploy a similar technique to take Romney down:

[LisaL]

8. At least Romney is consistent on one thing:flip-flopping.

He has been doing it for years and years.

[TroyD]

9. That's what I find disturbing - he's been doing this since 1994

Don't you find it scary that this guy still has a shot at winning?

[Caretha]

11. Best line ever!

Ted Kennedy - "My opponent is multiple choice".

Gawd I miss that man.

[Maximumnegro]

7. Smoked out is right. Bowl is cashed.

Serves them right for burning shwag.

O's got the dank!

[Cha]

10. Thanks for not stomping all over

Pres Obama in your OP, Alikei-Firebird! There's been enough of that here.

I was surprised too, though, that the O Team did not think that mitt would do his damndest LIES yet in the debate. I could smell it coming..and actually had a bad feeling about the debate before hand that was sickening.

But, Pres Obama has had my back for 4 years and it's not really my style to jump on someone who has helped me.. when they're down.