When you piece it all together, Monday may have provided a potential preview of the general election, with Democratic officials and Mitt Romney engaged in an all-day food fight over the Republican frontrunner’s history of shifting positions.
The DNC started things off with a limited 30-second ad buy in swing states on “Mitt vs. Mitt,” focusing specifically on his shifts on abortion and health care. They also launched a website, MittvMitt.com, a longer web video that included more of his greatest hits as well as footage of late night hosts mocking Romney’s consistency, and held conference calls to bash Romney on the issue further.
“The Republicans’ favorite straw man is to talk about uncertainty,” DNC communications director Brad Woodhouse told reporters. “If people are scared of uncertainty they should be terrified of Mitt Romney.”
The move came as news broke that Romney’s position on whether to offer a path to citizenship or permanent residency for illegal immigrants, a policy he now derides as “amnesty” and a “magnet,” has shifted as well.
It’s hardly the newest line of attack against Romney, but Democrats are working overtime to revive the “flip flop” line against Romney in the hopes of either softening him up for President Obama or — their ultimate dream — paving the way for one of his less electable rivals to win the nomination.
The Romney campaign played up this general election angle in their response, which included a full day of press calls hosted by supporters in states — notably, general election swing states — around the country, including New Hampshire, Virginia, Iowa, North Carolina, and Florida.
“This Administration does not want to campaign against Mitt Romney and be forced to defend three years of failure,” national campaign co-chair Tim Pawlenty said. “Instead of focusing on the middle class and job creation, President Obama and Democrats are focused on campaigning and trying to tear down Mitt Romney.”
But backers mostly avoided the substance of the “flip flop” attacks, focusing instead on bashing Obama for negative campaigning and distracting from the economy.
“The fact is, it is a campaign tactic that really belies the fact that a sitting President can’t run on his record,” former Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL), a Romney supporter, told TPM when asked whether the underlying “flip flop” accusation was accurate. Martinez responded to the Democrats’ ad by noting that he accepted Romney as a pro-life politician despite his past positions.
“A lot of this ad talks about the life issue,” he said. “I’m pro-life and I would much rather have President Romney.”
Of course, the Romney camp also showed they can dish out their opposition research. In a clever move, they resurfaced quotes from DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz from her days supporting Hillary Clinton against Barack Obama in the 2008 primaries questioning his reliability in similar terms to recent attacks on Romney.
If Romney holds on to win the primaries, expect a lot more days like Monday. It’s clear that Democrats are as eager to define Romney early as untrustworthy and inconsistent as Romney is eager to step up to the frontrunner’s plate and tangle with Democrats directly.
Benjy Sarlin
Benjy Sarlin is a reporter for Talking Points Memo and co-writes the campaign blog, TPM2012. He previously reported for The Daily Beast/Newsweek as their Washington Correspondent and covered local politics for the New York Sun.
In fact, they're copying the GOP tactic they played against Kerry, by starting the negative image going very early in the game. First impressions are the longest-lasting.
Swift63The Dems didn't create this image, Romney did. They're just taking atvantage of a reality that the Republicans are already all too aware of. The Republicans don't like Romney anyway. After this, even if he wins the nomination purely by default, he's been mortaly wounded for the general. And it's not even 2012 yet.
Swift63
Sory, I meant aDvantage. I wish we had an edit.
The guy was for his first name before he was against it. Think about that for a minute.
He flip flopped on . . . HIS FIRST NAME.
Flip flopping is one line of attack, and it's fair to remind voters of that. But Mitt is a bit of an empty suit: his fortune was made by taking over companies, shredding the implicit contracts between management, worker and bond-holder, piling on debt, then extracting huge fees while the companies teetered on or entered bankruptcy. His claims of enhancing productivity are highly dubious and his record as a takeover artist vulnerable to inspection.
measure-for-measure I agree. He is target-rich indeed.
Mitt Romney wanted to skip the primary and run against Obama. He even went in front of cadets and lied about the Commander in Chief. He ran a dishonest against the President. He is getting what he deserves.
No, you didn't just get a preview of next year's election. A vote for the lesser of two evils is still a vote for evil.By next year, everyone will know that the candidates from both emperor parties have no clothes.Look for the Occupy movement to change everything. Oops! They already have!NOBAMA/NODINOS/NOGOP 2012
#OCCUPY/99% 2012!!!
TPM, please come into the 21st century and allow us to post paragraphs!
They allow me to post paragraphs. Sometimes I hit a unseen button on my Toshiba Laptop mouse pad. Next thing I know its posted. Just finish your thought. But remember if you or I go beyond two paragraphs most people will skip ahead to the next comment. Kevin Schmidt
Kevin Schmidt That strategy worked wonders in 2000. If you aren't going to start a revolution (and you aren't), work for effective change. That means starting in the House, electorally speaking, as it is the easiest to win a seat in.
No one will be sufficiently winger enough for the people that want Obama out of the White House. Even if Romney wins, he will be cast as the Conservative's Obama early in their turn at power, a turncoat of their own as he fails to serve up red meat to the masses. He has Romneycare and no one has even broached the issue of his faith. Only as the Governor of Massachusetts, indeed, could one be GOP and Mormon at the same time. The makers of South Park have a Broadway show about Mormons I hear is very instructional on the subject of Mormons...
Newt is just conveniently a revisionist historian and talented at that. That makes him just enough of a shark for these fools to hire.
Newt calling Mitt a flip flopper is like the pot calling the kettle black. what a bunch of hypocrites.
I'm still worried painting Romney as someone who doesn't really believe the crazy far-right talking points he's memorized might help him a bit. If he can survive the primaries, he has it both ways: he gets credit for at least trying to pander without paying the price for it among moderates. It's not like conservatives won't end up in his column over the flip-flopping issue.
Jgelling I don't know; true-believer conservatives have a track record of voting against those they see as insufficiently dedicated to the cause.
In the general election, they're not voting for Obama, that's for sure. The only good outcome is for them to stay home, or vote for some wingnut third party candidate, and we can't count on that.
litigatormom Yeah, that's exactly it: a perfect storm of conservatives holding their nose in sufficient numbers, and moderates and independents going along because they don't believe he's too far out of the mainstream. In this case, I dont think flip-flopper is helpful because he's seen as flipping away from unpopular right-wing positions, and because the right hates Obama so much they probably won't care.
Obama is infinity better off with someone like Gingrich who can never pretend to not be a true conservative, and although he doesn't have a flip-flopper reputation, is marred by scandal and is extremely divisive.
Jgelling I agree. He's the only one (other than the non-entity Huntsman) who can point to moderate positions in the general election. Such a small slice of the electorate is paying attention that most "independent" voter -- who determine elections -- will never have heard of his "conservative" positions.
<blockquote>“The fact is, it is a campaign tactic that really belies the fact that a sitting President can’t run on his record,” former Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL), a Romney supporter, told TPM when asked whether the underlying “flip flop” accusation was accurate.</blockquote>
Say what? I think "belies" does not mean what Sen. Martinez seems to think it means.
slb Yeah, he meant "betrays," I think (or "reveals"). "Belies" would mean it proves the assertion is NOT true.
JohnWyndell Exactly. I was thinking "underlines," but "betrays" is more likely what Martinez had in mind. Starts with the same letter, after all. ;-)
slb Typical of wingers. They want to us big and arcane words to appear smart, but they don't really know what they mean.
i really hate the term "flip-flop" simply because it is used indiscriminately to describe anyone who has a change in opinion on a certain topic...that's not to say that there aren't legitimate flip-flops, like what Romney is doing, which is for the express reason of making himself look more electable to the Right
but then there's the other form of "flip-flop" where someone changes their opinion or stance based on a fuller understanding of the topic and exposure to facts that back a differing view of the topic and that address the opposite sides arguments...that's not a "flip-flop," it's a legitimate change of opinion based on factual information that leads the person to believe they were in error to support their former side of the issue...
journalists should be much more discerning when bandying about phrases like this (note: this completely exempts FOX, since they're not journalists anyway)
NerdRage And in the case where it is a real change of opinion, the person will freely acknowledge once having held a contrary opinion, and explain how he happened to change his mind. In the case of a genuine flip-flop, the politician usually denies ever having thought or advocated anything different.
slbNerdRage Exactly, which is what Mitt Romney is doing.
jimtoday2003NerdRage And Gingrich as well, for the most part. ("Anyone who quotes me is lying.")
NerdRage Romney's flip-flop on abortion passes this smell test to make it a true flip. He stated that he was won over to Pro-Life when a researcher told him cavalierly that he had to Kill embryos to extract the necessary material. The researcher refuted this claim and Romney was called on this lie and went into Perry mode, Wha.., who,...me?
For what it's worth, Romney has been dropping like rock on Intrade, from near 70% a week-10 days ago to near 50% today. Once the aura of inevitability is gone, he could crumble.
radicalrealist
It realy doesn't matter. Mittens has NO CHANCE of beating the president next fall.
I don't know that I'd go that far, but I'd say the odds are definitely in the President's favor. I think the flip-flopper label will stick to Mitt, largely because it's true. And he isn't likeable. Nor is Newt. Nor any of the other Republicans. As Willy Loman said, "It's important to be well liked."
fargo117radicalrealist I would not say no chance, but I would say that the chance is small, and getting smaller.
radicalrealist Intrade is a joke, of course, but in any case Romney's voter support is irrelevant. He will win the nomination because he already controls the structure of the game. Anybody who refuses to play by his rules will be marked with the Mark of Cain. And Romney's rules say that Romney wins.
Davidradicalrealist
Because us 1% believe in spreading the wealth...amongst ourselves!
Davidradicalrealist Why do you think Intrade is a joke?
What I love most about TPM is all the confused Conservatives who wander in thinking that it's another right-wing blog. Bonus points if they are 'rational' Paulsheviks.
Newsflash: Cain is no longer able.
David You win the internets for today.
"“The Republicans’ favorite straw man is to talk about uncertainty,” DNC communications director Brad Woodhouse told reporters. “If people are scared of uncertainty they should be terrified of Mitt Romney.”"
ZING!
So the Romney campaign is upset that the Obama campaign is forcing them to defend a lifetime of contortionism?
god forbid obama on hs record.
jjdjjd Yeah staving off another Great Depression. God forbid.
It's Patjjdjjd Folks hated on Lincoln for not freeing all the slaves at once. Obama will survive the likes of jar jar dinks
yeah, that record of saving our economy from the damage caused by people with identical ideology as Romney
ooo, wouldnt want that!
lol
jjdjjd Yes, let's also hope he doesn't mention killing Osama bin Laden, ousting Gaddaffi, rebuilding alliances shredded by Bush, rebuilding the stock market, and getting us out of a couple stupid wars, too, while the economy that his predecessor tanked is growing again. That would be a DISASTER.
smitallica
wow, he invaded pakistan, escalated afganistan, libya was a clear vilation of his authority, he's currently bombing in yemen, somalia, and the congo. remember what you say about the economy, 2012 will be a disaster, will you still blame bush? idiots......the left if filled up with people with great ideas , when the ideas fail they just blame the guy before them.
jjdjjdsmitallica Invaded Pakistan. The resin in your hash pipe just aint doin it no more
jjdjjdsmitallica Yeah, that "idiot" epithet is pretty effective coming from one. I guess it takes one to know one.
Why would Romney be preferable to one of the totally crazies? Mitt is a soulless drone with no vision - he is ruled by his ambition and sense of entitlement (which makes him a perfect match for the Republican establishment) but comparably he comes off as electable. Newt, on the other hand, has baggage up the wazoo and can be counted upon to do something really stupid in the next 12 months.
Powkat Not that American voters care about his baggage. He sure TALKS a good game, and the "real" campaign, the one "independent voters" pay attention to, is about a month long. Any pointing out of previous contrary opinions will be dismissed by "undecided" voters as just more "he said/he said." I wouldn't be so sure Newt would be a terrible candidate AND perhaps more electable than Romney because he has, face it, more charisma. Makes MY skin crawl, but he comes off as smart and experienced.
If the current field of Republican contenders hold course, there is no way any of them can win the Presidential election. Stop obsessing about these bozos, Obama will win. The most important aspect of the coming election is to get enough (good) Democrats back into office so as to 1) break the disastrous chokehold the Republicans have imposed on the country and 2) hold Obama to a higher standard of his promised objectives.
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