Maybe a smarter move than I thought at first

[Danglars]

I was more than a little annoyed at Romney repudiating the non-campaign-financed reconnection of Obama to Wright. He didn't have to come out and support the line of attack, but neither did he need to distance himelf so harshly from it, I thought, just when he was starting to consolidate conservatives. He can say "where else will they go?" all he likes, and some of them--not me, but some--will say, "we can stay at home," if he pisses off too many by turning away from something that should still, really, be a valid issue. Obama isn't so different from the man he was 3.5 years ago, and the things that made him what he is over decades should still be fair game. The fact of Breitbart's vetting alone supports that view of the matter, else why report the story at all?

It occurred to me, though, that now if--excuse me, when--Obama's super-PACS start attacking Romney's Mormonism, he can point to his taking the hight road now and say STFU your religin was off limits and so is mine--although it'd be more like "for shame, for shame." Of course I'd rather hear STFU.

So--pretty well done, after all.

[Gina]

Romney is starting to really grow on my.  I hope he keeps it slow and steady and doesn't fall for any hijinks by Obama

[Ballygrl]

I'm still on the fence about it, I'm tired of always taking the high road, McCain did the same thing, there are times you need to get down into the mud and get dirty.

[Danglars]

I'm still on the fence about it, I'm tired of always taking the high road, McCain did the same thing, there are times you need to get down into the mud and get dirty.

I'm thinking about it as a tactical use as innoculation re Mormonism attacks. Otherwise I'd say, yes, he should rip their throats out, if he had nothing to gain by "taking the high road." I'd agree with you about the mud if there was no quid for the quo. But in this case, I think it was, after all, a smart political move. Let's hope that when there is nothing to gain by "taking the high road"--oh that phrase, can we ban it from English, please!--Romney DOES join Obama in the gutter. He WILL need to do that on some occasions, no question.

[docstew]

I'm still on the fence about it, I'm tired of always taking the high road, McCain did the same thing, there are times you need to get down into the mud and get dirty.

Let Romney stay on the high road. There's plenty of superPACS who can take the low road for him, and he can have deniability in directing those attacks. Romney needs to focus on the economy and government spending. PERIOD. When the attack ads come, he can use that to spotlight Obama's failures by asking why he's not running on his record.

[DumbAss Tanker]

Romney is starting to really grow on my.  I hope he keeps it slow and steady and doesn't fall for any hijinks by Obama

This far out, any outrage against Romney the Libs create with any one attack will be blown over long before it matters.  They are really trying to do two things:  One, get a big overreaction they can get sound bites from that make him look like a dick, or stupid, later; and two, they're fishing for something that has traction and staying power, which they have yet to find.  The attacks on Mormonism aren't going to have a very long half-life, they won't wheel those out until much nearer the election.

[franksolich]

Let Romney stay on the high road. There's plenty of superPACS who can take the low road for him, and he can have deniability in directing those attacks. Romney needs to focus on the economy and government spending. PERIOD. When the attack ads come, he can use that to spotlight Obama's failures by asking why he's not running on his record.

I agree, totally.

[Zeus]

Let Romney stay on the high road. There's plenty of superPACS who can take the low road for him, and he can have deniability in directing those attacks. Romney needs to focus on the economy and government spending. PERIOD. When the attack ads come, he can use that to spotlight Obama's failures by asking why he's not running on his record.

I agree, Let the PACS deal with the peripheral issues.

[CG6468]

I'm still on the fence about it, I'm tired of always taking the high road, McCain did the same thing, there are times you need to get down into the mud and get dirty.

Although the only ones who thought he was good were the 'Pubs at the convention. To hell with the populace.

[obumazombie]

As McCain evaluates honor, he still has his. He seems content that he still has his honor instead of the Presidency.

[Lacarnut]

Romney needs to stay away from this nit picking stuff. Let his minions handle that and quit apologizing for stuff that happened years ago. The Obama maching will try to keep him on the defensive. Romney need to stick with the economy and jobs and stay on the offensive. Something that McCain was too stupid to understand. That will win Romney the Presidency. Since he does not have a great deal of fire in the belly, he needs to pick someone that does like Rubio, West or Palin.

[sybilll]

Let Romney stay on the high road. There's plenty of superPACS who can take the low road for him, and he can have deniability in directing those attacks. Romney needs to focus on the economy and government spending. PERIOD. When the attack ads come, he can use that to spotlight Obama's failures by asking why he's not running on his record.

Agreed, and for the most part the coalition of bloggers that Hannity had on his show tonight agreed.  Let THEM do the dirty work.  But if Mitt gets timid on hitting Obama hard in the debates, I will be pissed.  He really needs to let Newt advise him on debate strategy IMO. 

[Duke Nukum]

I think you have a really good perspective, Danglers, but I'm still angry about Romney and his willingness to slime and destroy conservatives and Republicans and yet the kid gloves come on for 0bama.

And won't 0bama just do what Romney did in the primaries and claim he cannot tell the SuperPACs what to do?

I still see more cravenness than cleverness in this move.

But I am willing to be wrong.

[Danglars]

I think you have a really good perspective, Danglers, but I'm still angry about Romney and his willingness to slime and destroy conservatives and Republicans and yet the kid gloves come on for 0bama.

And won't 0bama just do what Romney did in the primaries and claim he cannot tell the SuperPACs what to do?

I still see more cravenness than cleverness in this move.

But I am willing to be wrong.

I admit that angers me too, and I only hope that the poltical calculus I think was in play was in play in the Romney campaign. I could be completely wrong. The proof of whether this guess is wishful thinking or the truth will be when the Mormonism attacks start in earnest, nationally, and how the Romney campaign responds. If they don't point to this as their answer, then we'll know we were looking at McCain-like stupidity here.

I don't share Rush's view, though, that the Romney campaign won't get ugly with Obama when it matters. A great deal of it may be local, super-saturation with robo-calls and tv/radio ads at unannounced times. I frankly don't see a campaign as ugly and ruthless as Romney's has been hobbling itself in the main event. It looks like they're especially fond of supersaturating market time suddenly in pinpoint precint- to region-level strikes, bringing a lot of money to bear quickly and without much fanfare, but to great effect at the ground level. My overall sense of them is that they are cutthroats, but are looking for where to slip in the stiletto before they reach for the cleaver.
.

[Danglars]

Ah!--They saw the innoculation and are trying to weaken it--see how they reacted with "oh no no we won't touch Mormonism"--but attempt to make it as though Romney hadn't said that which pissed US off at first? The word "repudiate" is anything but "tepid"--it's harsh and what caused you and me to be angry! Notice what makes us grumble worries them, and they try to characterize as "insufficient" and "tepid."


http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2012/05/obama-campaign-we-wont-talk-about-romneys-mormonism/1

I think both sides are feeling each other out, and Romney's is learning how to push Obama's team's buttons.