How did vaunted Romney death star break down

Washington Examiner ^ | 17 July, 2012 | Byron York

[RitaOK]

No matter who they supported, many Republicans felt uneasy as they watched the intra-party war unfold. Many — voters and insiders alike — remarked that when the general election campaign came around, Romney had better attack Barack Obama with the same ferocity he attacked Gingrich. (And, at other times in the primary season, Rick Perry and Rick Santorum.) Otherwise, it would look like Romney took more relish in attacking fellow Republicans than in taking on Obama. Romney had won the Republican nomination in significant part by operating a death star — a machine that could rain down holy hell on opponents, if that’s what winning required. He had better give the same treatment to Obama.

Now, the general election campaign is here, and the talk is of the Obama killing machine, not the Romney death star. By most accounts, the Romney campaign is not displaying the super-aggressive effectiveness

[FlipWilson]

Ok, not a fan of Romney but all this hysteria about his Death Star breaking down or whatever is just silly. First off, Romney never really fired up the Death Star unless he was losing. By all credible polls he is not losing. As a matter of fact, it is the ONE who is in a place that NO incombent wants to find himself in. Secondly, Romney never ever did his own dirty work during the primaries. Instead, it was his surrogates or Super PAC’s that did the hitting. Slowly but surely, we are seeing those surrogates start to kick it into gear and the squealing from the MSM and the Obama campaign in the face of those limited attacks is astounding.

I want a “pound Obama as a dope smoking, lying, failure of an American Hating commie” campaign as much as the next guy. But why throw punches too early when this guy is tiring himself out.

[sport]

Romney was/is not supposed to attack obama. Romney’s purpose is to be an opponent and punching bag for obama.
Romney is not supposed to beat obama.
Watch Romney’s response to the trap obama and the democrats are setting for him.

[onedoug]

Sometimes it seems Romney is an Obama operative.

[Breto]

“Serpents seldom, if ever, dine upon their own kind. “

BINGO

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Sarah as VP could change everything.

Plus, it would be so much fun watching the heads of the "moderates" and Commies explode.

[rdb3]

I want to know why Romney never attacked Ron Paul.

[mojito]

Gosh, RINO pansy Byron York is amazed that RINO pansy Mittens “Don't Muss My Mane” Romney and his amazing team of Romneybot advisers just don't seem to have the belly to go after Commie Obommie.

And I'm amazed that Byron York is amazed. Mittens is the John Kerry of the GOP - smug, incoherent and without a real conviction in his entire career in public life, except for the dubious and unsubstantiated notion that he should be president. And he's got “loser” written all over him.

Yes, I'm voting for this idiot because Commie Obommie is hellbent on destroying the Republic. But I sure wish it were someone else.

[ejonesie22]

Otherwise, it would look like Romney took more relish in attacking fellow Republicans than in taking on Obama.

I take one exception to this. Romney was not attacking fellow Republicans, he was a progressive socialist with an R after his name attacking moderate to conservative Republicans.

He has served his role for the elite GOP, breaking the back of conservatives.

[LucianOfSamasota]

Obama has been remarkably successful at getting much of the media to talk about what he wants them to talk about — namely, Romney’s flaws and not the Obama economic record. Whether Romney can change that dynamic remains to be seen. Right now, it’s hurting the Republican badly.

Who can still harbor the delusion that the press will not side with the most aggressive communist? Changing that dynamic does NOT remain to be seen. It is a fact of life that the dynamic will not change. If a conservative candidate cannot overcome the absolute certainty that the press will root for Obama, he has no business in the race.

Wasn't this the point that conservatives made early in the primary? That the eventual candidate's message would have to resonate with the grassroots in order to overcome the msm cheering/propaganda war?

[ClearCase_guy]

My recollection of two of the Republican debates is as follows:

1) Newt attacks the moderator, attacks the press, and gets a standing ovation -- nearly unprecedented at a presidential debate.
2) Newt attacks the moderator and totally humiliates him. Newt received two standing ovations in this particular debate.

It was at that point that national coverage of Newt's campaign basically came to a complete stop. He was invisible. He ceased to exist. He actually had money, he campaigned in many locations, and campaigned effectively -- but the media decided that he didn't exist.

Failure to hold the respect of the republican base is not what sank Newt.

[Gator113]

“Many — voters and insiders alike — remarked that when the general election campaign came around, Romney had better attack Barack Obama with the same ferocity he attacked Gingrich.”

It hasn’t happened, doubt that it will, and if it’s not already too late, it’s going to be too late very soon.

[Future Snake Eater]

According to what I’ve seen, yes. Although one FReeper told me to “vote my conscience.”

I guess I’m too pragmatic for that to be useful advice.

[Political Junkie Too]

York may be asking the wrong question. He should be asking when Romney will wake up and change his hands-off Obama approach to his campaign and start hitting back hard. It's too soon to say that the machine broke down or was beaten by a bigger machine. So far, it's operator error. Romney needs to stop being afraid of Obama and the MSM, and start acting like he wants to be President more than he wants to be liked by Obama.

-PJ

[cripplecreek]

As Ive said all along.

Give America a true and obvious choice and America will respond. Instead we got a whiter shade of fail.

[Sooth2222]

By all credible polls he is not losing. As a matter of fact, it is the ONE who is in a place that NO incumbent wants to find himself in.

Agree. Reagan won in 1980 with 50.7%. According to Rasmussen, an incumbent's share of the vote on election day is roughly the same as his approval. Zero's approval is currently 46%. 100 minus 46 = 54%.

54% would, by recent standards, amount to a Republican landslide. Even if Gary Johnson and others siphon off a couple of percent, that's still a lot.

I'm just a little concerned that Romney doesn't seem to be spending a lot of the cash he's raised and neither do the Republican super pacs. The Demonrats seem to be firing at will. Granted, they don't seem to be hitting much at this distance.

I hope (and pray) that the Republicans know what they're doing.

[lonevoice]

Now he's fighting an opponent with near-equal funding AND the support of the MSM. After he's torn his base apart winning the nomination.

It's the McCain template all over again - utterly destroy the careers and reputations of all primary challengers; demean, demoralize and dismiss the base, then go on vacation.

McCain's handlers thought they were throwing us a bone when he tapped Sarah Palin as the VP nominee. Once they realized that Gov Palin was not a crumb tossed from their table, but rather a rocket propelled grenade that re-ignited the conservative base, they (the GOP Establishment) spent the next 4 years trying to annihilate her.

They won't make the same "mistake" again. I look for someone like Pawlenty or Thune to get the VP nod this time. They're not even going to pretend to need the base anymore. What should be an historic landslide election is instead shaping up to be a squeaker. It may be that we lose no matter the outcome.

[DarthVader]

I guess he is getting it stoked up again:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2907628/posts

[RitaOK]

You betcha, if that wakes up the dead to what is going on with you RINO socialist lovers.

[cripplecreek]

It was at that point that national coverage of Newt's campaign basically came to a complete stop. He was invisible. He ceased to exist. He actually had money, he campaigned in many locations, and campaigned effectively -- but the media decided that he didn't exist.

Both he and Santorum said the same thing at the end of their campaigns. The media had already picked a winner and it became impossible. Santorum actually won in Iowa but the media effectively declared Romney to be the winner and that was the end of it. Romney only managed a tie here in Michigan but the media again quickly moved on once a late night vote of 6 party operatives changed the rules to give Romney 2 extra delegates. I haven't forgotten about the late rule changes in Florida.

[Kharis13]

I want a “pound Obama as a dope smoking, lying, failure of an American Hating commie” campaign as much as the next guy. But why throw punches too early when this guy is tiring himself out.

Exactly! Obama is desperate to get the conversation off the economy. If Romney takes the bait and allows himself to get off message, Obama wins. But right now, as Obama and his team try to pound Romney on Bain, outsourcing, "the rich" etc., Americans will notice for a moment, then get right back searching the HELP WANTED ads.

Our Dear Leader will throw everything against the wall, hoping something will stick. Stay focused my FRiends. Now is not the time to go weak-in-the-knees. Stay on message.