Wis. Gov. Walker unhappy with Romney campaign strategy

The Hill ^ | 25 Jul 12 | Jonathan Easley

[xzins]

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) criticized the Mitt Romney campaign on Wednesday, saying it had failed to help the presumptive GOP nominee connect with voters and define what he stood for.

Walker, appearing on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” said the Romney team had focused exclusively on making the race a referendum on Obama, but in the process had not properly presented its own candidate to the public.

“I think there’s a lot of caution,” Walker said. “I think the mistake that they’ve made is the feeling like it can just be a referendum on the president. It’s certainly a part of it for any incumbent, it’s got to be a referendum on, do you like or dislike, not just the president, but his policies … but there’s got to be something more. People don’t just vote somebody out, they’ve got to vote somebody in,” said Walker.

“In many ways they’ve pulled him back and just want it to be a referendum on the president,” Walker continued. “I don’t think that’s enough.”

The Romney campaign has steadfastly argued that Obama’s mishandling of the economy is the only issue in the election that matters, and has labeled most every other issue a “distraction.”

The Obama campaign has hit Romney, charging him with failing to provide more details about the policies he would enact if he is elected.

Some Republican strategists have argued that Romney’s decision to forgo policy details on many issues could harm his chances to aggressively define who he is and what he stands for.

Walker also criticized the Romney campaign for how the Obama campaign has been able to paint the former Massachusetts governor as socially awkward.

During the GOP primaries, Romney had a historically low favorability rating, and one of his ongoing weaknesses has been his inability to connect with voters on a personal level.

Walker said it was merely a perception pushed by Democrats, and that the Romney campaign needs to address it by putting Romney in the right kind of situations for him to succeed.

“When he was with Paul Ryan and I in Janesville a few weeks ago … on that bus tour, I thought he was great,” Walker said of Romney. “He relates to people well, relates to small-business owners well. I would like to see more of that.

“I think, maybe, get him in a bus, get him around swing states, and not let him out until Nov. 6,” Walker continued. “In fact, I would get rid of the podium, I’d give him a mic, get him right in the crowd, and defy all the stereotypes built about him in the media, because I think he can relate.”

Walker, a rising GOP star, earlier this year survived a recall election in Wisconsin that was initiated after he stripped public-sector unions of bargaining rights.

Polls in the crucial 2012 battleground show Obama with an edge over Romney. A WeAskAmerica poll released last month showed Obama edging his GOP rival by 49 percent to 42.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Well that’s a start anyway.

How about completely anti-Obama stuff. No Romney bashing at all.

Just for balance. Just saying...

[Diogenesis]

Romney - the Magic RINO - Author of DeathPanels:
"I'm not running as the Republican view
or a continuation of Republican values.
That's not what brings me to the race.
(Romney Video, accessed 9/19/07)

---

"We don't intend to turn the Republican Party
 over to the traitors in the battle just ended.
We will have no more of those candidates who are pledged
 to the same goals as our opposition and who seek our support.
Turning the Party over to the so-called moderates
wouldn't make any sense at all.""
--  President Ronald Reagan

[Cringing Negativism Network]

(fail)

Try again. :)

Just anti-Obama.

And/or other dems too. No Romney bashing at all.

[mwl8787]

Romney is giving Obama all the rope he needs. Romney wants to be at par or below Obama until the GOP Convention, when he will pull ahead and never look back.

If Romney gets specific now on his agenda, then Obama gets to change the subject and put Mitt’s agenda through tje death of a thousand cuts.

Romney and co know what they are doing. Romney, unlike McCain, WANTS to be president.

[muawiyah]

Walker has a good idea ~ Romney should campaign in the swing states and tell us what he intends to do. We already know it's a tight race with Obama, and in Virginia it really can go either way.

Earlier Romney and his crowd dismissed the idea of campaigning here because, they thought, the primary was in the bag.

Of course it wasn't really in the bag. The delegates were but when Romney let his people keep all the other candidates off the ballot, that primary had an historic LOW turnout!

Worse, a substantial percentage of the voters here ~ hard core Conservative voters, TEAParty voters, Religious voters ~ are still very angry with him.

Obviously he needs to campaign here ~ not just visit a handful of rich guys and beg for money ~ but really campaign.

It's not that Obama is winning Virginia. It's that Romney seems to be purposefully losing Virginia.

Walker is already positioning himself for 2016 ~ he sniffs the blood in the water.

[muawiyah]

Go tell it to Walker.

He's already anticipating a really bad Romney loss.

[Rennes Templar]

If I had a dollar for every wasted anti-Ronmey screed he does...

[muawiyah]

If you had a dollar Romney would figure out how to tax it without you knowing, and Obama would just go ahead and steal it from you like the street thug he is.

You'll end up with no dollars with either one of these guys.

[muawiyah]

If you had a dollar Romney would figure out how to tax it without you knowing, and Obama would just go ahead and steal it from you like the street thug he is.

You'll end up with no dollars with either one of these guys.

[xzins]

I can support Walker...a solid pro-life record and a clear fiscally responsible record.

I guess they need to let Mitt have his turn because it’s both his turn and his dad’s turn, but then we have to worry whose turn it is next time.

Jeb Bush’s turn?

[muawiyah]

The GOP-e has dozens of just their kind lined up for future primaries, or maybe for federal prison ~ or both.

This crowd is so tiresome, but, it's not too late ~ if Walker is prepared to dump Romney now, he's equally prepared to dump the hapless Priebus (prybyzh?). And, maybe he's willing to dump the duplicitiously hapless Mario Rubio!

Maybe Jeb Bush needs to just stay home this time.

[sergeantdave]

Yep, whenever I want an analysis of the campaign, I run to liars and commies at THE HILL!!!

Their gentle but somewhat persuasve Nazi-like bias of the field convinces me to believe everyting THE HILL says.

The fact that THE HILL is a commie training ground for the Washington Post won’t dissuade me.

THE HILL is the most foul and despicable outlet for every left wing lie ever uttered.

Go THE HILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CatherineofAragon]

"Finally, and it isn't mentioned in this article, but Romney should have blasted Obama for allowing military uniforms in gay pride parades."

Romney will never do that. I just finished reading The Real Romney. When he was governor of Massachusetts, he went out of his way to be at their bidding, right down to combing through state law to make sure they weren't being "discriminated against." He promised the head of the Log Cabin Republicans that he would be right there for them, checking in with them, helping them with whatever they wanted. I don't know what it is with him and homosexuals, but he definitely loves them.

[xzins]

Sarge, take it easy, man.

Walker said it. It’s in the Wash Times and also in Beck’s “Blaze”.

[dsutah]

Oh I agree! He actually showed some real passion in that speech; I was pleasantly surprised!

[fieldmarshaldj]

DUMP WILLARD FOR SCOTT WALKER !

[MissouriConservative]

You're an idiot or a paid Obama shill, haven't figured out which but until I do...here is what you deserve

[xzins]

DUMP WILLARD FOR SCOTT WALKER !

In a heartbeat, brother. I'm with ya!

[libdestroyer]

“You’re an idiot or a paid Obama shill, haven’t figured out which but until I do...here is what you deserve”

I’m sure, since you are a poster on FR, that you actually have something intelligent to say to back up your positions rather than call people idiots. Try it sometime.

[muawiyah]

The Walker story is in many places. Only a mind numbed, knee jerk, robot like Leftwingtard or Mittbot would fail to recognize the authority with which Walker speaks on matters of campaigning.

So, which is it ~ are you with the people, or do you want to follow Romney into electoral oblivion just one more time!