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Inside the campaign: How Mitt Romney stumbled
politico.com ^
| 9-16-12
| By MIKE ALLEN and JIM VANDEHEI
Posted on 09/17/2012 2:36:13 AM PDT by rawhide
Stuart Stevens, Mitt Romneys top strategist, knew his candidates convention speech needed a memorable mix of loft and grace if he was going to bound out of Tampa with an authentic chance to win the presidency. So Stevens, bypassing the speechwriting staff at the campaigns Boston headquarters, assigned the sensitive task of drafting it to Peter Wehner, a veteran of the last three Republican White Houses and one of the partys smarter wordsmiths.
Not a word Wehner wrote was ever spoken.
Stevens junked the entire thing, setting off a chaotic, eight-day scramble that would produce an hour of prime-time problems for Romney, including Clint Eastwoods meandering monologue to an empty chair.
Romneys convention stumbles have provoked weeks of public griping and internal sniping about not only Romney but also his mercurial campaign muse, Stevens. Viewed warily by conservatives, known for his impulsiveness and described by a colleague as a tortured artist, Stevens has become the leading staff scapegoat for a campaign that suddenly is behind in a race that had been expected to stay neck and neck through Nov. 6.
This article is based on accounts from Romney aides, advisers and friends, most of whom refused to speak on the record because they were recounting private discussions and offering direct criticism of the candidate and his staff, Stevens in particular.
Stevens, in a lengthy interview Sunday afternoon, defended the campaigns performance, refused to discuss internal conversations and insisted Romney is doing far better than the pundits portray. Like all campaigns, we have good days and bad days. Im happy to take responsibility for the bad days, he said. This is a tremendously talented team.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
TOPICS: Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: infighting; romney; stumbled
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I hate to say this, but I have noticed in the past few weeks, Romney has lost his way. He is not energetic anymore, almost like he does not want to win. In other words, Romney has become boring.
1
posted on
09/17/2012 2:36:21 AM PDT
by
rawhide
To: rawhide
Politico has their heads so far up Obama’s butt a right turn would break their necks.
2
posted on
09/17/2012 2:38:39 AM PDT
by
Happy Rain
(Mitt four then Sarah eight.)
Comment #3 Removed by Moderator
To: rawhide
This article is based on accounts from Romney aides, advisers and friends, most of whom refused to speak on the record because they were recounting private discussions and offering direct criticism of the candidate and his staff, Stevens in particular. Heh...the same people who stabbed Sarah Palin in the back in 2008 are now stabbing Romney in the back in 2012.
Karma, baby!
4
posted on
09/17/2012 2:43:23 AM PDT
by
Timber Rattler
(Just say NO! to RINOS and the GOP-E)
To: F15Eagle
Politico is not only a Rat organ, but it is the weapon of choice for disgruntled GOP-E staffers and campaign “pros” like Rove, Gillespie, and Rollins. Remember all the GOP-E attacks on Palin? The worst were in Politico, and at the hands of these very same hacks.
5
posted on
09/17/2012 2:45:36 AM PDT
by
Timber Rattler
(Just say NO! to RINOS and the GOP-E)
To: Happy Rain
You’re right about Politico being an extension of the Obama Campaign, but there are some problems with the Romney Campaign that need to be fixed and quickly.
To: rawhide
Please, Politico, tell us about the diaster called Barack Obama.
And by the way, Politco, you’re irrelevant.
To: rawhide
Please, Politico, tell us about the disaster called Barack Obama.
And by the way, Politco, you’re irrelevant.
To: rawhide
I wonder if the same Romney operatives who screwed Sarah Palin and McCain over in 2008 will accomplish the same thing only on the Romney campaign this time for their real Paymasters.
To: rawhide
10
posted on
09/17/2012 3:05:43 AM PDT
by
Mechanicos
(When did we amend the Constitution for a 2nd Federal Prohibition?)
To: Timber Rattler; Virginia Ridgerunner; onyx; stephenjohnbanker
This article is based on accounts from Romney aides, advisers and friends, most of whom refused to speak on the record because they were recounting private discussions and offering direct criticism of the candidate and his staff, Stevens in particular.
Heh...the same people who stabbed Sarah Palin in the back in 2008 are now stabbing Romney in the back in 2012.
Karma, baby!
('karma' cuts both ways Virginia, lol)
11
posted on
09/17/2012 3:13:49 AM PDT
by
mkjessup
(Jimmy Carter is the Skidmark in America's panties, 0bama is the yellow stain in front!)
To: rawhide
Stuart Stevens, Mitt Romneys top strategist Steve Schmidt v2.0?
To: rawhide
Disagree, talking politics is boring, and he has to counter incoherent arguments of Democrat/media, of course we at FreeRepublic have seen most all of it and get sick and tired of the same narrative of Democrat-wrong is always the right thing to do.
Just heard NPR do a fact check article on radio last week and guess what? The Democrats were right and Republicans were wrong, and I knew that was the outcome the minute they started.
13
posted on
09/17/2012 3:22:37 AM PDT
by
Son House
(The Economic Boom Heard Around The World => TEA Party 2012)
To: Son House
NPR does a lot of fact checking — and it is simply staggering how few errors creep into what Obama and the other Democrats say! Those guys are rock solid in their recitation of cold hard facts. [/s]
To: rawhide
Really? He has come out with some of his biggest attacks on Obama recently.
To: Old Retired Army Guy
.
"Myth Romney" ... from the Planet Kolob in the Constellation Cancer ...
deliberately sabotaged his own campaign when he and his Bain Capital-Karl Rove e-GOP political thugs ...
attempted the political destruction of Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich ...
and THEN defecated upon the Tea Party at the Tampa GOP Convention.
And now ... Myth's political goons are astonished at "why" his presidential campaign is going nowhere ...
There is a genuine, legitimate reason that the presumptive GOP Presidential Candidate MUST win the South Carolina Republican Primary ....
as a FIRST-STEP to winning the White House in the November election.
It's because South Carolina voters ACCURATELY have their fingers on America's "Conservative Political Pulse" ...
and NOT those buffons in the Iowa Caucuses or New Hampshire RINOs that deliberately THREW the vote for Mormon Arch-Bishop Willard.
Newt Gingrich won South Carolina by a LANDSLIDE ...
and yet that fat, rich TRAITOR Rush Limbaugh and his radio-associates like Mark Steyn (sp) ?) ...
trashed Newt Gingrich over and over and over again ...
and WANTED "Myth Romney" to win the GOP Nomination.
Those are FACTS.
Now ... Karl Rove and Rush Limbaugh and Shawn Hannity can ASSIMILATE THE RE-ELECTION of Barrack Hussein Obama ...
after forcing that "Pathological Political Liar" Myth Romney upon American Conservative Voters.
.
16
posted on
09/17/2012 3:35:26 AM PDT
by
Patton@Bastogne
(Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin will DEFEAT the Obama-Romney Socialist Gay-Marriage Axis of Evil)
To: rawhide
I hate to say this, but I have noticed in the past few weeks, Romney has lost his way. "This article is based on accounts from Romney aides, advisers and friends, most of whom refused to speak on the record...
Just more ginned-up BS from politico.
17
posted on
09/17/2012 3:47:33 AM PDT
by
Nervous Tick
("You can ignore reality, but you can't ignore the consequences of ignoring reality.")
To: rawhide
Anything from Politico is lies, garbage and propaganda, not necessarily in that order. And if you hate to say something, don’t.
18
posted on
09/17/2012 3:52:23 AM PDT
by
sergeantdave
(The FBI has declared war on the Marine Corps)
To: Patton@Bastogne
That’s quite the rant George. Is 0bama-Biden paying you by the word?
19
posted on
09/17/2012 3:57:21 AM PDT
by
mkjessup
(Jimmy Carter is the Skidmark in America's panties, 0bama is the yellow stain in front!)
To: mkjessup
.
What do think I am ?
Some kind of low-level Romney political goon from Rio Linda ?
I get paid quite handsomely, by the "letter", not by the "word" ... and punctuation and line-breaks are paid by the pound ...
Best "Wishing that Obama is Defeated" Regards,
Patton@Bastogne
.
20
posted on
09/17/2012 4:04:31 AM PDT
by
Patton@Bastogne
(Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin will DEFEAT the Obama-Romney Socialist Gay-Marriage Axis of Evil)
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