Campaign 2012: The Kabuki phase

The idea, according to the invitation, was for Mitt Romney to “discuss his plans for the 2012 elections” at a “regional organizational meeting” of “the Romney Leadership Team” on Wednesday at the home of a major donor in Florida.

So it goes in the Kabuki theater phase of campaign 2012 in which none of the leading candidates will admit they’re candidates, their donor pitches and stump speeches are couched – sometimes barely – in the conditional, credulity straining denials such as Fehrnstrom’s are part of the press secretary’s vernacular, and an innocuous-sounding phrase such as “testing the waters” has far-reaching legal implications.

Because for Romney and other potential GOP candidates, deliberate obfuscation about their true ambitions is not just about being coy. It is about money and steering clear of election law violations.

The minute any of them admit publicly that they are considering running, however, they enter the legal gray zone known as “testing the waters.” At that point, they could only use cash raised within the strict limits and source restrictions stipulated by federal election law to plan their campaigns.

And any of those who take the next step – either by registering a so-called exploratory committee with the Federal Election Commission or actually declaring their candidacy outright – would become subject to byzantine FEC rules for candidates that would require them to disclose details about their personal finances within 30 days, and to shut down or completely step away from their big-money outside groups.

The Obama goons at the FEC would love to attack Palin for campaign law violations. She’s smart to be careful about this. Fred Thompson’s FEC troubles in ‘08 would be nothing compared to what they would throw at SP.

Good, educational article. Thanks for posting. Isn’t this the same Kenneth Vogel that works at Politico? If so, he can actually inform when he wants to.

Mitt Romney has hit teams out against all GOP potential
candidates to destroy them for the bastard Romney.

THAT is the reason.

The McCain/Palin ticket was up ++8 to 10 pts. in some polls, days prior to the election.
So rather than helping the GOP, poor loser “I am Myth” Romney and
TeamROMNEY decided …… to attack Gov. Palin (and her defenseless children) to throw Election2008.

"Frum was indeed a critic of Palin, calling her nomination a "huge mistake" during an October 13 (2008, weeks before the election) Early Show appearance."

David Frum: "Two of our most plausible candidates for president in 2012 are leading Mormons: Mitt Romney and Utah governor Jon Huntsman."

David Frum: "I have a lot of regard for Mitt Romney as a man and politician… I will support him without qualm."

Late in October, The American Spectator's The Prowler revealed:
"Former Mitt Romney presidential campaign staffers…
have been involved in spreading anti-Palin spin to reporters, seeking to diminish her standing after the election.
'Sarah Palin is a lightweight, she won't be the first, not even the third, person people will think of when it comes to 2012,'
says one former Romney aide…
'The only serious candidate ready to challenge to lead the Republican Party is Mitt Romney.
"Some former Romney aides were behind the recent leaks to media, including CNN, that Governor Sarah Palin was a 'diva' and was going off message intentionally."

The Palmetto Scoop reported: "One of the first stories to hit the national airwaves was
the claim of a major internal strife between close McCain aides and the folks handling his running mate Sarah Palin."
"I’m told by very good sources that this was indeed the case and that a rift had developed, but it was between Palin’s people and the staffers brought on from the failed presidential campaign of former Gov. Mitt Romney, not McCain aides."
"The sources said nearly 80 percent of Romney’s former staff was absorbed by McCain and these individuals were responsible for what amounts to a premeditated, last-minute sabotage of Palin."
… aides loyal to Romney inside the McCain campaign, said The Scoop, reportedly saw
that Palin would be a serious contender for the Republican nomination in 2012 or 2016, which made her a threat to another presidential quest by Romney.

"Peeking Out From the McCain Wreckage: Mitt Romney"

"Someone's got to say it: IS MITT ROMNEY RESPONSIBLE FOR OBAMA'S VICTORY?"

"Vanity: Team Romney Sabotaged Palin and Continuing to Do So?"

"Romney Supporters Trashing Palin"

"Romney advisors sniping at Palin?"

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