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LOL! National Review: Don’t Panic (updated)
Don’t Panic
By The Editors
Republicans, especially in the pundit and strategist class, need to take a deep breath. Yes, Mitt Romney has been behind in most of the polls, both in the nation as a whole and in swing states. Yes, there is some evidence that the brutal and unscrupulous ad campaign by the Democrats is hurting his numbers. Yes, the press has been emphasizing his gaffes and alleged gaffes.
And yes, the air is now thick with advice about how Romney needs to reboot his campaign. Some of that advice is even coming from people who wish the campaign well. Many conservatives are urging Romney to make a bold running-mate pick to shake up the race. Others say he needs to offer more policy detail.
<...>
Countering that message is more important for Romney than making the perfect vice-presidential choice. Here his strategy could use improvement. Romney’s principal argument is that the economy is weak, and therefore President Obama has failed. Blaming the weak economy on Obama has two political defects. First, it underestimates the public’s willingness to cut him slack because he inherited an economic crisis. Second, implying that all would be well if Obama’s policies were rolled back lends credence to the Obama campaign’s relentless attack on Romney as the second coming of George W. Bush.
Better for Romney to acknowledge that we have had some long-building problems in addition to ones of more recent creation, and to pledge to fix them. Our dysfunctional health, tax, and immigration systems long predate Obama even if he has made them worse. All need conservative reforms if they are to serve the country’s interests. So do our entitlement programs. Romney need not (and should not) repudiate Bush. He needs instead to make a case that transcends the Obama-vs.-Bush debate that the president is obviously desperate to have.
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http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/313667/don-t-panic-editors
By The Editors
Republicans, especially in the pundit and strategist class, need to take a deep breath. Yes, Mitt Romney has been behind in most of the polls, both in the nation as a whole and in swing states. Yes, there is some evidence that the brutal and unscrupulous ad campaign by the Democrats is hurting his numbers. Yes, the press has been emphasizing his gaffes and alleged gaffes.
And yes, the air is now thick with advice about how Romney needs to reboot his campaign. Some of that advice is even coming from people who wish the campaign well. Many conservatives are urging Romney to make a bold running-mate pick to shake up the race. Others say he needs to offer more policy detail.
<...>
Countering that message is more important for Romney than making the perfect vice-presidential choice. Here his strategy could use improvement. Romney’s principal argument is that the economy is weak, and therefore President Obama has failed. Blaming the weak economy on Obama has two political defects. First, it underestimates the public’s willingness to cut him slack because he inherited an economic crisis. Second, implying that all would be well if Obama’s policies were rolled back lends credence to the Obama campaign’s relentless attack on Romney as the second coming of George W. Bush.
Better for Romney to acknowledge that we have had some long-building problems in addition to ones of more recent creation, and to pledge to fix them. Our dysfunctional health, tax, and immigration systems long predate Obama even if he has made them worse. All need conservative reforms if they are to serve the country’s interests. So do our entitlement programs. Romney need not (and should not) repudiate Bush. He needs instead to make a case that transcends the Obama-vs.-Bush debate that the president is obviously desperate to have.
- more -
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/313667/don-t-panic-editors
Dear Editors, Mitt cried uncle!
Updated to add:
Release the Returns
By The Editors
<...>
Romney may feel impatience with requirements that the political culture imposes on a presidential candidate that he feels are pointless (and inconvenient). But he’s a politician running for the highest office in the land, and his current posture is probably unsustainable. In all likelihood, he won’t be able to maintain a position that looks secretive and is a departure from campaign conventions. The only question is whether he releases more returns now, or later — after playing more defense on the issue and sustaining more hits. There will surely be a press feeding frenzy over new returns, but better to weather it in the middle of July.
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http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/309738/release-returns-editors
By The Editors
<...>
Romney may feel impatience with requirements that the political culture imposes on a presidential candidate that he feels are pointless (and inconvenient). But he’s a politician running for the highest office in the land, and his current posture is probably unsustainable. In all likelihood, he won’t be able to maintain a position that looks secretive and is a departure from campaign conventions. The only question is whether he releases more returns now, or later — after playing more defense on the issue and sustaining more hits. There will surely be a press feeding frenzy over new returns, but better to weather it in the middle of July.
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http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/309738/release-returns-editors
^^^^Update^^^
Oh, and speaking of "underestimates" and "the second coming of George W. Bush," ponder this:
FLASHBACK: Romney Economic Advisers Predicted Bush Tax Cuts Would Lead To Huge Job Growth (updated)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021071809
The U.S. economy gets a dash of good news for a change
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/08/09/the-u-s-economy-gets-a-dash-of-good-news-for-a-change/
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021069095
Video: 2004 Mitt Romney Says It’s ‘Poppycock’ To Blame President For Job Market
by Tommy Christopher
Progressive SuperPAC American Bridge has dug up some video of Republican presidential candidate and then-Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, defending President George W. Bush‘s economic record in 2004, that’s spookily resonant to this year’s election. In the clip, Romney not only amusingly uses the word “poppycock” (one of the all-time underrated old man curse words and a delicious snack), he also urges voters not to blame the President for unforeseen catastrophes, and to ask “Do I stay with the president, who is rebuilding the economy, who is creating jobs, or do you want to stop mid-stream and find someone new?’”
In the video, Romney draws several eerie parallels to the current election. While President Obama took office in the middle of what some call an “economic 9/11,” Romney talked about a “perfect storm” that included the actual 9/11: (transcription by American Bridge)
Later in the clip, Romney blames the internet bubble, whereas President Obama had to contend with a Jupiter-sized real estate bubble:
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http://www.mediaite.com/online/video-2004-mitt-romney-says-its-poppycock-to-blame-president-for-job-market/
by Tommy Christopher
Progressive SuperPAC American Bridge has dug up some video of Republican presidential candidate and then-Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, defending President George W. Bush‘s economic record in 2004, that’s spookily resonant to this year’s election. In the clip, Romney not only amusingly uses the word “poppycock” (one of the all-time underrated old man curse words and a delicious snack), he also urges voters not to blame the President for unforeseen catastrophes, and to ask “Do I stay with the president, who is rebuilding the economy, who is creating jobs, or do you want to stop mid-stream and find someone new?’”
In the video, Romney draws several eerie parallels to the current election. While President Obama took office in the middle of what some call an “economic 9/11,” Romney talked about a “perfect storm” that included the actual 9/11: (transcription by American Bridge)
“The people of America recognize that the slowdown in jobs that occurred during the early years of the Bush administration were the result of a perfect storm. And an effort by one candidate to somehow say ‘Oh, this recession and the slowdown in jobs was the result of somehow this president magically being elected…’ people in America just dismiss that as being poppycock. And they recognize it as that.”
Later in the clip, Romney blames the internet bubble, whereas President Obama had to contend with a Jupiter-sized real estate bubble:
“They (the American people) also recognize that there was a cyclical recession that rebounded from the extravagance of the period that existed prior to that time where we had irrational exuberance, according to Alan Greenspan, and we had a downturn. They also recognize that the internet bubble burst. These things came together creating a perfect storm that meant a huge job loss.”
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http://www.mediaite.com/online/video-2004-mitt-romney-says-its-poppycock-to-blame-president-for-job-market/
Romney Camp Defends Poor Jobs Record: He Inherited A Bad Situation
Pema Levy
Mitt Romney has been dogged by an unfortunate statistic for his entire campaign: When he was governor, Massachusetts ranked 47th in job creation. President Obama’s campaign has ramped up the attack this week in response to Romney’s assertion that he knows how to create jobs — a fact he says is backed up by his record in the private sector. Sunday, Romney’s campaign struck back with a new line of defense: Romney stepped into a serious situation and improved it.
If it sounds familiar, it should — it’s the same line of reasoning that Obama is using to persuade voters to stick with his policies.
Twice on Sunday, Romney’s advisers appeared on television armed with different numbers than the ones wielded by the Obama campaign. On ABC’s “This Week,” Obama’s deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter and top Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom duked it out over Romney’s Massachusetts record.
Massachusetts “did fall to 47th out of 50 in jobs creation,” Cutter said on ABC’s “This Week.” “Wages went down when they were going up in the rest of the country. He left his successor with debt and a deficit, and manufacturing jobs left that state at twice the rate as the rest of the country.”
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http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/06/romney-massachusetts-record-job-creation-47th-fehrnstrom.php
Pema Levy
Mitt Romney has been dogged by an unfortunate statistic for his entire campaign: When he was governor, Massachusetts ranked 47th in job creation. President Obama’s campaign has ramped up the attack this week in response to Romney’s assertion that he knows how to create jobs — a fact he says is backed up by his record in the private sector. Sunday, Romney’s campaign struck back with a new line of defense: Romney stepped into a serious situation and improved it.
If it sounds familiar, it should — it’s the same line of reasoning that Obama is using to persuade voters to stick with his policies.
Twice on Sunday, Romney’s advisers appeared on television armed with different numbers than the ones wielded by the Obama campaign. On ABC’s “This Week,” Obama’s deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter and top Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom duked it out over Romney’s Massachusetts record.
Massachusetts “did fall to 47th out of 50 in jobs creation,” Cutter said on ABC’s “This Week.” “Wages went down when they were going up in the rest of the country. He left his successor with debt and a deficit, and manufacturing jobs left that state at twice the rate as the rest of the country.”
- more -
http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/06/romney-massachusetts-record-job-creation-47th-fehrnstrom.php
If the first six months don't count...
By Steve Benen
Mitt Romney sat down with CNBC's Larry Kudlow, and made a curious observation. He said voters who want a strong economy should vote for him, but Americans "ought to give, whichever president is going to be elected, at least six months or a year to get those policies in place."
At first blush, that may sound fairly reasonable. A president takes office, he or she needs time to put a team in place, craft an agenda, and get to work. What's more, we generally don't see the results of economic policies immediately; the agenda needs to time to take effect. In Romney's mind, six months to a year seems fair.
But let's go ahead and apply this standard to President Obama, who took office in the midst of the worst global economic catastrophe since the Great Depression. Hey, look, here's a new chart I put together.
Throughout the presidential campaign, Romney has said the clock should start in February 2009, Obama's first month in office. If that's fair -- if the president deserves the blame for every job lost on his 11th day in office -- it's true that under Obama, the economy is still in a deep hole and hasn't fully recovered from the losses of early 2009.
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http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/24/12926538-if-the-first-six-months-dont-count
By Steve Benen
Mitt Romney sat down with CNBC's Larry Kudlow, and made a curious observation. He said voters who want a strong economy should vote for him, but Americans "ought to give, whichever president is going to be elected, at least six months or a year to get those policies in place."
At first blush, that may sound fairly reasonable. A president takes office, he or she needs time to put a team in place, craft an agenda, and get to work. What's more, we generally don't see the results of economic policies immediately; the agenda needs to time to take effect. In Romney's mind, six months to a year seems fair.
But let's go ahead and apply this standard to President Obama, who took office in the midst of the worst global economic catastrophe since the Great Depression. Hey, look, here's a new chart I put together.
Throughout the presidential campaign, Romney has said the clock should start in February 2009, Obama's first month in office. If that's fair -- if the president deserves the blame for every job lost on his 11th day in office -- it's true that under Obama, the economy is still in a deep hole and hasn't fully recovered from the losses of early 2009.
- more -
http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/24/12926538-if-the-first-six-months-dont-count
New Obama Ad and Website romneyplan.org is Going to Crush Mittens
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021093897
14 replies
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are tripping them up. I mean, National Review's advice is "don't panic" after it already called on Mitt to release his returns, calling his position unsustainable. Mitt cries uncle.
