How Race Slipped Away From Romney

[grantcart]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by muriel_volestrangler (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: Wall Street Journal

Mitt Romney is one of the wealthiest men ever to run for president. And yet the lack of money earlier this year stalled his campaign, and he never really recovered.

The GOP nominee emerged late last spring from a long and bruising Republican primary season more damaged than commonly realized. His image with voters had eroded as he endured heavy attacks from Republicans over his business record. He also felt compelled to take a hard line on immigration—one that was the subject of debate among his advisers—that hurt his standing with Hispanic voters.

More than that, Mr. Romney had spent so much money winning the nomination that he was low on cash; aides, seeing the problem taking shape, had once considered accepting federal financing for the campaign rather than rely on private donations.

The campaign's fate led on Wednesday to second-guessing and recriminations among Republicans chagrined that a seemingly winnable race slipped away. Some Republicans wondered whether the Romney campaign had misjudged the power of President Barack Obama's coalition, while others were questioning Mr. Romney's and the party's approach to immigration.


Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324073504578105340729306074.html

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On September 12th I predicted that the Romney campaign would suffer serious cash flow problems. This article details that the prediction was not only correct but even worse than previously thought. Many were sceptical.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251102606

[melody]

1. Slipped away??

It was never a race to begin with. Romney's advisers were paid well to lie to him.

[rock]

3. Ironic, no?

They lied to him, he lied to everybody else. How in the hell did he that many people to vote for him when he is a congenital deceiver.

[KurtNYC]

30. Exactly.. and with THAT headline they are STILL lying

Romney never polled above Obama. Never.

[sinkingfeeling]

2. Sure, WSJ, it was a lack of money!

[yardwork]

9. Seriously. I rolled my eyes reading that.

The Wall Street Journal can't imagine that Romney "took a bruising" in the primaries because his opponents pointed out things that are actually true about his background and record at Bain.

Romney lost because enough people saw through the lies and deceit and recognized Romney for what he is.

[Quantess]

10. Yeah, that's it!

[grantcart]

23. What you fail to realize is that while the SuperPacs have unlimited expenses the big burden

of the infrastructure of the political campaign can not be handled outside of the official political campaign.

Things like polling, transportation, conducting the campaign events, large expensive staff.

All of that is carefully accounted for and carefully reported and if you don't believe that then ask John Edwards.

So while their was an ocean of money for the cause the campaign itself had major cash problems which accounts why they had to borrow $ 20 million in September.

[Cracklin Charlie]

28. I missed your original post.

But I thought the Romney campaign seemed to have been run "on the cheap" throughout the general election, at least. I always wondered if the reports of the money that was flowing into the Romney campaign were put out in an attempt to generate more cash, from the masses. Sort of like saying...all these guys are giving lots of money, it's okay for "you people" to send some, too.

[Berlum]

4. Flushed Away. By an America that sees how stanky, corrupt, and fear-driven the Republican soul is

...and wants to go on being America - land of the free and home of the brave.

[AnnaLee]

5. Excuse me while I have a GOOD GRIEF!! moment.

[rtracey]

6. Sorry, not the reason

There was not a cash problem with the Romney campaign. I believe, (and I don't hear many saying this) the reason Romney/Ryan lost, was not lack of cash, or lack of support by the 1%, or the fact that he lied much of the time he was campaigning, I believe the reason he lost was because Romney/Ryan told the truth. Let me explain.... Romney/Ryan basically came out and truthfully stated several facts that put their team into lose mode... Medicare vouchers, self-deportation, non-support on women health issues, non-support on women equality issues, allowing "Rape" candidates to have free reign without condemning their statements. Turning Bengazhi, into a puppet show, picking Ryan as running mate, knowing his budget would spur "hatred" on the left..... these are true facts of this campaign, and the polls and the voting booths showed it... Look at the numbers Latinos - upper 70s%, Blacks 98%, Asians 60s%, single women % higher. Look at the states lost by Romney/Ryan... Florida, Colorado, Ohio, Mass, Wisconsin. Romney lost because he basically talked his way to the retirement front porch.

[fasttense]

15. I agree with you it wasn't lack of money that lost Romney the campaign

Romney lost it because he never really had a chance of winning it. America is turning away from free trade give it all to the idle rich and the economy will be great meme. Romney had the wrong message at the wrong time. Just look at all those other races Democratic candidates won in. There was no shortage of money on the RepubliCON side for the Senate races and other more local races.

People are just fed up with giving welfare to the rich and Romney and Ryan were once again pushing that stupid idea that the idle rich are the only people that matter for a healthy economy.

Notice that Obama wasn't pushing trickle down or more tax give aways to the rich. Notice howe liberal Obama sounded on the campaign. It wasn't money that got out the vote for Obama. It was his liberal message.

[proReality]

7. Is that excuse #9 or #10?

I'm losing track.

[WeekendWarrior]

8. How it SLIPPED AWAY?

Dude never had it in the first place. Not for one minute.

I love how these assholes always rewrite history.

[Botany]

26. + 1

Mitt almost never got 50% in primaries even when he was
running unopposed ...... Mitt never had it in the first place
and the republicans chased the only semi sane person ....
John Huntsman ....... out of the party.

The President has done a great job despite non stop obstructionism
and the people know it ....... if the republicans continue this
act all of them except those from Utah, Oklahoma, and so on
they will be ground into the dirt.

[NRaleighLiberal]

11. Collapsed under the weight of non-stop lies. n/t

[goclark]

12. grantcart ..YOU also predicted that Obama

would win and how he would win when goclark and others were close to tears.
Please post the brilliant assessment that you figured out at least three days before the
magical night that OUR PRESIDENT WON "4 More years!!!

K and R

[4lbs]

13. The real problem was that the hard right stances he was forced to take to win the nomination

did not appeal to the general public. Then he tried to tack towards the center, unsuccessfully.

This is a problem with the GOP brand itself, which allowed itself to be taken over by the extreme right Tea Baggers.

The GOP proudly defined itself as anti-math, anti-science, anti-women, anti-minority, anti-immigration, war-first diplomacy-later, anti-public education, anti-poor, anti-middle class, anti-healthcare, anti- Social Security, anti- MediCare.

[Liberal In Red State]

14. What I don't get is how the Repugs turned from the "candidate you want to have a beer with" to a

non-drinker . . . From the party of Christians to the party that decided to embrace a faith they once considered a cult . . . From the party that the military supported to the party that never mentned the military . . . It seems to me that they compromised their every foundamental belief in an effort to win! Talk about prosituting themselves. Maybe they knew that their values and beliefs would never win a majority, but still I would have had more respect for them to fail at least wil a semblance of conviction. The reports of the intent to have a post electon $25,000 fireworks display in Boston Harbor are unbelieveable . . . Not because his team would have wanted to celebrate but because it would have demonstrated the arrogance of the man - who would begin his presidency as a coronation and do so in the very place where people are crawling out from under the storm of the century!

[Tikki]

17. Yes...and it was rmoney's 'repug god'-driven right to be President...his turn..

I'm wondering whose right it will be next election or will the
repugs finally go all grass-root.




Tikki

[Agnosticsherbet]

20. Because the far right consensus said that Romney was moderate and best able to beat Obama...

rather than put a hard right real conservative in the race.

Remember, he took Ryan because Ryan was the beloved real Conservative, and they backed him because he would hold a pen and sign whatever far right legislation was passed by a Republican Congress.

[madmom]

16. If lack of funds were their only problem,

couldn't mittwit loan some of his own to the campaign? So many others did this, why not him? Did he not have faith in his own abilities?

[SDjack]

18. Rmoney wasted 50% of his money by first telling his

true heart position on every issue, then walking it back to the "campaign" position. Next, he overpaid by 50% for his TV ads, to TV stations owned by Bain (himself!). That shot big profits from donor money back to (Bain = himself). As a true venture capitalist, he raped the donor account of his own campaign, which left the campaign to weak to survive (just like the companies Bain Rmoney raped), shorted his campaign staff their last paychecks and expense vouchers, and stiffed his vendors who had not billed his campaign credit cards before he cancelled them just after conceding to the President.

[Agnosticsherbet]

19. In the money race in the New York Times it shows when the money was raised and spent.

The 2012 Money Race: Compare the Candidates

If this is accurate, then Obama and his PAC raised a hundred million more than Romney. Because of all his early spending to win the primary, Romney left himself behind the eight ball.

However, even though his spending was off in the beginning when it all went to battle primary opponents, he spent about the same as the President in September and October.

Clearly, divisive primaries that suck down money against an incumbent can be difficult.

However, as I recall, though there was a lot of trashing his opponents in the Primary, there was still some money spent to attack Obama by everyone.

[snagglepuss]

34. Any idea how much Willard spent of his own money?

[Agnosticsherbet]

35. I can't find any indicaiton that he spent any of his own money on the election.

Clearly, he is better at wasting other people's money, or maybe he saw the election as an investment possiblity that underperformed and wasn't worth putting his own money in.

[snagglepuss]

36. That really is shocking. I wonder what he'll say to Sheldon if they meet up.

[LisaL]

21. Considering the only consistent thing Romney did was flip-flopping,

when was it his race to begin with?

[Coyotl]

22. Yeah, I'm one of those Americans who decides according to which candidate has more campaign money

The more they spend, the likelier I am to vote for them

The very premise is totally wrong and absurd.
You cannot buy elections with more money, just ask Karl Rove. Just like you can't sell stinky fish with a better sign.

Many people in the M$M still need to come to grips with the fact that they are completely out of touch with the real political world, where people decide elections, not money.

[bhikkhu]

24. So the set-up for next time around: SEND MORE MONEY!

It couldn't possibly have anything to do with the bone-headed stupid positions they have on women's rights and minorities, or their extremist positions on the economy, or their consistent union-bashing, or their barely veiled contempt for anyone who's not rich, or their consistent anti-science stance, or any of the other ways they alienate the majority of people...

[Grins]

25. Yes. That completely explains it.

Yes. No money. That explains why we saw so few Romney ads the last three weeks.

[lexw]

27. I'm still befuddled by the amount of debates they had in the GOP primary, it was annoying.

[SoapBox]

29. "Slipped away"....ROFL!

A lying, money hiding, tax return refusing, Flip-Flopping, LYING (Jeep! Work to welfare!) creep...

and they just...can't...figure...it...out.

Just keep on picking such candidates, Pukes and Baggers...PLEASE!

[Cryptoad]

31. This race was over ,,,,,,,

the first time all the Rethug candidates came out in the Clown Car for the first debate!

[Mz Pip]

32. This lost me at "lack of money"

He had plenty of money. He just couldn't get enough people to vote for him.

This isn't rocket science. When you inulst half the population you are cutting into your vote margin by quite a bit.

[Arugula Latte]

33. All these articles about "Why Mitt Lost" crack me up.

They talk about silly things like "tweaking the message" or Hurricane Sandy, etc. Left out of it is the bottom line that their policies suck their politicians are mean, crazy bullies, and people just don't like them.

[muriel_volestrangler]

37. Locking - not Latest Breaking News

The LBN hosts feel this is analysis, not news, and so this ought to have been posted in GD, Politics 2012, or Good Reads. Feel free to repost it in one of those. Thank you.