Two masterful strategic moves by a brilliant political operation. [View all]

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The President has now boxed in Romney and the Republicans in a masterful way that will be studied for years in the future.

Every since Mondale went down to a crushing defeat to Ronald Reagan it has been the fundamental rule that if you advocate for increased taxes during a campaign you will go down the same way that Mondale did, and so no one has. Number One Rule for Presidential candidates? Never talk about raising anyone's taxes.

Strategic Move One, send the Republicans that worship at the Defense Budget altar and those that worship at the Cut Tax Altar at each other's throats.

The President undermined the basic Republican mantra by providing tax relief for the poor and middle class by initiating a temporary reduction in payroll taxes. Then when the Republicans were caught over playing their hand on the debt ceiling 'crises' the President pulled back and let Bohner squirm facing a US default right in the face. He had a way out. Come to a short term agreement and establish a budget trigger that would force massive social spending and military cuts if a long term deficit agreement could not be reached.

Bohner took the short term fix, claimed he got 99% of what he wanted and now has a ticking time bomb on his lap. The Republicans worship at two altars, unlimited funding for defense and cutting taxes, especially for the rich. Now with the Bush Tax Cuts expiring the Republicans are faced with two dilemmas; 1) refuse to compromise on taxes to the rich and cause everyone's taxes to go up, and 2) refuse to come to a comprehensive budget agreement (which will include increased taxes on the rich) and see the defense budget cut by 30%.

The result of this is that the two largest competing factions of the Republican Party, the Tax Cut addicts and the Military Budget addicts will go to war against each other, Ryan vs McCain. In the end both sides will be weakened and the President will be able to forge a budget that has a significantly reduced defense budget (but reduced in a rational way) and have taxes increased on the rich.

Not only has he turned the tables on the "never talk about a tax increase" rule, he has taken it out and hits the Republicans with it every day of the campaign.

Which brings us to the second brilliant strategic move by the President.

Strategic Move Two, Make a Presidential Candidate engage in a day to day scrimmage with a non Presidential candidate.

Number two rule for Presidential candidates; don't get dragged down in fights with people who aren't presidential in stature, it brings you down, down, down.


The Republicans have put forth a candidate who not only hasn't been vetted but who refuses to be vetted, and who pays a very small percentage on taxes on an extremely large income.

So while the President is hitting the Republicans and Romney every single day with the strategic move outlined above they have added another layer.

Senator Reid (who conveniently holds the same Religion as Romney) calls Romney out, basically calling him a liar on his taxes. Romney cannot not respond, and does.

So now Romney's time is going to be consumed by a day by day school yard fight with Reid. Romney says this and Reid says that.

The problem for Romney is that for whatever Reid's good points are he is not perceived as being a very macho alpha dog, he is not Presidential. So Romney is wasting his time having to answer charges and get into a fight with a politician that simply doesn't seem that strong.


The pundits will pundit, the comedians will roast, fellow Republican politicians will, not wanting to get dragged down with you, start to criticize and tell Romney to end this fight and release his taxes. Romney who has never had much affection with the rest of the Republican Party will be increasingly seen as the guy who is not only going to lose to the President but is going to drag the party down, down, down and so there will be more distancing and more criticism,


But Romney won't end it by releasing his taxes it will continue on and on and Romney, who cannot use surrogates on the issue, will end up in a bear hug fight with the pussycat Reid while the President remains Presidential.

So often we rest on principle and let the other side out strategies us and for once we are seeing a Democratic politician use principle to use the Republicans last remaining card, cutting taxes, to out flank Romney.

It is a beautiful thing to watch.