Romney's History Of Desperate Attacks
As we learned from the 2008 campaign, the more desperate Romney gets, the more negative he becomes. This week is the beginning of the 2012 edition of Mitt Romney's GOP Desperation Express. His negative campaigns are kissing cousins of his positive campaigns in one regard: He'll say and do anything if he things it will help him get elected. During the 2008 campaign, Romney launched attacks against every one of his major rivals-- Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani. His Republican opponents said of the ads: “distortion,” “hypocrisy,” “lying,” “desperate,” “dishonest,” “simply aren’t true,” and “clear willingness to say and do anything for political gain.” While the Republican candidates disagreed on much, there was a general agreement that Romney’s relentless attacks were unfair. Many commentators argued that the ads backfired – helping to propel Huckabee and McCain to come-from-behind victories in Iowa and New Hampshire. But in 2008 and 2012, a scorched-earth campaign is the only strategic path for a candidate who has shown for six years that the appeal of his positive message is limited to 25% of Republican primary voters. It’s not just the negativity of Romney’s attacks that turns off voters, it’s that their message reinforces Romney’s key weakness. In 2008 and now, Romney launched harsh immigration attacks accusing opponents of supporting “amnesty” when he had earlier defended the same plan and said it was “not amnesty.” He bashes opponents as career politicians despite his 17-year political career. He attacked John McCain for opposing tax cuts that he had refused to take a position on. He went after Giuliani for pro-choice views despite his own long history of claiming to support abortion rights. These obviously hypocritical attacks may help explain why nearly half of Republican voters believe Romney “will do or say anything to win.” As we learned from the 2008 campaign, the more desperate Romney gets, the more negative he becomes. This week is just the beginning.
Mediaite: Christmas Warrior Rick Perry Has ‘Happy Holiday’ Skeletons In His Closet
On December 7, 2011, Mediaite reported:
Texas Governor and fallen former presidential frontrunner Rick Perry continues to revive his campaign by picking culture war fights with President Obama, releasing an ad that decries, among other things, that ” our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school.” As American Bridge PAC points out, though, Gov. Perry is a “Happy Holidays” hipster who took the “Christ” out of Christmas way before it was cool.
Las Vegas Review-Journal: A bridge to somewhere
On December 7, 2011, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported:
That interview former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney did with Fox News’s Bret Baier is really coming back to haunt him. Now, the David Brock-founded progressive group American Bridge 21st Century is questioning something Romney told Baier when the subject turned to Newt Gingrich.
Mediaite: Oppo Tracking Video Shows Just How Epic Jon Huntsman’s Climate Change Flip Is
On December 7, 2011, Mediaite reported:
Republican bubble candidate Jon Huntsman nullified two of the things that set him apart from frontrunners Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney yesterday when he told a group at the Heritage Foundation that “the scientific community owes us more” on climate change, and that “there’s not enough information right now to be able to formulate policies.” He staked out the “sane candidate” territory in August, and as a tracking video shot by American Bridge PAC in late October shows, Huntsman has no wiggle room on this flip.
Mandel “Too Busy” To Meet With The Press – Here’s What He’s Been Busy Doing
The Plain Dealer reported recently that Senate candidate Josh Mandel has been “too busy” to schedule an appearance with the Akron Press Club. American Bridge 21st Century decided to look into what has been taking up so much of his time that he is unable to answer basic questions about his policy positions. “The Ohio press corps should cut Josh Mandel some slack given that he is so busy running for Senate, he just doesn’t have time to answer their questions. As long as there is lobbyist money to be raised in DC and California, Ohioans will just have to wait,” said Matt Thornton, spokesman for American Bridge 21st Century. Check out why Senate candidate Josh Mandel was too busy to appear in Akron after the jump:
AP: Perry uses work phones to call top donors months before presidential bid
On December 6, 2011, the Associated Press reported:
Time and again, Texas Gov. Rick Perry picked up his office phone in the months before he would announce his bid for the presidency. He dialed wealthy friends who were his big fundraisers and state officials who owed him for their jobs.
VIDEO: Will Romney Run From His '07 RJC Speech?
On December 7, Mitt Romney is addressing the Republican Jewish Coalition's Republican Presidential Candidates Forum in Washington, DC. When addressing the same group during his last run for the White House in 2007, Romney lauded his health care plan and insinuated it should be a model for national health care reform (as he has done on numerous occasions). Will he say the same thing this year?
Reuters: Romney staff spent nearly $100,000 to hide records
On December 6. 2011, Reuters reported:
Mitt Romney spent nearly $100,000 in state funds to replace computers in his office at the end of his term as governor of Massachusetts in 2007 as part of an unprecedented effort to keep his records secret, Reuters has learned. The move during the final weeks of Romney's administration was legal but unusual for a departing governor, Massachusetts officials say. The effort to purge the records was made a few months before Romney launched an unsuccessful campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. He is again competing for the party's nomination, this time to challenge Barack Obama for the presidency in 2012.
POLITICO: Mitt Romney and Scott Brown: Too close for comfort
On December 2, 2011, POLITICO reported:
Mitt Romney and Scott Brown have plenty in common, most notably that they’re Republicans from Massachusetts. But they also like to tell similar jokes about how the other one is cuter and more popular.
Mediaite: Wait, What? OJ Simpson Featured In New Anti Mitt Romney Ad
On December 2, 2011, Mediaite reported:
With the ascension of Newt Gingrich to the top of the GOP presidential field, perennial silver medalistMitt Romney has recently sought to contrast himself with the former House Speaker by casting himself as a political outsider, resurrecting a long-running theme. A new ad from American Bridge PAC torpedoes that notion, in hilarious fashion, with a Proustian collection of clips from the start of Romney’s political career, including that iconic slow-speed chase.