2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumJosh Marshall: The Obama campaign's brutal 'Bitch Slap' Politics and introducing 'Slick Willard'
Josh Marshall
Honest question: does anyone think Romney helped himself with this round of television interviews? This is more fact-finding than rhetorical. And the people whose opinions Id be most curious to hear are those of Republican operatives people who want the answer to be yes but are politically sophisticated enough to know if its not.
The headline in the Times is Romney Seeks Obama Apology for Bain Attacks.
In the Journal Romney Defends Bain Capital Tenure.
This is bitch slap politics played with a gusto and coldness seldom seen from Democrats, at least since the Bill Clinton days. Asking for an apology is losing. Saying you want something you clearly have no power to get is losing.
Theres a meta-politics Obama is playing by slashing at Romney with suggestions he might be a felon. Hes wounding Romney, who is clearly rattled and angry about the charges, but just as clearly cant defend himself or strike back. As Ive noted many times, a thick layer of presidential politics (in a way thats distinct from US politics at really every other level) resides at the brainstem level of cogitation with gambits to assert power and demonstrate dominance. Obama looked in control of this situation; Romney didnt.
TPM Reader JL could barely contain himself
Bitch slap politics at its finest.
Step 1. Obama tells Romney to man up and take responsibility.
Coming soon
Step 2. Romney whines that its beneath the office.
Step 3. BO Surrogates tell Mitt, youre running for President for Gods sake. Dont be such a girly man!!
I love it!! Are we sure Obamas a Dem?
Theres another part of this equation: Im not sure how many people watching this spectacle even remember that its nominally about whether Romney is responsible for outsourcing Bain did post-February 1999 or its investment in a company that serviced abortion clinics. I barely remember it myself.Whats driving this now is that the Obama camp has backed Romney into a position in which he looks ridiculous something much more lethal for presidential candidates than most people appreciate.
Romney had absolutely nothing to do with Bain after 1999, no responsibility for anything it did, barely even knew what it did. Only he was the owner, the Chairman of the Board and the CEO. At least according to all the official documents, many of which he signed. Only he wasnt any of those things, says Romney.
Partisans can be walked through the arguments of how this might be true, just as you could explain what John Kerry meant by saying he was for a bill before he voted against it. But it still makes no sense. And doubling down on nonsense makes you look silly and trapped. Thats especially dangerous for someone already saddled with a reputation for shifting his stories and positions to suit the moment.
This is and will remain a low single digit race. But the Presidents team is making Romney look shifty and silly and weak. (I half expect them to start goosing surrogates to call him Slick Willard.) And theyre well on their way to defining him in a way that will be difficult to undo.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2012/07/honest_question_does_anything_think.php?ref=fpblg
Proud Liberal Dem
(24,414 posts)I'm having a hard time believing what I'm seeing. I've long believed that President Obama and his team are smarter and more strategic than some people believe him to be but he and his campaign are playing Romney and the Republicans like a freakin' harp over this Bain business right now! All I can say is that I hope that they not only keep this up during the rest of the campaign but that he makes this a permanent state of being when he wins a second term!
stopbush
(24,396 posts)that we believe nothing will ever stick to Rs, and that we're relegated to the sideline to observe the expected outcome. Only with Team Obama, they are very actively involved in framing and directing this story, with Obama himself able to take the position of the Everyman who wants to give Mitt Romney an honest chance to clear the air (yuck, yuck).
Historic NY
(37,451 posts)Kennah
(14,273 posts)... because what if all sides of Mittens shows up. President Obama will be debating 10 or 12 different people.
Proud Liberal Dem
(24,414 posts)"Will the REAL Mitt Romney please stand up?" I pretty much expect he will use this at some point in the campaign. It would probably be devastating in a debate IMHO.
Kennah
(14,273 posts)"I'm not sure which Governor Romney attended tonight's debate."
"Does Governor Romney plan to repeal ObamaCare so that he can replace it with RomneyCare?"
"I am prepared to sign legislation declaring RomneyCare the inspiration for ObamaCare, in order to give proper credit."
"If Governor Romney would like, I have a copy of the IRS form necessary for him to sign and release his tax returns for the last 10 years."
Proud Liberal Dem
(24,414 posts)babylonsister
(171,070 posts)Hell, the Prez doesn't even have to show up; mittens can debate himself!
Proud Liberal Dem
(24,414 posts)xtraxritical
(3,576 posts)I watched Mittens on ABC and CBS (CBS did a much better interview, ABC's Diane Sawyer is such a suck). All I got from Mitt Mormon was that Baingate was "merely a legal technicality" and that the Presidents team were "disgusting liars" for bringing it up. The Mormon liar is clearly caught between a rock and a hard place and is squirming every which way.
Maynar
(769 posts)A new coin has been minted.
I like it!
longship
(40,416 posts)Kahuna
(27,311 posts)amuse bouche
(3,657 posts)squishy milquetoast responses, so I'm loving the Brutal Obama
It gives me goosebumps.
colorado_ufo
(5,734 posts)by taking out Osama bin Laden.
flamingdem
(39,313 posts)[center][/center]
rocktivity.com
agent46
(1,262 posts)...a new level of entertainment for the masses. Politics as reality TV/pro-wrestling. We're going to be so fucking entertained by the soap opera that we'll miss the sleight of hand.
Problem is, I have a feeling America is about to wake up.
I hope I'm right.
railsback
(1,881 posts)That would imply that he's getting away with it. More like Dumb Ass Willard.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,321 posts)(Just in case that does take off, I'm noting that that currently gets zero Google hits, so far)
babylonsister
(171,070 posts)JaneQPublic
(7,113 posts)Count me among all who will be stealing this.
SemperEadem
(8,053 posts)because that's what he is.
MADem
(135,425 posts)Rosanna Lopez
(308 posts)If I were running against Mitt Romney I would be a lot more aggressive and a lot nastier! I think Obama has gone too easy on Romney so far. Romney should count himself lucky.
If it were me I would be getting ready to expose Mitt as a Pro-Vietnam War draft dodger who hid out in France because he thought the poor boys should go over and fight but not the little rich boy who was the son of a Governor.
I would be pointing out that a man who acted like that lacks the moral fiber to be President, and has no business claiming that he would be a better Commander in Chief than Obama, or calling Jimmy Carter, a man who served in World War II, a weak man.
Romney is like all chicken hawk conservatives - sing the praises of war, but run as far as you can in the opposite direction.
Mponti
(163 posts)A swiftboating ad featuring Chickenhawk Romney as Commander in Chief...with clips of the Mittster speaking French
DallasNE
(7,403 posts)First, the whole birther issue. Obama either didn't have a long form birth certificate or it got misplaced during his many travels. His first response was an attempt at transparency where he posted his certified replacement short form birth certificate. Not content the birthers remained on the attack. The Republican Governor of Hawaii would not allow a copy of his long form birth certificate to be created. When a Democrat was elected there was a change of heart and Obama quickly released the long form birth certificate. Here every effort at transparency was attempted with the certain knowledge that there was nothing to hide.
Fast forward to the issue of Romney's status between February 1999 and early 2003. Romney's attitude is trust me, I performed no duties at Bain during this period. In this case Romney has the data available that could put this issue to rest but he refuses to release his 2000 and 2001 Federal tax returms that would clearly show whether Romney claimed he was an active or passive senior executive at Bain Capital. It would establish that he was either a part-time CEO, and sole owner so we could know whether the SEC filings are accurate or whether he is lying about his departure date. So why doesn't he just release the data and clear this issue up. What does he have to hide. He is certainly stonewalling the transparency the American people need and deserve. It suggests some rather damaging data is contained on these tax forms.
Last edited Sat Jul 14, 2012, 04:07 AM - Edit history (1)
He will claim his "right" to withhold any damn information he feels isn't relevant to the American public and if the American public buys his shit, it will become the new normal.
The Wielding Truth
(11,415 posts)Carla in Sequim
(228 posts)Wow. One of the best articles I've read. I'm saving this one and passing it around.
Jessy169
(602 posts)Also, word on the internet is that Obama has a firm grip on Willard's magic panties and is currently in the process of giving him a world class Melvin!
It's a world class wedgie.
MADem
(135,425 posts)The Melvin is more painful and will, if done forcefully enough, cause damage to the genitals.
I'm not making this up...it's amazing what the youth of today will teach an old geezer who bothers to ask!
neeksgeek
(1,214 posts)And Obama pulled really hard, too.
backscatter712
(26,355 posts)Mponti
(163 posts)Who tried to undermine the Bain attacks early on....Booker, Rendell, Clinton.....and the delicious irony that Bain may have ended Booker's future prospects.
flamingdem
(39,313 posts)flamingdem
(39,313 posts)madrchsod
(58,162 posts)other than that it goes to show that axelrod is going to make rove look like failure he really was.
BumRushDaShow
(129,096 posts)Sharpton would do it in a NY minute! He don't pull no punches.
bucolic_frolic
(43,181 posts)"Senator, I knew Jack Kennedy, I served with Jack Kennedy, Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine.
Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy." ==== Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, 1988.
"That was really uncalled for, Senator!" ===== Sen. J. Danforth Quayle, 1988.
By demanding an apology, The Mittster sounds awfully similar. And in essence, this whole
flare over Mitt's release of tax papers is about legitimacy.
It's as if Obama is saying, "Mitt, you're no public servant" with the implication
that he's just a greedy corrupt CEO with something to hide.
Well played, President Obama!
Do it again!
Fearless
(18,421 posts)SDjack
(1,448 posts)He would collapse into whining, demanding an apology, and joining Boner is a crying jag. A real man would throw his tax returns out to the public and defend them.
Pisces
(5,599 posts)Obama's speech in VA today and his brutal ad release are capping Romney at the knees. I love it!!! Cry some more
Romney, in fact, why don't you and Bohener take the stage together and cry in unison.
The Wielding Truth
(11,415 posts)have cared less, but when they get caught falsifying reports to play power brokers with their bone picked plunder they are so weak and needy. They used us and squeezed out pensions and stranded us in desperation. I have no sympathy for them now.
Brigid
(17,621 posts)Some people didn't believe me, but I always knew he had it in him! This has me.
mountain grammy
(26,623 posts)whine away, mittens. I'll bet as president, he would have demanded Osama apologize!
quaker bill
(8,224 posts)probably makes running against Rmoney seem like a vacation. It is considerably harder to decide to send the seals in to get Bin Laden than it is to decide to launch an attack ad. The media and Rmoney thought the tough fight was with Newton Gingrich.
Newt pulled his punches after the first big ad on the topic had errors, because Newt still had to win republicans to get the nom. President Obama does not need a single republican to vote for him, or to think that he was fair to Mittens. He only needs an energized democratic party to turn out and get parity or a bit better with independents to win. Republicans already hate him, so he has little to lose being "unfair" to Rmoney. The boot will be applied often and repeatedly and there will be no apologies for it. It is not like they ever apologized for any of the discredited birther / Muslim BS, in fact they are still filing lawsuits over the birther BS.
arely staircase
(12,482 posts)that punches people in the head.
backscatter712
(26,355 posts)And "Firms" was one hell of a bitch-slap!
WHO'S YOUR DADDY?!
pansypoo53219
(20,978 posts)greasy yes, not slick.