The Etch A Sketch fiasco was especially damaging because it fed into a pre-existing narrative about Romney’s lack of core convictions, and because Romney’s Republican opponents picked it up and ran with it. But I don’t think it has the indelible power of Dukakis riding in the tank with a big-ass helmet and a goofy grin. I think Romney’s bigger problem is that he’s really set things up so that he will pay an inordinate price every time he contradicts a position he has previously taken, whether that position was taken in 1994, 2002, 2008, or during this year’s primaries. There’s a cost to any flip-flop. But there’s a huge cost to a flip-flop-flip. And once you gain a reputation for shifting your positions, you no longer can shift positions for political advantage.
Imagine what would happen, for example, if Romney wrapped up the nomination and then decided to come out as pro-choice. That’s only the biggest example, but on many less resonant issues, Romney has locked himself into a right-wing position that doesn’t poll well with the general electorate.
Romney can look at all the public opinion surveys he wants to discover where he needs to be on the issues, but those surveys can’t measure the cost to people’s perception of his integrity when he pivots off a position he took to appeal to the Republican base.
I’ve become way more cynical since diving into politics after 2008. I expect the MSM to do as much as they possibly can to make Romney’s transition out of the primary more seemless. Other than the lib media, i.e. Maddow, O’Donnell, Schultz, even Chris Mathhews who really seems not to like Romney, the village will let him get away with as much as possible unless it too blatant, but what is too blatant, IDK, cause Romney has already blatantly lied about position Obama admin never had just to further his own agenda.
David Plouffe is def one of the better Obama surrogates out there behind Axelrod IMHO and POTUS himself.
Plouffe calls out GOP candidates over Obama reaction to Trayvon Martin.
More Plouffe. Wonder if he knew Ryan would be all over the teletubes today saying that he’d consider VP if asked or saying that he believes that Romney would pass the Ryan budget plan if elected.
Top White House Adviser Labels Ryan Budget ‘The Romney-Ryan Plan’
Dude just seems to have perfect timing, n’est ce pas?
Horse Head in the Bed
This has been called the “death hug”. Hee!
Meanwhile, the top-tier issue the Republicans will be pushing – the Affordable Care Act – just so happens to be the issue on which Romney’s flip-flopping has been most egregious.
It’s like John Kerry trying to run against the Iraq War, if John Kerry had actually sponsored the AUMF and spent years calling it his greatest success, and actually did have a significant body of flip-flops behind him.
everyone has said that Willard will ‘ pivot to the center’ once this is all said and done.
ok…
let him try.
the DNC just needs to do the ads with sets of twins saying this:
” I AM THE REAL MITT ROMNEY POSITION”
all the while taking opposite positions.
you can dislike someone, but still KNOW them. you can vote against someone you know. it’s hard to vote FOR someone you don’t know. if you can’t trust a candidate on a fundamental level, how can you pull the lever for them?
It’s one thing to be a flip flopper if you’re holding political office(s) for years on end (McCain) but quite another when you are someone who was just in office for one term years ago. It’s rather unseemly to change your opinions just to get your foot in the door.
And when Pres Romney entered the world stage with the baggage of serial flip flopper he would bring his weakness to the negotiation table.
It looks like the Dems are not going to be intimidated this time by warnings not to be “too negative” this time around. As long as they’re ready to use the video files to plug the memory hole the Reps will try to create.
I hope somebody’s working as we speak on an etch a sketch app for free distribution: it shows Romney taking a position, you shake it and it dissolves into Romney taking the opposite position. It would be powerful medicine against the ludicrous MSM attempts to smooth over Romney’s slithering that are sure to follow.
I saw a website somewhere … here it is:
http://www.etchasketchmittromney.com/
I give up…Romney’s going to be the nominee…crap…I need to visualize him getting injections of testosterone from Christie, Daniels, Rubio and Ryan.
Hail Mary time.
They didn’t have the balls to run themselves.
I know…what the F is wrong with them! They must have seen how weak this field is, and that the Incumbent was vulnerable…it’s hard to beat an incumbent, but even if you lose, you can run again in 2016…it almost seems like the Universe wants Obama to have a second term! Hail Mary, full of Grace!
If you’re not willing to go up against the best, why should anyone ever think you have the courage of your convictions ever again? Keep that in mind when you think of the conservative “heroes” you mentioned above.
Omaba, tha candidate so bad that nobody with any sense wants to run against him. 🙂
Why would anyone consider an incumbent wartime president who, oh yeah, is also the most talented politician to come on the scene in several decades, to be “vulnerable?”
Uhhhhh….duhhhh….poll numbers, dude! Ughhhhh…approval ratings in the mid-Forties…like…Becky…what’s NOT vulnerable?
To candidates with approval in the mid 30s? Not Obama, thats for certain.
Yes, that’s pretty much it: to people who don’t know how to use poll numbers, Obama’s might make him look vulnerable.
I always figured the Republicans’ “A Team” held out not because they’re reluctant to face Obama but because they’re reluctant to face the Tea Party.
I’d say both. Plus they don’t have any better ideas about what to do about the economy or afghanistan . Easier to take pot shots.
well remember Perry looked good to some ppl until he actually tried to run. will be the same with their second string