Mitt Romney: Attacks Are "Beneath [Obama's] Dignity"

I have to disagree with Mitt on this. From his admitted drug use to the thuggish and lawless behavior of his administration, it's clear Obama has no dignity.

“What kind of president would have a campaign that says something like that about the nominee of another party? This is reckless and absurd on his part, and it’s something that’s beneath his dignity,” Romney said in an interview with CBS. “I hope he recognizes that even fellow Democrats have said that. Look, the President needs to talk about the direction he’d take the country and stop these kinds of ads and attacks that are so disparate from what the American people want to talk about.”

During is round of network interviews yesterday, Mitt also said Obama owes him an apology.

Based on the sudden desire to sit for all those interviews (something he's avoided throughout the primary and now general campaigns), it's clear Team Mitt was worried about the toll a week of false stories pushed by the Democratic media took on their guy.

Unfortunately the tone Romney struck yesterday was not very helpful. Instead of going on the attack over the Bain stories, he seemed defensive. Talking about Obama's alleged "dignity" and demanding apologies that will never come (Mitt never gave any to his GOP opponents) seemed weak.

As the saying goes, if you're explaining, you're losing. Mitt should have gone on the offensive. Forget about personality issues, refocus every biased question back on Obama's failures and how they have hurt voters and the country. "Everyone knows when I left Bain, just as everyone knows Obama was President when your tax dollars were used to fund auto production in Finland as part of the "stimulus" that didn't do what the President said it would and only got us further into this historic level of debt that is chocking job growth". "Obama wants to talk about when I left my job at Bain, I want to talk about all the people who were kicked out their jobs while he's been President and how I will help put them back to work". And on and on and on.

I'm sure some Team Romney types will say he's being calm and not swinging back hard will help win over squishy moderates. Maybe. Or maybe just sticking to his "gosh, this is just awful talk beneath a President" shtick will start to morph into the idea that Romney is a wimp. Ask George H.W. Bush how that worked out.

In short, forget the demands for an apology, punch him in the nuts.

We've been getting a little cocky about how easy this might be for Mitt. It's a good thing I don't believe in July polls because if I did, Rasmussen showing Romney and Obama tied in Florida would worry me.

Below the fold is a great (and by that I mean terrible) ad by Team Obama. Yes, it's all based on BS but just wait until it starts playing like crazy in Ohio and Pennsylvania. And remember, it's not aimed at committed Romney voters like you who know better. It's aimed at people who think they are smart because they are "uncommitted" but just decide who to vote for based on the ads they watch.

The race is on to define Romney, he needs to deflect that but also remind people why they don't want another 4 years of Obama. It's not because he's mean to Mitt but because he's been a disaster for America. I really hope Romney comes out hard soon. The gutting of welfare reform is a gift to him, he better use it well.

Yes, it's very early in the cycle and perhaps this is sheer desperation by Obama. You can't win the election in July and August but you can certainly sow the seeds of defeat if you let the opposition define you.

Romney's been coasting on the idea that saying, "the economy sucks" will be enough. It won't. People know that already. Romney needs to remind them that Obama has made it worse and that he can make it better.

posted by DrewM. at 01:23 PM

| Access Comments