Mitt Romney and his team need to get back to the drawing board, period. With the primary season all but finished, as Romney moves inexorably closer to the magic number of 1,144, it is time for him and the GOP to begin defining a compelling general election narrative that presents a distinct alternative to Obama's presidency. In order to achieve this, Romney will not only need to place greater emphasis on a bold policy agenda, but he also needs to communicate a visionary, positive message (not one of negativity directed at President Obama).
To date, Romney has been able to successfully navigate the primary process by focusing on invigorating a base seething with discontent for the president. A base that is looking for a candidate that exhibits the same anger that they feel. Romney has satisfied their cravings for red meat throughout the primary process, often directing entire speeches towards the president's "failures" and "lack of leadership." This strategy seems to be something he plans to continue into the general. At a recent rally in Pennsylvania, with its upcoming April 24 primary, Romney energetically shouted to the crowd, "We just got to get him out of office. He just doesn't understand what's happening to the country," referring to President Obama. In fact, the degree of his negative rhetoric can be verified by an all-but-scientific Google search. For instance, yesterday I found that when you type "Romney" as a search term on Google, one of the first auto-complete suggestions is "Romney attacking President." Could a consistently negative tone be part of his messaging problem?
Beyond messaging, the other key area in which he can differentiate himself vis-à-vis Obama is through a bold policy agenda. He's been successful in doing this at times (his debt and spending plan is quite strong), but generally he has lacked conviction. In what most would consider to be the defining issue of the election, a candidate's plan for the economy, Romney put forward a plan described by the Wall Street Journal as "surprisingly timid and tactical considering our economic predicament." Without boldness in policy, it will be difficult for Romney to demonstrate to the American people how a change in administration will improve the country's future.
The urgency and necessity for a change in messaging and the need for additional bold ideas can be seen in recent polls, like the April 4 Gallup Poll, in which Romney's support among Independent voters in key swing states has reached dangerously low levels (he lags 48 percent to 39 percent in 12 key swing states against Obama). Re-establishing support among this critical constituency, and frankly among the general electorate, will require more than proving his "conservative credentials" and constantly attacking the president. Romney needs to focus on painting a positive picture of the future -- much like President Obama did four years ago with his message of hope and change, and even more relevant, something reminiscent of Ronald Reagan's inspirational appeal following Jimmy Carter's first term (although not the 1980 campaign, no one can forget Reagan's "It's Morning Again in America" political ads from his 1984 re-elect).
As it relates to bold ideas, there are a few remaining defining issues in the campaign -- most notably among others, health care (after a likely Supreme Court ruling against the current legislation), education, and energy. While the president can speak to meaningful proposals (i.e., PPACA, education reform, and an "All of the Above" energy approach), Romney has not put forth a specific policy proposal on any of these topics. Just take a look at Romney's energy plan from his website where he says something, without really saying anything at all.
Success for Romney will be an uphill battle as long as the economy shows even incremental signs of improvement. However, he has an opportunity to redefine himself for Americans (while actually not flip-flopping) in the coming weeks. If he and his advisers have their drawing boards out, they need to strongly consider a new narrative beyond the empty negativity against the president. A better approach would be one that draws in all types of voters, and this will only be accomplished through bold, visionary ideas and a positive outlook for the future.
Follow Abby Huntsman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/huntsmanabby
David Coates: Questions for Republicans on Health Care Reform
Kaz Komolafe: Shake Me Like an Etch A Sketch
 |
 |
|
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Electoral Votes (270 to win) |
332 | 206 |
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 65,899,660 | 60,932,152 |
| Percent | 51.1% | 47.2% |
| Democrats* | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Current Senate | 53 | 47 |
| Seats gained or lost | +2 | -2 |
| New Total | 55 | 45 |
| Democrats | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Seats won | 201 | 234 |
He was Pro-Choice now he is against it
He was somewhat supportive on gay issues, then went to Congress to push for a Constitutional amendment against gay marriage.
He wants to be seen as a regular guy, but has multiple houses and hides money in Tax havens like Switzerland and the Caymen Islands.
He says he supports the middle class but supports a tax plan that would take his rate from 13.5% (On his unhidden money) to 0%
So he has lied about everything, AND wants to have all the benefits of living in this country without paying one single dime to do it.
"One of [the] most humorous I think relates to my father. You may remember my father, George Romney, was president of an automobile company called American Motors. ... They had a factory in Michigan, and they had a factory in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and another one in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And as the president of the company he decided to close the factory in Michigan and move all the production to Wisconsin. Now later he decided to run for governor of Michigan and so you can imagine that having closed the factory and moved all the production to Wisconsin was a very sensitive issue to him, for his campaign."
These are only the tip of the iceberg with this man. He seems incapable of recognizing his flaws. If he can't understand WHY he's created such a huge disconnect from the people, he can't possibly correct it. His lack of intuition will be his albatross in the remainder of the campaign trail.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57329447-503544/mitt-romney-attack-ad-misleadingly-quotes-obama/
I wish I was naive enough to believe, as you do, that Romney's big problem is his "messaging."
If you want Mitt's endearing vision of America, it's all there to be accounted for -- in a Swiss bank!
Click your heels three times, and you'll wake up in the land of unapologetic exceptionalism.
This guy learned to speak French, while dodging the draft for Viet Nam.
His people left this country behind -- in pursuit of polygamy down South.
And, you're telling us that Mitt just needs to keep singing out of key songs about America?
Trouble is, you think a flip-flopper, with no core loyalty, is a just bar of soap.
It's not the messaging -- it's the product...
This is post-Bush America -- we aint buying this GOP nonsense anymore!
F/F
A far cry from the typical Republican voter....the hog farmer in Missouri....the plant worker in Georgia, where temperatures hit 100 degrees....and the oil field worker in Texas....many of whom will lose their hearing and inhale asbestos on the rigs......
Mitt's gonna change his tune, and sell them pig farmers a truly happy vision, where the idle rich smile down on a sausage-making city in the clouds... now, that's America!
It's gonna be hog heaven for the 1%... everybody else is gonna think they got a real good shot at avoiding those sharp, shiny knives that the Republicans have been clinching behind their backs for years...
You're gonna see a whole new campaign unfold -- the GOP establishment is gonna put the honey-cure on them Tea-Party people -- they're all gonna baste like ham on a pike.
But, in the end, an unpatriotic Romney is gonna concede the luau, to the man who managed to keep America on wheels, after the Republicans ran it clear off the rails.
OK... Bush lied, and people died.
I know Jesus sure didn't tell him to execute in such a fashion.
I bet Jesus wasn't indifferent to all the suffering caused by years of failed GOP economic policy.
Obama managed to keep America on wheels, after your Angel, GWBush, ran it off the rails.
And, the new cherub, Mitt Romney, says he'd have watched the state of Michigan go completely under -- I bet he'd have smiled down from 30,000 ft., too!
Obama found Bin Laden, and brought swift justice upon that twisted individual.
The President aint no angel (his signature on NDAA proves that!), but he's certainly earned the gratitude of people still faithful to this great country!
So, if you're confident your head is on right, you best get your soul examined.
Cuz, I promise you one thing -- when you're savoir comes down from the clouds, the GOP aint gonna provide you no safe haven from the reckoning they called down upon themselves.
And, to stand there, as you say, and claim credit for having creating that wealth -- it's just shameful cheating good people like that... people who work hard to harvest all the bounty our sun provides.
I've seen unusual spiders crawling in dark places that deserved more trust than Mitt Romney does.
Mitt is to heavily damaged by his gaffes that he has done throughout the GOP primary for him to truly think he could actually make anyone believe he would be helpful for all! He is to stuck on himself and his millionaire and billionaire friends for him to change now! He can attempt it, but it would be shot full of holes quickly by the Administration! All they would have to do is just go through the massive video, audio and print library of the gaffes of Mitt and place a video or audio feed, or quote and just make Mitt look like Mitt!
Ann and I want to congratulate President Obama on his positive victory in 41 states...
That said...
I, Mitt Romney, do hereby accept the Presidency of the Confederate States of White Christian Male Crony-Capitalism.
And, in the interest of world domination, I do hereby declare that all contraceptive devices are now a crime of treason, and I mandate that all women remand themselves into the care of an unlicensed spiritual health provider...
It is interesting how even journalists are fully un-aware of the fine-tuning that Google and other search engines do in information delivery. Auto-completion is one obvious place where Google tries to give you the search results that are personalized to your browsing history and any other personal demographics they've managed to amass on you.
Consider:
A liberal Google user may see his first auto-completion as "Romney attacking President."
A conservative Google user may see his first auto-completion as "Romney in 2012!"
A evangelical Google user may see his first auto-completion as "Romney is not a Christian!"