In the last day or so, Mitt Romney has trotted out Republican personalities like former White House chief of staff John Sununu to criticize Newt Gingrich. The attacks by the Romney campaign have not been the typical compare and contrast points that are normally the negatives in a primary. Instead, the Romney surrogates are out there criticizing Gingrich as a poor leader, an inconsistent conservative, a person of poor character and just about every other manner of personal attack short of calling Gingrich a felon. That may come next if Gingrich continues to rise in the polls.
In my opinion, Romney has lost it. He is taking the position that either he wins the nomination or else no other Republican candidate can win the election. It is insane to issue personal attacks against fellow Republicans, particularly those who Romney calls his "friends". Those who support Romney ought to consider his course carefully. To me, he will disqualify himself unless he changes course quickly.
UPDATE: There have been many others who agree with my point. Perhaps the clearest statement came from the Iowa representative who said that Romney is having a panic attack. How true!
3 comments:
Here is what Gingrich said in part on Monday:
"Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich acknowledged Monday that he isn't the perfect candidate but contends he's "a lot more conservative than Mitt Romney and a lot more electable than anybody else."
Read more: http://www.bnd.com/2011/11/28/1959118/gingrich-im-not-perfect-yet-better.html#ixzz1g46eKfno
Romney's attacks have come directly in response to statements by Gingrich such as the above. Gingrich shouldn't be saying or implying that Romney is not eminently electable. He should be explaining why he would be a better President, but not that only he can win.
You wrote:
"In my opinion, Romney has lost it. He is taking the position that either he wins the nomination or else no other Republican candidate can win the election".
Gingrich is saying essentially the same thing. You have to consider Romney's response in the context of Gingrich's comments on Monday.
You misunderstand my meaning. Romney is going ahead with major personal attacks on Newt. If Gingrich or Romney says they are the most electable, that is fine with me. It is the Romney surrogates calling Newt erratic or a poor leader that I find objectionable. Should Gingrich call Romney a phony who will say anything or take any position to get elected? I do not think so. And Gingrich, to his credit, is not doing this.
There is a huge difference between saying "I am the most electable" and saying I am "a lot more electable than anybody else".
The former is typical; the latter means in English "the other guy may very well lose to Obama".
IF Gingrich were beating Obama by double digits, the remarks would be less objectionable. But with Gingrich essentially even with Obama in many polls and trailing in others, saying he is "a lot more electable than others" means in plain English that he doesn't think Romney can win and it probably wouldn't even be close.
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