in MI Romney spends more on paid media than both his rivals combined, but the real cost of Romney’s MI campaign will be paid by the US taxpayer

January 15, 2008 in 2008, analysis, campaign communications, campaign finance, campaign management, conservatism, election 2008, GOP, incompetence, media, mitt romney, polls, republicans, rhetoric, romney, strategy, the dark soul of Mitt Romney, triumph of unreason
Tags: advertising, campaign advertising, Eric Kleefield, idiocy, insanity, lies, media, michigan, politics, primaries, ROI, TMP, tpmelectioncentral.com

“According to the non-partisan Michigan Campaign Finance Network, Romney spent $2 million in an ad campaign lasting for about the past month, compared to McCain’s $744,000 over the last ten days, and Huckabee’s $484,000 in the past week,” writes Eric Kleefield in a TPM ElectionCentral.com post titled Analysis: Romney Outspent Michigan Competitors In A Big Way

Romney spends more on paid media in MI than either of his principal rivals combined. Yet Romney ekes out a narrow victory in a state that he calls his own. Yet more evidence of Romney’s risibly low ROI for his every campaign dollar.

But the real cost of Romney’s MI campaign is the check that he issued that can never be cashed. That check is Romney’s super-preposterous, atavistic promise to nationalize the US automobile industry. And it is a cost that Romney will never have to pay. That bill goes to the US taxpayer.

candidate endorsed by the National Review, Romney, suddenly veers hard left, argues that Washington must subsidize, become “partner” with, US automobile industry

After humiliating defeats in Iowa and New Hampshire, Romney in Michigan finally develops a winning formula. It is a formula consistent with Romney’s risibly low ROI as it allows the hapless candidate to offload his astronomical costs on others. It is simply this: political spoil in its most primitive form. It takes this shape: Promise key sectors of the economy unlimited subsidies from the public treasury.

yours &c.
dr. g.d.

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Romney’s ROI continues to plummet in Iowa—sign that the hapless candidate is hemmoraging grass roots support as he must depend more heavily on hirelings, paid staff, and other costly services—can Romney buy the Iowa Caucus?

January 2, 2008 in 2008, analysis, campaign communications, campaign communiques, campaign finance, campaign management, conservatism, election 2008, GOP, Iowa, media, mitt romney, polls, republicans, rhetoric, romney, strategy, stupidity, the dark soul of Mitt Romney, triumph of unreason
Tags: agony-in-iowa, Eric Kleefield, negative attacks, negative campaigning, negativity, ROI, spending, talking points memo, tmpelectioncentral.com, wild spending

“In a sign that Mitt Romney is really going all out to win this thing, and also that genuine grassroots support could be slowing down, he revealed yesterday that he did indeed put more of his own money into the campaign during the fourth quarter — but he won’t reveal how much,” writes Eric Kleefield in a Talking Points Memo blog burst titled Romney: I’ve Put In More Money — But I Won’t Tell You How Much

The emphasis is ours, all ours.

Could this be why?

the high price Romney pays for his aggressively negative campaigning—blogosphere blogbuzz suggests movement away from both Gov. Huckabee AND the hapless candidate from MA, Romney

Another artifact of Romney’s negative campaigning. Others feel compelled to defend the victims of Romney’s abuse. Kleefield also reports that the Union Leader has bashed Romney on its front page!

Mitt Romney is facing some more media fire in New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Union Leader’s publisher, Joseph W. McQuaid, has written a front-page editorial bashing the candidate over his attacks against John McCain …

yours &c.
dr. g.d.

Romney circles drain, goes desperately negative in Iowa AND New Hampshire

December 28, 2007 in 2008, analysis, argument, campaign communications, campaign communiques, campaign literature, campaign management, conservatism, election 2008, GOP, incompetence, Iowa, media, mitt romney, policy, republicans, rhetoric, romney, strategy, stupidity, the dark soul of Mitt Romney, triumph of unreason
Tags: Eric Kleefield, eyeon08.com, gov. mike huckabee, Iowa, mark halperin, negative advertising, negative attacks, negative campaigning, negativity, New Hampshire, Sen. John McCain, talk points memo, the page, tpmelectioncentral.com

“Romney has been forced into a two-front war, trailing Mike Huckabee in Iowa and holding onto a lead against a resurgent McCain in New Hampshire,” writes Eric Kleefield in a TPMelectioncentral.com post titled Romney Rolls Out Anti-McCain Ad in New Hampshire

But as it turns out, his lines of attack against each are the same, faulting them on taxes and immigration in both states … etc.

Here is the problem for the bitter, angry Romney. His rivals—Gov. Huckabee and Sen. McCain—have concerted their criticisms of Romney, the man and his message, by playing up each other even as they play upon the same themes.

Yet Romney’s response is to argue against both of his rivals on the same grounds, immigration and taxes.

In the case of Gov. Huckabee Romney’s critique raises his rival to the level of a peer when Romney has been trying to argue that Gov. Huckabee’s rise is artifact of misplaced religious zeal.

In the case of Sen. McCain Romney’s line only underscores the independence and integrity of discretion of a man already known for these virtues, even as Romney foregrounds his own slavish hewing to party orthodoxy in a state that appreciates coherent and individuated lines of reason.

Also:

• Romney Opens Second Negative TV Front, writes Mark Halperin for The Page.
• Eye of Horus, in an eyeon08.com post titled Desperate Romney flip-flops and goes Negative, elaborates on how Romney told reporters he was going positive only hours before his campaign went deeply, painfully, negative.

yours &c.
dr. g.d.

ce Romnifique!—ce formidable!—oh, to be so gifted with dissociations and double-binds, like our hero, Mr. Romney

November 7, 2007 in 2008, analysis, campaign communications, campaign communiques, campaign literature, conservatism, election 2008, Evangelicals, gaffs and pratfalls, GOP, incompetence, media, mitt romney, republicans, rhetoric, romney, strategy, stupidity, the dark soul of Mitt Romney, triumph of unreason
Tags: double bind, double bind theory, ElectionCentral, Eric Kleefield, Jonathan Martin, pat robertson, Rudy Giuliani, sleight-of-hand disqualification, talking points memo, TMP

“Mitt Romney was asked today in South Carolina whether he thinks Pat Robertson’s endorsement of Rudy Giuliani will have an impact in attracting Christian conservatives to the Rudy camp. His answer, Jonathan Martin reports: ‘Not at all.'”—writes Eric vom Kleefield in a TMP ElectionCenter post titled Romney Downplays Robertson’s Endorsement Of Giuliani

“I don’t think that the Republican Party is going to choose a pro-choice, pro-gay civil union candidate to lead our party,” Romney added … etc.

Note the sleight-of-hand disqualification, a species of double-bind in which the respondent changes the content of the question or statement:

“I don’t think that the Republican Party is going to choose a pro-choice, pro-gay civil union candidate to lead our party.”

The statement is Functionally equivalent to: I don’t think a good little boy or girl should choose such a option.

First injunction: you will make a choice.

Second injunction: to be a good little boy or girl, you will choose what is my choice; hence, you effectively have no choice.

Our intuition: Romney has confused conservatism with some sort of creepy-nightmare-paternalism, a blunt-instrument American Caesarism, only the Caesar is the caricature of an uptight-screwball, seething-with-impotent-rage middle manager, affordable-tract-housing suburban father circa 1963.

yours &c.
dr. g.d.

P.S. Here is the problem for Romney: how many Evangelicals know who e.g. Weyrich is?—or Bopp, despite his cool name? But everyone knows who Pat Robertson is—whether you agree with him or not, you know who he is, and you know that he is a staunch believer etc.

Good! Then the debate footage of Romney’s (in)famous “Gotta Call My Lawyer” response must also be fair game for rival campaigns

November 4, 2007 in 2008, campaign communications, campaign communiques, campaign literature, campaign management, election 2008, gaffs and pratfalls, GOP, media, mitt romney, republicans, romney, the dark soul of Mitt Romney
Tags: debate, debates, ElectionCentral, Eric Kleefield, fox broadcasting, Greg Sargent, kevin madden, talking points memo, TPM

“The Romney campaign has sent a letter to Fox News saying that they will defy the network’s request that all the GOP campaigns ‘cease and desist’ from using Fox debate footage in ads or on their web sites, I’ve just learned,” reports a breathless Greg Sargent in a TPM ElectionCentral post titled Romney Defies Fox News’ Ban On Use Of Its Debate Footage

Today the Romney camp went up with a new ad bashing Hillary. As Eric Kleefeld noted below, the ad contains a smattering of that debate footage — despite the fact that Fox’s lawyers sent a letter to the GOP campaigns last week demanding that they refrain from using it.

So we checked in with the Romney campaign to see what was up. And Romney spokesman Kevin Madden confirmed that the campaign has informed Fox that they were defying the request.

Say, what? Kevin Madden gave a straight answer!? Is Sargent absolutely certain that he spoke to Madden himself?

Here is the problem for Romney: Sen. Clinton is not the only candidate who can perform horribly at a debate. See:

Romney’s “gotta-call-my-lawyer” response to the Iran question object of scorn, derision, and belly-laughs among other GOP candidates—how will Romney respond?

yours &c.
dr. g.d.

Romney’s latest howler: “we should withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council”—AP notes: “the United States doesn’t have a seat on the human rights council, which it has been boycotting.”

October 18, 2007 in 2008, campaign communiques, campaign management, conservatism, election 2008, gaffs and pratfalls, GOP, incompetence, mitt romney, policy, republicans, rhetoric, romney, strategy, stupidity, the dark soul of Mitt Romney, triumph of unreason
Tags: Eric Kleefield, FITSnews, Jim Davenport, John McCain, Palmettoscoop, terry sullivan

“There appears to be a rather noticeable problem with the Stepford candidate’s — former Gov. Mitt Romney — ability to demonstrate basic memory dexterity,” writes The Editor for the Palmetto Scoop in a post titled Major glitch in Romneybot’s memory mechanism

Romney told voters at a pancake house in Pawleys Island, “the United Nations has been an extraordinary failure of late,” and that, “we should withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council.” But the Associated Press noted, “the United States doesn’t have a seat on the human rights council, which it has been boycotting.”

And then, FITSNews picked up on a pair of statements given to national and local media by Romney’s national spokesman Kevin Madden and his S.C. campaign manager Terry Sullivan in response to a jab made by rival candidate Sen. John McCain … etc., etc.

We reported the FITSnews howler here: FITSNews on Romney’s SC campaign manager: “FETCHING COFFEE, DRY CLEANING MAY ALSO BE AMONG HIS WEIGHTY

eye of eyeon08.com’s take is titled: Earth to Romney: We aren’t on the Human Rights Council

Eric Kleefiled’s take: Romney: USA Should Withdraw From UN Human Rights Council — America Already Boycotts It

Jim Davenport’s far less funny take: Romney calls United Nations a ‘failure’

yours &c.
dr. g.d.