Days of Change

Day 1162 – Return of the Jedi

One of the reasons Mitt Romney can win is that he’s a tactical mirror of Obama, but with more money. In debates, he stops attacks by complaining about time keeping formalities. He saves the worst attacks against his opponents to his super PACs. He’s also willing to go after people in his own party to win.

One problem Romney has is that instead of letting the free market (the voters) decide, his front groups have been wasting time playing whack-a-mole with people who have no chance at winning. It annoys conservatives who want to have the illusion of a choice in this election. It’s one reason for the continued bad blood from 2008. Since Perry took himself out, the only one Romney might have to watch out for is Newt Gingrich.

Once in a while, a candidate runs for office in the hopes that his beliefs and name recognition will set the world on fire. Gingrich used early debate performances to talk about the problems of government, the frequent in-fighting among the candidates and the media’s propensity to encourage it. For a while, that message took hold.

Romney people responded too predictably. They saturated the Iowa airwaves with negatives against Gingrich, pushing him so far down in the polls that Romney was nearly beaten by Rick Santorum. The lesson is to guard your flank.

Gingrich supporters will teach that lesson when Mitt Romney comes to town. A Gingrich PAC purchased a one-sided documentary produced by a disgruntled Romney staffer. It tells the stories of people who lost their jobs when their (likely failed) employers were bought by Bain Capital. Romney is outraged that a Republican would make this kind of anti-corporate attack. I’m sure Newt had no idea a fellow Republican would target him to the point where Rick Santorum came within 8 votes.

Maybe Mitt Romney forgot, but while he was losing to Ted Kennedy in 1994, Newt Gingrich was getting a lot of other Republicans elected to Congress. If his leadership style is questionable, his campaign tactics are not. Newt Gingrich is the Jedi Master of negative attacks. He beat on Bill Clinton with them relentlessly. Class is now in session, and Gingrich is going to show Mitt how it’s done.

Bringing the pain to the “King of Bain” is a necessary and overdue lesson. Even though all presidential candidates are rich, Obama is only celebrity rich. He has book money from projects that were sweetened by other writers. Romney got rich by spending money and making returns on it. It’s risky and not everyone likes it. As bad as this video may be for Romney, it will help to blunt future attacks by Obama. Gingrich’s people are even saving it for after New Hampshire. In South Carolina, Romney is going to lose anyway, so this video will have little real impact.

Mitt Romney has to sharpen his game when he becomes the nominee. Better that he taking a beating now than be murdered later.