Saturday, September 29, 2012

Romney Campaign A Train Wreck

All the pundits  -  imcluding a lot of GOP ones  -  agree that Romney is the worst candidate ever.

What hasn't been as widely noted is that he's also got the worst campaign ever. Let's count the cars as his campaign train inexorably plunges off the tracks, noting that this train's engineer is a much-touted organization man. Really?

1. Romney's campaign is almost out of money.  His super pacs have some large amount but have to pay five times the TV ad rate charged to candidates.  Paying five times as much is not a good business practice!  Obama by contrast has a goodly sum in his own campaign account  -  thanks to you!  -  and can get the cheaper rate.

2.  Romney and Ryan spent yesterday in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, two states they have already lost.  All the GOP experts have been screaming at Romney to campaign where it matters.  Instead he is now headed for Texas, which he has already won.  Why this wasting of their last precious days?  Answer:  They are trying to raise money.  How could a vaunted money man like Romney be in such a financial pickle?

3. The Republican National Committee HIRED people to do voter registration of Republicans.  Turns out the GOP hired a firm run by a guy who already had a record of being accused of conducting registration fraud.  So the GOP and the Romney campaign did a lousy job checking him out.  His outfit has now been caught submitting blatantly fraudulent forms in counties all across Florida and is now under criminal investigation.  Instantly the GOP fired the firm even though it was doing GOP voter registration in other states besides Florida.  Thus, in key states,  the GOP/Romney effort has NO voter registration drive in the last ten days allowed.  What a way to run a business!  And it was the GOP that enacted voter suppression laws to protect against "voter fraud"!  Chutzpah to the max!

4.  Romney and the GOP don't have the volunteers.  That's what Item 3 tells us.  They had to PAY people to do what Democrats get done by volunteers.  This is not only a waste of money but a clear signal that either the grassroots GOP still don't like Romney or that Romney's organization failed to reach out to grassroots volunteers. Neither speaks well for the Romney campaign.

5.  Romney's campaign is flailing around and unfocused. It's a new "issue" every day. Like throwing spaghetti against the wall and hoping some if it will stick.  If this is coming from his advisers, it's bad advice. If it's his idea, then his staff is failing to tell him that he's just looking desperate.  A presidential campaign is not a food fight.

6. Romney's campaign is scheduling him for smaller and smaller venues and picking weird audiences to fill the seats.  Example: he's just met with veterans, and these were very old veterans. They are not going to run out and start doing precinct work.  They can't run anywhere!  They are too old to walk precincts!  (I'm 76 and know what I'm talking about.)  Also Romney just did an event with the cadets at the famed Virginia military academy.  These kids can't leave the base and go out and work for a candidate.  If the campaign wants to "rev up the troops", as we say in politics, it has to go where the troops are actually available to do something with the "rev".  Is this the Romney version of the waning days of the Civil War when the Confederates threw the kids and old men into the fight?

7. Can we conclude that Romney just can't draw a big crowd?  Is that why he's appearing at enclosed meetings with vets and cadets?  Can't his advance team pull together a decent-sized crowd?  Obama isn't getting 40,000 as in 2008, but he's had some rallies in the 20,000 to 30,000 range this year.  Romney hasn't.  Not by a long shot.

Well, that's enough cars falling off the track for now.  There will certainly be more.  I'll be happy to keep you up to date on the Great Romney Train Wreck!

                                                            *****************

Hey, Romney!  As your train teeters off the track at an ever faster rate, you might just throw those tax returns out the window so we have something to remember you by.  For now, all that will endure as a symbol of your campaign is that empty chair!  And, yes, Mitt, unlike jet planes, trains have windows that open.  Toss 'em, baby, toss 'em!        

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