Thursday, August 09, 2012

SEE IF YOU CAN SPOT THE TWO-WORD GOP TALKING POINT

Politico story today:
...“[President Obama's] campaign and the people working with him, have focused almost exclusively on personal attacks,” Romney said during an appearance on former Education Secretary Bill Bennett’s radio show.
Breitbart headline, August 7:
LIKE-ABILITY? OBAMA CONTINUES PERSONAL ATTACKS WITH 'ROMNEY-HOOD' MOCK
Fox News headline, August 2:
Obama Escalates Personal Attacks on Romney
NewsMax headline for a David Limbaugh column, July 20:
Romney Firing Back at Obama's Personal Attacks
CNN headline, July 16:
Portman slams president for 'personal' attacks
Um, that's how Romney thinks he's going to gain ground in the polls? By saying "personal attacks"? Complaining that the attacks on his record and policies are attacks on him personally? Whining that the mean old Democrats are picking on him? Does he (or does the GOP noise machine) have focus-group research saying that "personal attacks" is a winner as a talking point? Seriously?

Or is this yet another example of Romney campaigning in a way that appeals only to the base? It's been obvious for years -- think of Nixon, think of Palin -- that right-wingers like right-wing pols who have a persecution complex. But the rest of the electorate doesn't respond to that. (Nixon had to appear positive and upbeat to get elected.)

Among the examples of "personal attacks" listed above, my favorite is from the Fox story:
"[Mitt Romney is] asking you to pay more so that people like him can get a big tax cut."
-- President Obama campaigning in Mansfield, Ohio, citing a Brookings Institution study on Romney’s tax plan.
That's a "personal attack"? If so, consider another version of the same point, as quoted from an Obama campaign event in the New York Times on August 2:
"He's asking you to pay more so that people like him can pay less," Mr. Obama said. "So that people like me pay less."
I guess the president is personally attacking Mitt Romney -- and himself. Shameful! I think Obama should ask Obama to stop these vicious personal attacks on Obama!

3 comments:

Victor said...

"Personal attacks?"
This from a campaign that is holding Donald Trump, he of the "Birther" nonsense, so close, they have to keep delousing themselves?

No.
It can't be!

Maybe the Romney campaign Mitt-spoke again?

Maybe it's just another Mitt-stake.

Or, more likely, just some more bullMitt.

Romney's campaing is starting to look like an unMittigated disaster.

Ok, that's enough for this hour of the morning.

Philo Vaihinger said...

Forgive the OT.

Drudge links to a story this morning in which Brown attacks efforts to get welfare recipients registered to vote as an effort to help Warren.

Remember Acorn?

And voter ID?

And pronouncements of numerous conservatives that variously identified groups of people at the bottom of the social pyramid ought not to be allowed to vote?

A few decades ago only the most shocking right wing loons would have dared to take such a line.

Now it's as characteristically Republican as the war on unions and public employees.

Their boldness is actually frightening.

We have come this far.

Tom Hilton said...

I saw a bit of one of his ads complaining about the President attacking him, and it just struck me as somewhere between "stop lying about my record" and a 99-lb. weakling complaining about the bully kicking sand in his face. I just can't see how that really appeals to anybody...base or not.