Could a 'more Mitt' strategy save Romney's flailing campaign?
Mitt Romney's campaign is signaling yet another reboot, this time putting the candidate himself front and center in an attempt to show voters that he owns his platforms
Get ready for Mitt Romney 13.0, says Joe Gandelman at The Moderate Voice. After a brutal three weeks, Team Romney is once more hitting "a Reset button about to break from overuse." The thinking behind this campaign reboot — at least the second one announced this week — is to put Romney himself out there more, featuring the candidate in more TV ads and ramping up his campaign appearances while cutting down on closed-door fundraising events. In other words, says Politico: "More Mitt." The strategy has its risks — "as any Romney insider will tell you, Romney's biggest problem the past two weeks has been Romney." But as one top adviser tells Politico, "He has to own his message for people, especially women, to buy the messenger." Is this the formula that can finally get Romney squarely back into the race?
Of course Romney needs to step out more: This new strategy, if Team Romney sticks with it, seems "blindingly obvious," says Ed Morrissey at Hot Air. Romney has a compelling message for voters, and "the time for surrogates to make that pitch is over." He doesn't even need the media to go along with this reboot: With his super PACs and war chest, he has the cash to air his message himself, unfiltered. So it's about time: "Team Romney has a fevah — and the only prescription is More Romney."
"Romney campaign to roll out its secret weapon — Mitt"
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The more Mitt, the worse things will get: There are no obvious fixes for this floundering White House bid, says Jed Lewison at Daily Kos, "but I'm pretty darn sure that more of Mitt Romney isn't the solution." He has already been owning his message — he stood by his "47 percent" blunder and his naked play to exploit the Egypt and Libya attacks for political gain — and it's been a political disaster. "Obviously, it would be a bit weird for a presidential candidate to spend a majority of his time campaigning behind closed doors," but that might be Romney's best option.
"Romney campaign leaks yet another plan to re-release Mr. 47%"
This is a good plan, but the clock's ticking: The Romney campaign is handling its (latest) 'relaunch' pretty well so far," says Mark Halperin at TIME. The media is looking for a new narrative, and the newly "fired up and ready to go" Romney is primed for a comeback story. But as the Man from Bain knows, results matter: "If the polls don't turn after a Twitter-generation decent interval, there will be more bad stories about the failure of Romney's latest reinvention."
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