Green Room

Shades of 2008: Romney declares Rev. Wright linkage out of bounds

posted at 2:17 pm on May 17, 2012 by

Barack Obama has made it clear he will use any means necessary to win a second term as president. Contender Mitt Romeny made it just as clear today that he will not.

Guy Benson of Townhall.com reports that Romney, upon learning of a GOP super PAC’s plan to target the president’s 20-year association with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, said:

I repudiate the effort by that PAC to promote an ad strategy of the nature they’ve described.  I would like to see this campaign focus on the economy, on getting people back to work, on seeing rising incomes and growing prosperity—particularly for those in the middle class of America. And I think what we’ve seen so far from the Obama campaign is a campaign of character assassination. I hope that isn’t the course of this campaign. So in regards to that PAC, I repudiate what they’re thinking about … It’s interesting that we’re talking about some Republican PAC that wants to go after the president [on Wright]; I hope people also are looking at what he’s doing, and saying ‘why is he running an attack campaign?  Why isn’t he talking about his record?’

Paging, Sen. McCain: Your clone is ready!

Suppose for a moment that Team Obama were willing to play fair and run an honest, above-board campaign. That means not publishing a hit list of GOP donors or airing purely fictitious ads that, for example, fault Romney for actions taken by Bain Capital after he was no longer with the firm.

How would such actions disqualify Romney from asking, never mind chastening a PAC from asking, Obama about his two decades in the pews of a church that preaches black nationalism? How would they make it an act of “character assassination” to ask Obama about the dubious teachings of a pastor he has called his spiritual mentor?

Presumably, Romney’s lofty moral position would preclude his asking Obama aboutWright’s claim earlier this week that the Obama campaign offered him $150,000 in hush money after his free-wheeling National Press Club appearance in 2008.

 

It would have been well for Romney to make it clear much earlier on in the campaign season that he planned to repeat the fatal error made by candidate John McCain made in 2008. Now that the GOP is effectively stuck with Romney, let’s hope he has the cojonesto stoop down to Obama’s level and meet him on his own terms.

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Because Romney is BEST served talking about The Economy.

The Economy, The Economy, The Economy.

In case you didn’t notice, Howard, EVERYONE knew about Wright in 2008 and nO ONE CARED because they were too concerned with The Economy.

CoolCzech on May 17, 2012 at 2:39 PM

Is Romney willing to call Obama “Hussein” or is that out of bounds as well?

Buckshot Bill on May 17, 2012 at 2:39 PM

Look, it might have been wise for McCain to go after O for his ties to Wright, Ayers, Dohrn, et al but it makes no sense whatsoever for Romney to do this. First, it’s old news that nobody except us cares about. Second, unlike McCain, Romney has a stellar private sector resume’ to run on. Frankly I’d be more interested in pursuing O’s link to Eric Whitaker than Wright at this point, but even that should be done outside of the Romney campaign.

Buy Danish on May 17, 2012 at 2:44 PM

So 20 years spent by an adult with a spiritual mentor who says “God damn America” is out of bounds, but what a 17 year old may have done once, 46 years ago, is perfectly acceptable to be a campaign issue.

Got it.

rbj on May 17, 2012 at 2:46 PM

rbj on May 17, 2012 at 2:46 PM

You’re conflating two entirely different issues – what the Romney campaign wants to make an issue (or does not want in this case) versus what the media wants to make a issue (which is what you’re talking about).

Buy Danish on May 17, 2012 at 2:53 PM

Every time Obama’s cronies try something like the Mormon card, there needs to be a response like bringing up Wright.

And then, afterwards, Romney should come forward and say he’d rather not get into stuff like that in the campaign, and just wants to focus on the economy.

malclave on May 17, 2012 at 3:00 PM

Just keeping the rumor going regarding the possibility of a Wright ad will be sufficient to keep the Obama campaign chasing ghosts….. with little or no cost to the GOP. If Klien’s recordings are anything to go by, Wright has a bit of a grudge that will only grow with Axlerod’s hysteria. Wright wants to be relevant not considered a diversion. Keep it going long enough, and Wright will implode very publicly all by himself.

2nd Ammendment Mother on May 17, 2012 at 3:02 PM

From National Review:

Mitt Romney raised millions in March by warning would-be donors a brokered convention could mean a Huckabee-Palin ticket

Did Romney ever denounce his campaign fundraiser who was raising money for him by attacking Palin and Huckabee in NY? Or given that neither of them were running against him, are they not out-of-bounds?

Buckshot Bill on May 17, 2012 at 3:03 PM

First, it’s old news that nobody except us cares about.

I agree, but there is no reason to cut the Obama campaign slack by announcing this in advance.

Howard Portnoy on May 17, 2012 at 3:12 PM

If you ask me (and since you aren’t, I’m going to tell you anyway), it is great strategy on Team Romney’s part.

“We are talking about the things that matter. That other guy’s folks are still talking about dogs on car roofs and cutting surfer’s hair 50 years ago”.

It makes Obama look small and petty (as he is).

It really isn’t about feigning some Moral High Ground approach (like McCain).

Rather, it is about making Obama look stupid by comparison.

RightWay79 on May 17, 2012 at 3:17 PM

I agree, but there is no reason to cut the Obama campaign slack by announcing this in advance.
Howard Portnoy on May 17, 2012 at 3:12 PM

Hannity et al will keep talking about it, but Romney doesn’t want to make the campaign about Rev. Wright so Mitt has to cut it off now before it becomes an unstoppable meme distracting from the issues he wants to focus on.

Buy Danish on May 17, 2012 at 3:25 PM

It is different from McCain because in 2008 we were talking about a cipher to all but those paying close attention, who could then be painted as anything the swing voters wanted him to be.

McCain not hammering Obama on Wright meant the swing voters really didn’t get hit with anything that was long-term negative about Obama, because all the problems of the day were being blamed on Bush (Harry and Nancy notwithstanding, and the big media certainly wasn’t going to blame them). Reality has set in for the moderates right now, and it benefits Romney to make sure the swing voters get the economic reasons for not voting for Obama again drilled into their heads and not get off on side-issues.

jon1979 on May 17, 2012 at 3:34 PM

Time for me to get out the Magic Marker and update the “WE’RE SCREWED – ’08″ bumper sticker still on my car.

fulldroolcup on May 17, 2012 at 5:25 PM

Yeah, that plan worked so well for President McCain…

RoadRunner on May 17, 2012 at 5:47 PM

I actually don’t think Romney is motivated by an abstract idea of gentlemanliness here. Not that he doesn’t have one, but I think he’s trying to immunize himself against the lefty theme — no doubt soon to be deployed in some shabby back-door manner — that Romney was a Mormon during the period when blacks weren’t allowed to have high positions in LDS leadership.

Pushing on principle for a higher tone in the public dialogue on the presidential candidates puts Romney on the right side of the “nyaah-nyaah-your-religion” theme: just don’t go there.

J.E. Dyer on May 17, 2012 at 5:59 PM

Romney was a Mormon during the period when blacks weren’t allowed to have high positions in LDS leadership.

You make a valid point, but didn’t the Dems already bring this up in connection with Romney’s polygamous ancestry? (He not only belongs to a religion where marriage was once defined as something other than a union of a single man and woman–whoops!–but one that was racist.)

Howard Portnoy on May 17, 2012 at 6:17 PM

I think this was a set-up to give Romney the chance to “repudiate” the strategy while at the same time putting Wright back in the discussion. Everybody is reminded of Wright but Romney can claim the high ground, which helps with Independents and moderate Dems. Do not underestimate Romney.

cicerone on May 18, 2012 at 10:28 AM

Yeah. Mittens is gonna lose just like McShamnesty.

Quartermaster on May 22, 2012 at 8:18 PM