Opinion: Romney: Pay Attention To What I Say, Not What I Do
In an effort to distract voters from his tax records, W. Mitt Romney launched a four pronged push back yesterday.
Romney's problem: each move revealed more about the problems with his floundering campaign than inspired fear in Team Obama.
First, he attempted to dazzle Americans with an array of Republican Governors in an event that looked like some sort of audition for a vice presidential reality show.
The real problem with the event exposed is that there is no strong vice presidential contender in the field.
Second, Team Romney went after Obama Campaign Manager Jim Messina about his use of personal emails in the White House, which would serve to keep the emails out of the public record.
However, Team Romney really takes more heat form an attack like this. It smacks of do as I say, not as I do. W. Mitt Romney has not met a record he did not try to destroy. Both at the Salt Lake City games and as Governor of Massachusetts records were destroyed and hard drive removed to protect Romney from any political embarrassment.
It makes Romney look foolish.
Third, Team Romney tapped the crisis communications manager for British Petroleum after the Gulf Spill to manage the re-introduction of Romney's record at Bain.
This is how bad it has gotten for Romney: he now sees his business record at Bain as the political equivalent of the worst oil spill in our history.
And the problems do not start and stop there. Michele Davis' resume also includes work on the Iraq war; Treasury during the economic collapse; and work as a lobbyist for Fannie Mae – a job Mr. Romney was specifically critical of during the GOP primary.
Michele Davis is also on record saying good things about the Obama economic team.
Four, Romney re-launched his very short on specifics economic plan (more detail on this in a column to come). In it, he cites the non-partisan group, which he later called a joke – after it concluded that Romney’s policies would create more US debt and higher middle class tax burdens than Obama’s.
If all this was not enough questionable strategy Romney went a step further. He challenged U.S. Senator Harry Reid for proof, going so far as to say, "put up or shut up". A standard of proof Mitt Romney would has steadfastly refused to meet.
While it is questionable if the "do as I say, not as I do" Romney routine is worse or not as bad as his American Borat tourist jaunt it makes you wonder: just what is Team Romney thinking in Boston? Is this the best advice Romney's money can buy? Can a man with a campaign in such disarray run the nation?
About Bill Buck
Bill Buck is a Democratic strategist, President of the Buck Communications Group, a media relations and new media strategies consulting business based in Washington, DC, and Managing Director of the online ad firm Influence DSP. He has over twenty years of international and national communications experience. The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of CBS Local.
