Why Romney needs to talk about himself
I mentioned in a brief comment yesterday that Mitt Romney has to do more than attack President Obama’s record if he’s to win this election. He has to convince voters he’s a credible alternative they can trust with the job.
I planned to expound on that thought in a future blog post, but Sean Trende of Real Clear Politics beat me to the punch.
Trende begins his piece — worth reading in its entirety — by noting some key findings of a recent Pew poll:
- Just 8 percent of registered voters say they need to know more about Obama.
- More than three times as many, 28 percent, say they need to know more about Romney.
Specifically, Trende writes, among the voters most likely to still be making up their minds, independents,
… 42 percent say they want to know more about his record as governor, 37 percent want to know more about his record as CEO of Bain Capital, and 35 percent want to know more about his tax returns. Just 21 percent of independents want to know more about his wealth, 19 percent want to know more about his family and upbringing, and 16 percent want to know more about his religious beliefs.”
This, Trende explains, is indicative of the kind of election which is a referendum on the incumbent. In such contests, he says, voters ask themselves two questions: “First, do I want the president to be re-elected? Second, is the challenger so unacceptable that I simply can’t bring myself to vote for him?”
Almost all voters have made up their minds about Obama, so question 2 is clearly in play at this point. And yet, the Romney campaign is spending almost its time and money attacking Obama rather than explaining who Romney is — leaving it to the Obama campaign to define Romney on its own. Negatively, of course.
Trende theorizes that Obama’s negative ads may not have moved the needle in opinion polls yet because undecided voters are waiting to hear what Romney has to say about himself.
Right or wrong about that last point — I’m not really sure — Trende is spot-on correct about the rest in my view. Pointing out that the economy is still stagnant is fine, but it’s inadequate. Romney has to explain who he is, what he wants to do, and how the former proves he can accomplish the latter.
There will be opportunities to do that: The Republican Party’s convention late next month will (or should) be a time for the GOP to burnish Romney’s image and tell his story. The question is whether he can wait until Labor Day to begin defining himself. I tend to think not.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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385 comments Add your comment
JamVet
July 26th, 2012
10:53 am
Who backs Hollyweird?
Answer: Movie addicted, violence adicted cons.
Ironic.
Hypocritical.
Hysterical.
How Inciteful Is That!
July 26th, 2012
10:54 am
And since she was addressing someone in the media, Inciteful, Ann Romney’s comment was entirely appropriate.
And in my case, applauded.
But please, provide any proof you may feel shows otherwise.
I shant be holding my breath waiting.
Was I actually quoting someone in my 10:44! I hadn’t noticed. And did she really say “You people in the media…”
Oh please, hold your breath, Tiberius, whilst I proceed to inquire.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
July 26th, 2012
10:56 am
Yeah, ’cause states that send so much money to Washington shouldn’t try to get as much of that back.
Let’s just have it taken and allow it to go to another state.
Pathetic, Inciteful. I suggest you bone up on taxes and appropriations to learn how that process works.
Rafe Hollister, suffering through Oblamer's ineptocracy
July 26th, 2012
11:01 am
Inciteful
We need to do a better job getting money from Washington,”
Yep, the job of a governor is to put his bucket under the spigot, while it is flowing freely.
The job of a President, is to turn off or slow down the spigot. That is what Obama is missing and Romney understands.
@@
July 26th, 2012
11:11 am
Rightwing Troll:
” we NEED someone with business experience right now, someone who has experience balancing the books.”
Exactly… cause you know, the last CEO president did so well, and left office with this country in great shape.
schnirt
It’s obvious that my signature “schnirt” is a word that matters to you and a coupl’a others?
Too funny! Originality is not your strong suit.
How Inciteful Is That!
July 26th, 2012
11:18 am
And the job of the Olympic lobbyist is to… create jobs in Burma making Olympic uniforms using federal tax dollars. Of course! Once an outsourcer always an outsourcer. It’s in Mitt’s blood.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
July 26th, 2012
11:18 am
Originality from a lib, @@?
Surely you jest!
These folks have had their ability to think independently from what the State has told them drummed out of them years ago.
Cut and paste wonders, they are.
How Inciteful Is That!
July 26th, 2012
11:21 am
And Tiberius and Rafe continue to support their hypocrite lobbyist, Mitt. That is the same Mitt that attacked Gingrich and Santorum for their lobbyist efforts.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
July 26th, 2012
11:29 am
“And the job of the Olympic lobbyist is to… create jobs in Burma making Olympic uniforms using federal tax dollars.”
You DO realize that the Salt Lake Organizing Committee and the US Olympic Committee are two different organizations, don’t you, Inciteful?
Of course you didn’t!
Which is why you didn’t know that the Organizing Committee headed up by Mitt Romney organized the games and the venues, while the Olympic Committee takes care of the athletes – INCLUDING their uniforms.
Facts are such troublesome things to you, aren’t they?
How Inciteful Is That!
July 26th, 2012
11:31 am
Mitt has agreed to give rights to produce his upcoming movie, “The Adventures of Mittward Scissorhands in the Land of Shredded Douments,” to a little known company headquartered in the Cayman Islands. Details to you people are not likely to follow.
Obama/Biden 2012
July 26th, 2012
11:31 am
If Romney is so proud of his success as a business man, then why is he hiding his tax returns?
How Inciteful Is That!
July 26th, 2012
11:32 am
You do realize that “lobbyist” is not an Olympic event, do you not, Tiberius.
How Inciteful Is That!
July 26th, 2012
11:33 am
Facts elude you, Tiberius.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
July 26th, 2012
11:33 am
“And Tiberius and Rafe continue to support their hypocrite lobbyist, Mitt. That is the same Mitt that attacked Gingrich and Santorum for their lobbyist efforts.”
And were either of them lobbying on behalf of their state, Inciteful?
Of course they weren’t!
Again, research taxes and appropriations, Inciteful. You might actually LEARN SOMETHING.
And tell us what might happen to a governor whose policy it was to simply let Washington D.C. keep all the taxes taken from their state.
Won’t hold my breath on that answer, either.
Bruno
July 26th, 2012
11:34 am
But he has never been the GOP choice. He still isn’t the GOP choice.
TRUTH–I can’t deny your statement. At best, Romney was my third choice for Pres among the Republican candidates, but is definitely my first choice when stacked up against Obama.
Like Kyle, my first choice among all of the candidates who were running was Newt. Somehow, someway, I believe that Romney is a more palatable choice from the Left side of the aisle. In the future, I’ll likely be backing Governor Christie from my home state of NJ. He is smart, compassionate and a straight shooter.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
July 26th, 2012
11:35 am
“If Romney is so proud of his success as a business man, then why is he hiding his tax returns?”
Because they’re none of your damned business, Obama/Biden.
What part of that do you NOT understand?
Bruno
July 26th, 2012
11:36 am
Ironic.
Hypocritical.
Hysterical.
….
Originality from a lib, @@?
What kind of a blog would this be without all of the insults??
the cat
July 26th, 2012
11:36 am
Romeny will not be the nominee so who will take his place? Ron Paul? Michelle Bachman?
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
July 26th, 2012
11:37 am
You DO realize your 11:32 and 11:33 were unresponsive answers, don’t you, Inciteful?
Once again, I accept your surrender.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
July 26th, 2012
11:39 am
“Romeny will not be the nominee so who will take his place?”
People should stop drinking during the morning hours, the cat.
Just a little advice.
MadMax
July 26th, 2012
11:39 am
Inciteful – you did see the latest jobs report for Ga? Back over 9% and that doesn’t include the given up. Apparently you think Romney’s tax returns is the most burning issue? It’s the economy!
I demand to see Cheesy Grits Birth Certificate- Long Form Please
July 26th, 2012
11:41 am
Because they’re none of your damned business, Obama/Biden
Actually if the man is going to be President.
THEY ARE MY BUSINESS.
The American people have a right to know if their President is a crook.
Sound familiar.
Obama/Biden 2012
July 26th, 2012
11:42 am
@Tiberius- Well his father George Romney thought it was the American peoples business when he released 10 years worth of tax returns. What is Mitt Romney hiding?
@@
July 26th, 2012
11:43 am
Tiberius:
During GWB’s two terms, the AJC’s liberals were downright angry that he wouldn’t change his direction in National Defense. But it’s okay with them when Obama “evolves” to GWB’s way of thinking.
AJC liberals are weird.
How Inciteful Is That!
July 26th, 2012
11:44 am
Tiberius continues to surrender to me as though he thinks I shall accept. Please do continue to defend your Republican candidate for president. I cannot accept your surrender so long as you have breath in you to defend him for such comic relief is not something to be sacrificed lightly.
How Inciteful Is That!
July 26th, 2012
11:48 am
Apparently you think Romney’s tax returns is the most burning issue? It’s the economy!
Sounds more like Georgia’s Republican party needs to focus on jobs in their next campaign, like they did back in 2010. And where is Romney’s birth certificate. Is it stashed away in the Caymans too!
MadMax
July 26th, 2012
11:49 am
How is releasing tax returns in excess of what is required going to help us find a leader that can turn the economy around. All you’re going to find is that he was successful and he adhered to the law (we have an agency called the IRS for that and if you think that they give the 1%’s a free pass you are really living in the clouds ). You do realize he was in “private” partnerships and releasing his returns without editing would expose his partners to public scrutiny that they did not agree to? He’s complied all he needs to and it’s time to focus on real issues like is the current guy capable and why?
I demand to see Cheesy Grits Birth Certificate- Long Form Please
July 26th, 2012
11:55 am
All you’re going to find is that he was successful
At avoiding paying taxes and stashing money overseas.
Dirty little secret is that the ultra rich is this country have learned how to game the system and pay very very little in taxes.
Your average American pays a much higher percentage of his or her salary in taxes than does Romney and his kind.
That dont wont that secret out under any circumstances. If he has to show those returns and how little he actually did pay in taxes ( Cayman Islands etc ) people are going to be very upset.
There is a reason he isn’t releasing them and that’s the biggest one.
Obama/Biden 2012
July 26th, 2012
11:58 am
@MadMax – Romney couldn’t help create jobs in Massachusettes, so how is he going to turn around 50 states job picture? Answer: He can’t. And Romney created more jobs in India, China and Mexico then he did here in the United States. I’ll pass on Romney
MadMax
July 26th, 2012
11:59 am
I demand to see Cheesy Grits Birth Certificate- Long Form Please
July 26th, 2012
11:55 am
And I demand to see Obama’s agenda for fixing the economy. He’s been in office for over 3 years and he still doesn’t have a plan. When he comes up with one than maybe Mitt will release his return.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
July 26th, 2012
11:59 am
“THEY ARE MY BUSINESS.
The American people have a right to know if their President is a crook.”
And if you have any evidence whatsoever, Cheesy grits, bring it.
But if the IRS doesn’t have any, you’re not going to find any in his tax returns, either.
Peeping Tom.
Obama/Biden 2012
July 26th, 2012
12:02 pm
I’m sorry but if you’re running for President of the United States then you shouldn’t be HIDING things from the American voters.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
July 26th, 2012
12:03 pm
“Well his father George Romney thought it was the American peoples business when he released 10 years worth of tax returns.”
And in case you missed it, Mitt’s first name isn’t George. That particular Romney has left this earth. So it doesn’t really matter in 2012, except to a bunch of Peeping Tom liberals who can’t focus on their own incumbent’s record because it is so woeful.
Romney is rich.
Get over it.
tiredofIT
July 26th, 2012
12:06 pm
If Romney’s claim to fame is business and balancing the “books”, perhaps he should run for congress since they are responsible for spending.
MadMax
July 26th, 2012
12:08 pm
Obama/Biden 2012
July 26th, 2012
11:58 am
Please show me the community organizers plan to create jobs and get the economy moving, I think he has had long enough to study the problem to come up with an intelligent solution. At least we know that Romney has some idea how to run a large organization successfully. All of Obamas experience was about seeing the government as an unlimited supply of grant money. He is totally unprepared for figuring out how tto generate the revenue to keep up with the spending.
I demand to see Cheesy Grits Birth Certificate- Long Form Please
July 26th, 2012
12:09 pm
But if the IRS doesn’t have any, you’re not going to find any in his tax returns, either.
Then why not release them ?
Every other candidate and President have.
Why not Romney ?
Obama/Biden 2012
July 26th, 2012
12:09 pm
@Tiberius Well its not just “Peeping Tom liberals” who are demanding that Mittens release his tax returns. The governor of Alabama and Texas have told him to release them. As well as Haley Barbour, Ron Paul, Bill Kristol, and many other CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICANS have said so on record.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
July 26th, 2012
12:09 pm
“Romney couldn’t help create jobs in Massachusettes, so how is he going to turn around 50 states job picture? Answer: He can’t. And Romney created more jobs in India, China and Mexico then he did here in the United States.”
Is there any wonder that the blogger who takes the name of the single most lying campaign in the history of this nation, can’t tell the truth in their comments?
We’ve already learned that the Massachusetts unemployment rate was in the top third of the states when Romney was governor, and that it dropped from 6+% to 4+% during his term. So that is Obama’s first lie.
We’ve already leaned that Bain Capital did outsource jobs to other countries, but that it’s record under Romney’s leadership was not one of outsourcing but of job creation and saving in the U.S. Obama’s second lie.
Obama/Biden? Next time try facts, rather than DNC talking points which have already been debunked for months.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
July 26th, 2012
12:11 pm
“Then why not release them ?”
Because some people smarter than you refuse to give you more useless talking points to attack his wealth.
‘Cause that’s all you’ve got, Cheesy Grits.
How Inciteful Is That!
July 26th, 2012
12:11 pm
According to the Boston Globe, Securites and Exchange Commission documents filed by Bain Capital after February 1999 list Romney as the private equity firm’s “stole stockholder, chairman of the board, chief executive officer, and president.”
Uh Oh.
How Inciteful Is That!
July 26th, 2012
12:12 pm
The Globe also found financial disclosure forms filed by Romney that indicate he still owned 100 percent of Bain in 2002, and earned at least $100,000 as an “executive” for the firm in 2001 and 2002.
More Uh Oh.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
July 26th, 2012
12:13 pm
“The governor of Alabama and Texas have told him to release them. As well as Haley Barbour, Ron Paul, Bill Kristol,”
Please tell us how many successful national campaigns for elected office any of the above have run / won?
And why should Romney be listening to them?
Or to you?
Obama/Biden 2012
July 26th, 2012
12:13 pm
@MadMax – Just because you’re uninformed and don’t know what the President’s jobs plan is, doesn’t mean the rest of American is in the dark. Turn off Faux News and turn to a real news program and educate yourself. The President has been talking about the US economy and jobs programs for the past 3 and a half years. WAKE UP. Just because republicans oppose everything he has put forth doesn’t mean that it isn’t there.
@@
July 26th, 2012
12:14 pm
Did anybody see Tom Coburn on Greta last night? It would appear the federal government’s “jobs training programs” are suckin’ wind AND tax dollars.
Coburn’s report states duplicative and wasteful federal programs don’t help job seekers or employers in Oklahoma despite costing $164 million per year
He said with all the administration’s talk about eliminating duplicate programs, absolutely nothing has been done to follow thru on that commitment.
How Inciteful Is That!
July 26th, 2012
12:15 pm
As The Huffington Post reported, sworn testimony given by Romney in 2002 undermined his claims that he left Bain in 1999. In that testimony, given as part of a hearing to determine if he had sufficient Massachusetts residency to run for governor, Romney said that he “remained on the board” of the LifeLike Co., which Bain held a stake in at the time.
LifeLike’s 2000 corporate filing, filed with the state of Colorado, lists Romney as a director.
Uh Oh again.
I demand to see Cheesy Grits Birth Certificate- Long Form Please
July 26th, 2012
12:15 pm
Romney is rich.
But how did he get rich ?
When you run for public office you give up certain private things and your finances are one of them.
Sorry your argument doesn’t hold water.
He knows people will be very upset when they see how much money he stashed overseas and how little he paid in taxes. Nothing illegal about it. Just not going to be very popular with Joe 6 pack. Either way this isn’t going away and coupled with Bain mean almost certain defeat for Romney.
He already had a tough road against Obama. Electoral college maps show Romney must win almost every toss up state to barely win. All Obama needs is one or two of them.
Unless Obama blows it in the debates ( which is highly unlikely ) he will win.
Obama/Biden 2012
July 26th, 2012
12:16 pm
@Tiberius – Mitt Romney can’t even tell the truth of how long he worked at Bain Capital – the company HE CREATED! And why was the state of Massachusettes 47th in job growth under Governor Romney? 47th!!! Those are facts not talking points.
How Inciteful Is That!
July 26th, 2012
12:16 pm
HuffPost’s Jason Cherkis and Ryan Grim identified at least six documents filed by Bain Capital with the SEC from 1999 to 2001 that were signed by Mitt Romney. Most of the documents refer to Romney as the “reporting person.”
At least he was only a “reporting person” in those cases.
Goldie
July 26th, 2012
12:17 pm
Etch-A-Sketch says: “Move along… nothing to see here!”
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
July 26th, 2012
12:17 pm
“The Globe also found financial disclosure forms filed by Romney that indicate he still owned 100 percent of Bain in 2002, and earned at least $100,000 as an “executive” for the firm in 2001 and 2002.”
Minor problem, Inciteful.
Romney never owned 100% of Bain Capital.
The Boston Globe is a shill for the local Democrat party, and has been for my entire lifetime. NOT a credible source of facts.