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November 23, 2011 09:29 PM UTC

What's "Fair Game" For Romney...

  • 49 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

The Colorado Independent’s Scot Kersgaard:

“if we keep talking about the economy, we’re going to lose.”

With those words, Mitt Romney launches an ad campaign against President Obama. In the already famous ad, Romney uses video of Obama saying “if we keep talking about the economy, we’re going to lose.”

What the ad doesn’t tell you is that when Obama said those words he was quoting the John McCain campaign. Romney’s camp says there is nothing unfair about the ad…

We don’t really follow the logic by which using footage of your opponent quoting an opponent, with no context, is in any way “fair.” And we don’t buy the implication from this story that such things are fully expected by the voting public and not a big deal–just as one example, look at the damage the charges of misleading campaign ads did in the recent Denver mayoral race. If Romney’s already-problematic public image as a flip-flopper is weighed down with incidents of straight-up deception in his campaign ads, that’s not going to help people learn to trust him.

To wit, Kersgaard suggests an hilarious rejoinder from Think Progress (follows). Also a poll.

Can politicians now get away with this level of deception?

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Comments

49 thoughts on “What’s “Fair Game” For Romney…

  1. and most voters are remarkably ill informed, so it will work for him. It especially will work for those Rs in IA and NH who might think Romney is too “nice” to play with the big boys. But, given the response that I saw yesterday in a spook ad I think when it gets to the general Romney will revert

  2. Here’s your key point:

    If Romney’s already-problematic public image as a flip-flopper is weighed down with incidents of straight-up deception in his campaign ads, that’s not going to help people learn to trust him.

    Negative campaigning works, but the tactic always carries risks that become more acute when people have a negative impression of the messenger. Romney’s people are crowing today that the ad ‘worked’ in driving the conversation and drawing Obama into a confrontation, but my hunch is that the Obama people were more than willing to pivot the attack from the economy to a controversy over Romney’s honesty. After I saw the Colorado GOP try to hit Obama as a flip-flopper, I’m wondering if Republicans are fully aware of Romney’s liabilities.

    We’ll see, won’t we?

    1. This was out of context in terms of Obama’s 2008 meaning, but it’s an ironically factual statement for his campaign today. That’s why it’s being used on him now, and it’s not really very deceptive at all if you look at it that way. The voters will get the joke!

      How many promises did Obama make about this economy that he has not kept? The answer is many, too many. That’s what this ad is about.

      1. The ad is pure Mitt Romney awesomesauce !

        I don’t think you’re an idiotic dick either, and I don’t think Romney is a pathalogical liar. I also think the US economy is doing so well because all of those tax cuts, and that you are so, so much more than a mindless hack.

        Have a happy Thanksgiving.

        1. if Eric Cantor wasn’t in the Capitol selflessly doing every day doing what he does our US sovereign debt rating would still be speculative grade.

          If he weren’t there rolling up his sleeves and getting things done we’d still be wallowing somewhere down there with Greece and Pakistan.

          Whew, crisis averted !  Pass the gravy boat.

          1. ” If Mitt Romney can believe in Urim and Thummim I can believe in Mitt Romney ”

            ” If Mitt Romney can believe in Urim and Thummim I can believe in Mitt Romney ”

            ” If Mitt Romney can believe in Urim and Thummim I can believe in Mitt Romney ”

            That makes it a lot easier.

      2. Not that reality will have any bearing on the Republican Party of 2012.

        Obama also does not go around the world apologizing for America, nor does he think America is a lesser nation in the world. Have I missed any other central themes of the Romney campaign that are premised on total BS and smears?

        By the way, the accusation that Obama has “broken promises” on the economy makes about as much sense as saying the flood victims broke promises about the weather.

      3. Thanks for declaring it fair game to take a quote out of context to imply the exact opposite — like Obama saying if his Republican opponent would lose if the economy was the topic, so Romney splices the quote to imply Obama is saying the exact opposite.

        See my sig line, which has you saying the exact opposite of what you meant by splicing (a) your expressed opinion about Romney’s nomination odds and (b) another quote from you about Obama. Enjoy being quoted trashing Romney, jackass.

      4. Last night, on CNN, ABC Nightly News and PBS News Hour, this ad was featured as one of the main evening stories and called “a lie.” Usually, the press doesn’t even bother these days to debunk misleading political ads but it was top news last night.

        I can’t remember the last time I’ve heard “lie” tossed around. Usually, you get the politically polite “factually incorrect” bullshit but flat out lie? That’s a sweet rarity these days.

        And let’s face it–more people watch tv than read so reading that this ad is a lie on a blog or in a newspaper doesn’t reach anywhere near the audience it reached when it hit MSM TV last night.

        Issues of Romney’s credibility here are what are at stake. That ad may work for him in a primary and it probably will. However, why do people, on both sides of the aisle, tend to forget Political Lessons 101–that after the primary comes the general and shit like this tends to come back to haunt you down the road?  

  3. If Romney’s already-problematic public image as a flip-flopper is weighed down with incidents of straight-up deception in his campaign ads, that’s not going to help people learn to trust him.

    Isn’t that the whole intent of the “I’m a Mormon” campaign?  Mitt Romney as Prez would revert to the pragmatic (moderate) Romney, which will drive the Fundies crazy so that would almost be worth it.

      1. It’s no coincidence the “I’m a Mormon” campaign is running at the same time as Mitt.  The whole reason they even need to run it is because Fundie Christians don’t like Mormonism. I would have no problem voting for a Mormon, how intolerant of me.

  4. I completely agree with Pols:

    Independents don’t trust a liar.

    Independents don’t trust a flip-flopper.

    This ad is a gift to the Obama campaign.  Thank you. Can we have another?

    1. Mitt “That’s My Real First Name” Romney wants to be known as the guy who lies about everything.

      It’s a way to get the fundamentalists to stop talking about his religion.

      3) Profit!

            1. tell it the Presbyterians.  Or the evangelical Lutheran Church. United Methodists.  Southern Baptists.

              None of which accept Mormonism as Christian.  I know, I know, but the Mormons say they are Christian

              Which is hardly the point.  If the Southern baptists on;y want to vote for a Christian candidate, it’s not the candidates self identification that is going to carry the day. It’s going to be the voter’s opinion. Maybe most of the voters will ignore their reverend or minister or whatever they have.   Maybe not.  They never have before, but hey, it could happen.

              1. I see they have brought in the reverend to make sure the faithful understands that it’s OK to vote for the infidel…but, just this one time.

                After all, Obama is a secret Muslim, remember? That business of attending a Christian church for decades and praying,through Christ, to the god of Abraham (I think that’s right.) was just a clever ruse to deceive the voters.

                We need to keep reminding our Christian friends of Urim and Thummim. (Thanks, Fidel’s dirt nap).

  5. I believe this was the 10th debate so far and nothing too exciting had happened in the primary in recent days. The media was starving for something new to talk about and Romney gave it to them. Had this been released just before the first debate then I doubt the media would have taken notice, but you can only talk whether Herman Cain know Libya is a country for so long. The media grasped onto the fact that Romney lied and no candidate is hated more by voters than a liar.  

  6. “look at the damage the charges of misleading campaign ads did in the recent Denver mayoral race.”

    You could fool me.  I wouldn’t have considered that to have been an important factor in that race.

    More generally, I am deeply skeptical of the claim that campaign ads have much impact at all, especially this early.

    Romney’s ad isn’t cricket, but I have doubts about whether it matters much.

  7. His campaign is pretty clear about it. They imagine that if every news story says “Romney ad totally lies about Obama,” voters will hear just “Romney…Obama” and then Romney gets associated directly with the general election and can skip all this primary nonsense.  

    1. Romney knows he’s heading into the general election with 80 percent of Republicans preferring someone else — to the point where they’re making front-runners of Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich, two completely unelectable candidates. Not even John McCain had so many Republicans sad about the prospect of his nomination.

      If only Romney can persuade Republicans he isn’t just willing to change every position he’s ever held, but that he can lie with the best of them, maybe there’s hope.

  8. the GOP had nominees who had actually accomplished something in their lives. Ike, Nixon, George Herbert Walker Bush, Bob Dole, McCain. Now we have shills pushing a candidate who ran (well) the winter Olympics, won a campaign to be governor of Mass, had a company responsible for taking away jobs from many, many men and women. And, that appears to be the candidate who is the least repulsive to the GOP.

    The last successful candidate for the GOP had little more to recommend him, but he did get elected and then selected. George Bush’s main qualifications were that he had been elected Gov of TX twice, executed many, took a lot of property through eminent domain for his ball team, drank with some expertise-then gave it up, failed in the oil biz because he had no skill (only his daddy’s name).

    Am I missing something?

    I’ll take our candidate who has been busy trying to fill the hole left by George Bush when he gave us 2 rounds of unfunded tax cuts, unfunded prescription drug programs, 2 (two) unfunded and unjustifiable wars, a reputation (deserved) for torture.

    George Bush did 1 (one) thing worthy of praise. He funded programs to combat malaria and AIDS in Africa. Next week he undertakes a well deserved trip to Africa where he’ll be widely recognized for those efforts.

      1. but an even better blog shill.

        I mean, with Newt Gingrich doing off-the-reservation crap like claim that immigrants deserve human rights, can you blame him?

        1. He-s- might be a good Republican

          but he is  an even better definitely a blog shill.

          Good Republicans:

          – Lincoln

          – Roosevelt

          – Ike

          – 1/2 Reagan (the half that won the cold war, and realized raising taxes was part of being serious about deficit reduction, not the secret wars and arms deals. race baiting 1/2)  

          arapgop couldn’t carry their shoes.

  9. around here is getting annoying.

    I know it’s kind of fun watching him flail away defending a lie that would prompt purple vein rage if it was coming from Obama but you can only read stupid for so long.  This is like watching a puppy suffocate.  After a while it gets uncomfortable seeing it thrash around in a hopeless attempt to survive.

    Send in the paid operatives or tell us which site/spider hole the conservatives are hiding out at.  I’ll go there for that one post that will get me booted from their intolerant site.  At least a Pols they won’t ban you for your beliefs.

    1. because most con sites are such a joke that most stay far away. Also, the ones that do get traffic, like redstate, either delete comments or ban participants if they don’t fit, which is a fair reflection of how much conservatives value free speech.

      1.  

        how much conservatives value free speech.

        apparently, not much. All their leaders charge big $$$ for it. I guess they figure if it’s free, it doesn’t mean anything.

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