As noted this morning, Wednesday April 11th is day one of the general election. But there are things I’m seeing that tell me that Mitt Romney is kicking off the campaign in a telling defensive posture. What I mean is that on various fronts, Romney is kicking off within Obama’s campaign narrative. He’s living in Obama’s world, playing on his turf.
Example one is the Romney campaign’s push that it’s Obama’s economic policies that are the real “war on women.”
The effort to point to an “Obama Rule” over and against the “Buffett Rule” looks the same to me.
Right now, Romney's not a man with any real ideas of his own. And this isn't actually anything new. He's laid down a policy proposal or two, but after they failed to catch fire, he seems to have abandoned them. With his poor polling numbers, Romney is in a reactionary position -- and by that I don't mean like the typical Republican knee jerk reactionary, I mean like a boxer losing a fight. Mitt's too busy deflecting blows to land a good one of his own. He can only react and hope for a chance to counter the better fighter. Last night I described Romney's strategy as "I know you are, but what am I?" Marshall seems to agree.
"[F]undamentally, this is Obama’s turf," he writes. :It’s me-too. And you hope to keep up that way, not win."
I actually don't have a lot more to add to that and I'm running a little late, so I'll keep this one short. Mitt Romney is losing the confidence race. He's going to have to come up with some idea of his own -- something that actually solves a real-world problem and not some market-tested GOP buzz word. He needs to articulate some way in which Romney's America would be an improvement on Obama's. He needs to show a willingness to fight for Americans, not just against his election opponent.
It's put up or shut up time, Mittens. You've made it to the big leagues. Give us some reason to vote for you, other than "the other guys sucks." Americans have no earthly idea who you are or how you'd govern. And, as much as many dislike our president, only a chump chooses the Mystery Box.
-Wisco
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