The Romney campaign's panic and nastiness explained

Curious as to why Mitt Romney's supporters are so panicked about Mike Huckabee blowing past him in Iowa, and John McCain threatening to do the same in New Hamphire?

This will fill you in.


HT: Real Clear Politics

Comments

Christian said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
jarebear35 said…
wow, could it be...no not another anti-mormon post...christian, live up to your name CHRISTian for once.
That sort of in-your-face attack is not only unloving, but inherently ineffective.

I apologize for having allowed that comment to be pubished, and have now removed it.
jarebear35 said…
Thanks Bob, you da man...
jarebear35 said…
As for nastiness explained...check out TRUSTHUCKABEE's new ad they just put out...granted they are not huckabee but they are a major part of his campaign and it makes him look bad in attacking Mitt when he says he wouldn't. Especially since it's something that Mitt has explained over and over again. Just think is undercuts the Huckabee only attack when you are behind argument, or maybe it's just that exactly.
Jarebear... do you even read these things before you publish them?

They aren't Huckabee, but they make them look bad when he says he won't?

Jarebear... by your own admission- he's not! And it's a shame.

Yes, it's something Romney has explained over and over again. But Romney is a man who has a problem with truth, and this means that it isn't as easy to believe him as he might be.

Negative campaigning works. What we're seeing in Iowa right now is exactly what your last argument implies. Huckabee has made the same mistake here in Iowa that Mike Dukakis made in 1988: he hasn't responded to negative ads and gone negative himself. And that's the only thing that works.

Which is why I personally believe that Romney will almost certainly win the Iowa caucuses. Huckabee's lead is shrinking daily (that's what happens when you don't respond to negative ads; people assume that what they say is true).
Combined with Romney's superior organization, I think that will be enough to get him by.

It won't mean much, admittedly. Romney will have to blow Huckabee and everyone else away to come away from Iowa with any real momentum. And he will have made enemies in the process he didn't need to make, and who- come November, or even a later time in the campaign when second choices matter- he'll wish he didn't have.