Article VI Blog

Mitt Romney had an aide describe running in the general election as a reboot of the campaign.

Stating this obvious truth, that one runs to the right in a Republican primary and to the center to win the general, sent shock waves through the political world comparable to the startling discovery the the movie version of “Hunger Games” contains violence.

Really?

What do Republican voters expect? Every candidate, including Reagan, tries to capture as many independent voters as possible. If Romney does not try to do this, he is guilty of political malpractice. There is no great virtue in offending as many voters as possible- though last week Santorum tried that theory out.

What really stuck was the seemingly unfortunate metaphor used by the Romney aid of the Etch-A-Sketch. You can draw one thing on this delightful toy, shake it, and then draw something else.

In the hands of a delighted press and his opponents, this became an icon for Romney’s putative desire to be all things to all people.

Really, however, it is sign that Mitt Romney is wise.

Why?

Politics is an art, not a science. Political issues by their very nature rarely have “right” or “wrong” answers. People who think there are confused politics with Truth . . . and end up with bad politics and tyranny. A good politician, like Ronald Reagan, will have core beliefs in areas where Truth is knowable, but recognize that applying those Truths to the broken world is difficult.

The beauty of an Etch-A-Sketch is that it endures. Unlike a piece of paper that you can only use once, you can draw many wonderful things on an Etch-A-Sketch. Like the American Constitution . . . the Etch-A-Sketch endures through many generations of children. My kids could play with my Etch-A-Sketch and draw things that were not even invented when I got the toy originally. Of course, bad kids might use the Etch-A-Sketch to draw bad things, but bad kids can mess up anything.

Romney has a fine mind and that means that he is capable of embracing new ideas. He can bend and flex with changing circumstances. He favors small government, but knows that the voters will only tolerate so much cutting.

This does not mean, of course, that this decent and conservative man will “reboot” his campaign and say the opposite of what he said during the primaries. It does mean he will change the emphasis to issues a broader range of voters find attractive. Primary voters like certain images, general election voters different ones .  . . but they need not be inconsistent.

Of course, on two or three issues Governor Romney, no saint, has changed his mind. He has shilled for votes at times in an unseemly manner. We are not going to elect Galahad president, but a decent fallible man. He is a man, like the Etch-A-Sketch, with rugged and long lasting design . . . built to be effective over changing times. He can take different ideas and present them . . . but do so within the confines of a set pattern.

I fear Santorum has a drawn an apocalyptic painting, Durer-like in intensity, and insists everyone look. He will not change . . . he will not show us anything but the one image he believes we need to see. This is possible in a prophet, dangerous in a president.

Mitt Romney is no ideologue . . . he is a statesman. . . .and the GOP is lucky he is running. I look forward to the ways he presents future possibilities and draws on his team and his life story to create hope and possibilities for the next four years.

 

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The subject of simple news media bias is on the edges of what we usually discuss here, but what I saw this morning is so remarkable that I decided to share it. Apparently the Chris Matthews show ran
this video in the last day or two. Mike Allen’s Playbook linked to the YouTube at the top of today’s post, describing it as a “viral video” (and certainly helping the video achieve that status).

Surely I am not the only one who sees the piece as something we’d expect from the Democratic National Committee, not from an ostensible news outlet. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised that it appeared on the Matthews show, but I admit that I am. Will we see anything like this about Santorum or Gingrich? That would not surprise me, and would at least add some element of symmetry to Matthews’ efforts.

But here’s the interesting question: Will we ever see anything on Matthews’ show that is like the anti-Romney video, but that focuses on Barack Obama? I’d like to think so, but I am not holding my breath.

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Molly Ball @ The Atlantic:

If you thought the confusion surrounding the Iowa caucuses was bad, wait until you see Nevada.

When the traveling Republican circus moves on after Tuesday’s Florida primary, it will head for the Silver State — giving Newt Gingrich’s most generous backer, casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, a chance to cast a vote for his candidate.

But with the caucuses scheduled for a Saturday morning, Adelson, an observant Jew, originally would not have been able to participate. So, largely at his urging, the state’s Republicans will hold a special extra caucus, hours after the rest of the state has finished voting and reporting its totals.

In case the symbolism wasn’t clear enough, the extra caucus, scheduled for 7 p.m. Pacific time, is being held at the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Educational Campus, an Adelson-funded private school in Las Vegas.

Party officials insist that’s just a coincidence, but insiders say without the influence of Adelson, a generous donor to local candidates and causes, the rogue caucus almost certainly would not exist.

Here’s how it is supposed to work, according to a conference call with Nevada GOP officials Friday afternoon. Nevada has 17 counties, but more than half the Republican voters are in Clark County, which encompasses Las Vegas.

Each county was allowed to set its own caucus procedures this year, leading to a divergent array of start times and rules across the state. Some precincts will open their doors as early as 8 a.m.; others won’t get under way until noon. But all must wrap up the action by 3 p.m.

At 5 p.m., the party will publicly announce the results of the caucuses for the 16 smaller counties. (Since these results will have been announced at the precinct level, the campaigns and media likely will already have a sense by then.)

At 7 p.m., just as the special evening caucus is getting under way, the results for the rest of Clark County will be announced.

Now, dear friends, this blogger has not one lick of trouble holding a late caucus or two to accommodate our Jewish friends – BUT ANNOUNCING THE RESULTS OF THE OTHER CAUCUSES FIRST?!?!?!?!?! Please – particularly when the population figures stack up like they do.  Never in all my born days have I seen such a naked and public set-up to cheat an election.  If it is anywhere near close, all our colleagues at the Adelson  caucus have to do is go out and drum up some more Gingrich voters to show up at their caucus.

The RNC has no choice but to threaten Nevada with withholding credentials from all Nevada delegates to the convention unless the results of all caucus’ are withheld until all the caucus’ are complete.

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I know Erick Erickson is busy on CNN telling folks about what the outsiders think and I am a Romney man blogging at this web site captive to elites.

I know my Internet stature compared to his is like comparing Nathan Fillion’s coolness to my own.

He is a lawyer trained in debate and I learned to argue defending Bart Starr’s Packers in junior high from Steeler fans.

Still I would enjoy debating him on the notion of Mr Gingrich’s fitness for office. I would let him set the rules.

What do you think Mr Erickson?

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Conservatives have done a good job in new media. One “go to” site for me in the past has been “Red State.” However, I have not agreed with the direction of Mr. Erickson there . . . much as I appreciate any conservative voice and his willingness to take on the status quo.

Since they are all the rage: let me challenge Mr. Erickson of Red State to an online Lincoln-Douglas debate on the question: “Is Newt fit to serve?” An alternative question might be: “Is Mitt Romney a conservative?”

If he agrees, I promise a civil argument between allies in the bigger political fight. Perhaps this would help our community makes some decisions in the weeks ahead.

I am open to variations that he finds better. Of course, his on-line status is larger so perhaps he can find a foe more his equal, but I would love to see such a debate. Since I am not a political expert, I would be willing to defer to a better choice for the chance to see this issue discussed.

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Looks like Rick Perry is going to announce his withdrawal from the campaign before tonight’s debate – and endorse Gingrich.  This is unquestionably a “Stop Romney” move akin to the Huckabee-McCain deal at the West Virginia convention on Super Tuesday in 2008 – with one major difference.  That move was from strength and designed to seal the deal for McCain – this move is from weakness and desperation – more Hail Mary pass than electoral strategery.

Is there a religious angle?  Well, given that Perry’s campaign more or less launched with the long-echoing Robert Jeffress Mormon shot – What do you think?

Watch this space.

An Oh! – By The Way A couple of hours later – Do you think it is possible that Gingrich added to the pressure on Perry to get out given what is going to happen to him tonight?  Distraction perhaps?

New News at 9AM – There are the first leaks from the Gingrich ex-interview:

Marianne Gingrich is going public with personal details of her marriage to Newt Gingrich, telling ABC News in an interview to be aired Thursday night that the former House speaker “was asking to have an open marriage.”

That’s gonna leave a mark.  And Perry has made it official – here’s the speech – note this:

The fact is, there is forgiveness for those who seek God and I believe in the power of redemption, for it is a central tenet of my own Christian faith.

Veiled reference (Perry said it in regards to his and Gingrich’s differences in the campaign) to the bombs that are dropping on ABC tonight?  Reference to his/Newt’s faith as compared to Romney’s?

Hewitt has the best take-away of the moment: (and things are changing on a momentary basis)

This is a 13 state election: Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. These are the states into which will pour perhaps as much as two billion dollars in advertising and campaign ground game for they are the states “in play” in the fall.

[...]

But if your life, the lives of your family, your fortune and future prospects all depended on the data before you, and you knew how the media would be aggressively assailing whomever is the GOP nominee, which candidate would you support? Got an answer? Then ask if your answer would be the answer of a majority of voters in those 13 states.

Are they even watching this drama?

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