I did! I did! A few days ago, I wrote about Team Obama’s Bain Capital attacks on Mittens. I said that it was pretty impressive and brilliant work on the part of Plouffe, Axelrod, or whoever came up with it (and it may have been a complete team effort). Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who was impressed. Mark Halperin of Time wrote this:
Pause for two beats and pay Prizzi's Honor-style homage to the ruthless killing machine that is the combined White House-Chicago operation.
They have parceled out their opposition research in a manner both strategic and tactical, selecting specific news organizations at times of their choosing to maximize the drip-drip-drip of the twin stories [Bain Capital and the tax returns]. They have used left-leaning Web outfits as recipients of over-the-transom gifts as effectively (cumulatively) as the Romney campaign uses Drudge. And they have seen the Boston Globe use its credibility to drive a ton of news.
The Obamans have dominated numerous consecutive news cycles since the last unemployment numbers came out. And there is more to come for sure. The Gang of 500 is confident it is just a matter of time before Romney relents and puts out additional years of tax returns, an eventuality that the Obama campaign will drag out for days. When some said that the Bain issue was burning out through its use by Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, and others in the nomination fight, Chicago was quietly confident the matter could be easily revived with new information and heavy advertising—and Chicago was right. And, make no mistake, the Obamans are sitting on even more research that they will unfurl down the road.
Yikes! I’m not sure I agree that Mittens will release more tax returns. After all, Mrs. Romney has said that “you people” (I guess that means me, too) have seen all we need to see. But “ruthless killing machine” is right on.
And we’ve still got almost four months of this to go. Good grief.
Tomorrow evening is a special treat, as we head out to hear my buddy Jim’s band, Cornerstone Blues Band, at Martha’s Midway Tavern. Their original drummer is back in town for a bit, so they’re playing at Martha’s and all the proceeds from the $5 cover charge will go to help the owner with her medical bills. Martha’s is a blues fixture in the area, a little hole in the wall that has hosted some big-time blues players over the years. We don’t plan on making a late night of it, because Ken’s been working some long hours, but we’re looking forward to hearing some great music, having a couple of beers, and seeing some friends. I hope some of my fellow lab rats will be able to come out for a bit!
Nice post, Beth. You and Haloerin are spot on! Romney could have avoided much of this beating simply by releasing his tax returns; instead he's decided to go the "You people" defensive posturing Nixon route (in my best Nixon voice: "The media won't have Nixon to kick around anymore!") . If he had nothing to hide, he would have released the tax returns. And his Bain situation is not going away anytime soon. He's got his dirty money hidden in the Cayman Islands and under his 7 mattresses at his 7 houses. Or is it 8? Ask him, he might know.
ReplyDeleteThat post was me, Mark Bottita, your long-time FB friend ;-)
Delete* Halperin
I think this is going to be election death for Romney by a 1000 cuts.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ken. Mitt is neither the statesman or the operator that his father was. For him to have made the money that he has, there is no way that he did not get some of it through dealings that are not congruent to how many Americans think that big business should operate.
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