The New Republic

I think you meant "Head's we win, tails YOU lose," no?

- IowaBeauty

July 16, 2012 at 6:34pm

I'm similarly astounded that the Romney campaign is complaining about this. They do come across as such whiners, contributing to the image of Romney as a privileged Richie Rich type. Maybe they have some bigger picture strategy in mind, but it's not clear what that could be.

- Thunderroad

July 16, 2012 at 6:37pm

If Romney was the type of man who challenged people to pistols at dawn on the white house green over insults to his succes, then I would at least respect him as a man, but he does not and instead whines about it the whole time, thusly I have no choice to not only have zero respect for his economic and social doctrines, but I must also look down on him as a man.

- ARealHero

July 16, 2012 at 6:50pm

Keep telling the truth about Romney and let him squirm, the snake.

- arnon1

July 16, 2012 at 7:19pm

This may seem like the end for Romney.  But it's not.  Romney has his army of supporters, and Obama has his. The outcome depends on the undecideds and the marginally motivated.  As to the latter, I would suggest that the outrage factor favors Romney, as any number of reminders will provide sufficient outrage to motivate them to the cause. As to the former, I  suspect they don't follow the skirmishes during the campaign.  We are a far distance from Antietam, and an even farther distance from Gettysburg.

- rayward

July 16, 2012 at 8:47pm

Make no mistake, this is a lethal attack. It will sink Mitt if the economy doesn't completely tank. Whether he whines or whether he owns it makes no difference because what he and his kind do is utterly immoral and reprehensible--and the public will be repelled by it. This has to be pursued relentlessly. Everyone in America must see this ad over and over--until it appears in their dreams--or nightmares.

- Vogelfam

July 16, 2012 at 9:09pm

I don't know how much the Obama campaign wants to talk about 1999-2002. The President was then a State Senator and lost a Primary Race (A primary??) for a congressional seat. If I were in Romney Campaign I would welcome a discussion like this. The President has nothing to defend because he was doing nothing. Nothing. State Senator in the minority party. No significant legislation. And 10 years later Illinois is just about broke and can not support the pensions and healthcare it negotiated with it's employees. Mitt Romney had to clean up the 2002 Winter Olympic Bid Bribery Scandal and put the games back on track. Cleaning up that mess is generally regarded as a good thing. I know it's July and the campaigns are saving the good stuff for September, but I would hit back a little harder. And by the way, did anyone see the first 10 minutes of Meet the Press? The Romney Campaign sends their B Team and Dave Gregory asks the same question 4 times over and over again. I thought when Gregory got that job he was not qualified, that it should have been a deeper print journalist like Andrew Sullivan. I could not watch MTP with that useless POS just reading the campaign press releases? If you think print media is dead, MTP is not even getting interest from the campaign teams.

- CRS9TNR

July 16, 2012 at 9:25pm

"The President has nothing to defend because he was doing nothing. Nothing."-CRS9TNR So suddenly simply not having anything to defend from a period makes it worse than having to defend a record of shoddy moral buisness decisions? Well this is news to me.

- ARealHero

July 16, 2012 at 10:16pm

"If I were in Romney Campaign I would welcome a discussion like this." Based on your logic above I"m sure you would.

- Pnaut

July 16, 2012 at 10:49pm

Can't somebody, anybody in the Romney campaign take their man aside and tell him to quit complaning and defend his goddamn record making the kind of money that every red-blooded American aspires to in his wildest, wettest dreams? What's that you say -- Romney's campaign, like Romney's boardrooms, are full of sycophants who think that the sun rises and sets around his broad shoulders and that whatever he does is for the best, even if he looks like a schmuck doing it? After all, he secured the nomination by beating the formidable likes of Newt, the Herminator and the Two Ricks! And he did get to serve a term as governor of Massachusetts by beating some Democratic nobody the year after 9/11. Clearly, the man is almost as good at politics as he is at business, never mind those other failed runs for Senator and President in 94 and 04. Good as gold, he is. At this rate, all of Romney's SuperPAC money will be the equivalent of the massive promotional campaign for New Coke or the Dodge Gremlin.

- wildboy

July 16, 2012 at 11:31pm

Dodge Gremlin? That's cold.

- Sophia

July 16, 2012 at 11:37pm

"If I were in Romney Campaign I would welcome a discussion like this." Oh yeah. Considering the fact that Obama is trying to close a gap among white voters without a college education I'm sure that Romney is dying to have a conversation where he can play Gordon Gecko. We haven't even had the conventions yet, so the campaigns are just working on setting up the backgrounds for the narratives they'll be using in the Fall. The big narratives the Obama campaign wants to have for Romney is that he doesn't understand your problems and he isn't honest. This week they showed that by proving he was CEO and sole owner of for a company he claims he wasn't associated with. Next week they'll be focused on showing that he earned $100,000/year in salary for doing absolutely nothing for the same company. The week after they'll be congratulating the success (or offering condolences) for his wife's horse in the Olympics. The real fun won't begin until September when they start rolling out the leaked memos and emails from Bain that were sent out under Romney's name.

- Attrill

July 16, 2012 at 11:40pm

PS I love it:) Meanwhile, CRS9TNR, oy. Your comment is truly absurd, as pointed out above. Besides which, learning about the world, as Obama was and has been doing, by looking at real people in real streets, some of them vexed and troubled streets, isn't "doing nothing," it's made him a compassionate and wise individual unlike you know who, who likes to fire people.

- Sophia

July 16, 2012 at 11:40pm

But don't any of you understand that William Galston has already declared that this line of attack on Romney isn't working? And that if it doesn't work, it is "unjustified?" Why are you reading Timothy Noah at all after William Galston, political genius, has already pronounced his doom? Twist the knife, Barack. Then stab Mittens again and twist it some more. This is America, goddammit, and this is what Americans love and respond to, no matter how much they may claim otherwise. And they want to know that the man the vote for for president knows how to fight so that he can smite our enemies at need. So, keep Mittens squealing like a stuck pig.

- roidubouloi

July 17, 2012 at 12:38am

There was a period in the history of American capitalism when large corporations thought employing Americans was good for business, because it created new consumers for their products. Not any more. New consumers in China and India are making American corporations rich enough, thank you, and in these countries they don't have to worry about giving their employees human rights. Recently MLB.com and Allstate switched most of their customer service help to New Delhi. I wonder if these souls, whose English I have a hard time understanding, are treated like humans. Probably at least minimally, but that's all.

- magboy47.

July 17, 2012 at 1:18am

"Granted, Commodore Vanderbilt never wanted to be president." Which is exactly the point. If you're a cold, heartless pure-blooded capitalist, why the hell do you want to be president? The presidency is about conveying a vision, building a NATION, and creating a national community, even in the traditional Republican minimalist sense. Romney, who has yet to explain how his conservative, laissez-faire approach will benefit everyone in the U.S., has no business even thinking about the presidency. Oil and water don't mix. Even Vanderbilt seems to have understood this.

- Claris

July 17, 2012 at 6:35am

Here's the comment I left after David Brooks's column today. Seems pertinent. Waaaaaah!!!!--the sound of Republican babies crying.   As you note, Mr. Brooks, Romney is acting like he doesn't know what hit him. But then, so are you. Finally America has a Democratic candidate with a campaign team who understands how the game is played, and you Repubs are running out of clean diapers.  Running for president isn't about painting a true and accurate portrait of the world and its workings, it's about painting a true-ish--and relentlessly unflattering--portrait of your opponent.  Were Bain Capital's decisions to offshore jobs financially sound? Probably so. Is that simply how business is done these days? To be sure. If Bain hadn't outsourced those jobs would somebody else have done so? More than likely. Does it make any difference? Not a bit. The fact is that whether or not Mitt Romney's actions as a businessman have any direct bearing on how a President WMR would affect American workers, the policies he promotes as a candidate would be disastrous for working people. You know this, and president Obama knows this, and his decision to pursue the outsourcing line is pure tactics. Suggesting as you do that such tactics give evidence as to Obama's underlying economic philosophy is simply ridiculous--and desperate. Get used to the idea of four more years out in the cold, David. Even if you voted for Obama in 2008, I can't see him giving you a seat at the table this time around.

- AaronW

July 17, 2012 at 7:48am

Yes, in 1999 or 2002, Obama was doing nothing, and when he did get to the Illinois Senate he mostly voted Present so he would Not have a record to run on/from. A real leader, that one.

- jgmusgrove

July 17, 2012 at 10:00am

Apparently in some places 3% (percentage of Obama's "present" votes) becomes "mostly", but not in the real world. It's worth noting that this is a common tactic in the Illinois legislature to avoid the opposition bringing votes to the floor that will never pass but will allow them to attack you for a "no" vote when one isn't necessary to defeat the legislation (typically abortion, tough on crime measures etc). I'd say it's pretty clear that some of his "present" votes involved some level of political calculation, others less so. Almost like the man is a politician or something.

- Nari224

July 17, 2012 at 10:14am

Romney faces the duel dilemma of embracing his Morman roots as well. While the Mormon church has a history of ruthlessness in dealing with 'non believers' amongst its midst, blood killings, polygamy, racism, sexism and general misogyny while at the same time trying to paint a picture of family values, community involvement, outreach and giving. Thus it is with his business roots that Romney grapples with as well. He doesn't want us to know that his hard-nosed, ruthless business style mirrors the ruthlessness of his Mormon church. His shady off-shore accounting, fuzzy book-keeping, is much like the business operations of the shadier Mormon business men in Utah. Am I generalizing? Maybe, but from what I've read the Mormon church isn't all blonde haired, blue-eyed missionaries on bikes with backpacks and the Tabernacle choir singing Christmas hymns.

- singlspeed

July 17, 2012 at 10:49am

It doesn't matter if the ad is completely true. It is devastating. BHO may be just another disembodied, aloof, liberal a la Gore and Kerry, but blue collar types don't hate him, they simply can't relate to him. Now Mitt is the kind of person they can despise. The only thing left to do is repeat, a repetitive, did I say repetitive?, yes repetitive, as in repeat and repeat again, the same message over and over. And it will become and truth. It will be believed far and wide. Because it is simple, and believable and it has been heard 10,000 times. The people have actually been looking for some to blame and eat since 2008. Serve Mitt up, they are finally going to get their meal.

- Vogelfam

July 17, 2012 at 10:57am

I, for one, am pleased Obama is directing the show in a more Rovian fashion than the weak sistered Democratic campaigns of the past (Kerry comes to mind). Take your opponent's supposed one strength and shove it down his throat, Chicago-style

- OkiSaru

July 17, 2012 at 11:08am

Does anyone else have the weird feeling that Romney doesn't really *want* to be president?

- Wonderland

July 17, 2012 at 11:16am

No, Wonderland, that Mitt Romney wants to be President is pretty much the only real thing I believe I know about the man's character. Why else would he have spent six years of his life and umpteen million dollars doing something he's clearly uncomfortable with (having to deal with the great unwashed and their confusing, ever-changing demands) chasing after that windmill? I think it might have to do with either finally making Dad proud or finally achieving what Dad couldn't, but that's far more speculative on my part. Wanting something really bad, of course, no matter how much money you have to throw at your desires, sometimes just isn't enough to make it happen, thankfully.

- janus

July 17, 2012 at 11:42am

Not to forget that the current Republican Party makes it impossible for anything like a "real" Mitt Romney to run for president. A Mitt Romney who could run on his Mass. health care initiative, who could show more willingness to argue with the loopy right, who could also embrace his wealth and admit his privileged biography in a way that disarmed some criticism, who doesn't think an off-key warble of the national anthem is the way to win over voters -- that Mitt Romney might be in a different position today than the confused phony we're looking at now.

- ironyroad

July 17, 2012 at 12:28pm

Oh wait -- he doesn't do the Star-Spangled Banner -- he does America the Beautiful for his party piece, right? Point stands, in any case.

- ironyroad

July 17, 2012 at 12:31pm

roidubouloi: "Twist the knife, Barack. Then stab Mittens again and twist it some more. This is America, goddammit, and this is what Americans love and respond to, no matter how much they may claim otherwise." Absolutely right. Americans don't so much hate losers, as losers who whine about losing, how it's not their fault, how unfairly they're being treated, etc. Anyway, the majority of comments here indicate that there is blood in the water, which is being churned furiously. It is good to see.

- Haole45

July 17, 2012 at 12:46pm

It's not "twisting the knife" when Romney points to his "success" at Bain Capital as his template for success as President -- to then point out that his so-called "success" at Bain Capital had very negative effects in terms of actually building business. People keep pointing this out as a "Swift-Boating" -- but it's not. Kerry never claimed his Military Service qualified him for anything. But Romney IS claiming Bain qualifies him as President. Pointing out the holes in that argument is not "Swift-Boating", not "unfair", and certainly doesn't need apologizing for. If anyone needs to apologize, it's Romney for mis-characterizing Obama's so-called "failed economy". Dude, YOU try to take Great Depression II and turn it into a measely 8% unemployment in 4 years. I guarantee you, your "lower taxes further and cut entitlement spending" would Hoover us back into it.

- AllanL5

July 17, 2012 at 1:00pm

Perhaps Romney has such a hard time defining what he did and did not do at Bain, and when he did or did not do it, because, despite being rewarded quite handsomely, he didn't do as much as he and his backers at Bain would like us to believe. It is important to note that Romney's periods of absence from Bain Capital are more extensive than just his time with the Olympics. The Olympics was his THIRD leave of absence from Bain. He took an earlier leave to run for the Senate, and, even earlier, at the request of Bill Bain, another to help Bain & Company (the business consultancy where he worked prior to the establishment, with other partners from that firm, of Bain Capital) deal with a debt crisis. Bain & Company's debt problems had serious political and public relations implications -- they led to the failure of the Bank of New England. By all accounts, Romney, who was tasked with mollifying creditors and helping Bain repair its public credibility, did, much as he would do later at the Olympics, a good job in dealing with that crisis. And, like the Olympics, this was a job that raised his public profile in a way that could be useful for a politically ambitious man. A fair look at Romney's career, and his in and out relationship to Bain Capital, indicates that his value to his financial backers at Bain & Company and his partners and associates at Bain Capital may have always been more political than managerial -- as a front man and facilitator rather than an investment guru or guiding light in terms of setting priorities and policies. In a sense, Romney himself has been one of Bain's most important investments -- one that paid off in the Governor's office and may pay off in the Presidency.

- esmense

July 17, 2012 at 1:58pm

Pardon me but this is all blah-blah-blah. How much will people really care in the long run that Romney was a rapacious capitalist, outsourced, offshipped, fibbed, etc. What else could have been expected from him. Most people including myself believe that wasn't by itself for the economic mess we're in now. Like it or not, most people believe the faltering economy is due to the effects of globalism generally no matter what Wall Street did (which is why they will get away with it now and when the next crash occurs). What does and will matter to undecided voters is which candidate offers the best prospect for making a difference over the course of the next four years. They likely will lean toward Romney at election time unless Obama convincingly lays out a plan of action, not a "vision", that he will act on *if he has a Democratic Party controlled House* and at least a fighting chance of convincing the Senate to lean in favor of cooperation (with the House) to pass an agenda to give the economy every plausibly effective support and aid to more consistently improve our economy's prospects of recovery. All Romney needs to do is much the same, and he'll be judged by how convincing he is that his Republican approach will do a *better job* than Obama's will. Voters will even be willing to sacrifice most of health care reform to accomplish this. At the moment, more of the undecideds think, naturally, that a new and different approach is worth a try than those who don't. That will likely not change unless Romney fails to persuade voters that he has the right stuff and will be prepared to successfully fight for and win it.

- Tgossard

July 17, 2012 at 3:13pm

Tgoss gets it. After all is said on any other matter re Mittens, it's the economy, stupid. If the GNP declines and unemployment rises between now and November, it won't matter if bisexual Mittens eats Bain-branded babies for breakfast in a Mormon satanic polygymy ritual. He's Prez.. and that is not all bad news for Dems. Because not only will Mittens not be able to correct the economic crisis that elected him (albeit a decent argument can be made he'll do better than BHO would have done-- or be allowed to do), but all these traits/dishonesties that enervate you also turn off Repubs. Mittens is highly unlikely to acquire a cadre of devoted acolates -- and the Dems highly likely to re-organize with a decent chance that Progressive leaders emerge and dominate in 2014 and 2016. Regretting the non-success of BHO in 2012 bay be equivalent to regretting the non-success of Al Smith in 1928.

- drofnats1

July 17, 2012 at 3:36pm

Kazin says it well on The Plank: "Romney fervently shares the same mistaken credo preached by Hoover, Perot, and Cain. They all believed that to do well in business, which requires dedication to the narrow welfare of one firm or economic sector, splendidly equips one to triumph in the presidency, which demands a talent for reconciling competing interests and voter blocs for the purpose of advancing a semblance of the common, national good. To get rich may be glorious. But it does not qualify you to represent the best ideals of the country or to make policy for the vast majority of Americans." BHO is no businessman-- but he really hasn't proved to be a good retail politician either. I suspect most that are not die-hard BHO-haters or acolytes believe that he really does own the economy and has shown how would deal with it in 4 years in office as he has in the last 4 years.. Not a happy prospect.. The Neville Chamberlain or James Buchanan of our times. Better than his tormentors-- but much less than what is needed.

- drofnats1

July 17, 2012 at 3:57pm