Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Karl Rove amplifies a spreading critique of Mitt Romney: that his message is all about Romney the man and not about concrete things he’d do as president. Rove:
With his substantial war chest, Mr. Romney can easily saturate airwaves, stuff mailboxes, and jam phone lines to win most contests and more delegates. But Mr. Romney should be looking ahead and realize that what worked against an underfunded Mr. Gingrich won’t work against the well-funded Barack Obama.
The Romney campaign is tilted too heavily toward biography and not nearly enough toward ideas. It should make its mantra a line from President Ronald Reagan’s final address to the nation: “I never thought it was my style or the words I used that made a difference: It was the content. I wasn’t a great communicator, but I communicated great things.”
Mr. Romney showed he knows how to take an opponent down; now he needs to show the ability to build himself and the rationale for his candidacy up. He should become bolder in his prescriptions, presenting a confident agenda for economic growth and renewed prosperity through reforms of tax, regulatory and energy policies.
(Source: Politico)
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3 Responses
1. Being dull might not hurt Romney. He could push the idea that after the last few years, we need an dull and unexciting president.
2. Romney can cherry pick ideas from the other candidates in order to “win” their support (which isn’t really an issue), and pick the ideas that have the broadest appeals nationally. He can promote himself as the one who can actually get everyone else’s idea to get implemented.
3. Since a great deal of the economy probably depends on the situation in Europe and the Middle East, neither candidate is in control of the situation. Obama will be blamed or praised based on results of situations over which he has no control.
Gingrich is the one with the content and ideas, and the knowledge of how to put ideas into practice. Watch the others steal his ideas and hope the public forgets whose they are.
People shouldn’t forget that in the fall, Gingrich begged his rivals to run a clean positive campaign about solutions. Romney refused, and began a slanderous dirty campaign that started a cycle of mudslinging. Before that started, Gingrich spoke only about his own ideas and intentions for the White House, and he was well-received.
First you become the candidate, then you become the president. First you win voters, then you win votes. Candidates can’t take the chance of alienating constituents by standing on this platform or another. Mr. Romney is sure to begin communicating great things as soon as his party picks him as the great communicator.