Mitt Romney: impossibly screwed

He has to come across as a sincere, transparent, credible leader. But he shouldn’t reinvent himself.
--Steve Deace, "an influential Iowa-based conservative radio host"

There's a ream of these impossible tips in the Hill piece. Try being sincere, Mitt; seem transparent, Mr. Romney; just conjure up some credibility like you're ordering pie, Governor. Be the opposite of who you are but for heaven's sake don't reinvent yourself.

And while you're at it, dear leader--and this advice is even more mind-blowingly asinine than the above--"offer calm clarity about what a Romney administration would do."

Yeah. Nice touch. Be calm, Governor Romney, as you clearly project trillions in additional debt and vividly pledge the impoverishment of seniors and graphically promise more endless global wars.   

You see, Governor, many voters will viscerally, violently disagree with you, but gee won't they admire your political honesty?

The realpolitik of it is a simple, deafening, resoundingly conspicuous No.

The kibitzers know this, of course, which is why they grinningly offer the empty universal of "calm clarity" rather than encourage the grim particulars of even more mountainous debt and the voucherization of elderly poverty and multiple Iraqs.

The result is a kind of round-robin scam, which by now everyone is in on: Outside consultants propose impossibly vague remedies to an impossibly opaque and spiderishly insincere candidate who must please two impossibly irreconcilable constituencies (the lunatic base and independents) which is, as we all know, impossible.

But why all the fuss? As Mitt will reassure the doubters tonight in his own sincere, transparent, credible way, his campaign "doesn't need a turnaround.... It's doing a very good job."

Comments

[Robert Lipscomb]

I am amused that to be part of the (correctly named) "lunatic base" of the GOP, one must simply completely believe and promote Reaganomics: (1) Deregulate corporations and cut taxes on the wealthy (trickle down economics); (2) cutting taxes also increases revenues (Laffer curve); and (3) federal entitlement programs only give money to lazy people, dark people or both (anti-communism).

The country has concluded that the Tea Party, lunatic base is well crazy. In their defense, the majority of this country believed for thirty-plus years what they still believe. In Romney's defense, he simply cannot tell either his lunatic base or just the base the cold hard truth. Reaganomics really was voodoo economics. It was all a lie.

If Romney tells them that, it will be the biggest single campaign mistake made by a candidate in a long, long time. So, what else can he do?

[Peter G]

I expect reams of such advice to be produced as the clock ticks down toward election. And all of it is predicated on the idea that a matching set of Louis Vuitton can be produced from the proverbial sow's ear.

[Alli]

Shorter GOP: Why can't you be like President Obama? you know, the guy we hate.