Romney’s new campaign director: Sheryl Gay Stolberg has spotted a problem with Mitt Romney’s campaign.
On the front page of today’s New York Times, she describes the lingering problem:
STOLBERG (8/25/12): Next week, Mr. Romney will go to Tampa, Fla., to accept the Republican nomination for president, after months on the campaign trail casting himself as Mr. Fix-it, a turnaround specialist whose business experience can revive a struggling economy. There, his advisers will seek to humanize Mr. Romney, who has had trouble connecting with ordinary voters.Romney hasn’t offered “a crisis narrative,” the kind of biographical story other politicians have used to inspire Americans. As she continues, Stolberg suggests a solution to this nagging problem:
But what his campaign has not offered, to date, is a crisis narrative, the kind of biographical story of overcoming hardship that other politicians have used to define themselves and inspire other Americans.
STOLBERG (continuing directly): The French car crash and Ann Romney’s illness provide such a narrative; they are dark moments—bookends of sorts—in what otherwise has seemed a charmed existence. Both offer clues into Mr. Romney’s character, and the way he reacts to challenges. He is both forward-looking and inward-looking, practical and deeply private, with a consultant’s instinct for identifying solutions even in the most personally trying times.If the campaign can’t craft this "crisis narrative," Stolberg seems eager to do it for them! On today’s front page, she discusses two moments in Romney’s life which provide the inspiration his campaign hasn’t given us yet.
Is Stolberg still a journalist? Or is she a strategist for Candidate Romney? This morning, she doesn’t seem sure.
Might we suggest another “dark moment” from Romney’s life which might “offer clues into his character?” This moment led to very bad outcomes for people not in his family.
We’ll suggest the moment we’ve mentioned all year—the looting of GS Technology, the story the New York Times has simply refused to report. Our question: How did workers’ pensions get “underfunded” at this company while Romney was lugging off big wads of cash? Why was Bain unable to meet its obligations regarding these people's health care?
The New York Times has refused to report this story, even though Reuters offered a detailed report on this episode all the way back in January. The Times still hasn’t reported this “dark” episode—although this morning, Stolberg offers us two dark moments which we might find inspiring.
Who knows? Maybe the Times will report on Bain’s alleged looting before the campaign is finished. But this morning, Stolberg virtually volunteers as a campaign assistant to Romney. Right there on the Times front page, she notes that Romney hasn’t performed a key task.
And so she openly volunteers to perform the key task for him!
Just a guess: The liberal world will stare into air, as the liberal world typically does. Liberal careers go through the Times.
For that reason, some things can’t be said.
I agree with Bob that it was odd for Stolberg to frame her article as advice for Romney's campaign. However, whether or not the campaign actually addressed these experiences, it was appropriate for Stolberg to do so. They tell us something about Mitt Romney's character. I'm happily surprised to see the NY Times include so positive an article about Romney.
ReplyDeleteTwo other examples show that Romney was calm and effective dealing with emergencies and crises affecting others. One example is a family (and their dog) who were saved from drowning by Romney and his sons. The other is how Romney shut down his firm and organized a search for the missing child of a co-worker. Romney's quick and resolute action helped locate the girl.
P.S. the "dog on the roof" story was included in the original article as yet another example of Romney dealing calmly and effectively with a crisis.
As attributed to W.C. Fields, "Any man that hates children and dogs can't be all bad."
DeleteOh, yes, please, please, pretty-please: tell the story of young Mitt surviving the car crash where he hit another car waiting to turn left head-on and killed his passenger, then let the story be told that it was the fault of a drunken priest who was killed in the crash.
ReplyDeleteExcept the priest was really a bishop, wasn't drunk, wasn't at fault and wasn't killed. But, yes, let's have that as Mitt's "crisis."
Link stickler - (be one [stickler] for details) Please?
DeleteWhat would lead people to believe that a person who is an expert at screwing over taxpayers and businesses for profit is a good fit for president? There appears to be some self-loathing going on here.
ReplyDeleteTaxpayers should be grateful to Romney. Bain fixed and saved most of the troubled businesses that chose to use Bain's services. These saved businesses and their employees have have paid enormous amounts of taxes over the years.
DeleteAnd they should thank Obama for the companies that he saved, whose employees are paying taxes, mortgages, and medical insurance premiums instead of living off the public dole.
DeleteThe idea that any American citizen should be thankful to Mr. 13% self reported tax rate and his business model which allowed for: sucking the money out of companies, claiming tax exemptions for their loans prior to their ultimate bankruptcy, and shedding jobs in the process, is a joke.
DeleteHere's a guy who likes to pat himself on the back for (apparently) single handedly turning around the Salt Lake City Olympics- has he ever once mentioned anyone else's role?- including their financial disaster, without acknowledging that the American Taxpayer was placed on the hook for 1.5 billion dollars that he successfully requested in 2002 from the Bush administration to dig them out of that hole. No, he didn't build that.....
DeletePUHleeaassee - Mitt Romney is a self serving Robber Baron whose seed money came from the dark side - continues to benefit from dark side acts - and wants to take the POTUS to a whole new level of tyranny, cronyism & corruption.
Deletewant to see the way these guys REALLY play
http://www.laserhaas.wordpress.com
CNN's love letter to Mitt Sunday evening heavily featured the car crash story. I guess Romney's campaign PR staff gets a high five for getting the story our there.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all your hard work. I always enjoy seeing who is picked and enjoy reading that post.
ReplyDeleteshot for slim
Thanks for pointing out the issues at hand. Including the fact that the main stream media is dodging the real stories on Mitt Romney.
ReplyDeleteIncluding the very reason why his campaign (and Bain Capital media outlets) are lying about his CEO tenure.
Even with 100 million listeners of their 850 Clear Channel radio stations and the $1 Billion in annual ad revenues from Stage Stores, Burlington Coat Factory, Sports Authority, Toys R Us, Guitar Centers, Burger King, Kay Bee etc - Mitt Romney is still forced to concede he WAS the CEO of Bain Capital Until August 2001.
We know the reasons why he had to resign at that time and the very EVENT he does not want you to know about.
Please keep after this guy - or what Bush & Cheney did will look like child's play?