Category Archives: 2012 Election

Romney Lights Small Fire Under Bridge With Media (Updated)

Posted on July 28, 2012 by Michael Froomkin

Romney’s campaign announced Saturday that it would block the news media from covering the event, which will be held at the King David Hotel. The campaign’s decision to close the fundraiser to the press violates the ground rules it negotiated with news organizations in April, when Romney wrapped up the Republican nomination and began opening some of his finance events to the news media.

Under the agreement, a pool of wire, print and television reporters can cover every Romney fundraiser held in public venues, including hotels and country clubs. The campaign does not allow media coverage of fundraisers held in private residences.

…

Romney has a history of delivering different messages to his donors when reporters are not present to hear them. At a closed-press fundraiser in Florida this spring, reporters from NBC News and the Wall Street Journal, without Romney’s knowledge, overheard the candidate outline new tax policy proposals and suggest that he might dramatically downsize the Department of Education and eliminate the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

— The Washington Post, Romney bans media from Jerusalem fundraiser, violating pre-established protocol.

If he keeps this up, the press could turn on him. After all, this is the in-the-tank Washington Post and they’re suggesting he’s two-faced.

UPDATE (7/29): They caved: Romney Starts Another Painful Week.

Posted in 2012 Election, The Media | 1 Comment

Maybe Poland Will Be OK

Posted on July 28, 2012 by Michael Froomkin

Fresh from Romney’s gaffe-fest in London, we find Team Romney messed up his trip to Israel:

Mitt Romney is making a big push for the Jewish vote. In classic Romney (i.e., clueless) form, his campaign scheduled a trip to Israel on the Jewish fast day of Tisha B’Av.

Tisha B’Av, which primarily commemorates the destruction of the first and second Temples, both of which were destroyed on the ninth of Av, is probably the most important event on the Jewish Calendar that most non-Jews don’t know about. Purim they’ve heard of, at least vaguely.

(Creating a field day for numerologists, the Ninth of Av was also the day that the Jews were required to leave Spain in 1492.)

Posted in 2012 Election | 1 Comment

A Guilty Pleasure

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Michael Froomkin

For some time now, Daily Kos has been running a regular feature called “The Chronicles of Mitt“. There have been lots of attempts to match Private Eye’s famous and oft-imitated Dear Bill letters but this may be the one to do it. The Dear Bill letters purported to be gin-soaked remonstrances from the UK’s Dennis Thacher, then the Prime Ministerial husband, to his best drinking buddy. They were hilarious.

The Chronicles of Mitt is a little different. I take it to be the log of an android-like entity writing to… well, I’m not quite sure to whom. Each begins, “Hello, human diary. It is I again, Mitt Romney, your better.” To his lesser half? I don’t care who they’re to: They are funny.

Take today’s — not exceptional, just averagely good, and the last line — wait for it — still wrested an evil chuckle from my gut: The Chronicles of Mitt: July 23, 2012. I know, I should be better than that.

Posted in 2012 Election, Completely Different | 2 Comments

Polling South Florida (July 2012)

Posted on July 19, 2012 by Michael Froomkin

One of the consequences of living in a swing state seems to be you get polled a lot. I’ve had five robopolls asking who I am voting for in the Presidential election in the last week. So far I’ve told the truth (not happy with Obama’s performance as President, definitely will vote for him, don’t like Romney at all & think he’s bad for the economy, I’m a liberal Democrat of a certain age).

But increasingly as I push the same boring buttons on my phone I feel the temptation to offer tactical answers. The problem, is, I can’t figure out how to shade my answers: Would it help to say I am a Republican who hates Romney? To say I’m older or younger? Would false answers be more likely to mess up the Romney or Obama decisions on how to spend their ad dollars? Do I want Romney to look less popular with his base than he is at the risk of Team Obama getting overconfident?

Of all the polls I’ve gotten this week only one was at all interesting. In addition to the usual demographic questions it asked if I was a veteran, and then what religion I was. The choices included Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical Christian [and there I was thinking that Evangelical Christians were Protestants], Jewish, Muslim, and Mormon. I picked Jewish. Then it asked me how often I go to church….

Meanwhile, regular reader Gustavo Sardina sends in the following account of a push poll he received.

Things to know (that the pollsters probably already knew), I am a registered republican, vote in every election, and live in Coral Gables.

It seems to be a push poll for Erik Fresen (my FL. House Rep.) targeted against his primary opponent Amory Bodin and went something like this:
Continue reading →

Posted in 2012 Election, Florida | 4 Comments

Romney “Gets Worse”

Posted on July 19, 2012 by Michael Froomkin

In Mitt Gets Worse: Julie Goodridge the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit that brought same-sex marriage to Massachusetts discusses her interaction with Mitt Romney.

It’s pretty powerful stuff. Kathleen Henry’s account of Romney’s first support then destruction of projects designed to support gay and lesbian youth is also notable.

The videos are part of a larger Mitt Gets Worse campaign regarding Romney’s stance on LGBT issues, designed to portray Romney as someone who puts political expediency above principle:

The Mitt Gets Worse project is an oral history of Mitt Romney’s efforts to diminish the rights and the freedoms of LGBT Americans, told by the brave people who have fought back against Mitt’s anti-equality agenda.

When Mitt Romney ran for the US Senate in 1994, he claimed he would be better on LGBT rights than Ted Kennedy. Today, Mitt is one of the most outspoken enemies of the LGBT community, and he’s campaigning for president on an extreme and inhumane platform.

As a politician, Mitt Romney has earned a reputation as a flip-flopper — changing his positions in whatever direction furthers his career. But when it comes to LGBT issues, there’s one thing you can always count on: Mitt Gets Worse.

The Mitt Gets Worse project is powered by grassroots supporters and LGBT activists, and supported by American Bridge 21st Century and Courage Campaign Super PAC.

Posted in 2012 Election | Comments Off on Romney “Gets Worse”

DNC Promises No More Horse Videos

Posted on July 19, 2012 by Michael Froomkin

DNC Regrets Offending Ann Romney, No More Horse Videos.

Given it wasn’t a such a great video, this is no great loss, but I do think the DNC has to get out of the habit of cringing.

Posted in 2012 Election | 1 Comment