Romney: defense vs. offense
The other day the following metaphor came to me about the Republican race and the antipathy to Romney’s candidacy:
In football (a sport about which I know next to nothing of the fine points), one thing I do know is that each side has two lines, defensive and offensive (we can ignore the special teams for now). The former goes into the game when the opponents have the ball, and the latter when the team itself has possession.
So, here’s the comparison (not a perfect one, I freely admit): Tea Partiers and many other conservatives are convinced that this is the moment for the Republican offensive line to be in there. Obama is incredibly weak, they think (he doesn’t have possession, as it were, even though he’s the incumbent), and they want their strongest conservative candidate in there to score, and score relatively easily.
So when they look at Romney they say, why’s the defense in there? And a weak one at that?
Those conservatives who support Romney despite their reservations about his conservatism think Obama will remain a formidable candidate: i.e., Obama’s still on offense. Romney may not be an ideological purist, but he can block Obama most effectively.
Moderates, of course, support him for other reasons.
Did you see the WaPo ed questioning the wisdom of Obama’s military cuts? Maybe it is wiser to play defense a bit longer until you get your offense team built up and all playing together. I just hope our team has had its scouts out watching the players on the other side and looking for signs of weakness. Speaking of which, did you see that a new book is coming out describing Michele’s problems with other team members?
Romney embodies the reviled “prevent” defense. He will sacrifice small losses at the line of scrimmage to defend against big plays (Obamacare). The ball inches ever closer to the Progressive goal.
For the sake of preventing an opponent’s touchdown, we prevent our own victory.
Mojo is real in politics and football. It’s basically a state of momentum gained in direct proportion to risk and unorthodoxy employed. To kill mojo, you take less risk and do the predictable.
The GOP has zero knowledge of mojo.
Democrats are experts in the area of mojo. Obama knows it all to well and it’s exactly what got him elected in the abscence of any substance.
And pay attention to what Obama does on nearly a daily basis. He employs risk and unorthodoxy.
Until someone else comes along that has a better chance than Romney of beating Obama, I’ll vote for him. You would think with the poor economy that the prez would be easy to beat. With him being the first Black president and the big media on his side I expect it will be a a very hard fought race with ruthless criticism of whoever wins the republican primary. So unless something big happens to illustrate Obama’s weakness and incompetence, I don’t think our side can’t be overconfident. Nor can we elect someone that Obama can demonize too easily. It’s much better if the election is a referendum on Obama.
Republicans must go offensive not because Obama is weak, but because he is strong. They must advance the most inscrupulous, nasty, aggresive, principless and eloquent demagogue they can find to fight Axelrod’s mud slinging machine. Let this election be the most dirty and nauseing in American history – this is the only chance to beat Obama.
For now this is the tryout for the right to face Obama. It’s not yet time to go on offense against Obama. The candidates are trying to get the nomination.
Once that happens whomever it is must go on the offensive; of course defending too. I would like to see a 24/7, every day, answer each charge and question Obama anew every morning, all day, and every evening.
McCain was such a deflating presence in this sense. He thought he was being good in not going after Obama. He let us all down.
This is not a fair fight. Not even close. Obama already has the two biggest States, and the entire Dem Propaganda Machine (the MSM and Hollywood); every public union and bureaucrat on his side.
We all, not just the nominee, have to fight that Leviathan constantly.
I like the offense/defense metaphor: I look at the race like that. Offense gains ground (for small government principles); defense loses ground. “Losing ground” reminds of a previous comment section metaphor about Obama aiming our boat over the waterfall: Romney would still have us losing distance between ourselves and the waterfall … only more slowly. I want a person who will gain distance from the waterfall, and towards the shore.
Someone like me is far more interested in persuading the nation towards small government philosophy (esp. re economics); only interested in supporting the Republican Party as a necessary stinky choice (I don’t trust the Repub Party as far as I can spit).
I like Perry’s principles and I think he’d make a pretty good president, even with his poor communications skills. But I just don’t think he can get elected to a national office.
He does fine here in Texas where we are able to overlook his poor communications skills, his drawl, and even his poor grammar. We understand that he got that way through years of hearing that kind of speech and know that what he has done is more important than how he speaks.
But I don’t think the rest of the country can do that.
Soooo…I’m settling in on Romney. Most of all I admire his competence. His handling of the Salt Lake City Olympics, his success in running a successful business, his ability to get elected as governor of very liberal MA, and his holding off all other Republican opponents so far are examples of his competence.
His personal life is impeccable.
And he’s certainly conservative enough for me to vote for him instead of Obama.
I’m betting he’s gonna be our candidate and hopefully our next president.
I think that this is going to be a nasty, nasty election, no matter who the Republican nominee is, and that the odds favor Obama for a number of reasons. (Money from those he’s sent stimulus and other money too will give him a gigantic war-chest.)
I supported Romney over McCain in 2008. What we will need from the R candidate is someone who is very aggressive in articulating the case against the Ds, which will be very difficult when he’s under constant attack from them (I include the MSM as part of the Ds).
Gingrich, Perry, and Santorum know what to expect. I’m not so sure about Romney: I fear he may be just as blind-sided as McCain was when the friendly media turns on him.
texexec: as a TX expat, I “resemble” your remarks, Perry doesn’t drawl, he talks normal Texian, as I do, as GW does, and as I trust you do. And it sure beats the heck out of Hussein’s Ebonics, to which re reverts when organizing the organized in his community.
I can’t remember now where it was… the Washington Post, I think, but this morning I saw an article wondering if the author “could vote for a Mormon”. Romney still has that to overcome, sadly. Being a “Mormon” (a title the LDS Church still asks the press not to use) itself isn’t a problem, it’s the public’s perception thereof.
…it’s not just Obama that he’ll need to fight, it’s the ignorance and prejudice of the American people.
Sorry for the double post, I hit submit too soon. As for why my previous comment is important… how does one go on the offensive against the ideas? It’s not Obama the man that’s the problem, it’s the people who put him there and the social movement that says he’s the ideal. You can’t make the real lasting social changes necessary by just attacking Obama; he gets the blame if he fails, rather than the blame going where it needs to, on the philosophies that made Obama.
Don Carlos said:
“texexec: as a TX expat, I “resemble” your remarks, Perry doesn’t drawl, he talks normal Texian, as I do, as GW does, and as I trust you do. And it sure beats the heck out of Hussein’s Ebonics, to which re reverts when organizing the organized in his community.”
Yep…I do talk with a Texian accent. I was just pointing out that the rest of the country can’t handle that as well as you and I do. Example being the silly negative comments about GW saying “noo-clar” instead of “new-cli-are”.