Happy Presidents’ Day!  I thought a good way to celebrate our forty-four presidents and fifty-six presidential elections would be to send a quick update to satisfy your political appetites. 

 

Appetizer: So much of what we do is finding the right words for the right time.  Last e-mail, I talked about how Romney should promote “economic freedom” rather than “capitalism” — he’s getting better, but Chairman of the House Budget Committee Paul Ryan does it best.  Here’s a few more tricks of the tongue…Ask people if they think Washington bureaucrats should “tax” millionaires more than they already do, and the response is overwhelmingly positive.  But if you change just one word and ask if Washington should “take” any more money from millionaires, nearly 75% say no.  The best way to use this language:  “We shouldn’t let Washington take one extra dime from hardworking taxpayers until they hold themselves accountable for all of the waste, fraud, and abuse.” Likewise, a politician who “fights for hardworking taxpayers” will win significantly more support than one who talks about “protecting the middle class.” 

 

Main Course: Romney or Santorum, Santorum or Romney…The Michigan primary is February 28th, and Santorum leads Michigander Mitt by a few points.  Santorum does have a legitimate chance to win Michigan.  The state’s more socially conservative than people realize, and Romney’s been as bad at building momentum as Sisyphus pushing the boulder up the hill.  Romney is still the odds-on favorite to win the GOP nomination.  He has outspent Santorum 12 to 1 on television advertising, has raised considerably more money, and has a much larger ground operation both in numbers and scale.  Here’s what’s holding Romney back…1) Santorum isn’t Gingrich – Romney and his SuperPAC “Restore Our Future” are kings of the negative ad, as we saw in Florida with the full-scale war waged on Gingrich.  But, on what is Romney going to hit Santorum?  That he is too socially conservative?  Santorum has plenty of negatives that would make him absolutely unelectable in a general election, but Romney can’t do anything about it now because he’s trying to prove to Republican primary voters that he is just as conservative as the former senator from Pennsylvania.  2) Philosophy Matters – Agree or vehemently disagree, at least you know what Santorum believes in.  And, at an even more fundamental level, you know Santorum believes in something.  I wouldn’t go so far as to call Romney a technocrat, but I wouldn’t hesitate to say that he treats everything like a Harvard Business School case study.  Accordingly, when the focus shifts from the economy to social issues, as we’ve seen the last few weeks with gay marriage matters in CA and NJ, and birth control provision mandates from DC, Romney gets flustered.  That leads him say things like he is “severely conservative,” contributing to his image as the phony, stiff politician for which he is rightfully criticized.  3) Every Person Gets One Vote – Santorum treats all of his potential voters like they’re important to him.  He doesn’t do it like Bill Clinton could — nobody can — but you talk to him and feel like he is listening to what you say.  At the Conservative Political Action Conference, Santorum stationed himself in one of the hotel ballrooms and let anybody get in line to shake his hand and take a picture with him.  Romney’s approach was a microcosm of his entire persona.  Romney instead invited only the highest donors and conservative movers and shakers up to a presidential suite to talk about fundraising.  That’s a bad visual, and frankly, a bad strategy.     

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Zac Byer: A Presidents’ Day Menu