The RPs Debate the GOP Mudfest: The RP Responds

The RP’s First Response

[Krystal Ball’s Provocation; Artur Davis’ Rebuttal #1; Jeff Smith’s Rebuttal #2; Ron Granieri’s Rebuttal #3; The RP’s Rebuttal #4; Ron Granieri’s First Response; Rod Jetton’s Rebuttal #5]

Ron Granieri is correct that I’m a passionate Marxist, but he’s got the wrong Marx brother.  I prefer Groucho.  (Karl’s the mute with the curly hair, right?)

Speaking of farcical comedy, with his shocking Romney endorsement, have we seen the last of Donald Trump’s involvement in Campaign 2012?  OK, just kidding.

But seriously folks…I hesitate to respond to Ron Granieri’s latest piece because frankly I don’t understand his big words, French references and elite, ivory-tower sophistry. (or is it sapphistry?)  I am, after all, just an ordinary, unfrozen caveman lawyer.So let me address the Ball/Smith versus Davis/Jetton debate that’s been developing on these cyber-pages. I have to admit that while I usually agree with Krystal and Jeff philosophically, I’m with Artur and Rod on this one.

To use a basketball analogy, I think this is going to be a close game.  (OK, that sucked…Will go down to the final buzzer?…A full court press?…Nothing but net?) And something that I just don’t think has been said enough is how well Romney has run his campaign.

Yes, he has been dull, raised few controversial issues, sat impassively while third parties have done most of the attacking.  But in today’s climate in which he must escape a GOP primary where the base is far out of touch with the American center, he has to keep as quiet as he can to preserve his electability for the fall.

OK, a tennis analogy is due:  he keeps returning serves, lobbing the ball back over the net, monotonously, letting everyone else make the unforced errors.

The press and pundits HATE this — this kind of tennis makes for very boring TV — so they take every opportunity to attack him.  But Romney has resisted the urge to please the pundits and he hasn’t overreacted to every barb and insult hurled his way.  And I think he will enter the general election as strong as possible, leading to a 50/50 race in November.

Romney’s strategy is very much like my old boss, Steve Beshear, who won reelection with an extraordinarily disciplined campaign and media strategy during his first term in office.  His chief antagonist and general election opponent, David Williams — who bears an uncanny and quite remarkable political resemblance to Newt Gingrich in every manner imaginable — spent four years attacking, cajoling, insulting, demeaning, and Beshear absorbed the punches and ultimately crushed Williams by 20 points. And all along the way, the insider political writers continued to paint Beshear as an un-adept, naive, political neophyte who was having his lunch eating by the schoolyard bully.  Turns out, Beshear had poisoned the purloined tuna sandwich.

Now, Obama is neither Gingrich or Williams, and has an extraordinary campaign team of his own.  That’s while I think it will be a well matched general election.  While I guess Obama will pull it out, I admit that may be wishful thinking.