Romney Flunks Critical Competency Test

Along with simply having been a businessman involved in high finance, Mitt Romney's great claim to fame and qualification for the presidency is the notion that he's a highly competent technocrat, or manager. One of the main criteria routinely employed to judge a politician's competence is how well he or she manages an effective, winning campaign.

Along with exposing Romney's significant shortcomings as an effective campaign politician, recent assessments of the Romney campaign, from The Hill yesterday: Doubts creep in as an awkward Mitt Romney tries not to lose the GOP nod ... to Byron York's concise but thorough analysis of what went right and wrong in South Carolina do not support anything close to the idea that Romney is a competent manager of staff, or tactics.

As it stands, it would seem the notion that Romney is somehow a competent manager and planner is based more upon image and myth, than substance. The fact is, his organization failed dismally in South Carolina. Romney can attack Newt Gingrich for an alleged lack of managerial experience all he wants; the fact is, the Gingrich political organization outperformed Romney's on several counts across many key areas. York's analysis is linked again below - emphasis my own. 

Why Gingrich won -- Why Romney lost

How did it happen? For one thing, all the talk about Romney having a hugely superior ground organization turned out not to be true. "They did not do the retail politics that a Santorum and a Gingrich have done over time," said Kevin Thomas, chairman of the Fairfield County Republican Party. (Thomas was neutral in the race.) "I think Newt's people, they had more on-the-ground staff, and they worked." There were a lot of them, too; after Gingrich's strong showing in the debates, said Susan Meyers, Gingrich's media coordinator for the Southeast, "We have so many volunteers, our phones are melting right now."

Gingrich's campaign was also faster and more nimble than the Romney battleship. "There is a very strong contrast between the two campaign organizations," said Gingrich adviser (and former George W. Bush administration official) Kevin Kellems. "In military terms, it's speed versus mass. Newt Gingrich's operation, and Newt Gingrich as a man, has a great deal of speed -- intellectual speed, decisiveness. The Romney campaign is much more about money and size, having hired half of Washington D.C. And sometimes, speed beats mass."

Comments

[sickofrinos]

How stupid the establishment gop look.
They think they won the house in 2010, morons.

[Ragspierre]

Dan, was it the case that Romney spent 2x Gingrich in SC?

[Ragspierre]

Not to be outdone, Romney’s campaign later put out a statement celebrating the “15th anniversary” of the House decision to reprimand Gingrich for ethics violations, during his days as speaker. The Romney campaign plans to deliver an anniversary cake to Gingrich’s South Carolina headquarters to mark the occasion on Saturday.

Yeah. That worked out champion, dinit...??? Low-ball, stupid, ass-hatery is not a winning strategy.

Romney will be paying for the little piece of cake for some time, and deep in the pocket.

[Ragspierre]

The most amazing thing about the exit poll is how many different demographics Newt won. Romney led by double digits less than a week ago but couldn’t hold onto his advantage in virtually any group. Newt won men, women (sorry, Marianne), independents, marrieds, singles, veterans, non-veterans, and all income groups. He won on electability and on the economy and on the deficit. He won among voters who decided today and within the last few days, and tied Romney among those who decided earlier this month. (A rare win for Romney came among those who decided before that.) He even won among those who approve of Nikki Haley’s job performance as governor, notwithstanding her endorsement of Mitt.
--Allahpundit

Huh. Independents. Women. All income groups. Electability.

Gorsh.

[Ragspierre]

“Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has defeated the national media in South Carolina by a margin of 54 percent to 14 percent, according to a survey conducted by a Democratic polling firm.”
--Ed Driscoll

Hmmm...

Wonder if THAT could be a factor in the election to rid the U.S. of Obama?

[Snorkdoodle Whizbang]

Funny... all of his 'business experience' didn't really work any miracles in Massachusetts... why should we think that it would make a difference in D.C.?

[Ragspierre]

Maybe business and government are not the same...?

Maybe the skill-sets for one don't really translate too will to the other...???

Hmmm...(again)

[cali]

One thing that bothers me though is this: After Newt's win in SC, the DC GOP was on the phone panicking urging evangelican leaders to donate lots of cash to Rick Santorum to blunt Newt going forward, but because of support for Rick, but rather to help their puppet- their plastic boy - to win FL using Rick as a spoiler.
This was reported by Red State, not sure how much weight that carries; if it's true the DC GOP is shittier than I thought. They must be panicking.
I know Rove is crying tonite to his handlers the bushes - I hate this sob knowing he threw the election to the current fumbler-in-chief, and trying to do it again this year, so they can their last bush into the WH in 2016.
If they all had any sense, they would realise that we no longer abide by THEIR rules.

[Reaganite Republican]

Mittens has tin ear for the electorate, he can't feel the pulse like Gingrich AT all- that's how it slipped right past him imho.

The intellectual speed/decisiveness York noted is laser-guided by political instincts like Romney will likely never have. There's a sense of entitlement there because he's good looking or ran and lost last time, I guess...? That's why he gets pissed when you ask him things he doesn't like to talk about, this was supposed to all be just a formality in his mind.

Prepare to get spanked in Florida, Flipper lol