When Eric Fehrnstrom, the communications director for Mitt Romney's campaign, appeared on CNN this morning, he couldn't possibly have predicted how much trouble he was about to cause for his boss.
It was such a simple question: is there a concern Romney is being pushed so far to the right that he'll struggle with mainstream voters in the fall? The smart response would have been, "Romney is a mainstream conservative, and there's nothing extreme about his vision for America."
Instead Fehrnstrom said, "Well, I think you hit a reset button for the fall campaign. Everything changes. It's almost like an Etch A Sketch. You can kind of shake it up and restart all of over again."
It's the kind of line that reinforces the worst possible fears about Mitt Romney's entire candidacy -- he doesn't even care what he's saying to voters right now, because it'll all be thrown out the window in a few months anyway.
Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich aren't great candidates, but wouldn't you know it, both are campaigning with an Etch A Sketch this afternoon. While their staffers ran to the nearest toy store, the Democratic National Committee was putting together this new video:
American Bridge put together a video of its own.
Tabitha Hale tweeted this afternoon, "This Etch-A-Sketch situation is not going to go away... maybe ever."
I'm very much inclined to agree. The knock on Romney since Day One has been that he's a shallow, unprincipled politician, willing to say anything to anyone to win. "Etch A Sketch" is so perfect a metaphor, it's extraordinary that it came from the candidate's own communications director.
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Eric "Etch-A-Sketch" Fehrnstrom has created a lasting bit of American political folklore, handing not just Democrats but late night comics, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and every politician who ever wants to attack an opponent's inconsistency a vivid 'word picture' that will last forever.
It may be the most important thing ever to come out of the Romney campaign, and will certainly outlast the 2012 circus that is the Republican primary season.
It is a very strong metaphor and could not have come at a better time if you are Santorum.
Please don’t fire Eric! Waaaaahhhh why do you hate Eric….. why, why why why why…. what did he ever do to yooooou…. wahhhhaaahhhaa….
Sorry…
I think the etch-a-sketch comment will live forever, or at least through the general election. It won't just be a boon to Santorum and Gingrich. It may make Obama's job easier this fall.
The GOP base has always been suspicious of Romney and this isn't going to help. He's veered far to the right to court them and they are still uncertain about him. His reputation as a flip-flopper is a big part of that. If/when he veers back to the suppositious center for the general election, that plus his reputation plus the etch-a-sketch characterization may further poison Romney's relationship with the base. I have no idea whether that will depress whatever enthusiasm they will have just for the chance of defeating Obama. It may, but a lot depends on what else happens between now and November.
Team Obama, or at least his SuperPAC, will make full use of the etch-a-sketch line. They're sure to make full use of all the videotape of Romney taking all sides of every issue, and the etch-a-sketch line will be the perfect bow to wrap it all up.
If the Romney campaign really believes there's a reset button they can press, that only goes to prove yet again that politicians (especially on the right) really have no understanding of videotape.
Correction...
The knock on Romney since Day One has been that he's a shallow,
unprincipledlying politician, willing to say anything to anyone to win.With their history of turning victory into defeat, can the democrats avoid blowing this opportunity?
Fehrnstrom's comments remind me quite a bit of the Barry Levinson movie "Wag the Dog" with heavyweight political player Robert DeNiro & Hollywood producer Dustin Hoffman faking a war to aid the President's sagging approval ratings. Throughout the movie, Hoffman keeps insinuating that he can't wait to brag about this to his friends, and DeNiro keeps reminding them that no one can ever know about this. Hoffman keeps acquiescing, yeah, yeah of course, no one will know...and then seems genuinely shocked when DeNiro makes it clear that he's serious, no one beyond those who orchestrated the fake war can ever ever know what went down. And Hoffman blows his top, what's the point of doing big "awesome" things if you can't brag about it?
...or simpler still, it's like professional wrestling. Everyone knows it's fake, but for someone in the industry to talk about it being fake to a civilian breaks their code of silence. Such a silly thing to have to do, you can almost easily forget you have to do it...
it speaks volumes to the bubble mentality. Fehrnstrom, in that moment, was talking to some of his buddies from the "foxhole," trading "war stories," and his candor came from forgetting that there is (or should be) a wall between those who work in politics and those who report on it. I'm not sympathetic, I'm quite frankly surprised this doesn't happen more often, where political hacks and strategists outline the game plan to the very people who would appreciate the game plan, forgetting that part of the plan is to never let the American public IN on the plan.
It also speaks volumes about the Romney's comfort level. They assume the nomination is now locked up. They are SO sure, they feel there's no time like the present to start "fixing the damage" they've done to their campaign during the primary process, trying to assure moderate voters that Romney isn't the right-wing lunatic he's been playing for the past few months, he just had to pretend to be so the rubes would vote for him. No, he's like yoooou, no reallllllly....
I will give Mitten's little mouthpiece credit for being so public and honest about what a lying sack of Seamus dung Mittens is ...
Name calling is never appropriate and negates any truth in your comment(s).
Joy,
Funny stuff doesn't convert true into false.
Saying something like "Mittens Robme tried to abolish the US auto industry" doesn't make it like Romney didn't do that.
"The knock on Romney since Day One has been that he's a shallow, unprincipled politician, willing to say anything to anyone to win."
And now his campaign staff has confirmed the GOP bases worst fear! Hahahahaha It's starting to make that Marxist, socialist, Kenyan colonial Muslim lover look better all the time doesn't it........
Romney would promise the Pope celibacy if he thought it would let him win.
What a surprise - a politician promising stuff the crowd in front of them wants. Different crowds, different promises. This is not news...at least not new news. EVERY politician - Democrat and Republican does this. And they rarely deliver on the vast majority of their promises. Really, a post on a candidate changing their speech/promises?
Whatever gets them elected, they will say. Any of them from either side of the aisle.
Quite trying to excuse williard the lying freak machine. It's not working.
Used to be a fairy tale started "once upon a time'. Now for the GOP it starts ' \when I am your president'. By the way, now the wolf just waits until the little pigs house is foreclosed on. Truth is just so damned inconvenient.
I do believe I hear a Fat Lady singing!
Republican Party is so hung up on sex they can't think straight. They love the fooling around but not paying for it, Now that is Republican!
No. To the Republicans, nothing looks worse that the Coon-in-Chief. He is, after all, the worst President that the United States ever had. The only really essential feature of a candidate is that he be able to beat the Kenyan Socialist Usurper -- and if it takes someone willing and able to lie to the general public, then being a lying sack of elephant dung is a good thing.
This admission may give Santorum a slight boost, but it's not going to hurt him with the Republican base at all, as far as the general election is concerned.
You might consider your racist slander of the President. You might also consider giving links to your so called "Kenyan Socialist Usurper" comments. You have nothing but slander and racism. And by the way. The record has GWB as the worst President in history.
I think it was pretty obvious what DC was saying there and that the sentiments were not exactly DC's own. Take a pill larry!
You know, I guess I was too well brought up to say, "thank you Trollop!" without feeling like there should be a better way.
But be that as it might, thank you.
No, not hurt with the ignorant brainwashed base but Etch a Wretch will still be going on in the General and it's a very distinctive way to highlight willard's LIES. And, there will be a indefatigable amount. Just ask Steve. Steve?
"A line that will be tough to live down"? Hardly. Just hit that reset button again, and Eric Fehrnstrom's shockingly honest statement will have been magically taken out of context by that mean ol' lamestream media. Problem solved.
Next?
I suspect Mr. Fehrnstrom is about to find out what Mitt meant by "I like to fire people."
Instant mind connections:
George Romney - Brainwashed
Mitt Romney - Etch A Sketch
You don't have to be a Rhodes scholar to know that Mitt would steer his ship back to the center after the primary. Trouble is all the flip flopping he did on the trip rightward. So did everything he said to Conservatives was an out right lie, or was it the truth? Or how many times can you change your position and get away with it is the better question. We all know Obama was waiting for this, but what will the right do? Support him even though he will abandon them and every position he took to woo them, or sit it out? Santorum won't let him go on this, so lets see if he can wiggle some more.
Soon no one will trust anything he says
Soon? You're assuming they do now. I'm not so sure that's the case.
Just to add to the chaos, "one reason to elect me is that I know what I stand for, I've written it down, words have meaning......"
HE WROTE IT DOWN??! He wrote down what he himself stands for? To remind himself? To practice? To wear on his back? To memorize? I can't take it, nobody could make this up!
Unfortunately, people unlike we who political junkies, are not paying much attention to the daily going ons, so to speak. There is so much hate & so many lies to overcome, it will very likely be a close election.
When I hear Romney I think lier.
Romney is frantically trying to re-brand and is confused because he looses votes every time he says what he really thinks.
I can genuinely relate and somewhat agree. However, to brand him a liar would be giving him way to much credit. Liars are a bit more clever than he. Liars have a better memory. Lying is intentional. I really think he does not have a clue as to what he says from one moment to the next. Words just randomly spew from his lips and he has no control. This is not that unusual. Difference here is that previously, most (either running for the Presidency and/or actually have become President) that have been afflicted with this have had the minimal intelligence to surrounded themselves with others that can either rope them in or save themselves from themselves. The fact that bonehead statements from himself and his handlers have over-taken his campaign says volumes for his ability to manage.
When I heard that I thought maybe they're trying to convince us that it's ok to play etch-a-sketch if you're in politics. I correlate it as a game and Romney sure is playing a lot of games, with peoples' lives for one. Not cool. He should bow down and admit his defeat like a man. Maybe he will then leave at least with whatever dignity he has left. I'm sure it's not much. I don't know how anyone could lie and cheat the way he is and bad mouth people. He talks down to people when they ask him a question. You can't talk like that to people if you're running for office. He must be taking lessons from Chris Christy. And it doesn't have anything to do with being from N.J that's a cop out, the man is just downright rude. I oughta know, I was born and raised there. Rude is rude no matter what state you're from.
Mit Romney has been a virgin many times.
Mr. Romney doesn't care what he says! He really doesn't care what his people say about him! He doesn't care what others say about him! Mr. Romney, in my opinion, feels that this primary and the general election is in the bag for him. Why do I say this? Well, I strongly believe that he has made a deal with the Koch Brothers' Syndicate! Mr. Romney wants to be the President of the United States so bad that he will do anything to have this happen. So, in my opinion, he has made a deal with the Syndicate to serve as its puppet in order to have the title and pomp of the presidency!
The Koch brothers were one of the first, early in Romney's campaign, to hold a fundraiser for him and Chris Christie, the "golden boy" of Charles Koch, was one of the first to endorse him. I would venture to say that Romney's Super Pac is being financed by members of the Koch Brothers' Syndicate. There is no doubt in my mind that Mr. Romney is in cahoots with the Syndicate and that he doesn't care what happens to America or 99% of Americans. As he says, he will not apologize for his success!
The Koch Syndicate, enforcing the ALEC agenda across the country with the 2010 midterm elected GOP/TP governors and legislators is doing its utmost to suppress the vote and reduce voter turnout because it has figured out that a reduced voter turnout makes it easier for a Republican to win in the general election. It's all been calculated! And, this is what Mr. Romney is counting on; therefore, he can lie, mislead, flip-flop or talk down to the voters. He doesn't care because, he feels, in my opinion, that his nomination and the general election is in the bag for him!