A turnaround Etch-A-Sketch guy. With Flip Flops. -T
By Joe Klein |Time| March 22, 2012
I've been thinking about this all night: Eric Fehrnstrom's Etch A
Sketch gaffe yesterday may go well beyond a momentary embarrassment
and become a campaign-defining disaster, much as John Kerry's "I voted
for it before I voted against it" gaffe -- which came at almost
exactly the same point in that campaign, as Kerry locked down the
nomination -- was in 2004. This is true for several reasons:1. Most
obviously, this was a classic Kinsleyan gaffe -- an inadvertent
blurting of the truth -- that goes to the very heart of the character
problems that have bedeviled Mitt Romney throughout this campaign. It
provides a handy prop for Romney's opponents and an obvious template
for future TV ads. 2. It makes it much harder, perhaps impossible, for
Romney to begin to tack back to the center to appeal to centrist
voters, an absolute necessity for the fall campaign after the
free-range extremism of the Republican primary. Every time Romney
makes a move or even a head fake, it becomes an Etch A Sketch
moment.3. There is a gestalt to every campaign, a deep organic spirit.
Kerry's campaign was infected by the candidate's indecision about what
to do regarding the war in Iraq. Bill Clinton's campaign was propelled
by his native resilience. George W. Bush succeeded because of his
gormless certitude. The Obama campaign's steadiness emanated from the
candidate's no-drama persona. In Romney's case, this spirit expresses
itself in embarrassing gaffes, often at the moment of victory -- and
it reflects the sterile management-consultancy ethos at the heart of
the candidate. In last week's issue of the New Yorker, Louis Menand
had a terrific essay about how this ethos really is Romney's defining
characteristic. A management consultant or private equity turnaround
specialist can wipe the slate -- or Etch A Sketch -- clean and start
anew with each new project. A political candidate can't. There has to
be some passion for a presidential candidacy to work. Romney has none,
just a deep abiding faith in his ability as a turnaround guy. A
turnaround guy. Etch-A-Sketch.
A turnaround Etch-A-Sketch guy. With Flip Flops. -T
http://swampland.time.com/2012/03/22/etch-a-disaster/
--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
--
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