‘Operation Destroy Romney’ in Action

Posted on | August 26, 2011 | 21 Comments

Let me remind you of this Aug. 9 article in Politico:

Obama plan: Destroy Romney
Barack Obama’s aides and advisers are preparing to center the president’s reelection campaign on a ferocious personal assault on Mitt Romney’s character and business background, a strategy grounded in the early-stage expectation that the former Massachusetts governor is the likely GOP nominee. . . .
[T]he candidate who ran on “hope” in 2008 has little choice four years later but to run a slashing, personal campaign aimed at disqualifying his likeliest opponent. . . .
Obama’s high command has even studied former President George W. Bush’s 2004 takedown of Sen. John Kerry, a senior campaign adviser told POLITICO, for clues on how a president with middling approval ratings can defeat a challenger.
“Unless things change and Obama can run on accomplishments, he will have to kill Romney,” said a prominent Democratic strategist aligned with the White House. . . .

So the entire political world was warned, more than two weeks ago, that Team Obama was going to go negative, specifically targeting Romney. You would therefore think that when these orchestrated attacks were made, the news media would identify them as such. But look at this disingenuous headline on a Tommy Christopher article at Mediaite:

‘Angry’ Mitt Romney ‘Loses His Cool’
With Voter At New Hampshire Town Hall

Didn’t Tommy Christopher read that Politico story two weeks ago? Or is Tommy Christopher so profoundly stupid as not to realize that the “voter” hectoring Romney at the town hall is a Democrat participating in “Operation Destroy Romney”?

OK, so let’s go to the video and watch as this woman goes on for nearly a minute, using the word “shameful” to describe Romney’s rhetoric, which she characterizes as “platitudes,” not “speaking to the truth.” And it is only after she has lectured him at great length that Romney attempts to have his say:

Like most conservatives this year, I oppose Romney in the GOP primaries, but it is ridiculous to pretend that this is a spontaneous expression by a typical “voter” when, in actuality, this “voter” is a Democrat doing her part in Operation Destroy Romney. And I’m glad to see Romney pushing back against such tactics. Ace of Spades:

I don’t know for sure this woman is a liberal, but her question seems to be Kos-like, in claiming that government spending of all types must be defended at any cost to keep… emergency services during hurricanes.
And she does what the previous hecklers did — she won’t let Romney answer her alleged question.
If it’s a question, why isn’t Romney permitted to speak three words before she begins to re-harangue him again?

What she is doing is filibustering, and there are ways to deal with such tactics, one of which Ace suggests: “People really need to turn on their cell phones and cameras and [get] pictures of these people. Would be fun to ID them as plants.”

A robust public exchange of views is certainly to be encouraged. However, it is not a “robust public exchange” when operatives of the incumbent President of the United States orchestrate the personal destruction of the leading opponent to his re-election and employ, as one of their weapons, partisan stooges assigned to hijack and disrupt that opponent’s campaign events.

We ought to be calling this what it is — Alinsky tactics straight out of Rules for Radicals — and we must further insist that news organizations correctly identify such efforts as part of Operation Destroy Romney.

UPDATE: Linked by Bill Quick at Daily Pundit — thanks!

Category: Election 2012, Mitt Romney

Comments

21 Responses to “‘Operation Destroy Romney’ in Action”

Beto Ochoa
August 26th, 2011 @ 12:11 pm

Lucky for Mitt that the MSM is in his camp…
(wife leans over and whispers in ear)
Wait …. What!
Never mind.
Shawn Gillogly
August 26th, 2011 @ 12:55 pm

He does, until the General Election. Just like McCain did.

Though I have to admit, it’s Jon Huntsman that has the media as his ‘base’ this time. Would this guy even be able to campaign if the media didn’t publicize his unattended speeches?
The Romnoid Crash Land Part XXIX | Man Are We Screwed
August 26th, 2011 @ 9:03 am

[…] Of course the woman is interrupting him. This is all part of a great Alinsky plot. For Republicans, this is a grave sin when a mere citizen does it. Quite […]
Dan Gillen
August 26th, 2011 @ 1:04 pm

why would obama want to destroy romney that’s the one guy that can win the nomination and keep most conservatives home on election day.
Rwrubywilson
August 26th, 2011 @ 1:30 pm

Mitt Romney is a “gentleman and a scholar” even in the toughest of meoments – calm, focused and reasonable – that is the type of leader we need – not a “shoot ’em up angry” leader. Decisions made with anger lead to many tragic and wrong results. GO MITT!!!!
Daily Pundit » Fellating Tools Roll Out Hack Propaganda For Obama
August 26th, 2011 @ 9:30 am

[…] ‘Operation Destroy Romney’ in Action : The Other McCain Didn’t Tommy Christopher read that Politico story two weeks ago? Or is Tommy Christopher so profoundly stupid as not to realize that the “voter” hectoring Romney at the town hall is a Democrat participating in “Operation Destroy Romney”? […]
Bring Me The Head Of Willard Mitt Romney « The Camp Of The Saints
August 26th, 2011 @ 9:50 am

[…] Stacy reports this morning on Mr. Romney being subjected to very similar treatment at a New Hampshire event and has video of […]
Bob Belvedere
August 26th, 2011 @ 1:56 pm

Quoted from and Linked to at:
Bring Me The Head Of Willard Mitt Romney
Dave C
August 26th, 2011 @ 2:06 pm

Townhall sessions like this could be easily remedied with a knowledgeable person at the sound board..

Let the person ask the question with one mic and if he/she keeps interrupting the candidate, mute the person and raise the volume a little for the candidate to speak over them..
McGehee
August 26th, 2011 @ 2:11 pm

I want Mitt Romneycare to stay up in the polls for the GOP nomination just long enough and consistently enough that the Obamarrhoids waste all their fire on him.

I want him down in flames six months from now, not six days. But not 14 months from now either.
Anonymous
August 26th, 2011 @ 2:56 pm

I don’t want some guy who is on a bottle of prozac leading my country. Barney Frank got re-elected saying his voters were dumber than kitchen tables. When someone is rude, move on to the next questioner and let them shout at each other.
Bob Belvedere
August 26th, 2011 @ 2:57 pm

Thanks for the HEADLINE, Stacy.
Anonymous
August 26th, 2011 @ 4:54 pm

The left and their allies the Winston Smith Media are attempting to recreate the “Town Hall Revolt” that so energized the Tea Party Freedom Fighters in the summer of 09. They are failing because that kind of anger can’t be manufactured and one person or a small handful of plants simply won’t have the desired impact.
Leslie Eastman
August 26th, 2011 @ 6:09 pm

I think your recommendation to videotape and ID the “plant” is great. We need to do this throughout the 2012 cycle . While there are other candidates I prefer, Romney deserves better than this and handled himself well. Supporters of other GOP candidates would do well to take the approach you suggested, as this tactic can and will be used against anyone opposing Obama. We need to be prepared.
Anonymous
August 26th, 2011 @ 6:20 pm

I love the Alinsky narrative being set: Establish plant. Harangue. Report candidates response as “angry” or “short-tempered.”

Romney isn’t nearly my top choice for the primary, but he handled that operative with aplomb. He could not have been more pleasant and reasonable especially with someone who was intent on being unreasonable for effect.

Naturally, the MFM is quick out of the gates to misrepresent the episode. I simply cannot wait until the rat bastages of the MFM beclown themselves to irrelevance. That’s really the most profound change I hope concludes from the SCoaMF’s presidency.
Anonymous
August 26th, 2011 @ 7:11 pm

Yes a gentleman & scholar and spineless too. Calm & focused & squeeshy Fool.
Palin will mpo the floor with OHbama and do it oh so nicely
ThePaganTemple
August 26th, 2011 @ 7:44 pm

I still say ABC, CBS, and NBC especially should have their licenses yanked, and the FCC should be sued to be forced to yank them. Those Big Three Networks are the only criminals in the history of the world to record their own crimes and present them to the public.
McGehee
August 26th, 2011 @ 8:07 pm

Except for network-owned broadcasting stations, the networks don’t hold licenses subject to the FCC. The role of a network is to produce or procure content for affiliated stations, whose owners hold the broadcast licenses.

FCC review could shut down a few stations in large cities, but the networks themselves are out of reach.
ThePaganTemple
August 26th, 2011 @ 10:52 pm

I guess that explains how they’ve been getting away with this crap for years.
McGehee
August 26th, 2011 @ 11:47 pm

I should amend: networks can be fined — but they hold no licenses to pull.
Osceola Pundit
August 27th, 2011 @ 1:04 pm

My how the meme changes without notice. Just the other day the theory was that Obama secretly was hoping for a Romney nomination, now were inundated with “destroy Romney” stories.
They’re scared of Romney prescisely because he will attract the independents away from Obama. Independents will never vote for a Rick Perry once they know his record. As for the bigots who won’t vote for Romney and instead pledge to vote for a 3rd party candidate in lieu of the GOP nominee–go ahead. Just don’t be complaining when Obama gets a ticket for another 4 year ride.