Should Romney Trump Fehrnstrom?

Posted on | March 22, 2012 | 24 Comments

by Smitty

By any objective measure, it’s of course unjust to fire a man for one errant remark. Politics, however, isn’t fair, and neither is the presidency. Mr. Romney’s problem is not his policies or programs; his problem is his credibility: many people just don’t believe he really believes what he is telling us. Firing Mr. Fehrnstrom would be a welcome signal that Mr. Romney is offended by any suggestion, no matter how much it might be later explained away, that he does not really believe what he says — and is ready, willing, and able to erase it away when he thinks he needs to.

What Fehrnstrom said was true. Punishing people for speaking the truth is precisely why politics is the toilet bowl it is today. Leadership is about telling the truth, courageously, repeatedly, and cheerfully in the face of blowback.

Let us celebrate truth:

Social Security is a Ponzi scheme.
Chronic deficit spending, and the attendant debt, are immoral.
Racism is an organizational tool of the Left, and a propaganda tool of theirs against the Right.
You were never a dead object in your mother’s womb between conception and some vague moment of transition from fetus to baby.
Nation building should always be done to the tune of Michael McDonald.

Mitt has a teachable moment here, where he can stand above the fray, and appeal to reason. He can double down on Fehrnstrom’s remarks and characterize the farce that our politics have become, where every appeal is fear, greed, envy and hate, and offer something enlightened. An appeal to reason and classical American values. Newt would do such with eloquence; Rick with passion.

I don’t think that will happen. Mitt continues to be the football coach with the lead, who plays ball-control offense in the 4th quarter, trying to run out the clock. The other team has a truly raging two minute drill, and Mitt has the pleasure of congratulating the other team for packin’ the gear in a way that Romney seems incapable of doing, for whatever reason.

via The Corner

Category: Mitt Romney

Comments

24 Responses to “Should Romney Trump Fehrnstrom?”

Mike Rogers
March 22nd, 2012 @ 11:25 am

Can we fire R-Money for his dozens of errant remarks over the years?
Isn’t he, in fact, his own worst enemy? Isn’t it because he thinks the same way as the Republican elites and most Republican consultants, that he and his staff might think that he has to reset and be a moderate in the general election?
Clearly these people do not listen to Rush Limbaugh, who says, and can prove, that “conservatism works every time it’s tried”.
We at the grassroots try every time to vote for the most conservative and/or most passionate candidate in the primaries, only to have to suck it up and deal wit the predictable RINO in the general.
The elite consultants only get this to the extent that they pander to the conservative rubes in the primaries, and then shake the Etch-a-Sketch and pander to the liberal media in the general.
We can thank our lucky stars that the Tea party got several good congressmen and senators elected, but we must redouble our efforts to elect the real thing at every level this year.
A nice suit and a TelePrompTer does not cut it!
Random thought – if I shake Mitt’s TelePrompTer, does it reset his message?
richard mcenroe
March 22nd, 2012 @ 11:38 am

Ferny is 0/6 in his most recent campaigns. Don’t interrupt Romney while he’s making a mistake. If God has turned his face from America and Mitt ges th enom, then fire him.
Pathfinder's wife
March 22nd, 2012 @ 11:49 am

He could turn the etch-a-sketch thing into a nice little witticism (somebody brought up a most excellent one last night) — that would be a truly winning move — but they’d have to be clever for that. I don’t think politicians do “clever” much anymore.
Maybe it’s the lead in the water…
ThePaganTemple
March 22nd, 2012 @ 11:49 am

This must be an example of that old saying “It’s all over but the crying.”
ThePaganTemple
March 22nd, 2012 @ 11:52 am

Reality check in motion-Mitt’s going to be the nominee. Remember when I used to say you had two choices, Mitt or Newt, get ready to make your choice? Well, now you still have two choices. Support Mitt now, or stay home and wait till 2016. You have a few months yet to make that choice, but that will be your choice.
Charles
March 22nd, 2012 @ 11:55 am

Fehrnstrom should submit his resignation on an Etch A Sketch.

Losing the state of Louisiana is the best political advertising money can’t buy in places like Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and maybe even Pennsylvania.

Santorum and Gingrich look like dolts with their new props, and Team Romney will be laughing all the way to California.
Pathfinder's wife
March 22nd, 2012 @ 11:59 am

No, it isn’t over yet…and this isn’t crying: it’s the growing apprehension that this sucker’s going to get beaten like a rented mule (along with everyone whose along for the ride).
I take that back: beaten worse than a rented mule. If some things don’t change, then this is going to get wicked ugly. Oh boy…
Charles
March 22nd, 2012 @ 12:04 pm

Team Romney is probably also slipping Newt Gingrich some cash to keep calling Romney a Massachusetts moderate. Louder Newt, so the independent voters can hear you.
Pathfinder's wife
March 22nd, 2012 @ 12:07 pm

And I say that as somebody who not so long ago took at least a little consolation in the fact that, while Mitt isn’t my first choice, at least he has some electable factors: nice hair, purdy, decent family image, doesn’t seem to make too many campaign blunders…
BradleyHarman
March 22nd, 2012 @ 12:13 pm

Fehrnstrom made a clumsy remark on national television, but I find it sick how so many of the NotRomney coalition want him fired and humiliated.

It’s sick, it’s all about “my guy got creamed, so I want my pound of flesh on some random staffer.” It’s pathetic.

What this guy said is what is true with ANY campaign, both left and right. You don’t think if Santorum won the primary he’d pivot his message to independent voters?

You guys lost, get over it and stop sniping our nominee (or even sadder, our nominee’s campaign aide) It only empowers Obama from here on out.
ThePaganTemple
March 22nd, 2012 @ 12:17 pm

Yes its over. The only hiccup might be in a slim chance for a brokered convention, and if that happens, that brokered convention will still end up nominating Mitt. I admit I would love to see it all fall apart and a brokered convention nominate Palin, or even Perry or Bachmann. But let’s face it. That’s not going to happen. And they sure as fuck won’t nominate Rick, or Newt. Why in the hell would a brokered convention decide to nominate the guy who came in second. Or third.

I wouldn’t even be a damn bit surprised if Mitt doesn’t win Pennsylvania, by the way.
PAcon12
March 22nd, 2012 @ 12:42 pm

Actually, it’s the Romney people who want Fehrnstrom fired. The NotRomney people want everyone to understand what we’d be getting from Romney as the nominee and president. Romney will not be with us when the going gets tough, and these are very tough times.
McGehee
March 22nd, 2012 @ 12:58 pm

Indeed. Comments like the Etch-a-Sketch confession should be repeated constantly, with prominent attribution.
Confutus
March 22nd, 2012 @ 1:48 pm

A good coach doesn’t yank one of his best players after a fumble or interception. Romney isn’t going to fire Fehlstrom because his opponents are playing “gotcha!” with a remark that they can reintepret as fitting with the “Romney stands for everything and nothing” theme they have been playing since they entered the race. Probably the most effective thing Romney can do to persuade people who don’t know what he’s been saying or don’t believe he means it is to defeat Gingrich and Santorum so that the press will stop giving them air time.
Pathfinder's wife
March 22nd, 2012 @ 1:49 pm

He isn’t our nominee just yet — it looks like he will be, but not yet.
And I got cured of being rah-rah in ’08 (which was an interesting feeling, being an independent and taking guff from Repubs for trying to not be a debbie downer on their canidate).

Nope, this time I’m not doing it — I won’t slam after the convention, but no more rah-rah for somebody I’m not thrilled about anyway, and puts me in a position of once again of voting against something rather than for.
Ann
March 22nd, 2012 @ 2:11 pm

Something strange going on with the Stop Obamacare site. I tried to go there several times and it locked up each time.
McGehee
March 22nd, 2012 @ 3:24 pm

No, what empowers Obama is Romney getting the nomination. We’ve been telling you ‘rrhoids this for months.
RichFader
March 22nd, 2012 @ 5:31 pm

He wouldn’t be getting canned for telling the truth, per se. He’d be getting canned because as Romney’s communications guy, he’s not being paid to tell the truth, he’s being paid to make Mitt look good.
Bob Belvedere
March 22nd, 2012 @ 7:44 pm

Sorry TPT, but for me it’s:
NO COMPROMISENO QUARTERNO RETREATNO SURRENDERWOLVERINES!It ain’t over to the vested guy says so.
Bob Belvedere
March 22nd, 2012 @ 7:53 pm

I don’t think he will get the boot because Willard and him are tight. They’ve known each other since the latter was a reporter for the Boston Herald. Perhaps he would fall on his sword – I don’t know – and he could always join the former’s SuperPac.
ThePaganTemple
March 22nd, 2012 @ 8:06 pm

The odds for Santorum are lousy, Bob. I wouldn’t go down with that sinking ship if I were you. The disappointment is just going to be that much worse. Reality looms in the distance. The sooner you accept it the sooner you can get past the depression. The longer you put it off the worse it will be.
DaveO
March 22nd, 2012 @ 10:40 pm

If Candidate Romney can not fire a key staff member (not some waterboy, but an advisor trusted to go on CNN), then Romney can not fire his Attorney General should s/he commit Fast & Furious II, or an EPA Chief who’s just regulated a component of the Energy Industry out of existence.

Fernstrohm screwed up by calling his man Romney a liar. L-I-A-R. This isn’t about humiliation or a pound of flesh. This is about discipline in Romney’s potential administration.

Personnel is policy, and if your point man just called you a liar and you do nothing about it, you ARE a liar, and your administration will be just like the SCOAMF’s. But with pre-election vetting.
gloogle gloogle
March 22nd, 2012 @ 10:50 pm

Well, if Fehrenstrom should be fired for the etch-a-sketch remark, what should Santorum do to HIMSELF for his “Obama is preferable to Romney” nugget o’ stupid?? Time for Little Ricky to pull the plug.
Bob Belvedere
March 23rd, 2012 @ 7:28 am

I’m a believer in going down fighting for a good cause.

If it’s a lost cause, then so be it. At least I will have fought for what I believed was right [and Right].