What was the biggest ‘mistake’ made by the Romney campaign? Choices below are listed in no particular order.

Selecting Paul Ryan as VP nominee
47% speech
Third debate performance (overall)
Jeep jobs to China ad
Trip to England, Israel, Poland
“I like being able to fire people.”
De-fund Big Bird
De-fund Planned Parenthood
To Rick Perry: “I’ll bet you $10,000.”
“Corporations are people, my friend.”
“Not concerned about the very poor.”
Etch A Sketch strategy
Republican National Convention (overall)
Refusing to disclose more than 2 years of tax returns
Sandy relief rally
Premature politicizing of Benghazi & Cairo attacks
Lack of knowledge of Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
“Let Detroit Go Bankrupt” op-ed
Close association with Donald Trump
Singing “America the Beautiful.”
“Ann drives a couple of Cadillacs.”
$350,000 in speaking fees was “not very much.”
Benghazi “terror(ist) attack” challenge in second debate
Failure to mention troops in convention acceptance speech
Failure to control the anti-Bain campaign
Unscripted Clint Eastwood empty chair routine
Close friends are NASCAR team owners
Refusing to name tax loopholes he would close
Stuart Stevens and/or general organizational structure
Other (please describe)

Feel free to add to this list. My brain reaches overload at about 30.

(11-07-2012 10:40 AM)ColOwl Wrote:  Etch A Sketch strategy acknowledgment

But actually I think his single biggest problem was the extent to which the GOP primary handicapped him. There was simply not enough time between that and the general election to implement a successful etch-a-sketch strategy.

I think all the financial stuff that came out before he secured the GOP nomination, because it made it even easier for the Obama campaign to define him as an out-of-touch wealthy elitist. Stuff like:
To Rick Perry: “I’ll bet you $10,000.”
“Corporations are people, my friend.”
“Not concerned about the very poor.”
Refusing to disclose more than 2 years of tax returns
“Let Detroit Go Bankrupt” op-ed
“Ann drives a couple of Cadillacs.”
$350,000 in speaking fees was “not very much.”
Failure to control the anti-Bain campaign
Close friends are NASCAR team owners

He was going to have this problem anyway, but he could have overcome it more easily if he hadn't continually fed the fire. None of these were even policy issues (except the detroit op-ed).

Not tearing George Stephanopoulos a new a-hole when he asked that question about contraception.

This graph:

http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/a..._Chart.jpg

It will be interesting to see what, if anything, the Republican party does in the coming weeks, months, years, to try and appeal to the changing demographics of America.

1. Accepting the nomination for president. Seriously, Santorum was the Republican party's best hope, imo.
2. Appearing aloof and thus failing to persuade independents and moderate Democrats that he would relate to each represented demographic.
3. Failing to distance himself from racial undertones that were being promulgated by the distant right. He could have gotten much more Minority votes if he followed the Bush I/II playbook.

(11-07-2012 05:15 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  This graph:

http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/a..._Chart.jpg

It will be interesting to see what, if anything, the Republican party does in the coming weeks, months, years, to try and appeal to the changing demographics of America.

More important for the future of our country, and thus the world, will be the extent to which such demographics remain permanent political determinants. One would hope that, ultimately, skin color and surname language will be no more predictive of political thought than is, say, birth month. The sooner we get there, the better -- which is why it's too bad there are so many vested interests committed to resisting such progress.

(11-07-2012 10:40 AM)ColOwl Wrote:  What was the biggest ‘mistake’ made by the Romney campaign? Choices below are listed in no particular order.

Other (please describe)

Feel free to add to this list. My brain reaches overload at about 30.

Other:
Giving the impression he would say anything to get elected.
Unrelatable (insincere, wooden, scripted)
Evasive -- "trust me"

I still say if he'd torn George Stephanopoulos a new a-hole over the contraception question, and made it clear that this election was going to be about the economy and not social issues, he'd have ended the primaries a whole lot quicker, had a lot more momentum, and not needed to kowtow so hard to the social conservatives that he looked like such a flip-flopper later.

I'd go with "47%." A good way to motivate the opposition. Either don't say such a thing outside a group of 4 or 5...or make durn sure there are no potential enemies in the room. (Or better yet, realize in advance that it is wrong and shouldn't be said at all.)

Interesting WSJ story on how, ironically, lack of money may have played a role:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/how-race-s...tml?page=2

This was one of the first books I was assigned in my intro Poli Sci class in 1976.

http://www.amazon.com/THE-END-LIBERALISM...liberalism

I wonder if students will be reading "The End of Conservatism."