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Bill Burton Keeps Focus On Mitt Romney Through Cain, Christie, And Palin Distractions

by Tommy Christopher | 1:51 pm, October 6th, 2011

» 19 comments

In recent weeks, the fireworks show that is the Republican Party’s never-ending string of exploding frontrunners has intensified, culminating this week in the cooling embers of Rick Perry‘s candidacy, the ascent of Herman Cain, and surrender flares from Chris Christie and Sarah Palin. Through it all, though, former Obama spokesman Bill Burton has focused his PAC’s attention, like a Terminator crawling through a trash compactor, on Mitt Romney, relentlessly clawing at the candidate’s vulnerability with the base.

Romney’s weakness with the conservative base has been a running theme for Burton’s Priorities USA Action PAC, best exemplified in a recent memo with the subject line “Hey Mitt — They’re Just Not That Into You”:

The list of Republican elected officials who’ve been dragged into considering the Presidential race this year isn’t short: Mitch Daniels, Haley Barbour, John Thune, Paul Ryan, Rick Perry, Bob McDonnell, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Mike Huckabee and now Chris Christie. They’ve all been courted not because of who they are but because of who they aren’t: Mitt Romney.

After spending over $100 million and five years running for President, Romney hasn’t been able to overcome the fact that Republican voters just aren’t that into him.

Herman Cain’s recent rocket ride to the top of Republican primary polls might seem to be an indication of the political outsider’s unique appeal, but when I asked Burton about it, he said it was all about Romney. “Herman Cain’s rise,” he said, “is a lot more about how badly Republicans who don’t want Mitt Romney than how much they’re clamoring for Herman Cain.”

Earlier today, when I asked him what he thought of Sarah Palin’s announcement that she won’t be running for president in 2012, he replied, “The GOP is running out of people who aren’t Mitt Romney to pick for their nomination.”

Are you sensing a pattern here?

Now, the fact that a former Obama aide isn’t a big Romney fan isn’t exactly news, nor is Romney’s anemic support among conservative true believers. But with Republicans serving up rich targets all over the place, Burton’s focus on Romney is noteworthy. It’s tempting to think that the purpose is to weaken Romney as a primary candidate, but I think Burton, and probably the White House, have known for a long time that Romney will be the nominee. He’s the only GOP contender who polls ahead of the President head-to-head.

The President’s current push for the American Jobs Act is beginning to yield encouraging results with the public, who, according to a new poll, trust him over Republicans (by a wide margin) to create jobs. The audience for this sustained offensive on Romney is the mainstream press, a priming of the pump for the general election.

2012 Election, Bill Burton, Chris Christie, Herman Cain, Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Sarah Palin

Anonymous

Who cares what a pipsqueak like Burton thinks ?

Even the lefties on Morning Joe laugh at him .
Anonymous

surrender flares, lol
Michelle

Bill, if Mitt is the candidate, we will vote for him.

Oh and ps,

Voters believe Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and
Texas Gov. Rick Perry would better handle the economy than President
Obama according to a new Quinnipiac University poll.

49
percent of voters surveyed say former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney
would do a better job with the economy than the president. 39 percent
would prefer Obama’s approach.

and

President Obama not only has a political problem with the economy, but with voters’ confidence in his ability to handle it.By a margin of 44%-11%, voters say the economy is getting worse, not better, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll — and only 29% say the economy will get better if Obama is re-elected.
The
Quinnipiac poll also says that voters believe Republican presidential
candidate Mitt Romney would do a better job on the economy than Obama,
by a margin of 49%-39%; Rick Perry gets the nod over Obama by a margin
of 45%-42%.
Overall, voters disapprove of the job President Obama is doing, by a margin of 55%-41%.
Anonymous

President Romney is going to have a huge Obama mess to clean .

You lefties need to get behind him and help . You put the unqualified shady character in office .
Anonymous

“Electoral Vote Advantage Goes to Mitt Romney”

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/57_38/electoral_vote_advantage_goes_to_mitt_romney-209248-1.html?pos=hbtxt
Anonymous

It sounds like Obama is V E R Y afraid of Mitt being nominated… as he should be.
cianook

hate. plain and simple.
cianook

no, not all Republicans will vote for him! I will never vote for good ol’ willard “mitt the mormon” romney! he has flip flopped on every issue important to social/fiscal conservatives. Anyone can beat obama and we need a REAL Conservative to beat him!

not to mention I dont like when mormons push their sick book of mormon religious prophecies off on the American electorate: “constitution hanging by a thread” this guy is supposed to “save” us somehow??? Give me a break! Im sure he would want to make mormonism the state religion and convert everyone by some weird sort of executive order.

not to mention the mormon god hated blacks till 78! so no. This Republican will NOT be voting for the closeted weirdo democrat party affiliate mitt the mormon!
cianook

As a Republican, Im afraid of him being nominated! Real Christians will not vote for him and the only Black vote he’ll get will be the brainwashed token members of the mormon cult mitt romney belongs to. The mormon god hated blacks till 78, then he sort of changed his mind!

Heres a great article: http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/Vote-for-Romney-Is-a-Vote-for-the-LDS-Church-Warren-Cole-Smith-05-24-2011.html
Anonymous

That’s a pretty extreme view.

“Real Christians”

“Cult”

“Brainwashed token”

Really?

And who is the “Mormon god”?
Michelle

Take your ill-informed religious bigotry and shove it. He’ll win without your vote.
Anonymous

How’s everything at the Westboro Baptist Church , sicko ?
Anonymous

Langer Research is well known polling outfit!
No one knows what Quinnipiac is, let alone how to spell it.
How’d I do Tommy?
Anonymous

Wait till “Bigtime” Billy Burton gets done with calling Romney a weirdo! They’ll be nothing lft of him!
Anonymous

Pssst…Tommy…it’s time for a (oops, I don’t know why I said “hit piece”, I meant “expose”) on Speaker Boner. He said something bad about President Obama today. If I get any more tips I’ll keep adding them to your masterful articles, okay?
Boehner: Obama Has ‘Given Up’ on Governing to Campaign For 2012″We’re legislating, he’s campaigning. It’s very disappointing”
http://www.hapblog.com/2011/10/boehner-obama-has-given-up-on-governing.html
Exgoper

“Real Christians” live in a fantasy world. They think snakes can talk, water can be turned into wine and the earth is only 6000 years old. Why would anyone care what these deluded individuals think?
Anonymous

Fact: Any republican in the field will get my vote over Obama!
Anonymous

TC, openly working for team Obama.
holeyerthanthou

Hang onto those polls, dear one. Clutch them to your bosom and pray that one year from now nuthin’s going to change and you can get your country back. Country first!