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Former Obama Spokesman Launches Social Media Offensive Against Mitt Romney

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by Tommy Christopher | 1:22 pm, November 2nd, 2011

» 24 comments

After many, many months of attacking GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney as a flip-flopping political weather vane with ”no core,” former Obama spokesman Bill Burton‘s Priorities USA Action PAC has taken a new tack, supported by a six-figure social media push, that paints the former Massachusetts Governor as a man with a plan, a very bad plan, for a place called Mitt Romney’s America.

The focal point of the campaign is a slickly-produced web ad that one-ups even Rick Perry‘s cinematic efforts, with a propulsive, Inception-esque score that accompanies a kitchen sink’s worth of sinister visuals and jittery Romney quotes like, “Corporations are people” (somewhere, Charlton Heston is proud), and “Don’t try to stop the foreclosure process. Let it hit the bottom.”

Rather than mimic the empty sizzle of a Michael Bay trailer, though, Mitt Romney’s America attenuates its style to a hipper horror/suspense sensibility, so while it is comically overwrought, it’s winkingly so.

The ad is also noteworthy for its use of Fox News clips and the complete absence of the flip-flop theme. Perhaps the could have appended the clip with the disclaimer, “Don’t worry, though. In Mitt Romney’s America, a new, completely different Mitt Romney’s America is just a coin-flip away!”

The ad is supported by a strong social media push, with heavy promotion on Twitter and Facebook.

For those of us who remember the President’s 2008 campaign, the hallmark of which was a desire to at least appear to be above the fray, an ad like this is an indicator that not only are the gloves off this time, the brass knuckles are on.

The good news for Romney is that Burton and the Obama campaign, which are not connected, have been focused on Romney since Day Zero, and this volley is just further confirmation that the political pros behind the President’s reelection see Romney as the eventual nominee. They’ve spent precious little time on frontrunning blips like Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry, and none at all on current leader Herman Cain. If these guys aren’t worried about Cain, maybe Romney needn’t, either.

The bad news is, of course, that once he does secure the Republican nomination for president, Romney will have to face off against two opponents: President Obama, and Mitt Romney.

Here’s the ad, from Priorities USA Action:

2012 Election, barack obama, Bill Burton, Mitt Romney, Priorities USA Action

Anonymous

Mitt Romney : Man of substance and accomplishment and likely next President .

Bill Burton : Irrelevant Pipsqueak and future parking lot attendant .
Anonymous

I wonder if Fox News will force him to take it down. Like CNN asked Mitt to do with his Perry ad?
RW

Thanks Tommy for the free airtime. The Democrats can always count on you getting their message out.
Michelle

I’m sure Bill appreciates your free publicity, Tommy. Are you on his payroll?
Anonymous

What are you talking about? Tommy (and Colby) is a reporter… just writing the facts to give us the all the information in a unbiased way so we can make your decisions in a well informed manner.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Anonymous

If Mitt Romney is a Danite Knight, I don’t think we want him running this country.
Anonymous

Tommy Tommy Tommy…you are a dupe for the Obama
administration and it’s many enabler’s. Sorry but it’s true.
RW

Former Obama spokesman Bill Burton has spent months attacking GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney as a flip-flopping political weather vane with ”no core.”

Tommy wrote:
On Sunday morning’s Meet The Press, host David Gregory told his panel that senior White House adviser David Plouffe “broke new ground” in attacking GOP establishment presidential hopeful Mitt Romney as having “no core.”

Broke new ground – not exactly. Tommy says Bill Burton has been doing it for months.

Democratic talking points. Blah, blah, blah…
Anonymous

“The bad news is, of course, that once he does secure the Republican
nomination for president, Romney will have to face off against two opponents: President Obama, and Mitt Romney.”

There he goes again…..T.C. showing us his comedy roots…..funny stuff, Tommy!…No, really….funny funny stuff……funny….yeah…..funny.
You missed your calling, Tommy….you should be writing for Melissa Rivers…..she would kill!

“face off against two opponents: President Obama, and Mitt Romney”……still laughing here.
Anonymous

“The good news for Romney is that Burton and the Obama campaign, which are not connected,”

That’s cute.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VYUK3HIJFCPFBZUHRHN6HCR5AA MarkfromSavannah

See a trend here? First Cain and now Romney. Don’t have to worry about Perry as he will implode any day now. Pretty clear who scares the Obama administration the most and think of the resources they have to get the job done.

Think…………Travelgate!
Michelle

They know they can’t run on his record of failure, so it’s all they have.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Dronetek-Bulk-Vanderhuge/100000918732763 Dronetek Bulk Vanderhuge

This site has becoming a clearing house for DNC approved hit pieces on Republicans. As if we needed MORE of those.
Anonymous

maybe burton can get some money and get those chiclets fixed…
Anonymous

Yet you still read his articles.
Anonymous

Oh yeah bombard the internet with slickly made adds warning of the terrible times a Romney presidency would bring.

And since most of the viewers would be generally apathetic young people you’ll just be reenforcing the “why bother” thought process.

4 more years of what we’ve just had or 4 years of some over the top too much money produced vision of a similar hell.Why bother to vote if that’s the choice?I can hear them now.

I just hope most people will take the view I have.No political add anywhere any time is the real truth and the more money that was spent on it the further away from the truth it gets.
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Anonymous

I read quite a bit, yes…but I don’t agree with everything I read.
http://twitter.com/surecleancarpet Teddy Nonisa

Listen closely to RON paul

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af7XNc7LOTA
Matt Ketcham

I don’t believe this particular ad is any more or less an example of dirty politics than 90% of what we see today…which makes it all the more shameless why good ol’ Tommy chooses to once again undermine the principles that Mediaite was founded on – fair analysis in a hyperpartisan world – by pushing a cookie-cutter partisan advertisement.
Britt

Wow–anyone can cut out bits and pieces of any candidate and put them all together to make an anti attack on them. “The Greater the Truth the Greater the Opposition.” Go Mitt!
expatpatriot

Somewhere, Andrew Breitbart is standing on top of a building, handcuffed to James O’Keefe, deciding whether to jump off, with the phrase “we are not worthy” on his lips.

That’s one brilliant ad.

Were the clips trimmed to within an angstrom unit of misleading? Eh, maybe. Is it one of the swiftest kicks to the crotch I’ve seen in a political ad since I don’t know when? You betcha.

Kudos.
buzzardbill

Had Willard as guv here in the commonwealth. Don’t want him or his type having anything to do with the middle class. Come to think of it if he were elected (or any other of the septodwarfs) the middle class wouldn’t have representation at all.
NOROMNEY2012

The wrong and right Mitt Romney question to ask.

Wrong question asked:
During the last Presidential election Mitt Romney was asked if he believed in the Bible.
After a pause he said yes

Correct question to ask him is:
If you feel there is a conflict between the Bible and the Book of Mormon, which do you hold as the final authority?

His answer will be the stock LDS (Mormon) answer, which is:
“We accept the Bible as far as it is translated correctly”.

Ask him (them) to show you where it is mistranslated and he will not be able do so.

All Mormons believe the Book of Mormon is the final word of God and
reject the Bible as the final word of God. The decisions he makes will
be based on his Book of Mormon beliefs.