Romney and the GOP: Playing by the Old Rules

I was chatting a week or two ago with a friend of mine, a Congressman, who's in a tough re-election battle.  I expressed my confidence to my friend that he would win re-election, but I also shared my pessimism about Romney's prospects to defeat the president.

"I sure wish Romney would hit Obama harder," he told me.  "He's barely done it at all."

Yesterday, Rush Limbaugh sounded the same note:

"Clearly what we've known for years is true. The Republican hierarchy, from its consultants on down, truly believes that mentioning Obama by name and then criticizing will cause these swing voters ... to run straight back to the Democrats. It is clear they believe it. 

"Naturally, I profoundly disagree... I want to know why these independents don't get turned off when Obama calls Romney a murderer and a felon. Why is it that independents only get turned off? Why is it that our guys are agreeing with a Democrat consultant? Why is it that the independents only get turned off when we're critical?"

This is a clear-cut example of what I'm talking about.  Romney is still trying to fight according to the Marquis de Queensbury rules, while Obama and his supporters are in a gutter street fight, and any stick is good enough to beat Romney with.  Or brass knuckles.  Or knives.  Or guns.

Romney's supporters...

vs. Obama's supporters.

In a situation like this, it's foolish to stand on honor and not hit back with the same sort of weapons and tactics our opponents are bringing to bear.  We need to be out there making our case for our policies, yes, but we also need to show how Obama's policies, contrary to the lies that his people are telling up street and down alley from sea to shining sea have brought this country to the brink of ruin, and he promises nothing other than four more years of the same!

I'd rather have an opponent who looks
like Melinda “La Maravilla” Cooper!
(H/T:  Wombat Sports)

There's only two months left until the election, and I'm skeptical that there are very many people paying attention yet.  Well, it's not even Labor Day.

And we still have the Democratic National Convention, with its celebrations of Islam, abortion, rape and sodomy, and Obama, the president of Islam, abortion, rape and sodomy, and four days of fawning media coverage of speaker after speaker telling us how wonderful Obama is, and what demons Romney and Ryan are.  What do we have to counter that with?

The rules have changed.  I hope we haven't nominated a fool who's still playing by the old rules.