TPM: How Romney Turned His Rivals Against Each Other
The Iowa caucuses are in less than 24 hours and Mitt Romney is edging out a lead at exactly the right time, polling neck and neck with Ron Paul for first place in a state where even a top three finish might be enough to put him on a glide path toward the nomination. But you wouldn’t know it from the other campaigns’ latest attacks: Rick Perry is bashing Rick Santorum. Michele Bachmann is attacking Paul. Paul is bashing Newt Gingrich. And none of their ads go after Romney particularly hard.
The current free-for-all is only the latest lucky break for Romney, whose rivals have been unable to unite against the frontrunner since the earliest days of the campaign. And it’s a maddening source of frustration for his Republican and Democratic opponents alike, who complain he’s getting an easy ride to the nomination as a result.
For Obama’s supporters, the dynamic was a key factor in national Democrats’ decision to become involved in the primary, where they have devoted virtually all their resources to attacking Romney.
“Everyone has spent so much time and effort becoming the Romney alternative they have to date missed their best shot, which was to take him out,” one Democratic strategist told TPM. “He’s the most vulnerable candidate in the field on issues of his core and character as a politician and he’s all but gotten a free pass.”
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