WaPo The Plum Line: The trap Democrats are laying for Mitt Romney

[pampango]

The emerging Democratic strategy is to find popular issues that Republican Members of Congress oppose, and to force votes on them. The goal: To try to make Mitt Romney choose between either appearing ideologically extreme or risking conflict within his own party.

Here’s why this strategy could work: Perceptions of ideological extremism are one of the few factors that influence voter perceptions of challengers, as George McGovern and Barry Goldwater discovered. So Romney presumably wants to move to the center on as many issues as possible, including the ones Democrats are pushing. And yet this isn’t easy, because Romney doesn’t want a civil war to break out in the GOP.

Dems are currently pushing votes on no less than three major issues, all of which are designed to force Romney to make difficult choices.

First up: The student loan rate extension. Romney has already committed to Barack Obama’s position on this one, but House Republicans are reluctant to go along.

Next: The Violence Against Women Act, where Republicans in Congress have objected to reauthorization if modest Democratic changes are included.

And after that, the Senate will be taking up the “Paycheck Fairness” bill, which covers discrimination against equal pay for women.

Each of these is apt to be highly popular, and yet in each case Congressional Republicans are expected to oppose the bills as proposed. A fourth possible vote, Chuck Shumer’s legislative push to undo the Arizona immigration law if it survives the Supreme Court, may be less generally popular, but might become a key issue for Latino voters.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/the-trap-democrats-are-laying-for-mitt-romney/2012/04/24/gIQA6xzXeT_blog.html

Romney probably wants to move as far to the center as the republican base will allow. We should make that as painful a process as possible.

[LynneSin]

1. Obama is like a fricking chess master

He's already got the next 10 moves plotted and knows exactly how to trip his opponents.

[obxhead]

6. To be fair

it's pretty easy when the opponent thinks they're playing checkers.

[PatrynXX]

16. unless it's wizards chess

Go Ron.

[Dont call me Shirley]

13. My hubby brought home a cowbell for me, so I'll add the extra cowbell.

[emulatorloo]

2. Excellent strategy. Thanks for posting.

[AlbertCat]

15. Excellent strategy.

And it's not just a strategy.

If these things pass.... it's good for the country.

It doesn't just get Romney in hot water, but the whole unamerican GOP platform is highlighted.

[Ian David]

3. Or, the Republicans could all vote in favor of them and claim the ideas as their own. n/t

[cali]

4. not a chance. n/t

[cr8tvlde]

5. Agreed. Watch POTUS on Slow Jam with Jimmy Fallen !

great marketing for student loan benefit.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/24/obama-slow-jams-the-news-with-fallon_n_1450968.html

[EC]

10. Or we could finally get these bills

passed period. If this is what it takes to get something through congress, then by all means, do it. Shame them to hell.

[uponit7771]

7. Agree with the one poster that said dems have to claim these quick lest KKKons say they came up with

...them in a bipartisan matter or some ish

[freshwest]

8. Why the Repubs hate Pelosi so much...

Last edited Fri Apr 27, 2012, 02:11 AM - Edit history (1)

Now it remains to get the word out. Remember that it will be not be assisted by the 'news' media, but by people on the ground.

The outpouring of love and support for Obama that we've seen here on threads are only through the internet for the most part. They won't be on the 'news' since they are not so much in the business of informing the population, as in brainwashing.

To apprise the voters who can put these thugs out of office of what is being done to them, requires our hands and feet and voices. One at a time.

Thanks for all these informative threads, folks.

[hifiguy]

9. A sound though obvious strategy

to those of us who are political junkies. And watch the Baggers, the Orange Man and Yertle walk right into the snare. Mittens is SO screwed - he either pisses off the moderate middle or the baggers.

[libodem]

11. I'm proud he is our guy

I do employ a little cognitive dissonance I'll admit, but I try to remain self aware.

[JoePhilly]

12. Mitt becomes more and more Vanilla everytime.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

14. Good strategy.

The Dems must make Romney make tough choices, the kind of choices that push him to the right.

[tclambert]

17. Obama can beat Romney just by waiting for Rmoney to say something stupid.

"Say something stupid, Willard!" You know he will.

[Alcibiades]

18. It's not really a trap

And if it is, it is one the GOP has laid for itself by continually cultivating and pandering to the most reactionary elements within the party. The 2010 elections were all about who showed up: the old, the white and the reactionary. It will be nice to see them take the same Rove-mold pandering to the base platform into the general election. Not only are they not running from the Ryan budget, they are running on it.

They would do very well if the election were to be held only among 50+ white married evangelical Christian and Catholic men in the 100k+ income bracket, but they have sacrificed the interests of practically everyone else to continually pander to this group.

[Action]

19. Mitt's Campaign Slogan

Just for Men isn't just Mitt's hair product. It's his campaign slogan!!!!!!!!!

[cilla4progress]

20. I've been noticing this...

Seems like Dems are on the offense FINALLY, and it's working for them. I also love how they can mostly stick to the issues and not get personally nasty like the Rethugs. The GOPers are so obviously flailing. Preibus this morning complaining about Obama's travel being illegal campaign use of taxpayer funds...went nowhere. Obama seems to be developing some teflon. The bad shit just ain't sticking! We got us a winner! Now we need to focus on keeping the Senate! (and not take our eye off the big one...the WHouse...)

[coalition_unwilling]

21. Republicans just voted to kick 280,000 children off the free school lunch

program. If Dems can't use that issue to relegate Repukes to the wilderness for the next several generations, than Dems don't deserve to hold power.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002612135

****************

Governor Romney, do you approve of your Republican colleagues' efforts to deny children free school lunches?

[DallasNE]

22. The Next Step

Should be to try and corner Romney on things such as asking Romney how he would pay for the student loan rate extension, etc. Should Romney try to deflect then keep asking the same question until he answers it. Would Romney pay for this by taking money away from cancer screening for women like Boehner proposes?

[Uncle Joe]

23. Legalizing cannabis would be a good one to put in line.

Let us distinguish between which party wants to represent the for profit prison industry and which one wants to represent the best interests of the American People.

Thanks for the thread, pampango.