Noonan to Romney: "Get off the goofball express"

[Political Junky]

Advice to Romney: 'Suit Up and Get Serious' - Peggy Noonan says it's about time

(NEWSER) – Peggy Noonan has some advice for Mitt Romney in her latest Wall Street Journal column: He will be the nominee, so it's time to "suit up and get serious," she writes. "Get off the goofball express. Cheesy grits, jeans, singing, being compulsively pleasant, calling your opponents lightweights—enough." Most importantly, Romney needs to "dig down deep" and answer genuinely that all-important question: Why do you want to be president? Voters, he should remember, can spot the difference between "ego-driven" and "purpose-driven."
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[Katzndogz]

How DARE he be compulsively pleasant!

 

[squinch]

Advice to Romney: 'Suit Up and Get Serious' - Peggy Noonan says it's about time

(NEWSER) – Peggy Noonan has some advice for Mitt Romney in her latest Wall Street Journal column: He will be the nominee, so it's time to "suit up and get serious," she writes. "Get off the goofball express. Cheesy grits, jeans, singing, being compulsively pleasant, calling your opponents lightweights—enough." Most importantly, Romney needs to "dig down deep" and answer genuinely that all-important question: Why do you want to be president? Voters, he should remember, can spot the difference between "ego-driven" and "purpose-driven."
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There's room enough on the goofball express for both Romney and Noonan.

 

[Political Junky]

I remember when the GOP loved Reagan and Noonan.

 

[bayoubridge]

Romney is on a mission to be president...NO MATTER WHAT! He will do anything, say anything, be anything if he thinks it will help him to be president. There is no passion or anything that makes one think he is genuine. He wants a title, nothing more. I'm so glad I found this board so I can witness the absolute chaos of reactionaries after Obama wins in November. Personally, I think Obama made a pretty good republican in his first 4 years. Still, I'd vote for him over the cheesy grits dude.

 

[g5000]

Peggy Noonan is still kicking ass, I see. She was the woman behind Ronald Reagan.

She totally nails the GOP campaign problems in two paragraphs:

Stop talking about political process. Every reporter in America wants to reveal the shallowness of your concerns. Why do you help them? Why do you answer their dreary, droning questions about what demographic you appeal to most, what part of the country you'll do best in, how much money you're raising, how you'll win over Hispanics? They ask you these questions because they want you to be what they are: people for whom politics is all about manipulation. You are running for president. You're supposed to talk about things that matter and address big questions.

Every Republican candidate has been answering these questions for a year now. Stop it. Learn to say, "I have a well-paid idiot who answers some of those questions for me. Would you like to discuss welfare policy?" After the first 10 times it will work.

She gives me hot flashes!

She nails the Democrats and Obama in one paragraph:

If the issue is our national economic life, the GOP will very likely win. If the subset of that issue is freedom and personal liberty, the GOP will win with meaning. The Obama campaign knows this. That's why they'll do anything to throw Republicans off those subjects. Two weeks ago it was contraception, next week it will be another social question. They used to scorn Republicans for using wedge issues, but now their entire strategy is a tribute to the political hacks they hated. And if any Republicans were sad that contraception actually came up as the subject of public debate, they were not as sad as Democratic strategists, who were hoping to save it for September.

Be my mistress, Peggy. Please.

 

[JoeB131]

Romney is on a mission to be president...NO MATTER WHAT! He will do anything, say anything, be anything if he thinks it will help him to be president. There is no passion or anything that makes one think he is genuine. He wants a title, nothing more. I'm so glad I found this board so I can witness the absolute chaos of reactionaries after Obama wins in November. Personally, I think Obama made a pretty good republican in his first 4 years. Still, I'd vote for him over the cheesy grits dude.

I think at one point, Romney was really about bringing the GOP back to the center.

And he realized he had no buyers. So then he decided to pander to the right, only to find out that no matter how much he faked being for their issues, they still didn't like him.

but he's managed to finese the system to where he'll probably have a majority of delegates by June. Barely.

 

[Mac1958]

.

I think Noonan nails it. Romney (as I've droned on about in other threads) is absolutely horrible at being "animated" when he speaks on the stump. Horrible. Awful. Brutal. That doesn't make him a terrible person, hell, we all have our strengths and weaknesses, but he's hurting himself terribly when he tries to be something he's not.

He needs to stop trying to be funny and get serious. Why can't he see that?

.

 

[Rozman]

.

I think Noonan nails it. Romney (as I've droned on about in other threads) is absolutely horrible at being "animated" when he speaks on the stump. Horrible. Awful. Brutal. That doesn't make him a terrible person, hell, we all have our strengths and weaknesses, but he's hurting himself terribly when he tries to be something he's not.

He needs to stop trying to be funny and get serious. Why can't he see that?

.

He is just awful when he goes out there and tries to do this stand up schtick.
He is trying to be just one of the guys and he is just so not.
Just stop it already and get your message out.I don't care for him at all
and he's not doing a good job at all of winning me over.

 

[Dick Tuck]

I still harbor some animosity for Peggy. Specifically, that she fed Reagan the line that the drug and gun running Contras were "freedom fighters, like our founding fathers". But she nails this one. Mitt will say and do anything to be elected. I thought that McCain dancing around dimes in the last election was the height of pandering. Mitt leaves McCain in the dust.

 

[bripat9643]

Romney is on a mission to be president...NO MATTER WHAT! He will do anything, say anything, be anything if he thinks it will help him to be president. There is no passion or anything that makes one think he is genuine. He wants a title, nothing more.

And you think Obama is any different? Boy, are you ever a total and complete sap.

I'm so glad I found this board so I can witness the absolute chaos of reactionaries after Obama wins in November. Personally, I think Obama made a pretty good republican in his first 4 years. Still, I'd vote for him over the cheesy grits dude.

Thanks for confirming it.

 

[bripat9643]

I still harbor some animosity for Peggy. Specifically, that she fed Reagan the line that the drug and gun running Contras were "freedom fighters, like our founding fathers". But she nails this one. Mitt will say and do anything to be elected. I thought that McCain dancing around dimes in the last election was the height of pandering. Mitt leaves McCain in the dust.

I'll bet you thought the Sandinistas were democratic reformers, didn't you?

There appears to be no natural limit to the gullibility of liberals.

 

[Chris]

Romney was:

Pro-Choice
Pro-Gay Marriage
Pro-Gun Control
Pro-Birth Control
Pro-Wall Street Bailouts
Pro-Government Run Health Care

But now he's a new man.

Someone shook his Etch A Sketch.

 

[JimH52]

I still harbor some animosity for Peggy. Specifically, that she fed Reagan the line that the drug and gun running Contras were "freedom fighters, like our founding fathers". But she nails this one. Mitt will say and do anything to be elected. I thought that McCain dancing around dimes in the last election was the height of pandering. Mitt leaves McCain in the dust.

Exactly! Mitt is on a mission to be President, His ideals and stances that we have seen are all out of the window. He will say or do anything he can to get the GOP nod. And it appears that he has become the Far Right candidate that can gain it. I am not sure how that will play in the General. I hope he knows how to dance the "McCain" dance better than John did.

 

[Dick Tuck]

I still harbor some animosity for Peggy. Specifically, that she fed Reagan the line that the drug and gun running Contras were "freedom fighters, like our founding fathers". But she nails this one. Mitt will say and do anything to be elected. I thought that McCain dancing around dimes in the last election was the height of pandering. Mitt leaves McCain in the dust.

Exactly! Mitt is on a mission to be President, His ideals and stances that we have seen are all out of the window. He will say or do anything he can to get the GOP nod. And it appears that he has become the Far Right candidate that can gain it. I am not sure how that will play in the General. I hope he knows how to dance the "McCain" dance better than John did.

Mitt reminds me of a race track tout. You know those guys who go around giving everyone who will listen a "hot tip". Each hot tip is different horse, and after the race he'll go up to the few people who won, and ask for something.

Mitt will have a history of being all over the board, so he'll always be able to go back and tell the next sucker what they want to hear. It won't work in this election. The "flip-flop" campaign against Kerry worked because people want leaders who show core values. We're going to see quite few "Mitt in his own words" commercials this fall, that will put him all over the board, and make all but the most die hard Obama haters go WTF?

 

[JimH52]

I still harbor some animosity for Peggy. Specifically, that she fed Reagan the line that the drug and gun running Contras were "freedom fighters, like our founding fathers". But she nails this one. Mitt will say and do anything to be elected. I thought that McCain dancing around dimes in the last election was the height of pandering. Mitt leaves McCain in the dust.

Exactly! Mitt is on a mission to be President, His ideals and stances that we have seen are all out of the window. He will say or do anything he can to get the GOP nod. And it appears that he has become the Far Right candidate that can gain it. I am not sure how that will play in the General. I hope he knows how to dance the "McCain" dance better than John did.

Mitt reminds me of a race track tout. You know those guys who go around giving everyone who will listen a "hot tip". Each hot tip is different horse, and after the race he'll go up to the few people who won, and ask for something.

Mitt will have a history of being all over the board, so he'll always be able to go back and tell the next sucker what they want to hear. It won't work in this election. The "flip-flop" campaign against Kerry worked because people want leaders who show core values. We're going to see quite few "Mitt in his own words" commercials this fall, that will put him all over the board, and make all but the most die hard Obama haters go WTF?

Good analogy. I expect the WH has hours of Romney quotes that will be used this fall. I would have loved to have that job. Can you imagine being given the task to find Romney flip flops? It would be the easiest job in the world! SO WHEN IS LUNCH?

 

[bitterlyclingin]

"Barack Obama is going to have a lot of apologizing to do! Only it wont be to the Arabs, it will be to the American People" (Mitt Romney)
Zip, from weaselzippers re that remark, "Maybe the Conservative alternative to Romney is Romney?"

 

[Dick Tuck]

Exactly! Mitt is on a mission to be President, His ideals and stances that we have seen are all out of the window. He will say or do anything he can to get the GOP nod. And it appears that he has become the Far Right candidate that can gain it. I am not sure how that will play in the General. I hope he knows how to dance the "McCain" dance better than John did.

Mitt reminds me of a race track tout. You know those guys who go around giving everyone who will listen a "hot tip". Each hot tip is different horse, and after the race he'll go up to the few people who won, and ask for something.

Mitt will have a history of being all over the board, so he'll always be able to go back and tell the next sucker what they want to hear. It won't work in this election. The "flip-flop" campaign against Kerry worked because people want leaders who show core values. We're going to see quite few "Mitt in his own words" commercials this fall, that will put him all over the board, and make all but the most die hard Obama haters go WTF?

Good analogy. I expect the WH has hours of Romney quotes that will be used this fall. I would have loved to have that job. Can you imagine being given the task to find Romney flip flops? It would be the easiest job in the world! SO WHEN IS LUNCH?

I suspect those who do his op-research are able to make 4pm happy hour most days.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

Advice to Romney: 'Suit Up and Get Serious' - Peggy Noonan says it's about time

(NEWSER) – Peggy Noonan has some advice for Mitt Romney in her latest Wall Street Journal column: He will be the nominee, so it's time to "suit up and get serious," she writes. "Get off the goofball express. Cheesy grits, jeans, singing, being compulsively pleasant, calling your opponents lightweights—enough." Most importantly, Romney needs to "dig down deep" and answer genuinely that all-important question: Why do you want to be president? Voters, he should remember, can spot the difference between "ego-driven" and "purpose-driven."
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[JoeB131]

Advice to Romney: 'Suit Up and Get Serious' - Peggy Noonan says it's about time

(NEWSER) – Peggy Noonan has some advice for Mitt Romney in her latest Wall Street Journal column: He will be the nominee, so it's time to "suit up and get serious," she writes. "Get off the goofball express. Cheesy grits, jeans, singing, being compulsively pleasant, calling your opponents lightweights—enough." Most importantly, Romney needs to "dig down deep" and answer genuinely that all-important question: Why do you want to be president? Voters, he should remember, can spot the difference between "ego-driven" and "purpose-driven."
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The problem I see with Romney is that he wants to be president more than anything else in his life, but he can't seem to tell any of us why.

Oh, he talks the talk about prosperity and how happy days will be here again for the investor class, I suppose. But frankly, I'm not seeing a vision like Reagan had a vision or Obama had a vision or Clinton had a vision.