“It was just a report.”
“It was leaked by someone to the New York Times.”
“It’s only a suggestion. We would never consider such a political tactic.”
That’s what we’re now hearing from supporters and SuperPacs of Mitt Romney about the report this morning on unleashing an ad campaign painting President as a black metro-sexual with ties to the racist minister Jeremiah Wright.
(Side note: my wife Teri said Obama can’t be considered metro-sexual since he has stopped dying his hair.)
If you think this is just a bashing of the GOP and Mitt Romney, don’t worry, it’s not. I fully expect to hear from some Democratic SuperPac over the next few months denouncing Mormonism as a cult.
So, what’s really going on here and who is really behind it?
There are a couple of things.
First, this is a typical tactic used by all political campaigns and cable news stations. I wrote about it here previously. It goes like this:
“I am not saying YOU are a CHILD MOLESTER … but is child molestation something you ever thought about doing?”
Next, we get the tepid repudiation from Romney. He condemned the planned ads but said the President was involved in “character assassination.”
It’s hard to read what Romney is thinking or trying to do. Frankly, his campaign is really clumsy in their communications. I think he might be sincere, but the sincerity is diminished with the attack on Obama.
Third, there is a good chance the New York Times got the story from an Obama operative or spy. It makes little sense for someone from Romney’s side to leak it. This is a horrible campaign tactic if Romney wants to veer back to the middle to get independents. This is something you would release in the middle of the GOP primaries.
Fourth, someone within the Ricketts camp is really sloppy – or they root for the Chicago White Sox.
Huh? Yes, I actually got a baseball connection to this story.
Ricketts is the patriarch of the family that owns the other Chicago team – Da-Cubs. It appears that his children actually run the operation for the lovable north side losers. And right now they’re working with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to renovate Wrigley Field. Yes, the same Rahm Emanuel who was the President’s Chief of Staff.
So, here’s the Informed Not Inflamed view.
Ignore this silliness to make a decision about who to vote for. Enjoy it, though, if you love the Machiavellian machinations of the America political game or you love the White Sox.
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