Opinion: Romney’s staff served him well
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As pundits start cataloging the defects that plagued Mitt Romney’s now-defunct bid for the Republican presidential nomination, his media operation CANNOT rank among the problems. Anchored by Kevin Madden -- a savvy and telegenic GOP spokesman -- the press shop was hard-working, well-organized and quick-off-the-mark.
Madden was still going at it this morning, issuing his daily (and last?) ‘Romney Rundown’ a few hours before his candidate used a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference to pull the plug on his campaign. Madden’s missive dutifully listed Romney’s appearance. There was no overt indication of the news to come (a skilled aide knows not to step on the candidate’s message). But there was, perhaps, a hint that something big was coming:
‘Good morning, folks -- ‘Because I know everyone is jonesing for a moniker to attach to every day of the week from now on (Super Duper Tuesday! Tsunami Tuesday!), let’s just call today ‘Thrilling Thursday.’ ‘
Then again, maybe Madden was just thrilled that his long hours are coming to an end.
He was vigilant to the end. Not so long after Romney made his announcement, Madden sent out an update, noting that the former Massachusetts governor would not be making his previously scheduled appearance at a Republican dinner in Baltimore.
No surprise, but it’s always good to know for sure.
Speaking of news releases, the chutzpah award for the day goes to ...
Patrick Sammon of the Log Cabin Republicans (the party group representing gays).
Following Romney’s exit speech, Sammon sent out a release headlined: ‘We Did It.’
Noting that Romney’s obstacles included his switched positions on several issues (including gay rights), Sammon wrote: ‘Log Cabin led the way in telling voters the truth about Governor Romney’s record. In both Iowa and New Hampshire we ran an aggressive advertising campaign pointing out the litany of Romney flip-flops.’
Well, yes it did, which you can see here. But opposition from the Log Cabin folks was the least of Romney’s woes (indeed, many in his campaign probably saw it as an asset).
-- Don Frederick