In just a few days two presidential campaigns may have coined the slogans we’ll all be hearing ad nauseum this fall.
Last week, a top Mitt Romney advisor likened his boss to an Etch-a-Sketch, able to be shaken and reset while moving from the primaries to the general election. Over the weekend, President Barack Obama told his Russian counterpart that “This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.”
Each statement betrays a fundamental suspicion about each candidate. Romney has no core principles. Obama’s will emerge only after he’s insulated from facing voters again. The comments feed the narrative that both men will say anything to get elected.
If Romney is the GOP nominee, Jennifer Rubin already has proposed talking points attacking the ‘more flexibility’ president. (E.g. “He says he’ll only raise taxes on the rich, but after the election he’ll have ‘more flexibility.'”)
We can also assume more comments like Vice President Joe Biden’s that Romney won’t be allowed to be all things to all people.
Unless Rick Santorum can turn his 22 point win in last Saturday’s Louisiana caucuses into a Wisconsin win tomorrow, we may be in for an Etch-a-Sketch vs. More Flexibility campaign.
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