Some prominent Mitt Romney supporters are saying the presidential hopeful's campaign should stop sending mixed messages about the Supreme Court's health care ruling.
Romney and his staffers have been going back and forth on whether to call it a tax as an attack on President Obama or not a tax, to preserve the argument that Romney never raised taxes in his state despite having a similar health care law.
Head spinning a bit? We'll backtrack.
On Wednesday, Romney, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, said the federal health care reform mandate constitutes a "tax," contradicting the way his senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom, of the Etch-a-Sketch gaffe fame, characterized his position earlier this week. But the similar individual mandate and fee he signed into law when governor of Massachusetts is not a tax, he said in a separate interview, citing the Supreme Court's decision last Thursday.
In March, Fehrnstrom made headlines for saying in a CNN interview that the transition from the primaries to the general election was "almost like an Etch-a-Sketch. You can kind of shake it up, and we start all over again."
Some people are calling the tax chatter another Romney flip-flop. Others are calling it the Etch-a-Sketch redux. Others, like editor of The Nation Katrina vanden Heuvel, are saying this incident makes the previous gaffe look like solid campaign strategy.
Romney now says health mandate is a tax. Making that Etch a Sketch look downright steady,stable and full of integrity.
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Katrina vandenHeuvel (@KatrinaNation) July 05, 2012And now, plenty of people, including his supporters, are hitting Romney on the issue and letting him know that either he needs to get himself aligned with his staff on these issues, or scrap some of the staff and get a new game plan as they charge into the general election.
Media baron Rupert Murdoch, never shy on his views, tweeted that while he supports the former Massachusetts governor he believes Romney needs to shake up his staff to have a chance to beat Obama's seasoned campaign staff.
Met Romney last week. Tough O Chicago pros will be hard to beat unless he drops old friends from team and hires some real pros. Doubtful.
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Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) July 01, 2012And apparently, that tweet upset the Romney campaign, which prompted Murdoch to follow up with a tweet on Monday. He said he wants Romney to win, but instead of the campaign upset about the criticism they should heed some of the good advice Murdoch feels Romney is getting about trying to get his campaign in order.
Romney people upset at me! Of course I want him to win, save us from socialism, etc but should listen to good advice and get stuck in!
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Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) July 02, 2012
Murdoch's tweets of fury were followed by agreement from Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, and then a blistering editorial from the Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal.
Welch tweeted that he hoped Romney's camp would heed Murdoch's advice, noting that the Obama campaign staff is a well-oiled machine at this point.
Hope Mitt Romney is listening to Murdoch advice ont campaign staff..playing in league with Chicago pols..No room for amateurs
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Jack Welch (@jack_welch) July 02, 2012And the Wall Street Journal went further with an elaborate editorial that declared the tax or not a tax issue is indicative of larger campaign problems. The editorial says what could have easily been a choreographed way to attack Obama has essentially turned into a political defeat for Romney.
"Why make such an unforced error? Because it fits with Mr. Romney's fear of being labeled a flip-flopper, as if that is worse than confusing voters about the tax and health-care issues. Mr. Romney favored the individual mandate as part of his reform in Massachusetts, and as we've said from the beginning of his candidacy his failure to admit that mistake makes him less able to carry the anti-ObamaCare case to voters ...
His latest mistake is of a piece with the campaign's insular staff and strategy that are slowly squandering an historic opportunity. Mr. Obama is being hurt by an economic recovery that is weakening for the third time in three years. But Mr. Romney hasn't been able to take advantage, and if anything he is losing ground.
The Romney campaign thinks it can play it safe and coast to the White House by saying the economy stinks and it's Mr. Obama's fault. We're on its email list and the main daily message from the campaign is that "Obama isn't working." Thanks, guys, but Americans already know that. What they want to hear from the challenger is some understanding of why the President's policies aren't working and how Mr. Romney's policies will do better."
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Mixed messages? Not from Mr. Etch-A-Sketch, the man who would say anything for a vote. Mittens makes such a lovely puppet for the Kock Brothers, Sheldon Adelson, Karl Rove, etc. He has no backbone so he's easy to manipulate. Bend him, shape him, anyway you want him, that's our MIttens.
Liberals are completely out of control. There is nothing they want more than to re-elect Obama and force the US towards France. If France is so great, why don't they far left move there? If higher taxes and government intrusion (and nanny state control) is so great, why aren't more countries aspiring to be like North Korea, Russia or China? In the end, the US will always be the greatest country because individualism and personal motivation and achievement will always result in superior results.
John it seems you have spent all your life in America, you don't know much if you dont step out and compare. You comparing France with North Korea, it either you get all your news from FOX, or you are so blinded by Prejudice that you don't know the difference. This is a fact: if a French citizen falls sick he will be 10 times well taking care of with the basics needs than an American citizen, sorry to say but this is the truth. You don't have to go poor becuase you have a back pain.!!!!
Uh, dude? This country was modeled on France. Get an education...try reading. Even audio books.
John, it's not a matter of just "liberals". Open your mind. Do you actually have family or friends living in a country where the government has universal health care for their citizens? If so, what country(s)? Your "if you don't like it, then move out" sentiment is juvenile and shallow. I am a patriot. I believe that healthcare should be a RIGHT to every citizen in the USA. I have more than 30 family/friends living with the blessing of universal (socialized!) medical care - and they LOVE IT!! It's sad that people like you are so afraid of change, and are so hateful and lacking compassion/humanity that you don't support a program that will BENEFIT US ALL!! Basic economics - we are all getting shafted right now because so many people don't have insurance, but still show up @ hospitals and get care without paying for it. Those costs get passed onto those of us who have insurance. When EVERYONE IS PAYING - NO FREE LOADERS ANY LONGER (a long time GOP matra for the past 20 yrs they've been trying to push through universal health care!! yes...it's a GOP idea!) and EVERYONE PAYS LESS!! Try to evolve. It's not that hard.
If you want to know what rombot really thinks you'd need sodium pentathol.He's phoney as a 3 dollar bill.
Mitt Romney is a very CONFUSED person. If he becomes president, he will be more CONFUSED. The U.S. doesn't need a CONFUSED president.
NEWS FLASH THEY ALL LIE TO GET VOTES.........ALL OF THEM...EITHER PARTY.....that is what is wrong with the gov they think we can't handle the truth...bash mitt all you want but I am going to turn around and show you all the lies our prez has given us....and I voted for him.......
I know you'd have to be a fool to believe everything that any political candidate says, but with Romney, you'd have to be a fool to believe ANYTHING he says. Especially since he doesn't know what he's going to say until he reads the most recent polls.
The problem is simple. Romney has no backbone or guiding principle that makes it clear for him to say why any policy is good or bad. He should probably find a good biography of a Republican with guts and strong moral fiber willing to take a firm stand for his beliefs even if at odds with the party. I'd recommend reading up on George Romney.
Mitt Romney is so CONFUSED that even Mitt Romney doesn't know what Mitt Romney stands for. He is totally CONFUSED.
Romeny has no message that I have been able to detect. His speeches are all about the Republican percieved failures of the current administration. He states that his first job will be to repeal the new health law. But how is repealing everything a previous President going to fix the economy when Skippy Bush during the Cheney administration did everything he could to cause it? If Romney actually has a message and stuck to it, maybe people would listen. Right now it isnt there.
How about reporting on Mitts actually plans if he gets elected like you do for obama instead of smearing him. We don't really need your opinions on the matter. CNN and all other news organizations would do this country a favor if they would just report the facts instead of their twisted opinions. News was founded to report the facts to inform people. Not to twist peoples views.
That is the problem ... Mitt has NO plan ... all he has is everything anti-Obama ... he does not stand on any issue except for his dislike for Obama.
He has no plans to "report" on. And as far as CNN twisting facts, the ringleader, hands down is Fox "News." Bet that is your favorite channel.
So, repubs, I perceive this to be another Dole, McCain moment. You will nominate a man that will say anything and then change his mind. Out of touch, not a "true Conservative", just a mannequin wearing a suit and slick inauthentic smile. Yes, in your desire to win you have sacrificed the very principles for which you so fervently believe. Well, you will reap your reward. His repeated flip flops are better than ANY campaign adds we can run. Its 1996 and 2008 all over again and we progressives are laughing.
Yet another election where it will come down to the lesser of the two incompetents. Dam n the Republican party for once again putting up an even poorer choice than the Democrats.
My opinion is that Mitt has the faithful behind him, but has done NOTHING to attract the independents.
We are waiting for a reason to vote for Mitt, but so far nothing..............
Mitt Romney is a joke. It is sad that people are going to vote for this guy for no reason other then they don't like Obama. Do me a favor...stay home....this guy will be Bush 2.0
Anyone out of line with Murdochs lock step Nazi philosophy is a traitor in his eyes.
yeah John, individualism, personal achievement, and motivation have done wonders for our for-profit health care system, right? We spend twice what other countries do on health care per person, have dramatically worse results, and have 50-60 million people who can't afford insurance or health care and who depend on third-world style free clinics or emergency rooms, and we the taxpayers get soaked with these costs. Yeah, we are real geniuses to have allowed health care to become a for-profit industry.
Get used to plenty of flip-flopping & mixed messages when you cast your vote for 'etch a sketch' Romney.
Obama/Biden 2012