Politics: Stop, Right Now! You?re Making a Scene!

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Politics Stop, Right Now! You're Making a Scene! Romney's camp warns Republicans that Rick and Newt are making the GOP look bad. It's a tactical message—and hardly inspiring.    By John Dickerson Posted Thursday, Mar 15, 2012, at 12:37 AM ET The Mitt Romney campaign would like Republican voters to stop and think like Mitt Romney for a moment: rationally and without getting overly emotional about things. Have voters seriously contemplated the chaos that Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich are promising at the Republican convention in Tampa? These two upstarts are planning a messy delegate fight, full of anger and recriminations, under the bright lights of the Tampa Bay Times Forum and in primetime. The GOP convention is supposed to be four days of purposeful choreography highlighting the array of Republican wonders and Barack Obama's many shortcomings. What people will see instead is a food fight. Stop it now, before it's too late! Perhaps things will get exciting, say Romney's rivals, but if the GOP nominates Mitt Romney, that smooth, seamless Tampa convention will be a nighttime sleep aid. Only by nominating a candidate of conviction and passion will Republicans rise to beat Obama in November. Whether a contested convention will be a horror show or the beginning of a unified march on Obama is now a part of the daily face-off between Romney and the remaining Republican candidates. It is a debate in which the arguments match the candidates. Mitt Romney stands for order and careful planning to avoid the threat of wrinkled jeans or blemishes. Santorum and Gingrich are all snort and shove, spoiling for a fight. Modern-day conventions are centerpiece moments for parties to communicate with Americans. To present a diverse looking crowd to the ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Romney's Latest Tactic: Scaring Voters With the Prospect of a Messy, Embarrassing Convention Are Innocent Parents Being Wrongly Prosecuted for Shaken-Baby Deaths? Rosenbaum: The Terrifying and Very Real Possibility of Nuclear War in the Middle East	Advertisement
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