Politics: Mitt Romney Panic Syndrome

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Politics Mitt Romney Panic Syndrome It happens every four weeks. Conservatives get a very scary feeling that Mitt Romney is blowing this election for all the wrong reasons. By John Dickerson Posted Tuesday, Sep 11, 2012, at 11:32 PM ET Mitt Romney is enjoying at least the fourth public loss of confidence by conservative elites since winning the nomination. The first came in June when Rupert Murdoch and others complained that he was not taking the fight to Barack Obama. Then in July, he was faulted for thinking he could skate to victory by running only as the anti-Obama. Then in early August, GOP veteran voices again counseled against the passive campaign and urged Romney to be bold by picking a vice president with some substance. Now the fever arrives again from a variety of conservative quarters that he is not giving voters a reason to vote for him.  If you were a medicine man, you might notice that the fever comes on hardest at the start of every month. Perhaps it is triggered by soft monthly jobs reports. The view may be that given the persistently glum economic news, even an area rug could beat the incumbent. Romney should be doing better, so: panic. As George Will put it recently: "If the Republican Party cannot win in this environment, it has to get out of politics and find another business." Whatever the reason behind the outbreaks, campaign wizards at Romney's Boston headquarters should start mixing the October poultice now. At the heart of the critique are two points: Romney is not taking the fight to Obama and he's being too vague about what he would do as president. The first seems wrong. Romney's welfare ads ... 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 Timeline: The Romney Campaign's Odd Response to the Embassy Protests Permanent Record NFL 2012	Advertisement
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