How Obama Can Win By Losing
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on December 19th, 2011 5:40 am by HL
How Obama Can Win By Losing
Adam Winkler argues that if the U.S. Surpreme Court upholds President Obama’s health-care law in an expected decision next year, “it will stimulate turnout by Tea Party conservatives who believe the requirement that everyone have insurance is the epitome of government tyranny. Many of those Tea Party adherents might otherwise stay home rather than vote for a fair-weather conservative like Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich.”
“In other words, if Obama wins in the health-care case, it may cost him his job.”
“The Supreme Court is also going to decide whether Arizona’s harsh anti-immigration law is constitutional. Again, Obama might win most by losing. If the court disagrees with the administration and finds Arizona’s law constitutional, that will surely agitate Latino voters, who lean Democrat. A strong Latino turnout in swing states like Nevada, Colorado, or New Mexico could be exactly what Obama needs to squeak out a victory in the Electoral College.”
Can Romney Win By February?
The Hotline looks at Mitt Romney’s decision to play “to win instead of playing not to lose” in the four early caucus and primary states — Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Florida.
“In the span of 24 hours leading into this weekend, Romney launched substantial ad campaigns in the first three nominating states – Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina – while his super PAC, Restore Our Future, made a massive $300,000 ad buy in the fourth primary state of Florida. Romney is now playing for keeps in all four states, and the risk of that strategy – i.e., the media coverage of an under-performance in Iowa or South Carolina – is far outweighed by the potential reward of strong showings in all four January contests, which would give him a head of steam entering February. If that happens, it becomes academic: Nevada, Michigan and Arizona are February’s three major contests, and Romney is favored to win all three states. We may not be in for a long slog, after all.”
Callista Gingrich’s Active Role
Politico profiles Newt Gingrich’s wife Callista and her role as his campaign’s “chief morale officer.”
“Often seen but rarely heard from, she occupies a central position on the Gingrich team. The former House speaker credits her with saving him from the dog days of summer… While some sources had said she had been involved in approving top staffer hires earlier this year, two other sources said that’s not the case — and denied claims from aides who walked off his campaign earlier this year that she was a ‘helicopter spouse’ who guarded his schedule fiercely and was second only to him in terms of control of the effort.”
“But in a campaign where candidate spouses like Ann Romney, Anita Perry and Mary Kay Huntsman have been highly visible public advocates and her husband has put her so solidly in the foreground…many have wondered exactly what role she plays and will play if he is the GOP nominee.”
