Re: Using RomneyCare to defend against Bain attacks?

Who on earth thought this was a good idea??!

In responding to the despicable (and patently false) pro-Obama ad which blames Mitt Romney for the death of a steel worker's wife after losing his job and health insurance, Romney press secretary Andrea Saul took to national television to insist that the man would've retained his health care under the Massachusetts mandate signed into law... by the guy who claims he wants to repeal the ObamaCare mandate.

Great cognitive dissonance from the GOP, per usual.

As Becket noted, outspoken Romney supporter Ann Coulter is livid about this -- and frankly, I'm on board with her.

“Anyone who donates to Mitt Romney, and I mean the big donors, ought to say if Andrea Saul isn’t fired and off the campaign tomorrow, they are not giving another dime, because it is not worth fighting for this man if this is the kind of spokesman he has,” Coulter said, “She should be off the campaign.”

While I'm not generally one to call for the firing of a clueless press secretary, I can understand Coulter's bewilderment -- but I'd suggest that it's a bit misplaced.

Saul arguably has more access to the candidate himself than anyone, except for maybe Ann Romney, his chief of staff and the campaign manager.  I find it hard to believe that Saul could make such a remark without the blessing of either the candidate or the campaign manager.  In my humble opinion, this supposed gaffe boils down to three possible explanations:

1.) The Romney campaign has no concept of messaging -- playing offense rather than being always stuck in defense;

2.) The Romney campaign is completely tone deaf when it comes to understanding its conservative voter base and its disdain for government-run health care; or

3.) Mitt Romney truly believes that the Massachusetts health care system is a good model of governance and that conservatives are off-base for insisting that government should have no role in mandating health care coverage.

The problem?  None of these scenarios plays well for Republicans in November.  The Romney campaign MUST respond with an explanation for Saul's remarks and, as Coulter says, clarify to voters exactly who and what they are supporting in this election by voting for Mitt Romney.

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On a related note, where is the outrage from the Romney camp over the anti-Bain ad anyway?  Your opponent basically accuses you of killing someone and the response is this subdued?  Someone needs to light a fire under Romney.  This campaign is going nowhere unless the candidate can energize the base.  Bending over for Obama's asinine attacks hardly instills confidence in a candidate.