A news report by The New York Times on Jan. 29 recounted Newt Gingrich's fight in Florida where he labeled Mitt Romney a liar, wealthy supporter of Wall Street and an enemy to Jewish people. This is nothing new for Gingrich. Up until this point, he has characterized his campaign as extremely anti-Romney, taking every chance to slander his opponent from any angle. Whether or not it brought about his victory in South Carolina, this conduct came through as a defamation of his character. To me, it seemed excessive and slightly debasing.
On the other hand, Romney has always been good at remaining far from the scenes of Gingrich destruction. He largely left the task to his own supporters and to his Super Political Action Committee, choosing instead to use his energy in the fight against President Obama. But it wasn't long before Romney got pulled in. Days before the Florida primary, when polls projected Gingrich in the lead, Romney chose a new strategy. He decided to shift his purpose from an anti-Obama campaign to an anti-Gingrich campaign. There would be no holes barred. And indeed, there weren't. Romney immediately began publicly classifying Gingrich as "an erratic, unreliable Washington insider" in mailings and television advertisements. He was finally fighting back, and the result was nothing short of bad political tactics.
While I understand the need for Romney to rally support and acknowledge the debilitating effects that would result from a Gingrich victory in Florida, I see his new strategy as a turn in the wrong direction. I do not think that Romney should sit back and accept the accusations that Gingrich is throwing at him. That would definitely be a sign of weakness. However, there are ways to deflect this criticism and turn it on its head. This is exactly what Romney successfully accomplished when he responded to Gingrich's accusation of his connection to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae with the equal accusation that Gingrich, too, had funds in the company. But there is a clear difference between responding adeptly to allegations and making an anti-Gingrich strategy the forefront of his campaign. Romney would have been much better off sticking to the former and avoiding the latter.
Romney should continue with his prior goal of uniting Republicans who have a primary interest in defeating Obama. Keeping a focus on this strategy as well as promoting an understanding of what his central views are would have been much more effective to his campaign following his recent victory in Florida. Anything else would be truly detrimental to his character. If anything, this would portray him in a similar light to Gingrich, which I doubt is what Romney is hoping to accomplish.
