Politico claims the 2012 GOP Primary race to be a “gotcha” campaign and Mitt Romney to be the “gotcha candidate”. Why? Because attacks levied against him in the debates have notably failed and backfired. Instead of noting these failures, however, Politico oddly blames/credits Romney for…knowing the substance behind the attacks against him as well as the weaknesses in the background of his opponents on the very issues they’re attacking him on.
Throughout the 20 GOP debates, Romney has been the candidate most prepared to take down his rivals’ records. When Rick Perry threatened, Romney delivered fatal blows to the governor’s immigration record.
In October, when Gingrich whacked Romney for the individual mandate at the core of his Massachusetts health-care law, Romney replied with a tart, “Actually, Newt, we got the idea of an individual mandate from you.”
And in Wednesday night’s CNN debate in Arizona, the Santorum offensive was thorough and concise. When Santorum mounted his most extensive health care attack of the night, a lengthy treatise of how the Massachusetts plan wouldn’t have been possible without federal funds, Romney cut him off at the knees with two words: “Arlen Specter.”
It was gotcha Romney at his best — using two words to force Santorum into a 262-word explanation that was, in the end, not helpful to his cause.
Santorum’s stumbling defense of his record in Thursday’s debate left Romney another opening he exploited at a tea party town hall here Thursday — he argued that Santorum is unprincipled, the very charge GOP opponents have now been throwing at Romney through two presidential cycles.
Traditionally the term “gotcha” is used to describe an unfair trap or meaningless distinction. Politico may be showing a little bias by applying a term that implies unfair tricks attempting to paint a person poorly in situations where all that is demonstrated is the failure of such unfair tricks to paint a person poorly.
