How Romney can recover

Romney is currently down in Florida and nationally in the polls as of today because of the surprising surge by Gingrich over the past week that led him to a resounding victory in South Carolina. Conservative voters are so far willing to overlook Newt's considerable baggage because they feel he is they only candidate willing to take it to President Obama, the Democrats in Washington and their sympathizers in the media. What Mitt has failed to do so far is call out Newt not so much on his conservative apostates and political failings, but tell the voters exactly who Newt is.

Newt is simply a jerk. Personally, professionally and politically he is a jerk in his dealings with others, both those that support him and oppose him. The reason Gingrich calls the President names is not because he cannot work with Democrats (he did fold under Clinton's charms), but because he looks down on Obama as compared to his own grandiose self-importance (aka Reagan, Thatcher, Churchill). We may elect Presidents who have various shortcomings and personalities, but what we don't do is elect a jerk as the Commander in Chief and head of state. That is why Obama's campaign team is so giddy. They know that Romney is a plausible President despite his awkward public persona because although voters might have doubts about his core convictions, he is not, nor ever has been a jerk. Gingrich could never be President at least not up against someone like Obama who still has the heart of the general public because he is the embodiment of being a jerk.

Romney has gotten distracted by the primaries in that what once was a race to see who could best fix the economy (which is what really concerns voters) has turned into a race as to see who is the "true" conservative. Romney must return the narrative to who best can right the ship instead of trying to outbid Gingrich on who best can deliver the red meat. Whether he can do it in time for Florida is an open question, but since there will be a relative pause in the calender between the end of January and Super Tuesday in the beginning of March Romney has time to recover and reassert himself to the voters with this message.

Newt the Jerk

Newt Gingrich is a jerk. Professionally, personally, and politically he is a jerk. Americans might elect someone who they don't always agree with or has some shortcomings, but they don't elect a jerk. Romney must make the case that Newt is the embodiment of a jerk.