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Etch-a-Sketch

Seriously if you bother to talk about this comment then ask the important question which is why did Romney's closest spin doctor / adviser put this out there?

NYT article, "For Romney’s Trusted Adviser, ‘Etch A Sketch’ Comment Is a Rare Misstep"

the line seemed deliberate:

“Everything changes,” Mr. Fehrnstrom, 50, said on CNN, with a slight smirk that suggested he believed he was about to use a clever line. “It’s almost like an Etch A Sketch. You can kind of shake it up and restart all over again.”
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apparently he was not fired or even reprimanded:

Several people in the current Romney inner circle said Mr. Fehrnstrom’s “Etch A Sketch” comment prompted no dressing down either.
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it was known that the flip flopper issue was a big deal for Romney:
[Eric Fehrnstrom] has been the defiant defender of Mr. Romney when he has been accused of being a flip-flopper or having no core principles.

And so it was curious that when Mr. Fehrnstrom on Wednesday reached for a word to describe how Mr. Romney might pivot to the general election, the one that came tumbling from his mouth was “Etch A Sketch,”
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RandFan said:
Not sure how that answers the question asked. Isn't your answer ad hoc?
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A: Is the move to the right detrimental in the general?

B: No. The general is a chance to shake things up and start off with a blank slate.
________

Hmm. Maybe. I guess I am just not bothered by the answer regardless.
 
BobTheCoward said:
A: Is the move to the right detrimental in the general?

B: No. The general is a chance to shake things up and start off with a blank slate.
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? Boy, I've not a clue what this has to do with anything. I'm sorry but sincerely I do not understand your point.

Hmm. Maybe. I guess I am just not bothered by the answer regardless.
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I'm not bothered by it. That's not the point.
 
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I love this. By going after Romney for this, the rest of the fleet of 'contenders' is essentially locking themselves into the extreme positions they've taken to appeal to the lowest common denominator amongst their constituency. It's pretty normal, from what I've seen, to try different tactics in the primary than in the general election. Basically, candidates DO go from playing the 'more extreme than thou' game to the 'more like everyone' game when they switch gears for the general election. By trying to take this tactic away from Romney if he wins, they're taking it away from themselves too. Couldn't happen to a nicer pot of lobsters.
 
BobTheCoward said:
Erase something....

I read it as the negative get erased.
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Only if you consider his attempts to portray himself as a conservative to be "negative". Otherwise, that doesn't make any sense.

______

I'm not sure the etch-a-sketch is correctly described as a "gaffe" though. A gaffe is usually just a speaking error (like saying "57 states" or saying "white horse" rather than "White House" or something like that). This one was probably an accurate portrayal of the campaign's general change in strategy if they win the primary. It was only a "gaffe" in the sense that he said it publicly.
 
Andrew Wiggin said:
I love this. By going after Romney for this, the rest of the fleet of 'contenders' is essentially locking themselves into the extreme positions they've taken to appeal to the lowest common denominator amongst their constituency. It's pretty normal, from what I've seen, to try different tactics in the primary than in the general election.
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Not only that, this criticism coming from Gingrich especially invites an examination of his long career for major flip-flops (and how it is that a guy with a career like that can pretend to be the outsider to the GOP "establishment").
 
Andrew Wiggin said:
I love this. By going after Romney for this, the rest of the fleet of 'contenders' is essentially locking themselves into the extreme positions they've taken to appeal to the lowest common denominator amongst their constituency. It's pretty normal, from what I've seen, to try different tactics in the primary than in the general election. Basically, candidates DO go from playing the 'more extreme than thou' game to the 'more like everyone' game when they switch gears for the general election. By trying to take this tactic away from Romney if he wins, they're taking it away from themselves too. Couldn't happen to a nicer pot of lobsters.
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It will be a source for Obama to mine. It won't simply go away as some assert.
 
Did President Obama lean over and tell the Russian president he would use an etch-a-sketch after he was re elected?
 
RandFan said:
Yes. That will surely free Romney from his gaffe.
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I know I am exaggerating a bit but I would love to see a caption of the picture of him leaning toward the Russian president saying after the election I will shake the Etch-a-sketch .
 
eeyore1954 said:
I know I am exaggerating a bit but I would love to see a caption of the picture of him leaning toward the Russian president saying after the election I will shake the Etch-a-sketch .
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I do think that would be funny. :)
 
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