David Brody at CBN Asks: Who's the most maligned candidate? (in the GOP field) . . . see his answer below.

I must admit, I thought Rudy Giuliani, because of his liberal social values, would be the run away winner as the guy who comes under the most criticism from conservative Republicans in the buildup towards 2008. That still may happen but he's not the most maligned right now.

I thought John McCain may suffer too yet so far nothing urgent there either. People will go after him. It's coming but it hasn't galvanized yet.

The winner here, as of February 2007 (unfortunately for him) is Mitt Romney. It seems like everybody is going after him. His opponents are determined to paint him as a flip flopper on almost every issue from campaign finance reform, to taxes, to abortion, to marriage.

What does Brody think is the reasoning behind this?

Here's what I think is really going on. Romney's critics are concerned. They know he could immediately morph into the front runner here. Let's face it. He looks like a President, talks like a President, has been raising tons of money, collecting key endorsements and is running his campaign in a very professional way with competent people who know what they're doing. He's looked Presidential from the start and his opponents know it. They figure they must take him down early. They want to have him lose control of his image. Let's remember here: Americans, for the most part, don't really pay attention to the particulars of issues. So Romney's critics are going to try and paint him as this flip flopper and hope it sticks. If it does, he's in trouble. Romney’s challenge will be to calmly, easily explain this away without losing his cool or seeming so defensive. He'll need to take a page from Ronald Reagan's playbook and poke a little fun at himself and not take this all so seriously. It's challenging but what's a race without a challenge.

David Brody's pretty much spot on with this one. He realizes that there is a fury of oppostion to Mitt's surge. He's got half of the reason for why Romney is being maligned (competitors are scared), but, I would think that, as a reporter for the Christian Broadcasting Network, he would realize as well that the "anti-Romney rhetoric" might be elevated within his circles because of Romney's religious affiliation.

It may not be PC to say this, but people who don't want a Mormon POTUS won't say "Don't vote for him because he's Mormon" . . . they'll just overblow the few weaknesses that Romney has to a painfully disproportionate level. Other opposing candidate campaigns will fan these flames as well. It's gotten ugly already, but Brody's right that it will shift into a new gear over the next few months.

Am I wrong here?

Jeff Fuller

Labels: brody, competitors, jeff fuller, mitt, mitt romney, Mormon