Morning Fix: What Obama has learned from Republicans

If you have difficulty viewing this newsletter, click here to view as a Web page. Click here to view in plain text. Monday, July 16, 2012 What President Obama has learned from Republicans The last week of the presidential campaign has been the nastiest to date, with outrage stoked, allegations leveled and apologies demanded. Nothing new there. Campaigns are — in the modern era — races to the bottom, a lowest common denominator battle to slime the other guy before he slimes you. (USA! USA!) What has changed is that it's Democrats pushing the political envelope and Republicans insisting that a line has been crossed. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney said late Friday that the attacks by President Obama on his record at Bain Capital were "ridiculous and of course beneath the dignity of the presidency." Matt Rhoades, Romney's campaign manager, took it a step further, demanding that Obama apologize for the allegations — calling the charges "so over the top that it calls into question the integrity of their entire campaign." How did the Obama campaign respond? "Stop whining," counseled former White House chief of staff and current Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. A new ad funded by Obama's campaign, meanwhile, features Romney singing "America the Beautiful" while stats are shown on screen about outsourcing under Romney and his Swiss bank account — among other things. The Obama response amounts a collective sticking out of the tongue — or another gesture involving your hand — at the Romney campaign. What Obama's campaign is saying with the level of rhetorical aggression — and the unapologetic reply to the controversy it has caused — is that it is willing to push the boundaries and do so unrepentantly. The shoe has often been on the other foot. Remember back to the 2004 presidential campaign where conservatives — led by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth — effectively undermined Sen. John Kerry's (D) candidacy with a campaign that focused on attempting to discredit his military service in Vietnam. Or to the 2002 Georgia Senate race when then Rep. Saxby Chambliss (R) ran ads featuring images of Sen. Max Cleland (D), a triple amputee, alongside those of Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. Or to 1988 when Republicans attacked Michael Dukakis (D) over a convicted felon named Willie Horton. You get the idea. Democrats always felt as though they won the "moral" victory, but Republicans won the actual victory. (That reality has been a constant lament of Democratic strategists ever since we have been covering politics.) Now, Democrats will insist that questioning Romney's business ties is different than questioning the military service of Vietnam veterans. But line-crossing is often in the eye of the beholder, and the aggressiveness Obama and his team have adopted is more important than the actual issue on which they have decided to fight. The reality is that 2012 may not be a campaign that Democrats will look back on lovingly — as they do when it comes to the 2008 campaign — but the incumbent seems to understand that winning, whether beautiful or ugly, is the ultimate goal. Obama doesn't blame Romney for economy attacks: Obama, in an interview with CBS News's Charlie Rose that aired Sunday, said he doesn't blame Romney for attacking his economic record. "That is his argument, and you don't hear me complaining about that argument," he said. "Because if I was in his shoes, I'd be making the same argument." Obama, of course, doesn't want to start taking certain attacks of the table, given that Romney has cried foul over the Obama team's use of his record at Bain Capital. Paul falls short in Nebraska: Rep. Ron Paul's (R-Texas) last, best chance to get nominated at the Republican National Convention appears to have gone by the wayside. At the Nebraska state party convention on Saturday, Paul won just two of 35 delegates, meaning he has not won the most delegates in enough states (five is the requirement) to be nominated. Paul has taken the most delegates in four states: Iowa, Maine, Minnesota and Louisiana. Nebraska appeared to be Paul's best hope at securing that fifth state. A victory there would have assured him a speaking role at the national convention. Those fighting the Paul team's efforts included Romney lawyer Ben Ginsberg, Gov. Dave Heineman and former Senate candidate Pete Ricketts. Fundraising recap: Stay tuned today for our winners and losers on second quarter fundraising reports. For now, here are a few highlights from reports filed over the weekend (numbers were due Sunday). - Former senator Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) raised $1.96 million, outraising state Sen. Deb Fischer (R) by more than $600,000. - Businessman John Brunner (R) self-funded more than $2.5 million for his Missouri Senate campaign, bringing his total self-funding to $4.8 million. - Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) raised $843,000 and has $2.2 million cash on hand. - Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) rased $908,000 and was outdone by Democrat Richard Carmona (D), who previously announced $1.1 million raised. Flake has $2.7 million to Carmona's $1.6 million, but he also has a self-funding GOP primary opponent who could drain his resources before the general election, even if he survives. - Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.), one of The Fix's 10 most vulnerable members of Congress, raised a strong $407,000. - Former congressman Dan Maffei (D) raised $224,000 and now has more cash on hand than another one of the 10 most vulnerable, Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle (R-N.Y.) - House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) raised $8.3 million between his various committees, including he reelection campaign committee, his speakership committee and his political action committee, The Freedom Project. Fixbits: Just days after Obama's campaign released an ad featuring Romney singing, the Romney campaign responds with its own web ad featuring Obama singing Al Green's "So In Love With You" and accusing him of cronyism. George Will says Romney is hiding something by not releasing his tax returns. Meanwhile, Republican Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley calls on Romney to release more. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) says he's met with top Romney advisors in Boston, including Beth Myers, who is responsible for finding a vice presidential pick. Former president George W. Bush is releasing a wonky economic book next week. New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R) says Obama's attacks show he's "just a small politician." Governors may push for defense layoff notices to be put off until after the election. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) repeats his call for Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) to be more forthcoming about his problems, offering Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) as an example of how to handle such a situation. The Detroit Free Press endorses businessman Clark Durant over former congressman Pete Hoekstra in the Michigan GOP Senate primary, while also praising Hoekstra. A super PAC supporting Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in the Texas GOP Senate primary runoff raised $2.5 million in the second quarter. Former congressman Chris Shays (R) suggests he won't be airing any TV ads in the Connecticut GOP Senate primary. More bad numbers for Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R). Friends say former congressman Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) wants back in to the political game. Must-reads: "Republican governors want Mitt Romney to hit back" — Jonathan Martin and James Hohmann, Politico "Measuring the Effects of Voter Identification Laws" — Nate Silver, New York Times "Romney's Bain Yielded Private Gains, Socialized Losses" — Anthony Luzzatto Gardner, Bloomberg "Brunner touts business background in run for Senate" — Jim Gallagher, St. Louis Post-Dispatch "Romney tries to regain momentum with new focus on Obama's 'political payoffs'"-- Philip Rucker, Washington Post "Democrats threaten to go over 'fiscal cliff' if GOP fails to raise taxes" — Lori Montgomery, Washington Post Get The Washington Post, your way. Want to stay on top of the latest news, features, commentary and more? Here's how: Mobile: Alerts: Social Media: Applications Web site E-mail SMS RSS Feeds Facebook Twitter SEND TO A FRIEND UNSUBSCRIBE E-NEWSLETTER CENTER GET HELP Washington Post Digital E-mail Customer Care 1150 15th Street NW Washington, D.C. 20071 ©2012 The Washington Post Privacy Policy