December 19, 2006

Romney Reaction

Jonathan Martin at NRO's The Corner has a very interesting analysis of the media motivations that may explain Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's recent foray to Nashville, which I attended and blogged both here and at ElephantBiz.com.

Martin writes:

What was more interesting about the event was the guest list - not only did it include the usual assortment of state Rep's and Members of Congress, but also two bloggers and a conservative radio talk show host. This comes on the heels of Romney's attempts to push back on the recent revelations about his past stances on abortion and gay rights via us at NRO and FOX News. Bypassing "the filter" for what are viewed as more friendly mediums is, of course, nothing new (Romney makes plain his pleasure at the Old Media-New Media shift in the penultimate 'graf of a story carried by, not incidentally, his chief Old Media tormentor).

Still, it is remarkable that Romney would reach out to bloggers and a conservative radio personality for such a private event. Such pre-announcement affairs where donors and activists are courted and cultivated have almost always been kept under wraps and out of public view by campaigns that haven't yet officially started. If a candidate wanted a press hit from his stop in the area, he'd usually pay a visit to local paper; that was the most effective way to get your message out. But the times are a changin.'

Now instead of getting 750 words of "If I Should Decide To Run..." in the Tennessean, we have Romney talking up his efforts to build up a national finance base and explaining why he doesn't do Sunday talk shows.

My favorite candidate will be whichever one is the most hawkish on a few core issues. On the domestic front, that means limited government, less regulation, lower taxes and freer trade. On the international front that means being strong on defense, hawkish on the global war on terror, and determined to get control of our borders by any means necessary.