Romney Goes to the Backhand
Mitt Romney takes off the gloves a bit, and has criticized, at least a bit, Rudy Giuliani and his relations with his family. He’s only making oblique references to this ugly flaw of Rudy’s, at least so far. But I would expect Mitt to go to the Whip hand if he remains so far back in the polls.
I’m not talking tennis here. I’m talking the “backhand” in the sense of Mitt taking some hard shots at both Rudy and Fred, but in a bit of an oblique way, if still insulting. His shot at Rudy Giuliani is about Rudy’s family. Of course, it is well known that Rudy doesn’t talk about his kids because he’s been nearly completely estranged from them. Here’s the take on Romney from The Politico:
Mitt Romney used a press conference here to take a veiled but unmistakable shot at Rudy Giuliani’s messy personal life, saying that the eventual Republican nominee would need to have a united front from their family to defeat Hillary Clinton.
Romney’s comments came a day after Giuliani said in his speech to Michigan Republicans gathered at this resort that he ought to be the nominee in part because polls show he has the best chance to defeat Clinton.
But the former Massachusetts governor – surrounded by dozens of blue tee-shirt clad supporters on a hotel porch cheering nearly his every answer — made clear this morning that he thinks there are other crucial elements to beat the candidate most Republicans consider to be the Democrats’ eventual nominee.
Romney said one of those necessary ingredients “when it comes time to run against Hillary Clinton” is that the Republican candidate be able “to bring all their family together as I have to get on the campaign trail.”
“That’s been a big part of what’s ignited our support,” Romney added.
Giuliani has been married three times and has a strained relationship with his two college-age children. Both his son and his daughter have made clear that they won’t help him campaign.
I’m wondering here whether Rudy will ever have to confront the family problem he’s got head-on. Frankly, if Romney doesn’t rise in the polls any further, and if Fred doesn’t step it up a bit, then Rudy has no incentive to explain away his failed role as a family man. Of course, Romney takes a shot at both Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani when he refers, in the same speech, to how hard he’s worked on the campaign trail. But I’m not so certain workling hard shaking hands is the definitive qualifier for President. Still, Rudy was making headlines in Europe this week, and Romney’s contrasting himself meeting voters to Rudy meeting heads of state might just play.
Still, Romney even obliquely referring to Rudy’s failed status as a family man is an escalation in this race, isn’t it? Is that or is it not below the belt?
