The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Romney Turning Up the Heat?

Romney Turning Up the Heat?

By Dustin Siggins on 8.23.12 @ 4:15PM

In what is both a solid attack and an appeal to the better minds of voters, Romney threw a nice punch in a recent speech in Iowa. Washington Post national reporter Philip Rucker has the quote:

Romney in Iowa: “President Obama, bless his heart, has tried to substitute government for free people, and it has not worked.”

The phrase drew some immediate reactions from both the left and the right. Within 30 minutes, the world of social media was set atwitter:

@daveweigel RE: Stump speeches — I haven’t heard Romney say this before: https://twitter.com/philiprucker/status/238333621264596993 …

@jedlewison @daveweigel I sure hope “free people” send out those Social Security checks on time.

Since then, Romney’s phrase has been reported on by ABC News, gleefully recounted at American Thinker, and added to Real Clear Politics’ list of political videos. For me, a conservative who is wary of Romney — he’d make a much better president than Obama, but will he actually do much good with regards to our debt problems? — it is good to see that the awkward Romney in the primaries has been replaced by the speech-savvy, stick-and-move Romney so many conservatives wanted to see. Between this attack, his pick of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) as VP, and his well-played whiteboard comparison of his and Obama’s Medicare plans, it appears conservative fears that Romney would be too nice for the general election may have been overblown. Here’s hoping he throws some good policy proposals on top of his thus-far solid general election campaigning.

Note: The American Thinker piece claims that “bless his heart” is a devastating insult in the South. As a New Hampshire native, it struck me as a kind word to Obama’s well-intentioned, if woefully inadequate, efforts to get our economy back on track. Can any Southerners help me out with this?

About the Author

Dustin Siggins is the online content coordinator and blogger for the Tea Party Patriots, a national grassroots coalition with more than 3,500 local chapters. He is also a co-founder of LibertyUnyielding.com and has frequently contributed to Red Alert Politics, HotAir.com, and RightWingNews.com, and other publications. He is the co-author of a forthcoming book on the national debt with William Beach of the Heritage Foundation. The opinions expressed are his own.

http://spectator.org/blog/2012/08/23/romney-turning-up-the-heat

FLASHBACK TO: 1995

Pope Culture

By George Sim Johnston

A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
Why the GOP Does Not, Like, Totally Suck

By P.J. O'Rourke

Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
Dames at Sea

By John Corry
In the Absence of Guns

By Mark Steyn

In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
The Metaphysical Martini

By Werner J. Dannhauser
Counting the Costs of Clintonism

By Robert H. Bork

The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
Chuck McHagel

By George Neumayr

It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
The Legacy of Old John and Mother Fresh-Roasted

By Douglas Bartholomew
It’s the Best Time of the Year

By Mark Steyn

The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
The Bush Crack-Up

By Brit Hume

Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?