Mitt Romney is unpleasantly surprised to face Newt Gingrich (Larry Downing/Reuters)
On Monday, the
New York Times quoted a Mitt Romney aide as saying Newt Gingrich will be easy to knock off. "You don't have to go deep here," the aide said. And earlier today, Politico
reported that Romney aides say they believe Gingrich will self-destruct.
But not everyone in Romney's orbit favors a passive approach. Today's Washington Post quotes an outside adviser to the Romney campaign who says he believes Gingrich probably will not self-destruct—at least not quickly enough:
“Is there enough time for Gingrich to self-destruct on his own before Jan. 3, or do you have to help it along? It’s a tough call,” said a GOP strategist who informally advises Romney’s campaign and, like other advisers interviewed, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal thinking. [...] The informal Romney adviser said he recently urged top campaign aides to take a more aggressive posture, telling them: “You’ve got to get out and fight for it. The shot’s been fired, and you’ve got to go.”
I think the adviser is right—Romney can't just sit back and hope Gingrich blows up on his own. But it's easy to say that. The hard part is figuring out what line of attack Romney could use against Gingrich that won't end up boomeranging. The one they are currently floating—that Gingrich is an unfaithful flip-flopping politician—almost seems designed to backfire. But if the alternative is to let Gingrich walk away with the nomination, they've got to figure out something. But what?