Republican shift in N.M.
Strategists trade jabs on Washington, presidential race
Three staffers working on Romney’s campaign are being moved to other states
LAS CRUCES — With the waning campaign season as a backdrop, dueling political strategists — Democrat James Carville and Republican Karen Hughes — held nothing back while holding court here Thursday on Washington gridlock and the presidential race.
Where both seemed to agree, during a morning session of New Mexico State University’s Domenici Public Policy Conference, was on the view that Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney faces an uphill battle to unseat the incumbent, President Barack Obama, particularly after a rough few weeks.
“We have made the case that President Obama’s policies have failed. We have not yet made the case that people should vote for Mitt Romney instead, and that is what the last 50 days of the election will be about,” said Hughes, an adviser to President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2002 and later a State Department undersecretary for public diplomacy.
Carville, a sharp-tongued Louisianan who was a central figure in President Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign, responded, “If there’s any evidence that Mitt Romney has any skills to run for president, I’ve yet to see it.”
Minutes later, Hughes said, “The electorate is disillusioned by President Obama and his failure to deliver on what he promised. Republicans still have a very good shot at winning the election.”
Carville said Romney is an accomplished businessman with a solid academic background who was a “credible” governor of Massachusetts. But, Carville added, “He is a horrible candidate. He can’t make his case.”
Carville said the Romney campaign is “bleeding” and, to right itself, needs to “create another story.” Romney, Carville said, should not answer any more press questions, for instance, about a video secretly recorded at a Florida fundraiser in May. It recorded Romney dismissing many Obama supporters as people who do not pay taxes and depend on government.
“If you (Romney) are retooling your message two weeks after the convention, that’s not a good thing,” he said.
Moderator Sam Donaldson, an ABC news veteran and a New Mexico native, said that earlier in the campaign season he believed 2012 would be a “Republican year,” given the woes caused by the nation’s still struggling economy. He asked Hughes, “Why are we in such a tight race?”
“We are a divided country,” said Hughes.
During the hourlong session Carville repeatedly said the Republican party needs to broaden its appeal to be successful in the future.
Hughes responded that “the leadership of our party” is diverse, citing, among others, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez and U.S. Senate candidate Ted Cruz in Texas.
Carville said the “proliferation of news sources” on the Internet has been a factor in sowing divisions among voters, because many Americans seek out media outlets or websites to confirm their beliefs, rather than challenge themselves with hard information.
“People use information for validation, not information,” Carville said. “They use it like a drunk uses a lamp post.”