“Rambo Romney” Will End Badly

The war for the nomination among the challengers to Barack Obama has finally found its hero — obviously a bad one. Behold “Rambo Romney,” the candidate who shoots wildly at his millionaire rivals in his advertisements. But “Rambo Romney” will meet with a bad end. All these attacks will come back against himself, hitting him right in the heart.

That scenario is presented like a mini-movie in Rick Santorum’s last spot. And in the sights, as there’s reason to say it, is Mitt Romney — that Mitt Romney who until yesterday was the favored candidate and whom today finds clearly lagging behind even in his own home state of Michigan, the state where he was born and raised and where the governor, half a century ago, was his father. “Rambo Romney” seems like a film from Stallone and Tarantino. Santorum’s publicity wizards hired an actor that looks like Mitt himself and like a bloody madman he begins shooting wildly. Among his targets, the most prominent is a cardboard cut-out; obviously, that cut-out is of his enemy Rick Santorum, who at least in this shows a special dose of irony. The finale, however, is an unusual splatter, for the Good Rick still walks onto another day, sent to guard the Americans from “Satanic Danger:” “Satan is attacking the grand institutions of America, using the vices of pride, vanity and sensuality to attack those roots planted so deeply in the American tradition!” Well, the finale of the spot is also satanic, with the poor, so to speak, billionaire hit and gushing blood from his heart; is it a mortal wound?

The spot says that Romney’s negative attack machine is back in motion at full speed. Rick accuses Mitt of using $20 million from his PAC — the campaign support group — “to attack fellow Republicans.” Too bad, the ad maintains, because the attacks will backfire. Thanks to the spots, the billionaire Romney collected $42 million in two years, compared to the $4.5 million collected by Santorum in three years, and swept the battles in Florida that seemed decisive, defeating through $12 million and three spots his rising rival at the time, Newt Gingrich. Then came the battles of Minnesota, Missouri and Colorado, however, with their three victories for ex-Senator Rick. This next Tuesday sees another coup attempt against Romney, in his own Michigan and in Arizona, where Mitt has already received the endorsement of the elderly John McCain.

Will Romney resist the attack? It will be a challenge. Also because you know what the nickname of the Italian-American Santorum is, that among others coming from the Philadelphia theater to the cinema is the name of the training of the great Balboa: “Rocky.” Yes, Rick Rocky against Romney Rambo: just a good race between stallions.