Romney Caught in His Own Trap

You would have thought that Mitt Romney had learned from previous campaigns that ended miserably. For example, Mike Dukakis, governor of Massachusetts (how about that!), was prancing at the top of the polls during the presidential campaign in the summer of 1988. He had a 17-point lead. That is, until George Bush, Sr.’s campaign manager, Lee Atwater, released a commercial that proved to be devastating for Dukakis. The same thing is now happening to the Republican.

In 1988, Atwater released a commercial showing the face of a menacing man who had been sentenced to life for murder and who, while taking advantage of a weekend furlough program, attacked and raped a woman. Michael Dukakis had nothing to do with this sinister affair, but Willie Horton was held in Massachusetts, the state that had authorized the release of a criminal. Dukakis’ connection to criminals/blacks and his laxity on crime was right on target. This commercial put an end to the presidential campaign of George H.W. Bush’s opponent. For weeks, Dukakis found himself on the defensive, unable to respond to this attack.

This story served as a lesson to a young governor from Arkansas. When he launched an assault on the White House in 1992, Bill Clinton established his “War Room,” to respond in time to attack his opponent. Result: In 1992, it was Bush, Sr. who fell to the mat.

Mitt Romney has entered his Dukakis phase. For weeks, he has been on the defensive, responding to attacks from Democrats and the press asking him to account for his activities with Bain Capital. And nearly every day opens a new front: his taxes, then his Swiss bank account, then his relationship with Bain, and now his accounts in tax havens. It is an ordeal. And Romney remains stiff, like a boxer on the ropes.

The trap is diabolical, as noted by Joe Klein, one of the best political reporters, in Time. If Romney continues to withhold information on his tax returns, he drags it out until November. And, if he publishes it, he must constantly explain why he does not even pay 14 percent in tax — half that of an average worker — while his fortune is at least $250 million. The trap has not finished destroying the campaign and the credibility of Mitt Romney.