Mitt Romney is So Street

Cross-Posted to the Debate Link

CNN’s Political Ticker reports Mitt Romney pumping up his credentials against new Democratic front-runner Barack Obama:

“Frankly, I don’t think Senator McCain, despite his service and his length of experience that that’s going to be able to stand up to the message that Barack Obama has brought forward,” he said.

“We better think about somebody who can stand up with a message and go toe to toe with [Obama],” Romney said, adding that he can “post up against” Obama.

Aside from being a ridiculous choice of words (”post up”? What the hell?), the underlying point is silly as well. If there is one Republican that I’m confident Obama can pick apart like none other, it’s Mitt Romney, who is uncharismatic, screams “business as usual”, and has all the authenticity of a used car salesman. Obama would eat him alive in the general.

Meanwhile, a Romney campaign adviser put this argument forward:

Romney senior adviser Ron Kaufman said Obama “demolished three senators” in Iowa and will “demolish” Clinton in New Hampshire, “so clearly having a senator against him is not a good idea.”

Again, bizarre. First, Obama actually demolished either two or four senators (depending on whether we’re counting fringe contenders Biden and Dodd), not three. Second, he also demolished the only Governor in the race, Bill Richardson. Third, of all the reasons Obama managed to best Clinton and Edwards (and Biden and Dodd) in Iowa, the fact that they’re senators ranks pretty low on the list. And finally, even if the Senate really was the defining element of Obama’s Iowa victory, there’s no reason to think the dynamics of the Democratic primary in any way approximate those of the general election (I only wish!).