Which Mitt?

The Obama campaign, much like many others in the political establishment, is betting on Mitt Romney to win the Republican Primary. As a result, they are preparing for a general election campaign against the former governor. Evidence of this mindset can be found in the release of the DNC's new website WhichMitt.com. The website, which features various instances where Romney infamously flip-flops on issues of crucial importance to many Republican primary voters, clues us into the strategy of the DNC.

By characterizing Mitt as a flip flopper on issues like abortion, immigration, health care, and gay rights, the Obama campaign forces Romney to go on record during the primary as taking stances that are to the right of the majority of Americans - positions that he will be forced to walk back in the general election. This aims at having the two pronged effect of making Romney appear both as a right-wing conservative, and as a unprincipled and weak political shapeshifter.

So far, Romney has done well at addressing the second of the two attacks. Unlike in the 2008 campaign, he has not been backing away from his health care reform in Massachusetts, and is standing strong against his opponents. He has dealt with his main Republican adversary, Rick Perry, by chuckling away and patronizing Perry, significantly diminishing the formerly larger-than-life Texan. Perry looks like a stuttering amateur next to the polished Romney. The true test for Romney, however, will come not until he stands on stage next to the President of the United States -- a fact of which both he and the President are fully aware.