It really is staggering to me that the almost certain Republican nominee has run a campaign so full of cringe-inducing, gob-smacking, eye-ball popping gaffes that he should have been consigned to the Perry folder by now – and yet still manages to stagger forward. The Etch-A-Sketch analogy from his closest and most senior aide is, however, the most devastating so far.
It sums up every single worry about Romney in one metaphor: that he is a machine, that he can say or stand for anything, and that, from time to time, depending on which segment of the population he is appealing to, he will simply become something completely different. Which is, of course, per Kinsley, the true definition of a gaffe. Fehrnstrom told the truth. And Etch-A-Sketches, because they can draw anything and remove anything, are also a perfect metaphor for liars, opportunists and soulless re-invention.
How, in other words, can such an allegedly professional campaign have larded itself up with statements and misstatements to such a degree you really would need a bungee cord to keep them all strapped to the roof? How did the Romney campaign beat all its rivals in finding ways to make him seem completely insincere, absurdly rich and socially clueless? And boy are they exploiting it – check these new ads out.
Weigel claims that Eric Fehrnstrom has scored a "cleaner hit on his candidate than Rick Santorum ever has":
Aspects of this analogy make sense to me. An older etch-a-sketch has little lines and remainders from older sketches embedded in it, stuff you can't make people forget. To a large extent, Romney will be able to campaign on new positions when he makes it out of the primary. He's winning voters who want an electable candidate, not a Barry Goldwater clone, so, yes, there's an expectation that he'll move on from opposing the auto bailout, and agreeing with the Blunt amendment. But you don't need to say this! It's realpolitik, which means you should never, ever reveal it to voters.
Philip Klein was equally taken aback by the candid metaphor:
The fact that it's coming from one of Romney's long-time aides is stunning. An even scarier thought for conservatives: if the Romney campaign is willing to take them for granted before even clinching the nomination, imagine how quickly Romney would abandon conservatives if he ever made it to the White House.
James Poniewozick adds, "In one short sentence, Fehrnstrom defined his boss as not only a blank slate but a toy." Jamelle Bouie reassures conservative Romney skeptics:
Conservatives widely believe that the party establishment will betray conservative values to win an election. For them, it explains the failed candidacies of George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole, John McCain, and the failed presidency of George W. Bush. But now that they’re in the driver’s seat of the Republican Party, they can avoid this obstacle—it’s well within their power to keep Romney from running too far to the center, and distancing himself too much from the persona he’s built over the last five years.
Tim Noah nonetheless explains what makes this gaffe different:
Fehrnstrom's Etch-A-Sketch crack will inspire parody images, Web widgets, and apps downloaded onto computer screens, tablet computers, iPhones, and of course Etch-A-Sketches. These images can effortlessly be e-mailed, Facebooked, and tweeted hither and yon. Competitive impulses will be stirred among rival campaigns, amateur and professional Web designers, and legions of wiseacres with too much time on their hands. Already we have this and this and this and this. There will be much, much more, and to Romney it will feel like it's coming in the windows, down the chimney, and up the bathtub drain.
Aaron Goldstein isn't so sure:
Romney's comments about pink slips and firing people didn't stop him from winning in New Hampshire, his Cadillac comments didn't stop him from winning in Michigan while his NASCAR comments didn't stop him from winning in Ohio. So there's an argument to be made that l'affaire Etch a Sketch won't damage Romney either.
The Dish 