Memo to Romney from His Campaign Strategist

Gary North

June 30, 2012

Mitt Romney is suffering from Nice-Guyism. He smiles too much. Obama is running on the same platform: Nice-Guyism, but with a heart.

Never run against an incumbent on his platform. Never be "Me, too, but better."

Mitt Romney never shows outrage. But there is much to be outraged about.

The Supreme Court has given him an opportunity to show outrage. To take advantage of this, he must become a polarizing force. He must go for the throat. He must write off parts of the electorate.

I am skilled at direct-mail copyrighting. I have made a lot of money for myself by writing sales letters for my products. I learned this principle from a master copywriter, Dan Rosenthal: The power of the offer is the heart of the ad.

The Supreme Court has delivered Obama into his hands. He can pin this tail on the Donkey-in-Chief.

People cannot easily change who they are, except in a crisis. This is a crisis. So, if I were his campaign manager, I would email this memo to him.

The Supreme Court has handed you a sledgehammer to pound Obama into the sand.

You have got to get on message: Obamacare won't work.

That puts you in the hot seat. The public associates your health care law program with Obamacare: "Obamacare lite."

This gives you the opportunity to come to the voters as an expert. Admit that you were wrong. Show five things about your program that produced inevitable messes. Then apply them to Obamacare. Tell the voters that his version is worse than yours, and yours was bad enough. Call Obamacare the "Permanent Unemployment Act of 2010."

The risk is, you'll be seen as a flip-flopper. You need a stock response: "I am not John Kerry. I changed my mind for good reasons. Furthermore, I'm not going to change back."

Then list the Big Five. Keep getting back to them.

You have to overcome this.

You have got to promise to repeal Obamacare -- lock, stock, and barrel. No qualifiers. No talk of a "new, improved Obamacare." Just repeal the monstrosity: the whole package.

To repeal it, you will need a Republican Senate.

Here is your chance at positioning yourself as the Republican Party's leader. Campaign hard in those states where there is a Senate seat up for grabs.

Go into those states to help raise money for the Senate campaign. Make it clear that you must have a majority in the Senate. Make it clear that this is do-or-die issue for you, because it is a do-or-die issue for the American economy. Obamacare is going to keep small businesses from forming.

Stress the fact that small businesses are the most important source of new jobs. It's true, and the statistics prove it. So, hammer on this.

You are associated with big business. Get that monkey off your back. Come out as the #1 booster for small business. It's where the jobs are . . . or won't be, if Obamacare is not repealed.

Then play the Supreme Court card. Make it clear that the nation needs a Supreme Court where a majority of its members understand what the Tenth Amendment is all about. Make it clear that you have a principle for selecting justices: "No more Roberts!"

Tar and feather Roberts. Make it clear that you will not appoint moderates who can't understand what limited government is. You want strict constructionists who believe in enforcing the Constitution as it was written.

Liberals will be outraged. So what? No matter what you say, they will hold their noses and vote for Obama, Gitmo notwithstanding.

You must mobilize the troops. You must make it worthwhile for the conservatives to come out in November and vote for you.

If you are seen as the last hope of reversing Obamacare, you can mobilize the troops. The conservatives hate Obamacare so much, they will hold their noses and vote for you.

This election is going to be settled by mobilizing the swing voters who are holding their noses. Face up to this now.

It's time to work on a Howard Beale imitation. Get it down pat.

In short, no more Mr. Nice Guy.

Stop smiling.