Romney Gets Fancy

Date: January 17, 2012
Author: Jim Rutenberg
Topic: Romney's Robocalls
 Source: NY Times http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/17/romney-calls-voters-with-an-old-message-from-santorum/

         So much for superPAC commercials. The Mitt Romney campaign has come up with a better idea! Use Santorum's actual recorded words on a robocall to homes in South Carolina. You see, Santorum endorsed Romney in the 2008 election, and, when I say endorsed, I mean endorsed. The recording goes as follows:

"AUDIO TEXT: 'This is an urgent message from the Romney campaign. In 2008, Rick Santorum made the following announcement on Laura Ingraham’s radio program.”
LAURA INGRAHAM: “Joining us now with an important announcement, you’re not going to want to miss this, former senator from the great state of Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum.”
RICK SANTORUM: “If you’re a conservative, there really is only one place to go right now. I would even argue farther than that. If you’re a Republican, if you’re a Republican in the broadest sense, there is only one place to go right now, and that’s Mitt Romney.”
LAURA INGRAHAM: “Senator Rick Santorum endorsing Mitt Romney unequivocally, without hesitation, that should mean something to all of you. Senator Santorum, thank you so much.”
AUDIO TEXT: “This call was paid for by Romney For President, Inc.'"

So there you see it and now South Carolina Republicans are hearing it too. I wonder how much impact, if any, the robocall will really have. After all, Richard Adams writes in an article that appeared in The Guardian today, that residents of Greenville, SC report receiving between 15 and 20 robocalls a day from those good ol' Republican candidates. Many, the interviewee reports, are just letting everything go straight to voice mail, or leaving their phones off the hook. That doesn't bode too well for the Republican candidates. If there are too many robocalls, each blends into next. Take that as a lesson, Romney.