President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign may want have a chat with their surrogates about message discipline.
On the heels of Newark Mayor Cory Booker’s condemnation of the Obama campaign’s Bain strategy comes another off-key moment from Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, a prominent supporter of the President, reports
Politico.
During a Thursday appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Patrick was equivocal in his attacks on Republican nominee Mitt Romney, calling Bain Capital a “perfectly fine company” and saying of Romney, “He’s always been a gentleman to me, and the people who know him well and personally speak very warmly of him.”
Patrick went out of his way to commend Romney’s administration for facilitating a smooth transition of power, and even understated the level of unemployment Massachusetts faced when he assumed the governor’s office, pegging the number at 4.3 percent. Massachusetts unemployment stood at 4.7 percent during Romney’s last full month as Governor.
Coming from Romney’s immediate successor, the comments were particularly unhelpful — Patrick is uniquely positioned to indict Romney’s tenure in Massachusetts, but if his performance on Thursday was any indication, he will not make an ideal attack dog.
With Obama advisor David Axelrod scheduled to hold a press conference today at the Massachusetts State House slamming Romney’s record as governor, Patrick’s timing could scarcely have been worse.
The Romney campaign could barely contain its elation. “It’s clear the Obama campaign has no message and no vision when their surrogates continue to repudiate the Obama campaign’s attacks on free enterprise,” said campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul. “We appreciate all of the Obama surrogates who have praised Mitt Romney’s record.”
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