Presumably Team Romney's plan to combat attacks over Bain Capital has always been to paint anyone raising the issue as a loony left-wing extremist.
However, the barrage has come earlier than expected, and from some unexpected opponents, including Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich.
That hasn't stopped Romney's backers from responding with their original plan. So tonight brought us some amazing moments. Who'd ever have thought you'd see Fox News' Sean Hannity tell Perry he sounds "like something out of Occupy Wall Street"? Or Romney surrogate John Sununu dropping the "Socialist!" S-bomb on Newt? It happened, and you can see it here.
Benjy Sarlin has it right: "The big question now is how far Gingrich et al are willing to go before they decide they either can't win or it isn't worth damaging their standing with the party to continue lobbing bombs at the likely nominee."
Our Evan McMorris-Santoro reports from South Carolina that the attack ads began airing as soon as the New Hampshire polls closed.
Our New Hampshire scoreboard is ready to go. Expect the race to be called by the networks for Romney almost immediately after all the polls close at 8 p.m. ET.
Election Day in New Hampshire, so you know it's going to be fun! Watch.
Picture of the Day: Newt locks and loads for Mitt.
Dems restart legislative boycott in Indiana to stop 'right to work' bill.
It's the only new literary genre of the 2012 campaign: the Mitt-ism! "Corporations are people, my friend!" "I like being able to fire people." "I'm also unemployed!" Which is your favorite. We rate them all ten of them on a five star system: the Top Ten Mitt-isms ... So Far.
Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY), a Mitt Romney surrogate, today on MSNBC: "Yesterday the governor said something about firing people. I think that's a very good thing. I think that's a very good thing because it's honest and it's real."
Just a few moments ago, Romney surrogate and former New Hampshire Governor John Sununu made a very odd comment. He suggested that the investor community might punish Newt-backer Sheldon Adelson for funding Newt's anti-Bain Capital movie, the one they're going to go to town with in South Carolina.
Adelson is a billionaire casino mogul who has plenty of money himself but in the nature of things is in constant need of finance capital to fund new projects.
I think people invest money with Adelson because they think they're going to get a good return. So I don't think he really has a lot to worry about. But it sounded to me like sort of a threat, albeit not a terribly credible one -- and an odd one since that's a key base for Romney.
Watch the video here.
Democrats had hoped to keep their powder dry on Bain Capital until the general election. It didn't work out as planned.
John McCain's "get off my lawn!" tour of New Hampshire with Mitt Romney.
TPM Reader JL thinks it's only the tip of the iceberg ...
I am of course delighted to see Mitt Romney's tenure at Bain coming into focus. But I think the focus on jobs, as potent as it is, may distract from an even more problematic aspect of the private equity business. And I think the Obama campaign, or the DNC, or the Dem Super PACs, or all three would be wise to focus on it. Maybe not now, but eventually. Yes, it's important, perhaps critical to put the lie to the image of Mitt Romney as a job creator. But perhaps more important is the idea that Mitt has spent his career playing with other people's money.Read More →
Fox reporter toasts the awesomeness of Dixville Notch, NH: "No Hanging chads, we didn't see any black panthers with baseball bats. These were good, American folks..."
Evan McMorris-Santoro reports from South Carolina, where the state's Third Congressional District is the key for those trying to stop a Mitt Romney cakewalk to the nomination.
Fantastic piece from TPM's Nick Martin on the federal case against white supremacist twin brothers who fell under the spell of a comely informant with a grenade dangling between her breasts.
Newt's anger against Mitt Romney is taking him to some unusual places.
So have you seen the actual Mitt "I like being able to fire people" line? If not, here it is.
James Fallows really nails it on Romney's "I like being able to fire people" line. Yes, he wasn't talking about employees. And it's been taken out of context. But anyone who's ever had to fire someone knows it's about as unpleasant and hard as you can imagine. The word itself is charged enough it's a bit hard to imagine putting 'like' in front of it. And that's why it's sticking.
The Club for Growth, custodian of the gods of cutthroat laissez-faire capitalism, blasts Newt Gingrich for attacking Romney's private equity awesomeness.
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