Karl Rove: Romney Attack on Gingrich 'Flailing'

-- contributor Karl Rove joins us now he has to top strategist -- president George W Bush's two successful campaigns thanks for joining us this morning. Carl and boy we see. The Romney team really... See More

-- contributor Karl Rove joins us now he has to top strategist -- president George W Bush's two successful campaigns thanks for joining us this morning. Carl and boy we see. The Romney team really preparing the battlefield. -- about a month ago before this Iowa caucus tonight before this debate is this the right time. And the right attack for Romney. Well and they have to deal did the rise of Gingrich in the polls is caused the Romney people to reconsider their campaign strategy my suspicion is they're all looking at themselves and why did we start this weeks ago. Because remember we have 25 days until. They start voting in Iowa it would probably have only about two effective weeks of campaigning before we get into the Christmas holidays. And it's sort of hard during -- -- the period of December 22 through January 1 or second. To really do things in a traditional way -- campaign when you get everybody worried about you know Christmas presents and -- holiday parties and family visiting them so. -- but it -- yesterday I think the attack was sort of flailing let's see if the Romney campaign gets a little bit more focused on their. Well -- talk whether that house so that people can accepted or rejected how about the substance of -- -- -- got at least two prongs that the new it has not been a consistent conservative. And that he's got so much baggage personal baggage on reliable they say untrustworthy that he can't. The elected is it fair. Well you've done a better job frankly of summarizing their attack than they did yesterday so that's the first thing is is it. You know you have to sort of distill what they said yesterday -- -- the two things you said and again -- people can only accept so much information at a time so it's better to. You know they may have led -- it laid down the big themes now they have to prove it. And today there apparently. Contrast he knew where Romney is and we're Gingrich here are on the congressman Paul Ryan's roadmap. Which. Speaker Gingrich attacked his quote right wing social engineering and which. Mitt Romney has mostly but not completely embraced. About speaker Gingrich how long can he stay above the fray he repeated again yesterday that he is not gonna counter attack. Yeah we don't -- and -- thing will be this. He has there are two big inflection points between now and January 3 -- debate and on Fox's debate next week. And -- if speaker Gingrich can get through both of those debates and he's going to be. On the receiving end of blows not only from Romney but also from Paul and Bachmann and Santorum and -- Then then that you don't view this strategy will be borne out I thought frankly yesterday it was a good opening. Response to say -- -- stay above it and I've got one opponent his name is Obama and whether he's able to sustain it -- is gonna go to is gonna depend on the chemistry of those debates the kind of questions and the kind of answers that are offered and -- that's what makes it so unpredictable. Meanwhile as you know the Obama White House -- is looking at this would relish. David acts are on the top -- -- opinion that he meeting with a group of us journalists saying that he believes a long drawn out fight. Between Romney and Newt is gonna hurt. And the GOP over several months and they seem to be feeling more confident about either Romney or Gingrich is an opponent. Well -- -- mr. Axelrod. Don't wish for somebody gives you may get it look I remember in 2008 saying to myself. This long drawn out contest between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is gonna leave the Democrats bled white and heard of and it turned out to actually helped him enormously. Registration totals drug went way up in the battleground states they build large armies of volunteers to crystallize a message people took -- Look at the candidates and -- came to conclusion that they were up to the job and they came barreling out of that. That contest -- -- you recall Reid took all the way till June. They came barrel and how that contest strong for the general election I suspect the same thing's gonna happen on the Republican side we remember that the -- didn't take a look at the generic balloting Gallup. -- Ford early July Obama is ahead virtually all the time. Since early July after the beginning of the debates in late June Obama has been tied or behind. Or dead even with Republican virtually all the time that is a good -- Karl Rove thanks very much.