How Romney Bounced Back

The New York Times looks at how Mitt Romney set aside his focus on President Obama to treat Newt Gingrich “as its chief obstacle, realizing that a loss here in Florida could cripple the campaign.”

“Breaking into teams, they divided duties for a new plan to put unrelenting pressure on Mr. Gingrich, hoping to make him angry enough to throw him off track and remind voters about the most unflattering aspects of a record forgotten during a decade in which he solidified his status as a wise man in the party.”

Craig Crawford: “Romney proved something in Florida. He’s all about psychological
warfare, and his team knows how to wage it. Mitt’s operatives sized up
the profile of their foe, Newt Gingrich, found his hot buttons and
jammed them until he squealed like a stuck pig.”

Mark Halperin: “Romney and his team have recovered in Florida by returning to attack mode and keeping the pressure on Gingrich. They have flooded the airwaves with TV and radio ads, released a phalanx of Establishment supporters to engage with the media, sent pro-Romney members of Congress to rattle Gingrich at his own campaign events, and debuted a more aggressive Romney on the stump and in the most recent debate. Even Romney’s most optimistic backers could not have anticipated how thoroughly the former Speaker would be thrown off message by their assault.”