The Democratic National Committee is out with a new ad targeting Mitt Romney for his ideological…flexibility. The 30 second clip will run on cable and broadcast stations in several swing states – Virginia, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania – as well as Wisconsin. Here it is:
There is a longer, 4-minute web-only version that's equally devastating in outlining Romney's willingness to change positions for narrow political gain.
Given the extent to which the "flip-flopper" image harmed both Al Gore and John Kerry, I don't think that you can say that these efforts are useless, especially if the media opts to define Romney in these terms as well. But – as with all things in presidential campaigns – the utility of this strategy depends on the economy; under poor economic conditions, few people will care that Romney is devoid of core political convictions.
