Beltway Insiders Are Wrong—Mitt Romney's Rolling

About Matt Schlapp:

Matt Schlapp founded Cove Strategies, a legislative, communications and political consulting firm, with his wife. Previously, Schlapp was President George W. Bush's deputy assistant and his political director.

When the race this week seemed to tilt to the benefit of President Obama, conservative partisans began to howl. The conservative go-to editorial page of The Wall Street Journal wrote that Mitt Romney is blowing it, and its major shareholder urged a staff shake-up.

Now the political class is weighing in as the inside-the-Beltway based Washington Post has chimed in to suggest insiders believe Romney needs to hire more top advisers from—newsflash—inside the Beltway.

The fact is that Romney has been on a steady roll especially in May and June. He will have the resources to make this a real fight and is energizing his base, his party, and those looking for a fresh approach to our economic chaos.

[See a collection of political cartoons on Mitt Romney.]

Romney still has an uphill battle in front of him, as presidents are hard to knock off due to their institutional advantages and ability to impact events. However, Romney and his team deserve great praise for their steady execution.

Contrast that with President Obama's political team of David Axelrod & Co. who has acted, well, more like blundering hacks running a ward in Chicago and less like presidential advisers shaping history.

In fairness it is true that the harsh public scrutiny of a presidential campaign can make talented people seem feckless. After watching team Obama over these four years, the Romney team is definitely more talented. Romney's choice of Matt Rhoades and Rich Beeson as campaign manager and political director demonstrates that he is willing to add to his loyal Boston team. He has hired other Bush campaign and Republican National Committee veterans who know how to win, including former RNC Chair Ed Gillespie.

[See a collection of political cartoons on the 2012 campaign.]

Romney did not have a meltdown his week, but the Supreme Court just might have. In fact if anyone looks like they need a shake-up, it is Supreme Court Justice John Roberts. Roberts threw the president a lifeline and made him look like a winner who had fought for a "responsible" and "constitutional" solution to healthcare. Just what we did not need: another Republican-appointed justice who tends to overthink it.

The Supreme Court's decision may be in, but the jury on Obama's policies is definitely still out. Whether or not he deserves four more years to wreak havoc on our economy seems pretty clear.

Let's hope we do not overthink it.

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Mitt Romney