McCain Rehashes Romney's Old Catchphrase

By: Scott Conroy
Topics: John McCain

The wounds were still fresh from his damaging defeat in the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 5 when Mitt Romney was looking for a way to regain momentum heading into the New Hampshire primary. On that cold morning at a town hall meeting in Derry, New Hampshire, Romney stood beside an illuminated sign that unveiled his retooled message: "Washington Is Broken."

"We face extraordinarily challenges that we have heard the politicians talk about for decades without getting anything done," Romney said on that day. "And it is finally time to have somebody go to Washington who is not a lifelong politician worrying about his career, worrying whether his party is going to get an edge, worrying whether he is going to settle a score with the other politicians, but rather worrying about one thing: solving the challenges of the problems that face America."

The implication was clear: Romney was arguing that McCain, his chief rival in New Hamphsire, was just the kind of "lifelong politician" who wouldn't be able to deliver real change. In fact, in the run-up to the critical Florida primary a couple weeks later, Romney dug at McCain's D.C. ties even deeper, saying that his GOP rival was engaging in "Washington talk" and that it would take someone with Romney's private sector experience to heal Washington's ills.

But now John McCain is employing the line Romney once used to contrast himself against the Arizona senator. "Washington's broken," an announcer says at the beginning of the new McCain TV ad, which highlights McCain's record on combating special interests.

Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom tells CBS News that the McCain campaign did not consult with the Romney folks about using the former Massachusetts governor's old phrase, perhaps putting to rest the idea that the resurrection of the message has come out of a new closeness between the current and former campaigns.

"We don't make any special claim to that phrase," Fehrnstrom said. "Besides, our patent ran out the day Mitt Romney ended his campaign. If anyone can fix what's wrong in Washington, it's John McCain. He's made a career out of taking on the special interests."

Scott Conroy
Scott Conroy is a National Political Reporter for RealClearPolitics and a contributor for CBS News.
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by liberty_4all August 7, 2008 5:14 AM EDT: Romney fixed the Olympics with volunteers. Government couldn''t fix it and neither could the private sector. It took people to fix it without breaking the bank. The people in the state that had resources volunteered them (time money vehicles etc) and worked together. No government program that would be around for decades doing nothing but spending each years budget to get a new one did it.

It was just regular people who knew what they had to give and did it voluntarily. They didn''t get cheated out of anything because the got what they expected. A good feeling for helping something that they thought was a good cause.

Couldn''t this happen at a National Level to bring down the debt. It could if we all trusted a trustworthy leader. I would give almost anything to help my country...but voluntarily. I don''t want some program to come in and take from my hard earned wages decades after it has any real value. That is why Washington is Broken. It isn''t Big Oil. Big Oil is just grabbing headlines. When Big Government are in bed with Big Business you have the situation that we see today. Even if a new energy source becomes more viable than big oil it will be used in exactly the same way. It isn''t the democrats...it isn''t the Republicans it is both of them. It is the system and everyone in it knows it. They are just hoping to point out each others flaws more than theirs to get elected.; Reply to this comment


by bostonbb3 August 7, 2008 1:27 AM EDT: I love Romney. He''s one of the very few out there with enough of a spine to tell the media about the issues for what they really are. Romney is difficult to swallow from so many angles; you can''t bribe him, he already has money and is as clean as a whistle as far as his life and family goes, you can''t discredit him, he''s educated and speaks his mind regardless of what others think, you can''t play him down because he''s a proven success in the free market economy, management, and government. I''m beginning to more fully understand why evangelical leaders hate him (he won''t be bought, bullied, or forced into their political interests), media hates him because he highlights the truth for what it really is, and Democrats hate him because he a legitimate, charismatic threat to their political agenda. These Romney hate groups then try to spin Romney as an opportunist and panderer! Ha! I''m 1000% behind Romney as VP. We need more men like Romney in Washington.; Reply to this comment


by shaheed92 August 6, 2008 5:40 PM EDT: McComa and Bush helped break Washington as well as the rest of the country.; Reply to this comment


by antoniof123 August 6, 2008 4:20 PM EDT: The add should read Washington is broken and I John McCain helped break it because I have been in politics for 26 years.

So vote for him and get more of the same.; Reply to this comment


by bfjones666 August 6, 2008 1:26 PM EDT: Washington IS broken and the only candidate who has sat there and done NOTHING for 26 years is the Republican Senator from Arizona. The Republican Governor from Massachusetts can''t help him with his base because they don''t think Mormons are true Christians. Good Luck John.; Reply to this comment


by starleo146 August 6, 2008 1:05 PM EDT: Hasn''''t McBush been a senator in Washington for 20+ years? How can he pretend to be anything other than a Washington insider who is part of the problem he is describing. Does he really think people are that stupid??

Posted by cdfoxtrot1 at 07:16 PM : Aug 05, 2008

Yes they do , they are counting on us not knowing the difference between change and same old same old Mc Same. He will find out come Nov. The day a republican comes up with one proposal that really helps Americans and not big business, well we will truly be at the end of time for sure. Look at mc Same and the meetings he has had with the oil companies I do not care what anyone says these oil companies have raided our pocket books while the reinvest in the profits you just wait till winter and watch the price for heating oil and Gas these scavengers only want money not help for us and Mc Same wants to give it to them he is the problem with Washington D.C. he is a 25-30 yrs problem. Tell me one thing he has done for this country besides trying to make a name for himself; Reply to this comment


by starleo146 August 6, 2008 12:55 PM EDT: People keep busting Mitt''''s chops for being ''''greasy'''' and ''''slick'''' and stuff, but you know he not only graduated from Harvard Law just like Barack, he graduated from Harvard Business School too, and he turned a profit with the Olympics in Salt Lake, he enacted universal health care in Massachusetts . . . thus he''''s good at the ''''macro'''' as well as the ''''micro'''' level it would seem . . .

Posted by SamTheTVCat at 02:26 AM : Aug 06, 2008

Yea and the people of Massachusettes, hate that plan, it so over the top with costs it is braking the people, and would rather pay the fine for not using than using it; Reply to this comment


by starleo146 August 6, 2008 12:41 PM EDT: "He has poor judgment to do such a thing (at least that is what Repugs said when Obama borrowed a phrase in the Primary)
Posted by Terrapin78 at 04:12 PM : Aug 05, 2008"

"Poor judgment" is also what was said by the court about McCrook after the Keating 5 scandal.

Posted by abbe91 at 08:43 AM : Aug 06, 2008

This white haired, crinkly skin man, wouldn''t have a thought process of his own if he fell over it, and I would have a picture of him fixed like a puppet with strings pulling him toward Bush Cheney, and Karl Rove''s dirty politics. Paris Hilton showed more sense in her add than he did LOL; Reply to this comment


by abbe91 August 6, 2008 11:43 AM EDT: "He has poor judgment to do such a thing (at least that is what Repugs said when Obama borrowed a phrase in the Primary)
Posted by Terrapin78 at 04:12 PM : Aug 05, 2008"

"Poor judgment" is also what was said by the court about McCrook after the Keating 5 scandal.; Reply to this comment


by lordmi August 6, 2008 9:46 AM EDT: That was You, McBush-ruin, breaking it for Your 26 years.
Better get some education , so You can think, IDIOT.; Reply to this comment