Rick Santorum is out with a blistering new ad today, comparing Mitt Romney to … Barack Obama.
Comparing a Republican primary opponent to a Democratic incumbent has been done before, of course. And sometimes, it backfires.
After a 2000 John McCain ad said then-Texas Governor George W. Bush “twists the truth like [Bill] Clinton,” Bush pushed back. During a CNN debate from South Carolina, he chided McCain, saying: “You can disagree with me on issues, John, but do not question — do not question my trustworthiness and do not compare me to Bill Clinton.”
The attacks on Bush seemed to backfire. McCain (who was probably the real victim of the harshest and most cruel personal attacks in South Carolina) actually came across looking like the desperate bully. It will be interesting to see whether or not Romney can summon some of the same political jujitsu here.