Adam Nagourney takes up the question du cycle -- is it better to run for President from a political office or from your home office?
Alex Conannt, an adviser to Tim Pawlenty, says it's a tough call (but judging from his boss' decision last week, apparently not so tough a call).
“Anyone who is running for president who is not governor has more leeway on what issues he wants to weigh in on. I think that gives you more freedom to pick and chose. But I don’t know which is more valuable: being able to pick and chose like that or being in a state adding to a record of accomplishment.”
The money quote comes from Republican consultant, Phil Musser, and illustrates what a great gig Mitt Romney's got.
“I don’t think you can argue against the upside opportunities that Romney has: He has, in effect, a campaign-in waiting. He’s picking the issues that he wants to discuss. He doesn’t have to deal with the day-in and day-out problems with a state legislature, or the bleak budget picture and hard choices most governors face these day.”
Newsbusters got pretty histrionic yesterday over this exchange between Rachel Maddow and Ana Marie Cox, but it's exactly what Phil Musser's talking about.
MADDOW: I have to, just as a programming thing, I mean, there's this issue of all the face time that Liz Cheney is getting, all the discussion time that Rush Limbaugh get (sic), that Newt Gingrich get (sic), that Mitt Romney gets, that Mike Huckabee gets. I mean, these people don't have jobs and ....
COX: Let's, don't put them on the TV, Rachel. Like, I just, I don't want to tell you how to do your job but, like, come on.
MADDOW: But, we quest-, but, I mean, the Rachel Maddow show staff, many of whom you know, we sit around all day and talk about whether or not we should put folks on the air. But in terms of the political debate that's happening in the country, it's just not being engaged in by elected Republicans. The only people who are talking from the right are these folks who I prefer not to put on TV 'cause they don't have jobs and I shouldn't feel obligated.
