Jonathan Martin reports on a growing tension between Mitt Romney-backers who want him to start hitting Rick Perry and those urging caution.
The first camp worries that Perry could develop unshakable momentum unless Romney attacks now. As a GOP strategist tells Martin.
"Once tea party activists line up behind someone, they can be awfully hard to peel off.”
The second camp says panic isn't prudent quite yet.
As long as the final field remains uncertain, the caucus and primary calendar unset and Perry’s ability to hold up over a series of debates and heightened media scrutiny unknown, they say they’re reluctant to make any hard and fast strategic decisions.
The problem is that the longer Romney waits to attack Perry, the more desperate and politically-motivated those attacks seem.
That's exactly what happened in Kay Bailey Hutchison's 2010 primary against Perry. She started off with a big lead and avoided attacks. Then Perry started climbing and climbing, and she still avoided confrontation.
In the month's last election, voters seemed happy with their choice of Perry, and Hutchison clearly grew desperate, throwing everything she had at him. But voters had decided that they were going for Perry.
Romney needs to be particularly careful with his "career politician" argument against Perry. Hutchison used the corruption attack liberally, and it did nothing. Her vote for the bailout meant far more to voters than Perry's political relationships.
It's also risky for Romney because, if anyone strikes voters as a classic politician, it's Romney and his shifting positions and arguable panders. Perry, on the other hand, has a spontaneous quality and everyman charisma that people don't often associate with politicians.
In fact, if Romney continues to highlight the "career politician" argument against Perry, it could easily backfire and draw increased, negative attention to Romney.
