An Angry Open Letter To

Romney/Ryan 

Anonymous Leakers,

Both Past & Future:

Not even one full day had passed following Presidential candidate Mitt Romney selecting Paul Ryan as his running mate that it began:

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2012/08/11/Romney-Campaign-Slams-Buzzfeed-Over-Unsourced-Palin-Piece

A reporter from Buzzfeed claimed he got anonymous sources in the Romney camp to speak to him off the record.  He then spun what was said to him into an attack narrative, and bristled on being called out on this by both the Romney campaign and Breitbart editor/contributor Dana Loesch.  

I'm going on the assumption here these leakers actually exist, though I do admit to the possibility that this reporter simply invented them.  

This is all from my Twitter rant this morning: 

Hey you anonymous Romney/Ryan campaign staffers that are leaking to the MSM: pay attention. You're stupid & you need to shut up.

This is not a level playing field and you folks in Romney/Ryan's camp right down to the lowest staffer had better realize this. 

You had better learn this.  You are NOT as smart as you think you are, anonymous-leaking campaign staffers.

Whatever you tell them will be spun to fit the reporter's agenda.  No matter how CAREFULLY you try to parse your anonymous statements to them.

They are simply going to repeat the SAME PLAYBOOK from 2008.  Take whatever any anonymous sources in the campaign tell them and spin it to make it look like Romney is at war with Ryan & vice versa.

It worked like a charm in 2008 because McCain had leakers in his campaign and he knew who they were & he DID NOTHING TO STOP IT.  Nicole Wallace & Steve Schmidt leaked to their hearts content, especially after the campaign started to struggle following Schmidt's stupid advice to McCain to suspend his campaign and rush back to Washington, where he stood around like a doofus for a few weeks, accomplishing nothing.  

Looking for a scapegoat to offer up for their own failings, Wallace & Schmidt were only TOO HAPPY to hand MSM reporters Sarah Palin in anonymous leaks, giving the MSM full reign to distort & attack Palin as the cause of the ticket's demise.  

You didn't learn anything from 4 years ago?  Really?  REALLY?!

You will NEVER make these anonymous leaks work on behalf of your candidate.                 Stop LYING to yourselves.  You are NOT that smart.  

You think these MSM reporters want to tell the story the way YOU want it covered?  Are you stupid or just crazy?  You know what these reporters are thinking?  Here's what they're thinking: 

"Who's going to be our PATSY?  Who's going to say something to us anonymously so we can take it and spin in into the attack narrative against Romney/Ryan we already know we want to go with?  Who's going to be this stupid?" 

The MSM uses anonymous leaks from Democratic campaigns to FURTHER Democratic campaign goals and to do DAMAGE CONTROL.  Do you SERIOUSLY think, O Anonymous Romney Campaign Leaker/s, that this is what the MSM reporters are gonna do on YOUR behalf with your unsourced leakings?  You are DREAMING.

They ALWAYS spin leaks from Republican campaigns into attacks & smears.  They have NO INTEREST whatsoever in doing damage control for your candidate or helping you 'get your message out there'.  

The MSM reporters ALREADY STARTED trying to set their narrative. Why in the holy heck are YOU HELPING them to do it?

O Anonymous Leaker, did you learn anything from what Buzzfeed did?  You CAN'T come out and dispute Buzzfeed's reporter publicly that he changed/distorted what you said without BLOWING YOUR COVER.

All you do when you leak anonymously is give the reporter carte' blanche to spin whatever you said to fit his own agenda. PERIOD. FULL STOP. END OF STORY.

Reporters are out there right now scanning for that 1 guy in the campaign they can flatter into sharing strategy & problems with them 'off the record'

Even innocent utterances like "I sure would have preferred Pawlenty" will be spun into "Deep Division in Romney Camp Over Ryan Pick!"

My advice to you is SHUT UP. You will never make anonymous leaks turn into anything positive. If you can't own it publicly, zip it.   STOP telling yourself you are going to 'help' your campaign for Romney/Ryan by talking to these reporters anonymously.   How many times will you have to get burned before you remember not to put your friggin' hand on the stove?  

Last piece of friendly advice: Unlike McCain, Romney really DOES want to win, and is running to win.  McCain shrugged off leakers in his own campaign and did nothing to stop them. Romney & Ryan won't go that route.  If you're gonna keep leaking, you had better hope you don't get sniffed out, because I suspect if you get caught Mitt won't hesitate to fire your ass.