The reason Romney could pretend he was a moderate is because what the base wants Romney to do is to berate, disrespect Obama and he did that with his I debate my 5 boys line. Remember, the Republican base loved the Eastwood/Chair conversation. They love Joe Wilson, Michelle Bachmann and the like. Orrin Hatch is fighting for his life. The Republican primary were full of contempt for Obama, not his policies (his policies were never presented in anything approximating good faith). It always goes back to:

“Nigger, nigger, nigger.” By 1968 you can’t say “nigger” — that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states’ rights and all that stuff. You’re getting so abstract now [that] you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites. And subconsciously maybe that is part of it. I’m not saying that. But I’m saying that if it is getting that abstract, and that coded, that we are doing away with the racial problem one way or the other. You follow me — because obviously sitting around saying, “We want to cut this,” is much more abstract than even the busing thing, and a hell of a lot more abstract than “Nigger, nigger.”

The people in Obama’s inner circle may not get that, but that is what Republicans want their candidate to do.

Obama doesn’t need to throw back “liar” he needs to hit Romney on Bain/Let Detroit go Bankrupt/47% all debate and contrast that with his record. Reporting on Bain owned Sensata in the NY Time helps to bolster that:

It is often difficult to determine precisely how much Mr. Romney benefits from specific investments by Bain funds, since his money goes into a pool used to buy stakes in companies. In the case of Sensata, however, it is clearer because he reported a charitable donation of $405,000 in Sensata stock that he received as “partnership distributions” in 2010 and 2011, according to his tax returns.

Jiangsu Province, where most of the Freeport jobs are moving, is one of China’s designated “export bases” for auto parts. Asimco, the other auto parts manufacturer in Bain’s portfolio, also has factories in Jiangsu Province and three other regions designated as export bases.

The Chinese government incentives offered to companies in those “bases” set off a complaint from the United States to the World Trade Organization last month. The United States asserted that in 2011, China spent $1 billion on grants, tax preferences, lowered interest rates and other subsidies to increase exports of auto parts in violation of fair trade rules.

Mr. Romney has been critical of these types of Chinese incentives to bolster exports.

That complaint: set off by the Obama administration.

7.8% unemployment helps. Romney wanting to repeal medicare helps. Romney/Ryan tax cuts for rich while taking away deductions that many middle and low income Americans use helps. Stock market as high as it is help. Flip Flopping/lying allegations should be a supporting argument, not the main argument. Obama bet on American people, Romney bet against them. That’s the message. Period. No matter what he says, it’s what he will do that matters. The news media wants a confrontation, Obama needs to discredit Romney by crediting his record. Lead people to accept he is a liar.

Here are the Romneys calling Obama a child one way or another.

Mitt Romney:

Ann Romney:

Josh Romney: