Didn't Mike Huckabee do something very similar on his way out of office as gov of Arkansas before entering the 2007 Repub primary race - his staff either "cleaned" hard-drives or physically destroyed hard-drives.
Though Mr. Romney’s advertisement is aimed squarely at the president, it also represents a step up in the intensity of the campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. Just six weeks before the first votes are cast, no candidate has been able to decisively claim the mantle of front-runner.
On Monday, a CNN/ORC International poll .. http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/images/11/21/rel19b.pdf .. found that Mr. Romney was still struggling to earn the trust of many Republicans. According to the national survey, 24 percent of Republicans and independents who lean toward the party said they were most likely to support Newt Gingrich for the nomination, and 20 percent said Mr. Romney, a difference that falls within the survey’s sampling error.
Given the fluid nature of the race, Mr. Romney’s $134,000 ad buy on WMUR-TV is expected to prompt further spending on advertising — by his campaign, his Republican rivals and outside groups. Some commercials for candidates and their super PACs have already gone on the air, but the decision by Mr. Romney to hold back had essentially frozen the ad war.
By focusing his message on the president, Mr. Romney is trying to show Republicans that he can take on Mr. Obama aggressively, an attribute that conservatives are seeking in a nominee.
But there is also a risk in getting ahead of himself, especially with polls showing that he is having a difficult time reaching beyond a base of about 25 percent.
In New Hampshire, a critical state for him, Mr. Romney has a solid lead in the polls. But even here, he has been forced to look over his shoulder.
In recent days, Mr. Gingrich has received a surge of attention from voters and the news media. Jon M. Huntsman Jr. opened a major ad campaign in the state, paid for by a super PAC, Our Destiny, .. http://ourdestinypac.com/ .. that is underwritten by his billionaire father, Jon M. Huntsman Sr. The blitz was estimated to cost $750,000 — far more than Mr. Romney’s initial buy.
“We understand New Hampshire voters want the chance to meet candidates several times and make a decision in the final days before the election,” said Ryan Williams, a Romney spokesman. “So we’re campaigning every day like we’re three votes behind, holding town halls and doing all the small things needed to win the primary.”
The Romney commercial also represents something of a stealth attack, running through the week of Thanksgiving, a time normally considered a slow period for politicking. (The Romney team has said it expects to keep a low profile this week but return to the trail at an accelerated, full-force pace after the weekend.)
In an interview broadcast Monday night with Sean Hannity of Fox News, Mr. Romney offered a preview of his ad.
“Well, I want people to remember that when he was Candidate Obama, that he said he was going to get this economy going, he was going to bring people together, be a real leader for change in America,” Mr. Romney said in the interview, which was taped Sunday. “And so I’m going to run an ad that shows him and the things he said here in New Hampshire in a speech here. The contrast between what he said and what he did is so stark, people will recognize we really do need to have someone new lead this country. And then I, of course, described why I’m the right person for that responsibility.”
Mr. Romney’s plan to greet Mr. Obama in New Hampshire with the commercial sets up a tug of war between the two men for independents, who are allowed to vote in the state’s primary.
At a campaign stop on Monday in Nashua, Mr. Romney also offered a glimpse at the attack he will level at Mr. Obama, whom he called “a failure.”
“When he was here four years ago, he spoke about bringing in a new era to the nation and getting our economy going,” Mr. Romney said. “He spoke on the ‘Today’ show shortly after being inaugurated and said if he isn’t able to turn around the economy in three years, he’d be looking at a one-term proposition. I’m here to collect on that.”
Mr. Romney added that Mr. Obama had failed to deliver the economic recovery he promised while campaigning in the state four years ago.
“He’s going to be back in New Hampshire tomorrow; I’d like to hear what he has to say,” Mr. Romney said. “My guess is he won’t be reminding people of what he said four years ago. He’ll be trying to talk about something else, because it’s very clear we’re not better off than we were when he came into office.”
Ben LaBolt, a spokesman for Mr. Obama’s re-election campaign, praised the president’s record and sought to turn the focus back on Mr. Romney.
Jim Rutenberg contributed reporting from New York.
A version of this article appeared in print on November 22, 2011, on page A20 of the New York edition with the headline: Romney Heats Up Campaign in New Hampshire With an Ad Attacking Obama.
People remember the deficit battle, and people know why the supercommittee was doomed to fail; voters have woken up to the party that, Ryan, and, Walker, belong to, voters are aware of the damaging ideological fix of the party that so adamantly shirks a most responsible yes on the once planned end of the Bush tax cuts for the most wealthy.
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