“Viewpoint” host Eliot Spitzer, political reporter Joe Williams and Tim Dickinson, national political correspondent for Rolling Stone, analyze Mitt Romney’s next campaign moves, both in light of upcoming jobs figures and news that Julián Castro, mayor of San Antonio, will give the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention in September, a clear appeal on the party’s part to Latinos.
Spitzer jokingly asks Williams whether the move means Romney will have to choose Cuban Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) as his running mate, just to compete with the Democrats in terms of reaching out to Latino voters. “He doesn’t necessarily have to put Rubio on his ticket, but he does have to make fair use of him,” Williams answers. “And he also has to come up with a coherent message that Latinos are going to be receptive to — if not necessarily on immigration, certainly on the economy, certainly on fairness. … But he’s got to find some way to appeal to that constituency.”
Turning to the economy, Dickinson looks ahead to Romney’s possible reactions to upcoming jobs figures. “Romney’s strategy so far is to be very cautious, and I don’t see him changing that pattern,” he observes. “I don’t really expect any big, bold substance from him. He seems to be betting that he can win this by having Obama lose on the economy.”
