Romney's Secret Weapons! What Mr. 23% Hasn't Been Showing Us

http://thepage.time.com/2011/11/13/halperins-take-the-romney-advantage/

For most of the election so far Romney has been doing well, but not that well. He has been one of the leaders, but not the lead. However as we creep our way in to the new year where the action really starts happening, Mitt Romney may have some secret weapons up his sleeve that give him a very good outlook for winning the candidacy.

The first possible advantage Time Magazine.com points out is that, unlike the other GOP candidates, Romney has had a team of people working behind the scenes in Iowa as well as supporters from now and his last election. Not many are aware of this because he hasn't been visiting the State very much but still, it could end up being a very well set up organization.

The saying "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" is exactly what Romney's campaign leader, Matt Rhoades, has done to ensure a strong defense for his candidate. Apparently Rhoades has detailed files on any and all possible opponents to Romney just in case they should try and cause any trouble for him.

 Romneycare may have seemed liked a ticking time bomb for Mitt Romney but because it was so over-talked earlier in the campaign most people either didn't pay much attention or they feel like they got enough of an answer, including the press. It may not be the last that we hear of it but for now Romneycare and the problems it could pose for his campaign don't seem to be much a threat.

When it comes to the media, Romney also hasn't been doing many interviews and its quite possible this was a strategical decision so that he can leave out the big guys like "60 minutes" for a time when he may need more publicity. He has opened himself up to making the most out of his media appearances. The same idea applies to his endorsements which he has not made full use of at this time either. Should he get in to trouble later in the race, he can access those endorsements for an extra boost.

Not that he will necessarily need the money anyway, however. He also has a huge bank account that he has, so far, not made much use of. Again this is very smart because he may need tap in to his own piggy bank at some point to help get his message out there if times get rough.

National polls and key state polls say Romney does better against Obama than the other Republican candidates and polls also suggest that most people expect Romney to become the Republican pick which is helpful to his state of mind and hopefully, for him, a "self-fulfilling prophecy.

Time also points out his advantage in key states, "In Iowa and beyond, Romney remains the only mainline candidate in the race, giving him a near-monopoly on what remains a big chunk of the GOP’s pool of voters. He will have to contest in New Hampshire with Huntsman for this group, but otherwise, this key constituency is mostly going to go to the frontrunner. Even in the era of the Tea Party, that is a healthy portion of the electorate."

And last but certainly not least, Romney and his camp know how to "win, hold and flaunt delegates" more so though any of his opponents. When push came to shove in 2008 between Obama and Clinton this was how Obama really pulled it through so should Romney end up in a similar predicament, he has a powerful advantage knowing how to play the game of delegates.

All in all, this is really the first time in the race so far that Romney has started to seem like a true lead. The course of the next few months will determine, however, if any of it holds true.