November 06, 2011 05:39 PM UTC

Romney's Priority #1: Bury Rick Perry

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• by: Colorado Pols

Good analysis from Richard Dunham of Hearst:

Rather than ignoring his struggling rival, who is stuck in single digits in every national poll released in the past week, Romney has unleashed an unusual barrage of attacks aimed at burying Perry before the Texan can regain his political footing.

On Monday, as Perry ventured into the first-in-the-nation caucus state of Iowa, he was greeted by a Romney broadside calling him “wrong for Iowa” and a career politician who had been in office “for nearly three decades.”

On Wednesday, as the Texan went on a fundraising swing through California, Team Romney released a web video describing Perry as “an inspiration for liberal California” because of his support for legislation granting in-state college tuition for illegal immigrants…

Some of the hard-edged tone can be attributed to a strained personal relationship between two ambitious politicians that stretches back almost a decade. But political analysts also say Romney’s continuing attention to the struggling Texan – while ignoring other contestants in the crowded field – reflects his campaign’s concern that Perry remains the most dangerous obstacle on the Massachusetts governor’s path to the nomination.

And this is exactly what we would be doing if we were Mitt Romney. While upstart contender Herman Cain’s goal is to position himself as the best alternative to Romney, Rick Perry’s shot at that role is dwindling as his uninspiring personality fails to live up to the hype. Despite this, we think, and we think most others will agree, that Perry would remain the greater threat to Romney in a state-by-state primary battle. Whether the sexual harassment scandal is what ends Herman Cain’s candidacy, or just a frank examination of his amateurish platform by the voters, he’s not the guy Romney should be worried about–whatever the polls may say today.

If you look at the Colorado GOP establishment, it’s clear who they believe the primary battle is going to come down to: Perry vs. Romney. There’s really nobody else who matters in terms of organizing an actual campaign here, and for all of Perry’s well-analyzed weakness, plenty of high level Colorado Republicans seem to think he’s not out of this race just yet.

So yes, if we were Mitt Romney, we’d be looking past the passing fancies, and keeping our hits focused on the biggest threat remaining to his nomination. And that’s still Rick Perry.