*[[Michael Steele]] weakened Republican Party structure in the years important to building a strong base for the campaign.
*[[Michael Steele]] weakened Republican Party structure in the years important to building a strong base for the campaign.
*never overcame the [[Romney's 47 percent comment|47 percent comment]].
*never overcame the [[Romney's 47 percent comment|47 percent comment]].
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*Walked right into the trap set by Candy Crowley and Barack Obama regarding "acts of terror." ("Please proceed, Governor.")
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*Walked right into the trap set by Candy Crowley and Barack Obama regarding "act of terror." ("Please proceed, Governor.")
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*Ran in the primaries as "severely conservative" and then tried to pivot into something else in his general election campaign. Obama said in response, "After a year in which he has been calling himself ‘severely conservative,’ he’s now trying to convince us that he was severely kidding about everything."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/10/romney-severely-kidding-about-his-severely-conservative-positions-obama-says/|title=Romney ‘Severely Kidding’ About His ‘Severely Conservative’ Positions, Obama Says|work=ABC News|date=October 11, 2012|accessdate=December 29, 2012}}</ref>