Inside the campaign: How Mitt Romney stumbled

Clint Eastwood’s rambling RNC speech has become a defining moment in the Romney campaign, one that many swing voters cite as their most memorable takeaway from the convention. It’s indicative of a campaign that has been managed in a surprisingly spontaneous fashion, given Romney’s high-profile Bain background. The explanation, many say, can be found in Stuart Stevens, Romney’s campaign manager and a mad-professor type who is far from the party norm when it comes to advisor pedigree. Other gaffes include a chaotic, last-minute quest to rewrite Romney’s nominee acceptance speech and a string of failed marketing schemes, which have culminated in a lackluster tour of the Northeast and Midwest, branded as “Every Town Counts.”