GOP calling for Romney campaign team shake-up; John Avlon says not so fast

Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal wrote a scathing editorial criticizing presidential candidate Mitt Romney over his handling of the Supreme Court health care decision. The op-ed slammed his stance on whether the individual mandate is a penalty or tax. The article called for the Romney campaign to have a shake-up in personnel.

In his latest column for the Daily Beast, John Avlon examines why a campaign team shake-up may not be the best strategy for GOP's presidential candidate.

John Avlon is also a CNN contributor and member of the OutFront political strike team.

Tune in to Erin Burnett OutFront at 7p and 11p ET. Kevin Madden, senior adviser to the Mitt Romney campaign comes OutFront.

Calls for Shake-Up of Mitt Romney Campaign Team Ignore Their Successes

Off with their heads! That’s essentially the call from influential conservatives such as Rupert Murdoch and businessmen like Jack Welch who tweeted that they want to see a Team Romney shake-up at the highest levels. It’s a reflection of frustration at a campaign that can’t seem to fully capitalize on a weak economy and vulnerable incumbent.

But not so fast. Loyalty is the indispensable quality in political campaigns, and Romney’s campaign is staffed by people who the candidate trusts—and vice versa.

Many members of the senior leadership, such as Eric Fehrnstrom, have been with Mitt Romney since the Massachusetts governorship. They know their candidate as a person—not just a political commodity. And losing that connection could be disastrous on both a morale and managerial level at this stage of a campaign.

Washington insiders are angry at the insularity of the first Republican presidential campaign based in Massachusetts. Some of the frustration stems from simple envy—a desire to get in the game and financially benefit from fat consulting contracts.

It’s fair to say that the North End of Boston doesn’t offer the best perspective on the conservative pulse, which beats strongest in the red states of the former Confederacy. But it can offer perspective into the mind of independents and swing voters who Romney will have to win over to seize the White House.

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