In the 2012 presidential campaign, Republican nominee Mitt Romney had victory in his sights after a strong first debate performance against the incumbent, Barack Obama. Instead of continuing to campaign on the offensive, Romney decided to play defense, tamp down his criticism of Obama and finish the race on a positive note.
This lamebrain strategy failed miserably as Romney lost the final two debates, in which he refused to vigorously condemn Obama and his horrible policies. Not surprisingly, Obama won the election as Romney was denied the presidency a second time.