Romney Team Declares War With Boos and a Surprise Event Mitt Romney in Fremont, Calif., on a surprise visit to the headquarters of Solyndra, a failed solar-panel company that received millions in taxpayer dollars. At Mitt Romney's Boston headquarters, there was pure glee. Word had just leaked that David Axelrod, the chief strategist for President Obama's campaign, would arrive the next morning to attack Mr. Romney on the steps of the State House, a half-mile away. The campaign burst into full heckling mode - producing "Go Back to Chicago!" signs, rounding up a bubble machine and finding a spacesuit costume ("Astronomical debt!"). "If ever there was a hanging curve ball, it was the idea of trying to pull off an Obama event within a short walk from the Romney headquarters," said Stuart Stevens, the chief strategist for the Romney campaign. Drowning out Mr. Axelrod's news conference with loud boos - a tactic that could be seen as undignified - seemed to signal the kind of battle Mr. Romney's team intends to wage over the next five months: one that takes no skirmish lightly and provides no easy opportunities for Mr. Obama to make his case. Mr. Romney is already running the campaign he and top aides say they envisioned more than a year ago - forcing Mr. Obama to defend his economic record in a gloomy environment. Now, Mr. Romney plans to double down on the campaign's strategy of trying to keep the president on the defensive by refusing to let the focus stray from the struggles of average Americans, a theme that can resonate no matter the short-term trajectory of the economy. That task may be easier in the wake of Friday's weak jobs report, which provided fresh evidence that the economic recovery was slowing. "This will be a long campaign filled with ups and downs," Matt Rhoades, the campaign manager, wrote in an e-mail. We understand we are going up against an incumbent president who is well financed and has an experienced team working for him. But Governor Romney has the better message and experience dealing with jobs and the economy. Mr. Romney had his awkward moments in May. Even as he clinched the nomination last week, he spent a day defending his decision to hold a fancy Las Vegas fund-raiser with Donald Trump despite the real estate mogul's raising doubts about the authenticity of Mr. Obama's birth certificate. The president's attacks on Mr. Romney's experience at Bain Capital also generated headlines. And a Washington Post article about a bullying episode during Mr. Romney's high school days knocked the candidate off message. No one in the Romney campaign is doing a victory dance. Veterans of past presidential campaigns know very well that neither team has yet to fully engage the billion-dollar campaign machines that will clash in spectacular fashion in the fall. But the sense of optimism in Boston is palpable. Mr. Romney's aides say the Obama campaign has been less disciplined than they expected, moving from one line of attack to another in May. By contrast, Mr. Romney has released a series of television ads that aim to answer the question: What would a Romney presidency be like? Mr. Romney's advisers believe the president's efforts to attack their candidate's business experience have been undermined by a series of Democratic defections from the approved party line. On Thursday, former President Bill Clinton became the latest Obama surrogate to go off message, proclaiming Mr. Romney's business record to be "sterling." Their own guys are out there saying, actually, Romney has a really good record. Why would we do anything to get in the way?" said Sean Spicer, the Republican National Committee's communications director. The results of recent polling in swing states have been mixed. Mr. Obama holds advantages in Ohio, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. But other surveys suggest that Mr. Romney has begun to close in on the president after a bitter and divisive nominating season in which Mr. Obama was clearly ahead in national polls. The most recent Gallup tracking poll has them essentially tied; some polls in battleground states like Florida and Virginia put the race very close. The past week, aides said, highlighted the strengths of the Romney operation: discipline, efficiency and execution. In addition to quickly mobilizing to disrupt Mr. Axelrod's news conference, the campaign also managed to keep a surprise visit by Mr. Romney to the headquarters of Solyndra - the failed solar-panel company that received millions of taxpayer dollars - secret until minutes before the event in Fremont, Calif. It was little noticed, however, occurring as former President George W. Bush was at the White House for the unveiling of his official portrait. Advisers to the Romney campaign said that after the bruising nominating contest, the team was eager to go on the offensive. It has increased its numbers so that overburdened aides doing the jobs of three or four people can now focus on their specific tasks. On Friday, surrogates for the campaign descended on Boston for two days of meetings and training on how to best get out Mr. Romney's message.