It's the Campaign, Stupid!
Romney's campaign is shaping up to be the worst in memory. It's that and not Obama's job performance, record or leadership skills that driving Mitt's drop in polls.
It's the Campaign, Stupid!
John Baer, Daily News Political Columnist
I really don't want to pile on Mitt while his run continues a downward spiral, but his campaign is shaping up as among the worst in memory.
He is, after all, running against an incumbent who failed a pledge to cut the deficit in half, who faces foreign policy fires abroad, including a growing crisis over a nuclear Iran, and who famously, though somewhat awkwardly, said in 2009 with regard to fixing the economy, "If I dont have this done in three years, then there's going to be a one-term proposition."
And yet, where are we?
Daily tracking by Gallup now shows the president with six-point lead (50-44) nationally in a race that for so long was a virtual tie. And this comes as poll after poll shows widening leads for Obama in states such as Florida and Ohio that are critical to the Electoral College vote total needed to win the presidency.
It's not that the economy got better or that governance improved or that the unemployed got jobs or that Obama, as pledged, change the ways Washington.
It's that Romney's campaign is horrible. It consistently allows the Obama camp and the media to direct the narrative -- Mitt's money, Mitt's tax returns, Mitt's wife's horse, Mitt's corporate past, Mitt's personal awkwardness, Mitt's GOP pals talking about "legitmate rape," Mitt's Clint Eastwood, etc. -- instead of staying on and riding hard the message of fixing the economy.
From the start, right after sewing up the GOP nomination, Romney allowed Obama to define him as an uncaring corporate raider who hides his wealth in foreign investments. It wasn't until the mostly-botched Republican convention that Romney even tried to humanize himself with stories of his family and faith.
Then, in what might well be the moment most remembered from campaign 2012, he reinforces the Obama campaign's portrayal with that 47-percent remark. And while I assume when he said, "My job is not to worry about those people," he was talking politically, meaning his campaign needs to attract the other 53-percent, there's no escaping the damage done by the next sentence: "I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."
Worse, just as there was no good Romney campaign answer to the early Obama efforts to define Mitt, there was no good response to the 47-percent comments. Mitt saying it "was not elegantly stated" didn't stop a week-long torrent of criticism and campaign free-fall.
Then, nine days later, Romney's campaign released a new ad, "Too Many Americans," with Mitt speaking directly into the camera. It's good. It talks about poverty growth, the increase in folks on food stamps, the promise to enact policies to create jobs. And it says "compassion" shouldn't be measured by the number of people on welfare but by getting people off welfare and into jobs. It ends with Mitt saying, "We can't afford another four years like the last four years.
You can see the ad here.
Problem is, just like earlier in the campaign season, it comes after the damage is done. It's another example of the Romney camp apparently being tone-deaf to what plays well politically and what hurts its candidate directly.
Obama's not winning. Romney's losing. And it's because of his stupid campaign.
- that's the problem with republicans right now. you throw around insults but you offer no ideas. socialist? if socialist works to keep people employed(like it does in Germany and the Netherlands) then let's try it. you don't offer any suggestions. you all just have blind faith in the market and offer no suggestions except ones that we have tried for the past 12 years and have proven don't work. stop name calling and get real and get serious.
- Romney's campaign hasn't been able to direct the narrative because the national media is in bed with the Democrats and Obama. The "weakness" of the GOP campaign is a self-fulfilling prophecy of the MSM who keep telling us how weak it is. ...— Bede19025
- @BobSG- Another deep thought post by you. Nice work.— Wiseman6
- This comment has been deleted.— mikeb7121
Comment removed.- well if John Baer says it, it must be true! If Romney's campaign is the worst then Obama's presidency must be unspeakable. where is the media outrage over Obama purposely LYING to the american people over a terrorist attack ???— 420Phillie
- Watch Dr.Zhivago if you want to see America in four years if Obama wins......think that is a radical statement, it's already happening........Obama care was the first step.— STEPHEN1988
- who told you this? Glenn Beck. mommas don't let your babies grow up to watch Glenn Beck.
- This reminds me Wilson Goode vs Frank Rizzo, worst campaign in my memory that resulted in the worst mayor in the history of Philadelphia being re-elected.— lostInPhilly
- It is not the weakness of Willard's campaign.
It is not the "gaffes" he makes on a daily basis.
It is not the better campaign by Obama.
It IS the morally bankrupt policies and history of Rmoney and the republic party that will bring victory to the Dems in November.
The gaffes are not mis-statements that hurt - they are the exposure of the truth of the disdain that the GOPsters have for anyone not in the 1%.
The Obama campaign has not been great, just not as impotent and ineffective as Dem campaigns usually are.
Finally, the American people are having the rich-poor schism, increased by wrong policies over the last 30 years, openly and effectively brought to their attention. After all these years of the rich getting richer and everyone else getting poorer, the rigged system itself is coming into question as more people see the reality of what unfettered rethug policies result in. And most are not liking it.
So, thanks Willard, for being the perfect example of what is destroying America. We Americans may finally get the message.— JeffJenk - lol at the people who think a presidential candidate is destroying the country while the sitting POTUS has been in charge for 4 years of a downward spiral — 420Phillie
- I think the poll gap would be a lot more if more polls included Libertarian Presidential candidate Gary Johnson. He's gonna help make the gap bigger in the actual election. He's polling 10% in Ohio!
- As someone who worries about four more years under Obama, and one who has seldom agreed with this DNC operative, John is correct and Palestra Joe the the notorious cicero slug are wrong.
Romney and his staff have failed to take advantage of Obama's shortcomings and gain higher ground. Instead of challenging the incumbent with assertive finger pointing and resolutions, the Romney camp has allowed itself to be locked into a defensive mode. It has allowed Obama to control the conversation. Though pollsters and pundits other the John (confident enough to be condescending??), what should have been a given loss of the incumbent is now an upset.
If previous debate venues are examples of pointed partisanship, I don't see how the debate organizers will create a forum for Romney to demonstrate the abject failures of the president. Somehow, he has to look the public in the eye and talk to the american people and not Obama. Four years of pie-in-the-sky broken and unfulfilled promises are on Obama's plate waiting to be consumed.
— lefty - philly.com what does it take to get banned? this person ONLY insults people, yet his account is still open. please investigate his posts.
- censor the opposition? typical libbie in 2012 LOL. don't throw stones. . . — 420Phillie
John is the author of the book "On The Front Lines of Pennsylvania Politics: Twenty-Five Years of Keystone Reporting" (The History Press, 2012). Reach John at baerj@phillynews.com.
