6 Really Bad New Signs for the GOP Candidate
Several recent developments that must cause the Romney campaign extreme consternation
September 27, 2012 | AlterNet / By Lauren Kelley
Several recent developments that must cause the Romney campaign extreme consternation
September 27, 2012 | AlterNet / By Lauren Kelley
Though the election is far from over, Team Romney has had some tough times recently. The now infamous “ 47 percent” video [3] may have been the worst of it, but it certainly wasn’t the last of it; the bad news just keeps on coming for the Romney campaign. Below are several recent developments that must contribute to Romney and his handlers shaking in their boots.
1. Wall Street is giving up hope for a Romney win.
Wall Street executives have obviously been rooting for a Romney victory. However, “now many masters of the universe concede they may not get their man,” Politico reports [4].
2. He keeps alienating poor voters, a.k.a. “them.”
After the 47 percent debacle, you’d think Romney would step up his game in courting low- and middle-income voters. In his new campaign ad [5], he does try to woo those voters -- but he fails by reinforcing the notion that poor Americans are not like him. Garance Franke-Rute at The Atlantic [6] on Romney’s “them” problem:
3. Romney’s backed himself into a corner by saying good things about RomneyCare.
Romney’s presidential campaign has relied in large part on Romney denying and/or ignoring the similiarities between ObamaCare and the Massachusetts health care plan he pushed through as Governor. Well, the Republican candidate is starting to slip up on that front. As Salon’s Steve Kornacki [7] reports, Romney has bragged about his RomneyCare legacy a few times of late, and it’s put him in a tight spot.
Romney’s robot-like charisma can’t be winning him many votes. In this clip (hat-tip Raw Story [8]), Romney can’t get the whole name-chant thing down with the crowd at a recent campaign event. Even right-winger Joe Scarborough (MSNBC) had to cover his eyes and cry, “Oh, sweet Jesus.” Here’s the cringe-worthy moment:
5. He’s not backing down from some of his worst ideas.
As Sahil Kapur at TPM reports [12], Romney’s tax plan has few supporters, on the left or the right -- a Tax Policy Center study even said it was “not mathematically possible” – but that’s not stopping him from going full steam ahead. One of Romney’s spokespeople told TPM, “The governor’s plan calls for a 20% rate cut for all brackets, revenue neutrality, while ensuring that high-income earners continue to pay at least the same share of taxes. All of these goals are achievable, and the governor will work with Congress to enact tax reform that meets each of the goals he has proposed.”
6. And finally, he doesn’t have the all-important Samuel L. Jackson endorsement.
Samuel L. Jackson has recorded a hilarious, F-word-packed pro-Obama ad [13] for the Jewish Council on Research and Education. If I were Romney, I wouldn’t want to be on Sam Jackson's bad side.
1. Wall Street is giving up hope for a Romney win.
Wall Street executives have obviously been rooting for a Romney victory. However, “now many masters of the universe concede they may not get their man,” Politico reports [4].
Across Wall Street and the broader landscape of corporate America, even strong supporters of Romney acknowledge that swing state polling numbers and the direction of economic data and markets suggest it’s time to brace for a second Obama term.Though money from Wall Street donors doesn't appear to be drying up for the Romney campaign, "the business community tend to follow data and play percentages. And right now they favor the president." That does not inspire confidence.
2. He keeps alienating poor voters, a.k.a. “them.”
After the 47 percent debacle, you’d think Romney would step up his game in courting low- and middle-income voters. In his new campaign ad [5], he does try to woo those voters -- but he fails by reinforcing the notion that poor Americans are not like him. Garance Franke-Rute at The Atlantic [6] on Romney’s “them” problem:
In the 47 percent video, it was "those people."
"I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives," Romney said.
But presidential elections are always about the grand national us. They are about we, the people. And when it come to a candidate, they are about me and you.Garance Franke-Rute [6] points out that instead of an "us" Romney makes poor and middle class voters a "them":
"President Obama and I both care about poor and middle-class families. The difference is my policies will make things better for them."
3. Romney’s backed himself into a corner by saying good things about RomneyCare.
Romney’s presidential campaign has relied in large part on Romney denying and/or ignoring the similiarities between ObamaCare and the Massachusetts health care plan he pushed through as Governor. Well, the Republican candidate is starting to slip up on that front. As Salon’s Steve Kornacki [7] reports, Romney has bragged about his RomneyCare legacy a few times of late, and it’s put him in a tight spot.
[W]hen Obama embraced RomneyCare and the GOP embraced reflexive opposition, it left Romney with nothing to say. The best he can do is occasionally invoke his main gubernatorial feat in interviews like he did with Allen and hope there’s not any immediate backlash from his base. And even if there isn’t, it just reinforces his plight, with the media covering not the content of his remarks but the oddity of it all.4. He just keeps embarrassing himself.
Romney’s robot-like charisma can’t be winning him many votes. In this clip (hat-tip Raw Story [8]), Romney can’t get the whole name-chant thing down with the crowd at a recent campaign event. Even right-winger Joe Scarborough (MSNBC) had to cover his eyes and cry, “Oh, sweet Jesus.” Here’s the cringe-worthy moment:
5. He’s not backing down from some of his worst ideas.
As Sahil Kapur at TPM reports [12], Romney’s tax plan has few supporters, on the left or the right -- a Tax Policy Center study even said it was “not mathematically possible” – but that’s not stopping him from going full steam ahead. One of Romney’s spokespeople told TPM, “The governor’s plan calls for a 20% rate cut for all brackets, revenue neutrality, while ensuring that high-income earners continue to pay at least the same share of taxes. All of these goals are achievable, and the governor will work with Congress to enact tax reform that meets each of the goals he has proposed.”
6. And finally, he doesn’t have the all-important Samuel L. Jackson endorsement.
Samuel L. Jackson has recorded a hilarious, F-word-packed pro-Obama ad [13] for the Jewish Council on Research and Education. If I were Romney, I wouldn’t want to be on Sam Jackson's bad side.
Links:
[3] http://www.alternet.org/election-2012/big-fat-lie-behind-romneys-absurd-47-argument
[4] http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0912/81738.html?hp=t2_3
[5] http://youtu.be/_HjDCHbtXHQ
[6] http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/09/mitt-romneys-them-problem/262890/
[7] http://www.salon.com/2012/09/27/what_mitt_was_supposed_to_be/
[8] http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/09/26/scarborough-cries-oh-sweet-jesus-as-romney-fails-to-lead-chant/
[9] http://www.nbcnews.com
[10] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032507
[11] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032072
[12] http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/09/mitt-romney-not-backing-off-tax-plan.php
[13] http://www.businessinsider.com/samuel-l-jackson-ad-obama-romney-wake-up-2012-9
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