I don’t care who you are, we all have to admit that this is an unusual presidential election cycle. It’s been downright weird, in fact.
The Republicans have approved a ticket with a guy on top who has been running for president since 2007. But most of what Mitt Romney has accomplished in five years of politicking is proving that he really has a hard time closing the deal on his candidacy.
In spite of more years of preparation and selling than any candidate’s history, Romney entered the primary season without closing the deal with his own party. The result was the spectacle of the most fractious and entertaining Republican primary season in living memory. And now candidate Romney is having an equally difficult time closing the deal when it counts, with voters.
One would think that an accomplished capitalist like Romney, which he certainly is, would know how to close a deal.
In fact, it’s getting a little late in the campaign for the Romney camp to let the American public know what the deal is.
The Romney campaign’s inability to capture the lead in this campaign is all the more puzzling given what Republicans are running against.
Regardless of "Why?" (blame Bush, inexperience, wrong ideas, etc.) the first term of President Obama is the weakest demonstration of leadership since Jimmy Carter’s three decades ago. The economy is still a mess, the recovery is anemic at best, unemployment continues to be the worst since the Great Depression, and when adjusted for inflation, the typical household income is less than 1996.
In 96 days the American people will be hit with the largest tax increase in the history of our country. And apparently that’s just hunky-dory with President Obama.
Moreover, President Obama declared in 2007 that his presidency would stabilize relationships with Muslim countries just because he was who he was. But his administration is now scrambling to explain how four Americans at our Libyan consulate were murdered by terrorists three weeks ago and there are anti-American protests across the Muslim world.
But there is a contrast between Obama and Romney.
Romney is truly a capitalist who has an abiding testimony that free enterprise will empower people to live productive lives and create enough prosperity to provide taxes and programs that will care for the less fortunate.
Obama is truly a statist who believes in his heart that government should be big and powerful enough to make sure the resources the "haves" have earned should be redistributed to the "have-nots."
But that’s about it. However this election turns out, we’re going to end up with either Obomny or Rombana.
What Obomny/Rombana have most in common is that they are both out of touch with, well, the common folks.
President Obama has dismissed those who won’t support and like him as a bunch of hicks who cling to their guns and Bibles.
Mitt Romney has dismissed the now famous "47 percent" who are non-taxpaying moochers draining our nation’s resources.
It must be nice to be part of the nation’s patronizing elite.
This is what Americans are getting from their condescending political class, regardless if you’re Democrat or Republican. Obomny/Rombana have a problem convincing us they really care about the people who may, or may not, put them into office.
The good news for the Obama camp is that Romney’s campaign is the worst run since his dad, George, tried to capture the Republican nomination. George Romney’s campaign managers guided his candidacy to over a 400 percent collapse in the polls as the 1968 primary season opened up. If Mitt loses the pundits will have a field day dissecting his stinko campaign advisors.
The hope for the Romney camp is that the economic and international chaos will continue to get worse, maybe even bad enough for the swing voters to swing Mitt’s way.
But basing your hopes of election on things getting bad is not closing the deal. The American people prefer to know what they're voting for, not what they're voting against.
If all Republicans have to motivate them to go to the polls is a chance to vote against President Obama, the president will win.
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