I've been reporting all year on one of Mitt Romney's central challenges as a presidential candidate: voters just don't seem to like the guy. Three months before Election Day, the problem isn't getting better.
ABC News/Washington Post poll
This chart comes from the new Washington Post/ABC News poll, which found Romney's favorability ratings getting slightly worse -- and they weren't great to begin with. President Obama's standing isn't exactly impressive, but compared to his Republican rival, he's Mr. Popularity.
A few months ago, Romney "finished the primary season with the lowest favorability for a presumptive nominee in ABC/Post polls back 28 years." And now? "Mitt Romney is laboring under the lowest personal popularity ratings for a presumptive presidential nominee in midsummer election-year polls back to 1984."
It's not just one pollster, either. The results are consistent in multiple independent surveys.
Campaign Management 101 suggests national candidates can boost their favorability ratings by running positive ads that convince voters they're likable and appealing. That doesn't seem to be much of an option for Romney, though -- he prefers to use his vast resources to tear President Obama down, not build himself up.
It's not too late for Romney's standing to improve, but the Republican campaign is running out of excuses. He's unpopular because he's in the middle of a contentious primary? The nominating process ended months ago. He's unpopular because voters haven't gotten a good look at him? Romney's been running for president, nearly non-stop, for more than six years.
For Democrats, this offers reason for optimism, but it comes with caveats. As we've discussed, if the American mainstream is deeply dissatisfied with the status quo and blames the president, even if he doesn't deserve it, voters may very well hold their nose and elect the guy they dislike.
But the fact that people don't seem to care for Romney makes his task inherently more difficult.
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Yet Mitt has his supporters.Proof positive that some people would kiss the hangman right before he drops them into oblivion.
This study has to be flawed. No way only 6 in 10 people find Mitt Romney an insufferable a$$.
Remember that you have a whole bunch of folks in the Republican base working hard to delude themselves about this guy. They have to convince themselves that they like him.
On November 7, after he loses to Obama, that number will drop to about 2 in 10.
Forget about the "poor." Forget about the uninsured. Forget about anyone that doesn't have enough assets to require a Swiss bank account. Because Mitt just doesn't care. Mitt Romney has no soul. He is a corporate robot, a humanoid without principles and without any devotion to honesty, integrity, or decency. Romney's entire career, both in the private-sector and politically, has centered around destruction and personal opportunism. Where he thinks he can make millions or score political points, he acts. A general election campaign will slowly expose Mitt for the soulless corporate raider he is, at his core. The Republican Party has found a real dud. - Principled Progressive
I agree with you whole-heartedly. Unfortunately for US the low-information voters, bigots and religuluous sheeple continue to vote against their own (& our) best economic interests. Even after listening to the lies and nothing that comes out of this guys mouth they still will vote for him. The dumbing down of Americans always amazes me.
Let us not forget Obama is still black, although they struggle to make us believe they are solely against Obama's policies, we do know better. I would say at least 4 of 10 fit that category alone.
The differences between the "registered voters" ratings and the general ones suggest (a) Republicans will continue to make it harder for eligible voters to register and vote; and (b) Democrats should spend significant resources getting people registered, as well as repeatedly calling out Republicans on (a).
Fortunately, Democrats are spending significant resources getting people registered, informing them about what they'll need to get past new voting restrictions, etc. I volunteer for the campaign in Virginia, and we've been pushing hard on voter registration since November.
I don't think that this has much to do with his positions on issues, proposed policies, or his wealth. He just comes across as completely phoney in everything he says and the way he says it. That little laugh of his is infuriating. It's not just that he's not dynamic, he is a genuinely unlikeable person.
Policy positions aside, doesn't one have to be at least a little warm and fuzzy to get a good favorability rating?!? Romney is like a robot. Robots don't do warm and fuzzy.
Way too close for comfort still .
There are so many tragically uniformed people in this country that it makes a mockery of the democratic process.
I want to see ads coming right back taking Willard's Welfare ad and refuting it line for line showing where Willard signed the request for same .
Romney lies to distract you from his tax issue ..now about those taxes
Romney is not popular because voters do not know him is incorrect. They know exactly who Romney is and don't like him; he is an out of touch wealthy man who has no principles. This is the opinion from both sides of the political spectrum. Voters do not trust him. There is little Romney can do to restore any trust because as soon as he takes firm positions, the conservatives will split into regular Republicans and Tea Party factions. Romney is gambling everything that the economy is bad enough that people will vote for him because he is a "businessman" and that he can coast through the election by saying nothing. He cannot be everything to every group of voters although he is trying. But that is creating all Romney's inconsistent positions. Unless there is a substantial change in the economy, he will lose the independent voters on the trust issue.
Voters this time around don't care too much about likeablity. They just want someone to fix the economy and that's Mitt Romney.
Just like he fixed MA's economy when he was Governor there? What's his plan, other than to say "trust me?"
Just saw Mitt's TV ad here in Iowa that talks about how he "saved" the Olympics. The ad claims he took it from a $400 million deficit to a $100 million surplus. Funny, it doesn't mention that to do it he had to become a registered lobbyist and get over a billion dollars of help from the government...
How will Romney fix the economy?
Why, with the magic of tax cuts, letting the federal agencies be run by either incompetents or people with conflict of interest issues, and dramatically increase defense spending, because accounting for 45% of the planet's total military spending each year is just too damn low.
(which in turn will mean a war with Iran, or maybe North Korea, because you have to spend that money on something).
Sounds familiar? Why, yes it does. But this time it'll work, because instead of a rabbit, Romney plans on building a large wooden badger.
The Paul Ryan Badger. And it'll be wearing Magic Underwear.
Cindy:
That's an . . . interesting position to take. How do you figure that Romney is the Man for the Job? I am curious. Your regular presence in these comments suggests that you read the blog. It must give you terrible indigestion. I know that reading conservative blogs does that to me (note: I don't do it much). Nonetheless, you must have picked up some of the information presented at this site. Is it not convincing? Do you just dismiss it out of hand?
It can't be his track record as governor of MA. Are you convinced of Mitt's ability to turn the economy around based on what little has been released about his economic plan?
Being a regular reader here, you can't really fall under the category of a 'low-information voter', so something must be very convincing to you that Romney is the best choice. I'd like to know what that is.
Oh, and if it can be shown that those persuasive bits are false, would you consider changing your opinion?
The state of Iowa welcomes Mitt Romney today. In fact, here's a report:
Romney stopped to visit the Mesquaki Indian reservation this morning. Several members of the tribe gathered to hear Romney speak. When Romney told them "I'm going to lower your taxes," they all smiled and chanted "Hoya, hoya!"
When Romney added "I care about your tribe here, and I'm going to make sure you get great health care." The chants of "Hoya, hoya!" grew stronger.
Romney thought to himself "Wow, they like this stuff, I'm on a roll..." So he continued by saying "As your President, I will ensure you get great prices for your crops and livestock, and have the same opportunity as everyone else to become wealthy!"
"HOYA, HOYA!!!!"
After the speech, Mitt was invited to tour the grounds with the leaders of the tribe. Encouraged by the response to his speech, he agreed. As he walked beside the leader of the tribe, they entered a pasture, where the leader said to Mitt, "Be careful not to step in the hoya."
Romney says he is going to really help all of us in America. But where does Romney have the majority of his investments? And that is overseas, especially in low wage paying countries with very poor work conditions and large amounts of polluting that goes on that eventually harms everything. Romney hasn’t shown any concern about the welfare of anybody even the condition of the planet, except to put up smoke screens trying to make it look like he cares or he would be a good choice for people. In reality, Romney is the worst thing for America and the world as he has shown how mankind can really be destructive in this world. Romney deceives and lies as he takes whatever he wants without any concern of anything, except how he can gain for his own personal selfish interests. Normally, someone like Romney would be called something evil in the past that the extreme right wing simply wants to deny or sweep under the carpet. But than again the extreme right wing are doing just as much evil as they push their deceiving and lies for that same dark agenda. These Republicans, rich people, and extremists of hatred only have one main thing on their mind and that is how fast can they destroy everything as they gain power, control and wealth. These people don’t even realize how sick they really are.
On Morning Joe today, Scarborough was complaining that the reason Romney has such a low favorabilty rating is because he wasn't talking enough about his Mormonism, he isn't defending enough about how he made his millions and what he spends it on and he isn't bragging about his record as governor of Massachusetts.
Like Romney is going to say "Wow, those are some topics that my campaign DIDN'T ALREADY EXPLORE, as far as the impact they would have on my chances in the primaries and general election, and decided that it was better for me to NOT talk about them. Joe Scarboroough, you are a genius!"
What has Romney given voters to like?
As MuggleBorn said, he is robotic, but that could be forgiven if he gave any indication that his heart was in the right place.
But what are voters shown about the man himself? How does Mitt give back to his community or his country, besides his church? Is he seen at any non-Mitt-centered aid events, known to support any philanthopic causes? What are his charities, who does he advocate for, even on a faux "humanizing" platform? We don't even get staged photo ops of Mitt holding sick kids or dispensing soup at a mission kitchen...we get nothing from him.
What we are treated to is the on-going spectacle of how Mitt Romney treats those around him: animals, the less-than-wealthy, US workers laid off, anyone of a differing opinion/party/philosophy, US jobs sent overseas, money caches outside the US, the complete absence of verbal integrity that is horrific even for a politican. His big post-election dream for "improving" life in America? Rescinding ACA. And he more-than-disrespects the man in office now with a total lack of class or honor.
Mitt Romney's robotic because his heart isn't in the right place. But we as voters are already well-versed in what Mitt wants. Mitt wants voters to put him in office because he isn't Obama and it's his turn.
He is plastic man.
Losing in NOV Mitt will save taxpayer's $$ by not having to pay to impeach him.
Lets see Mit R. has off shore bank accounts! pays less in taxes while a he has a boat load of money than most middle class. Plays false adds on TV, these little white lies has showed them American people who he really is.
Its no wonder the people do NOT like or want someone like him in office.