Rachel noted last night that the Romney campaign, to the exasperation of many Republicans, has kept a pretty low profile lately, preferring private fundraisers to swing-state events. This morning, however, Politico reports that's going to change: Team Romney's new "rescue plan" includes showing more of the candidate, "in ads, speeches and campaign appearances."
To be sure, that would be a change of pace. But the downside to the strategy is that voters just don't seem to like Romney very much, and giving him more of a spotlight may prove counter-productive.
A new, national Pew Research Center poll, released yesterday, offers all kinds of bad news for the Republican campaign. For example, President Obama now leads Romney by eight points, 51% to 43%, among likely voters. It's the biggest lead any candidate has had at this stage in the race since 1996.
But it's that chart that amazes me. Romney's favorable/unfavorable rating is still underwater -- and it may be worse now, given that the "47 percent" controversy erupted after the poll was conducted -- which is very rare for a national candidate this close to the election.
From the Pew report: "A review of Pew Research Center and Gallup favorability ratings from September finds that Romney is the only presidential candidate over the past seven election cycles to be viewed more unfavorably than favorably."
At a certain level, factors like favorable/unfavorable ratings may seem irrelevant. After all, presidential races aren't personality contests.
Except, a lot of the time, like it or not, they are personality contests.
As we discussed in August, think about how many times you've heard about which candidate voters would prefer "to have a beer with."
Especially in the television era, the candidate who's better liked is generally better positioned to win, and at least at this point, voters' perceptions of Romney just aren't favorable at all. After nearly six years on the national campaign trail, Americans just don't like what they see.
I don't think this means Romney's finished. 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 him makes his task inherently more difficult.
I'm not sure how the Republican campaign turns this around, but I suspect it will have something to do with trying to drag Obama down, not building Romney up.
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I thought the "cure" of Romney involved actual specifics, not more face time. Another astounding gem from the winner of the Clown Primary. I say hire the smoking guy from the Cain Campaign, how much worse can he be? When the polls come out next week, the folks running from Mitt will make Usain Bolt look like Chris Christie...
Another day, another "rescue plan"...
maybe that is what they were talking about during the primary. 'Etch A Sketch'
Everybody hates Romney ...even Shooter.
can't wait for him to chime in .
I think of that old Far-side cartoon What dogs hear
Substitute What shooter says and us as the dog what we hear..
Could apply to Rmoney too
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sluggerotoole/153603564/
Do not refer to hemorrhoid by name.
Do not refer to hemorrhoid by name.
Do not refer to hemorrhoid by name.
Do not refer to hemorrhoid by name.
...
To know Mitt Romney is to "____" Mitt Romney. Have fun filling in the blanks.
(Did you know if you type "____" without the quotation marks, it'll come out with an em dash at the end? Hmmm....)
To know Mitt Romney is to be Biblically "known" BY Mitt Romney.
To know Mitt Romney is to be Biblicly "known" by Mitt Romney without a kiss.
This metric has been, and remains, the most important one in this election. So important Mitt felt it worthy of comment during his remarks in Boca Raton in connection with how he felt the President must be attacked -- though, curiously, amid the hullaballoo over the more incendiary portions of his talk, it has been almost entirely overlooked by everyone including Maddowblog and TRMS itself
The beer question is even more irrelevant in this race - He can sit there and watch you drink your beer, but it's against Mittens' religion to consume alcohol. ;)
He's a jack Mormon.
I think Romney is considered an active high ranking cleric in the Mormon choich . Forgive my rustic roots here as I am but a poor one , soaked in the airs of a provincial roundabout* .
*Long-winded or evasive glory hound . In a small pond alas ...
I am , yet , but a poor frog whose story gets retold
Still I squander the subsistence
Of every hand out , shout out I am dependent on
ALL LIES yes , but we jest
And a roundabout hears just what he wants to hear ...
June 12, 1970, the late Dock Ellis pitched a no hitter for the Pittsburgh Pirates while tripping on LSD. At the rate Mitt is going this might be a good strategy for him in the debates. Awesome entertainment any way.
That could explain why he is wearing a lot of make-up lately.
Many Americans, in 1938, said," Hitler? The guy with the mustache? He seems like a nice enough fellow. But I think we need to see more of him, out in public. Hear some of his plans. Yes, that's it. Lets have him on the Pathe News they show down at the Orpheum, before the feature film!
Hitler turned on his own people, the Jews, do you think Romney will do the same and turn on his people, the Mormons? It could happen he is already lieing and has turned away from his own religions' teachings.
Romney has said lying is OK if it is part of your strategy.
Looking carefully at the data in the bar chart, I'm not certain that I'd put much faith in this measure as an indication of the outcome on election night.
Actually, if you were over 12 (old enough to be aware of the world outside your life) and around for all the elections, you'd notice that the likeability ratings do work out to the results: in 1998, people liked George HW Bush more than Dukakis and disliked him less - he won; in 1992 you have the reverse with Clinton; the same thing plays out in 1996; by this standard - liked more, disliked less - Gore should have (and did, but for the Supreme Court) beaten GW Bush; 2004 plays out that way as the close election it was (with Turdblossom stealing Kerry's victory in Ohio, to keep Little Georgie screwing things up in the White House); in 2008, it plays as it did traditionally and Obama won. If that history is true, then this election is going to turn into a blowout as more people dislike RobMe than like him, and the President has a good spread.
I would not put stock in historical trends and this poll. This is not an ordinary election with Obama at the top of the ticket and so many rabid anti-Obama people. Voter suppression is at an all time high and Republicans are going to be working this angle real hard to save congressional seats. This election is going to be very unpredictable because I do not think polls are reflecting voter anger against both parties which is going to create upsets, but most likely in favor of the Dems.
Indeed. What I see is that this is the only year in which the likability of both candidates adds up to only 100%. Which means that nobody likes them both. (Or more precisely, the number that like both is the same as the number that likes neither.)
The closest to 100 besides this year is 1992, with a net 3% liking both R and D, but remember that year there was a credible 3rd party candidate.
Not sure if this is just an indication of the further polarization of America, or more personal, but basically the only people who like Romney are the ones who hate Obama.
But the logic seems compelling--the more-liked candidate (higher blue bar) won the popular vote every time. (Even 2000, when Gore *did* win the popular vote, but lost the disputed electoral vote.) So too, this year, Obama is likely to win convincingly.
Presidential elections aren't all that different from high school student body elections. The issues are bigger and more important, but voters still look at many of the same things.
They gravitate towards the candidate they 1) like more; 2) trust more; 3) think understands and cares about people like them; and 4) will work for them.
As Joe Biden says, "All politics is personal." High school is a collection of cliques, and he with the biggest clique, wins.
Never mind the 'have a beer with' cliche, more appropriate is who would you like to have as a neighbor?
Mr. Romney is a NEIGHBORLY enough fellow - goes to church every week, doesn't have loud parties, AGREES WITH EVERYTHING YOU SAY, mostly stays out of your business - all in all an agreeable sort. Only, do not let him run your employer's business - it will be gone. Do not let him run your parents' healthcare - your parents can look forward to a voucher instead. Do not let him determine your wife's or daughter's or niece's reproductive rights - contraceptives will be replaced with mandatory ultrasound probes. Do not be an undocumented alien - he will stand and watch as you are forced to leave. Unfortunately, you do not find out this about neighbors until it is too late.
The trolls stay on message better than Mitt. Scripted deceit is too difficult for him so his off the cuff lies (or awkward moments of truth) keep his campaign struggling. His message should be, "I will speak to you today but tune in tomorrow to see what I really meant to say".
"I'm not familiar precisely with exactly what I said, but I stand by what I said, whatever it was."
Verbatim word salad from candidate Willard Mitt Romney. And that was back during the primaries. It'll only get worse, "my friend".
I thought they were saying that there would be a change?
Not like a funny ha ha ha
More in the funny , ouch ouch ouch
First time in history a candidate will do better polling by staying out of the debates.
The outlier in the above graph is Bush-Gore 2000. And debate performance by Gore is exactly what made Bush more competitive. Gore was 3 different people in the 3 debates, and that made him seem very artificial, untrustworthy.
It wasn't that W was spectacular, but he came across as a regular person and a "compassionate conservative."
Mitt has zero chance of improving his likability during the debates.
You also have to remember that the bar was set so low for Bush that it was almost impossible for him NOT to exceed expectations. As long as he didn't trip and fall down on his way to the podium, or speak almost incomprehensibly, he was going to get some positive bounce from those debates.
Gore certainly helped out, but I'm not sure what he could have done to improve his standing very much.
These debates will be different, simply because Romney doesn't connect with real human beings. HE'S the one with the sincerity/empathy gap.
What should the Republicans do about Willard? Strap him to the top of the campaign bus and let dogs take turns driving said bus... maybe grab some PETA votes!! Probably wouldn't work...PETA hates Willard as much as the rest of the world does.
Buy him a moral compass and put him in the wilderness for 40 days.
Wouldn't BLM/Park Service consider this illegal dumping of toxic waste ?
A bunch of Republicans should be heading for that wilderness soon.
And yes toxic dumping is a federal offense....yet Rush Limbaugh gets away with it on a daily basis!! Crazy, Crazeeeeeeeeeee world we live in, huh?
nomoremagicalthinking
Who will teach Mr. Romney how to use it?
It's a matter of context: Romney isn't a leader so much as a used leader salesman. Even as he admitted, the 47% flap was based on a pitch to donors. He was closing the deal. And like many salesman, once you drive the car off the lot, he's free to change his spots. We'll never see the real Romney while he's in sell mode, and that's what people mistrust. The Republicans don't have a candidate so much as a chimera.
He didn't need to even close the deal: the attendees had *already* paid $50K just to attend the dinner. They were pre-sold and would vote for him because they were buying his loyalty for him to protect their elitist privileges.
Romney does not need you peons. I reckon the polls are rigged again.
FOX "News" will do a hard hitting investigative piece on those rigged polls...probably on Fox and Friends...Gretchen and the Wonder Twins...
Wonder Twin powers...ACTIVATE...FORM OF....actual journalists!!!!!
It is extremely difficult to like someone you do not respect and Mr. Romney does not respect his audience enough to tell the truth. This makes him unlikeable in return.
It is extremely difficult to like someone you cannot get to know and Mr. Romney does not stay in one character long enough to allow for that.
It is extremely difficult to like someone with no credibility. Mr. Romney burned any credibility he had with the citizens of this country a long time ago.
It is extremely difficult to like someone who you cannot trust to have your back. Mr. Romney not only abandoned the backs of 47% of Americans but is trying to ensure everyone else does too.
It is extremely difficult to like Mitt Romney. It is folly to elect him_____— (fill in the blank with any office you choose).
While no presidential candidate of either party has had higher negatives in polls, I think that another factor is more important. That is that no presidential candidate has won who had higher negatives than positives in polls has won either. Almost by definition, you can't win an election if more people dislike you that like you.
And, yes, it's a long time until November 6th in politics. However, the only big thing on the schedule that could change things are the debates. And, unless Romney really, really gets Obama on something, they probably won't change anything. In fact, I would think that the debates are Obama's strong suit. And, even a tie goes to Obama. But, I expect Obama to come off better and Romney may yet foul-up big time on live television.
My hope is that Romney will take all the Republicans down. That would mean taking the House back. If the Democrats take the House back, after what the Republicans did to them when they were in control, I doubt that any of the Democrats will turn out to be Republicans in sheep's clothing.
"New" Mittstake campaign strategy du jour: Lipstick on a b*tt ugly javelina. SOS DD. Tripling down on FAIL.