“My fickle friend, the summer wind.”
With the Supreme Court decision to uphold Obamacare and the passing of the Fourth of July, we have now entered the lethargic political haze of summer. Like road teams in Major League Baseball drained after a hot July weekend in the Bronx, the American people are equally beaten and weary from the constant deluge of “news” that the Presidential campaign has emitted these last two months.
Governor Romney is the challenger, President Obama the incumbent. Bus rides have been made. Hands have been shook, and babies’ foreheads kissed. The Supreme Court decision gave a much needed jolt to the President, whose approval rating has hovered in the mid-forties the last two years with a seemingly never ending lack of growth in the American economy. It simultaneously bolstered the hopes of Governor Romney, albeit to a lesser extent, with an uptick in donations and rabble rousing amongst the Republican base. Barring an extremely embarrassing gaffe or devastating scandal, little looks like it will change in this campaign until Governor Romney selects his running mate. And given the speculation for the short list in the last month- contenders such as former Governor Tim Pawlenty or Senator Rob Portman- it does not seem Governor Romney intends to “shake up” his campaign with his VP pick as John McCain did a la Sarah Palin.
So now as it lies, the polls still give President Obama a marginal lead nationally, both men in the same position as they were when Mr. Romney received his first significant bump after his nomination. But the President’s lead is better than it looked a month ago. Originally, this seemed to bode well for the governor that an incumbent president could possess an easily erasable lead right out of the gate. But now months later, the lack of progression in Mr. Romney’s numbers is nothing less than troubling for those hoping for a conservative victory in 2012.
He has been on the campaign trail as the Republican nominee for President for two months and yet we have not seen any significant movement in Governor Romney’s polling numbers. Why? Numerous conservative heavyweights in the past week have called for a reprisal in campaign strategy. Charles Krauthammer, George Will, Bill Kristol and the Wall Street Journal editorial board, to name a few, have all spoken out against Mr. Romney’s methodical approach to the campaign. “It’s still the economy and we’re not stupid,” were the words he spoke in New Hampshire. He is certainly not stupid, but there is a bigger picture to Mr. Obama’s failures than just bad unemployment numbers.
As recently as Monday, Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume likened the Romney strategy to a rope a dope campaign- let the economy speak for itself, as the president jabs away and wears out his welcome among voters. Though it is very damaging to the President that the economy is on the verge of a second recession, Mr. Romney seems to be missing the big picture- a president must lead with ideas. He cannot just let Mr. Obama flounder amidst bad unemployment numbers. He needs to present plans for an American revival- tax code reform, healthcare reform (that can actually work), welfare reform, a comprehensive foreign policy strategy, debt reduction and above all, bring this all together in a broad approach that can foster a stable economic environment that will get people back to work. Just because Mr. Obama has not given the American people suitable plans for these areas, and in many cases when doing so only made the situation worse, does not mean people will just vote for Mr. Romney because he is the new guy in town. This is the United States of America, there is always a bigger picture.
The people are well aware of the dismal state of the republic, but the President has formulated an effective, though dishonest, campaign strategy. His unceasing attacks on Mr. Romney, Bain Capital and the “wealthy” has been a successful tactic in engaging his base while simultaneously playing on the fears of the distraught souls trapped in the doldrums of economic stagnation. He tells the citizenry that these are the people to blame for their problems- the ever elusive “wealthy” in which Mitt Romney, Republican candidate for president, is leader of the club. The President travels the country to paint their affluence as a product of avarice at the expense of the average Joe- an effort to distort the facts to make the voters “understand” what the real problem plaguing the country is, and it is not the President.
As of Monday, President Obama has recently doubled down on his pledge to raise taxes on those making over $250,000.00 a year. I know families, as does Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, who earn incomes over $250,000.00 a year. It is mind numbing to figure out how increasing the taxes of these good people-living in New York with families, mortgages, college expenses and already high property taxes- will somehow magically jumpstart the engine of the American economy. Perhaps Mr. Obama knows something we don’t, or perhaps he is just looking for a scapegoat to blame for his own failings. Either way, Mr. Romney should engage him in the public discourse on more than just “the economy”, before his rope-a-dope strategy puts his chances to win the presidency into a deep summer slumber.
– John P. Burns
tammanyhalldotcom 