President Obama and Mitt Romney will both be speaking in the key swing state of Ohio today. Both candidates will address the country’s economic problems. Neither candidate is expected to offer specifics as to how to fix those problems going forward.
That’s a mistake.
Recent polls show that the country does not believe that either candidate has presented a clearly defined path for the future. They see both candidates parroting the same old bi-partisan rhetoric while shying away from the tough decisions that everyone knows have to be made.
The President believes that the way to win re-election is by attacking the Republican Party and criticizing Mitt Romney’s record. He blames the Republicans for the problems he inherited and the intransigence he has faced in trying to get things done. He likes to criticize Romney’s record as governor and question Romney’s business success as a qualifier for the presidency. His overall message is that things are getting better and we cannot afford to return to the same Republican policies that got us in this mess in the first place. Naturally, he steers clear of the fact that as the leader of the country he has been unable to find a way to lead us out of this morass.
Mitt Romney’s approach is a little more subtle but just as negative. The plan is to lie in the weeds, avoid mistakes and allow the failing economy to do most of his talking. His public appearances have been scaled back. But when he does take to the stump it is to emphasize the weak economy under Obama’s leadership. He steers clear of offering any specifics as to how he would do things any better given the circumstances. His only solution thus far is to get out of the way and let people do what they want.
The problem for both of these gentlemen is that neither one of them has offered an economic message that resonates with the voters. Recent polls asked voters if they have a favorable or unfavorable view of the candidate’s economic message. The result was a virtual tie with both candidates scoring a favorable rating in the mid-30s% and an unfavorable rating in the mid-50s%. Not good.
The President’s problem is that voters don’t care about what happened three years ago or three decades ago. They don’t believe that things are getting better because it doesn’t FEEL like things are getting better. Most Americans are still struggling and they want to know specifically what the President, our leader, is going to do about it.
As for Romney, voters don’t begrudge him his wealth but they wonder if his position allows him to understand their plight. They know that Obama inherited a mess and they know it is easy to criticize the results of Obama’s efforts. But they want to see Romney’s specific plan. And they are not convinced that reducing taxes for the rich, repealing Obamacare and getting the hell out of the way will somehow make their lives any better.
Over the next five months Romney will probably follow the same course. He’ll sit back and let the weak economy drown the President while his friends in congress block any possibility of giving the Obama a legislative win. He'll stear clear of specifics and let sound bites and grainy photos of shuttered businesses carry his message.
If the President continues to follow his current path he is destined to fail. He needs to stop whining and find a higher plateau. He needs to lead. As we have said before; his path to victory lies in presenting a big, bold game changing plan to the American people. A balanced approach that includes massive stimulus over the next 12-24 months along with a comprehensive long term deficit reduction plan that embraces entitlement reform. Congress doesn’t need to pass it. The President just needs to put it on the table and let the voters decide.
Mitt Romney may be able to stay the course and still win the election. If the President continues along his negative path…he will lose.
No comments:
Post a Comment