100 Day Sprint: A bad week for Obama
Just when it felt like Mitt Romney couldn’t catch a break — even Laura Ingraham was filing his campaign in the L folder — the Republicans have caught a strong week of new cycles, polls and self-inflicted wounds by the Democrats.
The big play, of course, was the nomination of Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin congressman who has led the effort to shape a Federal budget that shrinks entitlements while lessening the tax burden on ‘job creators.’ So far, the pick has played well.
According to a CNN poll, Wisconsin is now in play, with Team Romney just four points back. A burst of new polls show many of the swing states — Ohio, Virginia, Florida — tightening to razor-thin margins.
And in a week when Democrats wanted all eyes on Ryan’s Medicare plan, Vice President Joe Biden stole the show with a racially charged gaffe suggesting that Republicans want to put “y’all” back “in chains.” Now that’s off message.
Mitt Romney has also looked more fired up and combative, which could play well at the Republican convention just 11 days away.
Increasingly, Barack Obama’s big lead in the Electoral College tally looks a mile wide and an inch deep. A couple more weeks of momentum and the narrative could look very different.
If Romney can show before the end of August that two big Democratic states — say, Wisoncsin and Pennsylvania — are really up for grabs, this thing finally becomes a nail biter.
Tags: election12
It seems like then Ryan pick has also energized the Obama base. But it sounds like younger voters are not as strong on the president this go round and that is a problem for the president. One thing the Ryan pick does is seem to put the democratic focus on medicare, SS, and the older voters. I keep hearing many democrat talking about seniors this and seniors that. Younger folks that need jobs may not find that to be a very appealing message.
sorry “the” Ryan pick, not “then”. I guess I need grammar check.
Paul Ryan is the greatest gift the Democrats could get.
Wait a minute! I thought Obama had this in the bag electorally.
Biting your nails is a bad habit.
The current polls mean nothing if unemployment continues to head back toward 9%.
Department of Labor can only fudge the numbers so much before reality takes over.
Nate Silver suggests that what we are seeing this week is the traditional “bounce” in the polls after a VP pick, and that this bounce may be smaller than previous ones. For a longish analytical article from Silver, go here: http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/16/aug-16-why-im-not-buying-the-romney-rally/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
The selection of Paul Ryan has democrats reaching for their wallets. Ryan is the kind of thing that we can really sink our teeth into…not so wishy-washy as Romney.
Brian: You left out one other item. The price of crude is over $95 a barrel. Up almost $5 in the last week and still climbing. Prices at the gas pump will hurt Obama as well.
I’m not sure the polls are accurately the anti-Obama energy out there.
“Chris the Baker” is going viral because he turned away Biden’s visit, yesterday.
http://www.roanoke.com/news/breaking/wb/312876
JDM, we all see trends and viral outbreaks differently depending on the news streams we are plugged in to and the friends we have. You see Chris the Baker going viral, I see a Facebook meme stating that Ryan’s votes have been consistently anti-woman going viral (and I’ve been surprised by some of the people I’ve seen sharing that particular meme, this issue may cut very deep). It’s very hard for any of us with strong opinions to know what’s really going on – we look into the news stream, and see our own point of view reflected back at us.
I agree with you on one thing – there is a lot of anti-Obama feeling out there. Let me inform you that there is also a lot of virulent anti-Romney feeling out there.
The moving average in unemployment claims is still going down. The unemployment rate is certainly stuck however.
What level of unemployment is the breaking point for the President? 10%?
The trouble with all the “news analysis” is that it is mostly opinion. Brian “thinks” Obama had a bad week. Maybe next week he “thinks” Romney had a bad week.
This is supposed to get us excited.
Whatever. I already know who I will vote for, if I do vote.
Chris the Baker is going to kill Obama’s electoral chances just the way Joe the Plumber did.
To the extent that Obama continues to believe the polls that he is Mr. Invincible, and continue to act beneath the dignity of his office, the better for the Romney camp in the long run, especially as we get nearer to the election.
So, Mr. Invincible – please, please keep demanding those tax returns.
oa, don’t worry the national press will not cover that “chris the baker” thing.
Plus, with Biden for veep, this is going to get good.
Can’t wait for his next appearance.
and continue to act beneath the dignity of his office
I love watching conservatives get all whiny when Democrats decide to use conservative tactics in campaigning.
Here’s another zinger.
100% of Secretaries-of-State asked to run for veep declined. Don’t want to hitch their wagon to a falling star, I guess.
http://washingtonexaminer.com/hillary-rejected-vp-slot-to-ready-her-own-2016-run/article/2505206#.UC6FeaDCZ8G
This is fascinating;
http://www.cnbc.com/id/48699694
Mervel’s article headline: Executives Say Obama Better for World Economy
Then further into the article: The result was different among respondents in the United States, where a slim majority thought Romney would be better for their businesses than Obama.
Conclusion: CEO’s think that Obama wants to give our jobs and money away, I guess.
Mervel, That is an interesting poll. It looks like almost as many folks would like to see neither one of them at the helm (36%).
“The result was different among respondents in the United States, where a slim majority thought Romney would be better for their businesses than Obama.”
That’s because the Obama administration wants to actually implement the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the SEC, something banks and other large business oppose because it interferes with fleecing the public. Then there’s the issue of adequately funding the IRS so that tax cheats can be caught.
Sorry, trying to do two things at once– that should have been “adequately fund the IRS and the SEC” both of which have been funded at levels that make them less effective than they should be, which is just fine with individuals and companies that engage in “aggressive accounting” (sometimes known as “fraud”).
I think the Washington Post said it well in an editorial this week:
“For his part, President Obama has offered only the gauziest outlines of a second-term agenda. Instead, his argument for reelection is focused on the damage he argues Mr. Romney and fellow Republicans would do. This may be enough for Mr. Obama to cobble together the necessary electoral votes, but it hardly lays the groundwork for the difficult choices, particularly on the fiscal front, that will confront the next president — and that Mr. Obama ducked during his current term.”
The campaign should refocus on the issues. The problem there for the president is that it may sink him.
“…Obama ducked [these choices] during his current term”!!??
Obama’s choices were blocked at every turn by House Republicans. Granted, Obama wasted a vast amount of time making futile attempts at bipartisanism. But to say his choices aren’t clear is absurd.
Not the first half of his Presidency.
But JDM it was a slim majority. I assumed it would be a MASSIVE majority if CEO’s really believed that Obama was bad for business.
Once Republicans lose the business elites its all over, and it is close to being all over. All they will be left with are the 25% who are social conservatives, civil libertarians, hardcore states rights advocates and gun people.
Its not a good sign when CEO’s by only slim margin support the supposedly party of business.
Mitt is paying the tea party tax. When those nut cases tried to force the government to default last year, CEO’s paid attention, because a US default WILL impact business.
Walker, the Post is a pretty left leaning paper.
“and continue to act beneath the dignity of his office” I think this may be accurate. Again from the Post:
“In the innocent, bygone days of February, President Obama told NBC News that the campaign would get negative against him, but provided this assurance: “I think that you will be able to see how we conduct ourselves in the campaign. I think it will be consistent with how I conducted myself in 2008 and hopefully how I have conducted myself as president of the United States.”
These are his words.
“Its not a good sign when CEO’s by only slim margin support the supposedly party of business.”
This is a classic mistake that I think people tend to make. If you go to business school they will inevitably ask you who is the party who tends to favor big business? The new students will usually have the same answer the, Republican party. But look at history, the Democratic party is the party that favors big business. Government subsidies, etc. etc. If you are a large company you don’t want the republicans in charge. That is where these CEOs are coming from.
OK than who does want the Republicans in charge?
Also what does that say about the Democratic Party of today?