Chicago Gets It
by Deacon Blues
After the recent spate of economic reports, I can understand why some folks are more and more pessimistic about Obama's prospects this fall. But let's remember a few things first.
First, as this excellent John Heilemann piece from the May 27th New York magazine shows, Obama's team has already identified more than several different scenarios for Obama to get over 270 electoral votes and very few for Romney to do so. Second, the Heilemann piece shows that Team Obama plans to go negative on Romney all summer long to set the narrative heading into the fall convention season, and the sprint after Labor Day. Voters will be reminded that Romney has no core principles except to say whatever it takes to build 50.1%, which he himself (stupidly) admitted last week. Third, voters will be reminded that electing Romney and a GOP congress will destroy the middle class and be terrible for Latinos, women, gays and lesbians, and working families, and that's before we talk about the Supreme Court.
The Obama team acknowledges that the economy, and more pointedly another month or two of bad news will be a critical hit against his reelection prospects. And they also acknowledge that their own fundraising is down at a time when they'll be outspent perhaps significantly. But the Heilemann story correctly notes that the downside to the flood of angry white money from outside individuals and groups aiming to topple Obama is that Romney and his team cannot control them or their message. The story also notes correctly that this money flood will be focused only on battleground states, leading to the possibility that voters in those states will eventually tune out the "all negative, all the time" bombardment by the Kochs, Ricketts, Rove, and whatever other lunatics come aboard the "hate Obama" bandwagon. And if Obama can counter that deluge with reminders of what Romney will do for these cretins should he get into office, and remind voters that the economy would not be staggering right now if the GOP cared one wit about jobs since 2010, all the better.
Yes, Obama has a tall order ahead of him. But it appears that there will be nothing but cold realism guiding the reelection messaging from Chicago. And that is a good thing.