While the Obama campaign may not have started publicly promoting their victory party for November just yet, I’m sure they’ve at least bought the champagne.
At a time when many in the political world were certain that Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney would be neck-and-neck in the polls, any chance for Romney to claim the White House seems to be quickly slipping away amid a series of missteps and mistakes that have harmed his image to a level arguably beyond repair.
His two most recent fumbles, revelations, insights – whatever – shed troubling light on perpetual knee-jerk reactions from a seemingly methodical and analytical businessman. This presents a stark contrast between what Romney actually says and the character his campaign tries to paint. When pressure starts mounting, Romney starts talking – and the result isn’t pretty.
An example of this off-the-cuff trouble? Romney’s handling of the recent protests and attacks on American embassies and consulates in the Middle East and Africa due to an anti-Islamic film making its rounds on the Internet.
After the U.S. embassy in Egypt issued a statement essentially condemning the film, protesters launched an attack on the compound by scaling the walls and ripping apart the American flag – later burning it in front of news cameras. Hours later, another attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi left four Americans dead, including the U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens.
Instead of recognizing the need for national solidarity in tragedy, Romney jumped at the opportunity to score a political punch with the embassy’s response to the protests, even criticizing the Obama administration for sympathizing with the protesters over the film. However, Romney failed to mention that the embassy in Cairo had issued the statement in question hours before any attacks had taken place. When presented with more facts, Romney did not backtrack any of his comments; instead, he chose to double down on his critique of the U.S. response.
The growing sentiment among both parties following this mistake is that Romney has potentially squandered his ability to be taken seriously on foreign policy issues. When coupled with his embarrassing trip overseas in July and his puzzling comments regarding national security – like calling Russia the “number one geopolitical foe” of the U.S. – Romney is now more of a punch line on policy than a serious contender to lead the world’s top superpower.
In another major blow to Romney’s shot at winning the White House, he and his campaign are now being forced to field an onslaught of questions relating to a recently leaked video of a closed-door meeting between Romney and some of his top donors, where the candidate can be heard bashing nearly half of the American population.
In a surprisingly candid and unscripted fashion, Romney suggested that voters who support Obama only do so because they see themselves as “victims” who are “dependent on government” and “entitled to health care, to food, to housing.”
In the video, Romney said, “[My] job is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”
The comments have drawn criticism from both sides of the aisle, leaving many to wonder if these grossly offensive statements will deliver the final blow to a campaign that has failed to promote a consistent message after an average and boring convention.
After his convention, which was supposed to deliver Romney a much-needed poll-bump, he was quickly overshadowed by the Democratic National Convention and the high-profile speeches by former President Bill Clinton and first lady Michelle Obama.
And in what can only be described as a major flip-flop on one of the election’s top issues, Romney announced last week that he would now keep portions of Obamacare if he were elected, recanting his campaign’s long-standing gospel of repealing the whole thing on his first day in office.
When the Romney campaign and other Republicans look at the daily polls, it’s obvious they are losing the battle against Obama and Democrats around the country – due in large part Romney’s inability to connect with swing voters. The real question now will be if or when the Republicans in tight races around the country will abandon Romney, solidifying their belief in a loss to Obama.
With the first presidential debate less than two weeks away, Romney and his campaign are presented with their last chance to convince voters they will provide a better America than Obama. But based on Romney’s track record, he seems doomed through Election Day.
Austin Gaddis is a senior majoring in communication studies and public relations. His column runs on Wednesdays.
