With just three months left before Election Day, all major polls have Mitt Romney and President Obama neck and neck. Those who are keenly aware of President Obama’s record may ask how the president has stayed afloat when his presidency shipwrecked long ago.
It started, of course, with the failed stimulus that promised to buy our way out of the recession, the multipliers from which barely registered a tick upwards for the economy. Consequently, the infusion of dollars will harm the economy for a decade or more as the nation must find a way to pay back those dollars plus interest.
Also is the matter of healthcare, a bold initiative long coveted by progressives for the last 100 years and an initiative Obama couldn’t wait to tackle, even though majority of Americans were already satisfied with their existing healthcare. The president somehow found wisdom in pushing through his healthcare agenda during a time of recession and high unemployment–as a result, earmarking one-sixth of the entire economy.
Those should be enough to sink any president with an overall record like Obama’s. It has almost become a cliché to compare President Obama to Jimmy Carter, but there is really no other comparison to draw from post-World War II. Both failed at home and abroad. In our hyper-partisan era, that doesn’t mean Obama will not be competitive. After all, Carter gave Reagan a decent contest. However, like Reagan, Romney holds the clear advantage and, barring a campaign implosion, is likely to beat President Obama in November.
That conclusion comes from a few simple matters. Most importantly, President Obama spent over $40 million on negative campaign ads for June and most of July. The negative ad blitz attacked Romney’s business resume and history as a CEO, suggesting Romney’s ideas would benefit only a few while the rest of America would suffer. That is a hard point to sell, considering that America’s poverty rate has increased under Obama and food stamp recipients are at an all-time high. Conversely, during this time, Romney spent just over $22 million in ads. The polls, meanwhile, stayed the same. Obama’s attempt at a breakout through the malaise failed. Consider it Obama’s Ardennes Offensive.
The point is clear. The voters just are not buying it anymore. Only the delusional at this point can be convinced. The rest are judging for themselves. According to a new Gallup/USA Today poll, voters gave Romney overwhelming support in “managing the economy, reducing the federal budget deficit and creating jobs.” By a margin of more than 2-1, or 63% to 29%, the surveyed believed Romney possessed the right kind of experience to deal with current economic problems.
Paradoxically, Obama is actually working against himself when he attacks Romney. President Obama’s actual record is there on the surface, in plain sight. As a result, most voters have accepted reality. And the reality is no matter how “likable” Obama is, he has failed. On Election Day, voters will be given a choice that offers an alternative to four more years of Obama. Given recent history, Obama’s record will be enough by itself to give Americans reason to choose a new course.