Don’t Start Celebrating. This is Far from Over.

Posted on September 19, 2012 at 1:00 pm by Bob Cesca

So let’s do the list.

1. Week of August 27. Disastrous convention for Romney when his speech is totally overshadowed by a doddering old man doing some kind of weird performance art. Negative bounce follows.

2. Week of September 3. Stellar Democratic convention in which Michelle Obama, President Clinton, Deval Patrick and the president himself landed a huge bump for the campaign.

3. Week of September 10. Romney bungles his response to the 9/11 embassy attack in Benghazi, and then bungles the response to the response.

4. This week. Politico publishes a damning insider look at a Romney campaign in disarray.

5. This week. Hidden camera videos released.

That’s four weeks of disaster for the Romney campaign.

Yesterday, Keith Olbermann released a video of himself delivering a would-be Special Comment, but instead of talking he just laughed uncontrollably at the Romney meltdown. And he’s not the only one declaring an end to the Romney campaign.

I really hate to be a Debbie Downer (again) but this election is far, far, far from over.

The above list is pretty dismal, yet the Gallup Daily Tracking poll among registered voters only shows the president up by one point. One! Statistically a tie. Meanwhile, there are still numerous Voter ID laws on the books which could potentially disenfranchise thousands of Obama voters at the polls. And, above all, there’s another month and a half to go.

Yes, the Romney campaign appears to be melting down but I won’t have a good laugh like Olbermann at Romney’s political ineptitude until and if the president is re-elected.

(h/t Kush Arora Attorney at Law)

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  • zirgar

    Amen

  • http://JCohenMusic.com Justin Cohen

    I understand not wanting to jinx things and waiting for the fat lady to sing before busting into a celebratory jig, but I think there is very good reason, as there has always been, to feel great about the president’s reelection prospects.

    If there’s one thing the traveling GOP Primary circus taught us, it’s that no matter what, there will be always be a percentage of people that will vote against President Obama, regardless of who (or what) is running against him. This is why we’ll never see a huge lead in the polls, regardless of how much the Romney campaign implodes.

    The key takeaway here is that the small percentage of people who hadn’t fully made up their minds until recently are migrating to the president and will very likely stay there as a result of the blunders you’ve mentioned above.

    It is unlikely that voter suppression and carpet bombing the airwaves with negative ads will be enough to overcome Romney’s severe and consistent ineptitude.

    The debates will be the final chapter in Romney’s sad, dishonest, grotesque failure of a campaign.

    • http://twitter.com/KQuark KQµårk™

      I keep on thinking that too and then they go back to being undecided. What is wrong with these people?

      Sure I think they will break for Obama but who knows with people so fickle they haven’t made their minds up yet.

      • http://JCohenMusic.com Justin Cohen

        I think it is not so much that people are fickle as it is that they just haven’t been paying attention.

        While folks that read Bob’s blog are very interested and engaged in politics, there are some folks who live their lives without paying much attention to this stuff.

        Every now and then a story becomes so big that they hear about it and it can have a big, lasting impact.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Michael-Norris/1597765442 Michael Norris

      Justin–you know these facts because you are smart enough to access news and information that relates these facts to you. You are on this blog; my guess is if you are on here you probably read The Huffington Post; and you might watch MSNBC. But FOX news is not reporting any of this video–NOTHING! I work for a sheriff’s department, so naturally FOX is on all day and I am exposed to it. Where did Romney go when he needed to explain this situation–straight to Cavuto. The debates will open Willard to more universal crutiny–but believe me–they ain’t talking about any of this over there.

      • http://JCohenMusic.com Justin Cohen

        I hear you, but Fox News can’t shield Romney from everything.

        While I doubt many Fox viewers will seek out information to debunk Romney’s false claim about the welfare work requirement, I think at least some of them will hear that Romney has called 47% of our electorate lazy freeloaders who refuse to take responsibility for their lives.

        Even Republicans have a history of not liking him. He was at 22% for most of the GOP primary.

        This just reinforces the perception that he’s out of touch with the American people and really doesn’t care about them.

        Remember his comment, “I don’t care about the very poor?” Yeah, we know.

        There will be some Fox news watchers that just can’t bring themselves to vote for such a jackass, despite their unfounded hatred of the president.

  • http://twitter.com/KQuark KQµårk™

    Bob I’m with you on this. Both sides are so entrenched and we have this fickle middle that still can’t make up their minds even though Romney has been such a disaster. If that does not make you a little nervous at least you are not paying attention.

  • GrafZeppelin127

    In a sane, reasonable country filled with informed, conscientious citizens, this election would be over.

    Do I really need to write the next sentence?

    • chris castle

      Absolutely. Besides David Brooks, Lawrence O’Donnell (sp?) seems to be the only one (that I’ve seen) who completely gets it. Even Rachel Maddow’s analysis last night was a little off, which frustrated me. Look people, he screwed the pooch, big time – or at least he should have…

  • http://twitter.com/KQuark KQµårk™

    Of course right after we say this a Pew Poll comes out that is a huge great sign for Obama.

    http://www.people-press.org/files/2012/09/9-19-12-1.png

  • chris castle

    Bottom Line: Romney is surving this. What should have been catastrophic has turned out to be merely damaging. What needs to be discussed is this: Romney’s intention was never to attack his base – the elderly and the working white poor who vote Republican, especially in the South – which begs the question, Who was Romney attacking? Obviously, he was attacking the non-white portion of the 47 per cent who get a pass on paying income tax. He’s a racist, pure and simple…

    • Lavander

      “Romney is surving this. What should have been catastrophic has turned out to be merely damaging”

      There is no way anyone can know that at this point.

      And what do you call surviving? Romney’s down by more than 100 in the Electoral college. Do you think this week’s events will improve that for him?

      • chris castle

        What I meant: As of today, he is still the GOP nominee, and he hasn’t fallen behind that much in the polls, which is (almost) shocking to me based on the contents of his statement. Until he’s caught on tape punching children in the face, I say he will continue to survive this. Remember, FOX News isn’t covering the story…

  • MiddleMittenLiberal

    I am much more concerned about voter suppression. The republicans will steal the election (just like 2000 and 2004). Scary….

    • http://JCohenMusic.com Justin Cohen

      Voter suppression is a serious reason for concern but the election won’t be close enough to steal.

      The voter repression efforts that survive challenge in the courts will suppress Republican votes along with Democratic votes. While the general consensus is that more Democratic votes will be suppressed, the difference won’t be big enough to steal the election.

      This tactic could have helped the Republicans over the top in a neck and neck race, but the president will have enough breathing room to overcome it.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Michael-Norris/1597765442 Michael Norris

      That’s damn right…

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Michael-Norris/1597765442 Michael Norris

    WORD! Preach it brother! Amen. I told my wife last night that this three or four weeks of complete incompetence, missed messages, and overall clusterfuckishness in and around Romney’s campaign doesn’t mean anything. The last four weeks and the idiocy of Willard changes nothing. He was half right about that 47%–we hate him and we aren’t going to vote for him. But neither are the manics and psychotics that are going to vote for Romney. We could have video tape of Willard admitting that he has been importing children from China to make child porn movies and it wouldn’t change a goddamn thing with that bunch.

    Cesca you are absolutely right. I was watching Rachel Maddow last night and I mentioned that she is just a little too giddy. I listened to Stephanie Miller this morning–same thing. Lawrence O’Donnell–convinced the Romney campaign cannot recover. Not me–I am scared shitless of Republicans because I don’t know what they are capable of. I won’t be comfortable until Obama wins in a land slide. Anything less than that and the courts will settle the election.

    So Bob–Stay on message. Barring the outside possibility that Willard is indicted, tried, and jailed for a felony before election day, nothing is solved–nothing is resolved–nothing is for sure. Preach it brother.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Michael-Norris/1597765442 Michael Norris

    I wish I had your positive outlook, Justin. Me–I am scared shitless.

    • http://JCohenMusic.com Justin Cohen

      I understand your concern, Michael. My mom feels the same way.

      Part of my confidence comes from the confidence I have in my president. He’s really like nobody else and he will carry this election.

      • mrbrink

        He’s going to crush Mitt Romney.

        • http://JCohenMusic.com Justin Cohen

          Rock on!

      • http://www.politicalruminations.com/ nicole

        I agree with you and Brink that the pres is awesome and will crush Romney.

        BUT, the Pres can’t necessarily counteract the effects of voter id laws, and ignorant voters, so, like Bob, I’ll only laugh when all the votes are in.

  • http://www.politicalruminations.com/ nicole

    “Yes, the Romney campaign appears to be melting down but I won’t have a good laugh like Olbermann at Romney’s political ineptitude until and if the president is re-elected. ”

    co-sign.

  • Victor_the_Crab

    Sigh.

    People,

  • D_C_Wilson

    It’s not over until the polls close. Mittens continues to make a mess of things. More importantly, he still doesn’t understand why he is coming off as out of touch and disdainful of the middle and working class.

    Even so, he will end up with at least 42% of the popular vote. Probably more. The reason is the flip side of his own statement. There’s a sizable percentage that will vote for him for no other reason than he’s not Barack Obama. Even if the next video shows him fucking a sheep while pushing someone’s grandma down the stair and setting fire to an orphanage, they will still vote for him.

    It’s amusing to watch him stumble, I’m not counting this as over until it is over.