Both DU and CU are fairly polarized, I would say.Meaning, you know, it's no surprise how 100% of DU and about 90% of CU will vote.
But just based on anecdotal evidence, I think there's a lot of people who recognize Obama's mistakes, but don't find him malicious (I'm not talking about myself here, because I do think he's malicious). Problem with Romney is that based on a combination of his gaffes, debate persona and backstory people are worried that Romney is a dick and is going to screw Americans because he doesn't understand what it means to be a normal person. People still bring up the dog-on-the-roof thing, because it's like... what planet do you have to be on to think that's going to end well. And by this I mean, a planet where it's normal to have to deal with mowing the lawn, taking out the trash, paying rent or a mortgage, getting up in the morning and going to work, doing your own taxes, walking the dog, shopping for groceries on a budget, wondering whether you should get your car fixed vs buying a new/used car, and so forth. It's fine if Romney has never had these experiences, but sometimes he gives the impression he can't even fathom what this world is like. So the question becomes: how can he make decisions that impacts all the Americans who live normal lives?
I think GWB won in 2004 because while he had made a tremendous amount of gaffes by then, he projected an understanding of how normal people live and work. And he wasn't going to make decisions that out of ignorance that screwed normal people. He had a conscience. Yes, he was involved in an oil company and owned a baseball team, but he knew the price of a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread. Even Clinton knew the price of a Big Mac.
My opinion is that the election is going to come down to whether Romney can give people the impression that he has a conscience, and understands normal people, what normal people go through, and what it really means to be middle-class but worried that you're one piece of bad luck away from disaster. A lot of people are in this boat. They're doing "ok" but not a sustainable "ok." If Romney wants to convince people he can fix this, he has to first convince people he understands what this means.
Just my 2c.
Originally Posted by noonwitch
