Voters are not going to fall in love with Romney between now and Election Day.

[m00]

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. Anyway, I don't think it's about being "friendly" but I think it's about picking leaders that understand (on some level) what your day-to-day life is like. This is only normal.

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.

[Adam Wood]

It all depends on what they're bringing to the cookout.

I don't care HOW good Michele's potato salad is, I'm still not voting for her husband. That shit could be dijon-based with pot, crack, crystal meth, heroin, and caviar in it, and it STILL wouldn't convince me to vote for Obama.

[NJCardFan]

I can't wait to see them react when obama loses. Hopefully it is by a margin worse than Carter could even imagine.

Romney can win in Reagan in '84 like manner and they'd still claim that the GOP stole the election. Just like in 1972 when Pauline Kael said that she didn't understand how Nixon won because she didn't know anyone who voted for him. Of course Nixon garnered 60% of the vote and 570 electoral votes but who's counting.

[LukeEDay]

Romney can win in Reagan in '84 like manner and they'd still claim that the GOP stole the election. Just like in 1972 when Pauline Kael said that she didn't understand how Nixon won because she didn't know anyone who voted for him. Of course Nixon garnered 60% of the vote and 570 electoral votes but who's counting.

When a Dem loses the MSM screams fraud. But when a Republican loses from proven voter fraud, the MSM stays silent and/or denies it.