But, if Romney commits a single gaffe we know that it will be blown out of proportion and Romney will be the "loser". That is why it is so vital that he avoid gaffes. We have witnessed the power of the media to exaggerate gaffes and even to create one where none exists. Therefore, Romney must tiptoe through a minefield, many of the mines having been laid by the moderators of the debates, all of whom are leftists.
To combat this, our spinmeisters should be fully primed and armed with talking points before Romney even sets foot on the debating stage. Romney certainly has experience debating and is generally acquitted himself well with a minimum of gaffes. I would be a little bit less uncomfortable if I had not heard that Portman was quitting the campaign and quitting the role of impersonating Obama. Portman has been reported to be among the very best at this game and his loss might well be felt.
The problem is that Romney is going into this debate already cast as the loser who must "win" the debates or his election chances are doomed. That is just one more disservice rendered by these phony polls. It is unfortunate that the Romney campaign has not been able show more strength in this regard.
I am very concerned about the dichotomy between the Gallup and the Rasmussen polls. Rasmussen has been weakening in swing states, in Nevada, and, overall with leaners Obama is approaching the magic 50% mark. If Obama can fix himself at the 50% level it would be very bad news indeed.
It seems that nothing will shake Romney from the view that the election will be decided by independent and undecided voters and that an aggressive attack against Obama will be counterproductive by turning this cohort off. I have come more and more to reject this view even though I concede that is no doubt reinforced by the best polling data and focus group results that money can buy. But N. B. the recently released videotape concerning the "47%" reveals that Romney held this view very early in the campaign season and that raises the question whether he is misguided and prematurely formed rather than properly informed by the polling and focus group data which I referred to and which presumably daily reinforces his timidity.
If Romney is wrong and he loses the election while conducting it to the end as he has until now, the Republican Party will never look the same. It is amazing that cycle after cycle the argument remains the same between conservatives and rhinos, whether to energize the base or reach out to the mushy middle. I have always held the view that principled conservatism is attractive enough to draw in the middle-and that accepts the view, arguendo, that we are not in fact "the middle."
