The Morning Plum: If you vote out Obama, it will make you feel better [View all]

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The Morning Plum: If you vote out Obama, it will make you feel better

By Greg Sargent

Today’s monthly jobs numbers were significantly worse than expected:

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In this context, take a look at the new ad that was released this morning by Mitt Romney’s campaign. It is perhaps the clearest sign yet of how Team Romney views this race:

The ad claims Romney will focus on the economy, the deficit, energy and trade with China, before adding:

“But there’s something more than legislation or new policy. It’s the feeling we’ll have that our country’s back, back on the right track. That’s what will be different about a Romney presidency.”

This may be the most explicit version we’ve seen of the Romney camp’s intended message: if you’re angry or frustrated by your current circumstances, or about how things are going, vote the guy in charge out, and it will make you feel better. The game plan: to get swing voters to cast their vote almost entirely as an expression of frustration and disillusionment with the economic status quo, and by extension with Obama himself, without thinking too hard about the true nature of the alternative Romney is offering.

Or, as Steve Kornacki put it recently: “If you don’t think the economy’s in good shape, don’t ask questions — just vote the guy in charge out.”

With jobs numbers like today’s, it just may work.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/the-morning-plum-if-you-vote-out-obama-it-will-make-you-feel-better/2012/06/01/gJQA1svh6U_blog.html