The gaffes by Mitt Romney have piled up in recent weeks putting his presidential campaign strategy into question. His latest mistep was revealed Monday night when liberal magazine Mother Jones released a secretly taped video of Romney making comments at a Florida fundraiser in which he described 47% of voters as "dependent on the government" and thus voting for President Obama and not a group he needed to worry about.
Mitt Romney defended the comments in a press conference as "not elegantly stated," but similar to remarks he's been making all along about the need for smaller government.
"This comes on top of everything else. This is a campaign that has been dealing with nothing but setbacks [in recent weeks]," explained Chuck Todd on Morning Joe Tuesday. "Never mind that there’s a clear bump in the polls for the president; economic optimism is at an all-time high, which appears to be thanks to Bill Clinton; … and then this video happens. Where to begin?"
Todd, who hosts MSNBC's Daily Rundown, also questioned the thinking behind Romney's press conference.
"What was the point of that press conference last night by Mitt Romney if he wasn’t going to walk something back?" Todd asked. "If all he was going to do was agree with what he said and say he was inartful, you could have said that in a press release."
Ultimately, the problems within the campaign come down to "Mitt Romney is not a good campaigner," Todd added.
With few days to waste until election day, Todd also argued that the Romney campaign does not portray a candidate who "wants this thing" bad enough.
"He does maybe an event a day and not always in a swing state," Todd said. "If you’re looking for what do you do differently if you’re Mitt Romney? Go act like a candidate that wants this thing. You know what Bill Clinton did when he was in crisis in ’92? The guy just all of sudden did town hall after town hall. Campaign to death. Look like you want this thing."
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They're not gaffes. And as for advising him to "act like a candidate that wants this thing"- when will people realize that he is simply unable to do so?
It's not just a question about "walking back" comments that show is true character or looking like he "want[s] this thing." It's about whether he can earn the trust of the American people to lead them for four years. He can do that by releasing his tax returns and explaining to the country what they contain. Without that, there will never be trust. His other problem is that he is simply unaccustomed to having to earn something--anything.
Maybe the real problem is that Mittens is incapable of listening and making changes based on the thoughts of others.
He sees himself as the "CEO Extraordaire" and I suspect, he is not used to people telling him what to do.
All one needs to do is watch him in motion and you realize that he is not someone who is flexible.
The problem is not exactly as you have described it, but close.
In truth, the problem is that Rmoney is a candidate who feels he DESERVES this thing, and he shouldn't have to presenting himself as a "wanter" because we should all know better. His comments...and I'm sorry I can't locate the exact statement to quote him...about "I went to France and didn't serve in the military because God had greater plans for me" explains it all. He can't campaign because he truly doesn't think that mythical 47% would respond, and he has no idea how the rest of us live anyway.
For perspective: I receive a social security check. I also pay taxes. That check is NOT a handout from the government. That was originally MY MONEY, that I worked hard for and earned, and now the government is paying me back with interest, which was the whole idea in the first place. Should I be ashamed that I lived long enough to collect MY MONEY that was held in trust for me? I think not. I work P/T and pay taxes even today. I pay a bunch of other taxes too. But...I'm proudly in that 47% who will never vote from Rmoney, so that much is true. This man has demonstrated he is incapable of representing the American People, largely because he simply doesn't give a damn about most of us.