All campaigns have their ups and downs, but the last three weeks for Mitt Romney have been about as brutal as we can remember for any presidential candidate, especially this close to the election. First, the biggest speech of RomneyÂ’s life got overshadowed by the Clint Eastwood stunt.
Then came President ObamaÂ’s significant bounce in the polls after the two political conventions.
After that, Romney found himself on the defensive for his reaction to embassy attacks in Egypt and Libya. Next, Politico reported about infighting and disorganization inside the Romney campaign.
Finally, all of these events were capped off yesterday by the surreptitiously recorded video of Romney -- provided to the liberal magazine Mother Jones and later to NBC News -- telling wealthy donors that “47%” of the country “who are dependent on government” and “who believe they are victims” will vote for Obama no matter what. What is so potentially deadly about this video is the timing, because it comes as the Romney campaign was already viewed to be behind and in crisis.
Back in late July, we wrote that the presidential contest had entered halftime with Obama leading, 14-13. Now after the 3rd Quarter (the Ryan pick, the conventions, and post-convention period), Obama has scored two uncontested touchdowns, bringing it to 28-13. And now we head to the 4th Quarter (the debates).
First Thoughts: Romney's brutal last three weeks - First Read
