President Barack Obama is outsourcing his latest effort to focus the
media’s attention on former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s wealth and
complex financial holdings.
His campaign’s spokesman and several senior Democrats appeared on Sunday cable TV talk shows to suggest and claim that Romney’s complex financial arrangements are unethical, and may even be illegal.
His surrogates didn’t offer any actual evidence of illegality or improper behavior, but may successfully use the media’s coverage of the issue to damage Romney’s appeal to middle-class voters.
The tactic can be successful because many reporters at establishment media outlets want to explore Romney’s finances, because Romney’s likeability score in polls is low, and also because many working-class swing voters are cynical about wealthy business executives.
The aggressive tactic also diverts media and voter attention from the stalled economy, high unemployment and record deficits.
However, the pitch threatens to renew media attention to Obama’s past, especially his own failure to release his educational records, his political deal-making in the notoriously corrupt Illinois government, and the impact of his progressive political advocacy on his constituents.
Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul pushed back at 12.49 a.m., with a statement slamming the Democrats’ suggestions and claims.
His campaign’s spokesman and several senior Democrats appeared on Sunday cable TV talk shows to suggest and claim that Romney’s complex financial arrangements are unethical, and may even be illegal.
His surrogates didn’t offer any actual evidence of illegality or improper behavior, but may successfully use the media’s coverage of the issue to damage Romney’s appeal to middle-class voters.
The tactic can be successful because many reporters at establishment media outlets want to explore Romney’s finances, because Romney’s likeability score in polls is low, and also because many working-class swing voters are cynical about wealthy business executives.
The aggressive tactic also diverts media and voter attention from the stalled economy, high unemployment and record deficits.
However, the pitch threatens to renew media attention to Obama’s past, especially his own failure to release his educational records, his political deal-making in the notoriously corrupt Illinois government, and the impact of his progressive political advocacy on his constituents.
Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul pushed back at 12.49 a.m., with a statement slamming the Democrats’ suggestions and claims.
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