Politics and Chip Dip

I have been giving some thought to the recent debates. I have to be honest, I though Obama was lost, Romney boring. There could not be much give and take on policy issues. Obama cannot run on his policies, only that Romney's are not sound. It only takes a few minutes of listening to your kids argue in the backseat to understand that is what we saw on a national stage:  "He touched me". "Did not".  turns easily into "He's going to tax the middle class." "Am not". Yawn. What channel is SportsCenter?

Obama could not very well argue in favor of his Presidency, only against Romney.  The economy is not really a lot better.  Fewer Americans are working than in any time in recent history. Unemployment stays high. Gas is double the price since he took office. Foodstuff, heating oil,. electricity, all are much higher in price. Even the President's signature achievements are not winners among the voting public. ObamaCare remains very unpopular, and the taxes and costs that kick in next year will only make it worse. The stimulus is viewed as a failure, and most Americans realize the government cannot continue to spend at the current rates.  Many of us have no idea what to do about it, but the spending spree must stop, and the Stimulus has become the poster child of out of control spending.

Macroeconomic issues like the relationship of the Euro, the Greek and Spanish debt crisis and the changing value of the Yuan are beyond most peoples' understanding. There remains a lack of confidence in the economy. President Obama can only restore that confidence by convincing the general public that his policies will work, given enough time, or that Romney will make things worse. Romney only has to point to the past four years and say  "See -- want more of the same?".

Class warfare only works with a small segment of the population.  Liberals think the president has not gone far enough, but moving left will alienate a large chunk of middle America. We won't even discuss foreign policy.

The President looked out of sync and lost for a very good reason. All he can offer positive is "more of the same" That resonates with his base, but undecideds have not supported the President this election for a reason. They are leery, uncertain and looking for a reason to vote for the President.  All Obama can hope is he throws enough reasons not to vote for Romney to those people.

Romney just has to give  reason to believe he is a better alternative.  Obama's lack of new policy initiatives only helps Romney. Undecided voters are like the guy in the grocery staring at the chips. Ruffles or Lays, he wonders. He just needs someone to tell him that Ruffles scoop up sour cream and onion dip better than Lays.

That reminds me, I need to get to the store before the football game...