1. Romney has reached the arbitrary but psychologically significant (for me and maybe only for me) lead of 1% in then RCP average. That is his biggest lead since October 13. More importantly, Obama’s average job approval is down to 48.3% . That is the lowest his job approval has been since his bounce from the Democratic National Convention. This is a much worse sign for Obama (if it holds up) than the head-to-head.
2. The stuff about “Romnesia” ain’t getting it done. Is the median voter out there thinking “You know, I’d vote for Obama again, if he would only sound more like a snide, but dim twelve year old. ”
3. The pro-Obama videos aren’t getting any less creepy. What is interesting is that this video isn’t really about changing anyone’s mind. There are too many left-leaning in-jokes about “fixing” gays, and killing polar bears, and too much political junkie stuff about Congress going home early. That stuff is meaningless to the medium information persuadable voter. It is more a preemptive abomination of the country in the case of an Obama defeat. It is also an unconscious self-satire of the hysteria, self-righteousness, and obliviousness of some Obama supporters. Come to think of it, the video is an abomination all by itself. The only good news is that it wasn’t put out by the Obama campaign.
4. I heard some of Obama’s New Hampshire speech today. He went on a long speech about how Romney had increased user fees in Massachusetts (the horror, the horror.) That is piddling stuff by itself, but I guess it could have formed part of a a compelling story that included Mediscare and Romney’s tax cut plan and stuff. You had to hear Obama’s tone of voice to really get a sense of his performance. The scorn and hostility undermined what he was trying to get across. He isn’t acting like a man who buys Nate Sivler’s analysis. And neither do I. Though I’m still expectiing a very narrow Obama win unless his average job approval ratings stays below 49%. I just don’t think Obama’s chances are nearly as strong as Silver suggests.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
