Can Obama Save his Marriage?

No there is no rift between the President and the First Lady.  The President's first campaign was filled with the excitement, and hope, of a courtship.  His term in office, like a marriage, is more meaningful, but lacks the magic of a courtship.  A marriage takes work. Obama is sparing no effort to save his union with the American people.

Timing is everything.  Some argue that front ending efforts will leave Obama with too few resources to go the distance.  An excellent analysis can be found at: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/us/politics/record-spending-by-obamas-camp-shrinks-coffers.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all .  But Obama is wise to nip any flirtation with Romney in the bud.  As a suitor, Romney has failed to discuss his background or his plans for the future.  Obama has filled in the blanks.

There are two presidential campaign seasons--before and after the Olympics.  Negative advertising is incompatible with the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.  Obama won the first season.  But equally important, he has laid the foundation to win the second.  With the magic gone, he understands the need to use resources to develop an unprecedented, and admittedly expensive, organization to grind out every vote.  

Romney, as he has in every campaign, intends, instead, to rely on omnipresent negative advertising in the fall.  Negative advertising is good for rallying the base, but unlikely to change opinions about someone as well known as the president.   Will the dislike of Obama on the right, be enough to woo the casual voter?  If not, the marriage will last another four years.

Just Say No

The famous English historian, William Maitland, reportedly did not speak until a lady spilled hot tea on him at the age of 5.  He reassured  her saying, "It is all right madam, the pain has somewhat abated."  When asked why he had never spoken he replied, "Everything had been had been fine until now."

The media has missed the point about Bain.   Romney did not object to Bain investments after February of 1999 because he thought everything was fine.  As the sole shareholder, the CEO and President, he certainly received updates on the company he founded and, which, was the primary source of his wealth.   He was mute as a matter of choice, not because of the lack of a voice in company affairs.  If, as his titles suggest, he had veto authority, he remains responsible for the actions of Bain Capital until 2002 when he resigned.

Believe in America

Mitt Romney's campaign slogan is Thomas Dewey insipid, and yet, Tea Party insidious.  As awful as it is, it may be the perfect prism for the campaign.

Romney is a bland candidate running as the non-Obama.  His messaging is intentionally vague and empty.  Even when he appears to drift into substance, such as his "First Day in Office" ads, it is an illusion.  He is either saying that he will repeal and remand acts of the president or  pointing out where the president failed.  In a bad economy, trying to make the election a referendum on the incumbent  is a good, but deathly boring, strategy.

But the slogan is also seeking to align with Birther Babylon, without having to actually enter the city.  The innuendo is that the sitting president is not one of us.  He is the other.  We believe in America, he does not.  Hopefully, this part of the message will fall as flat as Romney's rendition of "America the Beautiful".