Did President Obama Close the Deal?

This excerpt from the opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal by Peggy Noonan caught my attention:

Something else, and it had to do with tone. I remember the Republicans in Tampa bashing the president, hard, but not the entire Democratic Party. In Charlotte they bashed Mitt Romney, but they bashed the Republican Party harder. If this doesn't strike you as somewhat unsettling, then you must want another four years of all war all the time between the parties. I don't think the American people want that. Because, actually, they're not extreme.
 

It's true, you know. The party that cried for a new tone in American politics after tragic events in the news appeared to be motivated by political expression is the very one tossing around slurs against the other party ever so lightly and most importantly, in front of cameras and microphones so that the maximum coverage will happen. Nazi is a favorite slur against Republicans by Democrats. It is their go-to hate speech term when the unhinged party members want to shout down opposition.  Think about this: of the three very public incidents of the usage of this slur spotlighted in media coverage, one participant was the head of the California state Democratic party and one was the top man in the South Carolina Democratic party. The other person - a woman- was a delegate to the convention.

Leading by example, right, Mr. Chairmen?

I think the reason for all the hysterical nastiness coming from the Democratic convention is the realization that their candidate is not doing too well at this point in his bid for re-election.  Just before his acceptation speech was to be delivered, Barack Obama was briefed on the latest economic numbers to be released Friday morning showing the progress made in August. To say it is a disappointing report explains the lackluster type of delivery Obama put into his speech Thursday night as the convention closed.

As is their job, the folks at the White House are trying mightily to put a positive spin on the non-existent good news in this report.  You can read their statement HERE .

The election remains very close in polling results. Mitt Romney received a modest bounce after the Republican convention and President Obama may well receive one, too.  It is interesting, however, the immediate reaction from those listening to Obama's speech.  Almost to a person, the criticism was swift and the conclusion was that the speech probably didn't close the deal for him outside the convention hall.  The party's base were the attendees of the convention - as is always the case for any political convention - and Obama will get their votes. It is the votes of the Independent voter that Obama must chase as they are steadily and certainly moving to Mitt Romney in their support.

Here is Governor Jindal's statement after the conclusion of President Obama's speech:

“Americans across the country know that they're not better off today than they were four years ago. No amount of lofty rhetoric, promises of hope, or appeals for more time can make up for three and a half years of disastrous economic policies that have left millions of people out of work, underwater on their mortgages, and struggling to stay out of poverty. Our country needs and deserves better -- and that demands new leadership in the White House. Mitt Romney knows what it takes to create jobs and grow the economy, and he has the experience and the plan our country needs to get back on track.”

The Romney campaign has announced a blitz of commercials to be run beginning Friday in key swing states. Each state has a theme catering to their voters' top concern.

The ads, titled “A Better Future” and focused on President Obama’s economic record, are running in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia.
The spots, which zoom in on different aspects of the dueling Romney and Obama economic plans for the country, repeat a theme at last week's Republican convention: America is not better off than when Obama took office.
The individual ads, which vary across the states, focus on Obama’s cuts to defense, government regulations, energy policy, the housing collapse, the deficit, and manufacturing.


 

We are in full campaign territory now from both campaigns. This is the mad dash to the finish time. Take a deep breath and focus on election day.

Onward.