Quote:
Originally Posted by cjwils3
Since the onus is on Obama to convince the American electorate that he deserves another shot, I think it's safe to say Romney's best bet is hammer him hard on his record.
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This analysis overlooks the ability of a modern incumbent president to use the bully pulpit to frame the narrative of his first term. For example, in 1916, President Wilson's campaign for re-election centered around the failures of previous Republican policies as well as the fact that he'd kept America out of the Great War. In 1984, President Reagan framed his campaign as a referendum on the Carter presidency. In 2004, Bush the Younger made a specific, but coded, reference to the Carter administration.
So while Governor Romney might prefer to address the current president's record, sticking to that plan will hardly be "safe" if the incumbent uses the bully pulpit to change the narrative and Romney does not adjust his approach.