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Former Campaign Director for Pres. Ronald Regain Ed Rollins and Consultant to Pres. Hank Sheinkopf say Pres. Obama and Gov. Romney are neck and neck i...
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Did till we get into the fall joining me -- Fox News contributor former campaign director for Ronald Reagan Ed Rollins and Democrat strategist and consultant to our President Clinton -- -- -- So gentlemen.
Ed.
Start with you was this a nor'easter we get into the I have to convention you have a dead even race you have a president who basically has has failed in the eyes of most Americans.
He's still popular.
You -- mr.
Romney who basically.
And what was really not known figure is still not known in the sense of his policies.
The critical thing here though it is the president can't win on his record so they've got to set out to destroy Romney and create some image of him that isn't true.
You know we still -- a hundred.
Plus days to go -- gonna happen millions of dollars are going to be spent in advertising campaign texts.
-- going to be very close race -- -- in the -- thank you agree this is this is just is key to keep us interest until the conventions.
It's to keep the average person and said but more importantly it's there to keep the funders interest interest when -- -- you wanna see blood on the walls and that's what -- -- -- the fight happen.
The real winner here all that's.
We're we're doing we're -- all kinds of negative so early as mid around because we know everything we need to know what everyone -- know or could ever know about Barack Obama.
Well we still don't know a lot about Mitt Romney and he's got the hand to show went in when and where he wants let that get what I.
I thought the incumbent had the advantage the I mean the president can come out and say I'm gonna call the media together the data talked about truth you know take your pick immigration at -- at whatever they wanna cut anything but -- economy of course but isn't isn't quite sure -- come.
It's not it's not easy to beat incumbent president once again on his record.
This president will be long gone.
But he has Air Force One he has the Oval Office he's in international affairs.
-- it's hard to get the president fired doesn't happen very often.
But this president certainly is vulnerable and I think at the end of this campaign.
The American publicly have a clear choice of two directions for the company what what's it what's it gonna take take him to.
Break out how do you break out and it -- like you said there there river and everybody seemed to agree this is a tight one.
We don't know.
And anybody who does know was not being entirely truthful we don't you don't keep throwing stuff -- the well -- I'm sticks or something always external that occurs in a presidential campaign.
Especially when -- when you know there's something that's that you don't know that's gonna happen yet.
We didn't see the swift boat attacks coming right we didn't see.
Bill Clinton's last performance of the last debate which really won that election.
And 92 worry where he was -- make it about make make it about the economy and make a personal to a person personable and burst into an awful lot of people.
There's something the -- we don't know what that is yet but it's gonna happen.
Wealthy who makes the last mistake.
I don't think mentions matter anymore -- kind of a big show.
He used to get a boost out of the convention that had had a dramatic effect.
I you know you get a little bit because -- a lot of attention to your candidacy but not the change.
I think the debates could clearly be changing -- -- you're describing -- like a basketball game Worthington the team biggest the last shot as the one that that.
-- this may -- welcome down as it did once again this is a dead even race I've never seen one this earlier that I've seen.
Ones were incumbents I was Ronald Reagan when he beat Carter.
-- we were behind all the time this one has been dead even now for a good two months Reagan was behind Carter.
Reagan was -- -- equally beat beat him by Atlanta by ten points the great Nazis and -- Reagan Ronald Reagan asked -- to run his campaign in march of 1983.
Was thirty points behind doesn't.
Mondale and Glenn both so you can come back pretty quick I guess so and -- you -- about the external stuff thank.
Well look we're gonna have we're gonna have its defense cuts coming up pretty quick who's gonna get blamed for that.
As Mitt Romney -- -- blamed for defense plants close when people laid off lot of work.
President states is wherever Ronald Reagan was a serious trouble in nineteen going to 1984 election that'll tell you that.
What was the problem problem was under employment statistics.
Under employment was too high employment was changing.
When the underemployment number -- down Ronald Reagan chances of reelection increased dramatically and that's exactly what happened -- I think that's your read yes actually.
-- are all never forget when.
Saddam Hussein went into Kuwait.
And George H.
W.
Bush put together a coalition -- march and in there and I remember the Wall Street Journal had -- story about the fact that the bush was had like eighty some percent popularity right a year later he lost the presidency.
He lost the presidency because he didn't change the dialogue to talk about the economy the American public still liked George Bush.
His attitude was this draft Dodgers from Arkansas's never going to be to commander in chief of the gulf war and the truth of the matter is people want to talk about the economy George.
HW bush never did and basically lost so is it always the economy they always say -- -- the economy stupid but do we vote our -- tank we off.
-- our pocketbooks we also -- consciences there's a big difference and sometimes.
Consciences have to to a military action sometimes left -- -- overwhelming events occurring in society like 1968 when Lyndon Johnson decided not to run.
The place was a mess Nixon had a much more moral argument Humphrey -- less moral argument.
Humphrey -- a populist argument Nixon had a law and order which is the moral argument of the moment and Nixon won the race not by much all right.
That the break out there that I'm looking for won't come from -- the camp from the when -- get into each other they get the debate the debate at the other big.
Be a big big portion of that at the end of the day here.
The country who once again -- in the in the sense of popularity -- like -- they still like Obama they just think he's gonna -- president.
There's nothing you can do -- hundred days to make his presidency succeed he can't put the slogan up like we had with Reagan leadership to -- peace but here at the end of the day.
When Romney cents on the stage you have two views of America one is which the Romney's view is that capitalism works when businesses go back -- people get back to work.
That's what he's gonna -- the president believes government has to be -- -- and everybody.
That's going to be the debate and I think at the end of the day people gonna make a decision this last week of this campaign gonna say you know we've tried Obama didn't work with -- Iraq.
Somebody else at the same time President Obama is -- very outgoing gregarious guy some give a speech here today.
Without the Procter and then he was mix it up with the audience -- he's very good at that.
Romney's a -- more serious businessman.
Is that -- -- make a big difference.
It will make a difference Obama is certainly much more personal Romney tries to make jokes it doesn't work but there's something else going on.
The vision of what people want this country to be.
Is how they'll vote -- that voting Booth do they want -- populist presidency.
What do they wanna businessman presidency of late they've opted for the populace presidency has been a constant -- are they going to go back in that direction remain in that direction and we don't know.
-- bids are detailed and and it it is some what difficult I think for it guys in your business.
To compare this election to another one you can certainly borrow from your years of experience.
But don't they all have their own signature they all do in this when clearly does I think the key thing here if you wanna compared to -- when compared to bush when bush lost in 92.
In the sense that maybe a little closer to bush because bush was still popular people liked George.
HW bush.
They did they thought he lost his -- on the economy in this case people like this guy just don't think he's competent -- to be president states are you talked about paying about something breaking out the other thing this.
Always on the rise and at their -- asking the question what's what's he Ron gonna do if something blows up big time in the Middle East.
Second -- help or hurt President Obama it didn't help Jimmy Carter for sure.
Let's remember that sending troops out in the desert to go get killed to try to rescue your people didn't work at all.
It depends how the president handles that if god forbid something does happen.
Generally in times of war the public tends to side and protect the president and protect the commander -- -- -- -- -- armed forces.
We do have a new spurt of patriotism you can see it all over the country.
Is that gonna help the president well.
Killing and being the commander in chief -- the time bin Laden was killed.
It's a good thing -- getting into another war probably not a good thing right what do you say I think the same thing you know we we as Americans always basically.
Support our president our troops -- time of national crisis.
I do think at this point in time -- because we've had so many events or the last decade dead.
That people may think it's political whatever he's doing and and if you look political you basically -- score points way detail sort of this.
