President Barack Obama’s media-spinners are reanimating the Democrats’ long-used theme for every GOP convention; That this year’s choreographed GOP event is really a seething pit of anger and resentment.
Americans see “a relentless cavalcade of insults and ideology, anger in place of answers, from a party more bent on tearing down the President than lifting up our country,” claimed an official release from Obama’s chief campaign strategist, David Axelrod.
However, the GOP had its own quick answer — a major speech by Mitt Romney’s TV-ready wife, Ann, followed up by an emailed package of complimentary quotes from Obama-friendly media people.
“CBS’s Bob Schieffer: ‘Wow … That Was One Heck Of A Speech.’ (CBS, 8/28/12) ABC’s George Stephanopoulos: ‘A Love Letter To America’s Moms.’ (ABC, 8/28/12)… The Atlantic’s Garance Franke-Ruta: ‘I’m Not Sure I’ve Seen Better From A Potential First Lady.’ (Twitter.com, 8/28/12).”
Ann Romney “understands the difficulties women and mothers face in their daily lives and knows from experience that Mitt Romney is the man to help make their lives better and create a better future for their children,” said the accompanying pitch from Romney spokesman Ryan Williams.
The Democrats’ “The GOP is Angry” pitch was used during previous conventions, and this year it is being boosted by Obama’s Rose Garden strategy.
He’s using the powers of his office to portray himself as the concerned and vigilant protector of storm-wracked New Orleans, and the generous supporter of university students slammed by the stalled economy.
On Wednesday Obama’s speaking to university students in Virginia, a day after making his pitch to students in Colorado.
Meanwhile, his aides attacked the GOP convention as destructive and atavistic.
Tuesday’s evening events at the Republican National Convention were “a night highlighted by lots of of anger and insults,” Robert Gibbs, Obama’s 2008 spokesman, told MSNBC’s Democratic-skewed audience Tuesday evening.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie “was angry and bombastic,” claimed Paul Begala, an Obama ally, and a top adviser to the Obama-aligned Priorities USA Action super PAC. “Wow. The camera adds 300 pounds,” Begala tweeted when Christie began his speech.
The Democrats’ “anger and insult” theme is also bolstered by a second Obama theme for the GOP convention; “Romney Economics; Wrong for the Middle Class.”
That “Romney Economics” pitch has its own webpage and logo, which is being attached to emails sent out by Obama’s campaign team.
Tuesday evening’s press releases from the Obama campaign pushed that theme, declaring that “Christie and Romney; Good for the wealthy, bad for the middle class,” and “FACT CHECK: Romney Would Let Nation Go Over Fiscal Cliff.”
The economic criticism is important for Obama, whose approval ratings have continued to fall amid the stalled economy, declining wages, record unemployment, deficits and debts.
For example, Gallup reported Wednesday that his approval rating had fallen by two points to 43 percent, and his disapproval rating had nudged up one percentage point to 48 percent. An August survey by NBC and the Wall Street Journal showed that 54 of Americans disapprove of Obama’s economic record, and 61 percent say the country is on the wrong track.