Romney's Painful Week Will Go Down as the Turning Point

We’re too close to the controversy today to know if Mitt Romney’s newly revealed comments at a private Florida event for campaign donors in May will be the turning point in this presidential election.

But if I had to make a $10,000 bet with the former Massachusetts governor on that, I’d bet they will. 

Late on the night of Tuesday, November 6, after Romney finishes his concession speech, the commentators will say President Obama began to run away with the race when it became known that Romney feels that the 47% of Americans who pay no federal income taxes are: (a) dependent on the government, (b) consider themselves “victims,” and (c) refuse to take responsibility for their own lives.

Romney’s basing his campaign on his success in business, and on how his superior grasp of economics and free enterprise will enable him to turn the economy around in the big way that has eluded Obama.

He’s a businessman who functioned very well in our system and made himself into a millionaire by being very smart, very strategic and very hard working.  There’s nothing wrong with that, nothing at all -- unless you happen to need the votes of millions of average folks to realize your life’s dream: the presidency of the United States.

Most voters do not own their own businesses, have a portfolio of stocks, or pull down six figures a year in one of the professions or in a top management position.  Most have to answer to a boss every day.  When the guy who signs their paychecks says frog, they leap.

Let's face it: most voters have a thing about CEOs. 

Because they live their lives in a weaker, less comfortable position than the men at the top of the heap, most feel that the CEOs don’t really care about them, that, in fact, the CEOs inwardly believe they are much better than people like themselves, the "little people."

Romney may have had a chance to convince the majority of voters he wasn’t that kind of CEO and that he could be trusted with their votes.

Then what he said behind closed doors to a bunch of wealthy people in Boca Raton came out, and, all across America, people started believing Romney was that kind of CEO.

The election is six weeks away.  A lot can happen in the world and in presidential politics between now and November 6 to give Romney a break.

Certainly, Romney has time to recover.

But the tough-as-nails political pros in Chicago who run Obama’s campaign are not likely to squander the advantage Romney has given them. 

Romney’s been knocked down by his own punch. (The cliché applies: self-inflicted wounds are always the worst.)  The Chicago crew will do everything it can to keep him down. 

We’re about to see masters at work.