The Atlantic Nails Romney's Elitism Problem With Reveal in "Too Many Americans" Ad

[ProSense]

The Atlantic Nails Romney's Elitism Problem With Reveal in "Too Many Americans" Ad

by eXtina

Mitt is trying really hard to push back and undo the damage he did to himself by saying on video that he has dismissed 47% of Americans who depend on the government and who won't vote for him. He's been going around saying he wants to be President of 100% of Americans and his campaign has made a new video called "Too Many Americans" that is supposed to highlight his compassion.

An excerpt from the ad:

"President Obama and I both care about poor and middle-class families. The difference is my policies will make things better for them."

In an ad designed to reassure Americans that he cares about Americans, that's what he says. He addresses middle class Americans as 'them'. Who is he talking to? Not middle class Americans. If he were, he'd be saying "I care about you". But he is so far removed from America and regular Americans that he thinks of them as 'them'.

As The Atlantic puts it:

The problem with Romney's campaign is not just a secret video, or media- and PAC-hyped candidate gaffes. It's an approach to talking to and about people in a way that is othering, rather than empathetic -- so much so that in direct appeal to middle-class voters, Romney doesn't think to say (or, rather, no one on his campaign thinks to have him say), "The difference is my policies will make things better for you."

The vast majority of Americans identify as middle-class or working class.

If Romney wasn't talking to them in this spot -- and by his language he made clear that he was not -- who was he talking to?

While the Obama campaign has worked to portray Romney's gaffes as putting him outside the mainstream, nobody does it better than Romney himself, and here in an ad designed to do the exact opposite. Rather than connecting with Americans as the ad is meant to do, it reinforces Romney's gulf of separation from the rest of us.

UPDATE: And as if on cue, President Obama's new ad follows up on Romney's:

The ad follows by a day Mitt Romney's 60-second, direct-to-camera ad promising to unleash the private sector and help struggling families as president. Obama's spot is as good a summation as any of the Democratic theory of the case that 2012 is a choice election, and of the economic contrast message Obama took up over the summer.

And says the right words:

"If I could sit down with you, in your living room or around the kitchen table, here's what I'd say."

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/27/1136995/-The-Atlantic-Nails-Romney-s-Elitism-Problem-With-Reveal-in-Too-Many-Americans-Ad

Other than the fact that Mitt's lying, he appears angry and defensive in that ad.

Mitt's going all-in with an "I care" message...and the DNC has an absolutely LETHAL response.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021424606

Obama's new two minute TV ad - "Table"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021423926





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[ProSense]

1. Kick! n/t

[pinboy3niner]

2. Jimmy Kimmel did a very funny parody of Mitt's ad

Jimmy Kimmel Reveals Lobster-Filled Parody Of New Romney Ad
by Alex Alvarez | 11:15 am, September 27th, 2012

ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel introduced a new political campaign ad from Mitt Romney wherein the candidate attempt to connect with voters by directly addressing the camera…

…And by cracking his own lobster. The bib is a lovely touch.

...


VIDEO (1:13) at link:
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/jimmy-kimmel-reveals-lobster-filled-parody-of-new-romney-ad/

[ProSense]

3. .

[Care Acutely]

5. That was FUNNY. :-)

[JHB]

4. It's like self-induced character assassination...