As both campaigns try their darndest to lower expectations in advance of Wednesday night’s first presidential debate, and the media sound a dire warning that the entire future of Mitt Romney’s campaign will rise and fall on this one performance, it’s worthwhile to pause on an obvious (if rarely mentioned) point: This debate should be a cakewalk for Romney.
Finally, after a year that has seen President Obama’s supporters in the media whitewash his record and, for the most part, neglect to ask him tough questions about his many failed promises, Romney will get the chance to press the President where few others have.
Every question to Romney about contradictory statements he’s made on the campaign trail, a lack of detail on his economic and foreign policy plans or his so-called gaffes is an opportunity for the challenger to throw it all back in the President’s face. His mantra Wednesday night should be: “My campaign may be imperfect, but your presidency has been abominable.”
Romney needs to do what others have refused, and that’s remind voters who they pulled the lever for in 2008, all the while telling them: I get why you did it then, but what’s your excuse four years later? This means posing tough — but frighteningly obvious — questions.
