Willard's "47%" Remark Is Hurting Him

(Caricature above is by the inimitable DonkeyHotey.)

Willard Mitt Romney (aka Wall Street Willie) screwed up big time when he met with a group of his largest donors -- all members of the 1% like him. He forgot we are now living in the digital age, where nearly any cell phone can take video (and where most Americans, even poor Americans, have one of those cell phones), and he told his rich brethren what he really thought of ordinary Americans -- expressing disdain for 47% of the population. That event was videotaped surreptitiously, and now Willard's heartless appraisal of the poor, the elderly, low-wage workers, the disabled, and active-duty soldiers has become common knowledge to millions of voters.

Since the video was obtained by Mother Jones magazine and released to the public, the Romney campaign (and other right-wingers) have been dancing as fast as they can to prevent it from seriously hurting Willard in the presidential campaign. But it looks like all their dancing has been for naught. People simply don't like what Willard told his rich friends, and many of them are reappraising whether they think Willard can be trusted to be president of this country.

This is verified by a new Washington Post/ABC News Poll. The poll shows that a majority of Americans (54%) view Willard's 47% statement negatively, while less than a third of Americans (32%) view it positively. It's not really surprising that 3/4 of Democrats view Willard's remarks as negative, while about 2/3 of Republicans view it positively. That was to be expected. Where Willard has really hurt himself is with the Independents (a group he must win a majority of to have a chance in this election). About 57% of Independents view the statement negatively, while only 27% viewed it positively (more than a 2 to 1 margin against Willard).

And that's not the only bad news for Willard. Now about 61% of all Americans have a negative view of how he's running his campaign in general. That figure jumps up to 64% for Independents (and 66% for women Independents). In comparison, about 54% of all Americans now have a positive view of how the president is running his campaign.

Willard is in trouble. He must change this image of him and his campaign -- and it must be done quickly (since early voting is already going on in many states). This makes the first debate, to be held in a few days, a critical event for Romney. If he's not perceived as winning that debate, it could all be over but the shouting.