If you had told me, the person I was in 1995, chief editorial writer and columnist for the New York Post, that I would be cheering reports of “high African-American turnout” in Pennsylvania, I would have found it completely preposterous. The moral of the story, I suppose, is that the person you are at 40 is not necessarily the person you will be at 60, and that life takes surprising turns.
Oh, and Romney has a 49% unfavorable rating in NH. Not a good sign for the neocons.
At dinner Mrs. McConnell said, “Wouldn’t it be depressing if Obama loses?” I’m always trying to see the bright side, and thought – “well opposition would be interesting.” But here we go. Ohio, Obama CNN exit poll lead. Florida tied. Virginia looking tied. I’m nervous. David Gergen, who has a dozen smart people feeding him information, says the polls seem to be holding up. That bodes very well for Obama. So, perhaps can begin thinking about a “Why the Republicans Lost” piece? A little premature.
Why is Romney losing? The real question is why is he doing so well. Four years ago the Bush era ended in catastrophe at home, on the border, and abroad. For any Republican presidential candidate to get elected this year would have been astonishing.
The fact that it looks like it will be close, is a tribute to how well Romney has run and the poor performance of Obama in office.
The deeper question is whether the Republicans (or the Democrats for that matter) will ever grasp why Bush failed at home and abroad and act accordingly.