I have seen several comments in the last 12 hours that President Obama was so “off his game” last night that he even failed to bring up Romney’s 47% remark.
I think this commentary might be wrong.
I think that the failure to bring up that line of attack was part of the Obama game plan. I think that the campaign told him to stay away from it in this format. Here is why.
In all the ads the Obama campaign uses, they fail to give the context. I think they are very afraid to bring it up in this type of forum because of the fact. The fact is 49% of the population pays no federal income tax. When federal taxpayers hear this, they rightly get pissed.
In the ads they can avoid this by only clipping the victims part. In a debate, they would have no such ability. The Obama campaign knows that this does not sit well with voters, so don’t bring it up. This way they can continue to use it in ads without being challenged.
And they know, they know that Romney was prepared for it. They knew Romney had a prepped response to the 47% remark that would have highlighted what they do not want highlighted. If Romney effectively shot it down in the debate, its ad effectiveness would be curtailed.
So that is my theory, they avoided the topic on purpose because the truth does them no good at all.
October 4, 2012 at 4:21 pm
Interesting theory. They may also be saving it for later.
From a different angle, why didn't Romney bring it up and put Obama on the defensive?
October 4, 2012 at 4:44 pm
Is it because 49% of the country is too poor to pay income tax, or is it because of tax loopholes, or is it possibly a combination of both? Certainly a lot of elderly people aren't paying income tax because they're living on reduced fixed incomes. A lot of college grads who are living with their parents aren't paying income tax because they can't find jobs. A lot of drug dealers make lots of money, but don't pay income tax on their illegal earnings. A lot of rich people have tax loopholes and earnings from capital gains, and so they pay little or no income tax. A lot of poor people with lots of kids pay no income tax because they've got enough deductions to not have to pay. So what is the point of that 49% figure and who would it actually help if it was brought out in the debates?
October 4, 2012 at 5:44 pm
I pay federal income tax and I'm well below average income. If half the country pays no federal tax, that means millions who make more than I do are not paying, but I am.
October 4, 2012 at 8:53 pm
"The truth does them no good at all". Sort of sums up Obama's life and the Democratic party as it is now pretty nicely, eh?