Hard truth-telling from an unlikely source, given his history. I give you former President Clinton, campaigning in Ohio this afternoon:
Message: Romney's right. The economy stinks. Obama recognizes this painful reality, and wants to cry. Of course, Clinton went on to make his now-familiar "but look at all the terrible 'Republican' policies that got us into this mess" argument, urging Ohioans to give The One some more time. Obama needs that time, you see, to raise taxes foster "fairness" and increase the debt invest in our children's future. The problem with this argument is that it's pretty powerfully refuted by someone else who's playing a minor role in the 2012 election:
"I will be held accountable. I've got four years...if I don't have this done in three years, then there's going to be a one-term proposition."
Team Romney should make this into an ad as soon as possible. Open with Clinton's statement about Romney being correct that the economy is still in shambles, splice in Obama's "accountable" soundbyte, then close with "I'm Mitt Romney and I approve this message." Cut and print.
UPDATE - From my email inbox, via the Romney campaign:
“We agree with former President Bill Clinton. The economy has not been fixed under President Barack Obama. Today, more than 23 million Americans are struggling for work, poverty has increased and food stamps are at record levels. Mitt Romney believes we can do better by creating 12 million new jobs with higher take-home pay, cutting spending to put our nation on course for a balanced budget, and actually fixing our economy.” - Ryan Williams, Romney Campaign Spokesman
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