Presidential Polls 2012: Romney is in Dire Straits, But Here Are 6 Things He Can Do to Right the Ship

The situation is dire for Mitt Romney.

A national poll by Rasmussen indicates that the candidates are tied at 46%. But 5% are still undecided, more than enough to tilt the election towards Romney.

A poll by the Miami Herald shows that Obama is leading Romney 48% to 47% in Florida, a must win state for the GOP contender.

In his essay on Sunday, PolicyMic pundit Frank Hagler, indicated Obama is leading in 9 out of 10 battleground states. In his piece, Hagler reported that Politico projects Obama will win with an electoral count of 332.

But, the fat lady has not yet begun to sing. So, let’s consider six things Romney might do to improve his chances in the short time that remains before the election. 

1. On Sunday, a talking head observed that Romney is trying to be something he is not: a politician. Romney should present himself in the way he did as a successful businessman at Bain Capital and when he was in charge of the Olympics. Romney needs to offer easy to understand bullet point presentations to convince people he can lead the country and give up trying to “out-orate” Obama.

2. Romney is not going to convince the majority of Americans that he is likeable before November; he should not pretend to be as empathetic as Obama. Rather, he should showcase his résumé to the voters. After all, the man accumulated a net worth in high nine figures (my estimate).

Romney should provide the media with a list of all his private equity investments, their performance and the positive impact each has had on the local communities in which they are located. Additionally, Romney should explain to voters what he did to turn around the Olympics and make it a successful venture. Romney is a great “turnaround” executive and a superb motivator. He has a lot to tell the public about his skills, especially since the country desperately needs a great manager right now.

3. Romney needs to be very specific about what he will do to improve the economy and create new jobs. It is a risky ploy because he will be stuck with the plan if he wins; essentially, he will lose flexibility when the time comes to implement his campaign promises. But, Romney is not going to be successful unless he gives voters a clear alternative to the current administration.

The most significant proposals should deal with how he will reform the tax code and close loopholes to generate more revenue to pay down the national debt. Romney needs to specifically tell us what his alternative to Obamacare will be.

Effective bullet point presentations are the key to any possible chance to become president. In this respect, Romney better include his plans to deal with the “47%” that the Democrats have so artfully, and deviously, turned against him.

4. Romney also needs to be specific about foreign affairs and terrorism. He must tell us actions he will take in dealing with Israel, China, Iran and North Korea, in particular. Once again, it is risky business to show your cards. But he has no other options at this point in the contest.

Terrorism is another topic that Americans continue to discuss every day. Romney should be aggressive relating to those who want to harm America. This area has befuddled the current administration; its policies have been inconsistent and harmful to America’s reputation abroad.

5. Romney needs to mercilessly attack Obama on his handling of the economy. Unbelievably, Obama has not had to justify his actions, and failures, that have resulted in the second longest recession in the history of our country. Romney must dedicate the lion’s share of his time to this subject, as it is Obama’s Achilles heel. In bullet point presentations, Romney must prove, once and for all, that our country is not better off than it was four years ago, as unemployment is still high (and the true number of workers out of work is even greater), businesses are struggling under restrictive regulations and business people are reluctant to grow their operations and hire more workers because Obama’s actions have been so anti-capitalistic and anti-corporate America. The economy is the most important issue and it should be front and center every time Romney speaks.

6. Romney needs to destroy Obama in the debates, literally. Head to head confrontations are the challenger’s last chance to turn the election around. Supposedly, Romney is spending a great deal of time practicing for the debates. He better have his facts organized and some memorable one-liners that voters will remember in the voting booths. During the debates, Romney must emphasize Obama’s substandard performance. He needs to point out that the rhetoric supporting the president is chock full of twisted facts and political spin.

I don’t know if Romney can salvage his candidacy after a disastrous few weeks. The private chit-chats Romney has conducted with “supporters” are toxic. His enemies are everywhere waiting to record a gaffe, a political exaggeration or to take a comment out of context. My question is who are advising the challenger about these campaign landmines?

In any case, I hope Romney will rally. He is an outstanding man and would be a great president for the difficult times ahead.