In the past couple of weeks, Republican nominee Mitt Romney has spent considerable time preparing for his upcoming debates with President Barack Obama, according to numerous reports.
Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) has played the role of President Obama in these practice sessions with Romney.
On paper, these debates should be a slam dunk for Romney, as the President is overseeing an economy that has produced record unemployment, record poverty and a record number of Americans on foodstamps. In fact, the August jobs report showed that for every American who found a job last month, four Americans simply gave up looking for work because the prospect of finding a job was so bleak.
As much as we might like to believe that the debates should produce an easy Romney win based on the economic facts of this President's record, we also know that President Obama has shown he is a formidable opponent.
With the polls essentially showing the race tied, Romney needs to not only do well in these debates; he needs to win them. He can win them easily if he simply turns every attack back on the President and his record.
Let's say that the President attacks Romney's work at Bain Capital. Romney's response should be something like this:
Mr. President, I won't apologize for being successful in America. I'm proud of this success. The fact is that we did something at Bain Capital you were unable to do with this economy -- we took companies that were struggling and helped to make them successful and create more good-paying jobs for more Americans. We were able to create tens of thousands of jobs, and although we weren't successful all of the time, the vast majority of companies we invested in and supported were successful, saving the jobs of thousands of Americans. As President, I would enact policies that would allow more Americans to start businesses and achieve the American dream. In contrast, Mr. President, you took an economy that was struggling, and you've made it worse. The August jobs report showed that for every job created in your economy, four Americans simply gave up looking for work. That's not forward, Mr. President, that's backward.
See how easy it is to turn around an attack on Romney's success back on the President? Every response by Romney needs to be an attack on the Obama economy. Let's say that the President tries to make Romney's tax returns an issue during the debates. How should Romney respond?
Mr. President, a number of people in your party have tried to make my tax returns an issue because they want to distract the American people from your record as President. I have met my legal obligations not only in terms of releasing my tax returns as a Presidential candidate, but I have also met my legal obligations in terms of paying taxes. The fact is, Mr. President, that I have been successful in business and that I will bring that same experience building businesses and creating jobs to the White House, if elected. With some 23 million people out of work, underemployed or have simply given up looking for work, we need someone in the White House who knows how to build businesses and create jobs. I know how to do this, Mr. President. My record shows this. Your record shows that you clearly don't.
Again, any attack on Romney needs to be turned into an attack on the President's record. Let's say that the President tries to deflect blame for his economy into an attack on Republican policies by saying that Romney wants to take America back to the policies that got America into financial difficulty in the first place. Romney can say something like this:
You know, Mr. President, I find it incredible that nearly four years after you took office you continue to not accept any blame whatsoever for the current economy. At some point, Mr. President, you have to quit blaming others and take responsibility for your policies that have made a bad economy worse. I'll say this to the American people. The buck will stop with me if I'm elected as your President. If I'm elected and if the economy is in the same place or worse three and one-half years after I take office, I won't blame my predecessor. It will be my fault and I will accept responsibility. In fact, if the economy is not a lot stronger and significantly more Americans are not working three and one-half years after I'm elected, I won't deserve a second term, and I pledge to the American people that I simply would not run again. That is my pledge. The President pretty much said the same thing after he was elected, that if things weren't significantly better three years later that he would be a one-term President. The fact is, he doesn't deserve a second term based on his own stated level of expectations. You aren't better off; you're worse off. This President doesn't deserve a second term; he deserves a pink slip.
Romney should also use this opportunity to connect with the American people, differentiating himself from the President, while highlighting his record:
My fellow Americans, I know that you're hurting. The last four years, you've seen our economy go from bad to worse. Many of you aren't working or are working in a part-time job when you need to work full time to support your family. As Americans, we're patient, but we're not seeing things get better. Four years ago, you may have voted for Hope and Change, but today you hope you can find a good job, and the wage you're earning is closer to pocket change than what you can raise a family on. You're paying double the price for gasoline than when this President took office, and the prices at the grocery store have gone up significantly too. I know because I do the shopping in my family You walk out of the grocery store with a couple of bags and it's $100 or more, and you fill up your gas tank and it may be another $60 or more, when it cost only $30 four years ago. How can you afford to pay these higher prices when you've lost a job or are working part-time? You can't. Are you better off than you were four years ago? Based on what I see at the gas pump, at the grocery store and in the dismal monthly jobs reports, I would say that the answer is unequivocally no. Under this President, America has faced record unemployment nad record poverty. The August jobs report showed that for every American who found a job, four other Americans simply gave up looking for work because the prospects were so bleak. That's not forward; that's backward. While you and your family have faced these challenges, your President has played over 100 rounds of golf and has attended more fundraisers than his last few predecessors combined. If I don't turn around this economy in three and one-half years, it will be my fault, not my predecessor's. My pledge to you is that if I am fortunate enough to be elected as your President, I will work hard every day for you and your family. I will put my expertise growing jobs in business to work growing jobs across this country. I will put my expertise as a governor, chief executive and head of the Olympics to work putting Americans back to work. No one will out work me as I work for you.
As you can see, Romney can turn every attack from the President back on the President, because his record has been so pathetic. If Romney can stay on offense, focusing on the President's record of economic failure, I truly believe that his debate performance can turn this close race into a rout.
I'm looking forward to the first debate on October 3. I have a strong feeling that Romney is also looking forward to the debates -- much more so than President Obama.
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