Talking Points Memo: A Bad Week for Mitt Romney

The last seven days have not been good for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, surmised Bill O’Reilly on his show tonight. It began with criticism from his reaction to violence in the Middle East, and then erupted after a secretly released tape showed his comments about 47 percent of Americans wanting entitlements. Various polls still show that the election remains very close.

The Factor host said, “Many committed Republicans are frustrated with Mitt Romney. They believe he’s made far too many mistakes, comes across as remote and is on defense rather than offense.”

He agreed with some of those criticisms, adding that the former governor has not brought a sense of urgency

to the campaign. O’Reilly said that since President Obama and his supporters apparently don’t believe that the country is in economic dire trouble, it is up to Romney to illuminate the problem with statistics rather than scare tactics.

Romney can persuade voters by winning the debates, but if he does not come across well then he’s finished, predicted O’Reilly. He noted that it’s fascinating how many Americans continue to believe in President Obama. “It’s clear that his economic policies have not worked. They might work down the road, it’s possible, but today the situation remains bleak. So if you’re going to vote for the president, you’re doing so on emotion … you hope things will turn around.”

Then again, there’s no guarantee that Romney’s free marketplace strategy will work but, said O'Reilly, he does have a stronger economic background than the president.