Video Latest in a Series of Mitt Romney Missteps

Mitt Romney must run a perfect campaign to make up for video and other missteps

By Jamie Chandler

, Jamie P. Chandler is a Political Scientist at Hunter College

September 18, 2012

About Jamie Chandler:

Jamie P. Chandler is a political scientist at Hunter College in New York City, where he teaches courses on American politics, political parties and elections, public opinion, and political analysis.

Whether or not the "47 percent" video sinks Mitt Romney depends on if he can run an A+ campaign over the next 48 days.

But that's going to be quite a challenge because this video is another in a series of mistakes, missteps, and lost opportunities that are generating so many detention slips that he's going to be spending a lot of coming weekends with The Breakfast Club.

[See a collection of political cartoons on the 2012 campaign.]

The problem is Romney's campaign organization. He's got some solid, experienced people working for him, but they're working at cross-purposes. They haven't been sharp enough to predict that voters want to hear more than just rhetoric on the economy, see solid plans on how Romney would govern, and get confidence that he's presidential. His advisers' recent decision to change strategic course may be too little, too late.

Romney of course is his campaign's CEO, and as a successful executive he should be managing it a lot better. He certainly should be showing much better judgment when it comes to political communications.

If Romney wants to win he's got to get off the road to a C+. Otherwise the 2012 anniversary of Occupy Wall Street is going to be remembered as the day the 47 percent kicked him out of class.