James Carville became famous back in 1992 for saying, “It’s the economy, stupid.”
David Plouffe, who ran President Obama’s 2008 campaign and is already hard at work on his 2012 campaign, doesn’t have the luxury of criticizing a sitting president’s economy so he’s working overtime to convince himself that Carville was wrong.
Bloomberg details Plouffe’s delusion:
“The average American does not view the economy through the prism of GDP or unemployment rates or even monthly jobs numbers,” Plouffe said. “People won’t vote based on the unemployment rate, they’re going to vote based on: ‘How do I feel about my own situation? Do I believe the president makes decisions based on me and my family?’”
Plouffe is, of course, 100% correct. If you’re an America-hating minority who belongs to a union and wants to retire early while others support your posh lifestyle, you will definitely feel the president makes decisions based on you and your family. Otherwise, not so much.
We’ve never run a presidential campaign, but off the tops of our heads, Mr. Plouffe, sir, that seems like a bad strategy.
Source: Bloomberg.com
