Punditry

President Obama’s new groove helps humanize him. It short-circuits the rain of criticism he’s gotten for coming across as aloof and academic. Undecided voters vote based on a candidate’s charisma.  Samuel Popkin wrote about this in his fascinating book “The Reasoning Voter.” They gravitate to celebrity candidates. Celebrity status is a less costly cue for them to use at the polls. President Reagan’s popularity is a perfect example. Many voters liked the fact that he was a known actor. Voters don’t want to spend the time learning about policy positions – it takes too much effort.

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President Obama’s video touting the U.S. military killing of Osama Bin Laden reminds people of his signature foreign policy success, but it’s not going to make a big difference drawing a large numbers of undecided voters to his camp. This is not a foreign policy election year. 2012 is about jobs. The public is more interested in knowing what the president has accomplished and what he plans to do in a second term. However, the economy is Obama’s biggest weakness. Romney’s business background and “turn around” reputation plays well to swing voters who are uncertain about the president’s economic record.

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Jamie Chandler, a political science professor at Hunter College in New York, said Gingrich’s public image has taken a hit. “He’s definitely damaged his brand, particularly personally. He didn’t make the right strategic decisions in the campaign both in his fundraising strategy and his various impulsive ways of speaking,” Chandler said. “Also, the way he stayed in the race so long, he’s annoyed some of the more powerful establishment-type people in the party, and he’s also taken the steam out of his name.”

Read more in the Atlanta Journal Constitution

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“Iran is more like the Nazi regime with respect to its foreign policy rather than its domestic policy. Netanyahu and Liebermann’s comparisons are supported by political realities that are a reflection of the Ahmadinejad administration, but not part of a Nazi-like populist movement sweeping Iranian society. Ahmadinejad has made numerous anti-Semitic comments that make clear that his administration’s nuclear program is not only meant to help Iran achieve regional dominance but also to bring great harm to Israel,” said Jamie Chandler, political science professor at Hunter College.

Read more in International Business Times

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The primaries washout of Pennsylvania Reps. Jason Altmire and Tim Holden is another sign that a long-term trend of increasing Beltway polarization remains strong. The loss of two more “Blue Dogs” will only expand the miasmas of recalcitrance and acrimony fogging the capital. Should Rep. Mark Critz and Attorney Matt Cartwright win the general election, not to mention if Sens. Orrin Hatch and Dick Lugar lose their primaries, don’t expect much work to get done in the 113th Congress.

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Newt Gingrich made a number of strategic errors during his campaign that contributed to his rapid downfall. He had a weak fundraising record, a poor communications plan, an inconsistent narrative, and a campaign organization plagued with high staff turnover. Gingrich also didn’t have the support of key politicians and social conservative groups that would have helped him mobilize voters, particularly in Southern primaries. And, although not necessarily in his control, his poll numbers peaked at the wrong time.

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Rick Santorum is waiting for the right time to endorse Mitt Romney. If he offers it now, it’ll be a non factor. His exit suspended all the fun in following the primaries. Most voters have shifted into hibernation mode, and the GSA and Secret Service scandals now top the headlines. Tomorrow’s low turnout northeast primaries will draw little ink. Santorum is better off waiting until a week before Tampa to make an announcement.

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The last time I checked, the LA Times masthead didn’t read Gawker; printed photos of U.S. soldiers partying it up with dead Afghanis does nothing more than give its readers a side of sunny-side down rubbernecking with their morning coffee. If pictures of tortured prisoners at Abu Ghraib, the aftermath of Sergeant Robert Bales massacre of 17 Afghani innocents, and Qur’an burnings at the Bagram Air Force base haven’t informed the public of the moral turpitudes of war, another round isn’t going to either.

Read more in Politico | The Arena

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