Now that he's disowned his 47% comments on Fox, the day after a debate in which – unbelievably – the topic never came up, we can probably infer that Mitt Romney intended to apologize before 68 million viewers during the debate. Having missed that opportunity, he tried to get the word out last night. The problem is that his mea culpa is now buried under news about the 7.8 unemployment figure. It will have limited visibility.
I suspect this means that in the minds of a big chunk of those 68 million debate viewers, the comment remains "good law" – something that Romney continues to own. Blowing the chance to address 60 million voters on the issue is, I believe, a material loss to Romney – one that the campaign is probably quietly regretting. We can't know how much of a difference this will make, but it is a good example of how the world is often more complicated than it first appears. (Another example: Obama's "spanking" will not only energize GOP base, but also Dems whom, it seemed to me, were getting bit complacent.)
For Obama fans looking for a silver lining in the debate, this may be it.
I think he's baiting Obama to bring it up in the second debate, so he can say now "I've already apologized for that, but we all say things we later regret, like when you suggested that people voting for Hilary Clinton against you in 2008 were bitter people clinging to their guns and religion."
(Which, I should add, is probably why Obama didn't bring it up in first place.)
The blog was absolutely fantastic! Lots of great information and inspiration, both of which we all need!
Hrmm that was weird, my comment got eaten. Anyway I wanted to say that it’s nice to know that someone else also mentioned this as I had trouble finding the same info elsewhere. This was the first place that told me the answer. Thanks.
Obama should make a strong detate. He is in a dangerous edge.