Romney Convention Reset ‘Not Gonna Work,’ Obama Camp Says
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Alex Wong/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — In a prebuttal to the Republican Convention, the Obama campaign says attempts by presumptive nominee Mitt Romney to refresh his image on the national stage are “not gonna work.”
A spoof movie trailer produced by the campaign – dubbed an “epic cinematic preview ” of Romney’s week ahead – openly mocks Romney for what is portrayed as his repeated failure to cultivate a positive image.
“Nothing is working,” says the announcer over a dramatic soundtrack. “His only hope is a convention reinvention. And an Etch-a-sketch of epic proportions will be shaken to its core.”
Romney enters his convention week in Tampa, Fla., with the lowest personal popularity ratings for a presumptive presidential nominee since 1984. Forty percent of Americans have a favorable view of Romney, 49 percent unfavorable, according to the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll.
Republicans have enlisted an army of image-makers, advertising managers, designers and media producers to help craft a convention program that can showcase Romney at his best, trying to overcome the negative associations Democrats have been pushing for months.
“On Aug. 30, Mitt Romney stars in the Do-Over,” the narrator in the spoof says. “Rated N for not gonna work.”
Romney campaign spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg called the video a personal, negative attack contrary to the president’s high-minded rhetoric about elevating the tone of the campaign.
“President Obama continues to prove he has little he can say about his indefensible record in office, which has led to chronic unemployment, increased poverty, falling incomes and middle-class pain,” Henneberg said in a statement.
“With public confidence in the President falling, his campaign will continue to rely on negative attacks that will be rejected by the American people,” she said.
The Republican National Convention begins Tuesday after organizers suspended the first day of activities on Monday due to concerns over Tropical Storm Isaac–expected to become a hurricane later Sunday– bearing down on the Florida coast.
Romney will deliver a primetime, nationally-televised address accepting the Republican presidential nomination on Thursday.
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