Time for the Obama campaign to print out millions of T-Shirts, bumper stickers, posters, trading cards, ties, scarves, hats and anything else with the above. Blog it, Tweet it, Email it, Text it, Facebook it, Link it in!
The key to elections is to pose the central theme in such a way as to reach the low information voters who will determine the outcome. All of the themes below most likely determined the outcome of those elections.
In 1980 -- "Are you better off now than you were 4 years ago?"
In 1992 -- "It's the economy, stupid."
IN 2004 -- "Bush kept us safe since 9/11"
I now believe that the simple equation:
Romney = Bush
can be this year's determining slogan.
Polls still show people blaming primarily Bush for the bad economy. Even Republicans are blaming him for being a big spender, and therefore too liberal. No one likes him. He gives his "endorsement" as elevator doors are closing.
Plus, there is room to educate people even more about how bad Bush was. For example, amid all of the squawking about low monthly positive job growth (e.g., 69,000 in May), Dems should remind everyone that in late 1980, job growth was negative 800,000. At that time there was not the monthly job stat fetish that the media now pounces on, so I'll bet many people don't even know how horrible it was. Or that GDP growth was negative 8.9%.
So not only is Bush presently synonymous with failed economic policies, there is room for growth in informing people that it was even worse than they remember.
And Romney's spokespeople literally run from questions about how his plan is any different than Bush's.
It's the KISS principle at work:
Romney = Bush.
Pass it on.