I was surprised when Frank Luntz’s focus group showed that the best line of Wednesday evening’s debate by either candidate was Gov. Romney’s rendition of how he worked with Democrats in Massachusetts and will do so as president. But it makes a great deal of sense that this line would resonate.
While we professionals are trying to win the war of Dems vs. Reps, blue vs. red, the voters just want the war to end and the parties to come to an agreement, guided by the verdict they will deliver on Election Day. Ending this toxic division has been a key national goal of American voters ever since the Clinton impeachment, the government shutdown and the debt-limit fight. Indeed, the core of Clinton’s current popularity is that he did bridge the gap and pass bipartisan legislation to balance the budget and reform welfare.
Obama’s appeal was largely based on his promise to heal these divisions. But it is self-evident that they have gotten worse during his term. Any promise now to heal the breach would be seen as fraudulent.
But Romney’s record in Massachusetts offers some hope that he might succeed where Obama has failed.