Over at Real Clear Politics is a piece by Salena Zito, describing a Mitt Romney campaign rally which had more than 1,400 people, nearly as many Democrats as Republicans.
The energy came from what arguably was the presumptive Republican nominee’s best rally so far. More than 1,400 people packed a 4,000-square-foot warehouse – but it wasn’t the numbers, it was the event’s organic nature.
This was not a stacked rally, to which the usual GOP suspects bring a friend, or a ticketed event, for which you go to a local elected official to pick up a pass reserved for people who clap on cue.
This was the real deal – and the crowd, with nearly as many Democrats as Republicans, let Romney know they loved him and his message.
The direct quotes from Democrats, even elected Democratic officials, are representative of what is being seen in small towns across America and as Zito points out, Obama and his supporters ignore this segment of the Democratic party at their own peril.
Bill Brasco of nearby Jeanette isn’t just a Democrat. He is an elected Democrat, serving as the local school board president for more than 42 years, the second-longest-serving board president in state history.
“Been a Democrat since I turned 21 and proud of it,” he said, adding that he will not vote for Obama in November.
“I just do not like the direction this country is going under the president,” he explained.
Brasco, 75, was one of many Democrats giving Romney more than a dozen standing ovations at the Westmoreland County rally.
“I could not have been more impressed,” he said. “I particularly liked when he talked about his five-point plan to get the economy roaring.”
Brasco, who spent most of his working career in sales, listed Romney’s points as if he himself had authored them: “Energy, trade, balanced budget, better education through training and skills, and economic freedom. … No, he was impressive, that was an amazing event.”
More:
The attacks on Romney as a businessman are ridiculous, said Mark Lisovich, who lives here. The 51-year-old father of five – including a wounded Navy combat corpsman – is another Democrat who voted for Obama but now supports Romney.
“Without private-equity firms like Bain, I wouldn’t have a job,” he said of the small business he works for that received start-up money from investors. “And what will the tax thing prove? That Romney is rich?”
Lisovich was optimistic that things would improve when he voted for Obama in 2008; now he knows better, he said. “Romney has the right vision for the country, and he understands that businesses small and large are what make America great.”
Obama spent $43 million on ads attacking Romney in June and the Obama campaign along with the DNC spent $2.6 million in polling.
If their internal polling is telling them that Obama's attacks on Romney's wealth or his tax returns are helping him, Obama fundraiser R. Donahue Peebles and Democratic voters that supported Obama in 2008 but are supporting Mitt Romney in 2012, are prime examples that that polling money has been wasted.