You’d think defeating Obama would be like shooting fish in a barrel.  After all, economic growth as slowed (1.5% of GDP), unemployment is still over 8%, and despite the Liberal media we get weekly headlines about some stupid Obama “green energy” grant going belly up costing $50 million or $200 million, etc…

And yet, Romney is, at best, in a dead heat with Obama or slightly ahead but within the margin of error.

Romney should be rolling like a Panzer over Obama and his numerous domestic and foreign policy failures and yet he can’t seem to create anything so, instead, he’s left with jumping over the president regarding his “You didn’t make that happen” comment.

Mittens isn’t going to become president by surfing that wave into D.C.

Ronald Reagan faced Jimmy Carter, a similarly horrible president as Mitt Romney faces.

Here’s what Reagan created:

Recession is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his.

We don’t hear such funny remarks from Romney but, more importantly, Reagan created his headlines while Romney seems content to wait for Obama to screw-up and then pounce.

There’s a big difference between the two approaches and the former, if successful, definitely has better results.

Romney’s team has been excellent at rapid response when Obama or one of his surrogates screws up (says what they really think) but with only 98 days until the election Romney isn’t pulling away.

John McCain’s candidacy had many issues but part of it was being too polite.  Think of how Lee Atwater used WIllie Horton to nearly crucify Michael Dukakis, whom he never met, while Reverend Wright was left untouched even though Obama sat in his church year-after-year to the shouts of “God damn America!”

There is so much material there for Romney to go after why is he not taking advantage of it?

“Going negative” is what voters hate the most and yet it is proven itself to work.

Romney does not have to lay into Obama personally but his organization needs to take the gloves off because Democrats have no problem going for the throat and making this contest into a street fight.

Witness questions about Romney’s religion, his wife riding horses for MS therapy, that he somehow broke the law while at Bain, etc…

Instead Romney is riding the “you didn’t build this” meme too much:

Mittens is going to have to take the gloves off if he wants to beat Obama and he’s going to have to do that by creating the opportunities more and, possibly, even getting his hands dirty.