Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is closing the gap with voters in Virginia because residents “see a candidate for the Republicans who articulates a positive vision,” Kate Obenshain, vice president of the Young America's Foundation, tells Newsmax TV.
“Women have seen Mitt Romney and Republicans vilified,” Obenshain tells Newsmax in an exclusive interview. “They’ve bought into a lot of this ‘war on women’ rhetoric – and then they see the real Mitt Romney come out sounding reasonable, having ideas to back himself up, and they realized the sheer emptiness of Barack Obama’s campaign – the fact that he doesn’t actually present any ideas.
Watch the exclusive interview here.
“And women, in particular, but also young people – those who were really inspired by that ‘hope’ and ‘change’ mantra – they’re disgusted by the constant attack and vilification that they’re really beginning to see through.
“There’s really a great awakening taking place in this country as the economic realities hit hard, but also as they know see a candidate for the Republicans who articulates a positive vision,” Obenshain said.
A former chairman of the Virginia Republican Party, Obenshain was appointed to the State Council of Higher Education by two GOP governors, George Allen and Jim Gilmore. She also served as Allen’s chief of staff when he was in the U.S. Senate.
Her new book – “Divider-in-Chief: The Fraud of Hope and Change” – argues that President Barack Obama has divided the nation for his own political advantage.
And this strategy was evident throughout Obama’s last two debates with Romney – in Denver last week and in Boca Raton, Fla., on Monday.
“What he has done is to make Mitt Romney the enemy – to paint him as loving only rich people at the expense of children with autism and Down’s syndrome,” Obenshain said. “He still is using that line that’s been used for about two years trying to make it sound as though Mitt Romney’s only concerns are taking us back to the 1950s.
“You heard that line last night, on social issues. On military issues, he’s going to take us back to the 1980s. Nothing to back up any of those statements but, as Mitt Romney said: ‘You’re attacking me. That’s not exactly an agenda.’
“Mitt Romney actually called him out on what has been a consistent strategy for four years, in terms of making Republicans and conservatives the enemy,” she added. “Since the campaign has started, he’s had the persona of Mitt Romney turned into the real villain in hopes that folks will ignore the fact that he has no ideas of his own.”
Looking to the Virginia Senate race, Allen is a point behind Democrat Tim Kaine in the polls. Allen can come out ahead on Nov. 6 if he does two things, Obenshain said.
“First of all, he needs to attack Kaine and Obama hard. It’s really hard to distinguish between the two, because Kaine has walked in lockstep. He’s been one of the first supporters of Obama. He’s been steadfast throughout. You see Obama praising him in San Francisco but not in Virginia, where it doesn’t go over quite so well.
“Allen has to point out the fact that Tim Kaine came in as governor to a major surplus, left with a deficit in every budget. He proposed a massive tax increase on Virginians, even when there was a surplus. It’s just the leftist ideology that you can’t get enough money out of hard-working Virginians and Americans.
“And then,” she continued, “George Allen has to pivot and really lay out his bold plan. He’s already been doing that, talking about a balanced-budget amendment. He’s always been a champion for that.
“But also really talking about how we need to bring jobs back to America. He did that as governor. That’s going to be the main point that you’re going to hear: the economic vitality and energy independence coming from George Allen.
“He just has to break through, give that message directly – particularly to Northern Virginians – to women. Both of these areas there are now open now to hearing a Republican message.”
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