Wanna Know Why Romney Is Down In Florida?

Maybe it's because the folks are seeing headlines like this when they pick up their morning paper (via Ricochet):

While I have downplayed the "media effect" somewhat this year, it could make all the difference in Florida.  The 55+ voting set is not one to use their iPads or Kindles to visit their favorite blogs or surf for more detailed information on the stories they are following; they are more likely to rely on the mainstream media for their daily dose of data.  And a lot of these folks are from the "Cronkite generation", who implicitly believe what they hear coming out of their TV sets.   And I know - as someone who has a number of aging relatives, at least once a week I get a frantic call warning me about some imaginary danger pimped out by the Today Show or NBC Nightly News...

And this is not helping Romney either - Commentary analyzes a new poll taken of Jewish voters in Florida:

The poll shows that the president leads Mitt Romney by a 69-25 percentage-point margin with five percent undecided. That is less than the 74-78 percent of the Jewish vote Obama got in 2008. But it is far less of a decrease than other polls have shown. More to the point, if these results hold up, it is not enough of a shift to be considered large enough to help swing the state if Florida turns out to be close. For that to happen, the GOP needs to hold Obama closer to 60 percent than 70 and get Romney up over the 30 percent margin...


Double-whammy here.  These folks are also older, and consume primarily traditional media.  And when they see headlines like the one above, it makes them even less likely to depart from their ingrained voting habits, which are overwhelming Democratic.  They need a push to vote in their best interests, and the local pres is wielding what power hey have left over one of the few groups over which it still holds some sway.

Florida is winnable, but it's gonna be tough, as the mainstream media may make their last stand on the I-95 corridor.  Mitt better bust out his Bain billions sooner rather than later, or he's toast.

And so are we.