Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign is all about running up the score with white voters. Which means it probably shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that he’s airing this ad (via Politico) featuring Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whose 2008 run was fueled by white blue collar Democrats, excoriating Barack Obama at the height of their primary duel four years ago (check out how uncomfortable Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland looks behind her)
It’s hard to see how Team Romney successfully dredges up the old anger from that fight, especially since Hillary has been serving so prominently in Obama’s White House. What’s more, healthcare reform, which was Hillary’s signature issue before it was Obama’s, is back in the news, and remains a cause embraced by just about all segments of the Democratic Party.
But whereas Obama had the economic crisis to bring Hillary voters into line four years ago, his moves on hot-button cultural issues like gay marriage and immigration could be having the opposite effect.
Which isn’t to say that Hillary backers will abandon the president en masse, so much as the Obama campaign’s emphasis on outsourcing by Mitt Romney’s private equity firm Bain Capital is best understood as a means to keep blue collar Dems from jumping ship.
