Bai Low: Claims Bill Clinton Hurt Obama With Advice

It may take you through-the-looking-glass but you might get a kick out of the NYT's Matt Bai attempt to blame Bill Clinton for Obama's decline in the polls earlier this month.   Yes, you read that right.  It seems, according to Bai, that Bill advised Obama months ago to simply paint Romney as "severely conservative" (to coin a phrase) rather than an "inauthentic" flip-flopper.  According to Bai, Obama bought this hook, line and sinker.  One problem:  Evidence that Clinton was prime mover on this?  Second:  It's nonsense that there weren't two themes to Obama claims and ads all along, with plenty of "inauthentic Mitt" mixed in.

Then Bai charges that Mitt's move to the middle caught Obama off guard in the first debate and that's why he hit the skids and, in fact, that move is "apparently" working.  Again, couple problems:  Bai has bought the D.C. meme that the reason Obama flopped in the first debate was because he was shocked by Romney's feints to the middle.  Again:  No evidence for this at all, beyond making excuses (blame the other guy).  Obama was coasting that night, no matter what Romney said.  Second:  Is the Romney strategy working? Has Bai looked at the polls after the last two debates, featuring that newly "middling" Mitt--polls showing Romney got thrashed, especially for his biggest lurch to the center this week.  And now most national and state polls in recent days show movement toward Obama again.