Politics: How To Measure for a President

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Politics How To Measure for a President It gets loud in the Oval Office. You better be able to tune out the noise. By John Dickerson Posted Thursday, Sep 27, 2012, at 11:15 AM ET Ann Romney says that she and her husband call the rope line the "advice line." Every time the candidate works the crowd, well-meaning supporters lean across the rope to offer tips about how he can improve his campaign. At fundraisers, donors give him advice on everything from sovereign debt to his speaking style (slow down!). Conservative pundits have been offering critiques by the wagonful for months. Ignore or adapt? That is the question for the Romney campaign, which finds itself down in the polls, under siege, and with 40 days before the election. If Romney has a clear vision for righting the ship, then he must smile and ignore the chatter. This is a laudable attribute. Who wants a weathervane as president? When Hillary Clinton was ahead in the polls, Barack Obama resisted calls to panic. It was one of the first signs he might be ready to be president. On the other hand, if circumstances have changed, Romney should take a gamble, scrap his plan, and adapt. Otherwise he's going to blow his best chance to beat a weak incumbent. Romney faces a management decision of presidential proportions right now. The decision over the direction of his campaign mirrors the constant tension a president faces—do I stick to my strategy or stop compounding the same mistakes? In the middle of a day swirling with other choices, a president must decide: ignore or adapt? The way a presidential candidate manages his campaign tells us something about how he ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate House of Pain Why Is Apple Forcing Us All To Put Our Phones In Our Pockets Upside-Down? Watch Samuel L. Jackson's New Adult-Themed Children Story For Obama Supporters	Advertisement
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