I think that part of what's happening right now with Mitt Romney's decreasing poll numbers is that Americans who are just now really tuning into the political process for the first time are taking one look at Romney and backing away from him. This doesn't mean that President Obama has it in the bag by any means. National polls are meaningless, remember, because the election will be determined in a few swing states that are right now being bombarded with ads and frightening new voter registration laws. And the world is tumultuous and so is public opinion of foreign policy; Obama could easily hit a disaster between now and Election Day.
But here's what's not going to happen: I don't think that voters are going to suddenly look at Romney and decide that he's a likable guy who makes for an attractive candidate. This has been an issue for over a decade: Romney has never been able to shake his woodenness, his inability to perform many of the simple functions of a candidate with ease, or his apparent, creeping sense of discomfort. And when people look at Romney and listen to him talk for a while, he just sounds like a dick. Or, more accurately, does he seem like an asshole? Or is Romney a douche?
We couldn't decide whether Romney is an asshole, a douche, or a dick. This conversation went on for a while, and we finally decided that Slog readers should decide, once and for all. So we leave it to you: