Keith Olbermann On This Week: Significant Likability Gap Between Obama And Romney

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Today's panel on This Week was just a normal, everyday discussion about the general election campaign between President Obama and Mitt Romney. With one notable exception: Keith Olbermann was one of the panelists. In the midst of talk about this race and its connections to the 2004 Bush-Kerry race, Olbermann brought up the likability metric and how President Obama has that advantage over his Republican rival going into the general election.

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George Stephanopoulos had the panel weigh in on how this election has essentially gone to the dogs. Donna Brazile talked seriously about what each campaign will need to do to reach out to independents, before sharing a slightly disturbing anecdote about how her mother once told her, 'don't focus on the species, focus on the recipe.' George Will reacted to polls showing Obama's narrow lead over Romney by reminding everyone that the president had much more momentum in 2008, and all he garnered was 53 percent of the vote. Will noted that the Democrats, 'the oldest party in the world,' have only had three candidates that have ever garnered a majority, not just a plurality, of the vote.

Matthew Dowd, who worked as a chief strategist for George W. Bush during his 2004 re-election campaign, noted many similarities between that re-election contest and this one. He said that Obama's approval rating now is right around where Bush's was at this time eight years ago. And just like Bush did, Dowd pointed out that Obama too was facing a wealthy Massachusetts politician whose biggest perceived problem is flip-flopping on key issues and, as Dowd put it, 'authenticity.'

Olbermann then brought up the issue of likability and asked Dowd exactly where Bush's numbers on that scale were during the 2004 race. He pointed to a recent poll finding that the gap between Obama and Romney in terms of likability is over 20 percent, with Obama in the lead. Dowd disputed the idea that this would be an important metric for Obama, because strategically speaking, people could still vote against someone they like if they believe they're incompetent or not doing a good job. Peggy Noonan agreed, saying the biggest issue in the race is going to be Obama's record, and not the petty nonsense that's overtaken much of the campaign.

RELATED: Romney Says Election Isn't About Dogs, It's About Jobs

Will ended up doing a little quick math and illustrating that if Obama keeps the Kerry coalition, loses New Hampshire, but also gains a few states, the electoral college will be split 269-269. And God forbid this headache of a race drags on like it did in 2000'

Watch the video below, courtesy of ABC:

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• Herr Olbermann a good one to lecture on 'likeability'. Two words: ba loney.

  The election: You want four more years of this ?

  Hey Olby. Still like Obama if he munched on an occasional kitty ?

• Its good to see Mr. Olbermann back on TV. I hope he is able to get a spot on an actual network.

  'He pointed to a recent poll finding that the gap between Obama and Romney in terms of likability is over 20 percent, with Obama in the lead.'

  I can't wait till November!

• 'munched on an occasional kitty ?' '. is that a sexual reference ?

• I can not believe that Keith Olbermann will be allowed back on television, after all we know of him, a man who have no respect for his employers. Television does not need Keith, he needs to be reprimanded in a psychiatric hospital. Keith is a lunatic! He does not think he should answer to anyone.

  It's time people realize that a leopard can not change it's spot.

• People 'liked' Jimmy Carter also.  It didn't stop them from recognizing him as the worst president of the 20th century.

• So, Obama's advantage is that you'd rather have a beer with him than his opponent?

  So this IS exactly 2004 again.

• There's a significant likability gap between Olbermann and the rest of the civilized world

• Keith took his bipolar medication before taping the show. Not bad O.

• Obama eats dog meat!

• Did you hear Donna Brazile stating the facts of presidential campaigns re-tooling at this point to appeal to 'moderates'.  A strategy politicians follow all the time.

• wow lefties are so thin skinned, how do you manage to take his comment in a sexual way especially considering it was a rebut of Olberman and his professed fondness for cats? 

  The silliness is in full swing & I to can't wait for November for all of you to crawl back into your basements and Barak to head back to Indonesia !

• Its because you can't have a beer with Romney.  Nor would you want to.

• All comes down to how conspicuous Obama and his treasury secretary are engaged in handling the European union single currency crisis. 

  The less conspicuous, the better. Europeans viscerally dislike being lectured to by the US. Especially a debt-burdened and politically-stagnated US of A. 

  Any hint of a crisis and potential of contagion, the entire wold economy can be sunk into the depth of depression. And so would Obama's reelection prospects

• I'm sure you've had worse.

• And awesome to see Olbermann on TV again. Hopefully he gets a Sunday morning permanent gig

• I was proud of Keith. He cam across as sane and likable enough. The big take though is that this election is about how do you judge Obama's performance. I find Obama likable, don't have anything personal against him, but he is a complete disaster. He reminds me of Carter. Likable guy but not up to the job. He is gone.

• Because the Seamus story didn't come from the Obama camp.  It was raised in 2007 when Romney was running for the GOP nomination.  By the way, check out 
  http://spreadingromney.com/

• Also, I don't care what the polls say, this is going to be a thumping. Mitt may not excite people butt they will vote for giving somebody else a chance after Obama's disastrous term.

•  Are any posters on Mediaite capable of simply discussing politics in general, or does everything have to be a partisan shot at the other side?

•  Judging by Keith's entire history'..if he does manage to maintain some type of employment with ABC'that demeanor will not last.

• Funny, just a month ago Noonan thought likeability was a very important issue:

  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303816504577312043447691520.html

  I guess when the actual numbers come in, instead of those you wish were the case, all you can do is let out a Trademark Noonan 'sigh' and pivot your message.

•  The commenting guidelines allow for liberals to say crude things, just look at Ted41, so yes, it appears acceptable.

  But ronald above is correct.

•  You can't have a beer with Obama either. It has too many carbs.

• Of course not. He couldn't even get along with people who are as crazy as he is at Current or MSLSD.

•  Either way, Obama ate a dog.

  MUAHAHAHAHA

• You're a quack. He's no more lunatic than Bill O'Reily or Sean Hannnity.

•  Lefties are so consumed with 'teabagging' that it invades every random thought that they have. 

• 'To the media, controversies are only 'distractions' if they benefit Republicans' ' Jonah Goldberg.

  The Obama campaign embraced it with David Axelrod's tweet.

• Really, I guess you don't read the newspaper very often.  Google 'beer with Obama', the number of people he's sat down with for a beer is too numerous to list.

• Blahahahahaha