One might think that decisively beating President Obama in one presidential debate would increase Mitt Romney’s chances of winning their second matchup, but Republicans say he’s now the victim of his own success. A senior Romney adviser tells Politico, “It’s going to be very hard to find observers to say [Obama] was just as bad as he was in the first debate … the last debate sort of lowered a lot of expectations in the minds of many observers.” “Perhaps Romney’s biggest challenge will be overcoming a Gang of 500 who would love nothing more than reporting ‘Obama wins round by KO’ lede,” adds GOP strategist Brad Dayspring. “Obama the comeback kid is a very appealing story line.” Obviously we can rule out the possibility that journalists will honestly report on the president’s performance, but what if they’re holding out for the “Third Time’s the Charm” headline?
