Mitt Romney: This Year’s Michael Dukakis
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Sept. 27 (Bloomberg) -- If, as seems possible, Mitt Romneyis not elected U.S. president on Nov. 6, he will not be thefirst presidential candidate to run on the issue of competenceand then lose because he ran an incompetent campaign. He willnot even be the first governor of Massachusetts to do so.
In 1988, Michael Dukakis, who was ahead in the polls justafter the Democratic convention, declared in his acceptancespeech: “This election isn’t about ideology. It’s aboutcompetence.” Then he proceeded to blow a large lead and lose toGeorge Bush the Elder, who turned out to be a tougher old birdthan anyone suspected.