September 21, 2012 07:59 PM UTC

Bill O'Reilly Almost (Not Quite) Correct on Romney Problem

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• by: Colorado Pols

We normally don’t pay much attention to the blustering of national pundits like Bill O’Reilly, but this post from Salon caught our attention for another reason. Take a gander:

Bill O’Reilly has a theory about why Mitt Romney is trailing in the polls in key swing states: The Internet. “Everybody is now diverted, their attention is diverted, because they have machines 24-7,” O’Reilly said on his show, speaking with guest Laura Ingraham. “They’re texting, whatever they’re doing. They dont have time to read, they dont have time to watch news programs, they dont have time to do anything.”

What’s fascinating about this discussion is the idea that voters would like Mitt Romney if only they knew more about him. It’s a bizarre analysis of one of Romney’s fundamental problems (discussed endlessly by pundits poring over polling data), which is that voters seem to dislike Romney the more they see/hear/read about his campaign. In other words, if O’Reilly is correct that voters are too disengaged and not paying attention to the race for President…well, that should actually help Romney’s chances.