Interview by Emma Ullah
Written by Gareth Hill
Alastair Campbell says he still likes President Barack Obama’s chances of staying in the job, even though he and Mitt Romney are drawing level in the polls.
As Tony Blair’s former Director of Communications, Campbell has experience in elections and the role that the media play in their outcome.
Just last month Campbell claimed on his blog that Romney, the Tea Party and Fox News were Obama’s best assets. But now he is less flippant about Obama’s chances.
Speaking exclusively to BUNewsLab, Campbell blamed the economy for a dip in support for Obama.
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In a recent New York Times poll, votes in key swing states suggested Romney had a 1% lead over the President. So how has it become as close a race as the polls suggest?
Campbell cites the nervousness of the US electorate, regarding the economy as well as the televised debates.“In the first one Obama was pretty bad, which opened the door for Romney.”
Campbell says he had hoped that Obama would have healed the divisions in American society during his four years in office. However, because of the Tea Party and media outlets such as Fox News, he believes the division has become worse.
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Despite this, Campbell is remaining optimistic about the President’s chances of remaining in office.
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