column: Criticism for Romney coming from more than just Obama campaign

So, it is good news that the Republican nominee has decided to put some meat on the bones on his plans if elected POTUS (President of the United States).

Criticism is coming not only from the Obama campaign, but also from Republicans and the right-leaning media that Mitt Romney has not shown the American people what he would do if he is elected. Even the conservative editorial page of The Wall Street Journal complains about the lack of specificity from the Romney campaign.

Shaking It Up

‘Etch-a-Sketch’ Romney has shaken himself and his campaign up, hitting the reset button and promising to provide more specifics on his proposals to the nation in the final weeks of the campaign. It is about time!

Clearly the Romney camp is concerned that given the weak economy, they should be walking away with the election — even as it is beginning to slip away.

President Obama leads in the polls and appears to be pulling away in key swing states crucial to a Romney victory. A recent poll conducted for NBC and The Wall Street Journal found Romney trailing Obama in three swing states — Florida, Ohio and Virginia.

Some polls have President Obama up by double digets in the mitten state.

Senior Romney adviser Ed Gillespie is quoted as saying, “There are a lot of Americans out there who are just starting to lock in and starting to look for more information, and now is the time for us to provide that for them.”

The irony is that just when Romney was pivoting and promising to give the American people more details of what he plans to do as president, a troubling video has surfaced showing him privately telling wealthy donors that almost half of all Americans "believe they are victims,” entitled to extensive government support. Ouch!

This, so called 47 percent of American free-loaders includes military, seniors and people with disabilities.

He continues in the video saying that as a candidate for the White House, "my job is not to worry about those people."

Romney’s response when questioned about this “Let them eat cake” comment, conceded his words weren't "elegantly stated" and they were spoken "off the cuff."

Off The Cuff Or Off the Wall?

On cue the Obama campaign has jumped on the video as proof that Romney is out of touch with the average American and would neglect their needs as president. They quickly called the video what it was, "shocking."

Romney said, “I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives." Take that, grandma!

Romney's campaign did not dispute the authenticity of the video or his comments.

I doubt these are the new policies and direction that candidate Romney was promising earlier in the week.

The complaints about Romney have been that he is too vague about what he’d do if he were elected.

Perhaps the candid camera video provided all the specifics Americans need to make an informed decision on Election Day.

Open mouth and insert foot or in a candid moment the real Romney is revealed?

In a few short weeks the American people will make a judgement. Tom Watkins has been a participant/observer of the political landscape for over three decades. He is a former state superintendent of schools and state mental health director for the state of Michigan. He can be reached at:tdwatkins88@gmail.com