Romney can still win, but it won’t be easy

There’s one thing Democrats and Republicans alike can agree on: It’s been a bad few weeks for Mitt Romney. His recent critique of the “47 percent” made nearly one-third of independent voters less likely to vote for him, according to a Gallup poll. This, coming on the heels of a lackluster national convention and a poorly worded response to the killings of four Americans in Libya last week would have made his presidential prospects hopeless in just about any other election year. In 2012, however, with a struggling economy and high percentages of voters who think the country is on the wrong track, the GOP still has a fighting chance. To come out on top, Romney needs to soften his image, tell voters more clearly what he’ll do as president and, to put it simply, stop making mistakes. It’s a tall order, but a manageable one.